THE SEPTEMBER , 2012 TURBRIDGE IMES STHE CHRONICLE OF STURBRIDGE COUNTRY LIVING MTAGAZINE 2 THE STURBRIDGE TIMES MAGAZINE THE CHRONICLE OF STURBRIDGE COUNTRY LIVING STURBRIDGE COUNTRY LIVING SEPTEMBER 2012 THE STURBRIDGE TIMES MAGAZINE
PUBLISHER & EDITOR PAUL CARR MANAGING EDITOR JOHN SMALL STORY EDITOR STEPHANIE RICHARDS SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE KAREN ROTHWEILER
AD PRODUCTION & DESIGN TERRI RACCA
WRITERS KEVIN T. BALDWIN THOMAS CHAMBERLAND JOSEPH CODERRE ROBERT GEORGE , ESQ . ANDREA JOHNSON RICHARD MCGRATH KATHY MENARD RICHARD MORCHOE STEPHANIE RICHARDS
THE STURBRIDGE TIMES MAGAZINE | C ARR , Q UINN & S MALL , I NC . P.O. BOX 418, STURBRIDGE , MA 01566 TEL . 508-347-7077 FAX 508-347-8150 STURBRIDGETIMES .COM CQSMEDIA .COM © 2012 BY CARR , QUINN & SMALL , INC . ALL RIGHTS RESERVED . THE STURBRIDGE TIMES MAGAZINE is published 11 times a year, with no January issue, in Sturbridge, Massachusetts by Carr, Quinn & Small, Inc. We accept photos, opinions, short articles, stories, poems and drawings from the general public, but assume no responsibility for failure to publish a submission or for typographic errors published or incorrect placement. The contents of this magazine consist of copyrightable material and cannot be re - The Sturbridge Times Magazine produced without the expressed written permission of the author and the publishers of . We reserve the right to refuse any advertising for any reason. We reserve the right to require editing to any advertising that is accepted for publication. Opinion printed herein report views of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the magazine, its publisher or Carr, Quinn & Small, Inc. We invite vary - ing opinions and information from our writers and readers, wishing to provide a public forum for well-tempered, well-reasoned thoughts, ideas and opinion. ADVERTISING DEADLINE: Camera ready: the 20th of each month prior to publication. The 17th of the month for Nov. and Dec. ADVERTISING OFFICE: 508-347-7077 ext. 2 (Karen). If your business is in Worcester, 508-347-7077 ext. 3 (Jessica). EDITORIAL DEADLINE: The 21st of each month prior to publication.
DELIVERED INTO EVERY HOME AND BUSINESS AND POST OFFICE BOXES IN STURBRIDGE , AND TO SELECTED HOMES IN BRIMFIELD , BROOKFIELD , CHARLTON , EAST BROOKFIELD , HOLLAND , NORTH BROOKFIELD , WALES , WEST BROOKFIELD , SOUTHBRIDGE , SPENCER . ALSO MAILED TO INDIVIDUALS AND BUSINESSES ELSEWHERE IN THE UNITED STATES . AND TO MEN AND WOMEN OF THE U.S. ARMED FORCES WHO ARE SERVING OUR COUNTRY IN THE UNITED STATES AND ABROAD . 3 FOODOOD FROMFRROROMOM THETHE MEEDITERRANEANDITERRANEEAN
97 STAFFORD ST. 132 STURBRIDGE RD. WORCESTER CHARLTON 508.796.5828 508.248.0433 www.Zorbastaverna.com www.Zorbaspizzeriatavern.com • Fresh Special Pizza Recipes • Pasta Dishes made with Fresh Ingredients • Greek Specialties • Succulent Seafood
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THE CHRONICLE OF STURBRIDGE COUNTRY LIVING THE STURBRIDGE TIMES MAGAZINE 3 From Your Chamber of Commerce October Harvest Fest seeking crafters
An autumn tradition continues as the 23rd Annual Harvest Festival returns to the Sturbridge Common and the grounds of Publick House Historic Inn on October 20 and 21. Mark your calendars for a week - end of family fun as all your fall favorites are back. The Chamber of Central Mass South is currently ac - cepting applications from local crafters, artisans and specialty food vendors who would like to take part in this year’s festivities. With favorable weather, the Harvest Festival can at - tract over 10,000 attendees and we welcome you to Sterling silver charms from $25 join us and sell your wares during this two-day event. Limited booth spaces are available, so don’t delay! Apply today to be part of this year’s Festival. Please GARIERI Support Sturbridge! note, if you intend to sell any consumable food or bev - JEWELERS erage product, you must complete additional paper - work and submit it to the Town of Sturbridge, Board Free Gift With Purchase 139 Main St. of Health, no later than September 30, 2012. September 12–15 Sturbridge, MA 01566 You can find more information including a link to Receive a sterling silver PANDORA clasp bracelet 508.347.9934 our Crafter and Specialty Food Vendor Application www.Garieri.com (a $65 US retail value) with your purchase of $100 or more of PANDORA jewelry.