Art by Hart

Rollo thought that “Catch of the Day” meant popular with the ladies

Whether she was an exotic micro mini elephant or a field mouse, Cecelia nested happily in a satin Dior purse

Alberta Spruce always got her needles done for the holidays

Dobbin heard rumors of a bridle party

Missy suspected that Endicott was toying with her

Art and photos by Jane Hart

Out and About

Wandering the Wilds—in the City

Visiting her sister in Newbury, MA, recently, Carolyn met her niece and nephew for brunch in South Boston, where local birds hung out, then walked in Castle Island park with views of Logan Airport as well as uninhabited islands. An amazing place—right smack there in the big city!

Photos by Carolyn Reiss

Shout Outs and Recognition for KoH Staff

Yeah, I know, the notice above is a might-bit small, but its heart is big. Here’s the gist:

Let’s Celebrate Our Amazing Staff! How? Send an email to either:

or

Sometimes a staff member does something fantastic, and we might want to commend that person for that particular deed. At other times, a staff member is simply fantastic at what they do—all the time: we delight in seeing them every day; they’re always upbeat; they always add pleasure to our day.

So, why not say so? In an email. How? Here’s the email format in bigger type than in the notice above:

Subject: Shout-Out for [Staff Member’s Name]

Body of email:

  • Your name (the person submitting the recognition)

  • The Staff member’s name being recognized

  • A short paragraph describing a positive action, behavior, or contribution by the staff member

You can always do this, but keep in mind that the Staff Holiday Party happens—gasp!—Wednesday, December 18. So today might be just the day to do this. If not, any old time during the year. The emails always work!

New Year’s Eve—Keepin' It Kendal

We love our New Year’s Eve Program. It’s fun, it’s silly, and—most important—it is for Kendal residents and only Kendal residents. The New Year’s Eve Program, begins at 8 pm on the 31st, and the Gathering Room is fully packed with both Independent Living and Assisted Living residents. There isn’t even wiggle room to accommodate guests. 
The Program will be televised live on Kendal Channel 970. If you have guests that evening, you and your guests are invited to watch the show in your apartment. Added incentive: there you can serve popcorn (or whatever) with the show!
At Kendal Midnight (9 pm) after the ball drops, the Kendal New Year’s Eve Gala launches—again for our residents only. 

The folks who make the fun, the frolic, and the food all possible thank you for your understanding!

December 16: The Winter Holiday Wine Bag Sale—Just in Time for Christmas and in Support of the Tuesday Morning Club

If you missed it the first time—or if you want to add to your trove—here’s your chance!

THE WINTER HOLIDAY WINE BAG SALE TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 5-6:30

Holiday-themed wine gift bags with attached ribbons are priced at $5:

 Two-bottle wine tote bags with a handle cost $20:

 Cash and IOUs are accepted.

All proceeds support the Tuesday Morning Club, an innovative and popular weekly program run cooperatively by Independent Living and Assisted Living residents.  

Plan to come early! They disappear fast!

I Didn't Know That

THE SISSMAN CHRONICLES 

Delicious (for Some), Nutritious (for all), and Efficacious 

Recently, after a fine dinner at Bistro 146, one of the best seafood restaurants in our area, my curiosity was piqued (after my appetite had peaked) about the naturaland unnatural history of a component of my appetizer: the lonely oyster. Here is what I discovered.

* * * * * * * * *

Nowadays, oysters are rare and relatively expensive. A glance at the menu of the venerable Grand Central Oyster. Bar & Restaurant (very accessible for Kendal residents who commute to the Big Apple by train) showed the price of a single oyster to range from #3.95 to #5.95 each.

However, this was not always the case. When the Dutch first colonized what we now know as New York and its environs, they were disappointed that the local oysters did not produce pearls, but they observed the popularity of the mollusk as a food among the Leni Lenape. Archeologists confirmed this later by discovering hidden large piles of discarded shells (called middens).

An oyster midden in Manhattan

Later, in the 19th century, Manhattan was the home of dozens and dozens of small “oyster bars” where almost everyone could afford to stop for a quick snack. The underlying reason for this affluence was that New York’s harbor and the banks of the lower Hudson were home to one of the largest colony of oysters in the world.

Oyster Stand in Fulton Market

Oysters were eaten not only for their taste, but for their high nutritional value. They are rich in protein, B-12, ojmega-3, and minerals. And oysters were not only consumed raw on the half shell but are the ingredients of a significant number of cooked recipes, such as oysters Rockefeller, fried oyster po-boys, oysters Kilpatrick, and various other fried preparations.

So, in what ways are these small briny critters “efficacious”? By their ability to filter and “clean” large volumes of water. A single oyster takes in and discharges about 50 gallons of sea water a day, absorbing the nutrients it needs and solidifying baneful substances to be deposited harmlessly on the ocean floor.

Our large oyster beds collapsed by the beginning of the 20th century, due, of course, to humankind’s fondness for unregulated predation and contamination of natural resources.

