Your Stories August 2009

To read The People’s Press, Meriden and Wallingford Ct’s Newspaper in image or pdf form go to www.peoplespressnews.com . We are your NewsMagazine! A Visit to The Dinosaur Place Dawn Nierenburg-Reynolds I'm a mom of three. My daughter is age 10, my first son is 8 and my youngest son is 6 years old. This was our 2nd visit to Dinosaur place and Nature's Art. However, it was my first visit to their dinosaur themed splash pad and Dinosaur Place's new Dino-maze. The splash pad was a big hit with all three who, for some strange reason, love having water dumped on them and misted in their faces. (Note: These are the same kids who, as infants, screamed when a drop of water hit their eyes in the tub!- go figure) They walked the water logged dino-footprints through dino arches, under torrential T-rex downpours and manipulated elevated water ways through a lock system. All good fun- once we were able to rip them away from the splash pad and dry off we checked out Dinosaur Place's newest attraction, a"maze"asaurus. They have created a permanent maze using 6 foot vinyl fencing that is elevated an additional couple of feet off the ground with extra-tall posts. At the center of the maze, there is a metal playground structure that overlooks the maze- use this to plan out your escape route- if you have gotten a little lost like I did. If you are really lost, there is an attendant always watching from a central perch. At the end of the maze your adventurous kids- and adults who are young at heart, walk into the life size jaws of T-Rex and slide down his throat. If they survive this, they will run through the maze over and over again just to challenge the T-Rex just like our kids did. No, we weren't done yet. We were about to take a walk through time to the Mesozoic era - the Crustaceous, to the Jurassic to the Triassic. It was neat to watch the kids as they caught sight of something they weren't use to seeing in the woods. The little ones ( my neice age 3 and my friend's son age 2) gasped and sort of checked with their moms to see if this was the real deal and if they should be worried. They hesitated before getting closer to the fence to check out these life-like creatures that appeared to be roaming freely in the woods. I think I spied a little relief when they concluded that these were not living creatures and that they could go up to them and give them a big hug or sit on them for a not-so-candid picture. It was a lovely afternoon. There is a nice pic-nic grove with a great playground for either a home packed lunch or to pick up a bite from Monty's Munchies there on-site snack shack. "I love to play in water and I loved the splash pad! And we went on a walk and saw dinosaurs in the woods. They were really big! Roar!!" Connor age 2 My son (2 years) loves dinosaurs - and so do I. I loved the walk in the woods - it felt as if we were going back in time to Mesozoic (age of the Dinosaurs) Connecticut. On the Dino Trail were large figures of dinos that once walked our very own back yard - Anchisaurus, Therizinosaurus and of course the beloved gentle giant, brachiosaurus. My son loved it! He was sure they were real and couldn't wait to see the next dinosaur and the next dinosaur - but not before I got a photo of him looking up at them in wonder and excitement. Seeing the dinosaurs out among the woods gave Connor a perspective he can't get looking at bones or pictures in books. But before our walk on Dino Trail, we visited the Splashpad. Connor loves water and he spent over an hour in the splahpad alone. Having a small child, I loved that there was a separate area on the Splahpad suited for the young ones. My only regret was not bringing a bathing suit for myself! And maybe the best part for me - the shop with many beautiful fossils, minerals, and crystals - Art straight from the earth. There is something for everyone at the gift shop and I could have spent hours in there alone... but we were off to the "mines" where Connor sifted through gravel in "caves" and found many real tumbled crystals to take home. Connor and I had so much fun together at The Dinosaur Place at Nature's Art, and I can't wait to go back again. It truly is a full day of fun for the whole family. Two thumbs up! Connor's Mom Age “unrevealed” I liked the playground. They also had nice facts on the dino-walk and big dinosaurs. It had a great splash pad and a cool new maze with 3 slides. I liked the fossil room too. Sierra Age 10 The Dinosaur Park was great. I liked everything! I thought the waterpark was cool. They had water shooters. Joshua age 8 I liked the trail with the dinosaurs and the river and the lilypads and we saw a beaver – that was really cool. The volcano was awesome- it really works! The diamond cave where we found diamonds (Jackpot Mine- no actual diamonds offered but there are some great gems and crystals up for grabs.) was awesome and the wood thing in front of the cave (Thunder Creek). There was too much that was awesome. This is a real place. Shaunessy Age 6 Nurse of Michael Jackson Shares Memories “Maggie’s Corner” A 911 Reaches Kathy McGrath In More Ways Than One. By: Maggie Griffin Meeting with Kathy McGrath, former Nurse of Michael Jackson when he was treated for burn injuries, I will admit she is a very extraordinary woman. Going back 25 years of Kathy’s career is a career that means more to her then anyone can imagine. Her career in nursing touched the lives of hundreds of people, including Michael Jackson, her patient in 1984. Kathy McGrath, born August 12, 1954 in Waterbury Connecticut, found her calling to enter the medical profession in her later teen years. She wanted to be a Medical Technologist. Following high school, Kathy attended St. Mary’s School of Nursing. A 1975 Graduate, she, along with 3 other peers from St. Mary’s School of Nursing, left for California. There is where Kathy was a Nurse at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Beverly Hills, Intensive Care Unit. This Center is known to be the hospital to the stars. Kathy was also a Floating Intensive Care Nurse where she would be called to duty to other medical facilities, including the Intensive Care Unit at Brothrotmen Medical Center, the Center where Entertainer Michael Jackson was admitted when he suffered burn injuries to his head during the making the a Pepsi Commercial in 1984. Kathy, being a fan of Michael Jackson, did not expect that Michael Jackson was going to be one of her patients. Jackson was placed in a private room, room number 3307, where he became the patient of Kathy McGrath. As Kathy McGrath, 29 at the time, quoted in The February, 1984 issue of People’s Magazine about Michael Jackson when he suffered burn injuries to his head: “He was still pretty shaken up and cold, so we put about five blankets on him." During my conversation with Kathy McGrath, she relived her experience as Michael Jackson’s nurse. “He was at the height of his career. Being his nurse was an awesome and honorable experience as his music touched me all my life”, said McGrath. Kathy also emphasized one important fact; “As awesome and honorable it was that Michael Jackson was my patient, regardless of him being a celebrity, I automatically went into Nurse Mode. It was important that he had a private room to allow me to care for him and his burn injuries appropriately without interruptions. It is a challenge when giving medical care to burn victims as burn victims can also have other complications related to burn injuries. My job was to make sure all my patients received immediate, top and best medical care, including Michael.” Another patient of McGrath, during the same time Jackson was her patient, is a man by the name of Keith Perry who suffered 90% of burns on his body. “Dr. Steven Hoefflin was Michael’s Plastic Surgeon at the time. Michael visited Keith Perry a couple of times during his stay in the medical facility, he cared about him and many others who were being treated for burns”, said McGrath. Kathy McGrath loved her nursing career in an intensive care unit. She found it not only fascinating, but a career that touched her heart in more ways than one, especially to burn victims. She cared about all of them and treated well over 100 burn patients with immediate medical care. She also specialized in Endoscopy as well. Her career in the medical profession, and how serious she took the medical profession, made a difference for many. Kathy sets the example why all patients, no matter who they are, where they come from or what they do for a living, deserve immediate medical care in emergency situations. She made sure she gave immediate medical care to her patients because that is what was most important to her during her nursing career. Although Kathy is still a licensed Nurse, she embarked on helping people in another area of expertise, Real Estate. Kathy is a REALTOR for Hometown Realtors, LLC in Naugatuck, owned by her Husband Ken Teach. As a seasoned Real Estate Professional, she takes this same quality of care at heart and applies it to bringing immediate service and attention to her real estate clients, clients who she is honored to be a part of when buying or selling real estate. McGrath quotes “My clients are important to me. Buying and selling real estate is one of the most important decisions in one’s life time. There is no hesitation when it comes to providing immediate real estate service to my clients”. When I asked Kathy what all her recognitions were in both her nursing and real estate career, Kathy stated she does not believe in personal recognition. “Recognition is not what it is about. What is important to me is the importance of immediate attention and care I provided to my patients during my Nursing Career. I continue to provide immediate attention and care to my clients when it comes to their real estate needs today in my Real Estate Career”, said McGrath. One’s Life and Life Time – Kathy is a woman of many ventures that touches the hearts of several people. Helping People is what it’s all about. Kathy puts the needs of others before her own. When I sat with Kathy, talking to her about her career in both nursing and real estate, I felt more than honored. Looking at photos as she was sharing with me the past 25 years of her life, I found her devotion to others