* Mon-Fri 9-5:30, Thu 9-6 on the Chamber website at www.cmschamber.org. *Good while supplies last, limit one per customer. Charms Sat 9-3, Sun Closed shown on bracelet are sold separately. See our store for details. Look for the Harvest Festival tab. If you have any questions, please contact the Chamber of Central Mass South at (508) 347-2761 or email info@cm - schamber.org.
From Stageloft Theater
Stageloft Repertory Theater, 450A Main St., Stur - bridge, MA announces the opening of its Sept. shows:
COLUMBO: Rx MURDER
August 10 thru Sept. 2 Each Friday & Saturday @ 8 pm Each Sunday @ 2 pm
Tickets: $17 adults, $15 seniors 65+, $8 students 12 & younger
NUNSENSE AMEN, A Musical Comedy All our lovely nuns are back, but they just happened to have developed beards, baritone voices, and a manly way of moving. That's right! It's a gathering of the zany nuns played by five men. Sure to please!
Sept. 7 --Sept. 30 Each Friday & Saturday @ 8 pm Each Sunday @ 2 pm
FWhya drsive tw hflen iycou ckan ! Tickets $17 adults, $15 seniors 65+, $8 students 12 & younger see the movie right here? Then dine out at a locally- For reservations call 508-347-9005 owned restaurant! Support Sturbridge! 4 THE STURBRIDGE TIMES MAGAZINE THE CHRONICLE OF STURBRIDGE COUNTRY LIVING ARTS HISTORY
Historical painting and decoration classes to be offered at OSV
The Historical Society of Early American (etched gold leaf under glass), Sept. 22; Decoration (HSEAD), is offering a variety of Samuel Plank Folk Art Salt Box, Sept. 22-23; classes this fall at Old Sturbridge Village, with Schnerenschnitte (paper-cutting) enhanced a focus on nineteenth-century techniques, re - with watercolor, Nov. 17; Frakturs (fanciful flecting the time period and aesthetics seen in "Pennsylvania Dutch" ink and watercolor de - the village. signs), Nov. 18; and Folk Art Painting with Old Sturbridge Village is now the home of acrylics, also on Nov. 18. the HSEAD research center, and we are ex - "Crafts at Close Range" course descriptions cited to be participating in the Old Sturbridge and registration information will be available Village "Crafts at Close Range" program, as on www.OSV.org, or contact Kathleen Kime well as offering additional classes in the historic [email protected]. David Wight house on the OSV campus. All Additional courses will be offered directly classes are open to the public, most classes do from HSEAD at the Wight House, including: not require any previous experience, and our “Illuminated Letters”, Oct. 15-18; Reverse teachers are especially good at encouraging be - Glass Painting, Oct. 22-26; Watercolor Theo - © 2012 Photo courtesy of The Historical Society of Early American Decoration ginners. rem (creating floral and still life paintings using An example of fraktur designs from 19th-century originals. HSEAD classes in OSV's "Crafts at Close a stencil technique), Nov. 2. Range" are a great introduction to early Amer - Full descriptions and registration informa - HSEAD is an organization devoted to the these arts in 19th-century America. ican arts, and ensure that participants leave tion for these course offerings are at research and preservation of historically au - For more information about HSEAD, in - with new skills and a successfully completed www.hsead.org, or contact HSEAD at 607-547- thentic early American decoration and the per - cluding membership and class details, visit project. Fall 2012 program includes: Eglomise 5667, email: [email protected]. petuation of the techniques used by artisans of www.hsead.org.