In 2014, two young New York entrepreneurs set out to remedy the appalling status of oysters in our harbor. They established the Billion Oyster Project (shall we call it BOP?). They have enlisted thousands of volunteers (mostly high school students) to attach embryonic oysters (called spat) to wooden poles that area then immersed in cordoned off areas along the shore until the little guys have matured to the point of having shells. With this natural protection against predators, the “teenage” oysters are then seeded along the banks of our harbors. So far, about 1.2 million oysters have been planted.

Billion Oyster Project volunteers work to replenish Manhattan’s oyster population,

 I wish them continued success, primarily for the oysters’ beneficial effect on the environment, but also for the salutary influence that increased numbers may have on the price of one of my favorite foods.

Norman Sissman

           

The Benefit of Plastic Around Us—Yes, Really!

Thanks to the energy and persistence of Teddy Pulerwitz and her loyal band of gatherers, sorters, clippers, and transporters, all the soft plastic that we have dutifully been depositing in the designated receptacles (along with that which Teddy et al have been collecting from CVS and such) is about to hit the high mark!

If you’ve been watching the Soft Plastic Collection thermometer on the easel across from the Main Street bulletin board, you’ve seen it rise slowly but steadily. At the recent Residents Council meeting, Bob Abramovitz announced a new high as of December 8: 920 pounds!

Our reward once the magic 1000 pounds of soft plastic is reached (beyond getting rid of the soft plastic, that is): a new brand new bench (as pictured above)!

To help with that final 80 pounds (and beyond!), new and larger receptacles have replaced the littler ones:

Hey, the holidays are upon us. There will be an abundance of soft plastic coming our way. Load up those new bins!

And if you want to become part of Teddy’s Plastic Posse, just give her a call (x1902) or an email (teddypulerwitz@yahoo.com). She’d be delighted to have you join in.

In and Around Kendal

And We Ate So Much!

Kendal’s chefs, cooks, and serving staff outdid themselves in preparing our annual Thanksgiving feast. And we are thankful! A brief glimpse into the day:

Chef Steve on the job!

And Kevin helps serve it up!

Photos by Sally Costa

Kendal Artists on Cutting Edge of Sleepy Hollow’s Holiday Decorating

Sleepy Hollow resident Kersten Harries is passionate about temporary art installations, especially ones made collaboratively with community members. Ever since coordinating the Wishing Wall Riverwalk Community Mural, she’s been dreaming of other community projects, specifically for downtown Sleepy Hollow. A while back, she inherited a lot of large white weatherproof envelopes and saved them, waiting for a purposeful reuse. And she found it.

And came to the Sleepy Hollow community to make it real. What is it? “Together, we can make our downtown more festive for the Winter Stroll and season.”

 How? Well, what could be more beautiful than the village decorated in snowflakes—those village residents create. Kersten had it all planned out: snowflakes cut out of white weatherproof paper, each one approximately 1 sq. ft. in size, with community members of all ages learning how to fold and cut six-sided snowflakes. Creation time: November 1 - December 7, 2024. She would collect all of them, assemble them together, and, with permission, hang them in storefronts and on fences along the commercial streets of downtown Sleepy Hollow by December 14, 2024. The win-win: holiday spirit, both visual and social, with increased community engagement.

For Example: A rendering of what could be possible with oodles of snowflakes.

From whence would those snowflakes arise? Sponsors would run free community workshops and events for folks of all ages to have fun making snowflakes that would become part of the temporary public art installation.

Who arose among the sponsors? Why, we did, of course. On December 2—in two shifts—crafty Kendal residents gathered to make snowflakes. The result: over 60 unique and elegant flakes. They will join hundreds of other snowflakes for community groups to decorate Beekman Avenue in downtown Sleepy Hollow for the holiday season.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow . . .

Preparation Time: A Lesson in the Crafting of Snowflakes

And the Snowflakes Start Flying!

Photos by Jane Hart

Out and About

Chagall’s Pocantico Hills Church Windows: A Study

Wednesday, December 4, a hearty band of Kendalites visited the David Rockefeller Center for Creative Arts, for the Chagall Exhibition “Sketching Light: Chagall’s Windows for Union Church.” The exhibit features mixed media works on paper from the artist’s preparatory studies for the stained-glass windows commissioned by the Rockefeller Family.  Our docent spoke about Chagall’s life and other artworks, as well as his collaboration with the Rockefellers.

During the Kendal trip, the Center for Creative Arts Docent discussed the Chagall study for his window The Good Samaritan.

I Didn't Know That

A Maine Town Built a 122-foot Snowperson

To be a snowman—uhm, snowperson—is to live a life of extreme impermanence. During the coldest parts of the season, these snowy beings take shape on lawns across the world, but by the spring, they’re all but forgotten. However, one snowperson avoided this date with oblivion by entering the history books as the tallest snowman, or rather snowwoman [the eyelashes say it all], ever made. Built with 13 million pounds of snow in 2008 in Bethel, Maine, the 122-foot-tall snowwoman was named Olympia in honor of the state’s U.S. Senator Olympia Snowe. “I have to say I’ve joked that it’s just my luck I’d have a world record-breaking monument named after me and it will be gone by summer,” Snowe said at the time.