amazing. It was remarkable for me to talk to Kathy about the past 25 years of her life in Nursing and now in Real Estate. Kathy also shared with me her memorabilia’s such as the People’s Magazine dated back February of 1984 where she was mentioned being Michael Jackson’s Nurse. She also shared pictures, such as one with her and other staff members with Michael Jackson in the medical facility where Jackson was admitted prior to receiving out-patient care for his burn injuries. Turning one of the photos over is where I read in Michael Jackson’s hand writing to Kathy McGrath: “Thank You, I Love You – Michael Jackson” There is a message Kathy McGrath wants to give to the Jackson family. That message is: “My heart and prayers goes out to the entire Jackson Family for the loss of Michael. No matter what, they are a family and family comes first.” Kathy McGrath, Nurse of burn victims that included the legendary entertainer Michael Jackson, is also Kathy McGrath, REALTOR for Hometown Realtors, LLC in Naugatuck Connecticut. She is also The State President of The Woman’s Council of REALTORs, A Designated Accredited Buyers Specialist (ABR), e-Pro, A Graduate of the Real Estate Institute (GRI), Designated in Performance Management Network (PMI) and A Seller’s Representative Specialist (SRS). Kathy McGrath “Never Can Say Good Bye” as Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5 sang in a song. Kathy is and always will be a woman who will always climb levels to help others. I found her accomplishments to be amazing, to conclude behind those accomplishments is her care to provide immediate attention to help others. I am certain she will have more accomplishments to come. She is a prime example of what dedication is for millions. I am honored and blessed to be a friend of Kathy McGrath. Michael Jackson - Thank you for giving us your gift of music, sharing your heart and caring for people. We love you too. You will always be there. Kathy McGrath wants to share Michael Jackson's 16 non-musical achievements as a humanitarian. *1984 – Donated 1.5 million dollars to burn center. *1984 – Received award from President Reagan for support of drug and alcohol abuse charities. *1984 – Donated proceeds of Victory tour to charity *1985 – Wrote “We are the world” and organized the musical community to be a part of raising millions of dollars for famine relief. *Treated Underprivileged Children to Free Shows during the Bad Concerts *Jackson donated 100 percent of the profits from him single "Man in the Mirror" to charity. *From 1985 to 1990, Jackson donated $500,000 to the United Negro College Fund. *Honored by President George H. W. Bush "Artist of the Decade" award *Heal the World Foundation - The charity organization brought underprivileged children to Jackson's Neverland ranch to ride theme park rides the singer had built on the property. *Dangerous Concert Profits Go to Charity *Publicly Pleaded for More HIV/AIDS Research *Teamed with Luciano Pavarotti for Charity *Michael Jackson and Friends Benefit Concerts *Guinness Record for Support of Charities *Benefit concert in Support of victims after 9/11 To read The People’s Press, Meriden and Wallingford Ct’s Newspaper in image or pdf form go to www.peoplespressnews.com . We are your NewsMagazine! My Favorite Childhood Memory – Christmas Eve By Ruth Miglierina Petrucci I remember when I was a little girl of five years old, I was told that at midnight on Christmas Eve all animals could talk. I was torn between waking up to hear if my cat could speak to me or if I would be awake and delay Santa’s arrival. You had to be awake for one and asleep for the other. I never did find out if my cat could speak and was fast asleep when Santa arrived. I always left a dish of cookies and a glass of milk by the tree. I think back and wonder why at age five I was petrified to see Santa in the store and sit on his lap. Mom would always try to get me as close to him as possible, but as soon as I saw him I would run screaming through the store and hide under the counter. I enjoyed hearing “Twas the night before Christmas” and seeing pictures of him, but to see him in person was another thing. The following year I finally inched my way up to him little by little and did sit on his lap. My birthday is on December 20th and every year Dad bought a hug live tree to decorate on my birthday. I remember the beautiful lights and all the different ornaments that hung on the branches. Many of my friends said that I was unlucky because my birthday was so close to Christmas and wondered if I missed out of gifts. My answer was “No, I’m glad I was born on the 20th and not I didn’t miss out on gifts”. I am ten years older than my brother; so it was nice to have someone that I could relive the joys of Santa with and celebrate Christmas Eve with. I would read him stories about Santa Claus, Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman. We would send a letter to Santa at the North Pole every year. Thank God he wasn’t afraid to sit on Santa’s lap. I remember the excitement of Christmas morning opening our gifts. I still love the smell of the Christmas tree, scented candles, pinecones, of cookies baking, the smell of wood burning in the fireplace. It’s such a wonderful time of the year; everyone seems to be more friendly with holiday spirit and joy of giving to others. My son Jeff who is grown up still looks for his Christmas book of lifesavers under the tree from Santa. I still have fond memories of the dinners we had with the family and the opening of the gifts. It was such a happy occasion. As the years pass death and disagreements make the family even smaller. I love the Christmas music, the decorations, the snow, the great old movies, “The Bells of Saint Mary” with Bing Crosby and Ingrid Bergman and “It’s a Wonderful Life” with Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed. This is all part of what makes the holiday so heart warming with lasting memories. One of my favorite books is the Polar Express. For years I’ve kept a gratitude journal and each day I write down five things that I am grateful for. I am still young at hear and believe that Santa lives on in all of us and I’m still waiting for my cats to talk. Moon Story By Audrey C. Linke Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the first men to walk on the moon in the Apollo 11 Space Mission. Michael Collins, third member of the group, was in charge of the command module, essential for their return to earth, which circled the moon while Armstrong and Aldrin landed. The moon lander touched down at 3:17 Eastern Standard Time, Sunday, July 20, 1969. Aldrin had brought with him a tiny communion kit, given to him by his church that had a silver chalice and wine vial about the size of the tip of his finger. During the morning he radioed, “Houston, this is Eagle. This is the LM pilot speaking. I would like to request a few moments of silence. I would like to invite each person listening in, whoever or wherever he may be, to contemplate for a moment the events of the last few hours, and to give thanks in his own individual way.” “In the radio blackout,” he wrote later, “I opened the little plastic packages that contained the bread and the wine. I poured the wine into the chalice our church had given me. In the one sixth gravity of the moon, the wine slowly curled and gracefully came up the side of the cup.” Then I read the Scripture, “I am the vine, you are the branches. Whosoever abides in me will bring forth much fruit.” I had intended to read my communion passage back to earth, but at the last minute Deke Slayton had requested that I not do this. NASA was already embroiled in a legal battle with Madelyn Murray O’Hare, the celebrated opponent of religion, over the Apollo 8 crew reading from Genesis whil orbiting the moon at Christmas. I agreed reluctantly…” “Eagle’s metal body creaked. I ate the tiny Host and swallowed the wine. I gave thanks for the intelligence and spirit that had brought two young pilots to the Sea of Tranquility. It was interesting for me to think: the very first liquid ever poured on the moon, and the very first food eaten there, were the communion elements.” Bobbie’s Bevy of Beauties April, May, June, July, rain, rain, rain and rain. Bugs now the humidity. Usually every second or third day the gardens needed to be watered. Not this year. Think it’s been done twice. If the sun does peek through the clouds the soil in the potted plants can dry up very quickly. So they still need a frequent watering. Am waiting for that first tomato sandwich. Guess it won’t be for another couple weeks. Jimmy has picked two cukes. Some very nice zucchini were given to us. Everybody has been complaining about the growing season and you can’t blame them. So much money, time and effort have been put into it. And this lousy weather has messed up the gardeners gardening. Then there are some creatures who have added to the garden problems. The woodchucks have not only chomped away on the veggies but also enjoy the flowers. This has been my worst year for dahlias. Even the new bulbs. Two planted never made a showing and three were almost chewed right down to the ground. We did capture four young woodchucks and safely deposited them in a distant wooded area. Hope there are no more. Also heard the rabbits have been doing their bit too. I think this is the height of the perennial blooming season. Almost everyone who is an avid gardener grows black-eyed-Susans and cone flowers. These two bloom for a long period of time. The various types of yarrow are another one. My knautia begins to bud in May and ends in October. It has produced so many new plants. Will have to give some of these away. The yellow evening primrose shows up every night in all its glory. Until the middle of Septemer. Usually between the 14th-16th of the month. Wish it was the other way around. Open during the day and close at night. Each flower lives only about 10-12 hours. A beautiful sight to behold. Have tried raising sun flowers from the small potted ones to the very large ones. But the squirrels usually make a partial or full meal of them. One year a squirrel was hanging upside down hanging onto the flower and chewing on the seeds. A nice little clump came up last year. It did pretty good for a while. They couldn’t