The People's Press - Meriden, Wallingford and Central Connecticut's Newspaper: March 2007

Tuesday, March 6, 2007

March 2007 Issue of The People's Press

Welcome to the text version of the March 2007 issue. Simply look to your right to browse the various topics you wish to read. The deadline for your submissions for the April Issue is March 23rd. Have a great month and feel free to click on any of the links below to visit other services that The People's Press offers. To read the latest People's Press in image form click here! To read the latest People's Press in text form click here! Find a local business or home number for free - click here To go to The People's Press Message board click here! To sell and read FREE classifieds click here! To sell and read FREE Automotive classifieds click here! To sell and read FREE Real Estate classifieds click here! To place and read FREE Help Wanted classifieds click here! For Advertising Infomation click here! For Issue Schedules & Deadlines click here. To send news, stories, photos send to andy@peoplespressnews.com

March 2007 YOUR STORIES Part 1

March 2007 YOUR STORIES Part 2

A New Home in Paradise
By Diana Lewis
Rev. Silas MacFadden and his daughter, Katherine got off the train in Paradise. Just as Silas figured, there was no one there to welcome them. That meant that the telegram that he sent ahead didn’t get here yet. Silas put his hand though his dark brown hair. He had the most beautiful eyes anyone ever saw on a man. They were turquoise than they were green or blue. Catherine is fourteen years and Silas would say she is the spitting image of her mother will the long auburn hair and beautiful green eyes and those dimples always showed when she smiled.
They looked around the town of Paradise, which would be their home for the next few years. All they saw was the bank on Main St and a diner, a general store which housed the post office and telegraph office, and the sheriff’s office. Off to the left they are the steeple of a small church off one of the side streets. He made arrangements with the man of the station to keep their luggage there until later this afternoon. Then Silas suggested they head over to the diner to get themselves something to eat. Maybe someone there could help them be directed to the right person to see. When they entered Mary Ann’s Eatery, the bells on the door announced their entry. The place wasn’t that busy so they chose a table near the window.
A young woman came over to the table. She has long blond hair tied back in a bun on the back of her head. When she smiled something went through Silas. Something that had never happened to him before.
“Hello, I’m Mary Ann, the owner of this establishment. Welcome to Paradise. Did you just come off the train?”
“Yes, we did,” answered Silas. “I’m Rev Silas MacFadden and this is my daughter, Katherine.
“Oh, Rev MacFadden, we weren’t expecting for another couple of weeks.” she said.
“I know and I tried to wire ahead but they told me that the lines were down out this way. They really didn’t expect it get through. Our house sold faster than we anticipate, so we came on ahead. I hope it’s not an inconvenience.”
I’ll send someone over to the general store and have John Kingsley come over while you are eating. He’ll let you know if the parsonage is ready. I really don’t know if it is or not, but if it isn’t, I have rooms upstairs where you can stay until it is ready.”
“Thank you, I’ll remember that.”
“Our special today is meatloaf, mashed potato and gravy and corn and apple pie for dessert or Spaghetti and meatballs.”
“I’ll take the meatloaf,” and he turned to his daughter.
“I’ll take the spaghetti,” she answered shyly.
“Spaghetti is her favorite meal,” laughed Silas.
“Well, good,” said Marry Ann. “And what would you like to drink? I have iced tea or coffee or juice.”
“I’ll have coffee,” answered Silas.
“I’ll have iced tea,” answered Katherine.
“Coming right up” as she walked back to the window to the kitchen to put the order in. Then she went over and talked softly to an elderly man sitting on a stool at the counter. The man nodded his head and headed out the door.
Soon Mary Ann and her smile brought their meals and drinks. Silas couldn’t help smiling back. He loved her smile. He knew he was going to take the time to get to know her while he was in Paradise. But he would talk it over with Katie first because they never kept any secrets from one another and he wouldn’t hide something this important from her. He knew Mary Ann would never replace her mother, but she did need a woman touch in her life especially now she was becoming a teenager. They would talk later about it and he would pray about it as well.
When they had just about finished their meal, the elderly man came back to the diner with a tall, muscular man with dark hair and he wore glasses. He looked around as he entered and saw Silas and walked over to the table. Silas rose as he spoke.
“Rev MacFadden, we weren’t expecting you so soon.”
“I’m sorry, I tried to wire ahead but they said the lines were down in these parts and didn’t expect it come through. Our house sold faster than we anticipated, so we came on through. This is my daughter, Katherine.” said Silas, as he shook hands with the man.
“I’m John Kingsley, one of the Elders of First Church. We didn’t know you had a daughter. The place will have to be built onto to add another room. We’ll pay for you to have rooms here until it’s ready. As soon as the planting is finished we’ll get straight to it.” He pulled up a chair from the next table and sat down with them.
“Want some coffee, John?” asked Mary Ann from behind the counter. She had the pot in her hand and was refilling the elderly man’s cup again.
“Yes, thanks, Mary Ann.” She brought it over to him.
“Do you have some rooms for them til the parsonage is finished?”
“Yes, we do, in fact.” she answered smiling at Silas. He wondered if that was a sign that she was attracted to him too.
“The church will pay for the rooms and the meals that you eat here.” John told them. “So feel free to eat what you want.” He smiled at Katie. “You are a beautiful young girl. I can see your father is going to be fighting the boys away from you.” Katie blushed at that statement. Silas just smiled.
“I’ll get a hold of all the elders and deacons and arrange for a meeting with you. I imagine they’ll want you to start this Sunday since you are here. Can you be ready for Sunday?”
“Yes, I’ve been working on a sermon on the trip, so I’m sure I can be ready.”
“Good, I’ll let you know when the meeting is. Do you have luggage?”
“Yes, it’s still at the train station.”
“I’ll have someone pick it up and bring it over here and Mary Ann can show you to your rooms. You must be exhausted from the trip.”
“Yes, we are rather tired.” Silas answered. John finished his coffee and stood up and shook the reverend’s hand again and smiled at Katie when he left.
Mary Ann came over to the table, “If you’d like, I’ll show you to your rooms.” she said smiling. Silas could not get over that smile. He smiled back and they both followed her upstairs. This was when she noticed that Katie walked with a limb. It was like she was dragging one leg. She didn’t dare say anything about it. She thought it might embarrass her if she mentioned it, so she said nothing. She opened the door to one of the rooms at the head of the stairs.
“One of you can have this room.” There was a double bed, a desk in the corner by the window and chest of drawers. The quilt on the bed looked homemade, it swirled many different colors. It could be either for a man or a woman. Mary Ann walked over to a door that adjoined the two rooms together. She took a key from her apron pocket and unlocked it.
“We don’t usually have calls for adjoining rooms. This is the only one we have.” She opened the door and Katie walked in. On the bed was a quilt with sunflowers and violets on it. It also had a desk and a chest of drawers.
“I’ll take this one,” said Katie shyly.
“I thought you might. Now I’ll let you get some rest and come down when you want some supper as long as it’s before 7:00. That’s when we close and we open at 6:00 in the morning. It’s good to have you here, Rev MacFadden, and you too Katherine.”
“Just call me Brother Silas and my daughter is Katie.”
“As you wish. Have a good rest and I’ll see you later,” as she smiled. She handed him the keys to the doors, and went back downstairs to the diner.
“I think she’s a nice lady,” said Katie, “and I think she likes you, Daddy.”
“How would you feel if I got married again?” he asked thinking this was the time to talk about since she brought up the subject.
“I wouldn’t mind having Mary Ann as a Mom.”
“She could never replace your mother, you know that?”
“Yes, I know, but I understand that you’ve been lonely without her. So have I, and it’s been three years since Mom died. I’m sure Mom would want you to be happy, I know I do.”
He took his daughter into his arms and hugged her. “Thanks, honey, I was hoping you’d say that.” He kissed her forehead.
There was a knock on the door. He let Katie go as he went to go answer it. He opened the door and four men carried their trunks.
“Where do you want these, Rev.” asked one of the men.
Silas smiled, and said,” Just put them over there by the chest.” He reached into his pocket and took out a twenty dollar bill and told them to split it between them. One of the men looked like he was only about seventeen. He looked surprised when he gave them the money. He looked at Katie and smiled. He had a much tanned body with muscles and wore blue jeans and his hair was tousled and was a light brown. She smiled back at him. Silas noticed it too, but said nothing. He just smiled to himself. He knew his daughter was growing up and she was growing to be a beautiful woman like her mother.
