12-31-2010towntimes

Volume 17, Issue 38 Serving Durham, Middlefield and Rockfall Friday, December 31, 2010

Happy New Year to all!Happy New Year to all!

In this issue ...Calendar 4Creative Arts 12-23Libraries 6Obituaries 11Photos 24Town Briefs 10

In the frozen grip of winter ...

The blizzard of 2010 had only minor effects locally de-spite the howling wind and blowing snow on Sunday andMonday. Durham’s First Selectman Laura Francis said,“There were very few power outages and very few firecalls. All Departments handled it very well and were verywell prepared.” Cleaning up and widening the roads andtaking care of the skating pond and cemeteries where theroad crews major concerns. “They were called in on Sun-day at about 1 p.m. and went home around 5 p.m. on Mon-day,” Francis stated.

Middlefield First Selectman Jon Brayshaw said, “Therewere no reported accidents, but would like to remind resi-dents that many roads in town like Routes 147, 157, and 66are state roads and are not handled by the town.”Brayshaw went on to say. “ I am glad that it’s is over fornow, but I am sure the kids loved it immensely, being thatit was during the school vacation. It was cute to see the lit-tle kids out with their snow suits on.” Cheri Kelly

Above, the Durham skating pond is deserted after thesnow; below, a lone skater in a Santa hat takes to theice at the Lucy Strickland Skating Pond in Middlefield.

Learning the true meaning of giving during this holiday season

Serving at an “Out-of-the Cold” luncheon at the Salvation Army Soup Kitchen,these ‘future Rotarians’ understand the true meaning of giving during the holidayseason. Pictured from left are: Graham Gates, of Xavier High School in Middle-town; Jake Sapia of Strong Middle School, Durham; Rotarian Dr. Michele Imossiof Kensington; Angela Barbagallo of Thomas Edison Middle School in Meriden;Rotarians Victor and Elizabeth Fumiatti of Bristol; India Gates of Mercy HighSchool in Middletown; Luke Wininger of Griswold Middle School in Berlin; andCasandra Sapia of John Lyman Elementary School in Middlefield. This photo gaveus an opportunity to introduce also the many examples of “food art” — from ph-tographs to paintings to ceramics to poetry and stories — that we received forthis year’s annual Creative Arts editions. The section starts on page 12 of this is-sue. Next week we will feature our non-food artists and writers. Enjoy and staywarm! Submitted photo

Our wish for you in 2011 —A happy New Year! Grant that I

May bring no tear to any eyeWhen this New Year in time shall endLet it be said I've played the friend,

Have lived and loved and labored here, And made of it a happy year.

Edgar Guest

Town Times Community Briefs Friday,December 31, 20102

Index of AdvertisersTo advertise in the Town Times, call Joy Boone at 860-349-8026.

Allan’s Tree Service ..............................................17APEC Electric .......................................................20Batters Box ...........................................................15Be Free Solar........................................................18Berardino Company Realtors..................................3Binge, Bruce .........................................................19Cahill & Sons ........................................................21Carmine’s Restaurant .............................................3Centurion Exterminating .......................................17Classic Wood Flooring ..........................................20Conroy, John, DMD ..............................................14Ct. Electrical Services ...........................................19Ct. Fitness Coach .................................................19Daricek Landscaping ............................................19Desjarlais, Marsha ................................................23Durham Auto Center ...............................................2Durham Dental........................................................5Durham Family Eyecare .........................................7Durham Fitness.......................................................7Easter Seals Goodwill.............................................5Executive Offices ..................................................21Family Tree Care ..................................................22Fine Work Home Improvement.............................20Fuel & Service.........................................................6Glazer Dental Associates........................................3Golschneider Painting...........................................21Griswold Plumbing Services .................................21Ianniello Plumbing.................................................22Independent Day School.........................................6Lino’s Market...........................................................3Master Carpentry ..................................................19Micheli Unisex Styling Salon...................................6Middlesex Community College .............................11Mims Oil ..................................................................7Movado Farm........................................................22Neil Jones Home Improvements...........................18New England Dental Health Service.....................16Northern Middlesex YMCA .....................................7Parker, Rebecca ...................................................21Petruzelo Agency Insurance.................................21Planeta Electric .....................................................22Raney, Jason, DMD..............................................10Realty Associates .................................................23RLI Electric............................................................22Roblee Plumbing...................................................20Rockfall Compay...................................................18RSDL Home Improvements .................................18Sharon McCormick Design .....................................5Silver Mill Tours ....................................................15Sisters Cleaning Service.......................................20Solutions by Hypnosis...........................................20Sweet Surrounding ...............................................17T-N-T Home & Lawncare......................................18Torrison Stone & Garden........................................7VMB Custom Builders...........................................18Whitehouse Construction......................................19Wildwood Lawn Care............................................20Windows Plus .......................................................16

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CorrectionsWe strive to bring you the most accurate information

available each week, but if you see something in TownTimes that isn’t quite right, give us a call at 860-349-8000,and we’ll do our best to make things right.

Cabin FeverDance

The Durham Cogin-Chuggers will hold theirCabin Fever dance on Fri-day, Jan. 14, at the BrewsterSchool, Tuttle Road inDurham, from 8 to 10:30p.m. Bruce McCue will bethe caller and Sue Lucibellothe cuer. For more informa-tion and pricing, please call860-349-8084 or 203-235-1604.

Taste ofDurham? What’s that?

Laurie StevensSpecial to the Town Times

The 15th annual Taste ofDurham will be held on Sat-urday, Feb. 5, 2011 at theDurham Library from 6:30 to9 p.m. Tickets go on sale atthe library Monday, Jan. 3.

As we celebrate this 15-year milestone, we thoughtpeople might be interestedin how it all started. It maybe hard to remember whenour wonderful library didn’tinclude the children’s wing,the community rooms onthe lower level and the beau-tiful vaulted room currentlyhousing the computer cen-ter, but it’s not really thatlong ago. A group of ardentlibrary supporters got to-gether in the mid-1990s andheld a series of fundraising

endeavors that paid for a sig-nificant portion of that lastexpansion. A Taste ofDurham was the brainchildof Dorothy Willet and part ofthat greater fundraising ef-fort. In 1996 the first Tastewas held, and 15 years laterit’s still going strong. Notonly has it become a part ofDurham’s winter socialscene, proceeds continue topay for those extra pro-grams and materials thatmake our library so special.

If you’ve never been to aTaste of Durham, picture 24area restaurants and cater-ers stationed throughout thelibrary serving their delica-cies to those patrons fortu-nate enough to purchasetheir tickets early. PALS or-ganizers work hard to makethis a great evening that peo-ple want to return to year af-ter year. Businesses havethe opportunity to showcasetheir specialty hors d’oeu-vres, mini-entrees anddesserts while patrons cansample a wide array of foodwhile socializing withfriends – and everyone sup-ports our award-winning li-brary.

Space is limited and thispopular event is always asell-out. The entry price of$30 per person is paid at reg-istration. This is an adultsonly event and patrons mustbe 21 or older. New restau-rants interested in partici-pating should contact Lau-rie Stevens at 860-349-1916.

DMYFSOffice hours are 10-3 Tues-

days-Fridays; 860-349-0258.Astro Program

Are you a teen in grades 7through 12, who is looking forsomething to do after school?Sign up for one or more of theAstro activities by calling orvisiting the Durham Library.On Mondays they are offer-ing “Card Mania.” OnWednesdays they have“Video Game Fun.” The As-tro program is held in the li-brary Community Roomfrom 3 to 4:30 p.m. and snacksare provided. Keep in mindthat space is limited. Dona-tions are appreciated. Astrois looking for donations oftwo larger screen TVs andany gaming systems thatyour family may have out-grown! Contact Jane Moen,program director, atjmoen.dmyfs@comcast. net ifyou have a donation!

Tot Time is an open ageplaygroup held at the Mid-dlefield Community Center.This program is open to allDurham and Middlefield res-idents and their children.Join the fun every Fridayfrom 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. (ex-cept New Year’s Eve).

Go to www.dmyfs.org forinfo about DMYFS pro-grams and services.To vol-unteer or to register for anyof the Center’s programs,call 860-349-0258 or [email protected].

Friday, December 31, 2010 Town Times 3

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Holy Joe’s Café has local rootsBy Cheri Kelley

Town Times

Coffee drinkers out there(and even those who do notenjoy that beverage) can tru-ly appreciate this story. Amember of the First Congre-gational Church in Walling-ford, Ellie Hazelwood was de-ployed in 2006 to Sather AirBase in Baghdad. They ranout of coffee, and she e-mailedher now-husband Steve, ask-ing if there was a way to getsome over there. He askedaround, and the church be-gan to collect coffee.

This is how Holy Joe’sCafé started. ThomasJastermsky was the originalcoordinator; he handled thelogistics until handing it offto Bill Evers at CooperAtkins, a Middlefield compa-ny. Jastermsky stated, “Westarted out very humbly witha few cases of Green Moun-tain coffee, and expandedfrom there. Green Mountainwas the first company todrop off a trailer load. Most ofthe donated coffee comesfrom Green Mountain andNew England Coffee.”

Carol Wallace, CEO ofCooper Atkins, approachedJastermsky when she heardabout a huge shipment of cof-fee that was going to bedropped off at the church. Itwas going to be repacked atthe church and brought tothe post office to be shipped.Wallace said, “We already doa lot of overseas shipping,and I thought it would bemore efficient and easier forus to help with the packing

and shipping part of theprocess. We donate the man-power and take care of therepacking and shipping fromour company.”

Bill Evers who coordi-nates the interactions be-tween the church and Coop-er Atkins said, “This year weshipped roughly 25,000pounds of coffee to the troopsin Iraq, Afghanistan andKuwait.”

“In the three countries 30or 40 chaplains’ offices aresupplied with coffee and thecafés are set up,” Jastermskycontinued. “Whicheverchaplain requests coffee, nomatter what denomination,no questions are asked, wedo what we can to ship it.”

