Art by Hart

Zelda knew all the clouds on a first-name basis

Nadelman didn’t know if it was his political insights or his political savvy that made him so popular

The 8th-grade science geeks used items from the lost-and-found to build a working spacecraft

This was the birthday Emmy would compute her age in dog years

A morning latte did wonders for Sadie’s knees

Art and photos by Jane Hart

Book It!

Here’s a new idea: what have you been reading that you would suggest to others? Valerie Wallace sent a recommendation for the new year. Here’s her brief review for Robert Harris’ Precipice:

I have just finished a fascinating novel called Precipice by Robert Harris which might interest other Kendal Readers. Here is my capsule review: Precipice by Robert Harris is a “take-your-breath-away” novel based on the correspondence of H. H. Asquith (the British PM at the start of WWI ) and his mistress. He had a very casual attitude about copies of Top Secret documents and  government discussions about the conduct of the war. Spoiler alert to fans of W.Churchill: DO NOT READ THIS BOOK. Can you say Dardanelles? Gallipoli?

I think other history-minded residents will find the book fascinating. It is a novel but solidly researched. 

* * * * * * * * *

How about you? Do you have a book to suggest? Send a brief review ala Valerie’s, and we’ll pass it along.

I Didn't Know That

A Universe of Winter

Each planet in the solar system has seasons determined by the tilt of its axis and the shape of its orbit, just like on Earth. Smaller tilts and more circular orbits correspond with less-noticeable seasons: On Venus and Jupiter, with minimal tilts and roundish orbits, summer and winter are pretty similar. On Mars, the tilt of 24 degrees and oval orbit give it dramatic seasonal shifts. Seasons on the solar system’s outer planets are not well understood, but scientists do know their winters last a lot longer than on Earth — about 7 years on Saturn, 20 years on Uranus, and more than 40 years on Neptune.

One Last Bit of Merry for the Season

Linda Mahoney and Hubert Herring’s daughter and her partner pulled together titles of 20 Christmas Carols (old and new-ish) we all know and created a YouTube “sing-along” that pretty much pays homage to each and every title. As the Holiday Season revs down, give “What a Perfect Night” a go, just for fun, and see if you recognize each reference:

Get them all? No? Maybe? Here’s a transcript, song titles in caps (and if there’s an ad, just click on “skip”):

SILVER BELLS and shining lights, oh yes

I’LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS

If only in my mind

HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY little one

HERE COMES SANTA CLAUS, he’s almost done

DO THEY KNOW IT’S CHRISTMAS?

Oh, what a HOLY NIGHT

CHESTNUTS ROASTING ON THE FIRE and

People singing DECK THE HALLS again

ROCKING ‘ROUND THE CHRISTMAS TREE tonight

OH WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD!

HARK THE HERALD ANGELS SINGing

UP ON THE ROOFTOP 

BELLS are JINGLing

I’LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS

If only in my mind

I SAW MOMMY KISSING SANTA CLAUS

Wait- that’s Daddy, I think she told me once

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS

IS YOU with me tonight 

RUDOLPH, with your NOSE a bit too bright

Think you’ve had enough to drink tonight!

Leave your sleigh, don’t HIT MY GRANDMA twice

And let’s sing JOY TO THE WORLD

Do you know how much you mean to me? 

Love’s the only gift we really need

Merry, Merry Christmas

Oh what a perfect night 

In this ever-trying world of ours

Let’s give thanks and count our lucky stars

HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS

Have a HOLLY JOLLY CHRISTMAS

A FA LA LA LA LA-ly Christmas

This year! 

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

The Bloody Mary

The mural above adorns the King Cole Room at the St. Regis Hotel (bonus points if you know why King Cole is smiling in Maxfield Parrish’s rendition here*). This regal lounge is also the birthplace of a hangover staple. The Bloody Mary was born here in 1934, taking an existing tomato and vodka tipple and tricking it out with the pepper, lemon, and Worcestershire sauce we know today. In the heyday, the St. Regis was mixing 100 to 150 Bloody Marys every day. Where would brunch be without it?

