Americans give thanks on Thanksgiving Thursday, then its Black Friday, the unofficial start of the Christmas shopping season, then its Support Small Business Saturday, Artists Sunday, Cyber Monday and Giving Tuesday There are more days following and each and every one of them involves the spending of money.

To be honest they are all worthy days. I can’t think of one single day that is not deserving of our full support. My personal preferences do favor the lesser known days such as Artists Sunday and Giving Tuesday.

Artists Sunday is a reminder to shop with local artists to give gifts that are something special, unique and hand-crafted. Things that are special and may have a deeper meaning than a mass-produced box store trinket. How many of us have spent the pandemic clearing out the shelves and drawers of mass produced items?

But for those looking to make an impact in the lives of others then the most important of those spending days is “Giving Tuesday.” “Giving Tuesday” is a global movement for everyone to take actions, large and small, to create a better community through acts of kindness, donations of goods, time , money, notes of compassion, advocacy for causes, and care for family and friends.

2020 Covid has given us all a gift. A peculiar gift but still a gift. The gift of time to look around and to really assess what is important and meaningful to us, our friends, family and neighbors. “Giving Tuesday” packs a powerful punch in the abilities of organizations to continue their work and services to those in need when the fundraisers we are all more accustomed to cannot be held.

The needs for the works and services of not-for-profit agencies and services goes on regardless of the state of the world and in fact, the needs have risen exponentially.

Giving Tuesday, often stylized as #GivingTuesday for the purposes of hashtag activism, is a way to help without leaving your safe and comfy home. On Tuesday, December 1, 2020 some organizations have donors ready, willing and able to match donations. Doubling or more your single donation.

Norwich, CT is home to many organizations that do good things for many people. For example The Arc Eastern Connecticut, 125 Sachem Street, Norwich, CT 06360 (www.thearcect.org )is a non-profit organization founded in 1952 by families who sought opportunities for their children who at the time were not welcome in the public school system. Today The Arc serves over 800 people with intellectual issues of all ages and offers advocacy, employment opportunities, in-home supports, life skills training, recreation, supported residences, and person-centered, community based services.

This Tuesday, make a difference and give generously.

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

The holiday gatherings are going to be smaller so this is the perfect time to try those new recipes or maybe an old recipe. But do you still have to make the giant quantities? NO! And that is really the best part. This year the meals I deliver to friends will include shot glass, martini glass and juice size glasses of not so classic foods.

Mashed turnip was a staple on the Thanksgiving table when I grew up. So this year its part of a pretty, layered medley in a shot glass with mashed yam, mashed parsnip and tiny creamed onions. I once had a neighbor who would pick onions out of her meals every day of the year but on Thanksgiving and Christmas there had to be creamed onions and she would eat exactly three.

Salad will be in a martini glass. A variety of cut greens, carrots, celery, peppers, tomatoes, glistening squares of pickled beets and slices of cucumber balanced on the edge with a slice of lemon.

Who doesn’t love mashed potatoes? So into a wine glass is first the gravy and then the mashed potatoes. Then a potato crumb topping for the crunch factor.

In old punch glasses is a nest of buttered onion slices topped with steamed green beans brought just to color and then chilled in ice water to save their color.

I have not figured out how to display an array of the most important part of the holiday meal. The olives, pickles, and cranberry sauce. I was horrified to learn that there are people who don’t like them! Well to them I say, “Fine. Thank you. More for me!”

In the 1800’s the term “pudding” was not a dessert but a meat or vegetable side dish. So here are a couple of old recipes that can be made with leftovers.

Sweet Potato Pudding Take your leftover mashed sweet potatoes or yams. You are doing the cooking so adjust for what is already there before you add a little cream, butter and a little powdered sugar, grated nutmeg, powdered cinnamon, and a hint of mace. Juice and grated peel of a lemon, a drop of rose water, a thimble of wine, and a glass of brandy (Apricot or ginger both work well.) Stir these ingredients well. Add a couple well beaten eggs and continue stirring. Pour into a buttered dish and bake it three quarters of an hour. Eat it cold. (Original recipe was From Miss Leslie’s Complete Cookery: Directions for Cookery by Eliza Leslie, 1851 edition, reprinted 1863, originally published 1837, all in Philadelphia.)

