It is so odd to read about your habit, your issue, your problem, to realize it is reality for more than just you. I just read an article about people who have, “Tsundoku.”

The word is a noun defined as “letting books pile up unread on shelves, floors or nightstands.

There is a word for me? Does it also include the books I now have on my Kindle that I havent gotten to yet or is it just for the books I can hold in my hands?

How and why did the Japanese find it necessary to create a term used to describe a person who owns a lot of unread literature?

The article I read said a Professor Andrew Gerstle who taught pre-modern Japanese texts at the University of London explained to the BBC that the term might have been found in print as early as 1879, meaning it was likely in use before that.

According to the article, and who am I to doubt it, the word “doku” can be used as a verb to mean “reading”. And the “tsun” in “tsundoku” originates in “tsumu” – a word meaning “to pile up”.

So when put together, “tsundoku” has the meaning of buying reading material and piling it up.

That is me. During this extended period of isolation I have made a few dents in my piles of books, but then I have also added to my stacks of books. Loans,gifts, recommendations, the clearing of someone else’s home to mine.

The brief interest in learning something new or reviewing something old. A catchy phrase in the description. A cover that is a dream, a memory or a fantasy. What is it about collections of words that is so interesting? Why do we want to hoard certain collections of words? Why not just buy a single giant dictionary? All of the very same words in the books would be in the dictionary All ready to be re-assembled in any way, shape, form or order you would like them to be.

I tried that. I have a very large dictionary and I read in full a page or two but the words did not transport me to other places. The orderly words did not tell me how another persons mind turned their thoughts to actions, good or bad. The words in the dictionary were flat while the words placed in a different order by another can transport me to other places, other worlds. They can explain what I do not understand. They can instruct so I can do. They can give me insight into how anothers mind works.

“Tsundoku” may not be such a bad thing. Perhaps its just a symbol that an individual has a want, a yearning, a need to escape the chains of a reality beyond their control.

Read on!

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 .

Everyone should be wearing a mask. Maybe not in your own home or when you are alone in your car but certainly when you are outside, in groups or in contact with other people, at work and at school, shopping, visiting and wherever else you might be.

So why are people still wearing dull, plain masks? Speaking for myself if I were a national chain I would have every employee wearing a smiling mask in my store colors, or a mask saying, “May I help you?” or a mask just saying, Hi!”.

Students should be provided with masks in their school colors. How fun it would be to see “Hi1” on masks in different languages.

Has anyone thought of designing masks with name tags so when they are washed or misplaced they can be returned to the correct person? Not that anyone would ever take off a mask and just accidentally leave it somewhere or have it slip out of their pocket, purse or backpack.

Masks would be great micro-billboards for advertising. How long have we been putting identifying labels on purses, shirts, jeans, shoes, jackets and lest we forget our under garments?

Seriously, let your mask make a statement about who you are, who you represent or maybe even who you would like to become.

Growing up how many of us had underwear labeled for the day of the week? If you can’t recall, ask your momma. Maybe it could be a fashion statement with Wednesday being Hump Day, Thursday bearing, Is it Friday yet? And Friday, a giant grin with TGIF!

Maybe face masks could coded? Green for first shift. Yellow for second shift. Blue for third shift.

Maybe the masks could be coded for work teams?

These are just a few ideas of what can be done with masks. Lets all stop whining about having to wear them and accept them as our new normal and step off into the future.

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 .

My personal thanks to the people who will walk and run on the side of the road facing the traffic where there is no sidewalk. I can see you and more importantly you can see me. We do not need to make eye contact or acknowledge one another but it is calming to know that we are both aware of each other.

I am always more aware and I admit nervous as I am driving but there is someone peddling, walking or running with the traffic so I am behind them. My fear is that there will be a trip or a fall into my lane of traffic because they are looking over their shoulder at me or I will swerve into their lane or into them because my hands holding the wheel follow my eyes, or there is a slide of my tires, or a pothole whose bump moves my car to the right by just that fraction. I know I am not supposed to have these thoughts and fears. I know that according to the rules of the road all rod traffic should move in the same direction and that may be fine for cities and places with wide streets and places with well kept and marked shoulders, verges, right-of-ways, or reserves.

Where I live the grass may be mowed 30 feet back from the tar but the shoulder may or may not be marked, its broken and decayed surface will be beneath slippery salt and sand from a winter where it was piled on icy roads to provide the large vehicles traction in the winter, general dirt, cigarette butts, trash, collected run-off and other disgusting things. Our shoulders road and street shoulders are sometimes gutters and not places for safe walking riding, biking or traveling.

