A hearty band of Kendalites fought their way through the icy winter’s evening (okay, they were in the Kendal van, but, hey, it was still an adventure) to see the beauty of the traditional lights at the Untermyer Gardens.
Friday, January 5 between 1 and 4 pm, Art Studio (C Level, Mary Powell)
Kendal Residents and Staff: Bring original art to the Art Studio
Label each piece with:
Artist’s name
Title of piece submitted
Medium
Artist’s apartment number (residents) or Title (staff)
Phone number
Monday, January 8, Art Studio between 10 and noon
Submissions will be returned. Please pick-up your work.
Selected works for the show will be ID'd and photographed.
Friday, January 26, Art Studio, by noontime
Return artwork selected for the show.
Wednesday, January 31, Rue des Artists
The Kendal Winter Art Show opens!
Can't get your art to the Art Studio on the designated day and time?
The Curators can accommodate you!
Have questions?
Contact the curators:
- Peter Sibley, cubby 2112, X 1850, one50e37@gmail.com
- Birgitta Hockstader, cubby 3213, X 1599, geets34@aol.com
This is what it looks like underneath a breaking wave.
Contributed by Barbara Bruno
Contributed by Barbara Bruno
Contributed by Jane Hart
Contributed by Donald Butt
This is the day the understudies show up, in case one of the reindeer calls in sick
For Doug and Jeff, it was all about plumage
Clover's science project was impressive
Firth built Dorian a treehouse to celebrate the winter solstice
Even in high school, Midas irritated everyone by calling himself, Golden Boy
Two Worlds
From the darkness of the outer world
Chaos
Terror
War
Jagged geometric shapes
Shrill sounds
To the lightness of my inner world
Peace
Calm
Beauty
Soothing sounds
Creating art
Soft organic shapes
May I be safe healthy healed protected happy strong content
May the world be
May I feel my inner beauty
May the world be touched by my beautiful work
December 25: National Pumpkin Pie Day
National Pumpkin Pie Day celebrates the humble pumpkin pie, a national favorite in the US. The main season for eating pumpkin pie begins with the fall harvest and Halloween, travels on to Thanksgiving, and ends with Christmas, on what just happens to be National Pumpkin Pie Day. It is unclear why the holiday takes place when it does, but perhaps it’s just to give everyone one last chance to enjoy pumpkin pie before the new year.
People worldwide think of the pumpkin as a gourd used for savory dishes such as soups or pasta. But pumpkin is also delicious when doctored up to be eaten as a dessert. Pumpkin pie consists of a pumpkin filling that is a sweet, orange-to-brown pumpkin-based custard, made with fresh or canned pumpkin or a packaged pumpkin pie filling. It is commonly flavored with spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger. Packaged pumpkin filling usually already has these spices in it. Pumpkin pie shells tend to be flaky, and usually don't have a top crust.
Pumpkins are native to the Americas. They were brought back to Europe by explorers in the 16th century and began to be cultivated there. Some of the Pilgrims who came to America in 1620 may have already been familiar with pumpkins, but if not, some form of pumpkin food was served at the harvest celebration the following year, and they would have learned of them then.
There were many types of early pumpkin pies. In a 1653 French cookbook, pumpkin pie was made by boiling pumpkin in milk and straining it, and then placing it in a crust. In 1670, Hannah Wooley’s Gentlewoman’s Companion called for alternating layers of apple and pumpkin, sweet marjoram, spiced rosemary, and thyme. An early New England recipe used no crust but instead used a hollowed-out pumpkin as a base. It had spiced sweetened milk and was cooked in a fire. Amelia Simmons’ American Cookery, first printed in 1796, had a pumpkin pie recipe similar to the popular custard version of today. It was called pompkin pudding.
The popularity of pumpkin pie rose in the early 18th century, coinciding with the rise in the celebration of Thanksgiving. The holiday and the pie were well-received in New England, but pumpkin pie was mainly a localized food until after the Civil War. As the debate over slavery heated up in the mid-19th century, many abolitionists from New England wrote about and referenced the food in books and other types of media. After President Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving as an official national holiday in 1863, many southerners saw both the holiday and the foods associated with it, such as pumpkin pie, as being forced on them. Southern leaders did not embrace Thanksgiving until after Reconstruction. As the holiday took hold country-wide, enjoyment of pumpkin pie spread with it.
Pumpkin pie has inspired countless pumpkin-pie flavored foods, including candy, beer, ice cream, and more. Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte has especially been popular in recent years. Today we celebrate the pumpkin pie, as well as those foods that are flavored like it.
