Your Stories August 2010 - Meriden and Wallingford CT

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Local Music Educator Named State Rep for Partnership of Kindermusik Educators

In June 2010 Sandie Apuzzo, local Kindermusik Educator and Owner of Keys & Strings Music Studio in Wallingford accepted the position of State Rep for the Partnership of Kindermusik Educators.

Ms. Sandie as she is known by students began teaching Kindermusik in 1992 and was part of a Maestro program in 1996. She also has been teaching private instruction on bowed strings and piano as well conducting Baroque and Fiddle Ensembles.

Her work with autistic children in both private and group programs has been the one of her most rewarding endeavors.

As the State Rep, it is part of her duties to help other Kindermusik educators maintain their program quality and to help them continue their professional development.

For more information on the programs offered please visit www.musicboxwithsandie.com




Bobbie’s Bevy of Beauties

With this extremely hot, humid and dry weather I never thought my flowers and Jimmy’s tomatoes would do so well. I guess constant weeding and watering when there was no rain contributed to the success of the gardens. Can’t forget the destroying of the various kinds of bugs. There sure were many. And some you couldn’t even see. But they left lots of holes in the leaves. Got to them before they began their battering of the flowers.

My first tomato wasn’t a sandwich this year. He let me have the honor of picking it. It was sliced and served with our main meal. Since then a great deal of them have been put between two slices of bread along with mayonnaise and Mrs. Dash. Left over chicken and cold cuts ere added sometimes. The Roma tomatoes are almost ready to be picked. He had some super ones last year. They also are great to put on ones sandwich.

I think the end of July and beginning of August is when the flower gardens are at their peak of beauty. The shorter annuals are so full and vibrant with color. Just about every gardener has the black-eyed-Susan. They are spectacular this season. And long lasting. Clost to two month. With so many I have I’ll be looking for homes for some of them. Dawn, the female counterpart of “The People’s Press” had given me a pink and a yellow four o’clock plant. They grow rather tall and bloom in late afternoon and close up in the A.M. hours. This is their day by day process. Small, sort of trumpet like narrow flowers, cover the whole plant. Absolutely beautiful. This is my third season with them. They have also reproduced plants from seedlings. Early fall I dig them up. By then tubers have been produced. Place them in pans of peat moss, put them in the cellar like I do with the dahlias. And plant them next spring. They are one of my favorite perennials. Because of the many hibiscus plants which are quite tall with large thick stems. I decided to fence them in. One of my male gardener friend placed heavy metal pipes whammed into the ground surrounding them. Heavy twine was then wrapped doubly around all of the pipes. So if winds and pouring rain showed up they would stand at attention and not do flippy flops all over the place. Many times I have written about the evening primrose. A large four petal yellow flower which resembles a buttercup and you can watch it come into bloom about sunset and then it closes up for good usually between six and eight o’clock the next morning. This year two of my beds held quite a few of these plants and two other ones just a few. Tried keeping track of the number of blooms since they began to flower in May. It was impossible. But there had to be over five hundred. One night I counted a total of fifty. I have been growing them for about twenty years. Just once I would love to see them in full bloom during the daylight hours. What a sight that would be. I don’t know how or why it happened but one primrose blossom remained totally open until four o’clock in the afternoon. Something I’ll probably never see again. Can’t forget the butterfly bushes and their gorgeous winged companions. It’s their time to shine. Usually flower until the middle of October. Even saw a baby praying mantis near one of its blooms. The first one this year. They are a big help in getting rid of those nasty bugs. The turtle heads, Montauk daisy, autumn joy sedum and chrysanthemums are still waiting their turn.

So until September issue bye for now.

Flowercerely yours,
Bobbie G. Vosgien

P.S. Congratulations to our next door neighbors Courtney and Matt on the birth of a second daughter Genesis Elizabeth born July 6, 2010!

P.S.S. Love and best wishes to our oldest granddaughter Emmy “MeO” on her 16th birthday – August 27, 2010. Love, Grammie Bobbie and Gump Jimmy



A Plea from Our Pets
Lori Peck, Meriden Humane Society

Everyday at the Meriden Humane Society brings something new and unexpected. Not always something that we're happy about or that we can control. Like a half dozen kittens in a box, with a sign attached stating that someone dumped them off on us, so now we're leaving them here for you. Yes, leave them in a sealed box by the front door when we're closed. Now you are no better than the people who left them for you. If you could have called us, then we would have tried to find a foster home for them. Thank God that after being tossed around and completely scared out of their minds, we did find a foster home. Do these animals deserve this? What did they do wrong? They can't speak for themselves, so we have to speak for them.

If you could see the look in an animals eyes when it is no longer wanted. It hurts me to even write this. When an animal is still wagging its tail, licking you or meowing for you to pet it, but you are surrendering it for some ridiculous reason. The plea in its eyes to be loved by you. Why is it so easy to give these wonderful creatures up, when you wanted them so badly at one time.

Please help us take care of these amazing animals that we truly do love, by making a donation of time, money or supplies. We need to do this as a community and work together, because these are our animals.

At this time we are accepting items for our tag sale in September. We also are in desperate need of towels, blankets, sheets, Purina Cat & Kitten Chow, ground wet cat food (no fish), tuna fish, canned chicken, 1st stage meat flavored baby food, paper towels, Lysol wipes, surgical gloves and Pedigree dog food. Anything you can do will be appreciated by so many. You can view our website at www.meridenhs.petfinder.com or call us at (203)238-3650. Thanks and see you at the shelter!



FRUGAL LIVING – Getting MORE for LESS in Connecticut
By Gina Juliano

Summer means vacation and doing fun things with the family. While we would love to spend a couple of weeks at Disney or a day at Six Flags, those trips are exceptionally expensive. Just one day at Six Flags New England for a family of four can cost as much as $250 for admission, parking, and food. Why not take that same $250 and use it to have fun the entire summer with these fun and wallet friendly suggestions.

Bowling: There are two deals on bowling this summer. You can get a coupon for a free game of bowling on August 7th by going to www.gobowling.com/GetCoupon.aspx. Or, if you want to bowl more often, you can pay just one price of $24.95 and get up to two games of bowling EACH DAY per person for the remainder of the summer. Kids bowl free and the price includes up to four adults. More details on this can be found at www.kidsbowlfree.com.

Movies: You can see free family movies at Regal Cinemas every Tuesday and Wednesday at 10 AM. Regal Cinemas are located in Stratford and Waterbury, CT as well as many other states. You can go to www.regmovies.com/nowshowing/familyfilmfestivalschedule.aspx for more information. AMC theatres are also offering movies for kids, although you have to pay a $1.00 admission. These are shown on Tuesday mornings at 10:00 AM. More information can be found by going to www.amcentertainment.com/smc/.

Geocaching: Geocaching is a high-tech treasure hunting game played throughout the world by adventure seekers equipped with GPS devices. The basic idea is to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, outdoors and then share your experiences online. Geocaching is enjoyed by people from all age groups, with a strong sense of community and support for the environment. Although you need a GPS to do this, it’s free to play. For more information, visit http://www.geocaching.com/.

The Lupa Zoo: This suggestion is probably the most expensive of this list. Admission is $9.50 for age 13 and over and $6.00 for ages 2-12. However, parking is free and you can bring your own picnic lunch, so admission is the only expense of this trip. I have personally been to the Lupa Zoo and loved every minute of it. It’s small enough to see everything in one day, but large enough to keep all ages interested. I took my 17 and 12 year olds last summer and both enjoyed the outing very much. We especially loved the petting zoo part. In fact, you don’t even pay admission to get into this part, so you could essentially see this part of the zoo for free. However, I assure you the admission is worth it! The Lupa Zoo is located in Ludlow, MA and is an easy hour drive from the Wallingford area. For more information go to www.lupazoo.org.

Free Build and Keep Activities: Many of the “big box” stores have free activities for kids. Lowes has Build and Grow Clinics where kids learn to build various things for free and then get to keep them. Recently, Lowe’s had kids build a UFO complete with stickers and blinking light. Other stores such as Lakeshore Learning Company, Toys R Us, and AC Moore have similar programs.

Gina is the creator of Gina’s Kokopelli, a Connecticut blog dedicated to all things coupon, free and cheap. You can get more frugal tips, freebies, coupons, and great deals by visiting her blog at http://ginaskokopelli.blogspot.com. Gina also teaches free couponing classes and would love to be invited to your organization or business to teach a class. For more information or to inquire about a couponing class, please email her at ginaskokopelli@yahoo.com. She’s also happy to answer any couponing question you may have!





Home Country
Slim Randles

“It’s just not the same,” said Steve. “I don’t care what you want to call it, it just isn’t the same thing any more.”

“But it does make sense,” said Doc. “I personally think catch-and-release fishing is a good thing. Hey, how many fish can a guy eat, anyway? This way, we have all the fun of catching them, and then we turn them loose and catch ‘em again later, if they’re stupid enough to fall for the same bait.”
We sucked down some more coffee and got refilled. Doc put his hand over his cup when Loretta came by. He’s trying to cut back on the caffeine. He’s not a kid any more, of course.

“Catch-and-release fishing,” said Dud, in his most pontifical voice, “is here to stay. It is the future. It guarantees us that we will always have a good supply of fish. I don’t mind crimping the barbs on my hooks at all.”

He made an arm gesture not unlike those made by Hitler when stirring up the masses.

“From this day forth,” Dud said, “the world will see that catch-and-release will bring forth hundreds of fish, thousands of fish, untold millions upon millions of fish where before there was simply (his voice quieted right here) a few. A vagrant few. A piddly selection of piscatorial beasts gracing our streams and ponds.”

Dud was in rare form for just three cups of coffee here at the Mule Barn coffee shop.

“Yea, verily,” he said, waving his spoon, “just take Lewis Creek, that last bastion of the monster of the deep … The Lunker. With catch-and-release, he can get married and have pups and replenish his part of the earth. We’ll be overrun with lunkers.”

“But it’s still not the same,” said Steve, in his cowboy manner. “I went out and hooked a big one and took its picture and turned it loose, but it wasn’t the same as being able to weigh it and measure it.”

“How big was it?” asked Doc.

“Hard to say, Doc,” Steve said, “but the picture weighed six and a half pounds.”

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“Maggie’s Corner”
The Face behind Connecticut Epilepsy Advocate Robert Fiore
By: Maggie Griffin

For over 4 years, Robert Fiore has dedicated to bring awareness in Connecticut on behalf of those with Epilepsy. Bringing Epilepsy awareness to a higher level, Robert’s web site was officially launch in November of 2009, this web site is www.ct-ea.org. This web site has been growing since and is updated weekly. Robert encourages people world-wide to submit their experiences to post on this web site. “It is amazing what can be learned through sharing real experiences from people who have Epilepsy, even those who are related to family members with epilepsy or have friends with epilepsy.

Robert, now 55 years old, is a role model to those who have epilepsy. Since he was 9 months old, he was diagnosed with epilepsy, leaving his life’s mission to help others with epilepsy as well as their family and friends. The web site, along with the Facebook page called, Connecticut Epilepsy Advocate, brings awareness and attention along with links to valuable information to gain access to resources for help and assistance. Robert Fiore is registered with the State of Connecticut as The Connecticut Epilepsy Advocate, Inc. The organization’s purpose will keep the provisions and requirements of Section 501 (C) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code, as amended in 1986, as amended.

Why is Robert dedicated to bring awareness about epilepsy? Because having epilepsy, Robert knows, along with others, the importance of bringing the awareness of Epilepsy to the Public. He is available at all times, bringing support to individuals with epilepsy and their family along friends. “I will gladly speak to anyone who has epilepsy or who has a family member or friend with epilepsy, helping them anyway I can. If there is something I do not know, and trust me I do not know it all, I will do my best to find someone for them to provide the information they need”, said Robert.

Robert has many sources from information, links, and transportation, along with personal stories, support groups, events, glossary of terms and more on his web site. The Connecticut Epilepsy Advocate was formed as an alternative organization to make more people aware about epilepsy. Robert has set goals to focus on the many facts of epilepsy not currently explored to their fullest. Those facts are: testing, medications, N.I.H funding, support groups, senior scientist, junior scientist, HOPE mentoring, research dollars.

Felicia North, who met Robert a few years ago, stated it is excellent to find another web site source of information as Robert’s web site is not connected to the Foundation’s site. Louise Harris considers Robert as one of the key peoples in the state in bringing the awareness about epilepsy as her daughter has epilepsy as well. Louise Harris founded the support group for epilepsy in Stamford, Connecticut.

Here is a fact – an average of over 3 million people in the United States has the epilepsy disorder. I feel it needs as much funding and attention as with other diseases with similar numbers.

As Robert Fiore’s dedicated mission to help others, I stress more people need to become aware of epilepsy. I admire what Robert is doing to bring this awareness out in the open to raise more awareness as I told him that I have relatives and friends with epilepsy as well.

The mission, the cause and the courage is what defines Robert Fiore. Robert strongly emphasizes; “The objective of the Connecticut Epilepsy, Inc., is to assist individuals afflicted with epilepsy and their family or friends. We help the unique needs encountered by those with epilepsy, sharing experiences of all aspects of daily living, providing information about where to find services and support.” Robert includes; “there are support groups in Connecticut located in Milford, Bethel, Middletown and the newest location in Stamford, Connecticut.”