They spent the afternoon unpacking and went downstairs to the diner for an early supper and decided to retire early because they were worn out by the train trip. John Kingsley had sent word over that the Elders and Deacons would meet with him the next afternoon at 2:00. He said to bring Katie over to meet his daughter while they were at the meeting. Since it was Friday, Silas decided to wait until Monday to enroll Katie in school. He wanted to give her some time to rest after their trip. Katie voted to stay in her room and read rather than go meet Mr. Kingsley’s daughter that day. As he left and he stopped to tell Mary Ann that she was up there and if she could keep an ear out for her. She said that she would be delighted to do so. She gave him one of those smiles that she had been giving him since he walked into the diner yesterday morning. They made him feel warm inside and he knew that he wanted to get to know this woman.
The meeting went well, thought Silas. He had to finish the sermon that he started on his way out here for Sunday which was only a couple days away but he knew he’d have it done. He’d get started on it as soon as he got back to his room.
Sunday morning, Silas and Katie walked to the Church. Silas greeted a lot of the folks when they arrived and added up to the front and sat behind the pulpit. John Kingsley started the service and went through until it was time for the sermon and he introduced Silas and told everyone that he would like to be called Brother Silas instead of Reverend. Silas got up and looked at the people and put his notes and Bible on the pulpit.
“This is the day that the Lord hath made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.” he quoted. “It is a fine day to be rejoicing and praising the Lord. We praise Him in song and in prayer and reading His Word...”
They finished the service by singing the chorus “This is the Day.” As he left the pulpit he walked down the aisle and took his daughter’s hand and walked to the back of the church, raise his hand and gave his benediction and they went to wait at the door to meet everyone as they left. Katie had been doing this with his father for the last three years, since her mother had died. Her mother did it with her father and she felt honored that her father included her with this ritual. Many of the families invited them to Sunday dinner. The first ones to get them was the Kingsley’s because John had gotten to him first. He was fortunate to being asked to dinner on Sundays because the diner wasn’t open on Sundays. For the next six Sundays they had been invited to different family’s homes for Sunday dinner.
They walked with the Kingsley’s over to the store and upstairs to the Kingsley home. It was small but elegant for a country home. The apartment had four rooms, a living room, kitchen, and two bedrooms. The kitchen was the biggest room and had a long table with a blue tablecloth with daisies on it. Martha Kingsley was a rather outspoken woman. She spoke her mind on everything even if it wasn’t exactly what you wanted to hear. She complained about everything, even Silas’s sermon this morning. It wasn’t like Rev. Roland’s sermons. Silas had no idea what kind of sermons Rev Roland did but he knew it wasn’t the same style as his, but he was sure they would get used to his sermons, even if they stepped on their toes, so to speak. But that was the way sermons were supposed to be in his mind and he would not falter on that whatsoever.
Monday morning, Silas took Katie to enroll her in school and told her if wasn’t home when she got home to stay with Mary Ann at the diner until he got back. He was going visiting today to some of the outlining farms in the area, some who he had met yesterday at church and some he hadn’t.
Miss Carolyn Landry was the school teacher. She was tall with long blonde hair that she wore up in a bun and she had blue eyes. She had a real southern accent which the children loved to hear. She was nice but she was strict as well. If needed the child would have to stand in the corner for twenty minutes or so, depending on what the child had done.
The next few weeks were busy for Silas with his visiting and writing sermons for Sunday morning. Everyone seemed to like his sermons except Martha Kingsley. She always complained about them being too tough, but as he explained to her that that was the way sermons were supposed to be like. She really got upset when he said with just her husband standing by and no one else that they must convict her about something if they bothered her so much. After that she tried to get him fired by the Church Board which she was a member but no one would listen to her and she became very angry about that as well. If she had her way Silas and Katie would be on the next train out of Paradise, but no one would allow her to try to get them to do that to Brother Silas. They liked him too much. She would just have to deal with the sermons like everyone else. If it stepped on her toes, then she needed to change something or deal with it, they weren’t going to get rid of Brother Silas.
The last day in September, they had a dinner on the church grounds after church. Soon the snow would be here and a lot of the people wouldn’t be able to get out and come to church. It was their last good fellowship for the summer. Everyone brought food to share and everyone had a good time playing baseball while the women sat on blankets cheering their husbands and children who were playing. Around 4:00 after the game was over they packed the remnants of dinner and headed for home.
After all the harvest was in, some of the men volunteered to help adding a room on the parsonage, so it would be ready for them to move into before the first snow arrived. They finally finished at the end of October and Silas and Katie moved in. The church members made sure that he had plenty of fire wood on their back porch which they had screened in for them.
The first weekend in November they got their first blizzard and it was a hefty one. It snowed for four days. Silas went out with Sheriff Andy Finer to check on all the families to make sure they had plenty of food and plenty of fire wood. Mary Ann went to the parsonage to stay with Katie while Silas was out with the sheriff. She couldn’t open the diner in this weather, but she made coffee at the parsonage for any of the men who were helping the sheriff and Brother Silas. Sometimes they were gone over night. He had put runners on his wagon to get through the snow and wore snowshoes which it took him a little time to get used to because he had never wore them before.
Three days after the first snow came another storm and it snowed for five days. The sheriff and Brother Silas and their helpers were out digging everyone paths from their doors to their barns so they could get to their animals. The temperatures were frigid. From the first of November till the end April, they had a total of about twenty storms, and those had kept Brother and Silas and Sheriff Andy and their helpers running every which way. Old man Campbell was the only casualty through the storms. He was 84 years old and lived with his son and his family. It was a sorrowful time during that storm.
Finally the snow started melting and signs of spring approached. Sheriff Andy thanked him for his help and told to get on home and start preparing some more good sermons that Martha Kingsley could complain about. They both laughed and he headed home. He hadn’t seen his daughter much all winter. He hugged her close when he arrived home. He had stopped in once in a while for clean clothes and some hot coffee and he was out again.
Easter Sunday was the first Sunday of continued services after the long hard winter. Silas preached on the resurrection of Christ and he and Katie went to have dinner with the Thomas’s who lived about five miles outside of town. Jack Thomas had a cow farm where most of the milk came from in the town. Everyone came to him and bought gallons of milk and he even sold some in the next county which was located down the road from his farm. He originally had thirty cows but he lost five during this hard winter they had. His three sons helped him on the farm and had built their own homes around the farm land to be close to help their father. Jack Thomas was a short man, wearing overalls and suspenders. He never went to church but his wife and sons and their families went. All the families got together for Sundays dinners every week, and today they had some guests which thrilled Anna Thomas. She didn’t have much company and when she did she went all out to make them welcome. She made a boiled dinner with ham, potatoes and carrots from their garden and home made cornbread which Silas thought was delicious.
On May 31, everyone decided to have a dinner on the church grounds to celebrate that of Silas and Katie had been in Paradise for a year. They had grown to love these people as they had grown to love him. They appreciated how he helped out through the long winter.
After the long winter he concentrated on getting to know Mary Ann better and asked her if he could court her and she agreed. He spent as much time with her that his work would allow. They decided to wait a while for the wedding. They wanted to really get to know each other first. This was really started to be their new home in Paradise.
Come back for the next Paradise Story. Silas and Mary Ann get married and Paradise gets a new Blacksmith and another romance starts.