have eaten all the seeds because some nice plants came back this year. A huge one is tied to the back fence. A smaller one too. Some are planted at the end of Jimmy’s veggie garden. Been bribing the squirrels with peanuts. Don’t think I’ll have much luck. No harm in trying. Aren’t the butterfly bushes beautiful? And they smell so nice. The smaller butterflies have been around for awhile. Now the yellow swallowtail and monarch are making an appearance. They just love that nectar. My other blooming perennials are the hosta, bulbed four o’clocks, liatris, loosestrife, shasta daisy and tickseed. So much for the flowers. Have a few family tidbits I would like to share. Flowercerely yours, Bobbie G. Vosgien July 10, 1929-July 10, 2009 What a wonderful time was had at Jimmy’s oldest sister Jean’s 80th birthday gathering at her daughter and son-in-laws home in Moodus, CT on Saturday, July 11th. Besides the attendees, delicious food and believe it or not, a warm sunny day, the many family memories and laughs were a big part of this fun filled party. Jean, may you have many more healthy happy years. Love, Bobbie and Jimmy Vacation Un (One in French) As I have mentioned in one of last years issues Jodie, John and their three daughters went to Paris and Corsica to visit our son Keith, Jodies’s brother. This spring Jodie and her youngest, Izzy-Bella, made a return trip. Most of their time was spent in Corsica. Great food, scenery, beautiful beaches and flowers. The museums and zoos were a big hit with them. Especially Izzy-Bella. Being a lover of animals she is quite taken with her Uncle Keith’s menagerie of ten cats. Have included a couple of snapshots. Vacation 2 Jodie, John, Emmy “MeO”, Abby and Izzy-Bella spent the third week in July at Cape Cod. And of course the grils menagerie of animals had to remain home. Jodie’s girlfriend Paula, Grammie Bobbie and Gump Jimmy were appointed their care givers. Paula kept the pug Olive and French bull dog Napoleon at her house. We went over to their home every day to take care of the remaining animals. Tinkerbell the cat, Tuck the turtle, Jasper the gerbil and Ellie the degu. As with us I’m sure many of you have never seen this creature or even heard of it. She’s about the size of a rat, dark brown fuzzy fur and looks similar to a chinchilla. Their water bottles had to be refilled when necessary and food bowls replenished. Tuck was the easiest. You only had to drop five pellets of food into his water tank every day. Now came the “fun”part. Our oldest granddaughter Emmy “Me O” completed her freshman year at Platt. One of her subjects was science. Her teacher Mr. Emple. He asked if one of his students would like to take home during the summer vacation and care for the two class pets which are leopard spotted geckos. Guess who volunteered? The female half the size of the male is tan with brown and black spots and named Helen. The male is tan with black spots, name Keller and is blind. It’s absolutely necessary that their water bowl is never empty. Their menu consists of meal worms. Two for her and eight for him every other day. This is wher the “fun” comes in. You have to feed them by hand. Try holding a squirming gecko in one hand, a squiggly meal worm in the fingers of the other hand, open their mouth, throw it in, close their mouth and hope your aim is good. If you mess up they’ll spit it out and you have to start the process all over again. The end of my story. Hope you enjoyed it and learned how to care for a gecko if are ever asked to baby sit for one. Chris Donovan By Katie Filippides – Age 10 Chris Donovan was born October 22, 1953. He is famous because he was a State Representative, House Majority Leader and now is Speaker of the house. He is one of the most powerful people in CT. I chose to do my report on him because he is very powerful and my mom knows him. As a child Chris Donovan went to S. Andrew’s Elementary in Drexel PA. That is just outside Philadelphia. The classes in that school were very big he had one hundred kids in his classroom. They only had two classes for each grade until sixth grade. In sixth grade he had sixty kids in his class. As a kid he liked to play in his neighborhood. When Chris Donovan came home from school he would change in to play clothes and then play with his friends in his neighborhood. They played games like tak, freeze tag, kick the can, get away, army, football and whilffle ball. They played until dark or until someone was called in for dinner. He has 8 siblings, (including him), 3 sisters, 4 brothers and himself. He was the fifth of eight. Chris Donovan’s first job was a paper boy. He used his bike to deliver newspapers. He would fold them and put rubber bands on them. Then he would put the newspapers in the basket on his bike. He rode around the street throwing the paper on people’s front steps. He is Speaker of the House of the Connecticut House of Representatives; he became that on 1/07/09. He has also served as House Chair of the Labor and Public Employees Committee from 1997-2003. In 11/04 he was elected Majority Leader. He served two terms as Majority Leader. Chris Donovan is a State Representative and is Speaker of the House of Representatives. Some major accomplishments by Chris Donovan are being Majority Leader, a State Representative. He recently became Speaker of the House and is one of the most powerful people in CT. Chris Donovan is still alive and lives in Meriden CT with his wife Elaine Gallen Donovan and his daughter Sarah Donovan. He also has a son who lives in Massachusetts. Some of the most interesting facts I learned are that Chris Donovan plays guitar. He is in a rock and roll band called The Bad Reps!!! That really, really, really surprised me. Another interesting fact is about Rockie the flying squirrel. One morning his wife screamed and ran upstairs. A flying squirrel was sleeping in her had on the coat rack. His wife went to work and he was at home with the little squirrel. It was tan. He was just bigger then a mouse. It jumped off the rack and flew into the air and glided into their living room, and then it ran into their dining room with their cats following. It went behind a china closet and stayed there until his son caught it with a shoe. Chris Donovan’s daughter wanted to keep it as a pet but the cats might have eaten it so they took it to a park and fed it some nuts and raisins. I think Chris Donovan is a very interesting person. He is also a very powerful person. He was a good person to pick for my report. Bibliography: Houseddems.ct.gov/Donovan/index/asp Wikipedia.org/wiki/chris_donovan Chris Donovan 50th Annual Westbrook Drum Corp Parade The parade will be held on Saturday, August 22nd. More than 50 national and international corps will be participating. A feature international corps will be the “Geese Eaters” from Switzerland. The event is free. The parade begins at 11am with the muster following at Ted Lane field. For more information contact the Westbrook Drum Corps, P.O. Box 269, Westbrook CT or call (860) 399-6436 To read The People’s Press, Meriden and Wallingford Ct’s Newspaper in image or pdf form go to www.peoplespressnews.com . We are your NewsMagazine! The Floods of 1955 One Woman’s Journal by Audrey C. Linke There was a great flood in Seymour on August 19, 1955, and indeed, all through the Naugatuck Valley. My grandmother lived on the outskirts of Seymour, near Beacon Falls, and saw some remarkable things from her porch on the second floor of her Rimmon Hill apartment. She was talking on the telephone with her daughter Gladys when she noticed some trailers gone by. She begged to be excused. “Gladie, I’ve got to go, there’s a trailer going by and I want to watch it.” “Surely, Momma,” Gladys said, “you’ve seen trailers going by before.” “This one’s on the water, Gladie!”. And there it was, not just one, but an entire trailer park from Beacon Falls floating by on the Naugatuck River. My uncle, Henry Bonnett, worked at the Brass Mill in Seymour and his parked car was one of many that went floating down the Naugatuck River that day. The Brass Mill had to be dug out by hand. It was full of the foul smelling silt from the Naugatuck River. Uncle Henry was one of those who dug daily for a very long time. He now had no car so could not make the commute to his home on the Housatonic River on the other side of Seymour. He stayed with my grandmother (his mother) and could walk to work from there, a distance of about a mile. Our ten-year-old daughter, Sharyn, was visiting my parents in Oxford at that time and they witnessed an amazing sight from the top of the hill that overlooks the river. Each house on the bank of the river moved onto the river in turn and floated downstream until it hit a waterfall. Then the houses fell apart as they went over the falls. Our friend, Earle Bosworth, was one of the volunteers in a rowboat who rescued people from those houses. How welcome that rowboat must have looked to those stranded in their homes as they were about to be taken by the water of that furious river. We heard later that two women would not allow themselves to be rescued and they were still in their home when it crumbled into debris at the site of the falls. Our friend, Mrs. Knapp, who lived beyond the falls, didn’t realize the seriousness of the flood and she, too, refused to leave her home. At least for a time, but then she did get into a rowboat and fortunately so. Her house stood but was inundated by silt all through the first floor. And not only silt, but bodies from cemetery next door to the Knapp home. Mrs. Knapp’s son, David, spent many years restoring the home after the flood left its mark. No matter how much new wood he put into the house, the odor of the flood remained. More walls had to be torn down and silt removed from between them. David lost his piano to the flood, too. My mother insisted he report it to the Red Cross because the piano was David’s living, he being a professional pianist. After that, the new piano was kept on the second floor. Bridges were taken out by the water, too. When my father brought our daughter home to Hamden, he had to come by an entirely different route. Ray Hausserman, my husband’s cousin, was part of the crew that took down what was left of the railroad bridge over Route 67 in Seymour. It was later