Robert has traveled a long journey as one with epilepsy. Since he began his mission to bring awareness, he has captured the eyes and ears of others in a large fashion of attention. He has been seen in articles in several sources. To archive these articles, you can review them as follows: written by reporter Pam McLoughlin in The New Haven Register on November 9th of 2008 and again on November 10th 2009, another written by reporter Devon Lash in The Advocate on June 13, 2009. You can view on youtube.com under the key phrase “Robert Fiore Epilepsy” to view the videos when Robert appeared on April 12th and 13th, 2008 advocating on Cablevision’s 12 on Health along with his first interview about epilepsy on Fox 61 in November 2007.

The People’s Press News, covering all of Central Connecticut, is honored to be amongst those who are reporting the word of awareness about Robert in his mission, an awareness to bring more awareness about Epilepsy to more people in CT and world-wide. To include announcing who is the face behind Connecticut Epilepsy Advocate, Robert Fiore.

“It is important that more people become aware about Epilepsy everyday along with November being Epilepsy Awareness Month”, said Robert Fiore. Robert can be emailed at ctepilepsy@optonline.net


Bits and Kibble from the Wallingford Animal Shelter

Lefty a young shepherd mix had a horrible accident, the vet determined, and was sadly left to heal on his own. That accident left him with a deformed little "T-Rex" left paw and a crescent moon scar on his neck where his flesh had been torn off. Those scars and paw didn't stop him. He loved to romp, play and go for walks. Lefty also gave hugs and kisses to all who would accept his never ending free samples of love and joy.

He was picked up as a roamer that no one claimed. Many seeking a fur-child overlooked him for his "disability", not realizing that his "imperfect" body housed the most perfect loving heart!

While other furry guests were adopted to loving homes, Lefty lingered ever hopeful, awaiting his forever home too. Time and time again he was passed by and overlooked; some even cringed and looked away when they saw his wee paw that those of us at the shelter found so adorable. Lefty never took it personal.. he just smiled his Huge Lefty grin knowing that one day, one special day, someone wonderful would glean his enormous loving heart and take him home to be their boy.

Well, it took nine long months before a beautiful soul named Peggy saw his photo and story and just had to meet him. She fell head over heels and her application checked out with flying colors. Peggy became Lefty's Mama that day.

Lefty, now renamed Cassidy is living the life of riley with Peggy. She sends me updates and photos all the time. In every photo I see his big happy smile and her words of love and gratitude for being his Mom abound. She currently has him in classes to become a therapy dog. To quote her: "he is undoubtedly one of the sweetest souls that God ever put on this earth." "He is friendly, trusting, affectionate, tolerant and cooperative ... he is truly amazing!"

Lefty/Cassidy is one of many angels wrapped up in soft fur that can be adopted at the Wallingford Animal shelter or other local shelters. Daily we look into the liquid brown, clear blue, or topaz eyes of the abandoned and we whisper in their soft ears a promise that we will do our all to find them a forever home of love. Perhaps it's your home? A home full of love for a fur-child that is waiting, hoping and longing for you to rescue them too.

Lisa Seyler - Wallingford Animal Shelter 203 294-2180

Read The People’s Press in image form, pdf form and more at www.peoplespressnews.com We are Meriden and Wallingford Connecticut’s Community Newspaper and News Source.




“Sheltering an Animal’s Perspective”
by Gregory M. Simpson

Some messages, like Bob Barker and Drew Carey telling people to “spay or neuter your pet,” are worth repeating until the message takes hold. Here’s another message worth repeating: there is an atrocity being perpetrated against cats every day in the U.S. to which most people pay little attention - declawing.

Declawing is far worse than having one's fingernails yanked out. It is amputation. It is similar to removing the finger at the last knuckle, a method used in human torture. Noted animal behaviorist, Desmond Morris, sums it up succinctly, “A declawed cat is a maimed cat.”

Dr. Nicholas Dodman, professor of behavioral pharmacology at Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine and director of the Behavior Clinic, writes in The Cat Who Cried for Help, “The inhumanity of the procedure is clearly demonstrated by the nature of cats' recovery from anesthesia following the surgery. Unlike routine recoveries, including recovery from neutering surgeries, which are fairly peaceful, declawing surgery results in cats bouncing off the walls of the recovery cage because of excruciating pain. Cats that are more stoic huddle in the corner of the recovery cage, immobilized in a state of helplessness, presumably by the overwhelming pain. Declawing fits the dictionary definition of mutilation to a tee. Words such as deform, disfigure, disjoin and dismember all apply to this surgery.”

What are the benefits to cats from declawing? None whatsoever. Veterinarians who provide this “option” do so for substantial profit for people who care about their furniture more than their cats.

Potential remedies can be offered to counter people's concern for their furniture: nail caps, claw trimming, scratching posts, fabrics with no weave in which to insert claws, slip covers, mothballs or aversive fabric sprays, sticky tape, and balloons, to name a partial list. Ultimately, though, the question becomes - what is more important, the cat or the furniture? For true cat lovers, the question is rhetorical. As Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson writes in The Nine Emotional Lives of Cats, “…this is probably the price we pay for having a jungle animal inhabits our living room.”

“I will always keep this cat indoors,” those who declaw frequently offer. Visit any shelter to see how many cats reside there because this promise was not kept. Those who declaw only have themselves to blame should the cat slip out an open door without its claws to defend itself.

In the latter part of 2006, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) declared that declawing captive wild or exotic animals (including lions, tigers, wolves and bears) with the sole intention of making animals easier to handle (“for handling or husbandry purposes”) is no longer permitted under the federal Animal Welfare Act because this procedure can cause much pain and discomfort, often resulting in chronic health problems.

Do no less for domestic cats. Declawing must be made illegal in the U.S. as it has been in the United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands, Finland, Australia, New Zealand, and other countries. Those who care about cats should start raising the consciousness of local, state, and federal legislators and ask them to propose legislation to outlaw declawing.

If one truly loves felines, then one must also accept that claws come as standard equipment. They are an integral part of what constitutes a cat. Real ailurophiles would have it no other way.

Gregory Simpson's animal welfare involvement spans over 25 years, having provided leadership for several Connecticut organizations, as well as having served as state advisor to the national Friends of Animals. Chosen by CAT FANCY magazine as one of the ultimate cat lovers in the U.S., he is also an award winning member of the Cat Writers' Association.



Life...
By Linda Blakeslee-Wilkinson

As my generation enters their “40’s”, it is a time to reflect upon the past and cherish the life that we have. Open your eyes and a child is born; blink and that child is now walking; blink again and he is now riding a bike and going to kindergarten; blink again and he is graduating 5th grade and is now focusing on his friends; blink again and he is getting his driver’s license, graduating high school and is off to college or entering in the military. Life is bittersweet and we need to savor every moment.

I can remember growing up on Algonquin Drive and staying out playing kickball, red-light/green-light and many other games until the street lights came on. Today, that seems to have become a thing of the past. We have structured play dates and activities and basically have to make appointments for our children to interact with each other and have fun. I can also remember that we used to have Sunday afternoon dinners that were a big deal. We used to go to our grandmother’s house and you would smell the feast as soon as you walked in the door. Today, traditional Sunday dinners have taken the wayside. The Sunday dinner has become a sandwich on the way to a structured sport or activity, albeit times are still spent with the family, just not the way they once were.

As we are growing older and wiser, many of us have taken on a role reversal with their parents. Handy carpenters and savvy real estate agents focus on houses that have separate living quarters for our parents so they can be close by if they need our assistance. Our calendars are now filling up with doctor’s appointments for our parents and taking them for weekly shopping rituals. For many of us, this has been a great way for us to give back to our parents for what they have given to us for many years.
As far back as I can remember, summertime used to be a hazy, lazy time to kick back and just play with friends, go swimming, and wait for the daily ice cream truck to come by. It was a great time to grow up in the 70’s and 80’s and it will be a time that many of us will cherish.

Today, summers are filled with a plethora of summer camps to keep the kids busy! We just returned from the Red Sox Kid’s Fantasy Camp, in which everything was well-structured. My son was thrilled that he got to play baseball for a couple days with kids from all over the world and he got to meet a great baseball player, Kevin Cash. I know my son will cherish these special times and he, too, will look back and reflect on life in thirty years from now and will see the ever-changing path that life has brought us.

Some of the memories that we have and will continue to have include, enjoying listening to our children talk about the day’s events during dinner and reading aloud to our children and hearing their comments about the story and watching their smiling faces as they listen intently as they are being read to. Watching our children grow from the clumsy little girl into the elegant ballerina or watching your little boy grow from the T-ball player into the little league all-star player are wonderful memories of life as we are living it today, which is priceless!


LIONS AND TIGERS AND TEENS
Myrna Beth Haskell

College Search Navigation: Don’t get bogged down in the mire!

My son is now a junior in high school. You know what that means. It’s time to start thinking about post secondary schooling. I’m overwhelmed, plain and simple. My son even knows what he is going into, and I’m still frazzled. It’s a daunting task and one I’d love to find reason to avoid, but my son needs my assistance and support with his search.

I’ve learned that a good place to start is with other parents and students who have already gone through the process. There is a plethora of information on the Internet, so one can easily get more confused. Find out the sources others deemed most beneficial.

Put it in Perspective

Your teen’s college search should be an exciting and gratifying experience, so don’t put too much pressure on her.

Bruce G. Hammond, co-author of Fiske Guide to Getting into the Right College and Fiske What to Do When for College (Sourcebooks, Inc. 2007), advises, “When parents cannot control their anxiety, the college search process becomes miserable for everyone. Parents must remember that attending a particular college will not make or break a young person’s future. A young person’s life trajectory will have much more to do with what happens after they get to college than with which one they attend.”

Narrow it Down

Many believe that narrowing down your choices by location is a necessary first step. Does your teen want to be close to home or does he want to experience life in a different part of the country? Will he want to be part of a large school community or a small one? Does he prefer a serene, rural environment or an urban lifestyle? You’d be surprised how much you can narrow your choices just by location alone.

Next, find the right academic fit. Many websites provide you with various search options, such as searching colleges by specific majors. If your teen is unsure of his course of study, look at schools with a variety of choices in majors, rather than colleges that specialize in a few areas. Don’t get stuck in cyber space either. Consult a variety of sources - counselors, teachers, alumni, and guides.

Financial Restrictions

Don’t automatically disregard colleges which you deem “unaffordable” at first glance. For instance, you might consider a community college for the first two years. Successful community college graduates are often offered scholarships for their next two years at selective universities.

As you look into financial aid, don’t forget to pursue merit scholarships. Hammond explains, “Don’t believe the hucksters who claim that there is free money for college hiding under a rock. The vast majority of money for college comes via the institution where the student chooses to enroll. Colleges use scholarships to offer discounts to students they are particularly interested in. Students should keep in mind their odds of getting a scholarship are best when they are at or near the top of the applicant pool.”

Make the Most of a Visit

Try to narrow down the list to about seven to ten colleges. Be sure to include colleges where acceptance seems certain. Campus visits are the next step. You might find that your teen just doesn’t like the “vibe” at a particular school. This is what the college visit is all about – experiencing those things that you just don’t get from a text or video. Talk to students on campus and ask them what they like most (and least) about the school.

Hammond advises, “Students should take a comparative approach to college visits. Identify a few important criteria, and look for the same things at each place. Record your impressions soon after you leave. Try not to be influenced too much by whether you like your tour guide. Focus instead on what the tour guide is telling you.”
Want to share your ideas? Upcoming topic:

Your teen doesn’t want to be seen with you in public – what to do

Please send your full name, address, and brief comments to: myrnahaskell@gmail.com

Or visit:
http://home.roadrunner.com/~haskellfamily/myrna/

Author Bio: Myrna Beth Haskell is a feature writer and columnist specializing in parenting issues and children’s development. She is the mother of two teenagers.



He's a "Fairytale"


He'll be there for you when you're hurt.
Stay up forever just to watch you sleep.
Someone who dreams about you, who will always flirt, who loves to hear
you laugh, call you back when you accidentally hang up. The one person
that adores being your "other half".

The one special person in your life Forever and Always, someone who will
hold you tight, tell you you're perfect the way you are no matter what,
believe you are always right even if you do fight, someone who will do
anything just to make you happy, someone who wants to be inseparable!

And this is why she fell in love
But eventually he broke her heart
He shredded and tore her apart
She missed him so much!

She'd cry herself to sleep
Wishing he'd never have let her go
Staying up all night thinking about him
Wanting things to be like they were years ago.

Things are so different without him. Now she will be walking S O L O

She wanted him to come back and stay forever and ever. She wanted him to
whisper "Iloveyou" in her ear. She wanted him to stop her tears from
falling. She didn't want them to be severed. She missed that big
embrace. She missed him and that huge smile on his face!

But then she realized he wasn't worth her tears, that her life would
move on. She realized that boys are going to be boys and that they'll do
nothing but hurt us girls. She finally got herself feeling better and
put the pieces back together. She realized that there was no such thing
as a "forever"

He was nothing but a "Fairytale".