This is a year-round pro-gram. The folks from HolyJoe’s Café and CooperAtkins ship donated coffeeas well as flavor syrups,Keurig machines and coffee,small coffee makers, cupsand some tea and hot choco-late occasionally. In the com-bat hospitals it is especiallyhard for the doctors andnurses to know if the coffeeis old and no longer good,which is where the individ-ual servings from the Keurigmachines come in handy.“Every year after the GirlScout cookie sale, the un-bought cookies are sent hereand shipped overseas. And Ican attest that not one thinmint is tasted in theprocess,” Wallace joked. “Atthat time of year there arepallets and pallets of cookiesin the shipping departmentready to go. It is just a little

way to let the guys andgals relax a bit over acup of coffee in thechaplain’s office caféand talk about their ex-periences,” Wallace ex-plained.

“Many of the menand women serving areaway from home for 18months or more andworking 16-hour dayswithout coffee. In thesummer in Iraq, it canget up to 145 degreesand the troops are still enjoy-ing a cup. I can appreciatethat, as a coffee drinker my-self. Imagine not having it inthose conditions? It just helpsthem to know that we arethinking about them.”Jastermsky added, “The sup-port of a Fortune 500 compa-ny like Green Mountain, a

large company like CooperAtkins and the church isgreat, but there are simple

things that people can do

Enjoying a “cup of Joe” at a Holy Joe’s Café while deployed.

See Holy Joe’s, page 24

Students encouraged to serve

Above, State Senator Ed Meyer (D-Guilford) welcomed 54 fourth-graders fromthe Francis E. Korn School in Durham to the State Capitol Senate ChamberonTuesday, Dec. 21. Sen. Meyer encouraged the students to consider publicservice at the local, state or national level. Submitted photo

Town Times Friday, December 31, 20104

FRIDAY

December 31New Year’s Eve MusicPiano recital by Neely

Bruce featuring the works ofChopin, Bruce and Shapiro,at South CongregationalChurch, 9 Pleasant St. inMiddletown.

SATURDAY

January 1Happy New Year!New Year at Wadsworth

The 12th annual NewYear’s Day Open House atthe Wadsworth Mansion willfeature horse-drawn car-riage rides provided by Alle-gra Farms and music by LostAcres String Band, who willplay from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.Visitors will be able to ridein a horse-drawn carriagefrom 1 to 4 p.m. Weather per-mitting, there will be guidedwalks on the grounds of the1908 estate. The Open Houseis from 1 to 4 p.m. atWadsworth Mansion,

421Wadsworth St. in Middle-town. All activities are free.

SUNDAY

January 9100th Birthday Party

All friends of EdithTrischmann, formerly ofMiddlefield, will be heldfrom 1-3 p.m. at the Middle-field Federated Church fel-lowship hall. No gifts; lightrefreshments will be served.Shh! It’s a surprise (maybe)!

WEDNESDAY

January 12District 13 Budget

A public forum on the pro-posed 2011-2012 District 13budget will we held duringthe first hour of the Board ofEducation meeting at 7:30p.m. Come join the board attheir meeting at KornSchool, share your concernsand let your ideas be heard.

THURSDAY

January 13Creative Juice

Twitter — what it’s allabout, a primer, will be heldat noon in the Chamber ofCommerce meeting room onMain Street in Middletown.Call Cathy at 860-347-6924 forfurther information.

MLK HonoredCoginchaug High School

will host a community Mar-tin Luther King celebrationat 7 p.m. (Snow date Jan. 19)

FRIDAY

January 14Middlesex Dance Center

Ballet students at the Mid-dlesex Dance Center willpresent an American Acade-my of Ballet PerformanceAward event at 7 p.m. at theSt. Colman’s on Hubbard Stin Middlefield. Dancers willperform a series of predeter-mined combinations as wellas short solo dances. The di-rector of the American Acad-

emy of Ballet in NYC, MignonFurman, will adjudicate. Ad-mission is a per person dona-tion of a food item or pet food.All collected donations willbe distributed to a local foodbank and animal shelter.This is the second season forthis event. The snowdate forthe event is Feb. 4.

Drama PlayThe senior class drama

will be performed at Cogin-chaug high school at 7 p.m.

SATURDAY

January 15Hot Shot Contest

The Durham Basketball As-sociation will host a local HotShot shooting contest atStrong School from 1 to 4 p.m.The contest is open to resi-dents of Durham and Middle-field, ages 9 to 15 as of Dec. 31,2010. Ribbons will be awardedto all, and medals to the high-est scorers in each division.Winners on Jan. 15 will ad-vance to a Connecticut Re-gional Hot Shot Contest to beheld in February or March

2011. Winners of the RegionalContest will advance to a StateChampionship contest to beheld April 2. For more detailsand registration information,visit www.dbact.org, or e-mailDan at [email protected].

TUESDAY

January 18Band Concert

The Strong School bandwill perform at CRHS at 7 p.m.

Clean Energy ForumThe Durham Clean Energy

Task Force is hosting a CleanEnergy Forum for town resi-dents and businesses at 7 pmin the Durham Library.Available for discussion andQ & A will be residents andbusinesses that have imple-mented some kind of clean en-ergy systems in their homesand businesses. Among pre-senters will be residents whohave had solar electric and so-lar thermal systems installed,businesses who have chosenclean energy purchases andbuilders with geothermal in-tegrated into their construc-tion projects.

Town Times & Places

For Christmas this year, Girl Scout Troop 62092 want-ed to go beyond making a difference in our communi-ty to helping around the world. They purchased a flockof 50 chicks from Heifer International, a non-profit or-ganization, who will deliver chicks and educate a lessfortunate family to become self-sustaining. A goodhen can lay up to 200 eggs a year; there will be plentyto eat, enough to share with others in their communi-ty, or the family can sell the eggs or chickens to makemoney to be able to provide other things that are nec-essary to survive. This follows the old saying: “Give aman a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man tofish; you have fed him for a lifetime.” Heifer Interna-tional distributes to and educates communities in 125countries all over the globe. Way to go, Girl ScoutTroop 62092, for making a difference. Submitted photo

Scenesof the

Season

Right, Nativityscene at St.Sebastian’s

Church in Middletown.

Photo by Frank

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Executive director Patricia Wrice, left, accepts a check onbehalf of Operation Fuel from Chandler J. Howard, presi-dent and CEO of Liberty Bank. Submitted photo

Liberty Bank donates to Operation FuelLiberty Bank has donated

$5,000 to Operation Fuel onbehalf of the bank’s cus-tomers and employees.

“We are very grateful toLiberty Bank for this gener-ous donation,” said PatriciaWrice, executive director ofOperation Fuel.

Non-profit Operation Fuelprovides emergency energyassistance throughout Con-necticut to low-income work-ing families and senior citi-zens who are not eligible forenergy assistance from gov-ernment-funded programs.For more info on energy as-sistance, go to www.opera-tionfuel.org.

“We know that many fami-lies are still struggling tomeet basic needs in this econ-omy. We felt the warmestholiday wish we could givewould be heat for those whoneed it,” said Chandler J.Howard, president and CEOof Liberty Bank.

Middlefield P&Z deals withseveral long-standing topics

By Cheri KelleyTown Times

Lyman Farms Inc.During the regular Mid-

dlefield Planning and ZoningCommission (P&Z) meetingheld on Dec. 22, commission-ers discussed a special per-mit application by LymanFarms Inc. to allow for theconstruction of a golf in-struction facility, including anine-hole training coursepractice green and bunkers,a clubhouse with class-rooms, a 40-station practicerange and parking. The con-struction will be on thenorthwest corner of Route147 and Miller Road.

Attorney John Coronaspoke on behalf of LymanFarms Inc. He also intro-duced Pat Benjamin, projectengineer, and StephenCiskowski and John LymanIII of Lyman Farm. The proj-ect was approved severalyears ago, but the permit haslapsed. They are now lookingfor re-approval for the sameproject. Since the time lapse,the commission has added anew requirement, which isto send certified mailings toneighboring property own-ers. At the time of the meet-ing this had not been done.Corona stated that he wouldlike to proceed with themeeting anyway.

Pat Benjamin presentedthe proposal using maps anddrawings, as well as variousreports and landscape andbuilding plans. Corona stat-

ed that the application wasidentical to the one that waspreviously approved, with 16conditions. Corona said theyare very willing to acceptthose conditions again.

After discussion, the hear-ing was continued to Jan. 12to allow neighboring proper-ty owners to be contacted.Monarca Property

Sal Monarca was presentafter having been invited todiscuss violations of the siteplan at his business in theStrickland Farm IndustrialPark. Town planner GeoffColegrove stated that therewas an approval of the siteplan, but that it was not filedwith the town clerk. Accord-ing to Colegrove, the issue isthat there are designated ar-eas shown for storage, park-ing, and a fence. At the timeof the meeting, the fence wasnot in place, the storage ofmaterials extends over prop-erty lines and there is lessthan 50 percent open space onthe property.

Monarca said the he under-

stood the issues, which iswhy he was there to discusspurchasing or leasing adja-cent land from the town in or-der to become incompliance.Colegrove wasn’t sure if thatpurchase would in fact solvethe issue. He wanted to meetand discuss the plans morecarefully. Monarca said thatif he purchased an additional

acre and left it as open space,the 50 percent regulationwould be met. Commissioner

See Mfld. P&Z, page 9

6

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and events by becoming aFacebook fan. Click on theFacebook link on the li-brary’s website.

JobNow! On demand ac-cess to expert career coachesis yours with a click on theJobNow! icon on the librarywebsite.

Destination Durham: Thefirst two Destination DurhamCable Shows are now on DVDand are available to borrowfrom the library. Show #1Farmers’ Market and Go Far,Show #2 Mock Crash and In-ternet Safety.

Storytime 2011Registration: The Win-ter/Spring Storytime regis-trations are Dec. 17 for non-residents. All Storytimesbegin Jan. 3 and end April13. The Storytimes are:Mother Goose (18-30months), Mondays at 10:15or 11 a.m., Time for Tots(2.5-3.5 years), Wednesdaysat 10:15 or 11 a.m. andPreschool (3.5-5 years),Tuesdays at 10:15 or 11 a.m.To register for Storytimecall 860-349-9544 or visit thelibrary.

Book Lovers Circle:Come to the library onWednesday, Jan. 5 at 7:30p.m. for a discussion of Aztecby Gary Jennings. All arewelcome to participate in anevening of stimulating con-versation. Copies of the bookare available at the library.