Joan Barbuto to speak on her new book.
Mrs. Joan Barbuto will be the speaker at the United Methodist Women's Monday meeting on March 12th. She has written a book titled “God Is with Us--Signs in Our Lives” and will be speaking on this topic that should be of interest to many since so often at one time or another we have wondered what happens to us after we die. She gives evidence that there is a form of existence after death and that God sometimes intercedes in our lives and that miracles still happen. The public is cordially invited to attend.
Mrs. Barbuto has led a very busy and interesting life having three careers before becoming author-teacher, journalist and for eight years public relations writer and then recreation therapist at Masonic Home and Hospital. She taught English on middle school, high school and college levels and has taught parenting classes in adult education or Head Starat programs in five Connecticut towns. At one time she was a reporter for The New Haven Register for 14 years covering health and mental health for six of those years. She also did research and writing for The Bush Center for Child Development and Social Policy at Yale University.
She is organizer and coordinator of The Connecticut Coalition for Parenting Education and is on the executive board of Prepare Tomorrow's Parents, a national organization who aim is to get education in parenting skills and child development to all students in the state.
Mrs. Barbuto was also a member of the Wallingford Board of Education for ten years. She is also the author of "The ABCs of Parenting.”
A graduate of Mt. Holyoke College with a B.A. in English and also holds a master's degree in English from Trinity College, a master's degree in education from Columbus University Teachers' College and a sixth year certificate in counseling from St. Joseph College.
After her talk, she will be happy to sign a book for anyone who wishes to purchase a copy. Although her book sells for $14.95 plus tax at Barnes and Noble Bookstore, the price for those interested will be $12.

March 2007 YOUR STORIES Part 3

Sponsored by The Wallingford-Meriden Red Cross

Welcome to Boston ["Bawstun"]For those of you who have never been to "Bawstun", this is a good guideline.
I hope you will consider coming to "Beantown" in the near future. For those who call New England home, this is just plain great!Information on Boston and the surrounding area:There's no school on School Street, no court on Court Street, no dock on Dock Square, no water on Water Street. Back Bay streets are in alphabetical "oddah": Arlington, Berkeley, Clarendon, Dartmouth, etc. So are South Boston streets: A, B, C, D, etc. If the streets are named after trees (e.g. Walnut, Chestnut, Cedar), you're on Beacon Hill. If they're named after poets, you're in Wellesley.Massachusetts Ave is Mass Ave; Commonwealth Ave is Comm Ave.South Boston is Southie. The South End is the South End. East Boston isEastie. The North End is east of the former West End. The West End and Scollay Square are no more; a guy named Rappaport got rid of them one night.Roxbury is The Burry, Jamaica Plain is J.P.How to say these Massachusetts city names correctly:**Say it wrong, be shunned** Worcester: Wuhsta (or Wistah)Gloucester: GlawstaLeicester: LestaWoburn: WoobanDedham: Dedim (like denim w/ a D in the N pace)Revere: Re-vee-ahQuincy: QuinzeeTewksbury: Tooks berryLeominster: Lemon-sta Peabody: PeabuddyWaltham: Walth-hamChatham: ChattumDefinitions:Frappes have ice cream, milkshakes don't.If it is fizzy and flavored, it's tonic.Soda is CLUB SODA."Pop" is Dad. When we want Tonic WATER, we will ask for Tonic WATER.The smallest beer is a pint.Scrod is whatever they tell you it is, usually fish.If you paid more than $6/pound, you got scrod.It's not a water fountain; it's a bubblah. It's not a trashcan; it's a barrel.It's not a spucky it's a sub.It's not a shopping cart; it's a carriage.It's not a purse; it's a pockabook.They're not franks; they're haht dahgs. Franks are money in France. Police don't drive patrol units or black and whites they drive a "crooza". If you take the bus, you're on the "looza crooza". It's not a rubber band, it's an elastic. It's not a traffic circle, it's a rotary. "Going to the islands" means Martha's Vineyard & Nantucket. If something's good, it's "pissa". If something's really good, it's "wicked pissa".
The Pat's = The Patriots The Sox = The Red SoxThe C's = The CelticsThe B's = The BruinsThings not to do:Don't pahk your cah in Hahvid Yahd .. They’ll tow it to Meffa (Medford) or Slumaville (Somerville). Don't sleep in the Common. (Boston Common)Don't wear Orange in Southie on St. Patrick's Day.Things you should know: There are two State Houses, two City Halls, two courthouses, two Hancock buildings (one old, one new for each).The colored lights on top the old Hancock tell the wetha:"Solid blue, clear view....""Flashing blue, clouds due....""Solid red, rain ahead...." "Flashing red, snow instead...." - (except in summer; flashing red means theRed Sox game was rained out)Route 128 is also I-95 south. It's also I-93 north.The underground train is not a subway. It's the "T", and it doesn't run all night (fah chrysakes, this ain't Noo Yawk).Order the "cold tea" in China Town after 2:00 am you'll get a kettle full of beer.Bostonians... think that it's their God-given right to cut off someone in traffic.Bostonians...think that there are only 25 letters in the alphabet (no R's).Bostonians...think that three straight days of 90+ temperatures is a heat wave.Bostonians...refer to six inches of snow as a "dusting." Bostonians...always "bang a left" as soon as the light turns green and oncoming traffic always expects it.Bostonians...say everything in town is "a five-minute walk." (Pronounced "wok") Bostonians...believe that using your turn signal is a sign of weakness.Bostonians...think that 63-degree ocean water is warm.Bostonians...think Rhode Island accents are annoying.
Added Comment: THE ONLY PIECE ON THERE THAT WAS NOT CORRECT IS THAT ROUTE 1 IS NOT ALWAYS ON 95, ONLY SOMETIMES. 93 IS NEVER ON 95. 128 JOINS 95 as 128 crosses over ROUTE 1 IN Lynnfieldas - 128 heads south from Gloucester. However 128, after sharing the road with route 95 in Lynnfireldas, completely ends in Dedham. Most Bostonians are totally unaware of this fact and continuously give out of towners bad information which causes the out of towner to get completely lost. The other misnomer that Bostonians use is to continue to call 93 south as it goes through Boston, the “southeast expressway”. You in fact will never see a sign on 93 that says “Southeast Expressway”. Other than that the outline for Boston was remarkably accurate! I enjoyed it. One other comment about Boston drivers is that they truly believe “rules of the road” as outlined by the Motor Vehicle Dept driving booklet are suggestions.