~Kaitlyn D., 12 yrs old, Meriden CT.





Dear Housewives – Central Connecticut’s Know It All Gals

Dear Readers, do you have a question regarding family life, budgeting, customer service issues, DVD or book reviews, or home organization? We will give you our candid advice from a family perspective. Contact The Peoples Press by e-mail at andy@peoplespressnews.com or by phone at 203-235-9333 with your confidential question and we will answer it in the next issue. Hope you are all enjoying this summer.

Dear Housewives;
I belong to a knitting group with a bunch of ladies who all know each other from church and have been friends for a while. They always talk about things together and sort of leave me out. They never ask about my life. Should I quit the group? - Knit One, Fed up Two- in Plainville

JUNE: Dear knit, I am sorry that these "church going "women don't know better to be polite and include everyone. There must be something in the bible about using manners and making others feel welcome......Flora? Anyway, I wouldn't quit if you enjoy knitting. Maybe you can invite a friend to go with you. If you feel really left out maybe you could find another group.

FLORA: Oh, knit...I agree with June, don't quit the group. These ladies do not have the gift of hospitality; that's for sure. Some people don't even realize that they do the things they do. Ask them questions about their lives to be part of the conversation. Naturally, they will come to ask you about your life and interests. Keep knitting!

JUNE: And some people are just self absorbed jerks Flora. Let's hope these aren't the kind she knits with.

Dear Housewives; I want another baby and my husband wants the one we have to be an only child. I really don't think I can agree to this, I am even contemplating divorce. How can I change his mind?
Fertile Myrtle in Southington

FLORA: Divorce? Hmmm, this may be more than the baby issue; sounds like a control issue. You cannot change his mind, so forget about that. Myrtle, please be content with the little blessing you do have and focus on that child and your marriage. If you and your husband are getting into disputes over this topic, invest your time and money to see a marriage and family therapist. You do not under any circumstances want your child to hear conversations of this sort as he/she might think they are not good enough. Focus on what you have and put all your love and energy into it!

JUNE: The question isn't really how to change his mind since he could ask the same about you. This is something that you should have discussed before getting married. You and your husband need to come to an agreement because if you don't have another kid you will resent him someday (if you don't leave him sooner) and if you trap him into it he will resent you and possibly the baby. Explain your side to him and remind him of how much he loves your child, tell him that he would love another child just as much. Find out his reasons and try to understand. Good luck.

Chit Chat

JUNE: Well Flora, enjoy your fabulous vacation to Portugal, stay safe and happy. I finished a fantastic book called ALONE: Orphaned on the Ocean by Richard Logan and Tere Duperrault Fassbender. It is a tragic story of a little girl’s family murdered at sea by the ships captain. He left her alone on a sinking boat to die but she survived for four days alone, in the ocean, to come back and tell the story. It was riveting to read and heartbreaking.
Also, we just watched Shutter Island with Leo DeCaprio. Great movie, nice twist. I would recommend it.

FLORA: Thanks for the well wishes for our vacation. Your book sounds like an interesting read. I am going to finish "Gone with the Wind' in the next five days. I have 715 pages to go (whose counting?...) and will do it!!! I haven't seen any movies or read any other books this month.

JUNE: Gee Flora, welcome to the 1970's when this book was popular. Maybe you can see the movie next.....good luck with the rest.

Read The People’s Press in image form, pdf form and more at www.peoplespressnews.com We are Meriden and Wallingford Connecticut’s Community Newspaper and News Source.


All Children deserve to be exposed to music.

“When is the music coming?” A voice comes from near my waist. “We’re making the music!” I reply, looking around at my group of moving, merrily singing preschoolers. “No,” she persists, “I mean the real music, not us.” Why are there so many children who don’t believe in their own power to be musicians, to indulge in the joy of spontaneous, unbridled song?

The first, most important question is, are all children musical? The answer is a resounding yes! The building blocks of music are within us all from birth. Watch a baby shake a rattle or bang a spoon, intent on the sound they are producing. Toddlers dip and wriggle, responding to music they hear, and explore with delight the entire range of their vocalizations, from deep growls to siren squeals. The great composer, Rossini, said, “The language of music is common to all generations and nations; it is understood by everybody, since it is understood with the heart.” So why do so many of us as adults assume that music is somehow the special providence of a few gifted individuals, rather than the birthright of all?

Part of the reason lies in our own understanding of musical ability and how it develops. In early childhood, music and language development mirror each other. We don’t expect baby to begin by speaking full, clear sentences; we hang on every coo, every babbled syllable, and proclaim, “She’s trying so hard to talk!” We respond, and baby is rewarded for their efforts, and encouraged to continue. The preschooler, picking up a book and finding familiar letters or creating a story from the pictures, is cuddled, read to, and hears their proud parent tell friends and family, “He really loves to read!” Which of us would casually laugh and say, in a child’s hearing, “Well, I guess he’ll just never learn to read; I sure can’t”? Music has its beginnings in musical ‘babble’ as well- clanging pots and pans with a spoon to discover beat, or singing fragments of words or melody before developing a reliable sense of pitch. Whether or not these children continue their musical explorations and development depends on the response they get from their valued parents and caregivers. Do you sit on the floor and break into song, clapping along with the beat your child is producing? Or have you turned to a friend with a smile and a shrug, saying, “Well, she’s just like her mother; I can’t carry a tune either.”

Personal musical expression, in our culture, has become separated from our daily lives. What does it teach our children, if every time we want music for them we reach for a video or CD? Like my young friend in class, we risk sending the message that only that is ‘real music', not achievable by a small person without benefit of a backup band, flashy costumes, and a recording contract.

But why is it so important to encourage musical expression in babies and young children? Music has benefits that reach far beyond performance. Whether clapping, walking, bouncing a ball, or cutting with scissors, a sense of steady beat will assist a child in moving with grace and confidence. The rhythms and sounds of sung language aid in developing speech fluidity and expressiveness. Patterns in music and movement have been shown in studies to develop neural connections that can later be used to understand pattern and sequence in math and science. Other studies have found benefits that include improved emotional expression, social skills, and nonverbal reasoning. So, with all of the signs pointing towards including music making in the lives of the very young, how do we go about it?

Children need to be offered the tools for musical exploration, freedom to make choices and offer input, and a loving, attentive adult model for uninhibited enjoyment of music making. Sing with and for your child often- don’t worry if you usually sing in the opera or in the shower, sing! Add nonsense sounds for more fun and additional language play value. Having an assortment of small percussion instruments offers a variety of tone qualities and a chance for play together, but at home you can and should supplement with ‘found’ instruments-perhaps brush-style hair curlers to rub together, pot lid cymbals to crash, or glasses of water to tap with a spoon. Most importantly, move! Children learn through movement- dance high and low, with short pokes or long glides, on tiptoe or with stomping feet; let them learn musical concepts by expressing them with their whole selves. Don’t limit you and your child’s explorations to traditional children’s recordings- why not sample some new styles together? Maybe jazz, classical, Eastern, or bluegrass music will be just the sound to excite your own inner musician.

Today we recognize the benefits of early learning; music, with its impact on so many parts of development and its innate appeal to young children, should be a natural and joyous element of every child’s life, beginning as early as possible. By overcoming our own notions of who ‘ought’ to make music, we can bring to our children the gift of a lifetime of confidence in their own ability to learn and create- a gift that belongs to every child.

To find out about programs that will benefit you and your child please contact Miss Sandie at Keys & Strings Music Studio/Kindermusik with Sandie. 203.265.1500 www.musicboxwithsandie.com


Cups runneth over at Holy Joe’s Café

Thanks to the First Congregational Church in Wallingford, U.S. soldiers are enjoying fresh cups of coffee, sent from home and served with love by over 125 Chaplains deployed in Kuwait, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

In the past four years, Holy Joe’s Café has shipped over tons of coffee to military outpost oversees. Chaplains use the coffee to set up coffee urns or make-shift cafes where military personnel can take a break, find peace and quiet or converse with a chaplain.

Chaplain Karen Meeker called the donations of coffee and supplies from Holy Joe’s “a miracle in our midst.” She helped operate a coffeehouse called the “Lighthouse” while serving at Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan. “Thank-you so much for your generosity”, she said in an e-mail to Thomas Jastermsky who runs Holy Joe’s Café. “Some 1,500 cups of coffee were served the first night the Lighthouse opened in 2008. At the airbase, hundreds, hundreds of troops passed through day and night on their way to and from dangerous missions”

“A warm cup of coffee and a place to sit down for a moment is a tremendous comfort to our troops fighting the enemy in the rugged mountains of Afghanistan,” she wrote. “You are making a difference in the lives of our young men and women in uniform.”

Churches and individuals can get involved by dropping off regular ground coffee in bags or a monetary donation to the First Congregational Church, 23 South Main St. Wallingford from 9-5pm. For more information, please call Thomas Jastermsky at [203] 859-0031, e-mail: tom@ holyjoescafe.org or visit our website: http://www.holyjoescafe.org/.


ArleneWow! - In My Own Words

When I was approached by the "People's Press" to write a biography about myself, I was extremely flattered. After a bit of thought, I suddenly became slightly nervous. Even though I am a singer-songwriter, I usually disguise life's situations through the virtue of a pretty song. Today, I will tell you in black and white about where it all started and how I got here.

I was born and raised in Wallingford, CT. by Cuban immigrant parents. To my earliest recollections, I was always obsessed with music. Both of my parents enjoyed music but neither had any perceivable talent when it came to the arts. What they knew and understood was hard work and determination to raise a family in hard times. My brother, five years senior, was always very interested in music and has always been a huge inspiration to me in this regard. He began playing accordion as at age 11 then he quickly switched over to electric guitar (a much cooler instrument for an almost-teen boy).. This sparked me to want to learn to play the piano.

I began my piano lessons at age 6. Right from the start, I composed my own melodies. My piano teachers were frustrated with me because I often chose not to learn my lessons. As far as vocal studies go, I have never taken a lesson. My voice came naturally as a gift from the universe. I did learn the nuances of vocal performance through my favorite pop icons of the time. Artists such as Olivia Newton-John and the Carpenters taught me to sing with genuine emotion. The Osmond family opened up the world of harmonies and the group ABBA showed me how to compose a hit song (I’m still working on that).

My brother began working at a department store when he was 16. He would purchase albums (that's what they called them back then) every week. He'd always been a nut for organization, so he started his collection from A-Z. I was fortunate enough to be treated to the stylings of Aeosmith through Frank Zappa. Although I loved most of the music presented to me, I personally gravitated toward female artists such as Heart, Joan Jett and the Runaways. My brother bought me a bass guitar so that we could play together as a little make-shift duo. We never really went far with the project. He was turning into an adult and getting on with his life's journey. Needless to say, the ill-fated "band" was quickly nonexistent. Not to worry, there were plenty of musical opportunities for me to explore.

Most of my earliest original compositions were recorded on my small four track cassette recorder. Some of these old ditties are hanging around in a box somewhere waiting to be found. These early works were also part of my new adventure of creating a garage band's set list. I started performing in bands when I was about 19 years of age. Of course, I started out in my parents' garage then graduated to other band members' garages and basements once exhausting the tender ears of my unsuspecting neighbors. I've been in many area bands such as The Bridge, Vertigo, Little Queen “The Ultimate Heart Tribute (rocking out some Ann and Nancy Wilson tunes), the UnExpected and Milk. I learned a great deal about music and life from being in all of these situations. Perhaps my next article can cover some of that material because there's just not enough time to rehash everything!

In 2005, I decided that the best thing for me was to perform as a solo act. As it turns out, I've played out every week since then and I still enjoy it very much. I do like to perform with other people from time to time. My CD release party for my debut effort “The Red Is Becoming" was all about performing with a full band. My friends and former bandmates Kathy Steahle (drums), Kathy Auburn (lead guitar), Dan Higgins (bass guitar), Chris Cioffi (keyboard) and Kristina Waldron (backing vocals) joined me for a wonderful evening celebrating a huge accomplishment in my life. I will get the band together again upon the release of my second CD which will come out later this year.

I have had the honor of winning Gary Allen's online competition called the "Best Song In the World Contest". I've won two times for the song "Wrong Side" and "Dirty Road Home". Gary Allen was the drummer for the Charlie Daniels Band and JJ Cale. My song "Dirty Road Home" was written especially for an online novel by author Pamela Redmond Satran. Pam is a New York Times best selling author. Her online story can be accessed at www.hosprings.com My compositons are now being used for placements in television and films.

I invite you all to please visit my website www.arlenewow.com for all things ArleneWow! such as my calendar of events and information about how to purchase my debut CD "The Red Is Becoming" You can get on my mailing list by just writing me a request at arlenewow1@gmail.com or join my fan page on Facebook under "ArleneWow!". For those of you who are already my friends and fans, "Thanks a Million! I can't live my dream with out you!"

Peace and Love,
ArleneWow!


The Golitkos

Some of you reading this story may already know Bob & Carole Golitko from the Golitkos Grill at the Wallingford Gardeners Market. We have been married for 40years a celebration shared with The Powder hill Rock festival that never was. But let me tell you the people still came and we saw their sometimes naked bodies camping out near our front yard. We also arrived in CT with the Black Panther rally, all this new to us. We came to Ct so my husband could attend the Culinary Institute of America when it was in New Haven.

