Monthly Archives: October 2015

Architecture Tours

                                                                                                                                                                              Norwich CT has really gotten into the Last Green Valley “Walktober” walks and hikes. There have been many walks regarding the architecture of Norwich.  The leaders of the walks in Norwich expect a certain amount of architectural type knowledge sophistication that I simply don’t have so I went off to learn about architectural types.  Here is what I think I learned.

The Cape was popular from the Revolutionary period through the middle of the 19th century.  Early capes have low eaves and are generally a story-and-a half with a gable roof.

The Colonial is generally two-stories with a gable roof, evenly spaced windows, very little ornamentation, and a center door.  Still as popular today as in revolutionary times.

The Georgian was popular from the 1750’s – 1820’s. It’s almost square with a hip or gambrel roof, center door, evenly spaced windows symmetrical in design possibly with heavy columns or pilasters at the doors and pediments and dentils underlining the pediments or cornices.

The  Federal was popular 1780 – 1820 and also has the hip or gable roof, symmetrical windows and doors, higher ceilings than Colonial or Georgian designs. Ornamentation tends to be delicate with tall slim columns.

Greek Revival was popular 1820 – 1860 and may resemble a temple with gable end at the front  with a triangular pediment,  columns and where there are no columns there maybe vertical moldings at the corners.

Carpenter Gothic or Gothic Revival (gingerbread)  was popular in the 1840’s – 1850’s has very steep roofed gables with great decorated eaves called barge boards, vertical board and batten siding. The original paint may have simulated various shades of sandstone. 

The low-pitched hip roof with overhanging eaves, high ceilings, lavish ornamentation over windows sometimes rounded at the top and with ornamental brackets over the eaves is typical of the Italianate design of the 1850’s – 1860’s.

If it looks to be a confusion of a variety of shingled external surfaces on its upper story, a mansard roof, towers, fancy windows some with stained glass, ornamental porches and a vertical line that appears to break at the bottom of the upper story it will probably be a Queen Anne popular form the 1880’s – 1910.   

 In Norwich it was not unusual for a small humble home to sprout a grand new wing or become a side or back ell as a more pretentious home was built in the front. Interiors and exteriors often displayed exceptionally fine workmanship courtesy of the skilled workmen from the shipyards available during bitter months.

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Lights and Noise

I have had a very sad week. I have been forced to evict a very fine tenant and turn away a darling family.

The tenant was really a squatter who was a real stinker.  She added another entry to suit herself never asked permission or took out a permit. Please don’t tell the building inspector! I wouldn’t have minded as she wears a gorgeous fur coat with a sharp pure white stripe but her perfume was more than my neighbors and I could bear.  She was very helpful keeping the yard free of grubs and insects though.  Yes she was a skunk and was just looking for temporary lodgings for the winter but I could just not accommodate her. To encourage her to leave I followed the wildlife directions, dishes of vinegar, I think she was using it on her nightly grass salad. I blocked her entries which she promptly cleared.  When I saw an old farmer friend I asked him what to do and when he stopped laughing and making really bad jokes at my expense he told me to shine a solar light into the hole and play a radio really loudly as skunks and most other critters don’t appreciate light and noise the way humans do. Worked like a charm! Then I did a better job of closing up the holes. So far, so good.

I have a tree in my front yard within an easy leap to my roof if you are a grey squirrel. But towards the fall the cute babies want to branch out on their own and they all want to make their home in my attic. Not a one of them will listen to me when I say the rent is more than just out of sight nuts! So once more I asked my friendly farmer friend what to do and he told me to raise the roof and make some noise or simply play a radio to a rock and roll station.  Squirrels like peace and quiet when they are choosing their nesting places. Working so far!

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3 Chicken Farm

At the recent Park Church Fall Festival I was wandering around and happened on a small stand of outrageously delicious salsas, pickles and jams manned by Pastor Jacob Junker of Lee Memorial Church. A very friendly man he quickly filled my hands with samples and told me a condensed version of how he and his wife brought 3 Chicken Farm to Norwich from his last posting in Indiana. They have no chickens here in Norwich but the name makes people smile.

Since they have been in Norwich they have been expanding their family and still found the time and energy to create a small community garden at the back of their church and another small garden to create the tasty treasures of sweet jams. Thank heaven there were no spoons available or the jar would never had made it back to my car let alone to my house and a slice of bread or a cracker. Just the scent of the fruit jam made me happy.

