
Livia Cetti, floral stylist and paper flower artist at The Green Vase taught a potted Persian fritillaria plant workshop at Milton Market in Litchfield.
Jennifer Almquist
Livia Cetti, floral stylist and paper flower artist at The Green Vase taught a potted Persian fritillaria plant workshop at Milton Market in Litchfield.
On Saturday March 22, Milton Market in Cobble Court, Litchfield welcomed Livia Cetti of The Green Vase back for the eighth paper flower workshop with her. Guests were invited to create a potted Persian fritillaria plant, and to be a part of the joyous community of The Green Vase workshops.
Milton Market is in a former 18th century blacksmith shop tucked into Cobble Court in Litchfield. Owner Martha Fish opened her “luxury general store,” in 2019. Her previous career in fashion included being an executive at Calvin Klein.
Jennifer Almquist
Livia Cetti of The Green Vase has forged a career based on beauty. A graduate of the San Francisco Art Institute, Cetti built on her Santa Barbara childhood love of flowers and became a floral stylist. After years working with Martha Stewart, she became a contributing editor at “Martha Stewart Weddings” and style director at “Brides” magazine. She began her own floral business in 2005, The Green Vase. A client asked if she could make some paper hibiscus as a Caribbean wedding cake topper. Thus, was born a creative blossoming using paper and scissors, a sort of aesthetic alchemy or magical transformation of simple materials into flowers that rival the beauty of the original.
The paper flower workshop at the Milton Market was fun, relaxed, filled with laughter, and the guests created stunning blossoms during the four-hour session. A giant sweep of forsythia blossoms set on a massive central table made a joyous statement that Spring had arrived. Participants enjoyed champagne and snacks. Bobby Graham of Salisbury, who recently left a career at Condé Nast, is about to open a shop (with his husband) in Sharon called Dugazon. He recalled the first Cetti workshop he attended at Milton Market as “kind of wild” with twelve people snipping and folding.
Livia CettiPhoto by Jennifer Almquist
It is a pleasure to watch Cetti’s hands work with skill and grace, informed by the thousands of paper flowers she makes each year. Her distinctive floral style shows up in the pages of “The World of Interiors,” “House & Garden UK,” and graced eight covers of “Martha Stewart Weddings.” Her website states, “All paper flowers are entirely hand-crafted by Livia and her small staff of talented artisans in the Bronx, NY. Each piece is meant to be an impressionistic gesture capturing the spirit of the flower, and just like the real thing, no two will ever be exactly alike.”
Check out Milton Market and The Green Vase on Instagram: @miltonmarketct and @thegreenvase
Following two days of closure due to a hazmat incident, the BD facility in North Canaan was cleared to resume normal operations on Saturday, May 17.
North Canaan First Selectman Brian Ohler provided an update at 3 p.m. stating day two culture tests of the substance that was sent to BD showed "no growth." Lab tests yesterday were negative for Anthrax, Burkholderia Species, Plague, Tularemia, Smallpox and Ricin.
The information was provided to the town by Connecticut Department of Public Health and the Torrington Area Health District.
"The process of reopening the facility will be orchestrated by BD’s internal leadership. Employees should wait to hear from their leaders, as they may have further instructions and guidance," Ohler stated.
The FBI investigation is ongoing, but reopening the facility will reportedly not interfere with that process.
State, local and federal officials responded to a "hazmat incident" at the Becton, Dickinson and Company facility in the afternoon Thursday, May 15.
Photo by Riley Klein
The Becton, Dickinson and Company facility in North Canaan remained closed Friday, May 16, due to hazmat response protocol.
Two employees who opened a suspicious package were hospitalized yesterday as a precaution. They have since been released.
Ken LeClerc, emergency response coordinator for CT DEEP, said in a press conference, "The package was opened inside the building and what we're looking at is primarily a potential airborne contaminant."
At 6 p.m., May 16, North Canaan First Selectman Ohler released an update stating the CT Department of Public Health "received negative PCR test results for Anthrax, Burkholderia Species, Plague, Tularemia, and Smallpox. In addition to those biological tests, a negative Ricin test result was also confirmed. A Day 1 culture test was then performed, which has also resulted in 'no growth.'"
He reiterated there is no risk to the public or adjacent residents.
Ohler stated the incident is isolated to the BD facility and "there has been no symptoms or illnesses reported by the employees who were decontaminated during yesterday’s response."
More than 300 employees went through a decontamination protocol before leaving work yesterday. No injuries were reported.
Ohler stated Friday morning, "The decontamination process that took place yesterday was standard and in practice when an unknown substance is found inside of a facility with a shared ventilation system."
The package was identified as suspicious due to an unusual mailing address. It was taken by FBI agents for testing at the state lab in Rocky Hill.