December 26: National Candy Cane Day
Popular during the holiday season, the candy cane receives its due today: National Candy Cane Day. The cane-shaped hard candy is usually peppermint flavored. Known far and wide as white with red stripes — or is it red with white stripes? — it can actually be found in a variety of flavors and colors.
A lot of folklore surrounds candy cane. Some say it was invented by priests in the 1400s, and was originally straight and solid-white in color. A popular legend claims that a choirmaster at the Cologne Cathedral in Cologne, Germany, bent straight sugar sticks into the shape of shepherd's staffs, and handed them out to children at living nativity services on Christmas Eve in 1670. There is a belief that candy canes then spread from Germany to the rest of Europe, where they were handed out at other nativity plays, leading to their association with Christmas. Another story says that in 1847 a German-Swedish immigrant named August Imgard of Wooster, Ohio, asked a candy maker to add a crook to the canes to justify giving candy to children during worship services, to remind them of the shepherds who visited the baby Jesus. Imgard is also sometimes credited as being the first to put candy canes on trees.
Despite all the legends, here is what’s known for sure about candy canes. The first recorded evidence of stick candy dates to 1837. A recipe for straight peppermint candy sticks dates to 1844, and candy canes are mentioned in a book in 1866. Their earliest verified association with Christmas is 1874, and they’ve been hung on trees since at least 1882. Candy canes with red stripes first came about in the early 1900s. Postcards before that time show only white colored candy canes. First made by hand, patent machines for making candy canes date to the early 1900s.
There are actually a number of benefits associated with candy canes. Made from water, peppermint oil, and sugar, they can serve as a mood booster, as well as aiding digestion and helping with bad breath. Plus, of course, they come with their own handle.
December 27: Make Cut Out Snowflakes Day
You can’t have a white Christmas without snow, and that means snowflakes. In our earliest school years, a favorite activity — one that many families shared as a holiday project, too — was cutting out snowflakes. The end result was paper snowflakes of myriad design (and probably a host of tiny paper shards all over the floor).
What most people don’t recognize about this seemingly simple art is that it is actually an ancient one: the traditional Japanese art-form of Origami — which began in the 17th century — and, specifically, a variation known as Kirigami. The difference is in the cutting. Both snowflake and Kirigami start the same way, involving the intricate folding of a piece of paper into a desired shape. That’s also where it ends. In Kirigami, once you create your folding, you then unfold it and place carefully make cuts in the desired place. In snowflake cutting, you typically cut the piece while it is still folded, and then unfold it to reveal the desired shape.
Make Cut-Out Snowflakes Day encourages us to set out to create snowflakes that will persist long after the last crystal of ice has melted into water as the seasons change. There’s no denying that the unique design of each snowflake is beautiful. One can create either a single piece, or fold the paper in accordion style and create a string of elaborately cut snowflakes.
Whether it is detailed or basic, Make Cut Out Snowflake Day is a timeless tradition that a lot of us have grown up with. It is a fantastic way to channel your creativity and remember what it felt like to work with scissors and art supplies as a kid. It’s a great way to entertain visiting grandchildren, too. Just lay a sheet down under their workplace. At the end, just gather up the sheet, then hold it over the trash — and dump. And once you and your family have completed your snowflake projects, you can write your name on them or color them in for a unique and personalized touch. Then all you need to do is hang them from the ceiling or on a window — or wherever else you like — as a blizzard of snowflakes.
December 28: National Download Day
Brace yourselves! Today is all about apps. You know, those helpful — often maddening —computer “applications” that provide a specific function — from games to finance. Why the focus on December 28? Seems that at holiday time oodles of Americans get oodles of smartphones as gifts — and immediately start downloading old and reliable, as well as new, apps to “broaden their horizons.” According to surveys, 73% of new-phone folks planned to download apps on this day; 67% of them planned to download mobile games. In all, 87% of all smartphone users download more than 3 apps a year — most downloaded between Christmas and New Year’s Day. So Happy Download Day!
An “app” is short for “software application,” which is a type of computer program. Today an app usually refers to those used on mobile devices, but it initially referred to those on desktop computers, as well. Apps became common on cell phones after phones were equipped with internet capability, touchscreens, and processing chips. They gained prominence with the release of Apple’s iPhone in 2007. The Apple OS 2.0, released in 2008, had about 500 apps. The American Dialect Society made “app” their word of the year in 2010, and the popularity of apps continued to increase from there on out. Today there are about 2 million apps on the Android and Apple platforms, and thousands of new apps come out every day. Apps have changed how we live, transforming both work and leisure.