rebuilt. Terry Parillo, of Waterbury, told me about her father’s experience during that terrible time. Her dad, Edmund Donavan, lived in Waterbury and worked in Naugatuck. He picked up his passenger and went to work on the night shift at Uniroyal Rubber Shop. When the flood came, he and his friend wound up on the wrong side of the river. The telephone lines were down so there was no way to reach his family. They made their way to Bethlehem where Terry, then 11 years old, was staying with her grandparents at their summer home. Terry’s grandparents went to Waterbury to check on their year-round home and hoping to find Terry’s father. Terry’s mom was understandably frantic-her husband was missing for three days before he was reunited with his happy and much relieved family. My dentist told me that volunteers in Beacon Falls had not had a hot meal in a week. I just happened to have a large amount of lamb stew meat in the freezer and offered it, along with potatoes, carrots and onions. Mrs. Camarano, the dentist’s wife, picked up the food and delivered it to Beacon Falls where someone made a huge pot of stew. Mrs. Camarano told me later that those who ate that hot meal were very grateful. In October, a second flood did more damage and this time my husband and I were able to help, if only a little. We took a ride to Naugatuck with our neighbors, John and Astrid Endriss, who were welcomed as volunteers in their capacity as policeman and nurse. Ray returned home with another neighbor, while I stayed to man the phones, giving the Red Cross workers a much-needed rest. The phone calls I answered were from peoples trying to locate missing relatives; others called in to report people found, some living, some dead. In the morning I returned to Hamden with the Endrisses. My contribution was small but I couldn’t have done even that if my dear grandmother hadn’t been here to take care of the children while I was away. ____________________________________________________________________-__ _ 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 or phone with your confidential question and we will answer it in the next issue. - June and Flora Dear Housewives,My cousin is running for local office in another town. He asked me to help him with his campaign. It is not so much the travel between cities as much as the political differences. I do not talk politics with him too much but am at the opposite end of the spectrum.How can I politely decline? Elephant VS. Donkey in CT FLORA: You can say to your cousin that you are happy for trying to make a difference in society but that you align yourself with the other party. Offer to help watch the children when he has dinners to attend with his wife or in another way without compromising your belief system. You can support and help your cousin without making calls or holding up signs. JUNE: I actually agree with Flora on this one. If you don't want to say you are for the other side you can simply say you are too busy to give extra time and wish him luck. Dear Housewives,Both of my children are begging me to play sports. Problem is I recently lost my job and can only afford for one to play, how should I handle this? Soccer dad in Meriden JUNE: Dear soccer dad, you could tell one they can play in the fall and one in the spring. That will break up the amount you will have to come up with all at once. Kids sports are really expensive, especially when there are yearly membership fees and equipment to buy. You can look for used equipment at stores and consignment shops but there isn't a way around membership fees unless you can find leagues that don't require them. And, if you can't pick who plays first--go oldest to youngest. FLORA: My my, we are seeing eye to eye this month. Great suggestion June! Another option is to say "not this year kids". We must remember that we have to pay the essential bills and that any 'extras' may be on hold. Losing your job is difficult and if putting your kids in organized sports will break the bank, you may resent it. Play catch at a field with the neighborhood kids (not every child is on a local team), organize weekly kick ball games or play basketball at the park. There's a lot of free fun out there; get creative. ____________________________________________________________________ Picnic Time (a children’s story) by Dorothy Gonick Chris and Leah, three-year old twins trudged up the hill with their mom and plopped down with a sigh of relief, for the climb had been tiring. Mom reached into her basket and gave each a refreshing bottle of water, then sat down to join them on the blanket. Daisies were blooming nearby and an orange butterfly alighted on one. Quietly they watched it as it sipped nectar and spread its wings to alight on another daisy. Birds were singing in the nearby tree and Chris spotted a sparrow on a leafy branch. “Let’s be very quiet and see how many creatures we see,” suggested Leah. “I’ll keep track of them” said Mom as she took out a pad of paper. “Let’s see; daisies, butterfly, sparrow, and tree. “I see lots of dandelions” said Chris, “but there’s a yellow flower I haven’t seen, what is it Mom?” “That’s a yellow buttercup and if you hold one under your chin, it will show yellow and means you like butter. “We’ve done that with dandelions, too” remembered Leah. “I see a violet--I know what they look like” said Leah. “Ouch, something bit me!” “That’s a mosquito Leah. Their buzzing will let you know to watch out for them” Mom reminded them as she put a cold cloth over the sting. “Something is crawling on the corner of our blanket, Mom, what is it?” “It’s just an ant and they love to come to picnics, but we don’t need them today, do we?” Mom was kept busy listing each plant and creature on her pad of paper. The twins were eager to explore nearby and soon spied a skinny green caterpillar hanging from a leaf swaying in the breeze, and watched it climb up its wispy thread to nibble on the leaf again. They had a hard time imagining that the caterpillar would someday turn into a lovely butterfly. Leah stumbled over a dead stump and wondered what kind of plants were growing there. Mom told them that they were mushrooms; lovely to look, but not to pick them as some could make you sick. Chirping was heard from among the grasses, and crickets were soon sighted hopping among the leaves. Mom told them that the chirps were made by crickets rubbing their legs together and the twins laughed at that. “What a funny way to talk” giggled Chris, “Shall we try it Leah?” After more giggles, they hurried toward their blanket for lunch. “Mmmm, peanut butter and jelly! Our favorite and lemonade to drink! Thanks Mom,” “Hey look, there’s an ant, and another and another—can we put some crumbs out for them to eat Mom?” “O.K. but put them in a trail to the edge and see if they follow your trail.” “Wow, Mom, what a long list of things we can tell Dad about tonight. He’ll be surprised won’t he? Maybe he can come along next Saturday and we’ll show them to him.” “Let’s play ‘Jack and Jill’ on the way home, Leah,” Chris challenged as he began running down the hill. ____________________________________________________________________________ To read The People’s Press, Meriden and Wallingford Ct’s Newspaper in image or pdf form go to www.peoplespressnews.com . We are your NewsMagazine! ______________________________________________ Interactive Caregivers Are A Very Important Part of Healthy Aging with Elderly Senior Citizens Who Need Non-Medical In-Home Care from Comfort Keepers in Wallingford, CT Any Comfort Keeper employee who refers to him or herself as a caregiver is hopefully interacting with the senior they are looking after. From the greeting a companion should try to be upbeat and positive leaving personal burdens at home. Seniors who are greeted by caregivers might live alone. Many elderly senior citizens are very lonely, they have no visitors and the last thing they need is for an in-home caregiver to enter the home and completely ignore them. We do not want our personal care employees to be grummpy. The companion should be there to give care and not spill his or her problems all over there senior client. The care given should be interactive. Inter often refers to the experience between two people such as the word interpersonal. Active obviously refers to the motions or doings of the body. So when we put the word interactive together what we really mean is the experience between the caregiver and the senior occurs while they are doing an activity together. If we add caregiving, assistance or support during an activity we have interactive caregiving or the experience that happens between two people while doing an activity whereby one is assisting the other. In practical terms what does this mean? It means that individuals offering caregiving services should try at every turn to engage their senior in the activity he or she is doing at whatever level of functioning the senior can participate. This can be small things like when doing the laundry you let a senior fold a towel or towels and you fold along with the person. If the elderly client becomes tired, you can offer to take over.Many times our seniors have an activity they loved to do. For elderly women it could have been cooking or laundry (like folding the towels) and they can no longer do the entire activity but senior citizens can do parts. For senior men it could have been fixing the small things around the house like a loose doorknob or cabinet hinge. If caregivers slow down and learn these things about the senior they are going to help, the caregiving experience can be much more enjoyable to both the senior and the caregiver. Interactive caregiving stimulates the mind and body and may be the best way to help the senior maintain their independence and dignity. Our seniors worked hard all their lives either in jobs or raising families, they deserve to be treated with dignity and respect that interactive caregiving brings. Here at Comfort Keepers our personal care companions restore an elderly persons independance, and freedom by always remaining courteous and polite at all times, and engaging their seniors as often as possible. 　 ____________________________________________________ Spiritual Renaissance: A New Beginning By Jennifer Jenkins For over 2,000 years, human civilization has been taught that Divine Spirit and Humanity are separate from one another. Fortunately, in recent years, a change in consciousness is emerging. There is an ever-growing awareness of the interconnectedness between the Divine and those on Earth. This awareness is in part due to the freer expression of thought in our culture evidenced from metaphysical teachings and books becoming an acceptable part of mainstream society to on-line sharing of spiritual thoughts and experiences. In fact, it’s not unusual to read or hear about individuals recounting an extraordinary experience with the Divine, such as one in which a person in crisis witnesses an Angel coming to their rescue. Because of this awareness of our Divine Connection, a Spiritual Renaissance has begun. We can no longer deny that our physical world is penetrated by a force greater than ourselves and that this force is the most powerful of them all – DIVINE LOVE. The Divine, or as they say, God works in mysterious ways. From my perspective, I can say that is absolutely true. One day, after spending some time in quiet prayer at a beautiful state park, reflecting on a personal issue, I looked up from the picnic table from where I was sitting and noticed a man before me walking his dog. He was wearing a T-Shirt with the words “BLIND FAITH” strewn across his shirt. God was communicating with me through this individual. I realized from that moment that no matter where I am, God is with me and supporting me, that the answer to my prayer was to have absolute faith in God’s ability to resolve my personal issue and that everything was going to be okay. As I have learned, keeping one’s heart and mind open is extremely important in order to experience all the Light, Love and Miracles the Divine offers. The more open we are the more powerful Divine communication can be. Some people see a bumper sticker and feel a strong resonance within them that they have received divine guidance and/or an answer to their prayers while some receive it while in a meditative state. They TRUST that no matter how, where or when -- the answer always comes. The Divine is within and all around us; there is no separation except that which exists within our minds. By opening our minds and letting go of fears and negative thoughts, the illusion of separateness between ourselves and the Divine ceases to exist and we become aware of the powerful and loving connection we have with the Divine and how that LOVE permeates within ourselves and with one another. We are slowly but surely letting go of that which no longer serves us and awakening to our true Divine nature. We are embarking on a path of Light and transforming ourselves into true expressions of God -- Divine Beings. By embracing the Light within ourselves and others, we become LOVE personified. What a positive transformation of our world by this change in conscious thought!!! ] AUGUST The flowers cannot celebrate. They tell me that August is coming, With her hot breath And lusty dance, With stamping, trampling feet Not far behind, Freezing in place, Filling her footsteps. Pauli Gravel Barbara's Bountiful Bouquet - August Oh, my gosh. Has this been a difficult summer for gardening or what? My July submission for the paper was lost in Andy's computer crash, so you will see that in this issue as well, but what have I been doing in the last month? Well, for one thing, I have only watered the garden maybe twice. The Wallingford Community Garden is in a wetlands area, and when we get a lot of rain, it gets really soggy there. Some gardeners wind up with small ponds in their garden. I have learned to plant everything up in hills and have trenches in between rows. And it helps, but too much rain and very little sun has set my garden about a month behind in growth. I had to plant more cucumbers because most of the first ones died. That's fairly normal for me. I do have a few cucumbers now, but none are ready to pick. I have one cherry tomato so far that is turning pink. I planted 18 tomato plants, and they all now have some green tomatoes, but they are far from being ready to pick. A fellow gardener got me a little nervous when he said a neighboring garden to his has tomato blight and it could spread to other plots. I am hoping he misread the signs. I have lots of yellow branches, but I just pick those off, and it is very normal to have yellowing sucker branches that are worthless anyway. I planted some more perennials as the seeds I planted twice were killed the second time by a gardener putting bales of hay on them. Grrrr. The flowers for the most part are doing great, especially the volunteer sunflower which has at least a dozen flowers or buds on it. I haven't actually counted the buds, but it is going to be gorgeous when they all open up. The sunflowers I planted from seed are still pretty small, and the marigolds hardly look much different than they were when I planted them at the beginning of June. They are a little bigger, but the growth is very slow. Today, July 30th, it is sunny and warm, but we had a thunderstorm last night, and more rain is in the forecast. We also had some rather cool nights in July, which was lovely for sleeping, but it has not helped the garden. I don't remember a summer like this before. Perhaps August will be extremely hot and dry, but I'm not sure about that. All I know is that I haven't been to the garden as often as I would normally be due to not needing to water. Naturally the weeds have been flourishing, so I have spent a lot of time pulling those out. They are sneaky too. All of a sudden I will spot a weed in a tomato plant that is taller than the tomato is. What? Where did you come from? I am really looking forward to my first tomato, but it might be another couple of weeks before I get to have a lovely tomato sandwich. I have a friend who has a garden at her home on her porch. She uses the EarthBox technique. She said she went out to pick some tomatoes that were ripe, and some animal had picked them off the vines. Probably a raccoon. Gardening is not for the faint-hearted. It takes a lot of work, and I am always prepared to share my bounty with animals, birds, and bugs. And that's the way it is. (To borrow Walter Cronkite's closing remark.)Barbara Sherburnebarndt49@yahoo.com To read The People’s Press, Meriden and Wallingford Ct’s Newspaper in image or pdf form go to www.peoplespressnews.com . We are your NewsMagazine! Barbara's Bountiful Bouquet - July I had nothing to write until this month's issue as I got a late start this year. I am always rather amazed at how well the weeds do during the spring no matter how much hay I put down the prior fall. I had grass that was at least two feet tall in some sections, and although I started weeding on May 10th, I did not get a single plant in the ground until June 1st. I had a lot of weeding to do over that period of time, plus composting. This is my eleventh summer at Wallingford Community Garden, and my very first year I was on a waiting list and did not even begin weeding until June 4th, 1999, so I kind of keep that in the back of my mind because somehow I had a great garden that year. Any amount of weeds I face now is nothing like that first year, and it was 90 degrees for days. I don't think I could do it today. I go to the garden all winter to feed the birds, so in the spring I did see my jonquils blooming and also tulips I had planted in the perennial garden out front in memory of Pete Wanat. His sister Kathy gave me the bulbs last fall. My artichokes did not come back, but my garlic, catnip, black-eyed susans, and two lilies did, and they are all doing very well. Much to my surprise, a little patch of strawberries also emerged. I had planted a couple of little strawberry shoots two summers ago, and this year they sprang to life. I have eaten about a dozen strawberries, and they were the sweetest I have ever tasted. They kind of spread out into one of my cucumber hills, so I had to make adjustments for that. I also have a volunteer sunflower that is growing right in my row of marigolds on the front border, but that's fine. Should make for an interesting display. There is also a volunteer very small strawberry plant at the end of my row of marigolds. It seems that a lot of gardeners at the Community Garden this year have strawberries. 11 summers ago, I don't think anyone had them. I decided not to plant corn this year, and it's odd, but I only see a couple of gardens with corn this year. On June 1st I planted 18 tomatoes, six each of Jet Star, Better Boy, and cherry, and I hope the cherry tomatoes were not mismarked like they were last year. I really missed those last summer. On June 7th I made six hills and planted cucumbers in those, then planted four basil, and a row of mixed perennial seeds. The next day I planted eight pepper plants a friend gave to me, and two rows of sunflower seeds, Mammoth Gray Stripe and Autumn Beauty. We have gotten so much rain, I am not sure how those will fare, but I have more seeds. Of course every time I plant things, I am digging trenches and weeding as I go along, and also taking wheelbarrow loads of compost to my garden. And then more hay. The hay and compost disappear fast, and fellow gardeners, Marilyn and Paul, were kind enough to grab four bales for me. On June 12th I had one more space to fill, so I bought three perennials and planted them, Malva Zebrina Sylvestris, Coreopsis Rising Sun, and Irish Spring Rudbeckia. I got those over at Beaumont Farm. I am trying to add more perennials each year, so the whole back border of my garden is now perennials, and also part of one of the side borders is. The other day I bought a six-pack of cucumbers because I noticed that some of my cucumbers have already died, which is fairly par for the course. I am not planting them until the threat of rain for days in a row has passed. I am truly hoping the sun will soon shine. The marigolds don't look happy at the moment and the tomatoes are not making any progress yet. I am surprised how many gardeners have not even begun to plant yet, but it has been so rainy and chilly, I am sure it has deterred some people from starting. However, they definitely have a big weeding project ahead of them. Today is June 16th as I am writing this. Maybe by mid-July I'll