WINTER CAR WASH
A WASTE OF MONEY
By Phyllis S. Donovan

Along about this time of year, I start looking at my increasingly grubby-looking car with disgust. This year, it’s even worse. My formerly maroon car is covered with a smeary overcoat of white grime.
Part of the reason it’s so bad this year, even though the winter has been reasonably mild, is due to the new experimental “material” they’ve been using on our roads and highways. What once was mostly sand seems to have evolved into mainly salt and very little sand.
Check out the sides of the roads in your neighborhood and see how much sand has collected there this year. Hardly any. When it comes time for the street sweepers to make their rounds in the spring, they won’t have much to sweep up.
On the plus side, I’ve noticed that the steep hill we live on the top of is easier to climb this winter when it gets icy or coated with snow. The layer of white “material” which has remained on it all winter evidently melts the snow or ice on contact. There seems to be less buildup of snow on the hill than on the flatter streets in the neighborhood. That part works for me.
But sooner or later, I can’t stand how messy my car looks and with even the slightest glimmer of spring (temperatures over the freezing mark and daylight stretching on past 5:30 p.m.) I get itchy to take that car through the car wash.
“You’re crazy,” my husband tells me. “As soon as you get it washed, we’ll finally get the big snowstorm we haven’t had all winter. Besides, even if it doesn’t snow, the melt off in the streets will mess it right up again.”
No matter. I won’t be deterred and sooner or later, I’m off to the car wash.
I’m not the only one wanting to clean up my act. I always pick a day when half the drivers in the city have decided the same thing. I take my place in a long line of cars wending its way at a turtle’s pace in from the street past the gas pumps of our favorite gas station to the entrance of the car wash in back.
Actually, the operation is amazingly efficient when you consider all the working parts inside one of those mazes of whirring, scrubbing, sloshing and slurping machinery.
Every time the attendant mops down the outside of my car and I get on the track, put it in neutral, and find myself being drawn into the menacing complex of moving part, I fall prey to a fit of apprehension, not to mention claustrophobia. What if something goes wrong and I become trapped inside, helpless victim of all that Rube Goldberg apparatus? Would I just sit there waiting to be rescued or risk life and limb (and a thorough soaking) climbing out into the flailing arms of machinery run amok.
I have a sneaking suspicion that automatic car washes were designed by the same offbeat mind that gave us the old comic strip Smokey Stover. Who else could toss together such a conglomeration of oddball junk and come up with an efficient way to automatically wash cars…and do a fair to middlin’ job of it at that.
When I finally make it through the wash and come out the other end with my dark maroon hood sparkling before me in the winter sun, I draw a huge sigh of relief. Once dried off, I drive down the highway more than a little proud of my shining steed and tsk-tsking at all the other grubby cars on the road.
You can always tell the drivers who have just paid for a car wash. They’re the ones puttering along at 20 miles an hour trying to dodge or pussyfoot through every puddle they come upon.
If I make it home safely without so much as a splash on the chrome, I am determined not to go anywhere in the car for the balance of the day.
No matter how good my intentions are of keeping my car pristine clean, my husband invariably needs to use it to run an errand or keep an appointment somewhere downtown. Time was, I could tell him to use his own car, a small sports car that has become virtually useless to him since he had a back operation that limits his ability to bend himself into a pretzel to ride in it.
So I get stuck driving the sports car and he gets to use my big CLEAN car. I wouldn’t really mind but he isn’t as careful at skirting puddles as I am and he always comes back with my car looking not quite as spotless as it started out.
I can’t really blame him much because the inevitable is bound to happen. Last time my car was clean and spotless, I was driving it along a narrow stretch of wet road and a vehicle going full tilt in the opposite direction forded a road-spanning puddle just as it was abreast of me. The sheet of muddy water it threw up completely blanketed my car. With brown rivulets of water coursing down my windshield, I muttered nastily under my breath.
But somehow, hitting that first puddle is a lot like getting the first scratch or dent on a new car. Suddenly relieved of a bothersome responsibility, I can proceed to tool along to my destination, splashing merrily all the way.

SILENT COMMUNICATIONS
By Chip
There are many ways to communicate with your neighbor. Talking across the fence or visiting inside of the house are two ways. My neighbor and I have a silent way of communicating. We have an unwritten agreement. The first one who sees garbage cans on the street after the truck has emptied them assumes the task of returning the cans from the street to the garage. It works. You know that your neighbor is there for you.

There's No Place Like Home..."
by Sharon Agli-Pageau and Adam PageauA phrase we are all familiar with, most likely, and can identify with in our own individualized ways. For our family, it is a statement filled with deep sentiment, offering great comfort and hope, for the future of our son, Hunter Christian Pageau. As Hunter's parents, we are thrilled to share with the community, that on January 31st, 2007, we FINALLY brought Hunter back home to CT, after ten very difficult and painful months of out of state hospitalization, addressing his diagnosis of SMARD1 (Spinal Muscular Atrophy with Respiratory Distress). As many of you already know, Hunter's condition is both progressively debilitating and terminal, leaving us, as parents, extremely grateful for each day/moment we share with him. We are overjoyed to be, once again, able to live out those moments with our son back in his home environment, with some level of privacy reinstated. As the picture included reveals, Hunter is both very healthy and happy, particularly for a seventeen month old afflicted with his condition. As parents, we attribute this to many elements, which have all come together to produce the same result: the blissful child we share with you. Beyond our limitless love, strength, dedication, perseverance, and hope for our child, accompanied with our faith and trust in God, is the very heartfelt presence and support of our family, friends and all of you in the community who have shared your compassion with the three of us. Without all of you, we truly feel we wouldn't have been able to come this far on our journey with Hunter in such a successful manner. His health and happiness is jointly our success, yours and ours. We can never thank you all enough for each and every action shared in order to create this possibility for our family. Countless times we have mentally "clicked our heels" throughout that seemingly endless ten month ordeal, yearning to take our beautiful son home, to a place he may feel safe, content, joyous, peaceful. To have the opportunity to share our lives again as a family, in our home, is a blessing of marked proportions. As we had expected, Hunter has thrived and blossomed considerably since returning home, overjoying us as his parents, and refueling our weary status, as a result of such a grueling experience on our journey beside him. We have opened a new chapter, one of extreme hope and optimism. Despite limited medical information in regards to Hunter's condition, limited assistance by Insurance, consequences born of our circumstances this past year as a family oftentimes states apart, and that "the odds" may be against us, we will persevere towards success, equivalent to Hunter's health and happiness. We are both thanking you for your support in our efforts, and inviting anyone interested in helping us enhance our son's experience in any way to contact us at fitforlifesja@hotmail.com/203 627-3948. We have walked the Yellow Brick Road, encountered all the aspects of ourselves in self examination on our way, and have acknowledged we have what it takes to go forth into unchartered territories. We know we are not alone, that you are there for us, cheering us on, praying for us, wishing us the best, and helping when you can. For this we will be forever grateful. Hunter sends his love to you. WELCOME HOME Hunter Christian Pageau!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

March 2007 YOUR STORIES Part 4

Sponsored by The People's Press Help Wanted Needs

The Central Connecticut Civic Youth Orchestra - Up and Running and Waiting for You!By Katrina S. AxelrodDo you know a young string musician in grades 5-11, from the towns and cities of Berlin, Cheshire, Durham, Madison, Meriden, Middlefield, Middletown, Southington or Wallingford? Do you know a player of flute, clarinet, trumpet, French horn, trombone, or other orchestral instrument? Please read on for important information for your young classical musician. First, some history- just one year ago this week, two music teachers and I, a retired administrator, met. The music teachers were worried -- where would young string players go to play their instruments after their middle school years? Strings- violins, violas, cellos, and double basses are orchestral instruments…and there is a serious problem. There were no orchestras in the area for music students to play in. Some young musicians, ready for an orchestral experience, had nowhere to play while in their middle school years, either. There were bands a-plenty. But bands don’t use string instruments. Only an orchestra uses string instruments. As stated earlier, there were lots of bands, but no Orchestras. That is a problem for young people who have been playing for four, maybe five or even six years already! They will have nowhere to play! They are in serious jeopardy of giving up their instruments, and nobody wants them to do that! The three of us wondered - could we pull our resources together and create a regional orchestra? Yes, we could. We did. A year later, here we are with 16 orchestral musicians and a wonderful Music Director/Conductor, Mrs. Veronica Germain. We are making music every week. By the ones and twos, e-mail comes into the CCCYO, auditions are conducted and new players are admitted. Now we are presenting our first Annual Open House and Concert at the Augusta Curtis Cultural Center on May 20th from 2:00-4:00. $5.00 admission. Musicians who sign up for an audition pay nothing. Instrumentalists who successfully audition before March 15th can still play in our May 20th Open House and Concert. Send us e-mail now meridenartstrust@yahoo.com and tell us you are interested. We will send you back detailed information, and we are always available to answer questions. The Open House and Concert’s first hour is the time for young musicians (in grades 5-11 with two years of experience on his or her instrument) and their parents to have a chance to come in and ask questions of our Music Director and Administrator. Schedule an audition and get your concert ticket for free! Meet the Orchestra members. Parents can meet Orchestra parents and ask questions of them. For fun and information, instrument-repair specialists who will be there to answer players’ and parents’ questions about instrument maintenance and tuning. Speak with music teachers about lessons that are available in the nearby community. Stay for our Concert from 3:00-4:00 – come, enjoy the music and have refreshments in a musical atmosphere in the beautiful Augusta Curtis Cultural Center! Come to our Open House and Concert and help us celebrate our success in the towns we serve, and help us reach more talented young orchestral musicians to join our ranks! Help us spread the word that a regional Civic Orchestra is waiting for many new musicians! See you on May 20th!