There are 3 types of apps: web apps, native apps, and hybrid apps. Web apps use mobile web browsers instead of being located directly on mobile devices. Native apps have a special source code, are geared for a specific mobile platform, and are thus used only on certain devices. Hybrid apps have characteristics of both of the other two types of apps.
Early apps focused on organization assistance, such as email, calendar, and contact databases. Apps today are commonly used for communication; to access music, films, and books; for travel, assisting with finding food and transportation; to play games; and to help with organization and other tasks at job. They are usually downloaded from a distribution platform — an app store — operated by the owner of the mobile operating system they are used on, such as App Store (iOS) for Apple or Google Play Store for Android. There are independent app stores as well, such as Cydia, GetJar, and F-Droid. Some apps are free, while others must be paid for.
All kinds of apps from various app stores are downloaded today on National Download Day! Have a ball! And Happy Apping!
December 29: Tick Tock Day
Well — look fast — there goes 2023! Unfortunately, the clock is ticking, the hours are racing by. The past increases, the future recedes. Possibilities decrease, regrets mount. Tick . . . Tock . . . Tick . . . Tock . . . This is the sound of the year slowly slipping away. Every moment not spent living life to the fullest is another moment that is gone forever, impossible to reclaim. Yow!
Tick Tock Day reminds you that the year is almost at an end — and there are things still left to be doing! It enables you to start the following year with a clear head. Maybe you’ve wanted to clean up your home, or you’ve got to figure out your plans for New Year’s Day. Whatever the task, Tick Tock Day is a reminder that there are only two more days left of the year, so get to it! Do you really want to carry your clutter and disorganization into another calendar year? (If your answer is, “Yeah, sure, why not?” skip to December 30. Fair’s fair.) There is something quite therapeutic about having a couple of ultra-productive days before January hits.
Thomas Roy an American film, television, and voiceover actor was the creator of Tick Tock Day together with his wife Ruth Roy. The couple has also come up with over 80 other special days, all on the “Chase’s Calendar of Events.”
December 30: Bacon Day
Bacon mania has swept the US and Canada since the late 1990s, where there’s been a great increase in the amount of bacon being eaten and in the amount of new bacon recipes, as well. The high sodium and nitrate content of bacon that lower its health benefits has not seemed to slow down the bacon craze much. Admittedly, there are very few things in this world that don’t taste better when paired with a bit of bacon. Whether it’s chocolate-covered bacon from the candy shop, bacon cheeseburgers, bacon-wrapped tater tots, or even bacon-flavored chapstick (yeah, it’s a thing), it’s hard to deny that bacon is a delicious tasty treat that has truly gotten its fingers into almost everything!
So, what’s the story of bacon? Bacon is a popular treat cut from the meat of a pig. In the US, bacon refers to meat from the belly of the pig, known as the pork belly. Bacon from the loin is called Canadian bacon. To make bacon, the pork is cured using salt, then dried, boiled, or smoked. The smoking of bacon is often done with hickory, mesquite, or maple wood, and flavors such as brown sugar or maple may be added. More often than not, bacon is pan-fried. It’s popular as a breakfast food, in sandwiches like the BLT or club sandwich, as a complement to salads, and in wrapping other foods.
The origins of Bacon stretch back into the middle ages, with the name of this delicious meat originating in Middle English from the word Bacoun. Following it back, it can be found in France as Bako, Germany as Bakko, and even in old Teutonic as Backe. All of these words mean “back,” and what does that reveal about bacon? That’s right. It’s made from the back of the pig! Although it wasn’t always just the back meat that was referred to as Bacon. At one time the word referenced any kind of preserved pork, however that usage fell out of practice in the 17th Century.
With a long and delicious history, making bacon has been a popular method of preserving meat and adding a certain flavor to it by soaking it in a specialized brine. In fact, there were even certain breeds of pigs that were specially bred for their copious back meat, including breeds such as Yorkshire and Tamworth.
December 31: Make Up Your Mind Day
Make Up Your Mind Day just goes to show that there really is a day for everything. This one is aimed at those who may be just a little (or a lot) indecisive. This is the one day when choices must be made. No excuses, no procrastination, no ands, ifs or buts — this day is your chance to stop putting things off and get things done. And what a better day to do this than New Year’s Eve, when you’re standing on the brink of a whole New Year and perhaps wondering what you could do to make it your own?