Mystery Book Discus-sion: The mystery bookclub will meet on Tuesday,Jan. 18 at 7:30, when Mis-tress of the Art of Death byAriana Franklin will be dis-cussed. All are welcome.Copies of the book are avail-able at the library.

New Arrivals: Licence toDream by Anna Jacobs, Se-crets of the Grave by TamiHoag, Comfort to the Enemyby Elmore Leonard, Eigh-teen Acres by Nicolle Wal-lace, If the Allies Had Fall-en: Sixty Alternate Scenar-ios of WWII edited by Den-nis E. Showalter, The 4-Hour Body by Timothy Fer-riss, Cooking for Geeks byJeff Potter, All the Devilsare Here: The Hidden Histo-ry of the Financial Crisis byBethany McLean, GreatFood, All Day Long by MayaAngelou and Dead or Aliveby Tom Clancy.

Levi CoeLibrary

Hours: The library is openfrom 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondaythrough Thursday and 10 a.m.to 2 p.m. on Saturdays. Visitwww.leviecoe.com or call thelibrary at 860-349-3857 for in-formation or to register forany program. You can also re-new, reserve and check yourlibrary record on the website.

Holiday Hours: Librarywill be closed Saturday,Jan. 1 for the holiday.

Facebook.com: Pleasecheck out the Levi E. Coe Li-brary’s Facebook page forevents and news.

Children’s Room Story-time: Storytime will re-sume Wednesday, Jan. 5 at10:30 a.m. To register,please call the Children’sRoom at 860-349-3857 ext.2.

A cup of coffee and agood book: Come to the li-brary and warm up this falland winter with a nice cupof coffee and a good read.The library is selling cups ofcoffee at $1 a cup and biscot-ti $1 each to raise money forthe purchase of museumpasses. Support your li-brary, support your commu-nity and get a cup of coffeeand biscotti for less than alatte somewhere else.

New Museum Passes:The library now has the fol-lowing museum passes,which offer either free or re-duced admission: CT State

Parks & Forests Day Pass,Mystic Aquarium,Wadsworth Atheneum Mu-seum of Art and CT’s OldState House. Please call thelibrary for more info.

New Titles: Bloodroot byAmy Greene, Dead or Alive byTom Clancy, Furies ofCalderon by Jim Butcher,Knit the Season by Kate Ja-cobs, Pursuit of Honor byVince Flynn, Sweet and Dead-ly and by Charlaine Harris.

New DVDs: AmericanDevil, Going the Distance,Inception, Nanny McPheeReturns, Shrek Forever Af-ter and more! To view antic-ipated arrival dates for newtitles, visit our webpage andclick on Activities andEvents and then clickMonthly Calendars.

DurhamLibrary

Hours: Regular libraryhours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.Mondays through Thurs-days and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fri-days and Saturdays. Visitwww.durhamlibrary.org tosearch the catalog, reviewyour account, register for aprogram or renew your ma-terials online. For info or toregister for a program byphone, call 860-349-9544.

Holiday Hours: The li-brary will be closed December24, 25 and 31 and January 1.

Facebook: Receive dailyupdates on library news

Levi E. Coe Library’s AnnualGiving Tree & Holiday OpenHouse took place December8. Pictured top left, CooperBerry; top right, the DuganFamily; bottom left, NicholasSmith and Santa and bottomright, the Rollka’s.

In Our Libraries Friday, December 31, 2010


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Happy 100th birthday, Edith TrischmannBy Cheri Kelley

Town Times

Edith Fowler Trischman, along time Middlefield resi-dent was born on Jan. 11, 1911and very soon will be cele-brating her 100th birthday. Ina recent interview, Edithshared a bit about the day shewas born. “It was in the mid-dle of a snow storm and my fa-ther had to drive on a horsedrawn sleigh all the way fromPowder Hill to Main Street inDurham to pick up Dr.Markham. My aunts and amidwife were back at thehouse waiting for the doctorto arrive.” Edith said thefoundation of the originalhouse they lived in is stillthere.

Edith and her family livedat Powder Hill for two years,they then moved to the housenext door to the current Mid-dlefield Post Office. At thattime it was a two-family homeand the post office all in one.The post office was on the low-er section where Edith’sgrandmother lived. “In thathouse we had a blue tin full-sized bath tub. The watercame in from Augers Pond,

and was piped into the attic.There was a wooden boxabove the toilet, to make itwork. We were pretty lucky;not many people had indoorplumbing back in those days.Some neighbors would gettheir drinking and washingwater from outdoor springs.”

The manner in which dailytasks were performed variedfrom today; instead of a refrig-erator they had an icebox tokeep their food cool. “ The iceman would come and youwould buy a chunk of ice andput it in the icebox,” Edith ex-plained. “It would drip into apan placed on the floor.”

Certain things weren’t dis-cussed at that time either;when Edith was 14 years oldshe was sent to Wallingford tostay with her aunt for twoweeks. When she returnedhome, there was a new babysister to play with. The factthat her mother was pregnantwas not spoken about, and shedidn’t notice because hermother always wore a cape soit was concealed nicely. Edithsaid, “It wasn’t ladylike, totalk about it then.”

Edith attended privatekindergarten with Mrs. Lan-

gatell; “All the kids werepicked up on a horse drawnwagon for school,” Edithshared. After kindergartenshe went to the South School.“It was near Long Hill, andthere were two rooms withabout 12 kids in each roomand two teachers total.”

Edith noted the differencesin the way the children playedat school. She said, “The girlsplayed on one side of theschool and the boys on the oth-

er; things were so differentthen. The school didn’t haverunning water; we would getit from the neighbor andeveryone would drink fromthe same dipper. No one hard-ly ever got sick.” Becausethey didn’t have indoorplumbing at school, they hadto go outside to a wooden out-house to go to the bathroom.“In the winter it was cold,”Edith laughed.

“People didn’t have asmany clothes then as they donow. In fact many homeswere built with tiny closetsand some without closets atall. I wore a regular ginghamdress to school and alwayschanged into an older dress assoon as I got home. I had onewhite dress for Sundaysonly.” Edith explained that

girls didn’t wear pants whenshe was a child but when shewas going out to play in thesnow, she had a pair of specialpants. “It wasn’t like snow-suit pants you can get today,but they had about a millionbuttons all the way up thesides, and I wore Arctics forshoes.”

When asked what womenusually wore at that time,Edith responded, “The moth-ers at that time usually worehousedresses, and because itwas cold, they wore long flan-nel petticoats.”

In 1931, the year that sheand her husband Warrenmarried, they moved into thehouse located between theLevi Coe Library and the

See Birthday, page 9

Edith Trischmann turns100 on Jan. 11.

Letters policyThe Town Times intends to present a forum for the lively

exchange of ideas and issues. To facilitate the publication ofyour contributions, several guidelines should be followed.Letters to the editor must be signed, with a phone number in-cluded. The writer will be called to confirm authorship. Noanonymous letters will be printed. Contributions by any indi-vidual or group will not be published more frequently thanonce a month. Every effort will be made to print all letters re-ceived. However, the selection and date of publication will beat the discretion of the editor. Finally, the opinions expressedby our letter writers are not necessarily those of this newspa-per. Deadline: Tuesday noon for Friday publication.

Town Times Opinion Friday, December 31, 2010 8

Town Times488 Main St., P.O. Box 265, Middlefield, CT 06455

http://www.towntimes.com

News (860) 349-8000 [email protected] (860) 349-8026 [email protected] (860) 349-8027Marketplace (877) 238-1953 (toll-free)

Town Times is published every Friday by the Record-JournalPublishing Co. and is delivered to all homes and businesses inDurham, Middlefield and Rockfall.

Stephanie Wilcox, EditorCheri Kelley, Reporter

Joy Boone, Advertising SalesDee Wilcox, Office Manager

Contributors: Chuck Corley, Diana Carr, Trish Dynia, Elisabeth Kennedy, Karen Kean, Judy Moeckel, Kathy

Meyering, Tori Piscatelli and Sue VanDerzee.

Letters to the Editor

Skating pondready to go

Almost five years ago,thanks to former State Rep-resentative Ray Kalinowski,the town of Durham re-ceived a grant of $50,000 tomake improvements to ouroutdoor skating pond. Weare proud to announce thatthe project is complete. Anew berm and dam havebeen installed; vegetationhas been removed and light-ing has been upgraded. Iwant to thank members ofthe Skating Pond Committeeand the Public Works De-partment for all the workthat was done.

Now that the pond is soinviting, it is time to reviewsafety measures. The town ofDurham does not monitorthe thickness of the ice. It isstrictly a “Skate at YourOwn Risk” pond. The aver-age depth of water in thepond is three feet. You

should avoid inlets and out-lets because flowing watermay not freeze. All childrenmust be accompanied by anadult. Make sure that a re-sponsible party is presentand able to call 911 in case ofan emergency. There is lim-ited parking at the pond;therefore, carpooling is rec-ommended. Remember,there is no parking along theside of Route 68.

Have a fun and safe iceskating season. Please do nothesitate to report any prob-lems.

Laura L. Francis,Durham First Selectman

For what it’sworth ...

In the months following ahighly contested election cy-cle, after all the ballots arecounted and the victors areannounced, voters may findthemselves in absolute awein regards to the outrageousamount of money spent and

wasted on elections. Eventhough I myself am not eligi-ble to vote yet, it’s safe to saythat I have become con-cerned about the moneyused to fund campaigns, andI think all Americans shouldas well. Linda McMahonspent almost $50 million onher campaign; the NewHaven Register figuresthat’s about $100 per vote.Richard Blumenthal spent areported $2.25 million on hissuccessful campaign. Butsuccessful or not, isn’t ittime we as Americans take alook at what this spending isreally worth?

I think it’s obvious that inthis election cycle, theamount of money spentplayed a huge role in howpeople voted. The amount ofstuff candidates gave outwas atrocious, and when theamount of spending is un-capped, election cycles be-come more and more aboutwho has the most money,rather than the issues at

hand. In this strugglingeconomy, does it reallymake sense to waste thatmuch money on TV ads, t-shirts, and bumper stickers?There are starving familiesin Connecticut. There arekids who have the grades toget into college but can’t be-cause they don’t have themoney. They too live in Con-necticut. There are familieswho live paycheck to pay-check, people who have tochoose between their medi-cine and their groceries.And guess what — these peo-ple live Durham, Middlefieldand Rockfall too.