“Sheltering an Animal’s Perspective”
by Gregory M. Simpson
It’s a shame that some folks cannot appreciate the joy that animals bring to the world. As a social worker in child welfare and from my avocation in animal welfare, I have caught glimpses of personalities forming, personalities that will grow to love animals – or not.
I believe that children start out loving animals. I see this when soliciting donations for the Meriden Humane Society in front of department or grocery stores. A child in tow of a parent exiting a store, when asked, “Would you like to donate to help homeless animals?” will inevitably tug on the parent’s coat and say something like, “Mommy, mommy, we have to give….” How that parent responds gives a clear message, surely repeated many times over, that animals either deserve care – or not.
There are qualities in children which can become socialized away. Those believing in psychic abilities inform that children have extrasensory skills which are routinely squelched because of the widespread disbelief that such skills exist. Take another more common example – laughter. By the time a child reaches nursery school, he or she will laugh about 300 times daily. Compare this to adults who laugh on average 17 times a day. Clearly, children lose things along the way.
Unfortunately, many children experience more than the normal travails of childhood. Hundreds of thousands of children experience neglect and abuse of varying kinds and degrees. With 872,000 confirmed cases of child abuse or neglect in the U.S. for 2004, the result is over half a million children in foster care at any given time.
A survey of pet owning families with substantiated child abuse and neglect found that animals were abused (usually by the parent) in 88% of homes where child abuse was present. Another study of women seeking shelter at a safe house showed that 71% of those having pets indicated that their partner had threatened, hurt or killed their companion animals and 32% of mothers reported that their children had hurt or killed their pets.
The anthropologist, Margaret Mead, warned, “One of the most dangerous things that can happen to a child is to kill or torture an animal and get away with it.” As a youth, Albert DeSalvo, the “Boston Strangler” who killed 13 women, trapped cats in orange crates and shot arrows through the boxes. The first act of violence in Carroll Edward Cole’s childhood, one of the most prolific killers in modern history, was to strangle a cat. As the humanitarian, Albert Schweitzer, pointed out, “Anyone who has accustomed himself to regard the life of any living creature as worthless is in danger of arriving also at the idea of worthless human lives.”
Children’s reports of animal abuse in the home need to be taken seriously. Animal abuse, by either a parent or a child, is an indication that the child may be at risk of abuse. Early intervention may prevent the child abuse from happening, although animal abuse can also signal that child abuse is already occurring. Some children who will not talk about their own abuse will share what is happening to their pet. If a child describes animal abuse in the home, they should be interviewed further to determine if he or she is also being abused. In addition, the local animal welfare agency should be notified so that they can check on the care of the animals in the home.
There are a number of states that have mandatory cross reporting laws. In these states, when child abuse has been substantiated, an accompanying report must be made to the animal protection agency should there be animals in the home. Conversely, if animal protection authorities substantiate animal abuse in a home where there are children, then an accompanying report must be made to the child protective services agency. Although legislation of this type has been discussed in the Connecticut legislature in the past, no such law was ever passed. With studies showing the direct connection between animal and child abuse, time is overdue to revisit this type of legislation.
Yes, it is a shame that some individuals cannot appreciate the joy that animals bring to the world. There are reasons for this and they are not random. A child learns what he or she sees and the eyes of a child are always watching. A child will understand the value of animals only through what he or she is taught – and every day holds many teaching moments.
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 a member of the Cat Writer’s Association.

Misneachail
She stands at the counter and informs the clerk of her opinion on the subject. Like her grandmother before her, the young woman is tough, proud, and spirited. However, beneath the tough shell, there is a soft and loving center. Her family and friends are woven around her heart.
She is distinctly human and, although she may stumble and fall, the young woman refuses to lie down. The passion for life, love and happiness guides her through the days.
Kimberly Moynihan

The Things We Experience
The things we experience throughout our everyday life, it hits all of us. The tensions, worries, and frustrations, with a little bit of joy and happiness thrown in. Everything has a beginning, and everything has an ending, and this is where I begin. I moved to Wallingford 3 ½ years ago from West Haven, my job is located in New Haven. This makes my day start very early in the morning. Wishing I could stay in bed a little bit longer, I reluctantly get out of bed. Slowly I walk into the kitchen, trying not to trip over anything, with eyes half closed. I take my medicines – medicines to get things started, that slowed down with age, and medicines to slow things down that now are going too fast. Oh those wonderful “Golden Years” you know they were coming, but when then do, you don’t know where the time went. Now it’s time for me to get started, taking a shower – brushing my teeth – blow drying my hair, and getting dressed. I’m on my way to the bus stop that has a shelter to protect us from all kinds of weather. I can see Linda, Barbara, Cathy, and Carol waiting there. The five of us catch the 6:38 a.m. bus six, and soon we’ll see our bus driver AL. AL is very quiet, and always is soft spoken; he always greets us with a good morning and gentle smile. At one time there were other people, Jeanne and Cindy were part of the original crew. Cindy and I got a petition going to get the bus shelter, some people said –it would never happen, we proved them wrong. Now because we all just got acquainted with each other for a few months or so, we had to get adjusted to each others ways. It’s like a marriage, if there’s a problem, you work on solving it. The first thing was the seating arrangement, you think we were at the Ritz and had numbered seats. Sitting closer to the bus driver got us where? Then there was the thing with having heat or air, who wanted air conditioning (me) and not windows open please. We seem to have that solved – but it’s still iffy. We’re still working on it. Everyone takes the same bus home together, except for Barbara. This is where we have out adventure / or nightmare. We encounter many people and characters, and I do mean characters. First there was Tony, we call him the water man, because of him always having a gallon of water with him. He would like us to call him Capt. Tony, but we don’t. He starts by standing up in the front of the bus, and stretching out his arms and legs, kicking his legs this way and that way. As he is doing this, he is laughing and talking to himself out loud, then he sits down. He takes a drink of water, and grabs a handful of bus schedules, stuffs them in his bag – he does this every time he gets on the bus. We don’t see him anymore – he may be taking the train. To fill his shoes, is this may with a lot of tattoo’s on his arms, and has a CD player with ear phones in his ears. He pretends he is playing a guitar or drums. His arms stretched out as though he was playing the guitar – his hands and fingers moving to the music. Then he would change and act our playing the drums. With hands swinging up and down – his eyes closed and head moving in different directions. He did this from the time he got on the bus, until he got the Meriden – and hour later. We haven’t seen him for a while, but have no fear, there is more.
A young man took our bus, that wasn’t noticeable to us, but he had drank too much alcohol. What goes un must come out, and halfway home, he stood up and went to the bathroom. Everyone from the back ran to the front, of course he denied doing so, and with everyone wanting to get home – we just continued on.
Our next adventure/nightmare now was with the bus itself. First was the day the bus started smoking thick black smoke. Bill our bus driver, made sure to get us off the main road – out of traffic. We stopped on a residential road, with many beautiful homes. The lawns were green, and nicely trimmed, with many beds of flowers planted in the front of their homes. You could smell the aromas of cooking and coffee, oh how I could have loved a cup of coffee. It was warm outside and even warmer in the bus, we lost power, and nothing electrical was working. All of a sudden Kevin yells out, hey bill can you open the doors, it’s hot in here. Bill yells back, I would love to, but we have no power. He suggested we open the windows until he regained some power back. We all sat there – telling stories – laughing – and getting to know other people. Here we were this big bus filled with people, and no one came out to see what was wrong – AMAZING. We had to wait about 30 minutes until the next bus came by, the time went by fast. Here comes the bus and off into the sunset we go.
A few days go by, and here we go, someone pulled the cord to get off. The light goes on – the person gets off, but the light won’t go off. Bill does something and it goes off. The next person pulls the cord, now the light won’t go on. Our next best thing to do now is to yell out loud before we got to our stop. We all laughed, shook our heads, and on we went. Like I said everything has a beginning, and everything has an ending, “I lied”. With us it’s never ending. I would like to thank everyone that I ride with, for it’s because of them that make my ride interesting and enjoyable. Barbara, Irma, Marion, Vicky, Linda, Cookie, Megan, Martha, Carol, Joe, Jan, John, Carol, Frank, Ann, Cathy, Krysta, and our wonderful bus drivers: Jo Marie a.m., AL Barnes a.m., Bill p.m.