Pumpkin Chips 1. Cut slices from a high-colored pumpkin, and cut the slices into chips about the thickness of a dollar; wash them, dry them thoroughly, and weigh them against an equal weight of sugar; add to each pound of sugar half a pint of lime or lemon-juice, boil and skim it, then add the pumpkin; when half boiled, take the slices out of the syrup and let them cool; then return them, and boil until the pumpkin becomes clear. The peel of the lemons or limes, pared very thin, boiled until tender, and added to the chips when nearly done, is an improvement. These are more like pumpkin jellies and very sweet. (From The Carolina Housewife, Sarah Rutledge, Charleston, South Carolina, 1847).

Mash Chips. Football? Movie? Then there must be crunchies. After dinner are there small amounts of this and that left in the serving bowls and not room in the fridge? Gently, gently fold them all together. You might need to add extra bread crumbs or a beaten egg to act as a binder. Then spoon, scoop or shape into cookies or balls to bake in the oven for snacks. Very popular too is pressing into waffles. Have you ever used cranberry sauce as a dip or salsa? Delish!

Happy, Healthy and Safe Thanksgiving to all!

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 went looking for the press release with the information about the virtual lighting of Norwich, CT City Hall. The latest information on the Official Facebook Light Up City Hall page was for 2017. The AAA information was from 2019. The Official City of Norwich, CT calendar doesn’t show it at all. The main page of the City of Norwich, CT has no reference to it at all. I know I read the press release from the Mayor’s office but I somehow misplaced it. I know I saw a reference to the press release in the Norwich Bulletin but I can’t seem to find that either. By the way, Brown Park lights are beautiful! Please check them out with a drive-by or using the Boat Launch Webcam https://www.norwichct.org/813/Boat-Launch-Webcam

All I recall is that the first two or three paragraphs were a lot of information on why it could not be held in person like other years and I recall that the last line was thanking the two people who videotaped whatever will eventually be presented.

Yes. I am envious of the other towns that just said, “OK. It’s 2020 the year of doing the same differently.” No long winded whining, accusing or complaining just, and with enthusiasm, real or make believe I cannot attest, “This year 2020 out tree lighting, and other activities will be virtual!” Please join us through computer, cctv, cable, zoom or radio on a given time, date and access information. Promotions have been clogging my media accounts since the first week of November.

I have access to more information for what is happening in towns and cities in Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Virginia and Rhode Island than I do for what is happening in Norwich, CT. I am so impressed with the places that are demonstrating a real enthusiasm for virtual presentations even if they do not really feel it. There are promotions encouraging watch parties for municipal tree lightings. Zoom calls to see the annual holiday concerts, dances and ballets. “Kitchen Cha-Cha” will be two hours of dancing music on a local radio station. The radio station will be posting photos of people dancing in their kitchens only on their website. A tree lighting will be done virtually by a selected student from the local elementary school. Teachers and students must all be logged in. A special artwork project will assigned and distributed for the evening. The Main Street businesses have agreed to display the projects in available windows. Parents and students are encouraged to find their students work. The Middletown Chamber of Commerce has at least four different promotions between now and Christmas including three Saturdays of scavenger hunts, Buy local events, and holiday lighting activities. All are in part but mostly done virtually.

Norwich, CT had a great event last Saturday at the main Little League field with a wonderful variety of vendors who were ready, willing and able to sell you their imaginative and unique wares. The organizers tried to tell people. But only by Facebook so only certain people are reached. There is going to be a Shop Local. Buy Local. Street Vendor Show sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce. But before you go there may I suggest you visit the small drug stores located in every community of Norwich and check out their gift selections, the new Smoke & Gift shop in Norwichtown also has some amazing non-tobacco related items including hats, purses, jewelry and scarves.

When you are tired of being virtual please try a game of disc golf at Mohegan Park. The first hole is by the parking lot for the Field Pavilion. Want to practice first? There is a practice hole by the back of the beach parking lot. Great parking. Easy access. Open to all with no fees involved.