The issue of outrageousspending goes beyond partylines. It’s an issue that wesee in large scale nationalelections for U.S. Senators,and for local State Senatorsas well. That is why it is mybelief that we should stopthis wasteful spending. Evenif candidates spend theirown money, it still disgustsme to see it go to waste, for

even if a candidate wins, wasthat money really put to thebest use possible?

I firmly believe that cam-paign spending should becapped. I believe everybodyshould be given the sameamount, based on what posi-tion they are running for,and then may the best manor woman win. Then it real-ly will become about the is-sues, how the candidatesreach out to the people, andnot about merchandise.Maybe it would be wise forour newly elected officials topropose this legislation, butsince that is unlikely, it is wethe people who are responsi-ble for demanding electionspending regulations.

Maybe one day the issueswill truly matter again. Iknow that I at least will beelecting officials based onthe issues, rather than howmany flyers I receive; I hopeyou will too.

Erika Trapp, Durham

Ring out the old, ring in the newI may be in an especially fortuitous posi-

tion to comment on old and new this year,and especially on old and new plans andprojects.

When I retired as editor of Town Timesin October, I was determined to not steptoo quickly into the “next thing.”

Now, however, after three months of re-tirement, I may be ready to make some ofthose leaps. That makes New Year’s Dayespecially poignant for me this year. In theold year, I was a newspaper editor. In thenew year, who knows?

What I do know is that I enjoy my con-tinued part time involvement with this en-terprise, as well as the ability to at leastthink about doing some traveling andsome writing not connected to Durhamand Middlefield (lovely as it has been towrite about these towns and their resi-dents). It’s also nice not to have to get tothe office every day, a luxury for a nightowl who hates mornings.

I’ve also found out from the respondentsto our online poll that these are not townsfilled with resolution-makers. Of the 15folks who answered our online poll ques-tion – “Do you make New Year’s resolu-tions? – the largest amount by far, 53 per-cent, said, “No, I don’t bother.” The nextlargest group – 27 percent – said “Yes, but Inever stick with them.” These are folkswho might be cheered by a quotation fromMark Twain: “New Year’s Day: Now is the

accepted time to make your regular annu-al good resolutions. Next week you can be-gin paving hell with them as usual.”

Only 20 percent answered “Yes, theyhelp keep me on track with new goals.” Ihave yet to be counted among those lastfew, but I’m going to begin working on itin 2011 ...

And here’s a few more quotes to hope-fully help you launch your own new year:

“An optimist stays up until midnight tosee the new year in. A pessimist stays upto make sure the old year leaves.”

Bill Vaughan“For last year's words belong to last

year's language and next year's wordsawait another voice. And to make an endis to make a beginning.”

T. S. Eliot“Cheers to a New Year and another

chance for us to get it right.” Oprah Winfrey“The object of a New Year is not that we

should have a new year. It is that weshould have a new soul.”

G. K. ChestertonAnd finally, “Be always at war with

your vices, at peace with your neighbors,and let each new year find you a betterman.” Benjamin Franklin

Not a bad sentiment on which to close.Happy New Year to all!

Sue VanDerzee, filling in as editor

Friday, December 31, 2010 Town Times Columns 9

Sen. Meyer unveilsenvironmental priorities forupcoming legislative session

State Senator Ed Mey-er (D-Guilford), the Sen-ate chairman of the Gen-eral Assembly’s Envi-ronment Committee, re-cently unveiled four en-vironmental prioritiesfor the upcoming legisla-tive session which he be-lieves will re-commitConnecticut to protect-ing and enhancing itsenvironmental initia-tives and will result inan improved quality oflife and better businessclimate.

“The common themeof my proposals is mak-ing the environment apriority in Connecticutpublic policy,” Sen. Meyer said. “Thedecimation of the staff at the Depart-ment of Environmental Protection(DEP) over the years indicates thatthe environment is no longer a priori-ty in Connecticut, even though the en-vironment represents our quality oflife here and even though there is astrong connection between environ-mental policy and economic develop-ment.”

Specifically, Sen. Meyer said theEnvironment Committee, the legisla-ture and the state must:

Establish a strong relationship be-tween the new DEP commissionerand Connecticut’s environmentalcommunity. “Governor-elect Malloyhas stated that he is including nation-al candidates in his consideration forwho will next lead the DEP,” Sen.Meyer said. “If that person is fromoutside the state, it becomes evenmore important for him or her to meetwith and work with our environmen-tal community.”

Reorganize the DEP, with an em-phasis on “upsizing” the permittingand enforcement divisions. “Con-necticut will be downsizing its gov-ernment overall, but we should be up-

sizing the state Depart-ment of EnvironmentalProtection,” Sen. Meyersaid. “By some meas-ures, DEP has the samestaffing levels it did inthe 1970s.”

Link environmentalpolicies to job creation,i.e. environmental re-mediation, green tech-nologies, climatechange and alternativeenergy sources. “One ofthe great fallacies isthat good business poli-cies and good environ-mental policies don’t gotogether. They reallydo,” Sen. Meyer said.“We proved that last

session with our DEP streamliningbill, which was crafted with inputfrom the business and environmentalcommunities and which had biparti-san legislative support and the en-dorsement of Governor Rell.”

Validate and continue significantenvironmental initiatives, includingClean Water Act funding; open spaceand farm preservation; the protectionof wetlands, watercourses and relatedtraining; investigation of allegedlytoxic chemicals by the new ChemicalInnovations Institute at the UConnHealth Center; restrictions on out-door wood-burning furnaces; and anend to budgetary raids on environ-mental funds such as the Energy Effi-ciency Fund.

Sen. Meyer announced his priori-ties at the environment summit of theConnecticut League of ConservationVoters (http://www.ctlcv.org/), a bi-partisan, statewide, nonprofit organi-zation dedicated to protecting Con-necticut’s environment by making ita priority for elected leaders. The con-ference attracted 180 environmental-ists, legislators, business representa-tives, administration officials andGovernor-elect Dannel Malloy.

State Senator Ed Meyer

From TheState Capitol

church on Main Street. “In this housethere was a pump to get water andonly one small light hanging down.”She said it was an old house at thetime they moved in.

Edith and Pat Congdon, her daugh-ter, spoke about the delivery servicesin the 1940s and early 1950s. Edithlaughed and said, “There was alwayssomeone ringing your door.”

Pat went on to say, “There was amilk man, a meat man, and a fish manthat came to your door to deliver theirproducts. I remember we used to getthose huge two and a half gallon tubsof ice cream delivered, like you see inFriendly’s.”

Pat said, “Not only did we not lockthe front door, but there was no key tolock it if we wanted to.”

Pat continued: “Everyone who hada spare room took in a school teacher,and I shared my room with one when Iwas in kindergarten, in the 1940s. Theteachers were straight out of teacher’scollege in Springfield and the schoolsneeded them. They became a part ofpeople’s families. We all ate togetherand my mother did her laundry. It’sjust the way it was.”

Pat and Edith also remembered theApple Blossom Festival at Lyman Or-chards. “One year it rained and wemade all these lemon meringue pies,they went all over the place,” Edith ex-plained, and Pat added that her AuntLois was the Apple Blossom Princessthat year.

They had all sorts of fun things todo but if they wanted to go shopping indowntown Middletown they had todrop off Warren at work in East Hart-ford at Pratt and Whitney, where hewas an electrical foreman. “We wouldget the aunts and friends together andgo into Middletown to Sears Roebuck,Woolworth’s and Penney’s, It was abig deal to go into town,” Pat said, “Wehad a great time.”

All these stories and memorieswere graciously shared over a cup oftea and doughnuts on a chilly Decem-ber afternoon. Another place forfriends and family to share memoriesis at the upcoming 100th birthday cele-bration for Edith on Jan. 9, 2011 at 1p.m. at the Middlefield FederatedChurch Fellowship Hall, those whoknow and love Edith (and they are le-gion!) are welcome to attend.

Birthday (Continued from page 7)

The road to recovery: a sister’s viewBy Bailey Zettergren

On Wednesday night my dad told my sister Maura and I to sit down. He toldus that my sister Brenna had cancer. We didn’t do anything. We were veryscared. I didn’t sleep all night. My dad told me that the next day after schoolwe could go see Brenna in the hospital.

So after school we went to go see her in the Smilow Cancer Hospital. Thewalk up to her room was a long walk. By the time we got there we were tiredalready. Brenna looked like she was sleeping. She looked better than Ithought. One hand had a hard bottom and on the top there were tubes thatgave her medication. On the other hand there were lots of hospital bracelets.On her chest there was something called a port. A port is like a button con-nected to a tube that goes into a big vein in the heart. There was a bag withwater and sugar attached to a tall metal walker. The doctor came in and test-ed her blood it was as thick as ketchup. When they were done, I carefully gotin the bed and laid next to her. My mom and dad were not there because theywere at a meeting with the doctor.

Bailey Zettergrenand her friends sold

ornaments andbracelets at John

Lyman School be-fore the holidays to

help raise moneyfor cancer research.

Bailey had justlearned that her sis-

ter had leukemia(see story below).

From left, Jayde Av-ery, Hannah Hud-dleston, Michaela

Grenier and Baileywith some of theitems they made.(Missing from photo: Maura Zettergren) Submitted by Elizabeth Hadlock

Mfld. P&Z From page 5Bob Johnson stated that he wouldhave to speak with First SelectmanJon Brayshaw and that this topicwould have to go to public hearing.More drawing and plans were re-quested.

Colegrove agreed to work withMonarca and meet on the property todiscuss the issue.Proposed Subdivision

Nancy Grenier requested a one-lotsubdivision at the corner of MainStreet and Cherry Hill Road. Grenier

is representing the estate of WalterMartancik. A letter from the townsanitarian was attached to the pro-posal. The motion was approved.Crescimano Property

Matthew Crescimano is preparedto file the Mylars of his approved ap-plication on Route 66, and he provid-ed hard copies to the commission forreview. There was much discussionabout signage, with no solution cur-rently in place. According to Cole-grove, all necessary permits are inthe town’s offices.

