Endless Knots

Ganesh will not be televised

And while we're on the subject of The Cove, back in October we spotted something very strange along the shore, a statue of Ganesh, the Hindu god with an elephant head (how he came to have the head is rather gruesome so I'll just leave it there). We first became acquainted with Ganesh at Apple, yes, the Apple, when we were consulting to its newly formed International Software organization (hello, Steve Teicher).

The year was 1995 and a new facility was being set up in Bangalore by Ashok Khosla, who had to do everything including finding a place, setting up the infrastructure, negotiating contracts, moving his family there, and on and on and on. He began one of his initial presentations with a slide of, yes, Ganesh, "the remover of obstacles," as he put it.

So fast forward 15 years and there is Ganesh sitting along the shore of the Charles. I started snapping shots one after another but every single one of them was too dark to use. Once back at iPhoto, I did a bit of bar sliding and this is what I finally came up with, for your enjoyment, especially should you need some obstacle-removal, The Lord Ganesh:

 

And for the record, we never saw him there again.

Skating on very thin ice

The River Charles as it is sometimes archly called runs the Boston Marathon -- from Hopkinton out into Boston Harbor. Naturally, it borders our beloved city of Newton, which makes for some mighty nice walking, especially when it's very cold, which means there aren't a lot of other walkers (not that I mind other walkers, just that it's nice to have rivers to ourselves sometimes). One of our fave walks is at The Cove in Auburndale, one of Newton's villages. Technically, the Cove is just a little inlet of the Charles, with a much-used park on one side and lovely houses on the other. In between, the water in question.

Two days ago, we first saw this:

And then we noticed this:

They were beautiful, graceful, and swift skaters. We hope they stayed dry.

 

"A Word from the Field:" (Old Friends) Farmer's Block

I've never been to Old Friends Farm but I love their stand at the Newton (Tues) Farmers Market so much that I've posted about them before.

Their weekly newsletter has, naturally, news from the farm, recipes, and this time a reflection on farmer's block, if such possibly could exist. Inspired, so to speak, by writer's block, which Casey, who writes this edition, clearly does not suffer from:

A Word from the Field:

It may be the three hours of sleep, but I believe I am suffering from a common case of writers block. This is not to be confused with "farmer's block." "Farmer's block" we definitely do NOT have.

There is so much beautiful produce coming out of the fields. What would farmer's block look like? Well, maybe it looks like our husk cherries. We invested so much energy in them, and never got to the chapter when we get to harvest them.

Or maybe it looks like our carrots: we think they are going to germinate like a good idea, then they vanish like a thought you didn't get out in time.

Maybe, just maybe, it looks like a pond full of water without the ability to get it to all the fields. Ok, so we might have these mild cases of farmers block, but without them, wouldn't we be bored on our perfect little farm? Where's the challenge? The hardship? The angst? The sleep? All those successes (greens, ginger, potatoes, leeks, bok choi) wouldn't feel so special. So, I hereby say "cheers!" to farmers block, and shoo the writers block away!

Ships ahoy

Kids from Lowell Elementary School in Watertown, MA, built and lauched their vessels on the Charles River a few days ago, just around the bend from the falls in Watertown Square.

 

Last post on water emergency, I hope

Latest from Mayor Setti Warren on our water problems in Eastern Mass:

INSTRUCTIONS FOR POST-BOIL ORDER

Residents are advised to flush their water following the lifting of the boil order in order to clear plumbing of potentially contaminated water. 

Flushing your household and building water lines includes interior and exterior faucets; showers; water and ice dispensers; water treatment units, etc. 

Please follow these guidelines:

Cold Water Faucets: Run tap water until the water feels cold, 1 minute or more, before drinking, tooth brushing, or using for food preparation. 

Hot Water Faucets: To clear hot water pipes and water heater of untreated water, turn on all hot water faucets and flush for a minimum of 15 minutes for a typical household 40-gallon hot water tank and 30 minutes for an 80-gallon hot water tank or larger. 

Never use water from the hot faucet for drinking, cooking, or other internal-consumption purposes. 

After this flushing, hot water is then safe to use for washing hands, and for handwashing of dishes, pots and pans, etc. 

Refrigerators: Water dispensers from refrigerators should be flushed by at least one quart of water. 