be picking some cucumbers, but the tomatoes have a long way to go. Can't wait for those! Happy 4th of July to you all! God Bless America.Barbara Sherburnebarndt49@yahoo.com _____________________________________________________________________________________ Picnicking in the Southeast corner Dorothy Gonick A favorite memory of childhood is several memories all rolled up in the Southeast Corner of our Iowa farm. This corner was left as nature intended. The horse and plow didn’t enter it for farming purposes. Perhaps Dad left is unmolested as a special place for Mom’s enjoyment. Actually it was a bit wet or swampy. Pussy willows flourished as did many of the wild flowers that were native to our area. Birds nested and raised their young. Early each spring Mom would pack lunches and we would wander down to the Corner, skirting the cornfield on our way... Our simple lunch spread out on a flat rock was soon enjoyed; the quiet of our special place broken only by songbirds. We searched for the early wildflowers of violet and Dutchman’s Britches, asking Mom to tell us about any flowers that we didn’t recognize. We thought she knew everything and seldom disappointed us. We learned fun facts about the lovely, smelly Trilliums, the May apples, and Solomon’s Seal before wending our way home. On other visits throughout the summer we gathered Queen Anne’s Lace, Chicory and Asters in big bouquets for all to enjoy. Butterflies delighted us, crickets and grasshoppers jumped around out feet. When the gooseberries were ripened, we braved the thorny bushes to gather pails of the tart green berries for jam and pies. It was fun rolling those berries over a screen to remove the stem and blossom ends, anticipating one of Mom’s gooseberry pies. Each season held its own special attraction, but the first foray in the spring was my favorite time for picnicking in the southeast corner of our farm. ___________________________________________________________________ My favorite childhood memory With Gradparents who were born in Messina, Genoa and Trieste, Francesca was proud to be asked to sing for a second year at the Southington Italian Festival. ______________________________________________________________ My Favorite Childhood Memory By Brenda C. TRUMPOLD One of my fondest memories to this day is remembering times growing up in downtown Meriden. Stores lined East Main Street, Pratt Street, West Main and Colony Streets. Even as a young girl and teen I had my favorite stores. Early in my childhood Browns Department store was a place my grandmother and I would visit, a green coat with fur trim, a special gift from her and my grandfather. In later days there was JB's, Vienna and Variety Bakeries, M&P Produce, Stanges Market, Syletex, Perlins, Whalens, Kresge(spelling?), Grants, Harry Israel, and so many more. And who could ever forget, Gus's Hot Dogs and Chili on Grove Street. Alexanders was that candy store than noone could walk by.....peanut brittle a favorite. Christmas time brought decorations strung from side to side going up the streets, with music playing as shoppers went store to store. The many churches tucked here and there chimed away...Emmanuel Lutheran on the corner of Cook and Hanover is the one I remember best. There are far, far to many memories to share, here and now, but growing up in Meriden has given me some of the fondest memories of my childhood. ___________________________________________________________________ Childhood Memory When I was about 9 years old I met my best childhood friend Barbie (Brodeur)Santos.(I am now 42 and she is 40) I was new to the neighborhood in Naugatuck. Barbie lived a cpl houses down from me and we became fast friends, almost inseparable. I learned to depend on her parents, as almost surrogate ones for myself. Barbie and I would play "house". David Cassidy would be my boyfriend as Shaun Cassidy would be hers. Just hanging with Barbie was my BEST Childhood Memory ~Kimberly Day-Vincent Peppermint Kisses By George Arndt It was just another summer day -- not much different than the ones that I’d known in my task of growing up. The sun had come up at dawn -- the same as every day before. The sky was just as blue as I expected it to be, when I slid out of bed that morning. I didn’t think there was anything special about it … you might say it was kinda boring, in a funny way. Ah, but I was to find out later that this day would be more than a plain and ordinary one. Janet and I were both ten years young, and as close as two carrots in a vegetable patch. Back then, girls like her were considered tomboys. We would have fun doing so many things together. There was this old dried up creek that used to run along one side of the Bradley Children’s Home Center that held many exciting things for us to think about. We could only wonder what stories and adventures that may have been encased in the stones, the sand, and such. Once, I had broken open this big round stone, and found a million seashell fossils embedded into it … and that led us into an imaginary trip to the days of the dinosaurs. We could always find fun in just about anything around us. The two of us even enjoyed sitting near each other during church services on Sunday mornings. I was always given a nickel for the plate at the offering-collection part of Sunday services, but a couple of times I “forgot” to add it to that brass plate held by the nice man who would pass it from pew to pew. So, on this certain Sunday after church, I ran into the corner store and bought a peppermint candy cane to give to Janet. We met, later that afternoon, at one of our favorite places to play a game of cave exploring. It was just a big backyard with these huge bushes that had lots of big leaves and flowers that smelled like somebody’s mom. We would crawl in and out of the spaces between the bushes … just as though we were in a pirate’s cave. After a while we just sat there and talked. I gave her the candy cane, she thanked me for it, and then she began enjoying it. “Hmm, this is sooo good … thank you, George.” I just nodded my head, and sheepishly told her that she was welcome. Then she paused and asked me if I had ever kissed a girl before. I could only shake my head and say, “No.” She took my hand, leaned nearer, and then she kissed me … RIGHT ON MY MOUTH. I thought to myself … “So, that is what kissing a girl is all about !” I remember that I liked the taste of the peppermint candy cane that came with that first kiss … so sweet. 　 _____________________________________________________________________ SUMMERTIME MEMORIES FROM GIRLHOOD By Phyllis S. Donovan Our Old Swimming Hole On most hot summer afternoons when I was a girl growing up in the small town of Chester in the Massachusetts Berkshires, we would trudge the mile or so to our favorite swimming hole in the river above town. Our swimming season was short and sweet because once the "Dog Days" of late summer were upon us and the river ran low, our mothers, worried about our catching polio which in those days was a real but mysterious threat, kept us out of the water. But while we could, we would go swimming every day. Towels slung over our shoulders, we would walk up through the soft fragrant grasses of an abandoned meadow and down through cool dark woods where we would proceed down a narrow path Indian fashion, silently and single file, until one of us would inevitably cry out sharply, having been stung by one of the fierce yellow jackets which nested under a hollow log on the path. The west branch of the Westfield River was clean in those days and everyone in town went up there to swim in that wonderful natural swimming hole which started where the river squeezed down to a narrow sluiceway between the flat black ledges, running with a swift current until the banks widened out, the current died and sandy beaches flanked both sides of the wide stream. We all learned to swim in the quiet shallows under the watchful eyes of our mothers who sat on the sandy shores while, to the north, teenagers lay on the warm ledges to sunbathe, chipping idly at the garnets which pocked the smooth rock surfaces or diving off the higher points into the deeper, swifter water. People from the west side of town had their own route to the swimming hole which took them through a meadow where cows grazed. The field was surrounded by an electric fence which closely bordered the opposite bank of the river. Most of us experienced at one time or other the strong jolt in the elbow (like someone had hit us with a fist) if we didn’t duck low enough to clear that one strand of electrified wire. Some of the older boys built a dam one summer to enlarge and deepen the wide shallow part of the river, and made a rough stone fireplace on one sandy shore for picnickers to use and where trash could be burned. Our swimming hole was a special place and we always kept it neat. None of us owned a watch but when we heard the 4 o’clock quitting time whistle of the small mill in the village, we knew it was time to start home for supper. Tired and hungry after a long afternoon of swimming, we would make the long trek home back through woods and fields, stopping to snack on the sun-warmed wild black raspberries, or if hungry enough, even the mouth-puckering chokecherries growing along the way. Barefoot Days and Tarred Roads All I need is a whiff of hot tar and I am transported back to those lazy childhood days when we went barefoot all summer. By the time we got new shoes to wear back to school, the soles of our feet were as tough as leather. Early in the season, we would walk on the edges of lawns or in the tall soft grasses or dirt beside the roads instead of risking the road’s sharp cinders which lodged between the toes and in the crevasses of tender feet making us mince along with an ouch or a yelp. That’s why it was such a red-letter year when they finally paved our street. Once the passing cars had packed the layer of trap rock down into the tar (as loose stones clattered up around the fenders of cars, marring their shiny black surfaces with small globs of tar) could we make very good time running in our bare feet along the road to our grandfather’s house each evening where our grandmother would fill our galvanized gallon milk cans with raw milk produced by their two cows, Benjamin and