Town Briefs Friday, December 31, 2010 10

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Middlefield Government Calendar(Unless otherwise indicated,

all meetings are held in the Community Center.)Monday, January 3

7 p.m. — Board of SelectmenTuesday, January 4

7:30 p.m. — Midstate Planning, 100 DeKoven Dr., MiddletownWednesday, January 12

7:30 p.m. — Board of Education at Korn School6:30 p.m. — Planning and Zoning Commission

Tuesday, January 187 p.m. — Conservation Commission

7 p.m. — Board of SelectmenWednesday, January 19

7-10 p.m. — Inland Wetlands & Watercourses Agency7 p.m. — Metacomet Regional Windfarm Committee

Thursday, January 207 p.m. — Board of Finance

7 p.m. — DMIAAB

Jan. DurhamRec offerings

This session begins theweek of Jan. 3, 2011. Registra-tion is open now.

Mondays, POWER YOGAw/Sue from 7-8 p.m. (eightweeks, $40)

Tuesdays, ZUMBA®w/Shelly from 7-8 p.m. (8weeks, $40)

Wednesdays, YOGA Ballw/Sue from 7-8 p.m. (eightweeks, $40)

Thursdays, ZUMBA®TONING w/Shelly from 7-8p.m. (eight weeks, $60 in-cludes toning sticks, mustregister by Dec. 14)

Saturday mornings Multi-Level YOGA w/Sue from 8-9a.m. (eight weeks, $40)

Sunday mornings TBLclass from 9-10 a.m. (sevenweeks, $35)

Questions regarding Yoga,call Sue at 203-214-0198; forZumba®, call Shelly at 203-464-2173.

Noon mealscoming to DAC

Senior and social servicedirector Jan Muraca ispleased to announce thatnoon meals on Mondays andWednesdays will be offered atthe Durham Activity Center(DAC) starting on Monday,Jan. 10, at noon.

Reservations must be madeat least a day in advance bycalling Muraca at 860-349-3153. Suggested donation is $2per meal, but nobody will beturned away for lack of pay-ment. The meals will be pro-vided by CRT, and menus areavailable at DAC. Volunteersare also needed on Mondaysand Wednesdays to help servethe meals.

“We are just delighted tobegin to offer this service forour seniors,” said Muraca.

Unlawfuldeposit of snow,leaves andother debris

The Durham Board of Se-lectmen would like to remindresidents that it is unlawful todeposit snow, ice, leaves orother debris on public road-ways or sidewalks. so as to im-pede or render unsafe anymanner of use or travel uponsaid public town roads,streets or sidewalks. Any per-son violating this article shallbe guilty of an infraction.This infraction shall result ina fine of $50 per offense.

Residents are reminded totalk to their plow contractersand make sure that no snow isdeposited onto the roadways.

MiddlefieldSenior Center

Start the New Year rightwith a commitment to getyour blood pressure checkedat least twice a month at theSenior Center. We offer thisfree clinic twice a month onthe first and third Wednes-days at 12:15. Also please feelfree to discuss with the nurseany other health issues orquestions you may have. InJanuary we will have clinicson Jan. 5 and Jan. 19.

We are also planning on of-fering cholesterol/blood glu-cose screening starting inFebruary (watch for upcom-ing date in next issue).

Exercise classes with SueShade are back! Exerciseclasses are offered on Mon-days and Fridays at 7:45.Work off those extra holidaypounds! This will be a moder-ate work-out class. Gentleyoga is offered on Wednes-days at 7:45. This class is per-fect for the beginner yoga stu-

dent. Help align the spine andtorso. Focus on breathingtechniques and stress reduc-tion. Both classes are free toMiddlefield/Rockfall seniors.Non-residents and non-sen-iors will pay a $3 fee per class.Bring mats and water bottles.Classes will resume on Mon-day, Jan. 3, 2011.

Foot care is available onthe third Wednesday of eachmonth by appointment. TheConnecticut Visiting Nurseprovides this service whichincludes, soaking, clipping,massaging and assessment.The fee is $30. Appointmentsare available from 9 a.m.- 2:15p.m. The next clinic will beJan. 19. Please call the centerfor an appointment.

Movie Madness onWednesdays will start upagain (food is the theme inJanuary), starting on Jan. 12with Eat, Pray,Love; Jan. 19,Food INC; and on Jan. 26,Mostly Martha. Movies startat 1 p.m., and popcorn and hotcocoa will be served. Moviesdescriptions and starringroles are posted at the Center.No reservation is necessary.No fee for the movies or re-freshments.

Free income tax assistancewill be available every Tues-day from February to April.This income tax preparationservice is provided by AARP.The IRS-trained counselorwill help those 60 years andolder with low or moderateincome by appointment only.Please call the Senior Centeronce you have received allyour documents and paper-work for filing. We will nottake any appointments untilyou have all your paperwork.

The knitting/crochetinggroup meets every Tuesday at1 p.m. or Thursdays at 9:30.Bring your projects to workon or we have plenty of yarnand needles to get you started.Don’t knit? Just come for cof-fee and a biscotti and chat.

Drop-in setback games areplayed every Tuesday at 1p.m. All welcome.

Bridge is played everyThursday and Friday at 12:45.No partner is necessary. Thisis also a drop in group.

The Senior Cafe is all deco-rated for the winter with abeautiful snowflake theme(thanks to Marion Ely) andopen for lunch. Enjoy a hot,delicious dinner every Mon-day, Wednesday and Friday at

See Seniors, next page

Durham Government Calendar(All meetings will be held at the Durham Library unless

otherwise noted. Check the town Web page at www.townof-durhamct.org for updates.)

Monday, January 37:30 p.m. — Clean Energy Task Force

Tuesday, January 46:30 p.m. — Public Safety Committee

7 p.m. — Fire Trustees at the firehouse7:30 p.m. — Midstate Planning, 100 DeKoven Dr., Middletown

Wednesday, January 56:30 p.m. Ambulance Corps at headquarters, Main St.

7:30 p.m. — Planning and Zoning CommissionThursday, January 6

5 p.m. — Board of Selectmen budget meeting (note timechange), second floor conference room, Town Hall

7 p.m. — Public Safety Facilities Renovation Committeeat the firehouse

Wednesday, January 127:30 p.m. — Board of Education at Korn School

Friday, December 31, 2010 Town Times Obituaries 111184350

Jean AdamsJean (Callahan) Adams, 81,

of Rockfall, passed away onTuesday, Dec. 21, 2010 sur-rounded by her family atMiddlesex Hospital. Born inFrankfort, NY, she was thedaughter of the late John andHelen (Rauscher) Callahan.

Jean received a Bachelor’sdegree from SUNY Potsdamand a Master’s degree fromthe University of Hartford.She was a very well-knownand respected music teacherin the Windsor School Sys-tem and had the distinction ofbeing invited with her choralgroups to perform at severalstate music educators’ con-ferences. She also shared hermusical talents through di-

recting local theatre formany years. Jean was an ex-cellent musician, and musicwas her life and her love.

She is survived by twosons, Bill Adams and his wifeSue, of Terryville, and JohnAdams and his wife Donna, ofRockfall; two daughters,Christine Gerritt and herhusband Reid, of Middle-town, and Cynthia Sitler ofEast Hartford; two brothers,John “Larry” Callahan andhis wife Dolores, of Hudson,MA and James Callahan andhis wife Betty, of Albany, NY;a sister, Mickey Tomajer andher husband Chuck, of Al-bany, NY; six cherishedgrandchildren, MatthewSitler, Colin Gerritt, ErinAdams, Jaci Adams, Christ-ian Adams and Lauren

Adams;o n eg r e a tg r a n d -c h i l d ,K e l l yS i t l e r ,and sev-e r a ln i e c e sand ne-phews.

F u -neral services were held onThursday, Dec. 23, at theDoolittle Funeral Home inMiddletown with the Rev.Jamie Callahan officiating.Interment followed in theMiddlefield Cemetery.

Messages of condolencemay be sent to the family atwww.doolittlefuneralser-vice.com.

Alberta F.Sakowich

Alberta FlorenceSakowich, 86, of Yalesville,died Sunday, Dec. 26, 2010 atApple Rehab Coccomo inMeriden surrounded by herfamily. She was the belovedwife of the late BenjaminSakowich.

She was born in Cole-brook, NH, on Feb. 16, 1924, adaughter of the late Roger A.and Abigail Shaw Dustin,and had been employed byMidState Medical Center as anurse’s aide and later in thehousekeeping department.She enjoyed going to Stop &Shop every day.

She is survived by herdaughter and son-in-law,

Anna and Steven Sobieski ofMeriden; her son, BenjaminR. Sakowich of Middlefield;her two granddaughters,Stephanie Sobieski and herfiancé Michael Reed; andAshley Sobieski and herboyfriend, ChristopherIrzyk; and several nieces andnephews. She was prede-ceased by her son, Michael;three brothers and three sis-ters.

The family would like tothank Dr. Wein, Dr. Nad-karni, Wendy HomesA.P.R.N., and all of theirstaff, and a special thank youto the staff at Apple RehabCoccomo for the loving carethey gave their mother.

Her family received rela-tives and friends in theYalesville Funeral Home, 386Main St. in the Yalesville sec-tion of Wallingford, Wednes-day, Dec. 29, from 5 p.m. until8 p.m. Funeral services wereheld on Thursday at 9 a.m.from the funeral home andthe funeral cortege proceed-ed to Our Lady of FatimaChurch where a Mass ofChristian Burial was cele-brated at 10 a.m. Intermentwill be in Sacred HeartCemetery in Meriden;www.yalesvillefh.com.

Obituary rulesIf you would like an obituary printed in the Town Times,

you must either submit it yourself with check or cash for$25, or ask your funeral home to submit it to us, in whichcase you will be billed by them, and they will send us $25. Wemade this change because we would like to be able to printthose obituaries that readers want us to print, but not thosethat readers don’t want printed. The nominal $25 charge is away for us to know that you want neighbors in our towns toknow about a particular passing. Call Stephanie or Dee at860-349-8000 for further information.

noon. Monthly menus areavailable at the center or justcall us and we would be happyto send one to you. It is thebest deal in town for a $2 do-nation. To reserve a lunchplease call the center 24 hoursprior. The Senior Center is lo-cated in the Community Cen-ter at 405 Main Street. We canbe reached at 860-349-7121 oremail at [email protected]. Come and warm upwith a delicious meal andfriendly conversation!

