Monthly Archives: June 2018

Looking for Cool

It is officially summer. The sun is shining and it is hot. I like a little sun but then I have to find some places to explore and to be cool. So I checked out the Museum & Local Attractions Pass available at local libraries through the CT Library Consortium.

You can view it on line at https://www.ctlibrarians.org/page/museum There are the usual places that you would expect to see but then there are quite a few others that require a bit of travel but would certainly be worth the trip as something fun and unusual and cool to boot.

Have you been to the New England Air Museum in Windsor Locks? Real Art Ways in Hartford? Stamford Museum & Nature Center? The CT Science Center, Hartford? Discovery Museum, Bridgeport? How about Imagination Nation, A Museum Early Learning Center, Bristol.

When you check out the website don’t be afraid to also check for discounts and admissions in neighboring states. That’s right you might be able to receive a discount at some places in other states such as the Providence Childrens Museum in Providence, the usual places in New York City but there are a few surprises in Massachusetts in addition to the Basketball Hall of Fame, Springfield and Battleship Cove, Fall River. Check out the Eco Tarium, Worcester or the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Amherst.

Get out of your comfort zone and explore someplace new. Maybe we’ll run into each other there!

Thank you for reading and sharing my history and Norwich Community blog freely with your family or friends or anyone you think might be interested or in a position to take on some of the suggested projects. Don’t hesitate to contact me for further information. I am happy to pass along anything I can. Together we can make a difference. Email comments on this blog to berylfishbone@yahoo.com View my past columns at http://www.norwichbulletin.com/section/blogs.

Frisbee Hoop

My first stop of the morning was at the Memorial Rose Garden in Norwich, CT. The grass was still wet and not all of the roses had stretched themselves to full daytime bloom. It was glorious!

Then I began the list of errands before I got my brilliant idea. Many of you have a deep understanding of how uncrafty I really am but man oh man do I have ideas. So, this afternoon I was off. My brilliant idea was to make a disc golf course that was moveable and could be adjusted for different locations and abilities. Stop looking like that, some of us are still working on the wrist snap required for truly great Frisbee aim.

At home I have a few different promotional Frisbees so those will have to do. So my first stop was at the Dollar Store to purchase hula hoops of various sizes but how was I going to be hold them up in the air? A little Harry Potter Quidditch like but without the magic. Hmmm. Garden stakes would work but of course I had my moment of brilliance when there were none available at the dollar store so I picked up a few pool noodles and took my loot to my basement. It took a while but I found the orange drive way poles that I use during the winter. Then I went out in the yard to see how this might all come together. Sorry I forgot to mention the wire hanger I clipped in half that came from my closet.

For the first “hole” I took a large hoop and dropped two of the wire hanger ends over the hoop and into the ground so the hoop would remain standing. The second hole should be a little harder so I put two of the orange driveway poles into the ground a fair distance away and dropped matching pool noodles over them before duct taping a medium sized hula hoop in place. With such success I got a little creative with hole number three. To keep the birds way from my plants I have whirley flowers, from the dollar store of course, but four, two on each side could balance a hula hoop with a little help from some duct tape. I went to the hardware store for hole number four I purchased true wooden garden stakes the tallest they had and screw in hooks large enough to hula hoops. Three inches from the flat end of each garden stake I screwed a small piece of paint stirring stick. A hula hoop can balance high in the air on the little pieces of wood with a little help from some duct tape. Hole number five just required me to screw in the hooks so the hoop could hang in place.

Daylight was burning so my neighbor and I spent perhaps a little too much time trying out my new game. It is a great game for the sports challenged. The hoops are bright and colorful and is a great way to recycle aged or bent hula hoops.

Have you ever invented a game? When was the last time you played it? Its time to enjoy the sunshine.

CT Historic Garden Day 2018

Finally summer has arrived with sun shining days, the flowers and roses are at their peak of blooming. This is going to be the perfect weekend to visit Connecticut’s Historic Gardens. The official Connecticut’s Historic Gardens Day 2018 is Rain or shine Sunday, June 24th from noon – 4:00 pm.

The Norwich Memorial Rose Garden in Norwich, CT may not be on the official list but let’s face it. When in bloom, like right now, the small garden is magnificent. The colors are brilliant and the sweet, delicate scent in the air can be called a perfume. On a recent visit a low playing radio added to the atmosphere but to be honest someone strumming a guitar, or playing a flute, or a sax would have been better. Try it, I promise you will love it.

The Norwich Rose garden is an especially great place to try your hand at painting en plein air.
But if you are willing to travel a little further take a garden tour of a formal parterre garden at 1 or 3 pm at the Bellamy-Ferriday estate in Bethlehem. It was designed between 1915-1918 by Eliza Mitchell Ferriday.

Eliza Butler McCook and her sister Mary installed the Jacob Weidenmann Garden in 1865. Grounds admission is free but regular admission applies for the house.

The Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme is ready inside and out with their exhibit of Art and the New England Farm, “Explorer Kits” make it easy to discover more about the landscape, and painting supplies are available to create a personal masterpiece. Grounds admission is free; and regular admission applies for the house and art gallery.

Take the time to learn about the Jekyll Garden Restoration Project with a guided garden tour at the Glebe House Museum and the Gertrude Jekyll Garden in Woodbury. First floor Glebe House tours will be free and there will be a drawing for a signed and framed CT’s Historic Gardens Day poster.
America’s first female landscape architect, Beatrix Farrand designed the gardens at Harkness Memorial State Park in Waterford and Park Staff and Friends of Harkness volunteers will give free tours from Noon – 4pm. Suggested donation from 10 am – 2 pm for a tour of the Harkness mansion. The great lawn is a fabulous place for a picnic lunch.

Self-guided tours rule at the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center in Hartford. There is a shade garden with exotic elephant ears, castor bean plants, roses, perennials and annuals, CT’s largest Merrill Magnolia, grafts from the Stowe Dogwood, the Common Paw and more.
For a price visitors can tour the 1871 Harriet Beecher Stowe home on an interactive, conversational tour.

Visitors to Hill-Stead’s famous Sunken Garden in Farmington will encounter a living example of landscape architect Beatrix Farrand’s creative vision for one family’s estate. Young gardeners can enjoy a scavenger hunt and other activities to acquaint them with the gardens from 10 am – 4:00 pm.

Make scented sachets at the Osborne Homestead Museum in Derby and take a guided tour of the Colonial Revival gardens for free.
Bring your sketch book when you visit the Beatrix Farrand-designed garden at Promisek at Three Rivers Farm, Bridgewater.

Jana Milbocker will be at Roseland Cottage in Woodstock to sign copies of her book The Garden Tourist: 120 Destination Gardens and Nurseries in the Northeast.
Costumed interpreters will be dying cloth and fiber in the 18th century Dooryard Gardens from 12-4 at the Stanley-Whitman House in Farmington.

Haddam Historical Society and Thankful Arnold House Museum,14 Hayden Hill Road, Haddam, CT Visitors will learn how herbs, vegetables and plants were used by the Widow Thankful Arnold in the early 19thcentury. The Wilhelmina Ann Arnold Barnhart Memorial Garden features over 50 varieties of herbs including those used in cooking, dyeing, fragrance and medicine. The museum’s newly interpreted outhouse will also be on the tour from
12 noon to 4 pm.

The Wethersfield Webb Deane Stevens museum offers special programs in their colonial revival garden designed in 1921 by landscape gardener Amy Cogswell. Admission to the garden is free and tours of the museum houses will be available for a fee.
In Wilton the Weir Farm National Historic Site staff and Garden Gang volunteers will offer short informal talks about the plants, flowers, restoration and on-going preservation in the sunken garden and the secret garden. The scenery has inspired artists for over 130 years and the park has free-to-use watercolor supplies.

So which gardens will you be visiting?

A Rood Tale

I hate it. I hate it when I am working on something positive but to get there I have to first uncover bad and evil. I suppose everything needs to have a place to begin and few things start off lovely and perfect and improve from there.

Anyway, did you know the first recorded case of incest in the Connecticut Colony appearing before a local magistrate was in Norwich in May of 1672? It was the case of Thomas and Sarah Rood.

Thomas Rood had at least nine children, ranging between six to twenty-three. There may have been older children but they were not listed in the court records. Rood owned at least 180 acres of land in Norwich. Roods wife Sara had died about 4 years earlier. When it was noted by the community that the unmarried daughter of Thomas was pregnant, she admitted the child was by her father. By June the records show the local ministers were being asked by the court if “a person guilty of the crime of incest ought to be put to death?” On October 10th the court, Deputy Governor and Assistants of Connecticut asked the advice of the Generall Court. Justice was speedy and the execution of Thomas Rood was ordered to take place on October 18th in Norwich.

Poor Sarah though was also indicted for incest and pled guilty on October 8th but the court assistants couldn’t decide if she was as guilty as her father so she had to wait until May 19, 1673 for the courts decision. The courts decision was that she was “ignorant and weak in mind’” and consistant with being victimized and abused. But, having determined all that and a bit more, she deserved to be “severely whipt on the naked body once in Hartford and once at Norwich.” This was to make both examples to others in the community who might be tempted to abuse children and to the children who failed to report any such abuse. Keep in mind Sarah gave birth to a son named George in late 1672.