While it may seem a little scary at first, especially to those unaccustomed to being decisive, the ultimate goal is to take control of your life by making a decision and sticking with it. It’s celebrated by being brave and taking chances, and by learning something new about yourself along the way.
On December 31 every year, people across the US observe Make Up Your Mind Day, deciding on some important resolutions for the coming year. It is an important day to encourage people to review their goals, achievements, and progress, and then come up with better strategies for achieving them in the new year. By formally making a set of resolutions on this day, people are more likely to stay committed to them throughout the year.
In the 1700s, English cleric John Wesley founded the Covenant Renewal Service, which was held every year on New Year’s Eve. People sang hymns and prayed instead of the traditional frolicking celebrations that were held during New Year’s Eve. This tradition is still followed by many Baptist and African American Protestant churches. In recent times, instead of making any major spiritual promises to God, people make small — sometimes large — life decisions on New Year’s Eve. A recent research study reported that out of the 45% of Americans that make resolutions, only 8% do not renege. So start, ya know, making up your mind!
And thus ends the Res Web section known as “Special Observances.” We done run the gamut from the ridiculous to the sublime. And exhausted the subject (along with the writer). What next?! If you have suggestions, send them to kohresweb@gmail.com. Always interested in new input — with no promise to act upon it. But, hey, ya never know.
Lillian Hess’ apartment is ready for a classic Danish Christmas
Each year for — well, like forever — Barbara Bettigole and family have celebrated Hanukkah with a family party— with latkes and all the fixings — chez Barbara, even when that “chez” turned into Kendal. This year, Barbara was all ready with the potatoes, the onions, and all the rest. Her back, however, decided not to cooperate. But nothin’ stops a Bettigole. The family stepped up to the plate — latkes and all — and Barbara and great grandchildren led the clan Bettigole parade to the annual Hannukah party in the PDR.
The Bettigole parade to the annual Bettigole Hanukkah party
Gettin’ ready to party hearty
Bright eyes of the next Bettigole generation
Photo by Harry Bloomfeld
Recently, 11 Kendalites visited the “Women Dressing Women” exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Met’s fall 2023 Costume Institute’s explores the creativity and artistic legacy of women fashion designers from its permanent collection, tracing a lineage of makers from the turn of the 20th century to the present day by highlighting celebrated designers, new voices, and forgotten histories alike.
Q: What falls but never gets hurt?
A: Snow
Q: Why is snow different from Sunday?
A: Snow can fall any day of the week.
Q: Why is the ocean like plum pudding?
A: They both contain “currants.”
Q: Which is faster, heat or cold?
A: Heat must be, because you can catch a cold.
Q: When is a ship like a huge pile of snow?
A: When it is adrift.
Q: What does everybody do at the same time?
A: Grow older.
Well, maybe that last one isn’t exactly seasonal.
Contributed by Greg Lozier
This is what a Lenticular cloud over Mount Fuji looks like.
Contributed by Simone
Contributed by Donald Butt
My Legacy
Creating art
My primary activity in life
I celebrate my identity
Life and art merge
Nature has a voice
I hear the sound of birds
Feel the texture of the leaves
Hear the rustle of the wind
See imperfectly shaped leaves
organic shapes
golden ginkgo leaves
Curiosity aroused
I slow down
My passion for creative expression is ignited
Experiment with art making
Inspired by organic shapes
texture of ferns
Color of the leaves
Sounds like birds
Create artist books
I utilize handmade paper
Calligraphy
Layers of collage
Interweave words into poetry
Create beauty out of imperfection
I reuse collage elements
Each piece of creativity is used
I give physical form
To creative ideas
Nature and art merge
Create captivating visual and tactile artist books
I spread ideas through art
Share work with the world
Connect with
Impact others
Create a feeling of joy
My legacy to the future
Next year's Taylor Swift contender has already started building her fan base
Celeste was a genius at training badly needed new staff
Missy wished her human caregiver would stop buying Chic and Trendy cat garments
Dunxan's new after-shave was bringing him unwanted attention
Preston family dinner were rarely relaxed
Art and photos by Jane Hart
December 18: Flake Appreciation Day
Flake Appreciation Day is a special US holiday to show appreciation for snowflakes. Really, now, how often do snowflakes get appreciation? Think it’s easy to fall all that distance? Think it’s fun? Go to all that trouble to make the winter landscape beautiful and what does the rest of the world do? It walks all over you. A Flake Appreciation Day is long overdue!