Please remember to “Lug aMug” every time you come tothe Senior Center. Pleasebring a coffee mug/cup from

home (one of your favoritesmaybe with a story to tell us)to use for your beverages.Help us to use less sytrofoamcups and help the earth!

Center closings due to in-clement weather will be post-ed on WFSB, WVIT andWTNH TV. Please watchthose stations if you are un-sure if the Center will be open.The closing announcement isonly for senior center ac-tivies(lunch, bingo exercise,bus trips, etc). The office willbe open for residents.

Antoinette S. Astle, Middle-field senior and social servic-es director

Seniors (Continued from page 10)

Town Times Friday, December 31, 2010 12

Creative Arts Creative Arts Creative Arts Creative Arts Creative Arts

“Cupcake Confection,” ceramic by Dina Canalia, Coginchaug High School

Thanksgiving FoodBy Jayde Avery, Grade 4I love food!It makes me feel good.Pie, corn, a BIG turkey as big as a whale andMashed potatoes.Traveling to people’s houses.Spending time with family.Having a big white smile on your face.Looking at all the food on your plateThinking how am I going to eat it all?Smells so good that my mouth waters like a dog!Looks so good, but tastes better!Good thing Thanksgiving is here!

Looks good enough to eat, part I!

Looks good enough to eat, part II!

“Banana Split,” ceramicby Stephanie White,

CRHS

All-Out CupcakesBy Evan Sliker

“Yuck,” Tyler said while spitting out the orange frostedvanilla cupcake. It had been JR’s, also known as Ricky Bob-by, birthday. The cupcakes were made by his mom for theteam, although she wasn’t known for being the best bakeraround.

Suddenly the first of many cupcakes was thrown. As a jokeTyler had thrown his spit out cupcake right at Taggart’s headand it had stuck in his hair. Grossed out and mad, Taggarttook his hand and slowly scooped the cupcake, frosting in-cluded, and whipped it across the locker room, hittingTyler’s bag that was now covered in orange frosting.

At this point everyone was hysterically laughing at theresidue on Taggart’s head and Tyler’s bag. Soon there weremore and more cupcakes being thrown across the room. Atone point, in between throwing, I looked over and noticedtwo of my friends, Smity and Julliono, were taking three at atime and sneaking behind people while smashing the entirecupcakes in their faces.

At the same time I quickly realized that seventeen 13-year-olds can make a real big mess throwing around 50 cupcakes.Then, out of nowhere, our coach walked in. With “the look”on his face, he demanded that all of us scrape and clean thebenches, walls, and floor until they were spotless. With nohesitation, we all scurried to work, making sure to “acci-dently” trip, fall, and throw one every now and again.

Thanks, everyone, foryour fantastic food

art pieces!


Creative Arts Creative Arts Creative Arts Creative Arts Creative ArtsBreakfast

By Madeline DeFlippo, Grade 3Bagels for breakfast,Egg bagels, plain bagels,Soft and squishy,Toast them in the toaster,Smells like burntness butMy bagel is not burnt.Toasted bagels crunch,It feels hard, but not too hard.Cream cheese,Tasting cheesy,Great bagel,The delectable tasteOn my taste buds makes them dance,I want another!

The Food CatastropheAndrew Sacco, Grade 3BreakfastEggs, bacon, pancakes, sausageLunchPB and J, salad, lettuceDinnerTacos, mac and cheese, mashed potatoesDessertCake, ice cream, cheesecakeUGH!I think I ate too much!3 —-2—-1Boom!!!!I guess I ate too much!

“Fresh Fruit,” watercolor, Mary-Kathryn Lema, CRHS and University of Hartford graduate

“Where fruit comes from,” two photos by Jill Caturano of Durham


1144284

1183614

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Texas Hot Sauce TrickBy Eric Solomon

Vibrations and lightsstarted to go off in my handsas I stood up and handed thesmall square machine to thewaiter knowing our tablewas ready. My family and Istrolled over to our table andsat down. I had a disappoint-ed look on my face when Ilooked down at my plate tofind that the waiter had putdown a kid’s menu and a boxof crayons. I wondered, “Do Ireally look that young?”

When it was my turn toput in my order, I asked formy favorite Applebee’s din-ner — spareribs. The waitercame back several minuteslater with all my tables’meals. “Hey, Matt,” I said.“Pass me the barbequesauce.” He grabbed a bottleand stretched over the tableto deliver it to me. I poppedopen the top and poured thesauce all over my ribs withdelight.

When I was satisfied withthe amount of sauce I had puton, I tucked my napkin in thecollar of shirt and preparedto feast. I tore off one of theribs and took a bite. It was de-licious, but slowly thingswere getting worse. It felt likesomeone stuck a stick of dy-namite in my mouth and setit off. Sweat started to pourdown my face. I grabbed mysoda and chugged it down tonothing in the matter of sec-onds. I took a deep sigh of re-lief when the burning startedagain while my brotheryelled “GOTCHA!” fromacross the table.

I was furious but at thesame time embarrassedabout the scene I had just puton. Other families were star-ing at me as I sank slowly inmy seat. I picked up the bot-tle, and it read in bold letters:Texas Hot Sauce.

“Heirloom Tomatoes I,” oil paintingby Terry Oakes-Bourret of Durham

To advertise yourbusiness, call the

Town Times(860) 349-8026

Stay in touch with Durham, Middlefield and Rockfall

www.TownTimes.comwww.TownTimes.comvisit us online atvisit us online atwww.Townwww.TownTimes.comTimes.com

A different orangeBy Nicole Bartolomeo, Grade 2

Ms. Novak found somethingkooky on the road. It looked like abrain. It had bumps and scribblesand dots. Ms. Novak saw a lot on theground. Someone was with her. Itwas Mr. Gifford! Mr. Gifford andMs. Novak picked up a couple. Alltogether there were five. Then whenshe got to school, she showed uswhat they found.

We looked on-line to figure outwhat it was. It was an osage orange.We cut it and then put in on theELMO so we could all see it on thescreen. (Do not think it’s the Elmo in Sesame Street.) The orange was green on the out-side. It was sticky on the inside.

It was fun learning about the osage orange.

Friday,December 31, 2010 Town Times 151186206

Silver Mill Tours

For Information & ReservationsSILVER MILL TOURS

Box 2325 Meriden, CT 06450203-235-2668 888-229-2668

Jan. 21-23 ..........Atlantic City Weekend at the Hilton ($40 rebates) ...$159Feb. 3-6...............Quebec Winter Carnival 3Br & 1D New Tour!...........$559Feb. 12................Newport Winter Festival...............................................$45Mar. 12.................New York City Food & Markets Tour............................$45Mar. 17 or 19.......Boston Flower Show & Quincy Market ......................$59Mar. 27-28 ...........Atlantic City at the Hilton ($20 rebates)....................$115Apr. 1-3 or 8-10...Washington, DC “Cherry Blossoms” 2Br & 1D.......$379Apr. 9...................Brooklyn Food Tour (includes food)............................$87Apr. 16.................Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island

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Over-night rates are per person double occupancy.Office is open 7-days for reservations.

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Baseball

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1-night Westin, breakfast, sightseeing & GAME TICKET

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“Pizza Slice,” paper mache by Katie Crompton andSam Baker, CRHS

Homemade MemoriesBy Rachel Plant

I look forward to this win-ter night all year. The crispcoldness outside makes awarm fire the only thing onyour mind, besides the smellof cookie dough in the nextroom.

Every year around Christ-mas time, my brothers and Igather in the kitchen. Withsmiles on our faces and ideasin our heads, we are ready towork. My mom takes out thedough she made earlier, putsit on the flour-coated board,and rolls it out to a quarterinch blanket. We each grab acutting board. As always I gofirst, the youngest gets thepick. I carefully choose thedifferent shapes; ginger

bread boy and girl, festive or-nament, Christmas tree, San-ta’s face, and a misplaced pigof unknown origin.

After they are all cut out, I

place them side by side to dec-orate. I sit there for a minute,tracing out the designs in myhead. Finally I start after an,“It’s not life or death, just go!”comment from one of mybrothers.

When finished, I carefullylook over my rainbow ginger-bread boy and girl, pink San-ta and blue pig. My mom putsthem in the oven, and in min-utes that seem like hours,they are done. Once my momputs them on a plate, I rush tothe table. I put one in mymouth; I hear “Now don’tburn your tongue!” I smilebecause all I taste is a warmsugar cookie, and homemadememories.

The DinnerSurprise!

By Kerry Turecek, Grade 3It’s dinner time,The best time!

The creamy mashed potatoeslook like a cloud,

When I see the deliciousmashed potatoes I scream so loud!

The crunchy carrotstaste so bad,

If I have to eat one more, it will make me gag.

My applesauce isabout to drip,

It’s going to makemy milk slip.

Now that dinner is all done,It’s time for me

to have some fun.


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BlueberryBond

By Audrey ArcariCrazy, chaotic, and in-

sane, that’s my family’sthanksgiving dinner. Themeal begins with a gratifyingturkey at the beginning ofthe banquet, followed by deli-cate pastries sprinkled withthe lightest confectionarysugar. Just as you feel you’reabout to explode, the meal isfinished off with a volup-tuous and memorable pie.However, “memorable” isnot strong enough to de-scribe this ancestral delicacyin the Arcari family.

The moment the thickwarm pie is removed fromthe oven, something is trig-gered in everyone at the din-ner. Without a word, peopleclear their plates and wobbleover into the dining roomwith bloated stomachs.Scrambling for their desig-nated seat, everyone unbuck-les the last loop on their beltand prepares for the finale ofthe holiday.

Grandma Evey strolls intothe crowded room with thepie raised above her head asif it were a gift from the heav-ens. When I see heat seepingthrough the carefully pokedholes on the top of the pastry,I lose my patience and ago-nize over the temping aromawafting around the room.Shoulder to shoulder we allsqueeze next to the table andtake a bit of the buttery, crispcrust as our senses give in tothe luxurious flavor of thesweet, juicy blueberriesmelted just enough to satisfyyour soul.