Jo-Ann Buccetti

March 2007 YOUR STORIES Part 5

March 2007 News, Events and Activities Part 1

Sponsored by Meriden Self Storage

Free Trainings for Local Faith Organizations
The Meriden and Wallingford Substance Abuse Council (MAWSAC) will hold a series of three free trainings for teams from local churches who want to learn more about how to help their own congregation members who may be experiencing alcohol, drug abuse and mental illness issues. This non-denominational training will provide participants with useful skills to enhance their outreach and ministry to their faith members. The Congregational Assistance Program will begin on the evening of March 6, 2007 and includes free dinner and all program materials. The CAP program is appropriate for all clergy, lay leaders and faith-based outreach workers. Participants will be able to attend the First Annual Congregation Assistance Conference being held at the Four Points Sheraton in Meriden on April 21. The full day conference will bring together teams from congregations across the state to network with others and enhance the skills learned in their initial CAP training. For more information or to register call MAWSAC at 203-294-3591 or email mawsac@aol.com.

MONEY MATTER$ WORKSHOPWednesday March 21 - 10:15 a.m.Wallingford Senior Center
We all know about bills and budgeting to pay monthly bills. This process can be tedious, worrisome and sometimes overwhelming, especially if the postman delivers more bills than there is money in the bank to cover the payments! MONEY MATTER$ workshop will review the basics of how to budget money andgive you some tips on how to approach paying those ever-present bills. Learn how to make your money stretch further and conserve energy too! This workshop is sponsored by Yankee Gas. All participants will receive a free notebook filled with helpful worksheets to take home and use! Please register by calling 265-7753.

Wallingford Native’s Life Can Change At Any Moment
By Melissa A. Saranitzky, Communications Coordinator
Doris Dubra knew her daughter’s life would never be the same. After witnessing several days of Alexandra Brown’s struggle to lift her legs and inability to use her right arm, it was impossible to deny what she already knew in her heart.
“I had no doubts Alex had multiple sclerosis,” said Dubra, who had watched her own mother battle the effects of the disease. “I couldn’t help but picture my daughter’s life and the struggles that awaited her.”
Dubra’s mother was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in the mid-1940’s when very little was known about the disease.
“My mother was diagnosed with MS soon after I was born,” recalled Dubra, now 61. “I always felt it was my fault she was ill. I’d come home from school and she’d be on the floor, having fallen out of a chair because the MS caused her to lose her sight. Doctors would say her illness was due to ‘hysteria’ and she was causing her own symptoms. My mother was even prescribed ‘oxygen therapy,’ where she’d breathe from tanks of pure oxygen for hours on end.”
Brown, now 32, who was an oncology nurse at the time, recalled that week when she first experienced symptoms.
“When I wrote a phone number during that first exacerbation, my handwriting was the same as my grandmother’s,” said Brown. “I was hoping it was a brain tumor because it was at least curable. My son, Joshua, wasn’t even a year old. I had a lot of life before me. It wasn’t long before I knew I was in my grandmother’s shoes.”
More than 6,000 Connecticut residents, like Brown, battle multiple sclerosis, a potentially debilitating disease affecting the central nervous system. Symptoms can include numbness in the limbs, a debilitating sensitivity to heat, extreme fatigue, difficulties with vision and speech, stiffness and, in severe cases, total paralysis. The progress, severity, and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot be predicted and there currently is no cure for multiple sclerosis.
“Losing my life to MS wasn’t an option,” Brown said. “I turned to the National MS Society, Greater Connecticut Chapter for support and guidance.”
Dubra remembered when she first saw the materials from the chapter. “I was impressed by the wealth of available information,” she said. “There were many treatment options, which gave Alex the ability to make choices. It was a relief to know the disease that affected my mother is now being conquered with awareness, research and treatments.”
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society was established when Dubra was still a child. When society founder, Sylvia Lawry, learned her brother was diagnosed with MS in 1946, she realized how little information was available about the disease. Lawry’s efforts to unite those affected by MS began a worldwide effort to battle the disease.
To date, the society has invested $500 million on research-related programs since its founding, which has contributed toward significant progress to find treatments and better diagnosis, rehabilitation and symptomatic therapy for people with all forms of MS.
“My mother’s MS took a huge toll on our family,” Dubra added. “My siblings and I didn’t know how MS affected her moods. After all these years, we’ve just begun to discuss what our childhood was like. I’m grateful that nowadays people can talk about MS and how it affects every family member involved.”
Brown learned of several treatment options and learned more about her diagnosis, relapsing/remitting multiple sclerosis, which is one of four types of MS.
“My grandmother had secondary progressive MS, and I thought there was only one type of MS,” said Brown. “I was actually relieved to learn how my MS differed from my grandmother’s.”
Almost five years after her diagnosis, Brown’s daily life has turned out better than she or her mother first imagined. “Alex can do everything she used to do,” said Dubra with pride.
Brown’s drug therapy, thus far, has proven successful. “I’m lucky to have had only minor symptoms since my initial diagnosis,” she recalls. “I know my life could change at any time. I couldn’t do it without my husband, Eric, my son, Joshua, and my mother. They are my support every day.”
Brown has continued to work as a nurse at William W. Backus Hospital in Norwich, Conn., and is very open about the affects of the disease with her son, Joshua, who is almost 6 years old.
“I’ve been honest with him (Joshua) since he was old enough to understand that Mommy could end up in a wheelchair,” said Brown. “He’s been involved with chapter events since he was a toddler and is empathic toward people with disabilities.”
In 2004, Brown and Dubra became involved with the Greater Connecticut Chapter’s MS Walk site in Woodstock, Conn. Brown formed a walk team, My Support, and both mother and daughter joined the walk site planning committee.
“The Greater Connecticut Chapter was a huge source of support and guidance, and we wanted to do more to battle multiple sclerosis,” Brown said. “The MS Walk event was the perfect place to start.”
Their hard work has paid off. The 2006 Woodstock MS Walk attracted more than 280 individuals from Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York. The Woodstock walk site raised more than $30,000 to support the efforts to find a cause, new treatments and a cure for multiple sclerosis. To date, team My Support has raised more than $1,800.
“I had never done any fundraising or volunteer work before the Woodstock MS Walk,” Dubra said. “Becoming a member of the committee and walk team has been both fun and rewarding every year.”
Dubra and Brown will usher My Support into its third year at the 2007 Travelers MS Walk, this year presented by UnitedHealth Group, on Sunday, April 29. Eight communities across Connecticut will host the 2007 Travelers MS Walk the week prior on Sunday, April 22, including Cheshire, Clinton, Enfield, Manchester, New London, Simsbury, West Hartford and West Haven. Lunch will be provided compliments of Subway and Coca-Cola. The event takes place rain or shine. To learn more about the walk event, tune to WTNH News Channel 8, My TV 9, 97.7 WCTY, 96.5 TIC and 100.5 WRCH for the 2007 Travelers MS Walk, visit www.ctfightsMS.org or call (860) 714-WALK.