The City of Norwich, CT is finally beginning to try and make our streets and sidewalks safer, better and easier to use. New, long needed stop signs have been placed. Some drivers are annoyed but honestly I am grateful as the stop signs really do make it safer for cars and pedestrians alike. It slows the traffic down, almost to the speeds that the roads were designed to be traveled on. What? You have not been witness to my reciting, “Just because you can, does not mean that you should.” Just because you can put that “pedal to the metal” on that narrow, strip of road, does not mean that you should. You share that road with others and its not the moving right along that becomes the issue. The issue is having enough room to stop those thousands of pounds of machinery. It’s the tires having enough grip on the surface of the road. Its the unexpected reaction of the other vehicle, or obstacle, it is all about the unexpected. No one plans an accident. Accidents are just that. By chance in-opportunities.

So in this time of learning how to be socially distant. Of a time when we are learning to depend more on ourselves by taking walks, jogs and runs we also need to practice and learn and adapt to what is safe for us and what we need to demonstrate to our, collective children and other impressionables how to interact and share our streets and roads safely and effectively.

Please stay healthy and please stay safe.

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 .

Are you in a rut? I am. I wear outfits by the day of the week. My Tuesday outfit cannot be worn on Monday and I am not certain what horrible thing would happen if I wore my Thursday skirt with my Friday blouse. Inconceivable!

I am also in a food rut. Not only do I eat the same foods repeatedly but I serve them the same way. Plopped on a plate. Leftovers bagged or wrapped and into the fridge. Done.

No not done. I need to change. I need to take some pride back to the stuff on my plate. I was looking at the pictures in the Minute Rice Fast Fabulous Meals cookbook. My attention was caught by a layered salad in a clear glass bowl. It was cheerful and colorful and tempting and it looked easy.

I didn’t have need of a single large salad so I looked over my available glass and plastic ware. I had four extra large plastic cups. So long on my shelf they needed a wash just to remove the dust! So sort of following the directions for the layered salad I began.

My thin slices of red onion were too large for the bottom of the glass so I quartered them. They gave a little space for the dressing that would come later. Then I put in a layer of cooled white rice. Then a layer of thawed frozen peas, I cut up some ribbons of fresh carrots next, a layer of sliced and stemmed fresh spinach as I don’t like iceberg lettuce, avnother layer of onion, more rice, some drained kidney beans, and sliced black olives. Covered in plastic wrap and into the fridge. Neat. Tidy. And so pretty.

I made a favorite vinaigrette of rice vinegar with a spoonful of peach jam and a sprinkle of hot pepper flakes, slices of garden fresh cucumber, sliced tomato and cold tuna completed the meal.

If you think you are in a rut, stand up. Look around. See what is near by. Take a stroll to see what is over the hill. Go ahead. Put one foot in front of the other. You can do it.

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 .

Today I stopped at a friends to wish her a happy birthday. Thanks to Covid her friends were all assigned dates and times for a visit over the month so her home would not be crowded with people, laughter and high jinks all on a single date. Instead the laughter and high jinks, although, subdued, was spread out and the only regret was that masks had not been stamped or printed with a variety of laughing mouths or smiles or perhaps just the words “Happy Birthday.”

I was treated to the story of a family group coming to visit wearing elaborate eye masks above their mouth masks. Identification of her great-grandchildren took a bit longer than planned and there was plenty of laughter, photos and the cutest video of the hinting and guessing game that had ensued and entertained.

We had a wonderful visit and her next visitors arrival signaled my departure. Although her next visitor was also excited to see me. “Just the person! I have cookbooks in my trunk for you to look at.”

The couple were trying to downsize and had hoped they’d run into me. I could not take them all but I came home with a few treasures. One of the treasures was a 1987 bound collection titled, “Babushka’s Kitchen.”

On February 18, 1985, Babushka turned 85. The family had enjoyed many happy, sad and grateful meals prepared with love by Babushka. She had shared her recipes of a little of this, a touch of that with many over the years and bonded in the kitchen with new family members, nervous brides and seasoned family chefs. As a tribute, one of the grand-daughters asked the now far-flung family to send her their favorite, “Babushka Recipe.”

Some of the recipes are a simple list of ingredients. Not a measurement in sight. You look at what you have and will know instinctively the correct proportions for your tastes at the time.