Every time I look aroundthe table I know I am thank-ful for the family I seebrought together by thislove-bonding blueberry pie.

“Fruit Portrait” drawings by Emily Dell’Orfano of Mid-dlefield, left, and Isabelle Haeberly of Durham, below.Both are fourth grade students at the Independent DaySchool (IDS) in Middlefield.


Allan’s Tree Service~ professional care at its best ~

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Food FeastSurprise

By Kenny Trawicki, Grade 4Breakfast Time

Sit down at the table,A feast in front of me

Pancakes,Sausage,Bacon,Eggs,

How am I going to eat it all?Lunch Time


Pizza,Sandwiches,

Banana,Salad

How am I going to eat it all?Dinner Time


Steak,Potatoes,Carrots,

Ribs,How am I going to eat it all?

Dessert timeSit down at the table,A feast in front of me

Cupcakes,Cake,

Cookies,Brownies

I explode!!!!!!!!!

CucumberBy Connor Doyle

What more can I saySo beautiful and fresh no

matter the dayOn a salad or in a bowl thisvegetable is sure to refresh

you as a wholeSo moist, juicy, and crisp

Every bite is a mouthful ofbliss

Other produce were neverlike this

Such a flavorful treat whichis so satisfying to eat

How can anyone ignoreIt must have been fate

Oh, how can anyone hateHow can anyone not have

ateThis remarkably tasty mas-

terpiece of a foodSo no matter the day and no

matter which wayThe cucumber is always the

one you’re going to sayAs you put the junk food

awayHey!

Let me get one of those!

Town Times Service Directory

More “Fruit Portraits” from IDS fourth graders. At left,Alexandra Santiago’s portrait and above, Colin Kelly’scolorful effort.


1156939

349-8771

Home Improvements LLCRoofing Systems • Vinyl Siding • Replacement Windows

Storm Doors/Windows • Prime/Patio DoorsSkylights • Porch Enclosures

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YOUR REMODELING SPECIALISTS> Kitchens > Bathrooms > Roofing > Siding > Window Replacement

> Decks > Additions > Gutters/Leaf GuardFully Licensed and Insured CT License #559832 HIC Locally owned and operated

Call today for a FREE estimate.860.349.1758 Ask for Tray CELL 860.790.6290

1185951V.M.B. Custom Builders“No jobs too big or small”Mike GerchyOWNER/BUILDERSpecializing in Historic Renovations and CustomCabinets, Additions, Decks & Roofs35 Maiden LaneDurham, CT 06422(860) [email protected]“Complete Jobs From First Stud To Last Touch Of Paint”Fully Insured & Licensed HIC #614488

1185308

RSD

Home Improvement & RepairsSpecializing in Bathroom Remodeling

CT Lic. 0612088

Robert Trombetta 860-798-5374 Middlefield, CT

• Painting/Dry Wall• Tile Flooring• Basements/Skylights• Decks/Patios/Sheds• Odd Projects• No Job Too Small

L1183597



Peanut ButterPassion

By Timothy Halverson,IDS, Grade 6

My heart broke like aneggshell

Being cracked into a bowlWhen I couldn’t have a

muffinUntil I clean my dirty room.

He said I had to clean itfrom the bottom to the top,

All the dirty, stinky clothingand the dust that made

me cough.But the peanut butter vapors,

wafting straight into mynose

the yummy chocolatechipness

sent a shiver to my toes.The smell of all those

muffinswas like torture to my

heart,like watching all your

siblingstear open presents with-

out you.I straightened out my

bookshelfand I heard the timer beep

the muffins were notready

my eyes began to water.But I did not give up hopefor my room was almost

cleanno more clothes not in

their places,no more books without a

homemy determination was

endless,and I knew I would succeed.

Finally finished with mycleaning

I raced down the stairsI quickly snatched a muffinmy reward for all my labor

I wonder was it worth it?All that cleaning and the

timeMy first bite into the

warm, fluffy muffinsure eased my mind.

“Cake Collages” byBrewster School firstgraders Joshua Lesniak,far left, and Erin Donlon,near left.


WHITEHOUSESEPTIC

INSTALLATION & REPAIRRandy Whitehouse (860) 349-1904Durham, CT Fully Insured

1186032

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Contractor

• New Homes • Additions• Kitchens • Garages • DecksAll Types of Remodeling & Renovations

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PaintingWood/Tile Flooring

Int. & Ext. Repairs

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Bruce AngeloszekMaster Electrician

Lic#E1-00123626

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Connecticut Clean Energy Fund (CCEF)Approved Installer

Providing courteous, responsible, and

Residential - Commercial & Solar Systems

Skilled Electrical Services Since 1994

877-723-9052

E-mail: [email protected]

1185829



PizzaFrustration

By Katie ParetiA warm aroma seeps

though me, making my stom-ach growl with hunger. Asthe piece separates from thepizza, strands of cheese oozeoff. Walking towards thecouch, the first delicious bitef o u n di t s

wayi n t omy mouth. I sighed with sat-isfaction as the hot blobfound its way down mythroat. As I sat down, I im-mediately started digging in.To cool the burning heat ofmy throat, I put down mypizza and went for a cooldrink. As I set down my pizzaon the plate in my lap, Ipicked up my water and tooka drink. I reached down formy pizza once again, but re-alized that there was nothingon my plate. Looking up con-fused, I see none other thanlittle Max, my friend’s dog,waddling away with my piz-za in his little mouth. I yellwith aggravation and quick-ly scamper after him, hopingto get my pizza back.

More “Cake Collages” from first graders, includingLauren Coughlin’s at right and Kelly Viski’s above.


1186038

Dan Jacobs OwnerDependable & Reasonable

Insured & Licensed CT Lic. #00558904

860-349-6597 Free Estimates

Residential Roofing Specialist

Commercial • Residential • Industrial • Licensed • Insured

APEC ELECTRICAll

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Contractor"Electrical Construction Built on Quality"

Joseph W. Fontanella 860-349-0303“No Job Too Small”

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Phillip E. Mason Jr. (860) 349-6355

Specializing in Service & Repairs of Plumbing Systems• Kitchen & Bathroom Remodels • Toilets, Faucets & Piping Repairs• Water Heater Replacements • Submersible Well Pumps, Jet Pumps

• Pressure Tanks • Water Main Repairs • Well RepairsLicensed & Insured Lic #PL204680

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Take Control of Your Life!SOLUTIONS BY HYPNOSIS

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CT Lic. #606458

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SnowPlowing



More “Good Enough to Eat”creations from Coginchaug

High School studentsAbove, “Cupcake” in Sculpey and acrylic, by

Brittany Lowry; near right, “Pineapple” in ceramicand tissue paper by Rachel Foley; and far

right,“Cherry Pie,” ceramic trompe l’oeil (fool theeye), by Oliver Bouteiller.

FOOD!!!By Margaret FiondellaGrade 4, Korn School

For breakfast I hadpancakes and bacon,

Only the piece I wantedwas already taken.

For snack I hada piece of cheese,

I wouldn’t want to havea bowl of peas.

For lunch I hadpeanut butter and fluff,

Also some strawberriesand a bunch of other stuff.

I could really go fora bowl of Cheetos,

But I’m not reallya fan of Fritos.

I really likehotdogs and steak,

Which piece of cornshould I take?

I never really like cherries,But I do like

some other berries.

A tray of cupcakes I do see,For dessert I’d like

a brownie.

The Dinner Surprise!By Kerry Turecek

Grade 3 Lyman SchoolIt’s dinner time,The best time!

The creamy mash potatoes look like a cloud,When I see the delicious mash potatoes I scream so loud!

The crunchy carrotstaste so bad,If I have to eat one more,it will make me gag.

My applesauce is about to drip,It’s going to make my milk slip.

Now that dinner is all done,It’s time for me to have some fun.


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• Septic tank cleaning• Septic systems installed & repaired

• Sewer drain cleaning • Portable restroom rentals270 Main St., Middlefield 860-349-8551

1185954

GOLSCHNEIDER PAINTINGResidential Commercial

30 Years ExperienceInterior Painting

WallpaperingAndy Golschneider • (860) 349-3549CT Lic. #HIC 606826 Durham, CT

1184365

Rebecca ParkerPrivate Guitar TeacherAges 6-18, all stylesTeach out of Joe Riffs Music,440 Main Street, Middletown

Phone: 860-810-5150email: [email protected]

1185123

GriswoldPlumbingServices LLC

Tim Griswold860-554-5219

Emergency Service • Residential & Commercial• Well Water Tanks• Well Pumps• Water Treatment & Purification• Sewer & Drain Cleaning

• Drain Line Repair/Replacement• Fixture Replacement• Water Line Repair• Frozen Pipe/Thawing

1186680

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Any Service$150-$550

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With coupon. Not combinable. Expires 2/15/11

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SmoothiesBy Caitlyn Lowry

The chopped up strawber-ries flew into the blender asbanana slices followed be-hind. I paid close attention asI poured in a mixture of milk,ice cream, and vanilla.

“Smoothies, smoothies!”Alicia, my 4fouryear-old sis-ter, sang aloud as we grabbedthe few remaining ingredi-ents from the fridge.

The scent of ripened straw-berries loomed within mynose. Then it hit me… “Onemore ingredient and then it’llbe perfect!”

I sprinted across the roomto come to a complete halt, soI could slide on the newlymopped floor. “Yogurt,where’s the yogurt?” Ithought as I glanced aroundthe room.

“I could’ve sworn Isnatched it out of the fridge.”I mumbled to myself. I lookedover my shoulder and froze.

“Ally…what are you do-ing?” I said quietly trying notto startle her.

“No yogurt! I want smooth-ies now!” Ally exclaimed asher tiny finger pressed thebutton.

Without time to think, Igrabbed my little brother anddove to the floor. In a matterof seconds, Ally had singlehandedly painted the entireroom pink. I jumped to myfeet and yanked the cord fromthe wall.

I stood there drenched in apink mixture that I had in-tended to consume. A largechunk of a banana slid downmy nose as a freezing coldwhite mixture slowly oozeddown my arm.

I glared down at Ally as shelooked up at me and said in-nocently, “Does this mean nosmoothies?”

