So I was chatting with a long time resident of Norwich, CT about how names are lost through time. A name that is well known for a time will be completely forgotten and any deeds done by that person will be credited to another.

For example in the Norwich Bulletin of July 6, 1903 Henry P. Goddard, then of Baltimore, MD gave a very lengthy speech filled with his memories of old Norwich at the dedication of the Hubbard Gates at the Norwich Town Cemetery.

How many of the spoken by Mr. Goddard do you recognize? “When such Norwich born orators as Daniel C. Gilman, Donald G. Mitchell, Timothy Dwight, Edmund C. Stedman, and William T. Lusk have treated the subject one must be bold who essays it.” Who?

Daniel Coit Gilman (July 6, 1831 – October 13, 1908) an American educator and academic. Instrumental in founding the Sheffield Scientific School at Yale and subsequently served as the second president of the University of California, Berkeley, the first president of John Hopkins University, and founding president of the Carnegie Institution. He co-founded the Russell Trust Association, administrators of the business affairs of Yale’s Skull & Bones Society. His term of twenty five years as president of Johns Hopkins in 1876 is said to have been the start of postgraduate education in the United States.

Donald Grant Mitchell, aka Ik Marvel, (born April 12, 1822, Norwich, died Dec. 15, 1908), American farmer, clerk to the U.S. consul at Liverpool and writer known for nostalgic, sentimental books on American life, especially Reveries of a Bachelor (1850).

Timothy Dwight (1752-1817), not to be confused with his grandson, Timothy V. Dwight of Norwich. Dwight was a prominent New England theologian, educator, and poet. Born in Northampton, Massachusetts, in 1752, Dwight enrolled in Yale at 13 and graduated in 1769. Among his many professional achievements was the founding of a successful school in Greenfield Hill CT, in 1783. As pastor of the Congregational Church there and, he published The Conquest of Canaan— the first epic poem produced in America. He became the eighth president of Yale in 1795, serving until 1817. Dwight allowed for greater faculty participation in college government, that ultimately modernized and enhanced the relevancy of the curriculum to be offered future generations of Yale students.

Timothy V. Dwight was born in Norwich, CT, the son of James Dwight. His paternal grandfather, Timothy Dwight IV, served as president of Yale from 1795 to 1817. He was the great-grandson of Major Timothy Dwight and Mary (Edwards) Dwight, the latter’s father being the Rev. Jonathan Edwards,third president of Princeton. His mother was Susan, daughter of John McLaren Breed, by his second wife Rebecca (Walker) Breed, who was the daughter of Robert Walker, a judge of the Superior Court of Connecticut.

Edmund Clarence Stedman (October 8, 1833 – January 18, 1908) was an American poet, critic, essayist, banker, and scientist.

William T Lusk (May 23, 1838 – June 12, 1897) was an obstetrician and a soldier who rose to the rank of Assistant Adjutant-general during the first three years of the Civil War. Upon retiring from the Union Army, he finished his medical education and became a professor as well as president of the Bellevue Hospital Medical College and in 1882 wrote the text ‘The Science and Art of Midwifery. ‘

But the loquacious Mr. Goddard then recalled the historic women of Norwich, CT. The same women that have not been credited or acknowledged since. The musical accomplishments of Louise Downing

Reynolds. Misses Eliza Perkins and Lizzie Greene who founded the Norwich Soldiers Aid Society. He reminded his listeners that it was the women of Norwich who raised the monuments to Uncas and Miantonah, founded the Village Improvement Society, the Sheltering Arms, Rocknook Home, and the School House Club. So who were these women whose names do not appear on our many plaques on a rock? Where are their names and their mentions by all our new and well-read and very modern historians? Why is it so much more exciting to believe modern fantasies than to dig deep and discover the truths and the pride of what once was? Come on Norwich, CT historians dig deeper!

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 .

Memorial Day, this year, Monday, May 25, 2020 is not only celebrated as Memorial Day but for years at the Leffingwell House Museum it was the official “Planting of the Banana” day somewhere near the flag pole in the Silver Star Mothers Garden. [ The garden around the flag pole was created in the 1980’s to honor the Silver Star Mothers of Norwich who had a child wounded in military service. Later Blue and Gold plants were added to honor Mothers with children on active duty and those killed in action.] The planting of the banana began when the “Norwich Rose” was planted near the flagpole. The “Norwich Rose” was part of a promotion of Norwich, CT by Walter Way who gave hundreds of rose bushes to be planted throughout the “Rose City.”

My neighbor challenged me to find out why roses like bananas and if other plants like them too. This is what I learned of course from the internet. So it must be true.