Some recipes were unique. At least to me. Here are two that made me smile.

Sour Cream Dressing

1 8 ounce container of sour cream

Salt and pepper

Scallions or chopped chives

Drop of lemon juice

Stir sour cream, a little drop of lemon juice, salt and pepper together until smooth. Add chopped green scallions or chives.

Add to tossed salad and mix together. Refrigerate until icy cold and serve.

Cranberry Chiffon Pie

1 baked 9-inch pastry shell

1 envelope (1 tablespoon) unflavored gelatin

½ cup cold water

2 cups or (½ pound) fresh cranberries

2 egg whites

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup whipped cream

1 Tablespoon sugar

Prepare and bake pastry shell; cool. Soften gelatin in water. In medium saucepan, combine cranberries and softened gelatin. Bring to boiling; simmer for 5 minutes, stirring often. Cool.

In large mixing bowl, combine egg whites, the one cup sugar, the lemon juice, salt and cranberry mixture. Beat until mixture holds firm peaks, about 6-8 minutes. Stir in one cup whipped cream. Pile into pastry shell. Chill 4-5 hours.

How would you make either of these recipes your very own? I am not a baker. So for the Cranberry Chiffon Pie, I am thinking a store-bought cookie crust or perhaps I might crush a box of coconut cookies, add some fresh or toasted coconut and butter before pressing into a pie plate to harden. And because I am lazy I might cook the cranberries as directed but substitute cool whip for the whipped cream and chill. Something new for Thanksgiving perhaps?

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 .

I am hot, sticky and annoyed. So get ready this is going to be a rant. This morning I awoke and reached for my glasses on the nightstand to find that the right earpiece was no longer connected to the lens frame. So I wait until mid-morning to go to the eyeglass store for a quick repair. I hoped.

This is the second time the temple or earpiece has disconnected from the frame. The screw is in place but the dowl that connects the two pieces has broken.

I have only worn glasses for the last fifty or so years so I am still new at wearing them. They go on my nose first thing in the morning and are the last thing removed at night. I wash and wipe them periodically during the day depending on my activities. This pair is about three years old and I need to get a new pair but I have an exam scheduled for October so I am not looking to buy another pair now in July.

Can you leave the glasses and we’ll call you next week when they are ready? No.

Will you be waiting then? Yes.

Would you mind waiting in your car it will be at least a half hour? Fine

Folks, I wear very thick, strong glasses. I cannot be without glasses to safely walk let alone drive. Waiting in a car, in a parking lot without a shade tree in sight, on a sunny, humid, hot mid-summers day was not a treat so I moved to wait on a bench in the outer hallway.

I could overhear the staff comments. Why is there a woman waiting on the hall bench? Did you ask her to wait outside? All said from their very comfortable air conditioned office.

When my glasses were finally ready after 90 minutes since I brought them in, they were handed to me with a lecture that glasses have a limited life span and to preserve their life span I shouldn’t open and close them repeatedly during the day as it stresses the structure.

What do the manufacturers and designers think people are going to do with the glasses? Granted I also use them as a fashion statement to enhance my natural fabulous look. Is it wrong to expect that my eyeglasses should be able to open and close without issue, repair or replacement? My prescription for progressive lenses are not covered by insurance so every pair, paid for by me, is over $400. Is it wrong that I expect the glasses and frames should have a life span of a few years? Quality should not be an add-on. It should not be wrong to expect it. We, as Americans, need to bring personal pride back in our manufacturing. Our manufacturing. Not some other countries mass market manufacturing.

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 .

In my house mail I had a business envelope from the Secretary of the State, Elections Administration Division and if you are a registered voter in Connecticut yours has been or will be in your mail shortly.

Open it up. Inside you will find only two things #1. A business reply envelope with a window so when you complete and fold the second item the envelope will already be addressed . No stamp needed if you mail it within the United States. #2. is a one sided form titled, Application For Absentee Ballot.

All registered voters are receiving the absentee ballot because of Executive Order7QQ, and everyone can use COVID-19 as the reason for using an absentee ballot in Connecticut.

Be certain to check the information in section I. Is your name, address, date of birth and party affiliation correct?

Remember, because you are affiliated with a party allows you to vote in only the primary of that party in August, but in November, you can vote for whichever individual , of any party, you choose.

The date of the Connecticut primary is August 11, 2020 and you are asked to check the party you are affiliated with, either Republican or Democrat. No other parties are having a primary at this time. Other parties will be on the November 2020 ballot.

