Family

Several months ago I visited my grandchildren in Washington D.C.  Two year old Elle loves books but she also likes family stories. I told her several about my brother, her great uncle Rolf --- looking for money near the flagpole at the beach, playing "Man and Roy" and wrestling with our brother, Andy. When I ran out of new material we called him in New Hampshire. He told us how much he loved playing in a nearby stream, collecting tadpoles and frogs.  We remembered the time one of his frogs escaped in the house and frightened our visiting Great Aunt Alice.  Isn't this photo (circa 1956) of Rolf wonderful?  Thanks to our late father for this special contribution to the stories I tell my grandchildren.

Neighborhood

Having the good fortune to grow up in a wonderful neighborhood is a great way to learn what being part of a community looks and feels like.  We came across this photo (circa 1958) when my brothers and I digitized our family slide collection.  It seems somehow remarkable that after more than 50 years I was able to share this moment in time with three of the nine people captured by our Dad's camera. Joel is the only one who lives in Greenwich and we're the only two still in Connecticut.  Janet and Joel followed in their father's footsteps and became lawyers. Maggi's brother, Lee, served in Viet Nam. Judy and Lee both succumbed to cancer.  While none of us stayed in touch with Ruthie, we learned a lot about her family when a book about her dad was published in 1998: Bombshell:  The Secret Story of America's Unknown Atomic Spy.

Lessons learned

A former colleague found this old photo of me tucked in a book in the Norwalk High language resource center. Lessons I learned when I taught there continue to inform and influence my thoughts and beliefs. Not long ago, a mother was charged with theft of services when she sent her young son to school in Norwalk although she apparently lived elsewhere. 40 years ago, Debby showed up in my freshman homeroom - petite, blond, smart, and sassy. Somewhere along the way I learned she had moved from her father and stepmother's home in Norwalk to her mother's in Bridgeport.  Every day she spent hours traveling back and forth by bus and train to get to school.  With only a few months remaining in her senior year I chose to look the other way. After graduation, Debby continued her studies at a community college and got a good job.  One day I got a call from another former student who told me Debby had been shot by an angry ex-boyfriend. We attended her funeral.  After that I could never work up too much indignation about school residency issues even though I am by nature a rule follower.

The answer my friend, is blowin’ in the wind…

In spite of my best efforts to slow down, there are times I can’t help but engage in controversial issues like Connecticut’s Education Cost Sharing (ECS) model. Our local paper has a three-part story on ECS where state legislators on both sides of the aisle hem, haw and rationalize.  I find them windy (not syn. with long-winded; ref. Blowin’ in the Wind). I agree with Wesley Horton (Horton v. Meskill) when he suggests the “hold harmless” provision is a major reason—even with an admittedly flawed formula--- money is not flowing to needier school systems and towns.  Legislators simply do not have the political courage to reduce funding to admittedly wealthier towns and cities. P.s. This is also why state legislative districts should not cross town lines. Someone elected to serve both my small city, Norwalk, and a neighboring wealthy suburb would be hard pressed to speak against "hold harmless" when it could result in the reallocation of state funding from one town to the other.

Idiomatiques

My friend Dre is incredibly talented. She sings, composes, teaches, records children's music, and runs JAM. Jam? According to her website, take your pick:  junior art & music; a sweet spread; a fruity medley of taste & texture; to play in a freely improved, swinging way; to head as nearly possible into the wind; to slam dunk. At a recent open house I learned she also has eyes in the back of her head! I suspect this is helpful parenting along with everything else she does.  My grandchildren love Goggles  from the album Sugar on Top.

Civility

Our 3rd community conversation about civility is Thursday evening.  I've found that when civility is on your mind you begin to see it everywhere, even on vacation in Arizona.  I wasn't surprised to read in the local newspaper about Sandra Day O'Connor's involvement but the sign in the outdoor mall made me realize how much people apparently need to be reminded about what it means to behave appropriately in public.

Let's talk!

Closed for the season but I kept this picture as a reminder that the Westport Winter Farmer's Market is the best!  It's indoors at nearby Gilbertie's Herb Farm, with great products sold by friendly vendors, an outstanding pizza truck, welcoming tables in the center of the greenhouse, and signs like this to remind us of the importance of face-to-face interactions in our fast-paced, technology-enabled lives.

Tomato soup

I heard the tomato soup story many times from my dad, Grandma Dora, and Great Aunt Agnes.  One year, probably in the 1930’s when dad was five or six years old, his mother asked him if he would like to help pick out a Christmas present for Aunt Agnes.  Dad thought a few minutes and said,  “I know exactly what she wants----Campbell’s tomato soup----it’s her favorite!”  Grandma Dora chuckled (she had the sweetest smile and twinkly eyes) and said, “Stan, that’s an excellent idea, let’s go to the store.”  They bought several cans, sent them off lovingly wrapped to Aunt Agnes who lived in the San Francisco Bay area.  When Aunt Agnes opened the gift from her beloved nephew, she smiled and said, “This is the best gift ever!”