Katarina. We never questioned why our grandfather called one of his obviously female cows Benjamin any more than we understood why our father, who took meticulous care of his car, grumbled every summer when the town road crew came back to apply yet another layer of the tar and trap rock to our street. The sticky black tar had the consistency of molasses and never remained benignly beneath the layer of trap rock on the street. It oozed out and clung to everything it touched from the roadside weeds which brushed our legs to the bottoms of our bare feet and our play clothes. It was impossible to remove from clothing; the indelible black marks outlasting the life of the garment. It was easier (but not much) to remove from bare feet and legs with a pumice stone which my father kept in the soap dish on the edge of our old claw-footed tub. I remember scrubbing our skin until it was red to get rid of that stubborn tar each night during our baths. But it is the smell of fresh tar which we can’t disassociate with those long-ago summers. To us, it was the best smell of summer, rising from the hot road as we trudged home tired from long afternoons of swimming in the river above town and also after cool summer rains. Even now, whenever we pass road crews spraying down asphalt, it makes me want to get out there in my bare feet and run up and down the road…just for old time’s sake. __________________________________________________________ My favorite place. My Aunt & Uncle owned an Inn called The Wonderview Lodge.It served food had rooms a snack bar & a restaurant. It was on RT 9 in New York State I believe North Hudson. I went every summer. The memories I have from there, the views, playing with my cousins, the clear water & unending mountains all of these are brought to my mind when times are difficult for me. It’s long gone but not in my mind & the love I had for my Aunt Rose. I wish everyone had a place like this to mentally go to. Carole Golitko ________________________________________________________________________ The Clothes War It was sometime in the early 80s when I first saw a kid come into school with black spiked hair, bondage pants, and black lipstick. Everyone stared. We didn’t know it was cool to be Goth yet. Then it caught on and there were a bunch of vampires prowling the high school hallways. Today, Fruit of the Loom is fashionable. What’s THAT all about? Even those of us who wore hip huggers in the 70s knew enough to keep our underwear from showing! Fashion for girls is just as bad. The skirts and shorts have gotten so high this season that the pocket lining is hanging out! The t-shirts are equally ridiculous. They are so thin that my teenage daughter has to wear three of them to keep her bra from showing through! Where do teens get their absurd fashion ideas? They get their inspiration from the same sources we used to get ours – stores catering to the adolescent crowd, TV, and magazines. What’s the problem then? Well, the celebrity teens of the millennium are nothing like the Brady Bunch. Lindsay Lohan and Kim Kardashian are far from squeaky clean. In just eight years, popular TV shows have gone from what is now considered the fairly tame Dawson’s Creek to the racy Gossip Girl. The stores aren’t displaying modest choices on their racks either. Even the bags are rated R. If you’re over 35, it’s downright embarrassing to carry around your Abercrombie purchase! With this kind of imagery constantly thrown at teens, it’s no wonder they’re attracted to these risqué and often inappropriate styles. Teens want to look like their peers, and their peers want to look like the celebrities they see spattered throughout the media. Clothing for teens is about making personal choices and breaking with “convention” (a.k.a. their parents). Individuality and independence are good qualities, but teens must realize that their fashion choices make public statements. Even if parents don’t agree with their teen’s clothing choices, it’s imperative to allow him some freedom to choose a personal style. When is it necessary to put the clamps on the latest fad then? Dr. Mary Ann LoFrumento, a pediatrician and creator of Simply Parenting, a book and DVD series designed to bring parenting back to basics, explains, “All teens need to define their identities apart from their parents. Common ways to do this are to change hairstyles and color, or get piercings and tattoos. Clothing styles are another common way for teens to be different from their parents. They claim to be expressing their individuality, and yet they often dress exactly like one another or like the latest teen idol.” Dr. LoFrumento says that teens should be allowed to express themselves through clothing choices without too much criticism from their parents. However, there are boundaries that need to be set. Most parents will probably agree that enforcing a level of decorum in certain types of environments is necessary. Just saying “no” because you think something is ugly, is probably not the best idea. “Parents should offer an opinion if they do not like a style. They can say, ‘I can’t say I really like that outfit on you, however, I respect your fashion choices,’” says LoFrumento. However, she advocates clear-cut expectations for certain settings. “When it comes to school, religion class, or family functions, parents should set boundaries on fashion choice. It is totally appropriate for parents to say ‘no’ to very short skirts or low cut tops for girls or low hanging pants for boys. Parents should set appropriate fashion boundaries just like they do with other issues.” If your teen’s clothing choices cause constant battles, it’s time to have a serious talk about it. Find out where her choices are coming from. In turn, help her to understand your issues about public persona and respect. If teens know they have a reasonable amount of freedom to choose their own style, and parents are consistent with the limits they set, there will probably be less angst and rebellion. LoFrumento suggests, “Let them have their choices within boundaries which you set. Then just relax and enjoy your teens as they start to grow into their own selves.” TIPS AND TALES “I try to choose my battles. If it's MBA (minor but annoying), I let it go. I only reimburse for clothes that I approve of. That makes my daughter think twice before buying something weird or too immodest.” Nancy Pratt – Essex Junction, VT “Is it life threatening or morally threatening? If the answer is no, back off!” Abigail Reip, Boxborough, MA Want to share your ideas? Upcoming topic: How to understand/connect with your teen’s choice of friends. Please send your full name, address, and brief comments to: myrnahaskell@gmail.com or visit: http://home.roadrunner.com/~haskellfamily/myrna/ _____________________________________________________________ “Sheltering an Animal’s Perspective” by Gregory M. Simpson Relinquish, surrender, abandon, give up, dump, are all verbs used by shelter workers to describe how animals come to them. Circumstances can be dramatic, such as the kittens found floating down the Connecticut River in a garbage bag. More common is the cat left in a box at the shelter door or the dog tied to the fence. Staff can be understanding if the pet owner’s move was to the military, a nursing home, or the final move - to a cemetery. However, reasons such as having a baby or moving to a new apartment have always been anathema to shelter workers’ ears. True animal lovers do not give up one member of their family for a newer one or a different place to live. As a chat room participant wrote, “Why should pets be given the death sentence, they did not do anything but trust their humans to give them a life commitment....I am a single mom that had four kids and a dog. I got insulted, fought with, and looked until I found one that would take both. I have been there and done that. Please exert yourselves and look harder for a new residence.” That is good advice and most animal shelters can help by providing a list of the community’s pet-friendly housing. In today’s economy, there are at least two more reasons for animals becoming homeless. Some people can no longer afford the costs of animal care because they have lost their jobs or worse yet, their place to live because of eviction or foreclosure. In some cases, animals are abandoned in empty houses and backyards, or set free to roam, all of which can be a death sentence due to starvation, predation, car accident, or other danger. Connecticut House Bill 5807, “An Act Concerning Abandoned Animals”, was proposed this session to allow animal control officers notice of eviction proceedings in order to head off animals left in empty residences. The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) has also set up a Foreclosure Pets Grant Fund (secure.hsus.org/01/foreclosure_fund). Those who need to relocate should contact relatives, friends, and neighbors who may be willing to take their pet temporarily. These same individuals may know others who could provide new, permanent homes, if necessary. When moving in with friends or relatives, one can negotiate expectations, such as restricting the animal to certain areas of the house. To help a friend, neighbor, or relative, one can alternatively try a generous donation to a no-kill shelter to secure a place for a pet that could find a good home if just given a chance. Specific breed rescue groups, found on the internet, may take an animal, as well. Sometimes just the cost of food becomes prohibitive. Feeding Pets of the Homeless (http://www.petsofhomeless.org/) is a nonprofit organization that provides pet food and veterinary care to the homeless and less fortunate in U.S. and Canadian communities. Members collect pet food and deliver it to food banks and soup kitchens that agree to distribute the food to the homeless and impoverished. Another organization, Yoshi’s Club, Inc. of Avon, CT (http://www.yoshisclub.com/), has as its mission to provide food and financial aid for pets in need. In addition to community pet food pantries, local animal shelters may have excess food for those who have fallen on hard times. Caring for an animal is more than just food costs. Veterinary hospitals report that even in good economic times, an expensive illness can lead to relinquishment or