Snowflakes are beautiful, unique, and naturally occurring. They are created when water vapor in clouds freezes around dust particles due to humidity. There are 35 different categories of snowflakes, each with in complex shapes and sizes. As with human fingerprints, no 2 snowflakes are exactly alike.
Snowflakes have different numbers of water molecules, and it is these molecules which cause them to form a crystal pattern. A six-sided crystal snowflake is most common, but flat or thin needle-shaped flakes also form. Snowflakes have different amounts of oxygen and hydrogen, which also affects their shape. Although they are made of clear ice, they appear white because of diffuse reflection. Snowflakes can be studied by putting a chemical compound on a glass plate and waiting for a flake to land on it. Once one lands, the compound covers it and hardens. After the flake melts it leaves behind its shape.
Wilson Bentley was an important person in snowflake history. Born in Vermont, in 1865, Bentley used photomicrography — a type of photography that uses microscopes — to capture the images of 5,000 snowflakes. He found none were exactly alike and published articles and books of his findings. He also donated some of his photographs to the Smithsonian Institution. By the time of his death in 1931, he was known as the world’s leading snowflake expert and as “The Snowflake Man.”
A favorite of young and old alike, National Hard Candy Day recognizes the sweet tooth in all of us. Hard candy consists almost entirely of sugar. It is made by boiling sugar-based syrups — such as fructose, sucrose, and glucose — to about 320°F. After being removed from the heat, flavorings and dyes may be added, and the syrup is often poured into a mold to cool. When it has cooled off a bit, but is still pliable, it can be formed into a desired shape. After fully cooling — voila! — hard candy.
Many hard candies are lozenge shaped, and the flavor of hard candy lasts until the candy has completely melted in your mouth. Some popular hard candies include butterscotch, made primarily with brown sugar and butter; candy buttons, a hard candy attached to strips of paper; gobstoppers or jawbreakers; Jolly Ranchers; Life Savers; stick candy; Sweethearts, heart shaped candy popular around Valentines Day; lollipops; and candy cane and ribbon candy, popular near the holidays. In 2015, Jolly Rancher surpassed Werther's Original as the best-selling hard candy. Other popular hard candies brands include Dum Dum Pops, Life Savers, Tootsie Roll Pops, and Charms Blow Pop.
Hard candy became popular in the 17th century as sugar prices fell. Previously, hard candy was something that only the well-to-do could afford. By the mid-1800s, over 400 companies were manufacturing this popular treat. Today we consider hard candies a treat. However, the first of the ilk, such as lemon drops and peppermints, were likely prescribed as a remedy for stomach ailments.
Although most hard candy is full of sugar, there are some sugar-free varieties as well, which are made from substances such as isomalt, aspartame, saccharin, and xylitol.
On July 12, 2012, See’s Candies Lollypop Factory created the largest lollipop. It measured 4 feet 8.75 inches long and 3 feet 6 inches wide and 5 feet 11 inches high without the stick. The stick alone measured 11 feet 10 inches tall. As for candy canes, A. Fabiano's Chocolates and Ice Cream set the record on December 5, 1998, in Lansing, MI. The candy cane measured 36 feet 7 inches long and 4 inches in diameter. Hang that on your tree!
December 20: Poet Laureat Day
Ever since this date in 1985, the US has had an official position called Poet Laureate. A poet laureate is a poet who is officially appointed by a government to write poems for special events. It’s been a thing since the 1300s, and governments worldwide — large and small — have responded. The Poet is a Laureat because, originally, honored poets were “crowned” with a wreath of laurels, as was done for heros in Ancient Greece.
There are at least 18 nations who designate a poet laureat, including Canada, the Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, India, the Netherlands, New Zealand, North Korea, Serbia, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. Several parts-of-nations — states, counties, cities — also name official poets laureates
Currently, American poets laureate receive a $60,000 stipend. This was originally meant to provide a nice standard of living, to remove the cares and worries about making money, so that the poet could devote all of his or her time to writing poetry. However, the stipend was never adjusted for inflation; now it’s just a bonus, and poets laureate almost always get the bulk of their salaries from teaching at universities.
In the US, poets laureates have unusual “duties,” including overseeing a series of poetry readings at the Library of Congress and generally promoting poetry. The duties are unusual because American poets laureate are not required to write poems for events and patriotic holidays, which is the traditional poet laureate role. (They sometimes are moved to do so, however.)
At least 13 US states have poets laureate. In 1985, New York established a state poet laureate position, which is currently held by Patricia Spears Jones, who was appointed to a 2-year term in 2023. Spears Jones is the author of 5 collections of poetry. She has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the Jackson Poetry Prize, fellowships and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, and the New York Foundation for the Arts.