12 Uses For Banana Peels In The Garden

What all are banana peels good for?

Banana skin or peels being nutrient-rich, make an excellent source of natural fertilizer for your yard and garden. They provide your plants with:

• Potassium: This nutrient helps your plants grow strong roots, and it also helps enable good distribution of water and nutrients. Potassium helps regulate plant enzymes and supports your plants in growing stronger stems. All of this works together to help grow strong, sturdy disease and pest repellant plants.
• Phosphorus: This nutrient also helps build healthy roots and shoots, and it is absolutely essential for the successful production of blossoms, pollen and fruit. Plants that receive plenty of phosphorus grow big and strong.
• Calcium: Roots and stems are also dependent upon ample calcium for strength and proper development. Calcium assists in breaking down soil nutrients such as nitrogen, and it supports other minerals in moving through a plant’s system.
• Magnesium: This mineral supports healthy photosynthesis, which is absolutely essential for all aspects of plant growth and health.

Use these tips to make the most of these valuable nutrients!

1. Brew Some Banana Peel Tea

Create an all-natural liquid organic banana peel fertilizer filled with potassium, phosphorus and nitrogen using just banana peels and water. This combination feeds and strengthens plants and helps them resist diseases and pests.

Brew This Nourishing Banana Peel Fertilizer Tea In Several Different Ways

# 1 Fill a large jar (2 quarts) about three quarters of the way with water. Set the jar of water in your refrigerator. Whenever you eat a banana cut the peel into small pieces and put the pieces into the water.

Keep the jar of boiled banana water in your refrigerator for about a week. When it is full, strain the peels out and mix the banana water with a gallon of plain water. Use this “compost tea” to water your plants and give them a healthy dose of minerals.

# 2 If you don’t want to keep a jar of chopped banana peels in your refrigerator, make small batches of banana peel tea for plants. Do this by placing banana peels in a 1 quart Mason jar filled with water. Allow the jar to sit (loosely covered) at room temperature for two days. Remove the peel and use the water as-is for watering plants.

Note: I would NOT use this on plants indoors without some testing!

Related Reading: Yes! You Can Use Old Tea Bags In The Garden

2. Don’t Throw Away The Soaked Peels!

Use soaked banana peels as fertilizer. Dehydrate them and then grind them into powder for working directly into the soil, or make a slurry of the soaked banana peels using your blender. Work the slurry into the soil surrounding plants for nourishment and also for a certain measure of pest control.

Dehydrated banana peel powder makes an excellent addition when starting seedlings. Mix a pinch into the starter mix in each pot be sure that your seeds get off to the best start.

If nothing else, remember to add the soaked banana peels to your compost heap or bin!

3. Pest Control

Working cut up banana peels into the soil surrounding your plants not only feeds the plants, it also will help naturally deter green aphids and other pests. You can also spray your banana peels compost tea directly onto plants to help repel aphids. As a bonus, your plants will absorb the minerals in the compost tea through their leaves.

4. Banana Peels In Compost

Whether you compost using a compost pile, a bin or a vermicomposting setup, adding banana peels (whole, chopped up, soaked or as a slurry) is a good idea. If you do add whole banana peels, be sure to bury them deeply near the composting coffee grounds so as not to attract pests such as raccoons and possums.

Soaking, chopping, grinding or making a slurry of banana peels makes the nutrients more readily available to plants and facilitates quick breakdown of the peel. For this reason, some pre-compost processing is desirable.

5. Amend Your Soil

You can use banana peels composted directly as a soil amendment in the autumn when preparing flower and veggie beds for the winter.

Chop banana peels up and work them into the soil or add them whole. Again, just be sure to bury them deeply under mulch if adding them whole since they may attract mammalian nocturnal invaders.

On the upside, they attract beneficial insects, worms and microbes that will work hard through the wintertime improving the quality of your soil.

Have you thought about, banana peels for roses?

Roses respond very well with brighter blooms and more flowers when they get “fed” banana peels and coffee grounds.

6. Plant A Banana Peel

When planting seeds outdoors give them a direct jolt of nutrients by planting a banana peel along with them.

Dig a trench two inches deep and at least long enough to accommodate the banana peel strip. Lay strips of banana peels flat with the inside facing up and put the seeds on top.

Cover with light, rich, well-drained soil and water, care for your seeds as usual. As they germinate, create roots and begin growing they will greatly benefit from the rich fertilizer created by the decomposing banana peels.

Thank you to all who have served, and currently serve and their families.

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 .

What is with the spreading of the fear and apprehension in Norwich? Everyone is always afraid of change regardless of slight and regardless of the company of others in a similar situation.