The salsas were on the spicier side and bursting with the fresh taste of native tomatoes and peppers. The next day when the neighbors and I gathered on  a porch to discuss the state of the universe someone mixed some jam and some salsa for a new taste sensation. I have to give the Junkers a call at 860.861.3141 to ask if they will make a  special batch just for me to give as holiday gifts for friends and family who already have everything they need or want or are just too particular. Nobody ever turns down snack food! They also had a corn salsa that was delicious!

I am a pickle person and they had dill pickles. Yummy, yummy, yummy fresh dill pickles. No chemicals and strange spices I have never heard of.

Pastor Jacob also mentioned that they will create special labels for special occasions when asked. Welcome to Norwich Pastor and Mrs. Junker and thank you for sharing your delicious skills and recipes with us.

Finding the Right Mate in New England

Frankly, I have never heard any of these old sayings but I so enjoyed reading them in in the collection, What They Say in New England . I hope you enjoy them too.  To my trick or treaters I promise you there will not be any stump of cabbage hanging over my door.

Males: To know who you are to marry roll up your socks when you go to bed at night, name them after two girls, put them under your pillow and get into bed over the footboard, backwards. You  will marry the one you dream about.

  • Keep track of the white horses you see, and count them up to ninety-nine, and the next person of the opposite sex you shake hands with will be the one you are to marry. The modern girl, may count white cars. The next she meets is her fate.
  • On Halloween hang up a cabbage-stump over the door. The first person of the opposite sex that comes in is the one you will marry.
  • For children to decide who they like best. Get a companion to name two apple-seeds. Wet the seeds, puts one on the upper lid of each eye, and proceeds to wink as fast possible. When one falls off, the companion tells who the seeds were named for, and which was which. The seed which stayed on longest indicates the best friend.
  • On the first night you sleep in a strange bed, name each of its four posts. If you dream of one of the four persons you named the posts after that person will be who you will marry. Unhappily, the person who tries this frequently, may fail to dream of any one of the four, or may not dream at all.
  • If you tread on some one’s toes, it is a sign you love that person.
  • Girls sometimes determine whom they are to marrythis way. On each of twelve slips of paper the girl writes the name of some boy. These she puts them in an envelope, and sleeps with them under her pillow. Each morning she draws one of the slips at random, and throws it away. The last one left names the one she will marry.
  • Let a boy light a match, and burn it till a charred end drops. See which way the big end of this points, and that will show where his ”best girl” lives.
  • Light another match, and when one end is charred take hold of that end, and see if you can hold it without breaking till the flame eats clear through to the other end. If you can, it proves that your girl loves you. But if the match breaks in burning, the girl does not care for you.
  • Wear a bit of marrow in your button hole, if you are anxious to know whom you are to marry. The first person of the opposite sex you meet afterward is your fate.
  • Put some apple-seeds in a frying pan. Get a friend to name them. The one that pops first reveals the person you love best.
  • When you go to a wedding, take home a piece of the wedding-cake. Sleep with it under your pillow that night, and the person you dream of will be the one you are to marry.
  • The boy who dreams of the same girl three nights in succession may know that she is the one he is to marry.Email comments on this blog to berylfishbone@yahoo.com

    View my past columns at http://www.norwichbulletin.com/section/blogs01?taxid=1172

Sanctuaries of Eastern CT

Somewhere, and I freely admit I can’t recall where I picked up the Guide to the Sanctuaries of Central Massachusetts by the Massachusetts Audubon Society.  It’s a simple two-sided photocopied list of  name, address, city/town, phone, website, admission, 3-line description, whenever possible. Then I wondered if the Connecticut Audubon Society or one of the other nature conservancies I am aware of has such a listing or brochure for Eastern Connecticut. Nope. 

It is long past time for Eastern Connecticut towns to work together, play together, learn together and join together to bring residents and visitors with various interests to our area. Every town has a park, pond, some kind of natural habitat that can’t be developed because it’s preserved somehow. 

I accessed the Connecticut Audubon Society to learn it has 5 Centers and 19 Sanctuaries throughout the state of Connecticut. The Centers represent Connecticut’s ecosystems and habitats, and work to preserve those habitats and educate students and the public about them. The Center at Fairfield contains land and freshwater wetland habitats. The Birdcraft Museum their natural history education programs. The Coastal Center at Milford Point works with its ecosystem and saltwater marshes of Long Island Sound. The Center at Glastonbury in the Connecticut River Valley focuses on river ecosystems. The Center at Pomfret contains extensive grassland habitats. Learn more at http://www.ctaudubon.org

Nature Conservancy has programs on Long Island Sound, the Connecticut River and the Lower . Connecticut River in Lyme, Essex, East Haddam, Salem, and Deep River. Do you think their members and supporters might be interested in the Yantic, Thames and Shetucket rivers? OK,  so the Thames is really an estuary. They even have a headquarters in North Stonington.  Learn more at http://www.nature.org  Maybe they just need an invitation?