Dishwashers: After flushing hot water pipes and water heater, run dishwasher empty one time. 

Humidifiers: Discard any water used in humidifiers, Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP), oral, medical or health care devices, and rinse the device with clean water. 

Food and baby formula: Be sure you have discarded any baby formula or other foods
prepared with water on the days of the boil order. (If unsure of the dates contact your water Department.) 

Ice cubes: Automatic ice dispensers should be emptied of ice made during the boil order. Then, discard ice made over an additional 24 hour period to assure complete purging of the water supply line. 

Due to the flushing of the lines by residents and the flushing of the hydrants, some customers may experience a lack of water pressure and/or discolored water. However, this is an expected result and does not pose a health risk. 

Contact Newton Customer Service at 617-796-1000 if you have any questions. 

When there's no potable water in a hospital

Given the water main burst west of Boston, I was glad to read that Boston's Longwood medical area, which has four giant hospitals, was instantly supplied with potable water diverted from elsewhere.

Not long ago, well...just read this.

Latest on MWRA water main break #aquapocalypse

This just in from Newton Mayor Setti Warren in Newton:

MWRA has been able to stop the leak at the pipe in Weston. Excavation of the leak is complete, repairs have been initiated. Water pressure continues to be stable. MWRA system water is currently coming from the Carroll Treatment Plant and now being supplemented by the Chestnut Hill Emergency Reservoir.

The switch to secondary reservoirs was made at 6:40 p.m. on Saturday May 1st. THIS WATER WILL NOT BE SUITABLE FOR DRINKING, but can be used for bathing, flushing and fire protection. Click here for some FAQ's on when you do and do not need to boil water.

For individuals who are home bound and in need of clean drinking water, please contact Newton Police dispatch at 617- 796-2100.

MEMA will be providing bottled water to residents at the Municipal Parking lot on Austin St across the Newtonville Shaws tomorrow May 3rd from 2pm - 9pm.

Schools will be open as usual on Monday. Water fountains in schools will be de-activated. Parents are advised to send their children to school with at least two beverages.

City customer service lines are open Sunday until 9pm to answer questions and will reopen at 8:30am Monday morning. At any time, emergency calls should be directed to the Newton Police Department at 617-796-2100.

A complete list of MWRA water communities and the latest updates will be posted on Mass.gov and MWRA´s website at www.mwra.com.

Boil water east of Weston, MA order

This just arrived via email from Setti Warren, Mayor of Newton.

MWRA WATER MAIN BREAK REQUIRES BOIL WATER ORDER

May 1, 2010 - Chelsea, MA – Water service to all MWRA customer communities east of Weston has been interrupted by a major water pipe break in Weston.  Due to this break, A BOIL WATER ORDER IS BEING ISSUED FOR DRINKING WATER FOR ALL MWRA COMMUNITIES EAST OF WESTON UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.  In addition, emergency water conservation measures are being implemented for all impacted communities.  A complete list of MWRA water communities is attached.
 
MWRA is activating its emergency water supplies such as the Sudbury Aqueduct, Chestnut Hill Reservoir and Spot Pond Reservoir. THIS WATER WILL NOT BE SUITABLE FOR DRINKING, but can be used for bathing, flushing and fire protection.
 
The leak is located at the location where the MetroWest Water Supply Tunnel meets the City Tunnel on Recreation Road. This 120-inch diameter pipe transports water to our communities east of Weston – as far north as Wilmington and south to Stoughton.  Water is leaking into the Charles River at rate of over 8 million gallons an hour. MWRA crews are on site; engineers are assessing the situation to determine next steps.
                      
Updates will be posted on Mass.gov and MWRA’s website at www.mwra.com throughout the event.

Just spring

It's turned a bit cold here again and today promises rain, perhaps to clean the streets before the Marathon on Monday, but last week was spectacular. Cheesecake Brook, which middle-schoolers study for its creepy crawlies, runs underground for much of its length through Newton, then surfaces and pours into the Charles River just beyond where this picture was taken in late afternoon. Its sinewy path reminds me of England. Worth walking just for its human-scale.

Drying out

Remember our problems walking around the Charles here in Boston last week? Things are improving. Same path, same bench, new turtle, plus an elegant fowl, all yesterday.