We were newly married having moved here from NJ .Bob had completed his 4 years as a cook in the Navy serving in Vietnam & I had completed nursing school.

We moved to Wallingford as his first job was with The Yankee Silversmith it was also my daughters’ first job & the place she was married. But I’m getting too far ahead of myself. We met wonderful people here who helped us grow in ourselves. We met gardeners & found old recipes that were shared with us which we still cook. I always enjoyed cooking & using fresh herbs taught to me by my grandmother.

I grew up in an extended household as many of us did, I learned many of the things I still do today. My grandparents grew vegetables & shared them with neighbors & they did the same. The wonderful scent of all kinds of ethnic cooking filled the air daily.

My 2 children Kira & Jarad never had commercial baby food I grew & cooked all the vegetables they ate, just like I did. They both learned to cook standing on a small bench at our kitchen counter & I`m happy to say are excellent cooks & share recipes with us.

Another of my loves is of animals. Dogs were always part of our family & still are today, all our pets have come from the shelter. If you don’t already know our Animal Shelter named after my good friend Shirley Gianotti is the best. We have the most competent & caring people caring for the animals left behind. Please help them whenever you can. I usually have some kind of fund raiser when we are cooking Breakfast in the summer stop by & support this facility.

We also give communally to Wallingford. I’ve taught my little ones to respect the earth & to give back also. We plant flowers at the Emergency Shelter each year & they look forward to doing that reminding me when it’s time. I let them pick the flowers & use the local grown from the VoAg at Lyman Hall.

We recently completed a project at Cook Hill school teaching the children about recycling & composting a compost bin supplied by Wallingford Programming (and can be purchased at the market)& paid for by the Wallingford Garden club of which I am Vice President. You can’t imagine what you can achieve by networking right here in town.

Another project I taught the children is to safe guard our rivers & streams we applied notices reminding everyone that all the water drains down together & not to dump. It`s a reminder they never will forget as we see our signs on catch basins every where. You too can do this in your neighborhood just ask public works.

My husband & I travel now whenever we can, he retired & I’ve been retired due to an illness, I always worked & missed doing so now I volunteer & teach others as I’m able. When we were kids we enjoyed the Jersey shore (not at all like it’s portrayed)there is nothing like it any where. Another favorite was Lake Hopatcong in NJ we have great memories & continue to make more.

Make some memories today & share them with the best local news The Peoples Press.


A Place Where People In Need Come!
Now Masters Manna Is In Need Will You Help?

Masters Manna Food Pantry and Soup Kitchen for those that have not been there or even needed anything.

Where do we begin .I can only speak from personal experiences which is seeing all kinds of people coming and walking in the doorways of Masters Manna here in Wallingford.

They come from all walks of life some homeless, others just lost a job, others because they cannot afford to buy food and so many other real reasons.

Times have come hard for many people in our community .Sometimes we do not see them.

This could be your neighbor next store, or a person walking down the street.

Many times we keep a blind eye to the plight of others as if they do not exist but they do.

It could be you or even me in there shoes one day.

Masters Manna has become in Wallingford a beacon of hope for many to get back on there feet. The Food Pantry has grown since the days of being in a basement in a Church over 4 years ago, and then a Store Front on Route 5 not that long ago after that.

Now the Pantry and Soup Kitchen have been operating in a much larger facility then ever before at 46 North Plains Industrial Rd here in Wallingford which has been there home for over a year. Which includes now a Free Book section for those in needs who like to read on many different subjects. They also have a clothing Section for Men and Women who cannot afford to buy something new.
Diapers are provided for Mothers who need them.
Haircuts are given freely for those who cannot afford one.

Other services provided are a Community Health Care Clinic.

Which provides Free Medical and Dental care to the uninsured those who really cannot afford the cost of a Dentist or a Doctor thanks to CHC (Community Health Care) which Masters Manna is a part of.
Now even with all the past support of monetary donations funds have been low to keep this vital operation afloat.

Here's a list of things you can do to get involved with Masters Manna located on 46 North Plains Industrial Rd here in Wallingford.

1.)Donate Money is on top of the list which will help keep the electric going ,pay the rent each month and other important area's and operations.

2.) Become a volunteer .How does this work just come on down to Masters Manna's office and you will be warmly greeted .Maybe you enjoy helping people during Pantry hours shop for a weeks worth of food to keep them from starving. They need escorts to be with Shoppers during Pantry hours.

3.)The Soup Kitchen area .Do you enjoy serving people food?, keeping the kitchen clean?, and or is cooking is your thing? .Then you should come in and find out how to get involved.

4.) Stocking the Shelves. The Pantry does not have enough people to help with organizing our Warehouse and the front food area .This includes unloading trucks when we get food from the Connecticut Food Bank each week and from others.

5.) Masters Manna really needs a Walk-in Cooler 8x8 or 12x12 in good condition and a Walk-in Freezer is needed for all the Frozen product that comes in .If you have one or both of these in good condition contact Masters Manna .

6.) Food Companies If you have a Food Company that wishes to donate weekly or monthly everything from Dairy to Meat then contact the Food Pantry and will be glad to accept your help in this area. You can deliver it to them or arrangements can be made and Masters Manna will pick it up.

Masters Manna serves over 400 plus families per week and continues to have new families coming in every day the Food Pantry is open. All of this has put great strain on operating day to day. With more families coming in operational costs increase.

So get involved its easy to do and the rewards of helping others is endless just knowing you have put a smile on some families face.

You can also checkout the website and help Masters Manna get 50,000 dollars from the Pepsi Refresh project .If Masters Manna gets the most votes then a grant will be donated to them for 50,000 dollars.Here is the site to cast your vote for Masters Manna http://mastersmanna.org/grant.shtml

To become involved in Masters Manna Food Pantry and Soup Kitchen call 203-678-3042 or stop by weekdays 9 AM to 4 PM to findout how to help .
Read The People’s Press in image form, pdf form and more at www.peoplespressnews.com We are Meriden and Wallingford Connecticut’s Community Newspaper and News Source.


Memories of the Sheehan Class of 85

The Mark T. Sheehan Class of 1985 is having its Silver Anniversary reunion this November 26th at the Sheraton Four Points hotel in Meriden, CT. Although I don’t feel that much older, somehow 25 years have gone by since I’ve walked the halls of Sheehan high school. I can easily remember singing in “Ma” Zola’s chorus, discussing Heart of Darkness in Sue Mitori’s classroom, and forging my mother’s name on a pass to cut chemistry and sunbathe outside by the pool. (My mom, Pat Juliano, taught English at Sheehan for 25 years. It wasn’t until senior year I realized I could take advantage of that!)

For me, high school wasn’t the “golden age” many others talk about. I was a “nerd” and went to high school in the same building in which my mother taught English. (Talk about a double whammy!) Looking back, I was the typical text book case of a moody, anxious teenager. Having worked with adolescents for 20 years as a teacher, school counselor, and school administrator, I laugh at myself every time I think about me at 16.

What is amazing, however, is how my thought process has changed in the 25 years since I graduated. I can look back remember only the good stuff. I remember singing on the bus with my soccer team to the games; I remember acting in the school plays; and I remember spending weekends away with the AFS club on short term exchanges. All of these are fabulous memories I am excited to rehash with my former classmates in November.

Although our reunion isn’t until November, some of us having gotten together for a couple of mini reunions and outings. Most recently, we met at Jake’s in Wallingford to hear Jon Peckman play with his band. Sometime during the night, one of my former classmates told me she remembered me having a beautiful voice. Wow. I didn’t even know she was listening. The eerie part is this woman and I were never close in high school. We knew each other and played on the same soccer team but didn’t “hang out” together. Her compliment really floored me. We never know what impressions we leave on others.

It is with this in mind that I look forward to Mark T. Sheehan’s class of 1985 25th reunion. I am going to remember to relay as many positive memories as I can to my former classmates. Just as I was given a gift to be reminded about my “beautiful singing voice”, I would like others to also receive the gifts of my complimentary memories.


Mark. T. Sheehan's graduating class of 1985 will host its 25th class reunion at the Sheraton Four Points Hotel in Meriden, CT on Friday, November 26, 2010 from 6:30-11:30 PM. If you are a member of Mark T. Sheehan's graduating class of 1985 and would like to attend the reunion, please visit www.mts85.info for more information and registration forms.



Life along the Q River…
An Update from the Quinnipiac River Watershed Association
Submitted by JoAnne Grabinski

August 2010 – QRWA Summer Paddle Program

One of the most enjoyable programs the QRWA offers is its Summer Paddle Program. It gives you the opportunity to take a 2 hour cruise around Hanover Pond, Harbor Brook or the calm waters of the Quinnipiac River in Meriden, just steps away from the QRWA’s headquarters located at 540 Oregon Road. This program is in cooperation with the City of Meriden’s Community Development Block Grant program and enables people to explore the wonder of the wildlife and habitats nestled in and along the Quinnipiac River with an experienced guide.

Executive Director Mary Mushinsky had led these summer paddles for 10 years now along with interns who are high school students from the local area. Says Mary, “The summer paddle program gives the interns the opportunity to have ‘real life’ experiences to supplement what they learn in school. For example, they can actually see the return of large predators like egrets and eagles and the effect of too much nutrients on algae growth in an environment like Hanover Pond.”

But safety first – always. After a short lecture on safety and how to paddle, life vests are strapped on and the adventure begins. And what an adventure it is. Hanover Pond has quite a variety of wildlife from birds like great blue herons to a pair of bald eagles to mammals like muskrats and even a mink. “The perspective is so different when you’re out on the water,” notes QRWA president, Ginny Chirsky, “Mary has a wealth of knowledge and eagerly shares with the paddlers what’s going on in the pond and river. It is very peaceful to be on the water and just float while observing nature.”

This is a great opportunity to try paddling to see if you like the experience. And it can be a wonderful activity for families. The program is free, thanks to the block grant.

In addition to the beginner-friendly calm water trips, there are two scheduled 5 mile trips for those who want to experience a bit more of the Quinnipiac River. The course is the same one used for the QRWA’s annual canoe and kayak race held in May. It starts in Southington and ends at the QRWA building, just past the historic Red Bridge.

There are only a few dates left in August: Times have been staggered to give as many people as possible the opportunity to experience the program. No reservations are needed for the beginner paddles (August 1, 3 and 7) but please call 203 237-2237 if you have special needs. However, reservations are required for both of the five mile river trips. You can also visit the website for more information, www.qrwa.org. There are plenty of canoes and two kayaks, so take the opportunity to see what life is like on the water.

Saturday August 14 1-5 p.m. river trip 5 miles

Sunday August 22 1-5 p.m. river trip 5 miles

The QRWA and other organizations have worked hard to maintain and improve the health and vitality of the river. Much of their work is advocacy and teaching how to best live in cooperation with the Quinnipiac River and its streams, the critical water resource of central CT. If you would like to do more to protect the quality of the river and its life, please visit www.qrwa.org.

Upcoming QRWA Events:
September 18 – Wallingford Family Day, 12 noon-4 p.m.
September 25 – Meriden Family Day, 10 a.m.-12 noon

The Quinnipiac River Watershed Association (QRWA) is a 501c3 organization whose mission is to restore the Quinnipiac for the health and enjoyment of all citizens and communities along its reach and to educate all students, families, individuals, businesses and governments to be informed stewards of the river.

We provide water activities, events in education, outreach, advocacy, scientific monitoring, conservation, restoration, recreation and public access to the watershed area. To learn more about the QRWA and future events, please visit our website at www.qrwa.org. Thank you for your support and remember your donations are tax deductible.



Still a Student – Dr. Mark Benigni - Superintendent of Schools – Meriden

Dr. Mark Benigni was born and raised on Meriden's West side of town. Mark has two brothers: Brian who is an Assistant Superintendent of Schools in Berlin, CT and John who is the CEO of the Meriden YMCA. As the middle child, Mark has fond memories of the brotherly rivalries that kept the Benigni household full of action and excitement: knee football games, capture the flag contests, and a bloody nose every now and then.

Mark attended Casimir Pulaski Elementary School, where his wife, Amy, now teaches second grade; Lincoln Middle School; and then he graduated from Platt High School in 1989. While at Platt High School, Mark was co-captain of the football and track teams. While Mark enjoyed his time at Platt, he wishes he would have challenged himself more with advanced coursework and additional extra-curricular opportunities. "Platt provided me with excellent skills, life-long friendships, and the ability to work with all people."

After Platt High School, Mark went on to further his education as a teacher candidate at Bridgewater State College in Massachusetts. After just one year, Mark transferred to Western CT State University where he majored in Business Administration and went on to be president of his class and a GTE District I Academic All-American in football. "I loved my time at Western. It was the first time in my life I got very serious about my studies and my school involvement."

After delivering a well-received graduation speech, Mark with his diploma in hand, began a management training program with a national retailer. After just three days on the job, Mark knew that he chose the wrong career path. He encouraged his classmates to follow their dreams, make a difference, choose a career that mattered to them, and here he was ignoring his own advice.

