Once again it is time to shift gears and power down a bit as we roll out of the high-octane frenzy of summer time and into the laid back breezy days of autumn and on into the winter months ahead.

We all need to become a bit more aware of what lies ahead of us on the road, and to be especially alert to activities near our schools and playgrounds as the kids are now back to their normal schedules.

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Last year I invested in an electric pressure cooker, otherwise referred to as an Instant Pot. I have used the traditional stovetop pressure cooker in the past and let me just say, this is a game changer! Extremely safe and easy to use.

The legacy of long-time Somerville librarian Thelma Donovan was honored at the Somerville Public Library on July 18. During the gathering, a donation of $10,000 was made in Thelma’s memory to the Friends of the Somerville Public Library.

Arrests:
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Keyanna Jackson, of 22 Wentsworth St., Boston, August 26, 1:36 p.m., arrested at Artisan Way on warrant charges of shoplifting over $250 by concealing merchandise and credit card fraud over $1200.

Visit Juscelia LoRusso’s facebook page to see more of her beautiful cakes.

Juscelia LoRusso, of Juscelia’s Cakes, and her husband Elio LoRusso recently presented one of her cakes to Donald and Patricia Norton on the occasion of their anniversary, having celebrated 52 years together in wedded bliss. The Nortons were delighted by the kind and loving gesture.

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Every once in a while I leave the environs of Union Square to get a taste of the buffet of creativity we have in our city. In this case it was East Somerville.  After all, the Poet Laureate of Somerville Lloyd Schwartz resides there, as well as the renowned Mudflat Studios.

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Somerville poet Michael Steffen writes:  “This poem makes a nod to the 50th anniversary of the first moonwalk which took place on July 20, 1969.”

The City of Somerville Elections Department is seeking polling place workers for the Tuesday, September 10, preliminary election. To be eligible to work in a polling place you must be a registered Massachusetts voter. Polling place workers are paid $165 for the day and work from 6:30 a.m. until shortly after the polls close at 8:00 p.m. with a two-hour break. For more information, please contact Maria Pierotti at 617-625-6600 ext. 4200 or mpierotti@somervillema.gov.