THE CHRONICLE OF STURBRIDGE COUNTRY LIVING THE STURBRIDGE TIMES MAGAZINE 5 THE SHOPPING NEWS A veterinary clinic that comes right to your front door
BAYSTATE MOBILE VET BASED IN CHARLTON 774.262.7679 BAYSTATEMOBILEVET .COM AND ON FACEBOOK AT BAYSTATE VETERINARY SERVICES © 2012 Photo by Stehanie Richards Dr. Carolyn Selavka and Tanya Christian, veterinary technician BY STEPHANIE RICHARDS It’s 27 feet long by 11 feet high, built on a Ford chassis Carolyn Selavka. The service offers onsite routine and She is also a 1995 graduate of the University of Pennsylva - and runs on 12 cylinders getting 10 miles to the gallon. emergency care for pets including wellness exams and vac - nia School of Veterinary Medicine and did internship and While its presence on the outside can’t be missed, it’s cinations, nutritional care, dentistry, in-house diagnostic residency training in New Haven, CT and at Tufts Uni - what’s on the inside that provides the driving force of an lab services, radiology, surgery and prescription drug care. versity. In addition, she was a member of the teaching staff amazing service in pet wellness and emergency care. A graduate of Northeastern University, Dr. Selavka has in the surgery department at Angell Animal Medical Cen - Welcome to Baystate Mobile Veterinary Services – one a wealth of education and experience. She worked as a ter in Springfield before it closed in 2007. “I loved the prac - of only a handful of mobile vet services in the state –owned technician at the Honolulu Zoo while pursuing a master’s tice – it was a very forward thinking group – and I would and operated by Charlton resident and Veterinarian Dr. degree in animal nutrition from the University of Hawaii. have been content to stay there. I looked at lots of places
6 THE STURBRIDGE TIMES MAGAZINE THE CHRONICLE OF STURBRIDGE COUNTRY LIVING to work and couldn’t find the right fit. In call if we are running late. We do have my opinion, veterinary medicine is more muzzles, but I can count on my hand Was this your cat before the tornado? an art than a science; it really depends on how many times we’ve had to use them.” the situation,” she said. “This (Mobile Vet Although they primarily treat dogs Services) was a compromise. I had seen a and cats, a very small number of pets Injured cat needs a home couple of model vehicles at a conference as have included big birds, hamsters, pigmy By Stephanie Richards it was a new thing and thought they were hedgehogs, and tortoises. Dr. Selavka It was an April day when Dr. Carolyn cool, but never had any intention to open said the guide is that the animal has to fit Selavka and Tanya Christian of Baystate my own.” in the van. Mobile Veterinary Services were making The Baystate Mobile Vet unit has its In the three years during which it has rounds to in their van in the Sturbridge own generator and includes everything been in existence, Baystate Mobile Vet - area. They arrived at a client’s house on that is in a stationary practice. There are erinary Services has provided many dif - Fiske Hill to do yearly pet exams on their cages for use in pre- and post-operations, ferent kinds of care. Perhaps one of the animals. In the midst of conversation, and an exam table that converts to a den - most memorable situations was the first the client mentioned there was a stray cat tal, pre-operation and x-ray table. The van time puppies were delivered via C-sec - that showed up after the tornado last also includes a digital imaging unit, anes - tion in the van . Dr. Selavka said the June that was living under their pool thesia station, and a refrigerator to store breeders were involved to assist in the de - house. The domestic shorthair cat had vaccines and blood. A laptop and printer livery and that the puppies were nursing what looked like an eye injury and the are accessible to log in data, retrieve and within an hour of the surgery. Every most they had been able to do was feed print records, or provide post-surgery in - time she looks at her dog Tilly, a Cavalier her–she always kept a distance. structions. A surgery suite is also housed in King Charles Spaniel, she is reminded of Christian, who does foster care for © 2012 Photo courtesy of Dr. Carolyn Selavka the rear of