 

*King Cole's face is thought to have been modeled after John Jacob Astor who originally commissioned the mural for his Knickerbocker hotel bar down the street from where the St. Regis is now. As the tale of the wry smile goes, there was an unwritten competition among illustrators of the day to see who could sneak the act of flatulence into one of their public works. Supposedly Parrish won this contest with King Cole. Not only is the king smiling a secret smile but the reactions of his flanking knights give the secret and King Cole away. (Source: queernewyorkblog.blogspot.com)

The Teddy Bear

Photo by Smithsonian Museum of Natural History

The stuffed animal here is thought to have been made by Morris Michtom in the early 1900s. Michtom, a Russian-Jewish immigrant, had a candy shop he ran with his wife at 404 Tompkins Avenue in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn. Inspired by a political cartoon that noted President Theodore Roosevelt’s compassion for a wounded bear, Michtom created a plush version that he placed in the shop window with the tag “Teddy’s bear.” Michtom asked for and received Roosevelt’s okay to use the name and sales took off, so much so that the candy shop closed and the Michtoms created the Ideal Novelty and Toy Company. The company went on to become one of the biggest toy companies in the world, bringing us  Mouse Trap, the Rubik’s Cube, and the Magic 8-Ball, among many others.

Salsa

Photo by William P. Gottlieb, Public Domain

The name of this music genre sounds Latin, and its rhythms are clearly inspired by the islands. But Salsa was invented in New York City. Evolving from the overlap of national origins that only happens in NYC, and taking inspirations from the city’s jazz heritage, Salsa came up from the Big Apple before being exported all around the region.

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

Contributed by Bobbie Roggemann

Out and About

Strollin’ in the Winter ‘24

For the past four years, the Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown Chamber of Commerce has hosted a Winter Stroll throughout the two towns in the afternoon and evening, benefitted by a trolley for easy (and warm) wandering. There are costumed characters, special store and vendor events, music, and even an ugly sweater competition.

Special picture-taking

Treats of the season

Santa and Mrs. Claus were there, as was . . .

St Nicholas!

And special decorations

Photos from FaceBook

A Kendalite Experiences The Winter Stroll

Anne White enjoyed the Stroll this year, and sent along some pictures to show it:

Ice sculpture was one event . . .

Toasting marshmallows, another

And a bit of warming up all around.

It was freezing outside, so Anne went into The Sleepy Hollow Bookshop to warm up and found lots of parents and children reading and making paper lanterns. She reports that it’s one of her favorite spots, where Leah, the owner, will seek out the perfect present for each grandchild, matching not only their levels of reading (or being read to), but their interests and personalities.

Checking out the books in The Sleepy Hollow Bookshop. You might call it market research . . .

Creative activities include parents as well as their kids.

While strolling Sleepy Hollow’s Beckman Avenue, Anne came across quite a number of snowflakes—of the non-melting variety. A variety that Kendal folks helped create—60 of ‘em to be exact.

On the Beekman Avenue mural . . .

in store fronts . . .

on the Morse School playground fence . . .

even in the Village Board Room.

Photos by Anne White

Lexophilia: In Just So Many Words

Lexophilia: Although not in the dictionary, it is reported that “Lexophile” describes a person who loves sentences such as, “You can tune a piano, but you can’t tuna fish,” and “To write with a broken pencil is pointless.”

An annual competition is held to see who can create the best original lexophile. This year’s submissions:

I changed my iPod’s name to Titanic. It’s syncing now.

England has no kidney bank, but it does have a Liverpool.

Haunted French pancakes give me the crepes.

This girl today said she recognized me from the Vegetarians Club, but I’d swear I’ve never met herbivore.

I know a guy who’s addicted to drinking brake fluid, but he says he can stop any time.

A thief who stole a calendar got twelve months.

When the smog lifts in Los Angeles, U.C.L.A.

I got some batteries that were given out free of charge.

A dentist and a manicurist married. They fought tooth and nail.

A will is a dead giveaway.

With her marriage, she got a new name and a dress.

Police were summoned to a day-care centre where a three-year-old was resisting a rest.

A bicycle can’t stand alone; it’s just two-tired.

The guy who fell onto an upholstery machine last week is now fully recovered.

He had a photographic memory, but it was never fully developed.

When she saw her first strands of grey hair, she thought she’d dye.

Acupuncture is a jab well done. That’s the point of it.

I didn’t like my beard at first. Then it grew on me.

Did you hear about the crossed-eyed teacher who lost her job because she couldn’t control her pupils?

When you get a bladder infection, urine trouble.

When chemists die, they barium.

I stayed up all night to see where the sun went, and then it dawned on me.

I’m reading a book about anti-gravity. I just can’t put it down.

And Barbara’s Personal Favorite:

Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.

Contributed by Barbara Wallach

New Year's Eve: Keepin' It Kendal

Just a Reminder:

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!

Good News: It's Back--CIDG, the Contemporary Issues Discussion Group

A Message from Gene DuBow, CIDG Co-ordinator

After a seven-month hiatus, Kendal’s Zoom discussion program is scheduled to return on Thursday morning, January 9, 2025, at 10:00 am.