Ohler added, "While we are still waiting for an exact identity of the substance, we are being told by state DEEP officials that there is no threat to the public, or to the surrounding area near the facility.”
At 1 p.m., Connecticut State Police confirmed, "The FBI has taken over the investigation."
The BD facility in North Canaan was on lockdown May 15 due to a "hazmat incident," according to emergency responders on scene.
Norfolk Public Information Officer Jon Barbagallo said BD "received a suspicious package this morning" and "numerous state and local authorities" responded, including the FBI, CT DEEP, state police, area fire departments and ambulances.
BD, manufacturer of medical devices based in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, employs about 500 workers at its North Canaan facility.
BD released a statement saying, "We are working closely with law enforcement and emergency personnel to thoroughly investigate the situation, and we are following their protocols. Out of an abundance of caution, we have suspended operations until further notice."
"At this time, two individuals have been transported to a nearby hospital as a precaution," a release from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said. "Approximately 300 to 350 personnel at the facility are undergoing a decontamination process as a precautionary measure. DEEP has deployed a contractor to the site to manage the decontamination operation, including shower trailers and the safe collection for clothing for those exiting the facility."
About 300 people are going through a decontamination process after a hazardous material exposure at BD.Photo by Riley Klein
Employees inside were reportedly instructed to remove clothing and shower for decontamination protocol.
A delivery driver attempting to turn down Grace Way was turned away and told the facility could be closed for several days.
A statement received May 15 at 4:40 p.m. from Connecticut State Police stated, "The scene and the investigation is still active, and there is no active threat to the public at this time."
Anna Amachowski and Steve Wilcox of Canaan enjoyed the sunset and some grilled chicken from the top of Tory Hill outside Sharon on Thursday, May 1. They were welcoming in the warm breezes of spring with some fishing and some ridgeline views at the end of a warm evening.
Amachowski and Wilcox's dog, Chuy, enjoyed a soft spot of cool grass and the view over the ridge.Photo by Nathan Miller
Please join us for a Celebration of Life to honor Michael R. Tesoro M.D. (May 20, 1941-—Dec. 25, 2024) whose vibrant spirit touched so many. We will gather on May 17 at 11:30 a.,m. at Trinity Lime Rock to remember Michael’s life with love and laughter.
A light fare reception to immediately follow at the church’s Walker Hall.
Trinity Lime Rock, 484 Lime Rock Rd., Lakeville. In lieu of flowers please direct donations to: Malta House of Care, Inc.,136 Farmington Avenue,Hartford, CT 06105 www.maltahouseofcare.org
SHARON — Keith Raven Johnson, a long-time resident of Sharon, died on April 26, 2025, a month after his 90th birthday, at Geer Rehabilitation and Long -Term Care facility in Canaan.
He was born on March 21, 1935, in Ithaca, New York, the son of John Raven Johnson and Hope Anderson Johnson.
Keith was a graduate of Phillips Exeter Academy and Cornell University where he was editor-in-chief of the Cornell Daily Sun and a member of Phi Beta Kappa.
After serving his active duty in the New York National Guard, he joined the New York Herald Tribune as a reporter in 1957. Four years later he moved to Time magazine where he served as a writer and editor in New York and as a correspondent based in Los Angeles, Washington, Paris and London, with temporary assignments in Africa, Germany, and Vietnam. He was executive editor of Money magazine and later of Discover magazine. He retired as a member of the board of editors of Fortune magazine in 1993.
Before his retirement, Keith served on the vestry at St. Thomas Church Fifth Avenue in New York City where he was also chair of the Choir School. He later became a member of the Lime Rock Episcopal Church.
After retirement, Keith served on the executive committee of the Lakeville Journal where he also contributed a column called “Cars” reflecting a life-long interest in performance automobiles. He also served as a trustee and treasurer of the Hotchkiss Library in Sharon and was on the board of the American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut. He was a member of the Cornell University Council and at one time chaired the Advisory Council of the College of Arts and Sciences at Cornell.
Keith is survived by his brother, Leonard Johnson, and his wife, Patricia, his son, Stephen Main, his niece, Paige Johnson Roth, his nephew, Keith Raven Johnson II, and his niece, Heide Novado Johnson. He was predeceased by his parents and his nephew, Eric Anderson Johnson.
Donations may be made in Keith’s memory to ACLU of Connecticut, 765 Asylum Avenue, Hartford CT 06015, or Keith Johnson ’52 and Leonard Johnson ’56 Scholarship Fund, Phillips Exeter Academy, 20 Main Street, Exeter NH 03833.
A celebration of Keith’s life will be held on Saturday, July 12 at 11 am at the Lime Rock Episcopal Church, followed by a reception in the parish hall.