Made more soup with the rest of the turkey carcas. Froze it all.

Finished the back yard mowing around the oval. We received the new shed today but one of the parts seems to be faulty. Ron did the Senior Center run; we split driving Robert to and from work. I finally got an sample Angular2 project to compile. Lots of issues with add-on versions.

Finding this tutorial quite good, though.

We’re heading full tilt to the Winter Equinox. It’s encouraging to know that in a little over 3 weeks, we’ll start to have more daylight.

Today Ron did three loads of laundry. I made a big breakfast: poached eggs, bacon, toast. We changed the sheets, did a little deck cleanup and hung shower curtains and Ron’s apron outside while we did the transfer station run.

I’d promised James that I’d bring over a leaf blower, so we dug out the big Toro and attachments and dropped them off with Peter.

Stopped in to CVS and Walgreens so Ron could get Lysine.

Had turkey, gravy, cranberry sauce and salad for a late lunch.

We put the new garden bed together on Thanksgiving and Thankgiving Eve.  Today we covered it with Agrabon and fencing to hold everything down.

We thoroughly enjoyed part 2 of the feast we received from the Mashpee Chamber.  Each serving was plenty for both of us.  We also had Laura’s delicious rolls and apple pie from the bakery.

I cooked the Pantry turkey, along with rosemary, thyme, 2 cups of water and a pile of vegetables: potatoes, carrots, turnip, delicata squash.

Ron brought back returnables and did a mid-week transfer station run.  I cleaned out the magazine rack the other day and pretty much filled the recycle container.  He washed the truck bed of some spilled compost; it’s went to one of the gardens.

I also cleaned the bottom of the frig and vacuumed today.

Smokey has been around twice.

Kitty came and left early.

Picked up our last share of the Fall CSA this morning.

Splurged on a winter decoration yesterday from Home Depot.

Appointment yesterday at the Wound Center.  They switched dressings from salve to collagen, which only needs to be changed every other day.  Everyone seemed tired, including me.

Ron pointed out a gash in my truck this morning.

It was 32° this morning.  “Kitty” was here from around 8 to quarter to one.

I left at one point to pick up our turkey dinner “kit” and mail the Amnesty letters, including a plea to pardon Leonard Peltier.  Kitty was completely well-behaved.

Got myself enrolled, then re-enrolled, in a health care plan through Cal as well as the Cal HSA.  After giving it some thought, I realized that I’d made a mistake yesterday but was able to correct it today by opting for a $0 premium plan that includes prescriptions and all my docs.  It removes the worry of absent mindedly missing premium payments.

Much-needed supplies arrived yesterday, a day early, from Total Wound Care Solutions.

Had a really nice visit with Emma and Toddler Man yesterday – what a doll!  He’s only 2 but speaks very well already.  Homemade chicken soup and sandwiches for lunch.

Paul came over for dinner; always a pleasure.

We attended the service at the Meetinghouse and the sumptuous meal afterwards at the Government Center.

What is 40b housing?
Chapter 40B Planning. Chapter 40B is a state statute, which enables local Zoning Boards of Appeals to approve affordable housing developments under flexible rules if at least 20-25% of the units have long-term affordability restrictions.

The Case Against Chapter 40B
As the legislative goal of facilitating the creation of affordable housing was realized, the number of comprehensive permit applications began to increase.23

A number of factors, including escalating land costs, more restrictive zoning throughout the state and a new source of funding led to a substantial increase in comprehensive permit applications over the past five years.24

The increased Chapter 40B activity has resulted in numerous complaints from municipalities and residents groups.25

The primary objection of these groups is that developers are taking advantage of the statute to seek projects that are too dense compared to what they would be permitted to do under the applicable zoning bylaws.

Another frequent complaint is that the number and size of the projects being filed are overwhelming municipalities’ ability to provide services for the increased population.26 These groups argue the manner in which the subsidized housing inventory is counted is unfair and inaccurate, as it does not count trailer parks, Section 8 housing or other inclusive housing measures.

The communities also argue that the policy of counting all of the apartment units in a Chapter 40B development toward the subsidized housing inventory, while only counting the affordable units of a homeownership project, is unfair because the municipality has little say in the type of housing developers propose.27

Many of these complaints from the opponents of Chapter 40B have been addressed by either recent case law or by regulatory changes promulgated by the Department of Housing and Community Development. Most of the remaining issues are addressed by the recommendations of the Chapter 40B Task Force.

Although some groups opposed to Chapter 40B would likely prefer to see the task force recommendations address all of their suggestions, the recommendations of the Chapter 40B Task Force effectively address most of the perceived flaws remaining in the system.

Affordable Housing Law Called a Big Boon
The law allows builders to bypass certain zoning restrictions in municipalities where less than 10 percent of the housing stock is classified as affordable. To win the waivers, they must set aside 20 to 25 percent of the units in a development for residents who make less than the community’s median income and offer those homes at below-market rates.

Opponents say the law allows developers to bully local officials into approving housing that violates building codes and inflates housing costs, because market-rate units are priced higher to subsidize so-called affordable homes.

Jon Witten, a Duxbury lawyer and law professor, said the UMass study points out the obvious: that Chapter 40B is an economic engine that creates housing.

But he added that many critics of the law are not opposed to development; they want an affordable-housing program that does not circumvent the best interests of communities.

“When you erase all rules and regulations at the local level, the result will be housing’’ — but nothing more, said Witten, who teaches law and land-use planning at Boston College and Tufts University. “The majority of other states have found a far more efficient way of building affordable housing that doesn’t benefit only the developer.’’