There are garden conservancies in Litchfield, Hartford and Fairfield counties too.   I am not certain who should put together the list for the brochure but it could be a scout troop, Master Gardeners, students, senior citizens, environmentalists, bird watchers, it could even be you. We depend  on the government and official groups to take  the lead to get things done and maybe it’s time for the people to demonstrate to them how with a little cooperation and common sense things can be done quickly and easily.

Email comments on this blog to berylfishbone@yahoo.com

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Scarecrows

I have been seeing the store-bought scarecrows in the yards and porches of Norwich. To make them at home you need: A long stake, garden hook or old broom, a few nails, upholstery tacks, or screws, old clothes, a gallon jug or bottle, scarecrow stuffing material (grocery bags or newspapers), heavy twine, nylon string or fishing line.

Pick a spot.  Look at the length of your stake/pole. Determine how you will make it stand up firmly.  Will it lose height if you bury it in the ground? Does it need help to stand up?Lay out the clothing you want your scarecrow to wear.  Decide if/ how you will use the gallon jug/bottle to make the head. (If you saved the cap to the bottle/jug slip in a solar light to make the head appear to float in the dark. The cap will keep it from falling out.)  Stuff the head and body with the straw, grocery bags or newspapers to get the effect you want and tie the ends with the heavy twine so the filling does not fall out.  If you did not build your scarecrow onto your stake,  attach him using the twine or nylon string. Done!

Hungry birds have always been a problem for farmers as they enjoy the seeds farmers plant for their crops. North America Native American tribes used bird scarers. Some would sit on raised wooden platforms and shout at the crows or woodchucks. Some families would build their huts in the fields. The Seneca Indians soaked the corn seeds in an herb mixture that would cause the crows to fly crazily and scare away the other birds.

In the 1800’s the Southwest Zuni  children had contests to make the most unusual scarecrow. In the 1930’s a  Navajo scarecrow was a teddy bear on the top of a pole. The report said it worked very well.

The Europeans settling in America  in the 1600’s chose to stand guard over their crops so they could protect the fields against the birds and the wolves that would dig up the fish being used as fertilizer.  In the 1700’s bounties were offered for dead crows. So many crows were killed that in the 1800’s towns stopped offering the bounty because cornborers, worms and other insects once eaten by the crows were destroying the crops.

Immigrants settling in the 1800’s brought a variety of European ideas for scarecrows. German farmers built human looking scarecrows called bootzamon or bogeyman and even sometimes a wife for him was built as well. During the depression of the 1930’s scarecrows spread across America. After World War II farming was too big a business for scary dolls and crops were sprayed or dusted with poisons like DDT until the 1960’s when the scientists discovered the chemicals hurt the people who ate the sprayed crops.   

Then some farmers built whirligigs for their fields and one company built a box that exploded every 45 minutes. It annoyed people and didn’t scare the birds.

Today, In India and some Arab nations old men sit in the fields and throw stones at the crows.  In the USA  large corporate framers are still using poisons to control insects or  changing the plants DNA to not be attractive to insects.  As long as there are hungry birds the farmers will be finding new ways to Scare Crows.

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Herbal Teas

As the temperature drops outside, the temperature of my beverage rises. I am working my way this fall through my herbal teas. During the American Revolution some thought paying the British taxes on tea and sugar was treasonous so herbal tea was called Liberty Tea.

There was even a very silly Boston newspaper writer who thought that women should refrain from drinking tea altogether rather than find alternatives. He wrote a satire that portrayed these revolutionary women as “determined, constantly to assemble at each others houses, to HANG the tea-kettle, DRAW the tea and QUARTER the toast.”

Women purchased the consumer goods for the home and were instrumental in maintaining the boycotts. The most zealous of these women refused to accept callers for themselves or their daughters who were not sympathetic to the patriotic cause. They distributed petitions and gathered anti-tea pledges.

The newly named Liberty Teapot was limited only by the households menu and spirit of adventure in their taste.