even euthanasia. Those short on funds should comparison shop for routine veterinary care. Large pet store chains offer low-cost vaccination clinics. A vet may discuss ways to perhaps use less expensive drugs or spread out payments on an installment plan. Care Credit and Wells Fargo Health Advantage cards offer low or no interest plans and extended payment plans. These credit cards connect to participating animal hospitals (www.carecredit.com/vetmed and http://financial.wellsfargo.com/retailservices/wfha_veterinarians.html). Using one of the almost 3,000 American Animal Hospital Association accredited clinics may qualify clients for up to a $500 annual grant to pay for a specific procedure. Keep your eyes and years open for abandoned animals. If you know the animal, you may want to temporarily take the animal and try to re-home him yourself. If not, contact the local animal control officer for dogs or a local animal shelter for cats. Companion animals are members of the family and should be treated accordingly. Safe homes need to be found for them. Animals are not disposable commodities. For the animals, Gregory M. Simpson 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. Currently a Board member of Protectors of Animals, Inc., he was chosen by CAT FANCY magazine as one of the ultimate cat lovers in the U.S. He is also a member of the Cat Writers’ Association. __________________________________________________________ To read The People’s Press, Meriden and Wallingford Ct’s Newspaper in image or pdf form go to www.peoplespressnews.com . We are your NewsMagazine! Home Country Slim Randles There is in the splashing of the creek a great spray of diamonds. As each youngster sails like an astronaut out on the tire swing, then releases the hold on the earth to flail, suspended in time and space for that brief second or two, there is a timelessness, a postponement of all things evil and destructive, an affirmation of joy. The swimming hole in Lewis Creek has been there since Indian times, of course, and the tire swing was probably preceded by simply a rope with knots in it. It is one of the summer lodestones of our existence. Each summer we have to make our pilgrimage in the hot sun to the hole below the little waterfall, to the place were Lewis Creek widens and deepens for the benefit of hot, dry people before becoming just a creek again. And in this widening of the creek, this sacred place in our summer lives, we also play witness to the passage of years. Across the creek from the tree with the tire swing, the gravelly bottom extends gently with almost no current for ten feet or so. This is the baby beach, where squealing tots are allowed to cool off without benefit (or hindrance) of any more covering than the smiles of their parents. As the children grow, they venture farther out into the current of the creek and test their strength against the forces of nature. By the time a youngster is eight or ten, the seduction of the tire swing becomes overwhelming and the flailing of the arms and legs against the blue of the sky begin. Later still, when gangliness becomes fluidity and sleekness, and we want to make catlike moves to attract the opposite sex, the tire is used as a swinging platform for exquisite dives into the deep part of the creek where the big trout lie in cold holes. And as we age, and we watch our children come to love the hole in Lewis Creek, and as we sip lemonade in the shade as our grandchildren work their ways up the swimming hole chain of life, we can look at the splashing of the creek and see, with each sleek dive, with each laughing bellyflop, the diamonds of the creek sent skyward, and the laughter stays with us and keeps us strong and makes us feel rich, and fortunate. It is unnecessary to say the hole in Lewis Creek is an important part of our lives, because it, along with so many other treasures of the years, really is our lives. ------------- Brought to you by “Ol’ Slim’s Views from the Porch,” available at www.slimrandles.com. To read The People’s Press, Meriden and Wallingford Ct’s Newspaper in image or pdf form go to http://www.peoplespressnews.com/ . We are your NewsMagazine! LOST AND FOUND-GOLF BALLS By Francis W. Lappert Shortly after I retired in 1978 after working 41 ½ years in a local silver factory in Meriden, my brother Ernie talked me into taking up the game of golf. We started out playing at the “Hunters Golf Course” in Meriden. We made up a foursome of my brother, Fred Crovo, Robert Westfort and I. I knew very little about the game but Ernie coached me, pointing out the mistakes I was making. I had started out with a cheap set of clubs I bought on sale at Caldor’s. I didn’t want to invest too much until I knew how much I like to play golf. I liked the challenge so the following year I bought a much better set. We were then playing five mornings a week and I was making good scores for a beginner but I managed to slice the ball several times into the woods bordering the fairway. As I searched for my ball I found several others. I got the notion that I would go to the course early in the morning to search different fairways that were fairly narrow with thick woods and bushes along the sides. This was the start of a new hobby hawking golf balls. On Sunday mornings I began golfing on several different courses not too far from Meriden. Among a few were Timberland in Kensington, Farmingbury in Wolcott, and Indian Springs in Middlefield. Every time I played these courses I paid attention to where most balls were hit out of bounds. I found Indian Springs was the most productive for finding lost balls as I would beat the bushes with a long thin sapling about six feet long also to chase any snakes lurking in the tall grass. One morning while searching along the eighth fairway which had a small pond just in front of the tee I saw a good number of balls in the pond. I saw I would need boots and my ball retriever with the telescope handle to reach some of them. The following week I arrived early before any golfers were out and began to hunt. I started out on the small pond and gathered twenty four from there. That was my best gathering as I would come up with eighty two balls that morning. I would put the balls in my set tub in the cellar with hot water and wash detergent and let them soak for about an hour. I would then take each one out and scrub with a wire brush until they were very clean. I would separate them by mark of the ball such as Top Flite, Titlelist, Wilson, Max-Fli, Pinnacle, and many other brands. At that time I had about fifty dozen in egg boxes set aside, all in number one condition. I sold many of them to my friends at a reasonable price. I had a good many I couldn’t sell to any golfer as they had small cuts on them or were off color or scraped, I had a large carton full. One day I was playing with my friends at Pine Valley course in Southington and when on the way home I stopped at the driving range on West Street and asked the owner if he could use these marked balls. He asked how many I had and I said several hundred. He told me to bring them over. I counted five hundred out in a large box and took them. He gave me ten cents for each of them and gave me a check for fifty dollars. Now my hobby was on the road to success. I had one bad experience at Indian Springs one visit when I disturbed a yellow jacket bee nest in the ground and wound up with stings on my right hand and arm. I went to the small pond nearby and plastered mud on them. When I got home I bathed my hand and arm with a solution that was good for bee stings. By noon time my hand and arm were very swollen. I became very alarmed and went to the emergency room at the hospital. I asked the doctor if I was allergic to bee stings and was told if I was and didn’t get help immediately I would not be alive. From that day on I was very alert for bee or wasp nests. I encountered many snakes while searching the brush but I always beat the grass or brush with my long stick. Several years ago I stopped the search for lost balls but as I look back it was one of my most enjoyable hobbies I had. I still enjoy a round of golf when I can find a partner to play with. _________________________________________________________________________________ Summer Fun Runs - FREE The free fun runs are every Wednesday during summer vacation starting June 24th and ending on August 19th. The weekly race begins at the Platt High School Track, Meriden CT., with a 3 mile race (all ages welcome, relatively flat course, all grass and sidewalks) and a 3/4 mile child race. The starting time for all races is 6:30 PM. Results are posted on line at http://pages.cthome.net/jbll/maloney.htm and listed in the Record-Journal newspaper on Thursday, in the sports section. Call Fred at 203-235-5259 if you need additional information. Wait ‘til Your Father Gets Home “Wait ‘til your father gets home,” a statement to instill fear, desperation. and I hoped that the day would never end, that he’d never come home. Many times he came tired, exhausted, Too tired even to exchange The smallest of attention, a kind word. And time flies. The bridge that separated us Grew, longer and longer, The wall thicker and thicker, Then indifferences settled in. Two men so close in blood, So far apart, Never having anything To say to each other You, the Master; I the pawn. Yet many times I wanted To throw my arms around your neck. It would have felt so good, But such behavior is unmanly And many things were left unsaid Ah, mothers, Don’t threaten your children! Dad also wants to be a teddy bear, The lion in the den Playing with its cubs, The bird who takes its youngsters to flight. I got a call this morning, From the hospice; I was told you misbehaved And that you were told “Wait ‘til your son gets here.” Well, I am here, That look of fear and desperation On your face is so familiar. Don’t be afraid, come here. Rest that silver head on my shoulder. Maybe through the confusion That reigns in it We can still say what was never said. “I love you, daddy” As difficult as these words seem At long last, they were said. My only hope is That you have understood them Tony Di Pietro To read The People’s Press, Meriden and Wallingford Ct’s Newspaper in image or pdf form go to www.peoplespressnews.com . We are your NewsMagazine!