Garden Tours - July 29 thru August 26

Here is the second half of our Garden Tours schedule. Please join us for news and views of lovely gardens in good company every Sunday this summer from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.  Hosts provide drinking water and a bathroom, but  perfectly groomed grounds are NOT required.  Contact Kris for more info at 508-754-5497 but NOT VIA EMAIL. We've been having a wonderful time and would love to see you there. CARPOOLS ENCOURAGED!

Sun., July 29, Bonnie Prescott, 34 Twinbrooke Dr., Holden. From church take Salisbury St. toward Holden, past Salisbury Green on right, 2 miles more to left onto Twinbrooke Dr. and straight ahead to #34.

Sun. Aug. 5, the Keatings, 983 Pleasant St., Worcester.  From church take Highland St. to Newton Sq., entering at 6 on the "clock face" and exiting at 12 onto Pleasant St.  Watch for #983 on right before Tatnuck Sq.

Sun. Aug. 12, THIS TOUR IS CANCELLED - PLEASE CALL KRIS (508-754-5497) FOR A POSSIBLE ALTERNATE LOCATION Will Sherwood, 171 Rowley Hill Rd., Sterling will not be available for a garden tour on August 12th.

Sun., Aug. 19, the Mandiles, #779 School St., Webster.  From church take 290 West onto 395 to exit 1.  Go through light at exit and 1 mile to left onto School St. by stop sign.  #779 is just after nursing home on left with parking along driveway just before #779, a pink colonial with a red barn.

Sun., Aug. 26, the Kirschenbaums, 20 Indian Hill Rd., Worcester. From church take 290E to 190N and then exit 2-Ararat St.  Make a giant U-turn by going left onto Ararat, over bridge and immediate left onto frontage road and bear right at fork following signs for Norton/Shore Dr. (but don't go as as far as Shore Dr.) Stay briefly in middle or right lane and take slight right onto New Bond St. which becomes Hockanum Way.  Turn right onto Indian Hill and find #20 close by.

Annual First U Kayak Picnic - July 29

Mark your calendar.  The eighth annual First Unitarian kayak picnic will be held Sunday afternoon, July 29, on Lake Quinsigamond at the home of Peter Gray and Diane Pingeton-340 S. Quinsigamond Ave., Shrewsbury. We will gather beginning at about 12:30 p.m. (anytime after church) and continue through the afternoon. It is potluck, so bring some food to share. If you have an easily portable kayak or canoe that you would like to bring, please do. If you have a life jacket, bring it.  Extra kayaks and life jackets are provided, courtesy of Ken and Betty Strom. We also have a canoe and a rowboat for use. Dress appropriately for the water. Come whether or not you plan to go out in a boat. If you have never tried kayaking, this is a good opportunity to try it. Address any questions to Peter Gray: grayp@bc.edu, or 508 753-1797. 

Summer Weekly Schedule

Church Office Hours:

Monday - Thursday, 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Closed on Fridays

Please call the church office in advance if you need access to the
building. Staff takes vacation during this time. 

Every Monday throughout the summer: 

5:30 p.m. Meditation Group will continue to meet throughout the summer in the Chapel.  

6:30 p.m. Fellowship Supper

A lighter fare. The last Monday of the month is a potluck supper.

7:30 p.m. First Monday Poetry Series on the first Monday each month

Please note: Monday Night At The Church Fellowship Supper Takes a break! 

The August 27th potluck will be the last community dinner until September 24th (also a potluck.) After the September 24th dinner, we will discus how to do a Monday Night At The Church meal for the future. 

On Tuesdays throughout the summer: 

7:30 p.m. Kundalini Yoga

In the Chapel.  

On Wednesdays throughout the summer: 

7:30 p.m. Tibetan Teachings 

In the Bancroft Room.

On Thursdays throughout the summer: 

7:00 p.m. Court Hill Singers Rehearsal

In the Bancroft Room.

Sundays throughout the summer:

9:00 a.m. Court Hill Singers Rehearsal

In the Bancroft Room.

10:15 a.m. Childcare

Available during worship.

10:30 a.m. Worship

In the Bancroft Room. 

Garden Tours

Please join us for delightful garden views and news summer Sundays, 2:30-3:30pm at the homes of various members. And consider hosting if you have a garden to show off - perfection NOT required. Hosts, please make a bathroom available, and consider in advance if there are any "extra" plants you'd be willing to share. Visitors, please supply your own labor and equipment.  Call Kris Johnson at 508-754-5497 for further details. Here's the schedule so far - 2nd half of summer schedule pending! CARPOOLS ENCOURAGED!

Click here to sign up to host a garden tour.

Sunday, June 24: Nancy Riggs, 337 Salisbury St., Holden. From church take Salisbury St. towards Holden, past Salisbury Green on right. Approx. 2 miles later watch for #337. Nancy will not be there but says come anyway.

Sunday, July 1: Peter Haroutian, 676 Pleasant St., Worc.  From church take Highland St. across Park Ave. to Newton Square rotary, entering at 6 on a clock face and exiting at 9 onto Pleasant St., past tennis courts to house with enormous tree opposite last court.

Sunday, July 8: Kate O'Dell, 13 Montvale St., Worcester.  From church take Salisbury Street across Park Ave. Montvale will be on the right. Take Montvale to the red house at the end of the block.

Sunday, July 15: Bunny Guerrin and Shirley Paquin, 17 Yorktown Terrace, Holden. From church take Grove St. towards Holden, staying straight on 122A north after passing Indian Lake. Go several miles, passing St. Peter/Marian schools and entering Holden. Watch for newly constructed large homes on hill to right and then for Yorktown Terrace, a brick condo complex on right beside 122A sign.

