Franklin Senior Center: Email Blast - Feb 12, 2021

Hello Everyone!

   

Staying Connected

Link to the Senior Center - https://www.franklinma.gov/fsc

Link to the Senior Center Calendar https://www.franklinma.gov/node/39/events/day 

Link to Franklin Matters - https://www.franklinmatters.org/ or www.franklin.news 

Link to the Town's webpage - https://www.franklinma.gov/

Link to Mass.Gov COVID - https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-updates-and-information 

Some people are concerned about the side effects of getting the COVID-19 vaccine.  This article explains why the side effects show the vaccine is doing what it is supposed to do.  

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2021/02/second-vaccine-side-effects/617892/

Tips

7 Balance Exercises to help prevent falls

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNC4bi3Ucac 

Gentle stretching for Seniors

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfjVFQWWiZw 

Music

This is incredible.  The link below will bring you to a map of the Earth filled with green dots.  Each dot represents a radio station somewhere in the world.  You can click and listen live to any station!!!  

http://radio.garden/visit/ 

Absence - Alexandr Misko - Fingerstyle guitar

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTxuNDYIkhU 

The history of stringed instruments

https://study.com/academy/lesson/the-string-family-instruments-history-facts.html 

The Lyre of Megiddo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27opcKxcg1c 

Just for Fun

Kinetic sculptures

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDHDeoMM82g 

 

Yardi Gras - Due to the pandemic Mardi Gras has changed.  See how New Orleans residents are changing it up this year https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFUZ-p9lR74 

8 cool vehicles you will see for the first time.  Would you ride any of these?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prIElcJOrOM 

Converting a concrete pipe into a cabin!  I want to do this now!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qX7sAzB0HEE 

Amazingly creative water fountains.  WOW!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PkM2GOOlFI 

Humor

Understanding your love language - Jeff Allen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXpr7SCq4A4 

The best of TV News bloopers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnEHMAhqUZM 

Kindness Matters

Inspire Kindness a blog for practicing kindness during COVID-19. 

https://inspirekindness.com/blog/practicing-kindness-during-the-coronavirus 

Upcoming Events email adoggett@franklinma.gov to attend unless noted otherwise.

*Monday - CLOSED

*Tuesday at 5pm - Quarantini Time a virtual, social, cocktail hour.

*Tuesday at 1pm - Low Vision Group- email mgunderson@franklinma.gov 

*Tuesday at 2pm - Route 128 - Route 128, sometimes despised as 'the longest parking lot in New England' was also the symbol of the new high-tech industries that flocked to our region after World War II. Learn about the amazing story of how venture capital, modern computing and the internet all got their start here in Massachusetts from the 1940s to the 1990s . Alan Earls, author of Route 128 and the Birth of the Age of High Tech will present a slideshow and discussion

*Wed. At 4pm - Caregiver support group - email elaine.owens@verizon.net 

*Thursday  at 1pm - Tele Bingo call the Senior Center to play 508-520-4945

*Friday at 11am - Sunshine Zoom - for members with memory loss - 1 hour of socialization,

 games and activities.

Attached you will find Donna's Fun Filled Valentine's Day themed fun pages.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JG5ZRfybN8ToZGPCrTx-nLMH_DOv8g-I/view?usp=sharing

Love, virtual hugs and good health to you all!  We are still here for you!  Please feel free to email Donna and I with questions, concerns or just to check in!

Ariel & Donna

Please feel free to share this email with anyone you think might enjoy it.  If you want me to add someone to the email blast list just send me a message with their email in it. 

REMEMBER:

When searching for information about the Coronavirus, COVID-19 please use caution!  Unfortunately there are many false sites that contain viruses and malware that can threaten your computer.  Many look like real sites.  Your best bet is to go directly to the CDC, WHO or your local government page (links below).   

https://www.cdc.gov/ 

https://www.who.int/

https://www.franklinma.gov/home/urgent-alerts/coronavirus-information-portal-updates-here

MEMORY CAFE!

For those of you who attend our Memory Cafe events I invite you to learn more about attending a VIRTUAL Memory Cafe through Zoom!  There are many options to choose from.

https://www.memorycafedirectory.com/cafe-connect/

--

Ariel Doggett

Virtual Program Coordinator

Respite Coordinator

"We rise by lifting others" - Robert Ingersoll

There is no act of kindness too small

Valentine's Day Indian Cooking Class with Sandhya Jain

Back by popular demand, Sandhya Jain will be teaching how to make Butter Paneer (chicken) for a special Valentine's Day dinner.

Recipe, Ingredient list and link will be sent with your free registration. Only one ticket is needed per computer!  

 

Follow the Facebook event =>  https://fb.me/e/4F4iGBsQu

 

Get your ticket (free) via Eventbrite

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/valentines-day-indian-cooking-class-with-sandhya-jain-tickets-140450480167

 
This event organized by the Franklin Cultural Council  https://www.facebook.com/FranklinCulturalCouncil

 

 

Valentine's Day Indian Cooking Class with Sandhya Jain

The Love Dogs: Live-Stream Event - Feb 13

THE BLACK BOX presents The Love Dogs this Valentine's Weekend for a special night "in"! Live-streamed from TBB!

Take one red-hot horn section - were talkin' alto, tenor, baritone saxes and trombone - down and dirty. Add liberal amounts of barrelhouse boogie-woogie piano and stinging Fender guitar. Pour over a funky and swinging rhythm section that Blues Review magazine called "the best in the business" and top it all off with a crazy and charismatic front man with one of the biggest blues voices around. 

Season with a few years on the road tearing up juke joints, festivals and concert halls across the U.S. and Canada and on both sides of the Atlantic. Sound tasty? It's a recipe for music and mayhem, for intensity and irreverence; it's THE LOVE DOGS!