Mark went back to work at the Meriden YMCA's Mountain Mist Camp, began tutoring students at Platt High School, and entered a Master's Program in Education. "Sometimes it takes making a mistake to get you to experience success and happiness. Don't every give up!" Mark Benigni went on to complete his Master's Degree and Doctorate Degree at the University of Hartford. After teaching in Meriden, Mark spent the last ten years as a school administrator in Berlin and Cromwell. After being selected as Meriden's new Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Benigni stated, "there really is no place like home."

Dr. Benigni credits his parents Jack and Gail, his family, and the Meriden community for providing him with so much support and so many opportunities. My wife, Amy, and I are proud to call Meriden home. We would not want to raise our children, Bria (4 years old) and Blake (3 years old) anywhere else. My children are teaching me so much every day. I am definitely still a student!

Thank you Meriden! You have been the greatest teacher of all.

You can reach Dr. Benigni at 203-630-4171 or email@meriden.k12.ct.us.


Camp Sunshine

Our vacation this year was more than your typical dream vacation. We were very fortunate to take a family trip to Camp Sunshine in Maine. Camp Sunshine provides respite, support, joy and hope to children with life-threatening illnesses and their immediate families through various stages of a child’s illness. The year-round program is free of charge to all families, and includes 24-hour onsite medical and psychosocial support.

The deep belly laughs and ear to ear grins that Camp Sunshine gave to our son Colin was truly something special. You see, Colin was your typical two-year-old when he was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, (“ALL”) on October 2, 2009, just days after his second birthday.

Fast forward to today. Colin is responding well to treatment. He has recently completed the most intense phase of his treatment plan. Although chemotherapy treatments will continue for the next 2.5 years, we are hopeful in a cure and for Colin to complete treatment before beginning school.

Because of Camp Sunshine, our sponsor and the volunteers, our family was able to take a family vacation like no other. Our goal of camp was simple, to put aside our “normal” schedule and just have FUN together as a family. Colin’s new favorite sport is mini golf, which he played continuously! He’s also a movie star and was featured in a NESN clip which can be found on the Camp Sunshine website under news. He’s the one playing with the train!

Our eyes have been opened to a completely new way of looking at life. A childhood illness is something that no one should have to experience. However, for those that do have to follow this path, Camp Sunshine is there, offering families a vacation they would not have been able to share otherwise. The facility, food, activities and volunteers were amazing and we developed friendships that we hope will last a life time.

If you’d like to follow Colin’s journey, please visit Colin’s blog at colinwestbrook.blogspot.com
Mike, Heather, Colin and Maddison Westbrook.




Nature as a Mirror
By Dorothy Gonick
GLADIOLUS

Tall Gladiolus
Spikes of colorful blossoms
Gladden summer days.


Last spring after the last frost, the grass became green and our thoughts filled with glad-hearted visions of summer blooms. With spade and rake we prepared the garden. Then with our granddaughters, we visited the garden center and chose packets of marigold, aster and bachelor button flower seeds and a packet of gladiolus corms of varied colors. The gardener suggested that we plant the corms in the back area of the garden because they would grow tall and make a lovely backdrop for the other flowers. So we planted the corms, right side up and covered them with the sandy soil, and placed a tall stake by each for support when in bloom. What color blossom would each plant be? That would be something to see in July. Next we planted the seeds of marigolds, asters and bachelor’s buttons, with a row of low growing blue alyssum in front.

Days later the girls noticed signs of plant growth poking through the soil. Weeding and watering became our way of encouraging beauty to come forth. Soon blossoms greeted us all across the flower bed and at the back of the plot; long sword-like leaves and spikes of gladiolus were reaching upward. The girls picked colorful bouquets to grace our dining table and give to friends. The bottom bud on a yellow gladiolus opened and soon an orange and then a mauve colored bloom began opening. We made sure the spikes were supported by the stakes to keep them from toppling over. The buds on each spike opened day by day till all had bloomed. When we cut some for a floral arrangement, the buds continued to open; one above the other till all had bloomed.

The name gladiolus is such a happy sounding name, yet because of the narrow sword shaped leaves, it was once known as the Sword Lily. The word gladiolus is Latin for ‘little dagger’. I find it rather ironic that the word, gladiolus seems to be a combination of glad and glorious, unrelated to weapons.

In the fall we will lift the corms from their place of darkness. Unseen by our eyes, in the world beneath the soil surface, a new corm is forming above the spent corm. That corm will be surrounded by small cormlets, looking much like a nest of eggs, yet holding the promise of next year’s loveliness.

All nature strives to thrive and reproduce itself to fulfill its destiny. Plants propagate through seeds and various bulbs; birds nest and hatch their eggs; and animals give birth. In our lives we plan and prepare for the future, nourishing our dreams and meeting each phase of life from childhood throughout our life. Let us be aware of the incredible wonders in our world that God has created and keeps watch over.

May God bless each stage of our lives with joy and gladness.



FRESH PICKED PRODUCE, SUMMER’S GREATEST JOY

By Phyllis S. Donovan

For me, one of the best things about summer is the constant availability of fresh produce. As soon as butter and sugar corn shows up at our favorite roadside stand, you’ll find us down there two or three times a week picking up several ears at a time…and there’s just two of us! Unfortunately, you know what happens to the corn-fed pigs in Iowa. We have to be careful to balance our calorie intake to make up for the overabundance of corn we consume from now right up until the last of it is gone from the farm stands.

Thankfully, not all of our summer favorites pack on the pounds. We also dearly love blueberries picked fresh from the fields. It’s become our family’s tradition these past few years to go with an assortment of our grandkids and their parents on a blueberry picking spree. Our youngest grandson, at 6, has become a very serious blueberry picker and is usually the one who gets us all going. I’m always amazed at how those huge berries hang in bunches like grapes from the bushes just waiting to be plucked.

When I was a young girl, my sister and I would often go blueberry picking with our father in the clear-cut, second-growth areas on the hillside of our grandfather’s farm. It took a lot of those tiny wild berries to fill a pail, believe me. Cultivated blueberries were just coming on the scene when I was a teenager and they discovered that the hilltop meadows in Blandford and Middlefield, Massachusetts in the Berkshires were the ideal places for growing them. Atlantic and Jerseys were the varietal names I remember and, like other teens in our area, we hired on as day laborers in the summer-hot blueberry fields. We would be paid by the carrier, each of which held 12 pint baskets, which we would have to fill to overflowing so none of the baskets could be seen beneath the berries. They probably got an extra couple of pints of berries that way.. As I recall, we probably were paid only a couple of dollars per carrier and it would take us all day to pick four or five carriers so our daily wage was miniscule. But even then you could eat all the berries you wanted.

The good thing about that summer job was that I really learned how to efficiently pick blueberries. It’s a job I still enjoy and I attack it seriously. In a little over a half hour last week, I picked 14 pounds of berries by myself (my daughter and granddaughter together picked 12 pounds and my son’s family of four picked about 20.)

The problem is, 14 pounds of blueberries is an awful lot for just my husband and me to consume before they spoil. But they’re easy to get rid of. I brought containers of them to the ladies who work in the Friends bookstore with me, used them on cereal every day, made blueberry pancakes and baked a blueberry buckle (coffeecake). My husband likes them in a bowl with just milk and sugar. So we actually made short work of them after having the pleasure of picking them.

Sharing is the key word when it comes to summer produce because anyone who grows anything knows there is always too much of whatever is currently in season. Because of the bunnies, skunk and raccoon in our neighborhood (and the other night I even had a fox in my back yard) I now only grow tomatoes, peppers and basil which they all seem to scorn. My tomatoes are just starting to get ripe so, with the basil, we’ll be having a lot of those now.

A co-worker at the bookstore brought in a huge bag of gorgeous summer squash last week to share. What a treat! Summer squash is another of my summertime favorites. Of course, I won’t turn up my nose at the zucchini my daughter brings to us from her husband’s garden.

Our son who moved from New York City to Ridgefield a couple years ago and is now reveling in his ongoing “country fix,” has planted his own backyard garden this year and, although he has persistent deer come by to poke their noses over the garden fence to sample his tomatoes, he’s been growing some wonderful big straight cucumbers which he shares with us.

We never know what treasures folks will be sharing with us next. So as summer yields its abundance of wonderful produce, we’re making the most of all gardeners’ compulsion to share the fruits (and veggies) of their labor. It’s really great!



It's just a stroller…
By Dawn Brown

It's just a stroller, so why has it taken me three long years to get rid of the darn thing? It's not like it is a family heirloom or even a piece of our family history that you can't bear to discard, or in some strange way is it? All I know is that I met this stroller and I was in love. I was deeply and truly in love. Sounds crazy I know, but if you have multiple children then you get it. Right from the start you get it with no need for explanation. It was a moment of delight when this stroller had finally arrived.

Little did I realize what having triplets plus a two and a half year old would really mean for our family. I clearly heard them utter the words "we see three heartbeats, three!" in the Doctors office nine years ago. I'm not sure what I exactly thought at the time though, but I do remember swirls of college tuition costs in my head. I think I responded "are you sure?", as I could only sit stunned looking at the sonogram
picture. I couldn't believe our luck. It wasn't what we had planned, but we were unconditionally and full-heartedly following through with this enormous and unbelievable adventure that we were just thrust into. We were having triplets....

We brought home three sweet and perfect babies from the hospital to a house that suddenly seemed too small and the chaos soon began. A schedule of constant feedings, night-times of very little sleep, and an assembly line of diapers and dressing, of bouncing and swinging, of loving and emotional bonding ensued. At the time I had given little thought as to how I would logistically get to places with newborn triplets and a toddler. I probably gave it some thought, but I was just simply too busy or too tired to figure that out. I'd think about that later. It was also wintertime and being the paranoid parents that we were best we weren't chancing getting the babies sick. For three months we were like shut-ins. I'm not even kidding, we didn't bring them out and we let few people in. The "what if's" ran rampant in our worried minds. We had to protect these precious babies and their big brother, who could also pass on some terrible cold or worse.

But the day finally came for all of us to venture out into the world once again. One of our first steps was going to be back to the hospital where the babies were born. I decided to take them to New Britain
General for a quick visit to see the doctors and nurses who were involved in their birth. Not having a triple stroller, as I knew we were receiving one as a gift, I had to make due for the time being. No big
deal I thought as I strapped one baby into a front carrier and laid the other two into a single stroller. It was a tight fit. I quickly realized that this didn't work well at all. It also caused a lot of onlookers who wanted to see just how many babies I actually had in there. I felt like a circus side show while I tried to navigate that hallway. With babies screaming, I could hardly slip by discretely and ended up causing more of a scene than need be. That was the last time I would attempt transportation until I got the stroller.

We went through one stroller meant for young babies, which the triplets quickly outgrew. Now what? We couldn't keep them in this stroller that seemed to be shrinking before our very eyes. The babies were now toddlers and they were toddlers with occasional tantrums. They were starting to hit each other over the head with rattles and toys and pull each others hair. Sadly, they took their frustration of being in this stroller out on each other and it wasn't a pretty sight. We thought maybe, just maybe they were ready to walk on their own and have a bit more freedom?....So, the next option for going out with them and still keeping them safe seemed to be the child harnesses, which work well for many families. I gave it an honest try, but I felt like a dog walker and not a very good one at that. Not only did they tangle up with each other, but they tried to take off in different directions and would cry with frustration when "the pack" wouldn't follow suit. Again, not the best sight to be seen. We needed another stroller, one that gave them more space from each other, one that kept them from escaping and one that I could navigate turns with the growing and heavy brood. You can't go through life walking straight forever and dreading left and right hand turns. It's just not normal to live like that. We found a solution in a stroller that could go over curbs like nobody's business and you could even take left and right hand turns with your eyes closed if you wanted. The thing could do anything... I must have taken a thousand pictures of the kids in it. I took pictures of them wearing their Halloween costumes, wearing matching Fourth of July outfits and carrying American flags, walking our oldest son to school on his very first day of Kindergarten and First grade. Whatever the occasion, I got a picture of it and of them. Each picture more precious than the one before.

I now know why it has taken me so long to say "goodbye" to this silly inanimate object. It may just be a stroller at first glance, but for me it brought back one thing that I missed since having my triplets and
that was a sense of freedom. To go anywhere, to do anything at any time in any place. That's a tremendous feeling. Today my sweet babies are no longer babies. Already over eight years old, there is clearly no stopping them. They are constantly on the go, but they did stop one last time for a final picture with the stroller that holds so many precious memories for their mom.. You see it isn't just a stroller, any old stroller.... but for us it is a piece of our past. It holds fond memories of every place that we visited and everything that we did as a family when our babies were just "babies". I have recently come to grips with pulling this thing out of the attic, dusting it off, and saying good-bye to our old "friend". You see, even without it our incredible family adventure continues and our memories live on forever.




