As the tenth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 tragedy draws near, it will be interesting to hear what voices emerge that may have been initially stifled. The message many Americans were given at the time was loud and clear: attach to our gas-powered vehicles cheap flags (usually made in China), hop on the war bandwagon, and turn a sad moment in history into an excuse to spill blood.
Those of us who refused to buy into forced sentimentality or vengeance were quickly labeled “Hanoi Janes,” traitors, and terrorists.
But not everyone was silenced. This is one of the things that comes across in the Connecticut Responds and Reflects exhibit, which opened today at the Connecticut Historical Society.
A Brownie troop from Easton created “Hope Angels” and decorated a tree with them for Christmas in 2001. They delivered this to the Hansons, who lost three of their family members. Each angel dons children’s hopes for the following year. The Hanson family was moved enough by this gesture to include mention of these angels in remarks they made at a September 11th dedication event in Boston in 2003. A theme found across several of these angels is that of peace and love. Continue reading 'A Decade of Learning How to Respond to Tragedy'»
Not fatigued yet by all these development meetings? Here are four more to add to your schedule then:
June 22: Handel Performing Arts Center on the corner of Albany Avenue and Westbourne Parkway will host the discussion pertaining to Asylum Hill, Blue Hills, Parkville, and the West End.
June 23: Metzner Recreation Center at 680 Franklin Avenue. This meeting is for the Barry Square, Behind the Rocks, South End, and Southwest neighborhoods.
June 27: Hartford Public Library will host the meeting for Downtown, Frog Hollow, Sheldon/Charter Oak, and South Green.
June 29: Parker Community Center at 2621 Main Street will host meeting for Clay Arsenal, Northeast, and Upper Albany neighborhoods.
The meetings about Livable & Sustainable Neighborhoods are described as opportunities for the public to learn about how the One City One Plan projects are being implemented. Literature sent from the City of Hartford says this will pertain to “infrastructure, community development, and anti-blight projects” happening “over the next two years.” A press release from the City indicates that this is part of the One City, One Plan. The One City, One Plan — the Plan of Conservation and Development through 2020 — was developed after receiving input from NRZs and the public. The projects vary from neighborhood-to-neighborhood. All of these meetings run from 6-7:30pm.
Asylum Hill, Barry Square, Behind the Rocks, Blue Hills, Clay Arsenal, Frog Hollow, Hartford, North East, POCD, Parkville, Sheldon/Charter Oak, South End, South West, Upper Albany, Urban Renewal, West End, blight, community, downtown, south green
If you were wondering when the right time is for checking out roses in Elizabeth Park, the answer is now.
Continue reading 'June Blooms'»
Another house in the West End that looks like a castle. This one overlooks the part of Elizabeth Park that has a playground.
Celebrate the opening (for the season) of the West End Farmers’ Market today at the corner of Farmington Avenue and South Whitney. It runs from 4-7 pm and will keep the same hours on Fridays.
There will be an “annual salad toss” on opening day at 5:30, involving several of Hartford’s City Council members. If witnessing that is not your thing, then you can always return on June 17th for the Strawberry Shortcake Festival, but arrive early before the free strawberry shortcake runs out.
I would improve this by adding a few cats to the front yard.
Generally, I’m not a fan of lawn. Grass requires a lot of maintenance, and it’s really better to have diversity of flowers, shrubs, trees, vegetables…pretty much anything with better root structure. But there is something to be said for having a large buffer between a house and the street.
This little house (not as skinny as this one) is in the West End.
Single family home in search of a person or people. I’m open-minded, but you need to have a healthy career. I’m not cheap. As you can see, I’m a brick house. I’m lettin’ it all hang out. I’m manicured, but I’m not pretentious. You can call me classic. We can enjoy evenings in front of my fireplace, reading books from the built-in shelves. If you’d prefer, we can have picnics together in the spacious backyard. Baby, I can promise you a rose garden — just a short walk from Elizabeth Park. Call me.
Elizabeth Park is the venue for various types of nature walks and talks, most of which are free. At bright-and-early (8am) on Saturday, May 7th, there will be a bird walk that begins in the parking lot near the greenhouse. I might not get a chance to go, but I’d certainly like to know what type of bird is pictured here. S/he was in the herb garden in Elizabeth Park a few days ago.
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