Garden report: The bluebells have bloomed and some are pink. The iris buds should open by the end of the week.
Reminder: take down bird feeders. Several bears have been spotted in neighborhoods.
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Senior Services Director Hayley Bolton sent me an email about the Mindfulness Meditation program offered for seniors from all towns. The classes begin Wednesday, May 22 and run for six weeks from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. The cost is $75. The instructor, Jean Erlbaum, M.S., was trained in mindfulness-based stress reduction at UMass Medical Center in Worcester and has been teaching in the Pioneer Valley since 1972. Pre-registration is required.
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Bruce Penniman of Amherst sent me emails about two programs. On Tuesday, May 21 at 7 p.m. at the ARHS cafeteria, the Sene-Gambian scholars will speak about their three-week trip to Senegal and Gambia last month. It’s free and open to the public.
South Church is offering a dinner/presentation Wednesday, May 22. Anika Lopez, milliner and founder of the Ancestral Bridges Foundation, and Dr. Shirley Jackson Whitaker, distinguished physician, artist and community advocate, will speak on “Centering the Black and Afro-Indigenous History of Amherst.”
The dinner, which is $5 or $15 for families, begins at 5:30 p.m. Reservations are required. Call 253-2977 or visit office@amherstsouthchurch.org.
The program, which is free,begins at 7 p.m. The program is part of the church’s 200th anniversary Arts and Social Justice Series.
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Mary Carey of Amherst sent me a postcard of Cartagena, De Indias from Cartegena, Colombia. The postmark was dated Feb. 26. It arrived May 9. She wrote that the Colombian people are very kind. She wrote beautiful flowers cascade from rooftops and balconies.
Dana Carnegie of Amherst sent a postcard of Zion National Park. She wrote she was celebrating 23 years of marriage at The Beatles Love show in Las Vegas. A side trip to Utah was included to meet the newest family member, baby Oliver. Sheila wrote that Zion and Bryce Canyon are immensely beautiful.
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Greta Birkby of Amherst sent me an email about the final Amherst Woman’s Club concert that will be held Sunday, May 19 at 3 p.m. at the clubhouse 35 Triangle St. The program, “Lock me in Delight,” features Libby Maxey, soprano, and Graham Christian, piano.
Tickets are available at the door. Full disclosure — I am a member of the Woman’s Club.
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