Connecticut Outdoors
By: Paul Narducci

I recently attended a Goo Goo Dolls concert at Mohegan Sun and it reminded of all the little things we forget. Six years ago the music of this group helped me through one of the worse times of my life when my son Jonathan got sick. It is amazing how much music affects your life and how it helps you through difficult times. It reminded me of days coming home to a empty house and I would put their music on and would completely loose myself. Sometimes I would cry, sometimes I would be mad and I would always be reminded of how lucky I was to have Jonathan in my life. He is truly a wonderful little boy who has inspired me and has helped me become a better person and father. I feel everyone who knows him has been touched in many different ways. Jonathan you will forever be my number one fishing buddy. I love you Jonny wet one. We never seem to have enough time and constantly make excuses for why we didn’t do things. Well today was not going to be one of those days. Tonight me and Bonnie had a surprise for Jonny and we were going to take him fishing on the boat. We ended up going to Lake Beseck which is close to our house and usually isn’t that busy. After a little work we got Jonathan into the boat and put on his life jacket and it was time to get serious. I’m talking about powering up that big engine and let’s catch some fish. We headed to the cove where I thought we could get some fish. Well maybe they already ate, after all it was about six thirty. So we moved around a little and the bobber started to go under oooppppsss I missed that one. Bonnie and Jonny start complaining Daddy you missed, try again. Three try’s later and we got one. Jonny and mommy grab the rod and the fight is on. We ended up catching several fish and Jonathan had a wonderful night fishing with his mom and dad. We spent about a hour and a half all together and it is this night that Jonathan will remember forever. Fishing with his dad! Do you all get where I’m headed with this, I hope so. All of us need to be reminded of the little things that we can do and how much they mean to the people we do them for. Jonathan I love you. As we head into the month of August it is a great time to take a child fishing. If you have the time head to the shore and enjoy some snapper fishing the kids will love this. Talk about fast and furious snapper blues are a blast and are easy to catch. You can also enjoy some good fishing locally at North Farms reservoir or Black Pond for trout, sunfish and anything that will bite. If you’re running out of money and ideas I hope this article has helped. I almost forgot to share with you the excitement on Jonny’s face as he told Grandma Marje, Grandpa Don, Joey, Ryan, Auntie Maria, Viana and of course his sweat heart Great Grandma Eleanor about his fish and fishing with his father. PRICELESS!!!! As always the team of Connecticut outdoors would like to wish everyone the best of luck and good fishing!




Barbara's Bountiful Bouquet

Wow, this season has been something else. I have never seen flowers and tomatoes grow so large before. I have talked to a number of gardeners, not just at the Wallingford Community Garden, but elsewhere as well, and everyone is saying the same thing: The plants are huge!!! Honestly, I made paths between my vegetables, even increasing their width from last year, and I can't get between the plants. I have never seen tomatoes spread out this much or grow this tall, ever. I guess it must have been a combination of the rain we got early on and so many days that were 90 and above, or possibly the coffee grounds? I don't know, but you can hardly walk in my garden. It is going to take quite a feat to pick the tomatoes once they turn red. Oh, yes, cherry tomatoes I have been picking, both the yellow and the red, and everyone I have given yellow cherry tomatoes to have said they are to die for. Where have I been all these years? I never heard of yellow cherry tomatoes before, not to be confused with the yellow pear variety. These are normal shaped cherry tomatoes. To me, the pear variety didn't have much of a taste when I tried growing them a year or two ago. So I have picked about 40 cherry tomatoes thus far.

I have picked about 16 cucumbers, and a few more are on the way, but it was not a great season for cucumbers, for some reason. All of the plants are dying now. I am considering starting some from seed and just see what happens. I planted only four hills this year due to strawberries robbing me of space, and one was from seed and the others were from plants, and they all progressed at about the same speed, the seed planting lingering somewhat behind. But I might just try another planting and see what happens.

My sunflowers and perennials are doing very well, except for the black-eyed susans. Don't know why, but they didn't grow much this year and are fading. The lilies faded very fast also. Must have been the weather.

I have picked two Jet Star tomatoes, huge, and two Big Boys so far. I have tons more coming. I have enjoyed my first tomato sandwich, finally, and earlier than last year, and all I can say is yum. I steal the "yum" phrase from Julie and Julia, a must-read book and must-see movie. If you haven't read the book or seen the movie, you really should. I read the book once and watched the movie at least seven times. Loved it. Yum. Meryl Streep is fantastic! This is all based on Julia Child, the absolutely amazing innovative cook from the early '60s, when she got published. She started it all. She was a genius. I remember my mom watching The French Chef when I was kind of young, but I loved her even then. I can't cook at all, but I love watching people who can cook, and Julia Child is the best!

Bon appetit! (I can hear Meryl Streep's voice, and she had it down perfectly..)

Barbara Sherburne
barndt49@yahoo.com



Just another Summer Day

It was just another hot summer day…..not much different than the day before. A couple of us boys decided to go for a swim down to the river that ran past the edge of town. There was nothing better to do on that steamy day in early August. It was too hot to play touch-football, or go hiking up a hill of the Appalachian mountains. No…swimming sounded like the best thing to do that day. We never wore trunks, nor skivvies, just our birthday suits.

“Hey, the last one in is a smelly pig!”

And then the rush to disrobe, running bare-naked to the edge, and diving into that cool Ohio river.

There is nothing to compare with frolicking in a river on a hot summer day. We just swam, and splashed; dunked one another, and swung from a rope that dangled from a tree near the shore…just the way Tarzan would swing through the jungle on a vine……but, hey…we weren’t Tarzan.
We were having a fun time there in that quiet, nearly hidden, part of watery Heaven…but, the silence was soon broken by an eerie yowl coming from somewhere back in the woods.

“What the heck was that ?”

“Sounded like a bear, to me.”

“I’m getting out of here.”

“Me too.”

And the three of us sprang from that river swifter than a steed in full gallop. Only problem was, we had a problem. Our clothes were hanging from the limb where we had left them……and, whoa….now there was growling coming from behind the tree. We could do nothing but run…and we ran, and we ran.
One can just imagine three 10-year old boys running like an Olympian runner…running in their birthday suits along the embankment of the Ohio River.

We paused to catch our breath, glanced at each other, and then realized how we looked.

“Good grief…what are we going to do ?”

Well, we all rushed back into the brink, and just stood there in water up to our necks. Slowly we walked back to where our clothes were. Picking up a rock from the river bed, I tossed it toward the bushes near the tree…….nothing. We made our way back to shore, and quietly went to gather up our clothes. Pinned to my jeans was a note.

“Scared you…didn’t I…Susan.”

Oh well……the moral of this story is, WHEN SWIMMING BARE, BEWARE OF THE BEAR THAT ISN’T THERE.
- George Arndt -




Some Observations on Back to School
by Ernie Larsen

Seems to me I saw the first 'Back to School' (BTS) sales on the 3rd of July. Yep, just about 2 weeks after school let out for the summer. Well, maybe students finished and were let out earlier where I happened to be that day; the new Rite-Aid store in Damariscotta, Maine. Even though, it's just like Christmas, when the XMAS stuff is on the shelves just after Labor Day, or so it seems. Why not just sell any holiday related items all year round? To me it seems that would not be too far fetched the way it’s done now - but I reckon that would upset the retail biz; after all it is a bit of an unconventional concept: OK it is a a bad idea-'never mind'.

Getting back to the subject at hand seems like just about any store you step into has some sort of BTS items - for sure you need the handy economy size (whose economy?) 36 pack of chips/pretzels/popcorn; these are touted to be just the right size for the lunchbox and have been processed to be free of Trans-Fat, however I'm sure they pack a few calories and a bit of sodium. Anyway, there's lots more food items that are being hawked under the guise of BTS necessities; a slew of gotta have it stuff, juice boxes, processed 'meal kits', after school snacks. The majority of this 'stuff' is not really that nutritious - when I was younger after school snacks were bananas, apples, pears and grapes; unless Mom had baked that day - then it was milk and cookies or brownies, hermits, cookie bars. Back in the 50's and 60's we didn't have juice boxes - or Jeno's pizza rolls or anything in that genre although I do remember TWINKIES, not sure if Mom bought those or we got them at Dumark’s market up on the corner of Atkins St. and Baldwin Avenue. As I mentioned fresh fruit of some type was always available and through the years I have made a point of always having bananas in the larder; I really like bananas!

Another practice I never could figure out is how students and their guardians/care-givers etc. determined what to buy in the line of school supplies without having yet stepped into their new classroom? In today's newspaper (8/1) there is an ad insert for STAPLES® - the office supply/stationery etc. store. The top items on the front page, under the BTS savings banner, are binders, 5 tab dividers, a laptop computer and a deal for a free ream of paper. So if you need any of that stuff they have it and at a really good price. I started to peruse the flyer and aside from the backpacks, pens, pencils, paper clips, glue sticks, assorted calculators from a few dollars to over a C-note. Continuing, the next page showed notebook/composition books, whats the difference, PostIt notes, calendars, book covers (remember making them from brown paper grocery bags?) and of all things a protractor.

I bet a lot of the younger set wouldn't know a protractor it it were drawing an acute angle on one of their body parts. And if you felt ambitious a couple of items over you could get a 10-piece math kit for only a dollar more, the protractor alone was a dollar. So, if you thought you would be geometrically challenged - spend the other buck, it's only your parent's money, right? There are quite a few more items in the flyer and I'm not going to list them all - however along with a protractor what the heck does someone need glue sticks in their basic supplies for school? Think about it - if I were heading to a class I'd bring a notebook and pen/pencil and an assignment/date book.

What would you have to glue? Oh, I just thought of something - maybe a creation you drew with your protractor. Well, it's just an observation. In a Back to School tab in the local daily paper today, there was an article on shopping smart for school supplies. The last sentence mentioned asking the students' upcoming new teacher for a list of supplies the youngster might need. It also mentioned that many teachers have Web Pages listing these items - not a bad idea. And while you’re shopping for your children or if you don’t have children - Beat the Street, Larry Pellietier’s group is collecting school supplies for those who are mighn not have the means to procure the materials they may need for school. So why not pick up two of everything and fill a bag for Larry’s charity. Just drove by Walgreen’s and they have some really good BTS supply deals - for a $5 spot you could fill a good size bag. I’ll be packing a bag of goodies myelf - how about you?

Now that the children are well heeled with pens, pencils, notebooks and the like I have a question - I live on a street on which many students walk to school. Day to day I see many of them walking to school empty handed. Not a book, backpack, binder or glue stick in view. And where I worked up on Liberty Street, full time for 9 years, also a main thoroughfare to a couple of schools - the same occurrence - what happened to all those school supplies? Or aren't books used anymore? I will admit that there were a couple of students that went to the elementary school in the neighborhood and they had backpacks that were usually so unwieldy and heavy you wondered what they were packing; must have been all the extra glue sticks and binders! Really, do these children study - or are they just putting in their time and waiting for graduation and hitting the job market, as it were? I know when my two were in school and myself many years ago always had homework.
I know that in Meriden schools homework is mandatory with guidelines and everything - although the teacher is the administrator of the assignments and some may follow the rules and some interpret them to their own liking. Are all these students who have homework completing it during school hours? Students, throngs of them with nary a tome in hand or anywhere else walking back and forth to school. Are parents asking "Hey, where are your books?" Do they know what their offspring are studying? Have they been to the Open House events hosted by the schools? What are Meriden parents roles in the education of today? Do parents understand the curriculum and subjects that their children are studying? This could get into a whole other subject about the many variables that make up the ratings these students are expected to achieve at each grade level. But back to the original statement - where did all the BTS supplies go? This really mystifies me, not the supplies - but the students not carrying any books or anything else!

Wouldn’t it be a hoot if little Jill and Johnny get to school on the first day and the teacher asks “where are your glue sticks” naw, not going to happen; and just to let you know - I’m still not getting the need or importance of glue sticks.

Hey, and don’t forget Beat the Street and their good works.
Adios!

P.S. retirement is great - been over a month now - rising at the crack of Noon - doing what I want, when I want - glad the weather changed - that humidity was really annoying me - now I can get in some trout fishing...


Henry
By Janet Althouse

Living in a rural area, you know, a small town, there are a lot of out-doors-men types. They like to hunt and fish, etc. We had a neighbor boy who was always interested in the forests and all its creatures. He spent a lot of time out in the woods watching for anything out of the ordinary. He eventually went to Penn State and took up Forestry, but when he was younger, he kept on the alert, looking for ways to preserve the forests. One day as he was out hunting and keeping his eye peeled for any problems, he realized that some porcupines had been getting their meals by eating the bark off some of the trees and the trees were dying. So, each day he would scout around and this particular day, he spotted a porcupine gnawing on a tree and he shot it. But, as he examined it, he discovered it was a pregnant female and very close her delivery date. So, he took out his hunting knife and did a "C section", so to speak, and delivered the baby porcupine. He took the little fellow home and he and his family fed him and took care of him. They named him Henry and he became quite the family pet. They kept him in a baby play pen, and really enjoyed taking care of him and playing with him. They also shared him with the community. But, of course, unfortunately, in this case, babies do not stay babies, so they eventually had to give him to the Children's Zoo in Buffalo. They would go and visit him on occasion to make sure he was doing okay, but that was many years ago. I always thought that was a neat story and now I am sharing it. David, the boy who rescued the baby porcupine later became my grandson, Zach's, father. He still loves the woods and does what he can to preserve nature and takes lots of great pictures of all kinds of animals. He definitely is one of the great woodsmen. Quite an interesting character to have in your family.