Yale University Exhibitions and Programs: March-April 2007This spring, the Gallery welcomes numerous artists for talks, symposia, and discussions -- including Lynda Benglis, Enrique Chagoya, Chuck Close, Carroll Dunham, and Kiki Smith, among others. The Gallery also hosts family programs, afternoon gallery talks, and student tours. (+) Continuing exhibitions "Made for Love: Selections from the Jane Katcher Collection of Americana" and "Responding to Kahn: A Sculptural Conversation"(+) Last chance to see prints by Jasper Johns and contemporary artists(+) Conversation between artist Chuck Close and Gallery director Jock Reynolds (March 1)(+) Symposium on the contemporary print with artists Enrique Chagoya, Carroll Dunham, and Kiki Smith (March 3)(+) Symposium related to "Made for Love" considers collecting, curating, and creating American folk art (March 31)(+) Art-making programs for kids take place on March 3 and 31(+) Weekly gallery talks by curators and students explore the collection and are free and open to the public For more information please contact Amy Jean Porter at 203.432.0611.

Ulbrich Boys and Girls Club of Wallingford News and Events
The Ulbrich Boys & Girls Club will be hosting an “Oldies Dance” and dinner on April 21st, starting at 6:00 pm at the Elk’s Lodge in Wallingford. All the proceeds from the Dinner Dance will benefit programs at the Ulbrich Boys & Girls Club.
The dance will include a cash bar, a buffet dinner prepared by the “Wishing Well” and dancing with music provide by “Local Motion”. Featuring music from the 50’s and 60’s and door prizes given out throughout the evening.
Tickets are $20.00 per person and must be purchased in advance. There are a limited number of tickets, so do not wait until the last moment to buy yours. For information or reservations, call the Ulbrich Boys & Girls Club at (203) 269-7535

“March Madness 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament” Event to be held on March 31st, 2007
Elementary School students - Registration starts at 10:00a.m. Event starts at 10:30a.m.
Middle School students - Registration starts at 12:30p.m. Event starts at 1:00p.m.
On Saturday March 31, 2007 the Ulbrich Boys & Girls Club will be hosting a “March Madness 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament.” It is open to all students in Wallingford. Our tournament style will be based upon the number of teams that sign-up. Pre-registration is appreciated. If teams pre-register before March 29, 07 then the cost will be $10, if teams register the day of the tournament, the cost will be $15. Winners will receive a trophy. For more information contact the Ulbrich Boys & Girls Club (203) 269-7535.

MARCH WORKSHOPS FOCUS ON IDENTIFYING BIRDS BY THEIR SONGShttp://www.sunrisebirding.com/workshops_BBE_earlyspring07.htm
As of this week, Song Sparrows, Wrens, Cardinals, and Chickadees have begun singing! By mid-March, the spring chorus is well underway with phoebes, robins, sparrows, woodpeckers, blackbirds and other birds proclaiming territories. Knowing how to identify bird vocalizations is a rewarding aspect of bird watching and adds a new level of awareness of wild birds. In fact, many birders use bird song both to locate birds and identify birds. Guilford based Sunrise Birding is pleased to announce two field seminars focused on distinguishing the songs and calls of birds in different habitats. Learn techniques for recognizing and remembering bird songs and advance your birding skills during these one and a half to two hour field sessions.
MARCH BIRDING BY EAR WORKSHOPSSaturday, March 17, 2007 - 8 AM - Chatfield Hollow State Park, KillingworthSaturday, March 31, 2007 - 8 AM - Branford Supply Ponds, Branford
Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. The fee for each session is $20.00 per person and participants may register for both sessions for $35.00 per person. Space is limited and preregistration is required. Specific location information and directions will be emailed to participants upon receipt of registration and payment. For more information and a registration form, go to http://www.sunrisebirding.com/

Family Friendly St. Patrick’s Day Fundraiser on March 17th
Proceeds to benefit Shakespeare in Library Park
March 17, 2007 Shakesperience Productions will be having the 2nd annual family friendly St. Patrick’s Day Fundraiser at the John Bale Book Company, 2:00pm-4:00pm. The proceeds from this fundraiser will benefit Shakespeare in Library Park.
Please join us for festive music, food, raffle, children’s activities and games. The games will include “Leprechaun Idol”, a limerick competition for adults, and “Who Wants to Win a Pot of Gold”, an Irish trivia quiz show. Remember to wear your green, as there will be a Best Irish Outfit Contest as well. Prizes will be awarded to the most outrageous and most traditional outfits.
Shakespeare in Library Park
Shakespeare in Library Park is an open arts event that aims to foster a sense of community, fellowship, and pride within the greater Waterbury Area. This year, Shakesperience Productions, Inc. is presenting free performances of Taming of the Shrew, Shakespeare’s timeless tale of love, action and family feud. Performances will be held on the last two weekends of June.
Admission to the St. Patrick’s Day Fundraiser is $5 for kids, $10 for adults and $20 for families. The John Bale Book Company is located at 136 Grand Street, Waterbury. For information please call Shakesperience Productions at 203-754-2531 or visit www.shakesperienceproductions.org.
Shakesperience Productions, a professional theater company, is headquartered in Waterbury.

Camp for Kids with Cancer Reunion Weekend in MarchChildren who have faced a diagnosis of cancer are invited to attend Camp Rising Sun's Reunion Weekend on March 24-25, 2007 at Camp Jewell YMCA in Colebrook, CT. First-time campers will have the opportunity to see the Camp and to meet camp counselors and fellow campers. "It's a great way to have fun and learn more about Camp Rising Sun," says Tina Saunders of the American Cancer Society.For more than two decades, the American Cancer Society's Camp Rising Sun, where children from ages 6 - 18 who have ever been diagnosed with cancer go and see they are not alone in their struggle, while providing support, camaraderie, and lifelong friendships for everyone involved. The weekend activities are dependant on the weather, but may include tubing, snowshoeing, arts and crafts, and sports. Summer activities include swimming, photography, a Ropes Course, campfires, hiking, horseback riding, and boating. "The kids do everything that any other camp would do," said Saunders. If you're the parent of a child who is currently receiving treatment with cancer you may, understandably, have concerns about medical care. At Camp Rising Sun, campers can participate with the approval of their doctors. A pediatric oncologist, Dr. Joseph McNamara, of Pediatric Hematology Oncology Associates in Guilford, and four nurses remain on site throughout the week, allowing those still in treatment to attend camp. Children in remission are also invited to attend.Applications are available now by contacting the American Cancer Society at tina.saunders@cancer.org or call 1.203-379-4762. The American Cancer Society is the nationwide community-based voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives, and diminishing suffering from cancer, through research, education, advocacy, and service. For more information on cancer, call the American Cancer Society at 1-800-ACS-2345, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, or visit www.cancer.org.