Sunday, July 22: Sten and Liz Gustavson and Burncoat neighbors, 82 Uncatena Ave., Worcester.  From Church take Lincoln St. and onto Burncoat where it forks to left. Cross 290, pass Burncoat schools to light by convenience store: turn right. Uncatena will be a left a little way downhill, #82 is on left just after you turn. Directions to other neighbors from there.

CALL KRIS AT 598-754-5497 for more info. Internet is NOT a good way to reach her.

More Chefs on Board for the Winter Gala!

Jay Lavelle is returning as a chef for the 2012 Winter Gala on December 1.  Linda Carney has kindly volunteered to be one and Gini Johnson has graciously accepted my request!  Now we have six chefs.  I would like to have at least six more.

I've been asked about the responsibilities of a chef and planning a meal for about 8 to 10 people.  Well, David Spanagel and I are available to coach new chefs and anyone who wants more information.  Here's some basic responsibilities and organizational tidbits.

The chef designs a prospective menu preferably at least three months in advance and submits it to the chairperson.  The chef buys the food and prepares it as a donation to the church.  Receipts are kept for tax deduction purposes. 

The chef develops a timeline to prepare the food that best suits his/her needs.  Some food, like bread, may be made ahead and frozen.

Since we only have one stove, chefs prepare their food at home and bring it to the church the day of the event.  Other arrangements can be made, e.g., perhaps someone closer to church permits use of his/her kitchen.  (I believe in "Ask and you shall receive",  "Seek and ye shall find" ,  "Where there's a will there's a way", and "We can work it out...we can work it out...."You get the idea...

The chefs may use self-supplied or our crockpots and warming devices to keep the food warm. Chefs have room to assemble and serve their food from a nearby "food station".

Bob and Sue Shaw are assisting in the kitchen again.  They and the youth help with bringing the food in from your car, cooking, serving, etc.

The chef sits with his/her guests and should enjoy the meal with them.  The youth clears the tables.

The chefs may meet as a group once, if necessary.  Most of the communication is via email.

The 2011 Winter Gala was in the Bancroft Room.  However, if we have more attendees than last year, we may hold it in Unity Hall.  With a positive outlook, we will manage what comes our way.

So--hope this information inspires you to share your culinary talents.  Feel free to call me at 508-798-5508 or email me at speechlc@yahoo.com if you have questions or want to be a chef.

Waving to Butterflies

Remembering Barbara

            Barbara this was the fourth Easter in over fifty five years that I will not be with you. I was driving home from church a few months after you passed and I saw a monarch butterfly coming towards the car. I started to weep as I waved to the butterfly. Was it you? 

            I was teaching a class on the importance of communication and using the movie “Patch Adams” as a way to communicate with the students. A butterfly lands on him, when he asks for a sign, when he is thinking about his GESUNDEIT INSTIUTE.  

For our marriage ceremony we selected an aria from Puccini's Madama Butterfly:  Un bel di vedremo." "One fine day".  Chio Chio San is singing of her belief that Pinkerton will return for his Japanese wife after being away for three years. 

            We had been married for five or six years, and were living in our house in Harvard, Massachusetts when you had your first bout with MS. You regained most of your abilities and were able to return to work. We then moved to a two family house in Arlington, where everything you needed was on one level. Since I couldn't fix you, I wonder if I was so involved with fixing your environment that I lost track of the love I had for you. 

              I think back to when you had been confined to bed for five or six years and I wanted to learn to give you a back rub. That weekend seminar started my career as a massage therapist.  It is ironic that you were my teacher for being a care-giver and that I was never able to give you a massage because you had been immobile for too long. I do have a skill which I wish I had been able to share with you.

            In 2004 when you were in the ICU with an infection and I was in London with my chorus, I could feel you with me. "Love could I only tell thee" , "I dreamed a dream" and "Y Darlun" were especially difficult for me to sing. Washington Irving wrote:  There is sacredness in tears.

                            They are not the mark of weakness, but of power.

                            They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues.

                            They are the messengers of overwhelming grief, 

                            of deep contrition and of unspeakable love.

            Forty seven years was a long marriage and we had difficult times which we handled together. 

            BAMBISAN, I still wave to butterflies.          Rarn

Winter Gala 2012

In this picture, my brother, John Chatalian, is recommending I cook a simpler meal for the next Winter Gala.  Well, I’m already planning that next gala.  It’s Saturday, December 1, 2012, 6:00 to 11:30 p.m.  Will I cook Armenian, Italian, or Southern/Texas cuisine?  Maybe a combo?

Anyway, it’s time to plan and recruit assistance.  I would like much of the planning and major players identified by summer.  I understand people may be reluctant to commit now, but I’d rather they do, and if necessary, resign later!

This year’s fundraising gala should be easier to implement.  Its theme is Wish Upon a Star-BELIEVE. The band is Cosmic Slim and His Intergalactic Ploughboys.  I chose this band primarily because its members include First Unitarian members and friends, Sten Gustavsen, Rick McCarthy, Phil Nigro, and Bill Fischer.  Besides their energizing eclectic, rockabilly sound, I like how the band members rotate lead vocals.

Nat Needle is again playing the dinner music. We can expect an engaging repertoire.

I foresee Hogwarts Camp participants helping me make decorations.  So what more do I need?

•  Additional members to join Scott Hayman, Seth Popinchalk, and me as a steering committee
•  Chefs besides David Spanagel, Rev. Tom Schade, and me
•  Conversation Leaders for the tables
•  Decorations Committee (most work just before the event)
•  Set-up crew
•  Kitchen crew
•  Clean-up crew
•  Bartender
•  Servers
•  Who knows what else besides perseverance, enthusiasm, and flexibility!

So please consider helping me in any capacity—little or lots.  Contact me at home, 508-798-5508, by email speechlc@yahoo.com, or leave me a note at the church office.  Thanks!