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 residents deserve a little fun! It has been a long, long year for everyone so here are a few ideas to liven our city up. Ideas that can be done in all portions, areas, communities, hallways by young, old, singles, groups and shut-ins. Did I leave someone out? My apologies but please join in all are welcome. Even the civic leaders, politicians, businesses, chambers of commerce, churches can join in.

The first is to place a wreath on every door and gate in Norwich, CT. Every single one! A wreath is simply an assortment of flowers, leaves, twigs or various materials constructed to form a ring. Mostly used as a symbol of eternity in many cultures around the globe, and as household ornaments, ceremonial events, cemetery and holiday decorations.

The wreaths can be large or small. There can be one wreath or multiples. They can be plain or colorful. They can be the Norwich, CT symbol that our city will continue on for eternity.

Who remembers when every business had a wreath on the door and bells too? Speaking of which.

Number two is to join a global movement to ring bells at 6 pm on December 24^th for two minutes on front steps. That’s it. Just ring any bell you might have handy for two minutes on Christmas Eve. Think of the sounds of bells carrying in the air together. It would be nice if the church bells joined in but that would mean working together. Families and friends separated by miles can ring the bells together as one. Just another reminder that no one is alone and we are all in this together.

Number three is a little harder and requires a little planning, some imagination and artistic talent. Gnomes are big this year. One city, has encouraged its gnome population to come out and play. It took a little while but slowly the residents are posting photos of gnomes practicing their caroling, not affected by covid, the young gnomes are still in school, gnome bakeries, gnome shops, gnomes playing in gardens and on lawns. Some are built with tomato cages and some are free form. Some are using flower arrangement clay or Styrofoam. In a different City, also welcoming gnomes, I think smaller than Norwich, has Chamber members leaving notes of welcome and encouragement to the gnomes and their hosts to shop early and local. What are the gnomes doing in your yard?

These three activities are simple, easy and thrifty. You do not need to do them all. You don’t have to check in with anyone else. You don’t have to do any. There are no fees. No fundraisers will start to calling you, emailing you. There are no complicated directions. Personally I think its a crying shame our Chambers and politicians have not been the ones encouraging these ideas. A newspaper could ask for photo submissions and put them on a page that subscribers could see. A radio station might take a drive and describe the gnomes of a neighborhood or dedicate a special hour or two of music for gnomes to play by. What instruments do gnomes play? What games do gnomes play? Gnomes are thought to have come from Scandinavia but then traveled across the globe to every continent over 1500 years ago. Where are the cookie, cake, candy and savory dishes loved by our globe traveling gnomes?

Number Four. The City of Norwich is going to have a virtual Tree and City Hall lighting but those in charge are still being shy with the details. But that does not mean that we residents, voters, and taxpayers need to be shy too. If its like previous years there will be only one string of lights on the tree so what do you think of filling the tree or at least the reachable branches with hats, gloves, masks, mittens and socks in plastic bags.

I cannot take credit for any of these ideas. Not one. Each idea is already being done in other places, cities and towns across the globe. Just not in Norwich, CT but they could be. We have the space, facilities and the population. We just need the leadership and the encouragement. What will you be doing ?

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

Lets start a new tradition! Something simple. Something that everyone can participate in. Young. Old. Family members and friends near and far. It can become a theme for a City that has placed a memorial bell in front of its City Hall.

It is an activity that can be done by one or in groups. Where quarantine can be safely broken and heads can be poked outside through a door or a window. Transportation is not required. It can be a soft tinkle or a loud bong. Elaborately organized or spur of the moment. A hint is that its something that was used across the globe for centuries to communicate over long and short distances. A message that crossed language barriers.

If you love old movies you’ll know its a signal that an angel gets its wings.

Politics, beliefs and religion don’t really play a part. It is about announcing that we are all here. We are all together.

The new tradition is that on Christmas Eve at 6 p.m. everyone step outside onto their doorstep and ring a bell for two minutes to spread a little Christmas spirit and to help Santa fly his sleigh.

Lets see bell cut outs on windows. Bells on trees. Bells on lapels. Let us join together to ring bells throughout the land.