the van, complete with an op - that day. Tilly was part of the litter and cats and dogs, told them to call if they Homeless cat nicknamed “One-eyed Jane” erating table, heart monitoring equipment, a gift from the breeder. were ever able to get the cat in a confined at her. The cat looked back and then let and a hand-held ultrasound unit. Some clients have also used the serv - area. “Ironically, it wasn’t 10 days later her pet her from the top of her head to Although she had a lot of experience, ice to put their animals to sleep and Dr. when the cat somehow was on our the tip of her tail.” Dr. Selavka said there was a definite learn - Selavka said she realizes more than ever client’s enclosed porch. We were out An initial examination of the cat, ing period to set up this unique business. the value of this option to pet owners. making calls and I asked Dr. Selavka if which Christian affectionately named “It is different from house call vets. As a The day of the tornado, a client had we could do something…being as com - One-eyed Jane, revealed a closed eyelid mobile vet, you are fully outfitted to take called to alert them about the approach - passionate as she is, she turned around on the right. She also had a substantial care of everything. I had to determine ing extreme weather. Dr. Selavka and the van to go take a look at the cat. scar on her nose, missing upper and things like what software to use, disposing Christian were on Fiske Hill, arriving at When we arrived, the cat was sitting on lower canines on the left side, and a jaw of biohazard waste, and arranging for cre - a home to put a family pet to sleep. The the couch and we expected the worst. injury that had healed. “It was clear that mations.” clients were not aware of what was oc - But Dr. Selavka sat down and just looked Continued on page 9 Requesting Baystate Mobile Veterinary Continued on page 8 Services begins with a phone call. More than likely, Tanya Christian, a vet techni - cian who has been with Dr. Selavka since the business began, will answer the phone. “My first question is to find out if it is an urgent care situation. We are pretty much booked solid daily, but we reschedule for urgent cases as needed,” said Christian, who met Dr. Selavka while working at a local Animal Clinic. “We have an old fash - ioned doctor bag and can easily bag things up if an animal can’t get into the van. Some dogs have anxiety issues, so we can go in and do preliminary information in - side if needed.” Dr. Selavka said wellness or emergency care is administered in a variety of places. “We’ve been locked in the bathroom with a cat so she couldn’t escape, worked inside a room at a home, administered care on a residential driveway, and provided treat - ment in the van. It’s really about what’s best for the animal,” she said. “Neither Tanya or I worked in a clinic that did house calls before, so there was a new realization of how animals can get worked up with the car ride or coming to a clinic. This allows them to be comfortable at home and there is no waiting room to get stuck in–we just
THE CHRONICLE OF STURBRIDGE COUNTRY LIVING THE STURBRIDGE TIMES MAGAZINE 7 Bay State Mobile Vet Continued from page 7
curring. “They sent a thank you note to us later,” Dr. “I have wanted Selavka said. “It really hits home just how important to be a veterinarian this service is to clients.” The service is very beneficial for pet owners who since I could talk.” have difficult mobility, including the elderly and phys - CAROLYN SELAVKA, DVM ically challenged. Busy individuals or families also have OWNER, B AYSTATE MOBILE VET used the service for the convenience. The service has covered clients in Charlton and the surrounding area, slid off a driveway once and had a few near misses in including Dudley, Southbridge, Sturbridge, Brimfield, the winter. There are dual rear wheels in the back so Palmer, the Brookfields, Ware, and Warren. “One of we know we are safer. However, one thing we realized my favorite things to see is the reaction of a client is that we need to stay off the roadway in the morning when they see us pulling the van in for the first time after bad weather– out of the way of storm cleanup and then take a look inside the unit. They