Why can’t the people we choose as leaders and employ to be our leaders, lead. The pandemic has placed every city and town in a place they never imagined to be and some will rise to the challenge and some will fall. Norwich has been falling for a very long time and it is time we say a collective, “Enough.”

How can we say, “Enough?” Let’s start by cleaning up our streets. Not just the main streets but the back ones and the side ones as well. Going for a walk? Carry a trash bag. Go out with the kids and the grand children and pick up the litter.

Have one household at a time in your area schedule a big pick up and don’t hesitate to add to it.

Norwich is more than just the downtown. All promotions should be citywide. For example – Norwich has an enormous amount of old buildings and homes for sale. Some may have a history and some are just old. But imagine the impact if the properties for sale or rent with an interesting history had, just for example, the silhouette of Christopher Leffingwell, one of the early entrepreneurs of Norwich, CT.

Instead of whining about the change in table space within local restaurants use the change to create some new specialties. For example – How about a healthy box lunch? Somethings simple, attractive and easy. Some places might even be able to have some boxes frozen or microwave ready. Yes most places already do that, but lets really promote it. Same old box but with a fancier sticker.

Was it really last summer? Well anyway, I was out of town for an event and there was a booth with a selection of boxed meals from a number of different restaurants. If I remember correctly all the boxes were the same price regardless of contents. I don’t remember what I chose but I remember it was tasty.

Can you imagine being able, in one location, to choose from 36 Town, 99 Restaurant, Bella Fiore, Brick & Basil, Canggio, Fat Cat, Friendly’s, Great Oak, Harp & Dragon, Irene’s, Jack’s, Johnny’s, Joy’s, King Wah, LaStella, Lazizah, Mi Casa, Namoo, Norwich Golf Course, Occum Pizza, Old Tymes, Prime 82, Punjabi, Tulli’s Uncle D’s, and the Yantic River Inn?

Personally I am not a fan of moving tables out onto the street. I do not find it enjoyable to eat a meal at the same level and within a foot or so of a belching car exhaust and what if it rains? Has anyone put forth the idea of expanding the number of tables at our city parks? Just a few cement ones along the outer rims of our parks? Or at least increasing the benches? There is always someone touting how Norwich, CT has three main rivers, and a bunch of ponds and streams and over-sized mud puddles well then how about engaging some of our youth and action groups to clean up a few areas to install trash cans and picnic tables?

Norwich has a full hand of play shops in town. Why can’t they take turns putting on lunch time performances at the Brown Park Gazebo, or an after Five at the Field House at Mohegan Park? On a Wednesday Evening beginning at 5:15 and ending at 6. The play is in the field house and bring your own lawn chair to sit on the field.

There has been much discussion about Diversity Day and the Italian and Greek Festivals. This is a tremendous opportunity to expand the audiences through virtual experiences. This is a time when there can be multiple, close up and personal demonstrations of crafts of the various countries, including cooking, sewing (costume making, beading, embroidery, shoe making), occupations in various countries we don’t see here, how to steer a gondola, fishing techniques, dance, health and exercise in different cultures. Start working with the local high schools and colleges that have media and film training programs and look at your local cable companies and see which talk shows would be interested in having the dancers or singers or contestants on their shows. Talk to a local radio station about interviews, speakers, singers and special programs.

Stop telling me about everything that needs to be changed and change the focus to new looks, new horizons and new ways of “getting it done.”

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 .

Well thank the heavens that its spring and will soon be summer. Lunch at work is going to be a new adventure for so many. Its not the food so much as where are we going to be allowed to eat it.

The lunchroom with long tables will soon be a thing of the past. Possibly replaced by smaller tables to allow for greater social distancing. Did placemats really fall out of fashion or did we just get used to using the paper bag or wrapper in its place? I will be carrying my own knife, fork, and spoon. Do you know who’s fingers were last in the communal box of plasticware?

For those lucky enough to be working in Norwich, CT there are quite a few outdoor spots with benches and picnic tables to escape the office and phones for those few minutes of lunchtime peace.

But what happens if it rains or its cold outside? Will we be relegated to sitting in our cars in the parking lot? Where will we be allowed to breathe without our mask on?

I am certain there will soon be rules for what is allowed and not allowed as designs for masks at work. Will there be one design for servers? Another for receptionists? Professionals? What will be the etiquette for telling someone they have a mark on their face shield?

What about phones? Are there disposable covers for the phones or will we need to adjust to the muffled and distorted voices of people speaking through a mask on a telephone?

