Butchers at The Butcherie and The Meat House talk about the ups and downs of their trade and give a peek behind the scenes.

As temperatures soar, and people try to beat the heat, restaurants are opening tables outside for folks to eat. Some people are even taking the al fresco concept a step further by skipping tables altogether. 

"Once they're in, people stay for life," says U.S. Postal Service media contact Dennis Tarmey, referring to employees. Many employees at the Brookline Post Office says they enjoy interacting with customers or, for letter carriers, just having a job that gets them outdoors and not stuck in an office all day. According to Tarmey, letter carriers, because they're so familiar with their route, can also be helpful in watching out for the community. Letter carriers have sometimes reported robberies and fires, and helped elderly who have fallen in their homes.

"It's tree surgery, not brain surgery, so the plants are very forgiving," said Hartney Greymont arborist representative David Anderson during a tree pruning demonstration at Allandale Farm. Around twenty people turned up on Saturday morning for the free workshop. Anderson, who holds these workshops each May said he was pleased with the turnout and the questions that were asked.

In celebration of National Public Works Week, the Commissioner of Public Works office holds a "DPW Day" each year in which they invite students and later on the general public to the Municipal Service Center. The attendees view demonstrations on different divisions of the Department of Public Works such as Water and Sewer, Trasportation or Highway and Sanitation. "It's wonderful for them to have exposure to all the different kinds of jobs there are in the town," says Katie Gressle, a third grade teacher from Pierce School who has brought her class to the event. DPW Office Administrator Julie …

At the Cypress Street Playground, students gather after school to play sports, do their homework or simply enjoy the nice weather.

At the Florian Martial Arts Center students can take classes that combine techniques from a variety of martial arts, but one of the main things they focus on is Brazilian Jiu Jitzu. "That's the core of our gym," says instructor Mark Johnson. Johnson says the gym attracts a wide range of students, from four year olds all the way up to 50 somethings, from doctors to lawyers to IT professionals. He stresses that size is not nearly as important as technique. "Everybody starts at the same level. Everybody puts on that white belt to begin with," he says.

During a six week beginner sewing class held at Abeille Beads & Accessories, students work on a number of different projects from tote bags to skirts. Most of the students in the class have had little to no experience sewing before. Libby Meehan, who teaches the class, has been offering lessons here for the past two years. Meehan learned to sew from her mother when she was a child and then later on went to school for custom design in Vermont.

So many things can be purchased over the internet these days, but a tattoo is something that still has to be created by hand. Ben Sacks, one of several tattoo artists who work at the Good Faith tattoo parlor on Commonwealth Ave, says this is one of the things he enjoys most about his job. He likes working with his hands and being creative. Take a look behind the scenes to see some of the work that goes into creating a tattoo.

This Monday, the Red Cross held a community blood drive at thePublic Library of Brookline. Donating blood usually takes between 45 minutes to an hour including the screen process each person goes through before being allowed to donate. The actual drawing of the blood usually only takes between five and ten minutes. The Red Cross often holds blood drives at variety of different locations. People who are interested in donating can call 1-800-RED-CROSS or visit redcrossblood.org to make an appointment to donate.

"It's never too early to start Jewish education," says Shifra Schwartz who runs a weekly sing-along group called 'Musical Mommy and Me with a Jewish Twist' at the Chabad Chai Center near Coolidge Corner. The class usually has between six to eight mothers attending each week with children ranging in age from zero to three. "It's nice for Jewish moms to meet other Jewish moms," says Schwartz.

"Food is a really powerful way for people to connect," says Cathy Neal, founding director of Bountiful Brookline. Bountiful Brookline is an organization dedicated to creating a sustainable local food system in the area. This year, the organization held their second annual event on gardening and local food issue at the Pierce School. The event consisted of a wide variety of workshops, keynote speaker Greg Watson from the Office of Environmental Affairs, activities for children, tables set up by various local businesses and organizations, and panel discussions.  "We're providing a setting to …

The Von Huene Workshop was founded in 1960 by Friedrich and Ingeborg von Huene who came over to the U.S. from Germany after World War II. The workshop specializes in early music woodwinds and sells the instruments through their shop next door (The Early Music Shop of New England) as well as around the world. The instruments are mostly inspired by historical orginals (with some modifications) but some are the shop's own design. Patrick von Huene, son of Friedrich and Ingeborg von Heune says his favorite part of the job is finishing an instrument that he really connects with and knowing that …

"I'm the kind of guy who likes to make something from scratch," says Jean-Claude Tetreault (JC for short), a Brookline resident who spent a recent Sunday morning brewing a batch of Belgian style saison or farmhouse ale in his kitchen. Tetrault has been brewing beer at home for the past five years. Starting with a basic home brewing kit, he has slowly added more equipment to the process, often modifying things to suit his purposes. "Every level is another level of control, but also another opportunity to mess up," he says. Tetreault will soon be moving his operation out of his kitchen and …

Driving a cab can be a difficult job—the hours are long and sometimes the pay isn't good. Listen to what Brookline's cab drivers have to say about the ups and downs of the job and some of the interesting encounters they have along the way.

The Brookline Symphony Orchestra performed its second concert Sunday evening, at All Saints Parish on Beacon Street, after returning from 10 years of no performances. The orchestra has been steadily getting back on its feet since September; the beginning hasn't been easy. "It's a bumpy road until you figure out who the players are," says Silvain Bouix, Clerk of the Brookline Symphony Orchestra Corporation (a registered non-profit). Bouix says they hope to continue to expand the group and perform 3-4 concerts per year. But he also admits that finding funding can be challenging. He thinks that …

Valentine's Day is always busy for those selling flowers and chocolates. In Brookline, some workers were up since 4 a.m. preparing for the number of orders that would need to be served during the day. Emily Wong of E.C. Florist says she thinks it's busier this year than the previous one. She attributes this mostly to the fact that Valentine's day fell on a Monday.

Despite winds and temperatures ranging from the low teens to mid twenties, many cyclists are still riding their bikes in Brookline. Some wear extra protection against the cold such as face masks or even ski goggles.

The Brookline Arts Center holds weekly art classes for toddlers and their parents. Merrill Smith, the instructor, has been teaching these classes for the past 30 years. "She knows every toddler in town," says Gina Conquest, a volunteer at the art class. "People who took her class as children are now coming back to bring their kids to the class." The idea of the class is not only to provide the children with a creative outlet but also to allow them to interact with other children and provide an opportunity for their parents to get to know other parents as well. Sweta Gupta who brings her son …