What Is CIDG, and How Does It Work? CIDG (pronounced see-dig) is a time-honored Kendal discussion program. This forum was founded almost 20 years ago as an “in-person” exchange in one of Kendal’s meeting rooms. With COVID-19, face-to-face exchanges became impossible. But Zoom made it possible to switch over to using the Internet, allowing many more residents to participate.

The program is now bimonthly (held on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month, at 10:00 am).

What is discussed and how are the topics chosen? Over the years, I have listened carefully to my fellow residents and chosen topics that seemed to be of prime interest. I am always open to suggestions, choosing two each month for open discussion. CIDG is open to all residents so they can share their own thoughts and feelings about the issue of the day. In addition, they can gather in the thoughts of their fellow residents. CIDG does not aim at conclusions or adopting shared positions. 

The first discussion in 2025 will be on January 9, when we will talk about health care. The second will take place on January 23, at which time, to kick off discussion, we’ll receive a direct report from Deidre Berger, the former NPR and AJC director in Berlin.

How to sign on: On the Sunday before the Thursday discussion, you will receive an email from me outlining the discussion topic for the coming Thursday. At times, it will contain some suggested reading. A reminder notice on Tuesday will follow the Sunday email. Now! This is important! On Thursday morning, the day of the discussion, by 9:00 am, you will receive another email with the link (written in blue and underlined). Click on the link, and you will become part of the discussion group.  That’s it! Simple! You will get (via email) both a meeting notice (Sunday) and a reminder (Tuesday). On Thursday, at 9:00 am, you will get an email with the link to the discussion. Click on it and you’ll be part of the group. The actual discussion lasts one hour. It starts at 10:00 am and runs until 11:00 am.

I hope to see you and hear what you have to say.

I Didn't Know That

The Medieval Origins of Eggnog

The next time you take a sip of eggnog, you should know: you’re indulging in a centuries-old tradition that traces back to medieval Britain. This sweet concoction—made from milk, cream, sugar, spices, and eggs—is the modern descendent of posset, a fixture of festive gatherings in the Middle Ages. Posset recipes vary, but most combine wine or beer with cream, sugar, and eggs, and are topped with a thick gruel made from bread, biscuits, oatmeal, or almond paste. To separate the drink from its rich topping, it was served in specialized “posset pots,” teapot-like vessels with two handles and a spout. These unique pots were passed around at English celebrations, particularly weddings, to toast prosperity and good health.

Several centuries later, the drink made its way to the American colonies, where it became a hallmark of holiday festivities. Colonists added rum, making it more potent, which paved the way for the modern recipe as we know it. By 1775, the term “eggnog” was part of the American-English vernacular.

Etymologists pose two theories about the word’s origin. The first suggests that “nog” comes from “noggin,” meaning a wooden cup, while others speculate it comes from “grog,” a strong beer. The origin of the word “posset” is more mysterious, possibly from the Latin word posca for a drink made of vinegar and water. The term endures to this day in the world of British baking, although it now refers to a cold cream-based dessert.

Source: interestingfacts.com

Contributed by Jane Hart

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

The Q-Tip

Leo Gerstenzang claimed he invented the Q-Tip after watching his wife attach wads of cotton to toothpicks to clean their infant’s ears. The truth is a little less bootstrappy—he actually bought the patent rights from Mrs. Hazel Tietjen Forbis. In any case, Gerstenzang ended up being the first person to mass-produce the cotton swab; and his Q-Tip would go on to sell 25 billion units a year. The place of origin was 132 West 36th Street nearly a century ago.

The ATM

Credit for the first automated teller machine goes to New York City. Its first iteration was for deposits only, patented by Luther George Simjian, a New York inventor. Called the Bankograph, a trial version was launched in 1961 by City Bank of New York. Alas, it was ahead of its time—after 6 months it was pulled due to lack of use, and Simjian never made a penny from his invention.

The Remote Control

The miniature ship above was the very first object in this world to be manipulated by remote control. Nikola Tesla, a long-time Manhattan resident, invented the device and provided its first public demonstration. On December 8, 1898, at Madison Square Garden, Tesla astonished spectators, most of whom didn’t even know of the existence of invisible signal-sending radio waves. (And you could argue this invention isn’t just remote control; it’s also the beginning of the drone.) Unfortunately for Tesla, the invention took a long time to catch on—decades after its original patent expired.

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

Contributed by Bobbie Roggemann

© 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.