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This is the fourth is what will be an occasional series of bulletins about the cultivated and wild things on my property in the South Common Historic District, upland from Hale’s or River Meadow Brook and the Concord River, just at the edge of the industrial core of the city.…
Read More »I’m posting this for Marie due to technical difficulties out the Rte. 133 way. — PM Last Thursday evening, Lowell National Historical Park and its community partner the Lowell Heritage Partnership hosted a reception to honor some who have contributed to the preservation of not only the “built environment” but…
Read More »Just a quick note about the new Pop-Up History Trail created by the DIY action-group in the city. The temporary signs went up Friday evening in time for Doors Open Lowell, which was blessed with excellent weather yesterday. The Pop-Up History committee worked for about a year on this new…
Read More »This is the third post in what I expect will be irregular updates on the progress of cultivated and wild things on my family’s property in the South Common Historic District.–PM The past two weeks have been hectic at home because my wife, Rosemary, broke her right wrist, and our…
Read More »Urban planner Jeff Speck is a friend of Lowell’s. He likes the city. He has praised the renaissance of the city. His advice is worth considering. His knowledge, based on working around the country and the world, is valuable. It’s a mistake for anyone to paint him as some kind…
Read More »This is the second in a series of posts about what’s happening with cultivated and wild things on my property in the South Common Historic District.— PM The birds. The birds. As a kid, one of my favorite movies was Alfred Hitchcock’s ominous 1963 movie “The Birds” with Tippi Hedren…
Read More »We had the Earth Day Festival & Urban Growers Gathering today in downtown Lowell. Hundreds of people marched in a funky Green parade, learned gardening techniques in workshops, swapped seeds and local planting tips, and enjoyed live dance and music. The sky cleared just as the parade stepped off from…
Read More »Michael Leong in the online cultural publication hyperallergic.com contributes what could be a game-changing review of recent books by poet Joseph Donahue (Lowell-connected and holder of an endowed professor’s chair at Duke University). Here’s the opening paragraph: Among contemporary American poets, Joseph Donahue is an underrecognized master. For years, he…
Read More »I will post updates on the wild and cultivated things around my house this spring and summer in the spirit of the “Flowering City” concept of our community. These are my notes from yesterday when the morning air was cooler than today.—PM The air still has a chill in it…
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