We Found Miss India!! Take 2

I have to admit that Kathy and I were not exactly correct on the location of Miss India's burial plot. If you read the July issue, you will know I am talking about the Mills Bros.' elephant who died on June 29th, 1953, and was buried here in Wallingford. Although our adventure was truly interesting, childhood memories are not always accurate, and Kathy was relying on what people told her since she was born in May of 1953 and was not actually a witness.

So what happened? Quite a few things.. First of all, there was a Readers' Opinions letter that was published in the Record-Journal on Sunday, 7-11-10, before this paper came out, and one of the things Rich Kunze said was: "Recently I was talking to my friend Mike who, like me, remembers the circus coming to Wallingford every year during the 1950s. They set up the show at the old Wallingford Airport grounds. He told me that one year an elephant named Miss India died and they buried the animal on the grounds. This story was one I had never heard." I was shocked that anyone knew the elephant's name. Most people I have spoken to consistently refer to the elephant as "he." Who is Mike, and how did he know? I want to hear from Mike.

A second Readers' Opinions letter was published a week later on 7-18-10 written by Richard R. McBride. He spoke about the fact that he was a welder and had built a platform for the elephant in the spring of 1954, "and two days after we made the platform, we learned that the elephant had died. It was buried on the grounds of the old Wallingford Airport."

I did reply to both comments, that was published on 7-21-10, and it is unfortunate that the Record-Journal deleted the name of this paper and substituted the words "another publication." I said that "I wrote an interesting story about this elephant, the circus, and her burial" for The People's Press, and gave the link. I also said that Mr. McBride was mistaken about the date.

Andy Reynolds did receive a call while on vacation from Jean Regnier, who said Kathy and I did not have the right spot for the burial. I gave her a call. At age 11 or 12, she was living on that side of town, had heard about the burial, and had a piano lesson that morning that she was furiously trying to finish so she could attend. She then rode her bicycle to the event, and was one of few witnesses to the burial. So on the spur of the moment, after a phone call, we decided to meet on Clifton Street, and she brought two of her grandchildren also. This story is one she has passed on for a very long time, and, again, childhood memories can get muddied. She insisted the burial took place much closer to the Clifton Street side than East Street. She could not exactly pinpoint the spot, but she was definitely convincing enough that I knew the hill we had chosen was not correct. I needed more verification, so I made arrangements to visit the Electric Division.

It turns out that what I was sure was an original hangar for the airport is called the pole barn, and guess what? They store long poles there. It's red, was in a direct line with the hill, but it is not a hangar. I was helped by many people at the Electric Division, Bill Church among them, but others as well, and I did not get their names. All were extremely pleasant and willing to assist me. Richard Hendershot, the general manager, also talked to me, and everyone seemed to agree there are still two original hangars, which were pointed out to me directly across the street. One sits closer to John Street than the other one. According to one person, possibly Eric, he said that the hangar that sets back from the road is exactly 100 feet to the gate.

Don't get lost with all these facts because they all have a bearing here. The article from the Morning Record of 6-30-80 quoted Alfred Audisio as saying, "It is buried 100 feet in front of one of the two hangars left over from the Wallingford Airport.." So could it be the hangar that is set back? Possibly. But the gates were not there in 1953 and the road was not the same; it was since widened. Could be the first hangar closest to East Street.

The Record-Journal gave me another lead when a story came out about Adwin Rusczek, known as Inky, at the end of July. He is 93 now. The article mentioned that he had photographed a train in 1952 after a pedestrian was killed, and "a reporter from the Meriden Record asked him if he'd give the film to the newspaper." He did photography for them, and I figured, Hey, maybe he shot some film in 1953, so I called him up. Guess what? He was there on the day Miss India was buried and took pictures. Unfortunately, he has no idea where the negatives are or how to locate them in his basement. He admitted he is not terribly organized and tended to throw things in a box. (He also told me he never heard of The People's Press.) I did ask him if he remembered anything outstanding from the day. Did he remember Alfred Audisio, for example? "Oh, yeah. He was a well-known contractor. He was there that day." I asked, "Can you tell me where Miss India was buried? I have been told if you are looking at the hangar from the front, she is buried in front of the hangar." He replied, "No, I don't remember that. I remember she was buried east of the hangar."

Oh, let me just interject, Mayor Dickinson has approved a marker or monument as long as the Town does not have to pay for it, and we are getting donations. It has to pass the town council next. Then decisions will be made about what it will be made of, what the wording will be, but the best location I can come up with is on the corner of John and East streets, away from the curb and in the grassy area. That is Town property. The Electric Division is adamant about not wanting anything on their property, which I totally understand. They have problems with people climbing the fences as it is, although I don't know what the people are after.

I reiterate, female Asian elephants are often born with no tusks, and if they have tusks at all, they can only be seen when they open their mouths. Miss India's tusks, however small they were, were removed before she was buried.

So where exactly is Miss India buried? I am not sure if we will ever know. The cold hard fact is that only about 60 people were at the burial, mostly children, from what I quoted previously. Let's say 50 of those people were children. 57 years have passed since then. How many of those 50 children would still be around? So far I have heard from two eyewitnesses, Jean and Adwin. Jean, I hope you don't mind, told me she is 68 and Adwin is 93. Are there any others who were there who can comment on this?

This is getting long, but I did learn a couple of things. There was something called siders, which were railroad lines that were not the main lines, and Jean showed me one at the end of Marshall Street. I got confirmation of this from the Wallingford Historical Society from Ray Chappell and Bob Beaumont. Jean says she and her siblings would get up around 4 a.m. in the morning at their grandmother's house on Marshall and sit on the porch and watch the elephants come down the street. So it is apparent that different circuses came by different venues and went down different streets, whether North and South Cherry, East Street, as Kathy testifies to, or Marshall Street. I also learned that there was another freight station adjacent to our downtown railroad station. There is an underground tunnel, that still exists, and it led to a signal tower, but also to another freight station. Possibly circus animals exited from there as well.

It is truly my hope that Miss India in Wallingford will be memorialized somehow. I think it has importance. There is something called Family Constellations, which I have participated in since 2003. It was introduced to the US around 2000 by Bert Hellinger. It's been in Europe for a long time now. One of several aspects of a Family Constellation has to do with exclusion. If one part of the family is excluded, it affects all parts of the family. In a human family this could have to do with abortion, miscarriage, adoption, death or just someone who is not accepted in the family unit. Up until now, Miss India has really been an excluded member of the family of Wallingford. She has been basically forgotten, and yet she is part of our family. I believe it is time, after 57 years, that Miss India be part of our family. One part changes, according to physics, and the whole system changes. Let us see where this will lead.

Barbara Sherburne
barndt49@yahoo.com



My Summer Time Family Aquatic Memories

When I was a child I was raised with an above ground swimming pool in my back yard. My family was the only home in the neighborhood that had a swimming pool. Many of my neighbors would come over and use the swimming pool.

I remembered having to wear a lifejacket. I was afraid at first. It was most uncomfortable.

Whenever I screamed; my dog Rue would jump up and place his feet at the top of the sides of pool. Rue would bark to let others know he thought I was in trouble. He wanted to make sure I was going to be ok. My mom was a wonderful swimmer and taught me not to be afraid..

I observed how other children in the neighborhood were not wearing lifejackets and seemed to be having more fun, able to move around with more ease without the lifejacket. Within a short time I would not want to wear the lifejacket.

One day; my mother dropped me into the shallow end (old school way) of our pool and I survived; I surfaced and I was so proud of myself. I watched my mother, my brother and the neighbors all swim. By watching I taught myself to swim and how I enjoyed the pool so much more.

Once I was able to hold my own in the pool, my dog would climb up to the top of the deck, just lie down and watch me swim. He expected to be splashed once in a while (no more barking duties!). Rue even went into the pool with me a few times as I became a much more confident swimmer. He loved it! My learning to swim was a real family affair!

This is why today I am a certified lifeguard and swim instructor. I enjoy teaching others to swim. I enjoy helping others conquer their fears and become successful swimmers.

I encourage all families to visit the Wallingford Family YMCA and indulge in an Aquatic Experience.

The Wallingford YMCA has two pools! The Therapy Instructional Pool is 88 degrees. It is a wonderful learning and teaching environment for the infant and preschool swimmers. Our second swimming pool is the Lap Pool. This pool is 83 degrees. Youth and Adults (Beginners to Advanced) are instructed in this pool where they can swim from the shallow end to the deep end of the pool. Once children can swim one length (25 yards) of our lap pool they are invited to join our Dolphin Youth Swim Team. Come check out this wonderful Aquatic Experience!
Submitted By: Lisa Hoover, Director of Aquatics - Wallingford Family YMCA - lhoover@wallingfordymca.org



THE DANCE OF ANGELS
By Cathy Short

Burning and passionate
Moments that occur
Between earth and sky.....

Angels take flight to discover
New and daring dreams
Leading delicate and
Mysterious flowers
Into a very intense dance:
The passionate Rose,
The intoxicating Violet,
The luminous Peony,
And the seductive Lily....

A dance that guides us
To the magical trail
Of this garden of stars....

Read The People’s Press in image form, pdf form and more at www.peoplespressnews.com We are Meriden and Wallingford Connecticut’s Community Newspaper and News Source.


Sammi – Now and Then!

The first submission to People's Press was back when my daughter, Sammi, was so tiny. I started an Adoption Support Group that lasted 7 years and so many couples were able to learn about their options relating to adoption. Friendships were formed with both parents and children. Skip ahead 8 years and my daughter is now heading for the 7th grade at Moran, holy cow!! Has anyone figured out how time flies so darn fast when you are a parent? One good side about time flying is that the tough times also will pass quickly. Arguments with your friends, disappointment and second thoughts all pass quickly too.

Children and parents are quite similar. We both get angry, hold grudges and get our feelings hurt. We both make bad decisions at times, but often make some terrific ones as well. My daughter is no different than any other child just because she was adopted. She is loved by many, disliked by some and has all the same issues that all other pre-teens have; clothing, hair, music, Aim, parents (ugh!), is it still cool to hug mom in public?, grades, boyfriends/girlfriends, trying new things, courage, self expression, learning to stand their ground, bullying (Sammi still has one girl that since 2nd grade still makes fun of her Chinese eyes, is that ridiculous? I hope they read this article....)friendships ( some that end over night by the snap of a parent's finger) and some that you hope will last forever and some that are a lot of work.

If you, as a parent, are doing the best job you can, and are willing to take some advice now and then, your children will grow up to be super adults and will make you proud. You plant the seeds of bravery, decency, humor and love and hope that through the interactions with friends, teachers, adults etc that you child will grow up ready and able to handle all that will come.

My dad is now 87 years old and still writes in my birthday card, "you have exceeded all my wildest expectations." Such a gift, my dad!! It is now my job to get my daughter ready to exceed mine. She is making me proud every day, through her honor roll hard work at school and growth in soccer, her willingness to try new things (Music Man August 12,13 and 14 at Sheehan High School), her community service( more hours than most adults since 4 years old) her leadership as the organizer of a Fashion show for the Girl Scouts August 28th at Old Navy) all of this at just 12 years old but most off all I am proud of the respectful, beautiful and funny girl that she is already. I could write the same quote, "you have exceeded all my wildest expectations" into her birthday card this October when she turns 13.

Proud mom, Cathy Chagnon ( photo is of Sammi and her friend Maria, vacationing this Summer on Cape Cod) Maria's parents are Beth and Mike Bianco owners of Bethie Macs Nut Free Bakery -started over a year ago to provide nut and tree nut free organic baked goods for those with severe nut allergies check them out at www.bethiemacsnutfree.com


Baran's Kenpo Karate

Professional Instruction at its finest.

Baran's Kenpo Karate instructors are trained professionals at teaching the character building traits that develop black belts from the inside out; focus, discipline, self-control and perseverance to name a few. You won't find student instructors at our school. We maintain a staff of highly skilled, thoroughly educated adult professionals to give you the very best in martial arts education.

Baran's Kenpo Karate is a member of Black Belt Schools International. This highly acclaimed organization helps us stay up-to-date on the latest and most effective self-defense techniques, teaching methods, nutrition and exercise science. Some of the most recognized schools in the country belong to Black Belt Schools International because of the high quality instruction provided in these areas. Baran's Kenpo Karate instructors are tops in the industry and are experts in what we do. We are on a constant quest to be the best, so our students can always expect the very best in martial arts training.

Our Kids Are All Winners
Baran's Kenpo Karate is designed as a personal development system as well as a self-defense system.
Our classes are filled with excitement yet focused on developing the inner qualities of a champion. Learning builds a sense of accomplishment. With each new accomplishment a student's self-confidence grows, and confidence is the first step in the empowerment of a person's physical and mental abilities.

Once we begin to develop a student’s self-confidence, we are then able to instill the values of respect, courtesy, honesty, perseverance, and integrity that are the foundation of martial arts dating back thousands of years.

Furthermore, your child will develop perseverance, which is a non-quitting spirit to overcome life's obstacles. Instilling a non-quitting spirit helps a child over come challenges, to succeed in the face of adversity, and to be a goal setter, and a goal getter.