Tickets available https://www.theblackboxonline.com/events.php?id=1437

The Love Dogs: Live-Stream Event - Feb 13

 

FHS gymnastics posts win vs. Canton - remains undefeated this season

Via Hockomock Sports and Twitter we can share the results of the FHS gymnastics meet on Friday

** Gymnastics = Canton, 120.55 @ Franklin, 142.25 – Final

 

Twitter results  https://twitter.com/fhs_gymnastics/status/1360422960213991424

 

The gymnastics lineup for Friday:

 

The FHS gymnastics lineup for Friday

 

For the other results around the Hockomock League

https://hockomocksports.com/fridays-schedule-scoreboard-02-12-21/

 

FM #461 SchComm - Davis Thayer Facility Analysis Meeting - 02/03/21 (audio)

This session shares the Franklin, MA School Committee - Davis Thayer Facility Analysis Subcommittee meeting held on Wednesday, Feb 3, 2021. 

The meeting was conducted in a remote format; all the subcommittee, Central Office personnel and the public participants were remote via conference bridge, to adhere to the ‘social distancing’ requirements of this pandemic period.

Catching up to this, after the fact, yes, but sharing this as a matter of public record. I was unable to participate fully in this meeting on Feb 3 due to the multiple meetings scheduled in competing time slots. You may recall that I chose to cover the Board of Health meeting (5:00 to 5:25 PM - it was short and ended then), the beginning of this meeting (5:30 to 5:43 PM) and left to cover the Economic Development Subcommittee meeting (from 5:45 to 6:50 PM) followed by the Town Council meeting at 7 PM.

I did listen to the recording provided by the Franklin Public Schools to prepare this for sharing. Unfortunately, there is not much to add to what was already reviewed and discussed during the School Committee meeting of Feb 9. In case you did not hear, the School Committee did accept the report and did vote to close the school by a 5-2 vote.

Due to the recording I viewed to make this audio copy, I could not tell how many participants there were. The three members of the committee, Supt Ahern, and Business Manager Miriam Goodman are the voices acknowledged that we hear. At the end of the meeting, Subcommittee Chair Stokes states that they will not take comments as this is their last meeting. So I feel bad for anyone in the public who did participate hoping to get to say something. My two cents would also have been silenced. 

The show notes contain links to the meeting agenda. 

The recording runs just about 51 minutes. Let’s listen to this segment of the Davis Thayer Facility Analysis meeting of Feb 3, 2021. Audio file => https://player.captivate.fm/episode/ef72fb33-5539-40e0-baf7-3d4eb9b3c6d0

--------------

Agenda doc
https://www.franklinps.net/sites/g/files/vyhlif4431/f/agendas/agenda_dt_subcom_1.28.21.docx.pdf

Davis Thayer Facility Analysis folder
https://www.franklinps.net/district/davis-thayer-facilities-analysis

Davis Thayer Closing Options memo
https://www.franklinps.net/sites/g/files/vyhlif4431/f/uploads/davis_thayer_closing_options.pdf

The draft of the final report from the subcommittee was what was reviewed during the meeting. The final version of the report and action item for the School Committee discussion on Tuesday, Feb 9, 2021  https://www.franklinps.net/sites/g/files/vyhlif4431/f/uploads/discussion_action_a_-_retirement_of_dt.pdf

Feb 3 meeting choices
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2021/02/too-many-meeting-choices-for-wednesday.html  

--------------

We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm).

This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but we can't do it alone. We can always use your help.
 
How can you help?

• If you can use the information that you find here, please tell your friends and neighbors
• If you don't like something here, please let me know

Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements. I thank you for listening.
 
For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/ 

If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com

The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana"  c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission.

I hope you enjoy!

------------------

You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"

FM #461 SchComm - Davis Thayer Facility Analysis Meeting - 02/03/21 (audio)

Boston Globe: MA "officials Friday unveiled a substantial upgrade"

"THE STATE’S  COVID-19 vaccine website now lists available appointments for some locations, part of a new platform the Baker administration launched Friday to smooth the sometimes-challenging process of securing doses.

A new appointment-finder hub on mass.gov/covidvaccine lists all public vaccine sites across Massachusetts, searchable by location — much like the existing website — but will now add information on whether there are vaccination slots available and link visitors directly to the booking page.

Baker administration officials who outlined the new tool said it will eliminate an existing barrier by centralizing availability and searching in one location, rather than listing vaccine sites and requiring residents to search through multiple different separate sites to learn where appointments are still open."

Continue reading the article online

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/health/state-vaccine-website-gets-upgrade/

Boston Globe coverage (subscription may be required)   

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/02/12/nation/mass-debuts-new-website-book-covid-vaccine-appointments/

 

Go to State web page =>  https://vaxfinder.mass.gov/

Franklin's COVID-19 status improved this week. The positivity dropped from 4.7 to 3.7. Keep up the good work folks, especially with school vacation here. Be safe, be social (at a distance)!

https://www.canva.com/design/DAERJvYx-CA/RDnuYIFlWB8rUKQrGQlX0Q/view

 

Franklin's COVID-19 status improved this week

St John's Episcopal: Ash Wednesday - Feb 17

Join St John's for Ash Wednesday on Facebook Live

 

St John's Episcopal Church will offer an Ash Wednesday service on Facebook Live on February 17 at 7 PM. https://www.facebook.com/events/753464702258770/

 

If you would like to pick-up ashes ahead of time, please contact Rev Kathy at Rector@StJohnsFranklinMA.org.

 

 

St John's Episcopal: Ash Wednesday