The rest of the Rood children were made dependants of the townsmen of Norwich and were “placed out into orderly families where they (could) be well educated.” The townsmen were also ordered to take control of Rood’s estate and to manage it for the support of Sarah and her child. I don’t know what happened to them all but child #6, Thomas died in 1682 at the age of twenty-one. Micah, moved to Franklin and more about his life and “strangeness” can be learned from the “Legend of Micah Rood.” The story, in short is he murdered a peddler in his orchard and from then on one apple tree produced a yellow apple with a bright red spot within its flesh representing a spot of blood. Micah died in 1728.

George, born in 1672, was placed into the care of Thomas Leffingwell in 1675 until he reached the age of twenty-one. His mother, Sarah, moved to New London. Then its a few years before the life of George takes an ironic twist. In July 1702 George married a pregnant Hannah Bush. In October 1702 Hannah tells a magistrate that her step-father Thomas Hall had repeatedly raped her with the assistance of her mother, Susannah and her unborn child was his and not her husbands. After the hearing where Thomas and Susannah deny all, the magistrate orders them committed to jail until court the following June unless released on bond. Hannah was released on bond paid by Samuel Lothorp. Susannah (Hannah’s mother) bond was paid by Samuel Rood, the youngest legitimate son of Thomas Rood and the older half-brother and uncle to George.

The records of an October 27th hearing are disturbing to say the least and I won’t relate them here but it took until May of 1703 for Thomas to submit his rebuttal that contained some elaborate explanations and further accusations and implications. It was the responsibility of George to divorce Hannah when he learned that she was pregnant. George and Hannah had allowed seven pounds of goods to be stolen from his house and George’s brother Samuel and sister-in-law Mary Rood were behind the theft of goods. Hall was a victim of a conspiracy and of an unnamed witch practicing her evil art. That did not go over as well as it might have in 1660. On May 29, 1703, Thomas and Susannah Hall were found guilty of the charges of incest and accessory to incest and sentenced not to death, but to stand at the gallows with a rope around their necks for one hour, receive a whipping not to exceed forty stripes, and to wear a capital “I” two inches long and “proportional bigness and in a contrasting color” for the rest of their lives. Hannah was sentenced only to be whipped. I consider myself fortunate to not find any further references to the Rood family saga.

After being immersed in this very dark and disturbing bit of local Norwich history I am going for a walk in the sunshine and hope to hear children laughing and dogs barking and cats purring and to see the bright colors of blooming flowers and be reminded that that there is good in the world after all. Even if there is not, that is what I am going to tell myself.

Rice Violet, a Thai Kitchen and Vegetarian Bistro

Decisions. Decisions. Stay home and clean or go out? Go out of course. On the road to the Rice Violet a “Thai Kitchen and Vegetarian Bistro,” at 287 Main Street, Worcester, MA.

How I wish the restaurants here would borrow a few serving suggestions from there. Easy parking, clean and well lit. Pleasant staff who had no difficulty explaining exactly how each dish is prepared and served and suggesting what should be paired with something else as we had decided to share whatever we ordered. We all eat seafood, but the rest were a mix of vegetarians and carnivores.

We started with a Veggie Nice Sampler – a mix of chive dumplings so light one floated above the plate, veggie dumplings, Samosa Bags (A crispy wonton wrapper stuffed with curried potato and served with a sweet and sour sauce), Crispy Kale rolls, Tofu triangles, and soy wings with a homemade ginger soy sauce and an order of lightly fried brussel sprouts. An eye roll, had a carnivore order the chicken satay with peanut and cucumber sauces. The cucumber sauce was delicious. I could have eaten it with a spoon and then licked the bowl.

We shared one bowl of Tom Yum, an amazing Thai hot and sour spiced soup with chili, mushrooms, lime juice and shrimp since we were sharing. It came steaming with an aroma that made our mouths water even though we had really already had enough to eat. Anything you order can be adjusted for vegetables & tofu, chicken, shrimp or seafood. No one makes a big deal of any request made because they make it fresh and to order. Its not frozen and heated up to serve. Lightly battered or heavy batter its ok to make the request to get precisely what you want.

I was a bit disappointed that no one in our group ordered the duck. They serve duck in what seems like a hundred different ways from soup to crispy slices in a magical variety of sauces, curries and combinations. The spicy salmon was lightly pan-seared on a bed of lightly steamed fresh vegetables, the seafood curry had shrimp, octopus, and scallops in a coconut milk red curry and vegetables, Brown sauce with fresh pineapple, cashews and other veggies was delicious but I don’t know what it was called. The Trio Madness of chicken, beef and pork with vegetables in hot sauce was too spicy for me. The white rice had a perfume. Not an odor or a scent or a smell but the light perfume of a summers night garden.

We enjoyed sharing ginger, coconut and green tea ice creams, a banana roll with honey and a Thai custard on top of sticky rice.

As we waddled to the car the consensus was we should have parked further away. Norwich, CT is attracting some better restaurants but there is room for a few more that stretch the palate.