Section II. – Statement of Applicant saying why you want an absentee ballot. Everyone can check the top box saying, “COVID-19.” No documentation is required.

Section III. – Applicant’s Declaration is a simple statement saying you are telling the truth and then there is a place for your signature and the date you signed.

Only if someone helped you complete the form does anyone complete Section IV. Declaration of person providing assistance. That person signs their name, prints their name, phone number and their home address.

Then the form just needs to be folded so the Pre-printed address of the City Clerks Office shows in the window of the Official Election return envelope.

You, are also responsible for writing your return address on the envelope, sealing it shut and dropping it in the mail. No postage needs to be put on the envelope.

How easy was that? Since each voter received their own absentee ballot application and envelope I suggest each application be sent in separately in its own sealed envelope. Because of record keeping this is not the time to save postage and combine applications in an envelope. Later on election auditors will be looking at the number of envelopes received on given days, how many handed out in person and how many applications received on those days.

Happy voting!

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 .

Norwich, CT is a city with empty volunteer boards and commissions which is not a symbol of a thriving and vibrant community. To make the changes that are desperately needed to turn our city around we all need to stop depending on somebody else, and to take control by participating. That’s right. I am calling you out. I don’t care what you participate in or on but it is now critical to the survival of our city that we each do something.

Many of us volunteer out of a sense of community pride, some duty, some tradition and still others responsibility.

There are other reasons to be a part of a committee such as to be with other people, to feel a part of the city, to feel useful and needed, to gain job experience, management experience, insight into how an operation is run, to get school credit, to learn about City government, to have a say in how tax dollars are spent, to learn new skills, to build and maintain a positive interaction with the community, and/or personal interest.

Promotion to fill the many community and city openings is done only through a posting of the position on the City of Norwich website. Interested people have to look for the postings, apply and go through a resume and interview process.

Go to Norwichct.org; then click on Government on the top ribbon; then click on on the left panel click on boards and commissions; then select volunteer opportunities.

As I have blogged before Norwich, CT leadership has no understanding of promotion and seldom recruits volunteers either through announcements, feature stories, presentations, or even “word of mouth” from enthusiastic volunteers. I only know of one group, the Information Volunteers, in city hall, that receive any kind of recognition for their work and dedication. City leaders seldom seize an opportunity to praise and publicize its volunteers by mention in speeches, talks, or writings. With a bit of reminding there may be a perfunctory thank you for your service when someone moves away, or retires. But the time has come to hear, “Thank you” by tweet, in person, in morning announcements, with baked goods, or garden produce, Facebook shout-outs!, hand-written notes, thank you videos, newspaper articles and blogs, gifts, pins, emails, volunteer spots, photos, formations, letters, lattes, pot lucks, certificates of appreciation, gift cards, chocolate, flowers, flash mobs, photo albums, graffiti walls, use your imagination for more creative ways to say thank you that I haven’t mentioned.

Norwich, CT needs volunteers from all walks of life. We need volunteers of all ages with a wide diversity of backgrounds. People with professional, technical and clerical experience. Retirees as well as those still working and students.

The residents and taxpayers of Norwich, CT have relinquished much of the administration, operation and decision making to non-residents and it is time the residents and taxpayers took back the responsibilities and opportunities. Now is the time to step up, to make the changes that will move our city forward.

Individuals appointed to any board of the City of Norwich:

• Must be a resident elector of the City of Norwich.
• Must be up to date in payment of property taxes.
• Certain appointments have restrictions or qualification imposed by the Charter, state statues, or by ordinance, individuals applying for such an appointment or reappointment must meet and comply with such restrictions or qualifications to be considered.
• All applicants including those requesting reappointment must complete an application through the City’s website. After the application has been received, interviews will be scheduled through the Mayor’s office. Not all positions may be open at the time of your application

As of July 1, 2020 there are openings on the Baseball Stadium Authority, Board of Assessment Appeals, Building Code of Appeals, Cable television Advisory Committee, Commission for Persons with Disabilities, Commission on the City Plan, Design Review Board, Ethics Commission, Harbor Management, Historic District Commission, Ice Arena Authority, Inland Wetlands & Watercourses, Norwich Supportive Housing Committee, Public Appearance and Beautification Committee, Public Utilities Commission, Redevelopment Agency, Regional Tourism District, Senior Affairs Commission, Southeastern CT Water Authority, and the Zoning Board of Appeals.

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 .