The US Poet Laureat is appointed by the Librarian of Congress. In July 12, 2022, Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden appointed Ada Limón as the 24th Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress and reappointed her for a historic 2-year second term on April 24, 2023. Limón’s 2nd term began in September 2023 and will conclude in April 2025. Ada Limón was born in Sonoma, California, in 1976, of Mexican ancestry. She is the author of 6 poetry collections. She earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from New York University and is the recipient of fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the New York Foundation for the Arts, the Provincetown Fine Arts Work Center, and the Kentucky Foundation for Women.
December 21: Crossword Puzzle Day
Sharpen your pencils and your minds, all in one go, on National Crossword Puzzle Day, commemorating the birth of the challenging word game enjoyed by millions wordwide. These amazing word twisters allow you to both expand your vocabulary and your problem-solving skills. There’s nothing like a crossword to start the day with your morning coffee, something to get the old gears going.
The phrase “cross word puzzle” was first written in the US in 1862 by Our Young Folks magazine. Crossword-like puzzles, for example “Double Diamond Puzzles,” appeared in the magazine St. Nicholas since 1873. Another crossword puzzle appeared on September 14, 1890, in the Italian magazine Il Secolo Illustrato della Domenica. It was designed by Giuseppe Airoldi and titled “Per passare il tempo” (“To pass the time”). Airoldi’s puzzle was a 4-by-4 grid with no shaded squares; it included horizontal and vertical clues. Crosswords in England during the 19th century were of an elementary kind, apparently derived from the word square, a group of words arranged so the letters read alike vertically and horizontally, and printed in children’s puzzle books and various periodicals.
On December 21, 1913, Arthur Wynne, a journalist born in Liverpool, England, published a “word-cross” puzzle in the New York World that embodied most of the features of the modern genre. This puzzle is frequently cited as the first crossword puzzle, and Wynne as the inventor. An illustrator later reversed the “word-cross” name to “cross-word.” The term crossword first appeared in the Oxford English Dictionary in 1933.
Crossword puzzles became a regular weekly feature in the New York World, and spread to other newspapers. The Pittsburgh Press, for example, was publishing them at least as early as 1916, and The Boston Globe by 1917. By the 1920s, the crossword phenomenon was starting to attract notice. The first book of crossword puzzles was published by Simon & Schuster in 1924, after a suggestion from co-founder Richard Simon’s aunt. Initially skeptical that the book would succeed, the publisher only printed a small run at first. The book included a pencil and was an instant hit, leading crossword puzzles to become a craze of 1924. To help promote its books, Simon & Schuster also founded the Amateur Cross Word Puzzle League of America, which began the process of developing standards for puzzle design.
In The New Yorker’s inaugural issue, in 1925, the “Jottings About Town” section observed, “Judging from the number of solvers in the subway and ‘L’ trains, the crossword puzzle bids fair to become a fad with New Yorkers.” The same year, the New York Public Library reported that “The latest craze to strike libraries is the crossword puzzle,” and complained that when “the puzzle ‘fans’ swarm to the dictionaries and encyclopedias so as to drive away readers and students who need these books in their daily work, can there be any doubt of the Library’s duty to protect its legitimate readers?” A 1924 New York Times editorial complained of the “sinful waste in the utterly futile finding of words the letters of which will fit into a prearranged pattern, more or less complex.” A clergyman called the working of crossword puzzles “the mark of a childish mentality” and added, “There is no use for persons to pretend that working one of the puzzles carries any intellectual value with it.”
However, by 1925, 9 Manhattan dailies and 14 other big newspapers were carrying crosswords, and quoted opposing views as to whether “This crossword craze will positively end by June!” or “The crossword puzzle is here to stay!” The New York Times finally finally ended its criticism of crossword puzzles and began to publish its own on 15 February 1942, spurred on by the idea that the puzzle could be a welcome distraction from the harsh news of World War II.
The British cryptic crossword was imported to the US in 1968 by composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim in New York magazine. A cryptic crossword is a crossword puzzle in which each clue is itself a word puzzle. Until 2006, The Atlantic Monthly regularly featured a cryptic crossword “puzzler.”
Many tout the benefits of crossword puzzles. Not only are they fun, but challenging crossword puzzles may help delay the effects of dementia or sharpen the brain for problem-solving. They can also increase vocabulary and even relieve the mind from the day’s stress by focusing on something other than worldly problems.