Forest Bathing

The City of Norwich, CT has the resources and the potential to be a health trend leader in the State of Connecticut and best of all it wouldn’t cost the much put upon taxpayers an extra dime. That’s right, I wrote that we, the residents of Norwich could be leaders in something positive and it wouldn’t cost the taxpayers a single red cent more than they are already paying.

Norwich, CT has pockets of green, i.e. parks, parades, lots, 3 rivers, multiple streams, ponds, lakes and dams and of course, the 400+ acre Mohegan Park in the center of the city. No portion of the city is without some portion of green. So with all that, Norwich with a bit of strategic promotion is positioned to be a leader in the latest craze sweeping the world, “Forest Bathing.”

From lots of sources I learned that the craze began when the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries started promoting the practice of “taking in the forest atmosphere” for health and wellbeing in 1982. The Ministry called it “shinrin-yoku,” or roughly, “forest bathing” in English.

“Forest bathing,” is the practice of “immersing in the forest atmosphere to relieve stress.” There are a bunch of studies documenting how the trees and forests are healthy resources for people with a variety of physical and mental issues. The Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides’ website www.natureandforesttherapy.org offers links to numerous research papers and articles.

One of the most positive features of forest bathing is its availability to people with physical issues. There are easy forest trails, at Bluff Point State Park in Groton, Rocky Neck State Park in East Lyme, Gillette Castle State Park in East Haddam, and Chatfield Hollow State Park in Killingworth and our own Mohegan and McKeon Parks. For a guide to Connecticut trails statewide visit CFPA’s Connecticut Walk Book www.ctwoodlands.org/connecticut-walk-book-20th-edition.

The healing benefits come from exposure to the essential oils the trees exude and share naturally. The oils protect the trees from insects and diseases. Wouldn’t you like to live, work and have your business in a city that cares about its residents? Surprise! You do! But until the leadership of the city recognize the treasures of Norwich they will continue to be a secret. Telling people about “Forest Bathing” and taking a walk or two among the trees, or watching a flower grow is all the promotion required. YOU can do it. The leaders of this city can do it. Together, we can positively promote our city. See you outside.

Pollinator Party 2018

Finally the warmth, and the sunshine and the rains have arrived and June is Native Plant month. Some of the seed catalogs and the garden places are excited and gearing up for the week of June 18 – 24th which is Pollinator Week.

Check with your local garden center to see if they will be hosting a “Pollinator Party” to educate their customers about environmental preservation. Environmental education is not the same now as it was even ten years ago. The strength of the habitat and pollinator movements has grown exponentially. More people are aware that every outdoor space, not just gardens, farms, schools, and golf courses can contribute to a better environment for everyone.

There is so much information available now it is easy to become overwhelmed and if you are like me, frozen into inaction by all of the conflicting information. So feel free to start small. Start with a single pot with a single plant that attracts whatever you are interested in. My neighbors and I like birds and our bird feeders and baths have attracted a very wide selection we are very proud of. So our experiment is to attract and increase the number of hummingbirds in our neighborhood.

Hummingbirds like bright colors, fragrant and tube shaped flowers so I have filled two large planters with honey suckle and have connected them with a broken hula hoop so the vines have something to grow on. I don’t know if this is the best of plans but one of my little neighbors (she is now three years old) and I spent a wonderful hour or so discussing and creating our rainbow garden. It took a couple of tries but we found just the right spot so we can each see it from our windows and will have a great view of what it attracts.

If you are not certain your thumb is green, there are lots of other things that you can do to help pollinators. Create a watering station by filling a shallow dish with marbles and fresh water. The marbles give insects a place to land so they can get a drink before they continue their journey to the next flower.

What is it you are hoping to attract? Birds, Butterflies or Bees?

Hike Mohegan Park

The question in a continuing e-mail barrage that I am receiving is “Do You Have Plans This Weekend? Join us at a Trail! Over 200 free events in CT!”

There is a health insurance company that is very concerned about my health and wants to play a part in my life. The events however are not in Eastern CT and when I contacted the very concerned company they had no interest in adding the Norwich, CT Mohegan Park Trails Week to their list of more than 240 planned events which makes the state of Connecticut the host of the largest National Trails Day® in the country.

But not a single event will be held here in Norwich, CT. Other places will have hikes, family walks, trail runs, paddles, bike rides, even historical strolls. All events are free and have a volunteer guide. The Mohegan Park Committee invited the public to wander the parks maintained trails over the course of the week from Saturday, June 2 through Sunday,June 10th but without the reinforcement of the residents the small promotion doesn’t gain the momentum to grow and become an event.

We failed in getting the interest though of local residents. What does it take to get your attention? How do we communicate to you the wonderful trails that are available to everyone all year long at no cost? Well marked and maintained trails that can be mixed or matched to any length you would prefer.

No charge to enter the park. No charge to park or use the general public picnic areas. Open dawn to dusk every day of the year. What is your excuse?

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