Some of the teas favored by these patriotic women included leaves from the mint family, leaves of berry bushes such as strawberries and blueberries, flowers such as clover, chamomile, violets, roses and goldenrod. For stronger tastes tree bark of the willow and the sassafras were used.

A mixed leaf tea produced near Portland, Maine was so popular during the American Revolution it replaced the teas of the British East India Company and was exported tax-free to England.  

To learn more about how you can harvest tea from the wilds today I recommend this from the 2014 Minnesota Conservation Volunteer http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/mcvmagazine/issues/2014/jul-aug/wild-herbal-tea.html

Email comments on this blog to berylfishbone@yahoo.com

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Cafemantic

Cafemantic , 948 Main Street in Willimantic is one of my favorite restaurants because its farm to table, a menu that changes weekly due to what is fresh and available. The staff is always pleasant and willing to ask the chef to make whatever change in a recipe I might dream up. Usually it’s to change the cilantro to parsley (cilantro to me tastes like soap.)  I can’t say enough nice things about the high quality of their food, variety, presentation, and staff. Please ask to see the dessert menu before you order your meal. Take it from me, life is short and you will want to save room for dessert. Wine by the glass and bottle is available and on the wine list is a 2 to 4 word description of the wine to help you choose what will go best with your meal. The same is true for the beers.  Please check out their menu at http://www.cafemantic.com/ .

Cafemantic also operates 750 Main in Willimantic, a full service event space. It is a neat, clean, tidy space that can be re-shaped for your special event even a pop-up retail business or fundraiser. They are very proud of their 12-foot high pressed tin ceilings, hardwood floors , surround sound and wood burning fireplace. The space is designed to accommodate two – 125 people for private dining to receptions. Chefs and bar services are available. Rental is by the day, week or month. The facility has A/C, heat, two handicapped accessible bathrooms, buffet tables, coat racks, a rear entrance for equipment loading and a list of options and contacts to help you make your event a success. Please contact  feast@ctfeast.com for more information.

I would like to see this type of restaurant and event space in Norwich. I hear a lot of talk about the great architecture of Norwich but I seldom see it being shown off. I would like to have a restaurant that makes dining out a fun affordable adventure. Norwich has culinary classes in the various high schools and community college with marketing and customer service classes. Local students can be trained for superior service. Norwich has the potential and it is time we used it.

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Dan Murphy Cafe

And from the South Bend news-times, of October 1913 I share the information of how the World Series champions used their winnings.

 The majority of those world’s champion Athletics, who Monday were each mailed a check for approximately $3,280. are using their winnings in buying a farm, investing it in business, educating themselves or laying it aside for the rainy day, while a few of them are going to spend a small part of it doing such frivolous things as taking a trip abroad or buying a new automobile. “-My check goes to the bank to stay with the little wad I have there now'” said Capt. Eddie Collins. “Some of these days, when my account gets quite sizable, I’ll look around for some investment that will bring me nice returns when my playing days are over.”

  “Chief” Bender, pitcher “My money goes into the bank; ‘some day I may need it.”

  Ira Thomas, catcher “I own 34 houses and two stores in Philadelphia now. That $3,280 will enable me to build about two more houses and I’m going to get busy Just as soon as I find me a good location.”

 Eddie Plank, pitcher “I’m going to put my money in the bank. If I see a good farm down my way I’m going to buy it’

 Jack Barry, shortstop “I have a small interest now in a garage up In my home town, “Worcester, Mass.,

 Frank Baker, third baseman “The bank for mine. Don’t quote me as saying I’m going to buy a farm. I’ve got some farms already. When I get through with baseball I hope to go into some other business than farming.”

  llube Oldring. left fielder “The minute that check reaches me I’m going to rush over to New Jersey and buy a farm that I took an option on a few months ago when it looked as if we’d surely grab the pennant.’

 Eddie Murphy, fielder “I’m going to use part of the money buying a new automobile, trading in my old machine in part payment. The rest of it will be a farm near my home in White MUD, Pa.”

  Amos Strunk, center fielder “I haven’t made up my mind yet. For the time being I’ll put the money in the bank.”

 “Dan Murphy, utility outfielder “I’ve got a cafe up in Norwich, Conn. It will return bigger dividends If I enlarge it and improve the looks of the place, and I’m going to use the larger part of the money making the change.”

 Does anyone have any information on his café?  

 Email comments on this blog to berylfishbone@yahoo.com

View my past columns at http://www.norwichbulletin.com/section/blogs01?taxid=1172