This has not been the best of years, so lets end 2020 with a bit of Magic, hope and togetherness.

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

On a bench. In a plastic bag. There was a book and a note. I looked around to see if its owner was nearby. The book could be important to somebody. I remember carrying books around with me from school and forgetting or leaving them in odd places when my attention was shifted to something more interesting. OK, OK I still carry books with me and leave them in odd places.

I stepped closer and read the note hoping for a clue to its owner. The book had been left there on purpose. In large clear type the note said, “YOU FOUND ME!! This is a gift for you! – It’s FREE! keep it, Leave it or pass it on!

Kindness Abandonment. It was placed here for you to discover and enjoy! If you wish to share what you found today we’d love to hear from you! We can be located on:

Facebook Kindness Abandonment

Instagram kindness abandonment

Mewe kindness Abandonment

Tumblr kindness Abandonment

With apologies I was only able to check the Facebook site. I do not subscribe to the others. It’s a fairly small group of almost 130 members whose stated mission is, “Spreading KINDNESS far & wide by abandoning an item for another to randomly find. “

So as winter slowly approaches I would like to suggest that in addition to the hats, gloves, mittens, socks, face masks and scarves Norwich residents provide on trees and fences, perhaps we could leave a few other necessities such as a purse with feminine hygiene products maybe a few see through bags with 3 generic holiday cards with stamped envelopes, or maybe a novel, a collection of poetry or even a read-a-loud book.

While it is important to remain socially distant, it is also important that we all acknowledge that we are not alone. It is together that we move forward into the future with respect and kindness.

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

When was the last time you were in Utley & Jones Pharmacy? They’ve been in Norwich, CT for almost 150 years and many of them at their current location of 112 Lafayette St beside the Backus Hospital visitor parking lot. You don’t need a prescription to go there. They are also a gift shop with wonderful and inventive items.

There is already a display of penny rugs to hang on a tree with portraits of cats and dogs. A penny rug dates back to the last quarter of the 19th century. Back then they were a way to use scrap materials and tuck away a coin or two. Today’s penny rugs are a holiday tree decoration to honor a past or present pet cat or dog in felt.

As the holidays creep closer I sometimes feel that I am under attack to buy, buy, buy! But a lot of my friends and I have been trying to clear out some space in our homes and we don’t want to fill them up with more stuff. Our intentions are rather to only bring into our homes things that bring us joy, fill a need or serve a purpose. The displays at Utley & Jones filled me with calm and clarity and a sense of peace.

There were not multiples of each item. A few items had a match but most items were unique and differed from the one beside it. The recipient of a gift from Utley and Jones Pharmacy would recognize that it was chosen with care and thoughtfulness and not a random object off an assembly line, tossed in a shopping cart and delivered with a sigh of relief and a tired smile. The objects were all quality and special. I had the feeling I was in a Hallmark movie gift shop that though missing gaudy seasonal decorations there was something special there just waiting for me to recognize it and take it home.

2020 has been a crazy year and the holidays are coming quickly. Join me in a rebellion against mass production and big box store stuff. Lets return to a time of thoughtful and meaningful treasures. Help me explore our small businesses and shop locally.

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

Breathe. Now start planning. There will be another election on Tuesday, November 2, 2021. In 2021 it will be a municipal election. It will be the election where you choose who will be making the decisions on how your tax dollars are going to be spent in your community.

What is important and what will have an immediate impact on you and your family?

How much money will be spent on education, fire protection, police?

How will the budgeted money be spent?

Who will be the decision makers?

What experiences do the candidates, your future leaders have, in budgeting, in leadership, in the art of delegation? How well do they communicate and express themselves? What are their visions of the future? Do the visions of the candidates match well with your visions of what you would like to see in your community? Have the candidates demonstrated leadership? Are the candidates well known and respected in the community? Questions! Considerations! Is it really too early?

What do I think should be happening right now? Thank you for asking!

I would like to see a reservation being made today for Tuesday, October 6, 13 and/or 20, 2021 for Slater Stage at Norwich Free Academy by the League of Women Voters of Southeastern CT, and the NAACP for a debate or forum to present the candidates to the residents of Norwich, CT. There are a lot of positions open on the ballot and to accommodate time more than one evening may be needed.