SUPPORT OUR TROOPS
The Stanley Budleske V.F.W. Post 9965 and the Ladies Auxiliary, Yalesville has mailed 181 care packages to our troops in Iraq, Afganistan and South Korea.
The Post is running short on items for this program.
We are looking for donations of hygiene products both for men and women. Tube socks (black, green, brown), popcorn, any kind of nuts, baby wipes, dry wipes, paper back books, CD’s, small games, hard candy, oatmeal, cookies, can fruit. All items can be left off at the Post Canteen everyday from 1:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. 424 Church St (Rt. 68) across from the Yalesville school. Also items may be left at the Yalesville Post Office.
Thank you in advance, Rod Fulton (203) 269-9851

TRIPS AND TOURS
AARP Castle Craig Meriden Chapter has planned two trips. On Thursday March 15th we will be going to Chez Josef in Agawam, MA for a St Patrick’s Day Show and Luncheon. Menu will consist of homemade vegetable soup, corned beef & cabbage, boiled potatoes and cabbage. Cost is $62.00 per person. There are few seats remaining. Call Eleanore Barnes at (203) 235-7302 or Judy Costa at (203) 237-2515 for questions and reservations.
We will be heading to Chicago on June 17th for a 7 days, 6 night trip. The trip includes: transportation, lodging, 10 meals a guided tour of Chicago and a cruise on Lake Michigan and much more. The cost is $570.00 per person (double occupancy). Sign up now so you don’t miss this great trip at such an incredible price. Contact Eleanore Barnes at (203) 235-7302 or Judy Costa (203) 237-2515 for reservations and questions.
Please contact Judy Costa if you have any questions regarding this article.

Victorian Tea
Join Us For our 6th Victorian Tea & Whist On Sunday March 11th, 07 at 12:30 p.m. St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, corner of Liberty and East Main Streets, Meriden. Public invited. Purchase or reserve your tables of 4 through the church office by calling 237-7451 starting 2/4/07. (less than 4 we will fill your table) $12.00 per person. Join us for an afternoon filled with fun, food, entertainment, prizes, raffle, and much more……

Wallingford Brief
The Wallingford Assessor’s office is now taking applications for tax credits for Elderly & Totally Disabled Homeowner’s February 1st – May 15th 2007
To qualify for this program applicants must be:
1). 65 years of age by December 31, 2006, the widow/widower age 50 or over of a previously approved
applicant, or totally disabled and receiving benefits under a federal, state, or local retirement program
(e.g. Social Security Disability).
2). Individual must have lived in Connecticut for one year.
3). Income not to exceed:
$28,800 – single
$35,300 – married
Documents needed for applications:
1). All sources of income for 2006. For example: Social Security Form 1099, wages, commissions,
pensions, interest, dividends, proceeds from sales of property, veteran’s pension, etc.
2). 2006 Income Tax Form (if filed).
3). If you received an application and have any questions, or need help filling out your application, our
office can assist you at the Town Hall (Room 101).
For more information, call (203) 294-2001.

Wallingford YMCA News and Events
Look! Learn to Save a Life!
Our American Red Cross CPR Classes will be taught by certified instructors here at the Wallingford Family YMCA.
In order to receive certification card, participants must be able to pass both the written and the hands- on test with 80% or better.
Open to teens. Recommended for Scout leaders, youth coaches, parents. Class sizes are limited –early registration is recommended.
INFANT/CHILD CPR
Sat. April 7 10am-2pm
Sat. June 2 10am-2pm
CPR/FPR/AED RECERTIFICATION CLASS
(Primarily aimed at lifeguards. Must have current certification to attend. Must bring card and pocket mask to class)
APRIL 12, 4PM
YMCA MEMBERS $20
PROGRAM MEMBERS $30 (community and non- YMCA members)
Call to register: 203 269 4497

AMERICAN RED CROSS LIFEGUARD TRAINING COURSE
INCLUDES FIRST AID & CPR/FPR/AED
CLASS WILL BE HELD AT THE CHOATE POOL
REQUIRED PRE-TEST – MARCH 22 5:30PM
(COME PREPARED TO SWIM 500 YARDS…)
CLASS DATES: TUESDAYS & THURSDAYS
5:30-9PM MARCH 27, 29, APRIL 3, 5, 10, 12, 17, 19 AND SUNDAYS 4-7PM APRIL 1, 15, 22.
YMCA & CHOATE MEMBERS $230
PROGRAM MEMBERS $255
COURSE FEE INCLUDES TEXT & POCKET MASK
REGISTRATION AT THE WALLINGFORD YMCA OR BY PHONE AT 203 269 4497

Card and Coin Show
PLATT HIGH SCHOOL, 220 Coe Ave., Meriden, Ct. 06451. Card & Coin Show Dates: April 7, 2007; May 5, 2007; June 9, 2007. Best Show in Connecticut. Contact Platt Athletic Department 203-235-7962 ext. 139 or Ernie 203-634-0069

Lenten Program
The Meriden Council of Catholic Women will hold their annual Lenten program on Sunday, March 25, at 2:00 p.m.
Guest speaker, Deacon George W. Frederick, Deacon at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church and St. Laurent Church in Meriden will speak on THE LAST WORDS OF CHRIST.
The Lenten program will be held at the St. Rose Community Center, 35 Center Street, Meriden.
A reception to meet Deacon Frederick will follow the program.
Bring a relative or friend to attend.
Join us.

Wallingford Historical Society Meeting
The next meeting of the Wallingford Historical Society will be held on Wednesday March 21, 2007 at 7:30 pm. at the First Baptist Church, 114 North Main St. A slide show and talk about the Oyster Barons in East Haven will be presented by Bill Conway. Everyone welcome. Refreshments will be served.

Gem, Mineral, Jewelry and Fossil Show
The Lapidary and Mineral Club of Central Connecticut announces the 2007 gem, mineral, jewelry and fossil show and sale. This event will be held March 10-11 at Maloney High School, Gravel Street, Meriden, CT from 9:30-5:00 on Saturday and 10:00-4:00 on Sunday.
Many children’s activities are planned throughout both days. There will also be speakers who will present programs about finding dinosaur fossils and about mining and minerals in Connecticut.
Mineral specimens, crystals, beads, custom-made jewelry, meteorites, fossils and gemstones will be offered for sale. There will also be exhibits. Refreshments will be available.
There is a small admission charge for adults.
Gravel Street is off East Main Street, which is easily accessible from I-95, I-691 and Route 15 (follow the Gem Show signs).
The LMSCC is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting and promoting the mineral-related hobbies.
Visit our website, www.Imscc.org for more information.

SUMMER IS COMING
By
Ralph O Cuomo

The summer is coming so don’t despair
Soon the chill of winters cold air
Will soon cease to be
So look around and you may see
The crocus coming thru
They seem to tell you summer is due
And soon the warm breeze fill the air
As blossoms start to bloom so fair
And so the chill of winter will be
Just a chilly memory

A SUMMER MORN
By
Ralph Cuomo

A summer morn with air so cool
The yellow sun with golden hue
The flower wake in morning mist
To lift their blossoms in a sun drenched kiss

The meadows seem to come alive
With creatures teaming to survive
Amidst the fields so lush and green
A meadow warmed by summers gleam

The birds and animals seem to thrive
Like the honey bees that fly
From blossom to blossom to have their drink

For only in summers of days gone by
We seem to ponder the reasons why
Of natures wonderful reply
To lead these creatures to survive
So not to be forlorn
Is why she brings this glorious summer morn