December 22: National Date Nut Bread Day
On National Date Nut Bread Day, we celebrate the healthy, wholesome, and flavorful bread enjoyed for breakfast, snack time, and as a dessert.
Date nut bread is pretty much self-explanatory: dates and nuts — such as walnuts and pecans — are thrown into the mix and baked to perfection. Dates, or date palms, have been cultivated in the Middle East and Indus Valley since as early as 4,000 BC, and probably originated around Iraq. Dates spread to South West Asia, northern Africa, and Spain through trade, and were brought to Mexico and California by the Spaniards in 1765. There are 3 variations of dates: soft, dry, and semi-dry. Dates provide essential nutrients and are an excellent source of dietary potassium. In ripe dates, the sugar content is about 80% of the fruit. The remainder of the date consists of protein, fiber, and trace elements of boron, cobalt, copper, fluorine, magnesium, manganese, selenium, and zinc. Many nuts are also good sources of vitamins E and B2. And they are rich in protein, folate fiber, and essential minerals such as magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, copper, and selenium. Several studies have shown that those who consume nuts on a regular basis are less likely to suffer from coronary heart disease.
One type of date nut bread — date and walnut loaf — is traditionally eaten in Britain along with a cup of tea. The loaf is made with treacle (a sugary syrup), along with dates and walnuts. It is also popular in Scotland, Australia, and New Zealand.
In the US, date nut bread is also popular, especially around the holidays. One reason that National Date Nut Days takes place on December 22 is likely because it is close to the holiday season.
Printed recipes for date nut bread go back as far as the 1920s, but bread baked with fruit was eaten in various parts of the world long before that. It is widely believed that date nut bread was originally baked and first became popular in England. Date nut bread is packed with flavor and nutritious ingredients, without being overwhelmingly sweet. For an added punch, cheese frosting is often used as a topping or filling.
December 23: National Roots Day
Your family roots are one of the components that helped shape you into who you are today. It’s possible that relatives from centuries ago possessed values that they passed to their children, that continued down the line, that you count as your own values today. Similarly, choices that they made, such as where to move to, might have influenced where you were born. The roots closest to you, your parents and grandparents, likely have had the biggest impact on your life, and if you have children of your own, you are the roots that will have the largest impact on them. On National Roots Day, a day set aside in recognition of family heritage, we celebrate our roots, and learn about our ancestors and from them.
Appropriately, National Roots Day takes place during the time referred to as the holiday season, when relatives — siblings, parents, aunts and uncles, grandparents, adult children, and grandchildren — spend much of their time together, like a living family tree. Gather photos — and get them labeled before memories fade. Names, places, and dates become fuzzy after a decade or 2. Strive to involve every generation. Share struggles and accomplishments. Document stories from one generation to another. Each generation is made up of the previous generation’s efforts, travels, failures, and successes.
You may need to do some research on your own to gain a more complete understanding of your family heritage. You may find yourself poring over documents in a local library, historical society, or courthouse, or spending time on newspaper databases or genealogical websites such as Ancestry. You may ask yourself and find answers to questions like: Who were these people? How did they get here? What did they do for work? What were their successes and failures? You may even come across striking stories and fascinating events about an individual in your family or you may find out that you are related to someone of historical importance. The fruits of your labor on National Roots Day may be something intangible — like inspiration from those who came before you — or may be tangible, like a new genealogy account of your family. At the very least, through exploration and investigation, you’ll come to a better understanding of your roots.
December 24: National Eggnog Day
Eggnog — also known as egg nog or egg-nog, and milk punch or egg milk punch when alcohol is added — is usually made with milk, cream, sugar, and whipped eggs. It can be homemade or purchased at the store, and distilled spirits such as rum, brandy, whiskey, and bourbon are often added. Homemade recipes vary, and since they often use raw eggs, there is a concern that the eggs may contain salmonella, which may lead to food poisoning. The commercial variety usually contains less cream and eggs than the homemade version, and thickeners such as gelatin are used instead. Eggnog is often topped with cinnamon and nutmeg, and is sometimes topped with whipped cream, chocolate shavings, or a vanilla pod. Popular in the US during the holiday season — from Thanksgiving until the new year — it is usually served cold, but can be served warm. It can also be added to other drinks such as coffee.
The history of eggnog is debated, but the drink seems to have come from a British drink called posset, which was popular from medieval times until the 19th century. It consisted of hot milk with wine or ale; eggs were sometimes added. As it used expensive ingredients, it was popular with the rich, and they often used the drink in toasts.