Crumbling Chocolate SideBy Maria DeLuca

Its chocolate-coated sidecrumbled as soon as the knifecame down to put yet anotherlayer of delicious frosting ontoit. I guess it would have beenmy fault, me being the oneholding the knife.

My friend Chloe just staredat the ugly little cake inamazement. Amy, always be-ing helpful, attempted to fix itbut only made it worse. Samjust stood there not knowingwhat was going on, but shelaughed anyways.

We put sprinkles on it, totake away from the failedstructure. As a team, we putthe double-layered, choco-latey rich cake ever so gentlyinto the container. We placedit into the car and drove on,still laughing about this un-forgettable memory.

As we reached our destina-

tion, we were getting anxiousto try our one-of-a-kind cake.We entered the building withsmiling faces, and waltzed onover to the dessert table.

Looking around at thetable, I saw warm cookies,blonde brownies and manymore. Our poor unstable cakecould not compete with any ofthese desserts. When weplaced the plate down and re-moved the cover, we expectedno one to eat it due to its un-sightly condition.

After our gathering ended,we walked over to the cake,and saw one lonely piece justlying there. I guess it was bet-ter than it looked since it hadbeen mostly devoured.

That just goes to show you,never judge a cake by itscrumble.

“Kiwi,” a graphic design etching by NicoleGodbout, a student at CRHS.

Firewood DeliveryFirewood for sale.

Mostly Oak, cut 16-18”.The cost is:

$200 per cord (4x4x8) or$100 per half-cord (2x2x4.)

Will deliver to your home.Call 860-613-2117,

to stay warm this Winter.


1180114

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1183611

Movado Farm Inc.

RidingLessons

Adults and children

349-8728Route 17, Durham, CT

www.movadofarm.comHeated Indoor Arena

1172332

Planeta Electric LLC

Lic.# 102065 Lic.# 123670

1186031

1156941 Lic. & Ins. EI 183930

Residential Wiring SpecialistLandscape Lighting

Design • Install • Service

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Ron NagySales Representative

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1142760

Target Your Marketwith Inserts!



Left, Connor Thrall’sgraphic design etching,“Corn.”

LayeredBy Tyler McDonald

The sharp, sweet aromadrifted up the stairwell. I fol-lowed the other footstepsdown the stairs from the coolattic, and dashed around thecorner to the kitchen. I standamong my brother and twofriends as we vie for a fittingapron. Grabbing a suitablered and white plaid one, Ihastily wrap it around mywaist and step up to my cook-ie tray. It’s sitting amongcountless bowls and shakersof sprinkles, chips, andchocolate. The smell weavesits way into every nook andcranny, a warm, rich scentthat can only mean one thing:caramel apples.

The tray is set down uponthe counter, the apples glis-tening under their newly-donned coats of sweet, gooeycaramel. I reach forward andgrab one with eager fingers.Dropping it on my tray with aresounding smack, I reachfor the cold handle of thespoon hanging out of thebowl in which creamy milkchocolate has been melted. Izealously scoop the warmgoodness onto my apple;grasp its attached stick in myother hand as I twirl it inslow circles, methodicallyspreading the chocolate.

I then spoon out the darkchocolate, swiping the backgently and flipping the spoonwith the bulge facing up, driz-zling the thin stream uponthe apple’s surface. I repeatwith white chocolate. I fum-

ble for a shaker containingblue sugar. A slight dustingon the white chocolate, and Ifinish off my creation withcarefully placed semisweetchocolate chips.

A work of art.

ChosenBy Nathaniel Weir

The smell of the arena keptPete from thinking straight.He and the others waited forwhat was inevitable. Unlikehis nice, crowded, frigidhome, this bright arena waswarm and spacious. Thischange was probably someway to condition them before“the Guy,” as it was simplycalled, brought them up intothe sky.

Pete had no idea what layin store for him: doom or de-light, luxury or squalor. Hehoped for the best. He lookedaround at the other “ChosenOnes.” All were anxious, butthey were the same big,brawny type. Everyone was,as Pete’s father always said,‘the cream of the crop.’

“Sure, you and your broth-ers were three peas in a pod,but you, you have somethingspecial!”

Suddenly, a cry brokePete’s train of thought. “It’scoming!”

Pete looked up just in timeto see four enormous pillarsdescend to the ground. Theirsharp edges scraped theground as they started slid-ing toward him. He stumbled,and one of them rammedright into him. It scooped himup into the air. Suddenly, herealized what was happen-ing. He was being taken, andwas off to wherever it was theChosen Ones went!

He turned his head, andimmediately glee turned todismay. He was headed for adark cave lined with giganticwhite boulders above and be-low. It seemed ready to smashclosed at any second. Thetruth lay before him. Beingchosen was not a good thing,nor was “the Guy.” Pete thePea looked down at the greenoutlines of the lucky otherpeas, who, unlike him, weregoing to live for another dayand meal.


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Creative Arts Creative Arts Creative Arts Creative Arts Creative ArtsLove in Many Forms

By Stephanie Mangiameli

The delicious aroma filledmy body as I ran into thekitchen. “Mom, are they doneyet? I’ve been waiting for likean hour for them to be fin-ished!” I shouted impatientlyto my mother.

“No, Stephanie, first helpme put some M&M’s on top ofthe brownies,” my motherstated as she placed a tray ofthem on the table. I rapidlygrabbed a handful of M&M’sand urged them into thefreshly baked, warm, softchocolate-chip brownies asfast as I could.

We started creating smi-ley faces on the brownieswith the candy, presentingdifferent emotions on eachone. My mom and I alwaysdecorate brownies before

each Christmas for the wholefamily when they come over.Making brownies with mymom is one of the only bond-ing times we have with each

other and it really means alot to me to know that she en-joys making brownies just asmuch as I do. I set my fa-

Autumn in the SummerBy Joseph Ertle

I popped open the sealedMason jar. The trapped cin-namon smell escaped andoverwhelmed my nose. I had-n’t smelled anything thisgood since I put the mulledapple cider jelly in this veryjar.

Steam hung on the oldwindows so you couldn’t seethe beautiful lake. The vaporthat covered the room trick-led out of the huge metal poton the stove. My Grandmabustled around the kitchenand furiously stirred thecontents of the great tub. Icarefully measured out thegelling mixture, pectin.

Cinnamon, cloves, andgelling powder lay spreadout on the rickety table, butwe were missing an ingredi-ent. “Joseph, can you get thelemon?” my Grandma calledout. Thankful for an excuseto open the fridge and absorbthe cool air, I walked overand rummaged through theshelves. “Hey Grandma,where is it?” “The lemon ison the bottom shelf, left cor-ner,” she replied. I continuedmy search but still, no luck.“Wait a second. We could usethese!” my Grandma said asshe held up the yellow box oflemonheads.

I bent over the boiling potand poured in the last “se-cret ingredient.” Theselemonheads were the substi-tute for the missing sourfruit. The gooey mixturebubbled and frothed. Thesmell made me reminisce of

fall, but it was the summer. Ihad tasted this jelly so manytimes, but soon it would beour own special concoction.

After the familiar popsound told us the jelly jar wassealed, we rested on theporch with a glass of coldcider each. After all, makingjelly isn’t easy. To this daywhen I have a piece of toastwith cider jelly, I smell fall,but I think of summer in thekitchen with my Grandma.

See Forms, page 24

vorite color M&M,red, on a brownieand my momplaced her favoritecolor, blue, on thesame one. Then, wecreated a face withthree eyes and no

mouth. My mom laughed,picked up two glasses of milk,and sat down next to me.

She gave me a plate full ofdelicious, hot, mouth-water-ing chocolate smiley facedbrownies on the table in frontof us. I guess neither one of uswere in the mood to create asad face. We observed as theblue and red M&M’s slowlymelted together into a purplepuddle from the warmth ofthe brownie. I knew this mayjust be the best brownie wehad ever made together.

Each December, for the past 15 years, the Central Connecticut Aquatics Team (CCAT)has hosted its annual Swim for Hunger Meet at Wesleyan University in Middletown tocollect food and hygiene items for food banks. This year, the CCAT team’s meet had anew focus: American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Swim for our Troops Invita-tional was held at Wesleyan University Dec. 17-19. Items were donated to The ShorelineCommunity Women’s Soldier Box Project, who will box the items into 20-pound pack-ages per soldier, and mail to our troops. Many of these boxes will be distributed to Con-necticut soldiers. Due to the generous donation of items, approximately 500-700 boxeswill be sent to brighten the lives of our troops. Photo submitted by Heidi Hajna


Forms(From page 23)

every day.”

The folks from Holy Joe’sCafé are trying to get theword out about this uniqueprogram; much is donated,but checks help purchasecoffee in bulk to be sent overto the troops. Anyone whowishes to donate can sendeither coffee or checks toFirst CongregationalChurch, 23 South Main St.,Wallingford, CT 06492. Thephone number for HolyJoe’s Café is 888-970-7994 oryou can check out the web-site at www.holyjoescafe.org for more info.

Holy Joe’s (Continued from page 3)

Above, single cups are a treat in war zones. Below, co-ordinator Thomas Jastermsky flanked by two packersfrom Cooper Atkins in Middlefield.

When the temperature drops below 20 degrees,Brewster students stay inside during recess. Thisweek Mrs. Archer’s second grade boys came upwith a creative way to spend their recess time.Check out the cool design that they created withtheir shape blocks. Pictured are Logan Willett,Cameron Neville, Ryan Frier, Michael Malek, JohnVumback, Michael Andrews, Michael Garofalo andNicholas Planeta. Photos submitted by Patti Checko

The hospitality committeeof the Stong School par-ents’ group provided alovely staff luncheon be-fore the holidays. JoanneBadin hosted and broughtbeautiful decorationsfrom home to provide awinter wonderland. All themembers of the commit-tee baked or cooked amost delicious lunch forthe staff.

Above, Joanne Badin and Anne Figoras setting outthe meal; right, principal Scott Nicol getting ready toenjoy the feast; and below, Valerie Leeds, Ryan Do-necker, Nancy Earls and Dr. McCarthy in the (back-ground) at the festively set tables.

Photos by Karen Kean

Strong School holiday luncheon enjoyed by staff

More goodies for the troops

12-31-2010towntimes

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