How long should the break to wash your hands be? Are there ever going to be public restrooms again?

Will there be a return to the pay toilet and a coin operated soap and towel dispenser?

I just have so many questions as to who has touched what and when and who is going to be paying for all of the cleaning and protecting?

Shopping for clothing and shoes will be going under some changes too.

Just breathe. There are going to be a lot of very new and strange changes about to happen that we will have to adjust to, discover how the change can be improved upon and then wait for that change to occur. Everything in its own good time. Just continue to breathe and repeat. One thankful day at a time.

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 .

Our reaction to the Corona Virus has been a learning experience for us all. Lessons in what is truly important to us as individuals, families, employees, and employers .

What apparently we have not figured out is what is important to our collective communities. For example, we have not been able to grasp how we can work together to have community events .

Go big or go home has always been the American way and we don’t know how to slow it down or reduce it. If it cannot be held in the exact same way as it was done before, the event can’t happen.

Well, I say, yes it can. Events can still be held, but differently.

Music festivals can still happen but not in the same confined spaces. Go outdoors where there is more room to spread out and have more distance between friends and families. Understand that speakers and natural accoustics can help spread the sound of bands. It is not necessary to herd the observers.

Artist exhibits can be distanced further apart and aisles made to keep people moving in a single direction. Art shows could be filmed for local access television or placed on a dedicated web site of the festival. What a way to have an accurate count of interest? What about the local newspaper? Can they print in color? How can they help to support the arts?

Contests can be put onto multiple screens for greater viewing. Now would be a good time to make friends with the local cable company and take their classes on how to film, edit and produce for television. Most high schools have a media department and some have their own public or cable access channels. Now would be a good time to ask for the help of their students and advisors. Of course, it would be a really good opportunity for the school to demonstrate their community involvement and support not to mention the real life experience the students would receive and their might be some opportunity for community service credits or college application examples of service.

Radio does not have to be only music. Do you have a local radio station that can help with getting the live or recorded music onto the air and into the community? Is there a way that, for example, someone might be able to have a weekly telecast of events or progress reports of events? Very 1950 in style with lame jokes and name dropping of local people and businesses and what is being worked on?

Has anyone considered Norwich, CT to be a multiple venue site? Different events on each of the Greens located throughout the city with a coordinated guide of times and places? Could some of the churches help with parking and perhaps venues?

Social distancing is an opportunity to examine and re-examine, change, try out new and different ways of doing things. It may well be the catalyst that Norwich, CT has needed to make changes and improvements on how we do things.

I cannot stress how important it is to not cancel events without first examining the supporting bones of the event and then thinking who is the real audience, what are the events, what is the purpose of the event, when is the event, where is the event, do all events need to be in the same location? How can the event be held safely? It may well be that only parts of a larger event can be held but if you don’t look, and talk and discuss alternatves you will never know.

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 .

You may have already read this thank you but this time I’d like you to read it looking at it as a different way of presenting what is considered to be the normal. A different way of presenting what has been done in a new, healthy and safe way. A new way of presenting normal.

I want to establish a new normal that is different from the past models. It is possible to go back to our lives, activities, enjoyments and our jobs. We just may have to discover a few new ways and paths to do so. Where is your sense of adventure? How long has it been since you took that deep breath and made the leap into something new? Something different? Go ahead! Take the leap!

The May 3 2020 Norwich Plant Swap was an outstanding success. Huge THANK YOU’s to all who attended and came from next door, and Hanover, Bristol and places throughout Connecticut.

There were lots of successful plant adoptions of indoor and outdoor plants. Jonni Ford from Zen Hollow Greenery in Hanover CT brought a huge selection of indoor tropical plants from her greenhouse. A wonderful couple brought elm trees ready for planting from his own adult tree. So many people brought seeds to share. One very industrious woman brought her collection of heritage seeds to share. Seeds that she had collected from her own flowers, fruits, vegetables and herbs. She made it sound so easy. But, I know from personal experience, it’s not.

There are not enough words to thank St Vincent de Pauls for opening up their driveway and green lawn for us today. Without their help, support and cooperation this event would have been canceled.

Masks were worn. People parked and respected distances and the need of people to look at things carefully and to ask questions. A more civil and polite group could not be found anywhere. There were helping hands to help set up, helping hands with extra plant cups and newspaper and helping hands at the end to clean up.

Arranging for a plant swap is easy. The only rule is that all the roots, plants, seeds, seedlings, starters the whatevers are free. Everything is available for plant adopters to take home. Arrangements for leftover plants should be made in advance but not a requirement.

Hope you enjoy the photos taken by Patty Small.

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 .