Photo by Art Brady
November 26 was a red-letter day in so many ways. Yes, Nancy Gibbs came to speak to us about the 2024 election, but that wasn’t all. Her mother — and Kendalite — Janet Gibbs celebrated her 100th birthday that day, as well. And there was cake and singing and all kinds of celebrating to prove it! Happy Birthday, Janet!
Photos by Art Brady
German Conversation regulars celebrated the holiday season with some good old-fashioned German fare, or, as we say in German (or maybe not): Deutsche Spezialitäten
Schmeckt gut!
Radient “Arms”
Photos by Edward Kasinec
On December 6, a dozen Kendalites boarded the van for a docent-led tour of The William Louis-Dreyfus Foundation Art Collection. Included in the collection is the sculpture of Raymond Mason. A British sculptor, Mason’s work is rooted in a lifelong and sympathetic recording of people, faces, crowds, and the places in which he lived. The sculpture pictured here is a street scene following an explosion in a coal mine. (The figures are approximately 12” high.)
Photos by Harry Bloomfeld
You Are Invited:
SSAFE OPEN FORUM
Tuesday, December 12, 2:30 pm
Gathering Room
Kendalites (from Hanover and Oberlin) Mary Burton and Ted Wolner, the Co-chairs of Senior Stewards Acting for the Environment (SSAFE), are coming to Kendal on Hudson to inform us about the organization and its vital work. SSAFE is a 501 c3 organization that connects Kendal residents from across the country to share research, case studies, and strategies to move us toward a more sustainable future.
ALL ARE WELCOME!
Ted and Mary are also inviting residents to share breakfast, lunch or dinner with them in the Bistro on December 11 or 12. Come on down!
Want to know more about SSAFE? Click below for their website:
Have questions? Want more information? Contact:
Betsy Ungar, sweetjorja@gmail.com,
Anne White, awhitepho@gmail.com
Puns for Educated Minds . . .
1. Two hats were hanging on a hat rack in the hallway. One hat said to the other: “You stay here; I'll go on a head.”
2. I wondered why the baseball kept getting bigger. Then it hit me.
3. A sign on the lawn at a drug rehab center said: Keep off the Grass.
4. The soldier who survived mustard gas and pepper spray is now a seasoned veteran.
5. A backward poet writes inverse.
6. In a democracy it’s your vote that counts. In feudalism it’s your Count that votes.
7. When cannibals ate a missionary, they got a taste of religion.
8. If you jumped off the bridge in Paris, you’d be in Seine.
9. A vulture boards an airplane, carrying two dead raccoons. The stewardess looks at him and says, I’m sorry, sir, only one carrion allowed per passenger.
10. Two fish swim into a concrete wall. One turns to the other and says, “Dam!”
11. Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, so they lit a fire in the craft. Unsurprisingly it sank, proving once again that you can’t have your kayak and heat it too.
12. Two hydrogen atoms meet. One says, “I’ve lost my electron.” The other asks, “Are you sure?” The first replies, “Yes, I’m positive.”
13. Did you hear about the Buddhist who refused Novocain during a root canal? His goal: transcend dental medication.
14. There was the person who sent ten puns to friends, with the hope that at least one of the puns would make them laugh. No pun in ten did.
Contributed by Mimi Abramovitz
On December 6, the Bell Ringers of Kendal on Hudson rang in the Holiday Season under the direction of Eiko Cornelius and for the enjoyment of all Kendalites.
Photos by Art Brady
1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Holiday spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they're serving rum balls.
2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly; it's rare. You cannot find it any other time of year but now. So, drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you’re going to turn into an eggnog-alcoholic or something. It’s a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two. It’s later than you think. It’s the Holiday Season!
3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That’s the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.
4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or whole milk. If it’s skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.
5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Holiday party is to eat other people's food for free. Lots of it. Hello?
6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year’s. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you’ll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.
7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don’t budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They’re like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you’re never going to see them again.
8. Same for pies. Apple, Pumpkin, Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or if you don’t like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert, Labor Day?
9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it’s loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards.
10. One final tip: If you don’t feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven’t been paying attention. Re-read tips; start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner.
Remember this motto to live by:
"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate and wine in one hand, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming " WOO HOO what a ride!"
Originally written by Hunter S. Thompson; contributed by Margaret Ann Roth
© Kendal on Hudson Residents Association 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 all rights reserved. Please do not reproduce without permission.
Photographs of life at Kendal on Hudson are by residents.