 Bethel residents needed to greatly exaggerate a snowperson’s usually quaint features to complete their creation. In this case, Olympia’s smile was made from car tires, each of her arms was a 25-foot-long spruce tree, and her red stocking cap was 20 feet in diameter and hand-knit by middle school students. Oh, and those lovely eyelashes? Alpine skis.

 Bethel previously earned the title of world’s tallest snowman when the town constructed the 113-foot-tall Angus (named after then-governor of Maine Angus King) in 1999. But Olympia surpassed her forebear, and still holds the Guinness record for the world’s tallest snowperson at the time of writing. However, the record may not hold for long. In 2020, a snowman in Austria surpassed Olympia’s height — though its extremely tall stovepipe hat did a lot of the work, and the structure has yet to be officially recognized on the Guinness website. Future challengers to Olympia’s crown may one day require the town of Bethel to again gather and build a snowperson to remember.

 Source: interestingfacts.com

Contributed by Jane Hart

Tarrytown: It's More Than Just Halloween!

Yet More Breaking News from the :

Tarrytown Ranks High in Nation for Main Street Holiday Shopping

December 5, 2024 By Rick Pezzullo 

When it comes to rivertowns, Tarrytown is often mentioned as one of Westchester’s jewels. 

Now, Tarrytown has something else to brag about. 

In a recent survey by Present.com of the best Main Streets in the United States for holiday shopping, Tarrytown ranked in the top 10 of 150 Main Streets mentioned—ninth to be exact!

“Historic main streets offer authenticity and charm, and streets like Main Street in Cooperstown, New York, or Broad Street in Nevada City, California, provide an over­all experience that’s about more than just shopping—It’s about stepping back in time to a different, less impersonal era, and being more engaged with the local community,” the sur­vey of 3,000 re­spon­dents stated.

The survey was highly complimentary of what Tarrytown has to offer residents and visitors for Christ­mas.

“Tarrytown’s historic Main Street simply oozes smalltown charm, but with a sophisticated side,” Present.com stated. “Here you’ll find unique shops, antique stores, and gourmet markets, ideal for more thoughtful gifts. Additionally, breath­taking views of the Hudson River further add to the over­all experience.”

Mayor Karen Brown was thrilled to hear of Tarrytown’s designation as a shopping destination.

“Tarrytown’s business district is charming and offers unique gift options,” she said. “The TASH holiday market, tree lighting ceremony, and the Winter Stroll create a holiday vibe shoppers love.”

Two other Main Streets in New York State, in Aurora and Cooperstown, finished one and two in the survey.

Made in NYC: 123 Brands, Trends, and Inventions That Began in the Big Apple

The Egg Cream

The egg cream is famous for having neither egg nor cream. Why then the name? A decent theory holds that it derives from the Yiddish “echt,” meaning genuine or real, in reference to the milk. The inventor is Louis Auster, who started off with a Brooklyn candy store before opening up multiple Lower East Side locations. (By legend, it was the strength of Auster’s chocolate syrup that made the drink such a success, accounting for some 90% of his stores’ business.)

Mr. Potato Head

One of the most successful toys of all time, Mr. Potato Head was first manufactured by Brooklynite George Lerner in 1949. (Lerner may have gotten the inspiration from watching a nephew poke sticks into potatoes in the family garden.) When it got its major launch in 1952, it was the first toy ever advertised on TV. It was also the first campaign ever aimed at kids. It changed marketing and sold one million units just in its first year. It’s still a winner today, an inductee into the National Toy Hall of Fame.

Toilet Paper

Here’s a worldwide product that it seems impossible to believe hasn’t been with us since the dawn of time. Its commercial form has a birthday, however: December 8th, 1857. Joseph C. Gayetty gets credit for the innovation, which he was soon enough manufacturing out of 41 Ann Street in the Financial District. Gayetty’s Medicated Paper had a good run, in common use until a splinter-free alternative came along in 1935.

Source: “Made In NYC,” by Ethan Wolff, March 2024, City Guide New York

Contributed by Bobbie Roggeman

Poetry and Art, by Sheila Benedis

World Peace

I am alone in a dark dank room

with the taste of long lost dreams

 

thoughts of people in the world fighting

I hear angry words

 

I feel the unity of the world being destroyed

it drives a dagger through my heart

 

there is no taste of joy

only the smell of rage

 

push back the darkness

I want to see the harvest moon

 

a voice in the clouds

a ray of light and hope

 

I want to feel a growing connection of people

worldwide problems being solved

 

people unified in peace

like the rhythmic forces of nature

Hanging Paper Sculpture

Art and photos by Sheila Benedis

© 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.