These combined physical and character foundations that Baran's Kenpo Karate develops helps children excel in their academic life, sports, and social environment. It ensures that they will have the confidence in themselves and the character to make the right decisions when confronted with negative peer pressure. They will be leaders not followers.

No One Sits on the Bench at Baran's Kenpo Karate
At Baran's Kenpo Karate our instructors are there to guide, instruct, and motivate each child to be the best that they can be. It can be heartbreaking for a child to sit on the bench because he or she is not "good enough" to make the team. How sad it is that this world has placed this type of negative pressure on our youth at such an early age.

We believe that in order to build a champion kid, a coach needs to understand that each child has his or her own unique abilities. Our program allows your child to find the inner-strength and confidence to know they can achieve anything they put their minds to.

We are located at 21 North Plains Industrial Road in Wallingford. Our phone number is 203-949-9660 and our website is www.baranskenpo.com .

It’s a Girl!

All my life I wanted a daughter, which I could love unconditionally and without reserve.
However, I was not sure it was something I would deserve.

Nine months and three quick pushes later and there it was,
the cry I had been waiting to hear.
It was an outer body experience and the most beautiful music to my ears.

My whole world changed on that warm December day,
when all of a sudden, I heard the doctor say
“it’s a girl”.

I was so unbelievably overcome with joy,
because everyone had me convinced I was going to have a boy.

I will never forget the moment, they placed you in my arms,
I swore I would spend my life loving you and keep you from harm.

You are beautiful inside and out and have so much compassion,
which I think someone should never be without.

I do my best to teach you everything, as a result,
like me, you love to paint and dance and sing.

Now you are five and make me smile with everything you do,
I am and will forever be so very proud of you.

That was 5 years ago now, but it just seems like yesterday.
when the doctors turned to me to say
“it’s a girl”.

May God Bless you, Rachel, my sweet baby girl,
because there is nothing else I love more in this world.

As I say to you each and every day,
I will forever love you in every single way.

There is nothing you could ever do,
to make me stop loving you.

Love always
Momma

Michelle Trenchard Scianna



YELLOW ROSE

The velvety feel of each pedal signifies

the gentleness you’ve expressed to me physically.

The golden yellow glow, expresses the happiness you’ve given.

And the fragrance simply reminds me that I am alive.

Michelle Trenchard Scianna



THE COURTSHIP OF NELSON AND CORA MAE (From Audrey C. Linke's book, THE GOOD OLD DAYS)

He was twenty-eight, handsome, tall, and lean;
She was pert, pretty, and practically eighteen.

A strawberry blonde with eyes of blue,
She wore a dressof matching hue.

His dard, wavy hair was receding a bit,
But it took from his charm not one whit.

She was a guest from out of town;
He was the most eligible bachelor around..

Martha Bell, their mutual friend,
Could see how these two were going to end.

He loved music and danced with grace;
She knew he found her fair of face.

She followed his lead to the banjo and fiddle;
How to see her again, that was the riddle.

Letters of wooing followed the dance;
In no time at all t'was a full-blown romance.

An elopement to Torrington, we find if we delve,
Took place January twentieth, ninetee-twelve.

From Millerton, New York, she came not in vain;
He came from Oxford, by team, trolley, and train.

The couple did wed, and right after the vow,
It was back to the farm, for he must mild the cow.

This started the marriage of forty-five years,
Of Nelson and Cora, My parents, my dears.



“The Bus”
By Jeffrey Hamelin
Part 3 of 3

Once again we started out chugging along on our way and progressed upon our preset route. We were really moving along, all the time picking up steam. Thank God, there was no one yanking on the Cord. We hit a green light and we started up Columbus Avenue. Boy-o-boy we were really rolling along now. I will admit that at this point my heart was pounding, and my mind was full of “what ifs”. What if I do get lost? What if someone I know sees me? What if the bus driver notices that I am still on the bus after my stop? What if it starts to rain? What if the bus brakes down? What if the bus driver “catches” me? Is what I am doing a sin? Is the sin mortal or venial? What if I bang my head and become unconscious or worse? What if something really bad happens to me and I die and this is a sin? What if because of this sin I die and can't get into heaven? Oh GOD! Wow!

Just as quickly as my fears started; they stopped. As the bus began climbing towards the top of the hill all of my “What ifs” seemed to vanish like the vapors of steam that came from that funny store that “Blocked Hats”. A wonderful calm settled over me. I seemed to come to terms not only with my apprehensions but also with myself. Not only with myself but with the idea of the entire adventure. In that split second I knew what I had to do. I decided that today definitely was the day. Today I would become a man. Today for the first time I would be totally in charge of Me. True it might be for only a short bit of time, but the important fact definitely was that I would be in charge! This was it. I was going to do it. My mind was made up. The adventure was on!

I reasoned to myself that if I closed my eyes and kept them closed really, really tight until we started our descent down the hill, I could always say that I had somehow missed my stop. I could then claim [another sin?] that I and had been more or less forced to continue on the ambling trek through the Village.

I made myself as small as I could, so small that I was certain that no one except God could see me. I closed my eyes oh so very tight. I had closed my eyes so tightly in fact that they actually hurt. No matter what the pain I would keep my eyes shut very, very, very tight. I felt the bus reach the crest of the hill and as it had so many times before. It stopped. Stopped, but why? Why was it stopping? I was the only passenger that ever, ever got off at the top. I knew that the bus driver had not noticed that I was all the way back here because if he had he would have called me to the front way before this. He would have directed me to sit in my own seat, way, way up front. I just stayed sitting back there all “scrunched up” with my eyes glued shut. The doors, both front and rear opened [though even with my eyes shut I could hear them, and normally the bus driver only opened the back door when someone got off] and after what seemed to be the longest forever, ever, he shut the doors again. The wait for him to restart our journey seemed interminable. The engine raced as our driver fed it the gas and we started up again. With the roar of its engine, the bus found enough power to round the top of the hill and begin the decent down the other side. We were now gliding towards Hanover Street on the way to South Meriden. Finally my wonderful adventure had begun!

Whew, I had made it, easy as pie, nothing to it, I was on my way! We were again moving. We were picking up speed. The bus was “hurling” itself down Highland Avenue. My first attempt at “totally solo” travel had just begun.

Would I dare? Should I open my eyes? If I opened my eyes, would the bus driver somehow magically notice me? If I did open them, would my adventure be over? Would it end as suddenly as it began? If I opened them, would my trip be less exciting? With my eyes shut it somehow all felt so much more fantastically dreamlike! I was certain that somehow I had acquired a new superpower. With my eyes shut, I had by some means become “sort of “invisible! With my eyes shut, this adventure belonged entirely and totally to me and me alone!

Sooner than later, my curiosity got the better of me. I began to gradually open my eyes just a bit. First to just a pair of tiny slits. I then opened them just a bit wider. I sat there with a little bit of light sneaking in. It was then and only then, that I could see the shadow of what I knew was an adult. Oh God! This was not just any adult. Even before I had opened my eyes, I had recognized the smell of a familiar perfume. Oh boy! Not only that, I recognized the woman’s coat. I recognized her leather handbag. Uugh oh! I knew that curious snorting- chortling sound! Oh no, my Aunt Beverly made that noise! It was Aunt Beverly who was looking down at me. Despite the fact that her brow was a bit wrinkled, her lips were fixed in a loving smile. Once again she chortled. In that moment I knew that though she was both puzzled and relieved, I was safe. Puzzled because when she met the bus with the expectation of joining up with me to do a little shopping in the Village, I was nowhere to be seen. Her plan was to go to White’s Department Store and then stop for an ice cream soda at Terragna's. Once finished we would then board the next available bus and retrace our route back to the top of the hill. From there a quick walk home. She was relieved to find me, after first boarding the bus at “MY Stop” and not seeing me in my usual seat.[If the truth were known, more than once Aunt Beverly had just happened to be out walking and “run into” me as the bus had reached My Stop!] She had experienced a moment of slight panic before noticing me sitting all of the way in the rear with my eyes tightly clenched. To her credit, Aunt Beverly just passed over the situation, never questioning me as to the why’s and the wherefore's. Instead, she told me why she was there and where we were going. Well actually, she did not mention the ice cream part, only the White’s Department Store part; My Mother had asked her to take me to White’s to pick out and purchase some sort of “dress clothes”. To this day, quite honestly, what I had to try on and what she had bought for me I do not know.

I will say this, not all of my recollections of what went on in the Village that afternoon are forgotten. I do remember leaving White’s Department Store and going next-door with Aunt Bev to the soda fountain. We sat at the counter and I ordered what seemed to be the largest twenty-five cent triple scoop, double fudge banana split that anyone had ever seen. It was topped off with sprinkles, nuts, whipped cream and giant cherries. I will admit that Auntie Bev shared my prize with me, as my eyes were in those days so much bigger than my stomach.

Well, the rest of the tale you can more or less figure out for yourself. To her credit, Aunt Beverly never “told” on me. She never quizzed me as to why I was at the rear of the bus all alone scrunched up with my eyes glued shut.

I will admit that from that day on until her death many years later that at times she would look at me and wrinkle her brow, close her eyes very tight and make that little giggling sound of hers, and smile that warm, knowing, loving, comforting smile.


Kids Make the Ideal Volunteers
Few things can be as refreshing as the attitude of a child. The exuberance many kids exhibit makes them the ideal volunteers, as kids can brighten up a room in ways adults rarely can.

For parents hoping to instill a sense of commitment to community in their children, the following volunteer ideas can be a perfect way to do just that.

Clean Out the Closet

Kids can start their volunteer careers right at home. Many kids grow like beanstalks and, as a result, quickly outgrow their clothing. While some parents might want to keep those clothes for younger brothers and sisters, parents who know they won't be having any more children should encourage their kids to donate their clothing to a local charity. Kids can pick through their wardrobes and choose items they have outgrown to donate to a nearby church, clothing bank or shelter. Parents can lend a hand and explain to kids that their old winter coat will now go toward helping another child stay warm, instilling a valuable lesson that helping others feels good.

Work at the Local Food Bank

Food banks often need volunteers, and volunteers are welcomed in all shapes and sizes. The local food bank is a great place to teach kids about the less fortunate, and kids might even enjoy interacting with other volunteers and the people they serve at the food bank.

Another way to get kids involved with the local food bank is to take them to the grocery store to shop for items to donate. Parents should consult workers at the local food bank and get a list of the most needed items. Parents can then take their kids to the store and let them choose items to donate. This type of active involvement can help kids feel like they are genuinely contributing to a needy cause.

Interact with Seniors

Perhaps no group's eyes light up more at the sight of a child than the elderly. Many nursing homes and senior living facilities have volunteer programs for youth that encourage kids and seniors to play board games, puzzles, work on crafts, or even read together. Kids can go visit their own grandparents or, if grandma or grandpa lives too far away, simply visit a nearby nursing home or senior center and "adopt" a grandparent to spend time with. Parents should call ahead and discuss their intentions with facility staff. Many seniors may be experiencing failing mental health that a child might not understand. Parents may consider requesting their child be paired with a senior who can relate to the child.

For more ideas on volunteer opportunities for children, consult the local government or ask officials at a nearby church or community center

Did You Know?

Arguably the most widely known song in the English language, "Happy Birthday to You" is credited to a pair of Kentucky sisters. Mildred J. Hill, a schoolteacher, and her sister, Dr. Patty Smith Hill, a principal at the school where Mildred taught, both get credit for writing and composing a song titled "Good Morning to All." Patty Hill is credited with the lyrics and Mildred with the music for the song, which was first published in 1893 in the book "Song Stories for the Kindergarten." However, many previous songs with very similar lyrics predated "Good Morning to All," including "Happy Greetings to All" by Horace Waters. Initially, the Hill sisters' song had nothing to do with birthdays. In fact, one legend suggests that Patty Hill was not even responsible for altering the original lyrics, which were meant as a morning greeting to Mildred Hill's kindergarten students. One theory suggests Mildred Hill's own students altered the lyrics during classroom birthday parties. While” Happy Birthday to All" was published in 1935, there remains some controversy as to who wrote the lyrics pertaining to birthdays. After accepting a position as the head of the Department of Kindergarten Education at Columbia University's Kindergarten College, Patty Hill learned Robert H. Coleman had published the song with a second verse added. That second verse is the "Happy Birthday to All" verse. Upon publishing of the second verse, Patty Hill, whose sister Mildred had passed away in 1916, took Coleman to court over the copyright issue of the song, eventually winning. Oddly enough, controversy over the song continued into the 21st century, when the issue of copyright remained a legal question.


Did You Know?
Solar eclipses occur fairly frequently, typically two to five times per year. One possible explanation as to why this fact may surprise people is due to the relatively small area of the ground covered totally during a solar eclipse. Unlike a lunar eclipse, which covers roughly half of Earth's surface, a solar eclipse only covers a few miles in width. Although human beings have spent millennia associating solar eclipses with doom, no such evidence exists to suggest such theories are accurate. What's more, no evidence exists supporting the theory that solar eclipses can have a profound physical effect on the human body.

Read The People’s Press in image form, pdf form and more at http://www.peoplespressnews.com/ We are Meriden and Wallingford Connecticut’s Community Newspaper and News Source.