In September, I would like to see those two organizations invite the NFA activity group to join them in developing questions for the candidates by examining the actual responsibilities of the positions on the ballot.

I want to see the forum on the local cable station, on the education station, (NFA has their own station that they don’t use so here is a perfect opportunity) and then on YouTube. I would like to see a radio station air it live but also replay it for their morning listeners. I want people to know about it in advance, not afterwards. I want the dates to be one of the first dates put on all the candidates calendars.

In my ideal world, the local newspapers would be printing a transcription of the questions and responses. There would even be a promotion by the newspapers asking their readers what questions they would like to ask the candidates.

If the political town committees can spend a year raising funds for campaigns, can they please spend some time learning and teaching their candidates what the jobs are that they are campaigning for? Yes I am holding the Town Committees responsible for the education of their representatives. The candidates are representing you, Town Committee, don’t you want to look your informed best?

The future of Norwich, CT is not up to someone else. The future of Norwich, CT is not up to the unknown them. The future of Norwich, CT is not the result of only the past actions or in-actions. The future of Norwich, CT is up to us. Together we can create a vision for Norwich, CT and together we can make the vision a reality. The future of Norwich, CT must begin now.

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

Tucked into an old cookbook was a pamphlet book 34 pages long titled, “Martha daughter of Mehetabel Chandler Coit, 1706-1784” published by Bulletin Print, Norwich, Conn. 1895. Before the first page a cut page has been pasted saying, “The favor with which the Book of Mehetabel Chandler Coit has been received by her descendants encourages us to offer them this memorial of her daughter Martha. M.P.G., E. S. G., L.G.L. Under the Elms, Norwich Town, Conn. Christmas, 1895.”

Many of the personal letters contained later in the book have sad context, telling of deaths, sickness, and personal complaints. Travels and events can be verified by other collections of letters with similar information and hopefully more details. The letters were written before spelling of words became standardized so it is much better and much easier to understand them if they are read aloud. A modern comparison of the letters would be of a person sent off to summer camp. A camp much like the one described in the old song by Alan Sherman, Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah (A Letter From Camp). A list of who is ill, infirm, dead or dying. Happy events , and personal details are few and only briefly mentioned if at all.

The introduction to the book captured my interest because of how the authors speak with authority about stories told “early in this century.” Then the stories become almost magical. I wish someone had recorded the tales but maybe someone elsewhere has and Norwich could re-claim them. I am envious of the places that have maintained the traditions of oral story telling. The few Norwich tales most repeated generally come from a single source that liberally borrowed from more modern fiction than historic fact.

From the introduction, “ Early in this century the children of Daniel Lathrop Coit of Norwich, Conn., used to hear an old family servant, “Bristor,” formerly a slave, whom they called “Uncle Boo,” talk about “Ma’am Greene.” He had various marvellous tales about his once finding a pot of gold, and how “in time o’ the war folks made mangoes out of cucumbers,” confirming his statements by saying, “Poor old Missus, she dead and gone. If Ma’am Greene were alive she would tell you the same.” I would love to know how to make mangoes out of cucumbers.

Ma’am Greene would have been Martha, born April 1, 1706, married in 1731 to Daniel Hubbard (died 1741) and married Thomas Greene in 1744 (died 1764). Martha died in 1784. Martha had five children with Daniel and two surviving children with Thomas. Thomas was a widower, married to Elizabeth Gardiner.

The pamphlet comments that, “Really, one would think that there was a dearth of “suitable” young people in those days, so close and intricate are the marriages of certain families.” Second son, Daniel Hubbard, married Mary Greene, daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth Greene. Elizabeth Hubbard married Benjamin Greene, nephew of Thomas Greene. William Hubbbard married his cousin Lydia Coit, daughter of Martha’s brother Joseph.

In 1895, when the pamphlet was written, a wedding fan of Martha Coit and a silver porringer were still in possession of Coits in Guilford, CT and a framed small piece of embroidery in New Haven, CT . I wonder where they are today.

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