can’t be - crews. We’ve learned to make appointments later in lieve it,” Dr. Selavka said. the day.” There are some misconceptions about the service. One of the few things the service doesn’t do is It has been mistaken for a mobile spay/neuter clinic overnight care. “We picked the things we can do well and as an ambulance for emergency care only. There and provide referrals for the rest,” Dr. Selavka said. is also skepticism about the cost and quality of care. “But my view is that owners know their animals the “Our prices are comparable to visiting a local vet and best and they can watch them. When we do surgery, the quality of care is exceptional,” Christian said. “We we leave the pet owner with explicit instructions. We can also involve pet owners more in the care, includ - have a 24 hour answering service and are just a phone ing children. We have a great book that explains in - call away if there is a problem.” juries – it’s very hands-on,” Christian said. Dr. Selavka said she has no regrets starting the busi - The service has different challenges than a sta - ness. “I have wanted to be a veterinarian since I could tionary practice since there is travel from location to talk and have worked in big and small environments location. “The hours are challenging, but we both and at a zoo. By far, this is the best thing I have ever have been in the medical field and know that’s part done. Every day is a little bit different,” Dr. Selavka of the commitment. Winter can be difficult as it gets said. “I enjoy the connection I make with clients – it darker quicker and it’s harder to see numbers on is so much more personalized because it is continuous houses – many of which don’t have them,” Christian dialogue – they are not in the waiting room. I have said. found there are fewer instances where we are not on Weather and terrain are also factors. “As it gets the same page. There’s a lot of togetherness.” darker, you can’t see the terrain as well and what is For more information, call Baystate Mobile Veteri - hanging overhead. Most people would be surprised nary Services at 774.262.7679 or go to www.baystate - at the places the van has been,” said Dr. Selavka. “We mobilevet.com. Search “baystate mobile veterinary
8 THE STURBRIDGE TIMES MAGAZINE THE CHRONICLE OF STURBRIDGE COUNTRY LIVING CREATE YOUR OWN JOB Direct sell businesses offer flexibility, fun and money By Stephanie Richards seller of the Living Locket™. She originally entered direct It was seven years ago when Lisa Marie Berthel of West sales to help with the family finances, providing resources Brookfield decided she needed “grown up time.” After for extra things. She also wanted to connect with women. moving from Worcester to West Brookfield, the mother “I discovered Origami Owl through reading a Women’s of infant and six year old sons wanted to find ways to Magazine article about entrepreneurial moms. A 14-year-old meet other women and provide additional resources. girl in Arizona developed a line of necklaces with special She had previous experience in sales, owning a video charms that capture a woman’s personality– all because she store with her husband and a gift store in Barre that she wanted a car for her 16th birthday. The company was orig - had to close after September 11, 2001 due to a drop in inally going to go retail but switched gears and moved to di - business. She also had a realm of customer service expe - rect sales in January.” rience through jobs in a supermarket and Hallmark store Choosing the right company to become involved with and as a bartender. was essential to Mary Ellen Comerford, who became an in - When a friend invited her to a Pampered Chef party, dependent consultant in November with Thirty-One Gifts, she had already been looking into direct sales. She didn’t a direct seller of totes, purses and organizational products. have any money to buy anything at the time, but went any - “I wanted to have some girl time but also looked for a prod - way. “I had previously purchased the product and really uct that was useful and wasn’t saturated in the market,” said liked it. Being a stay at home mom, I wanted something the Sturbridge mother of three sons. “Thirty-One is a newer that worked with me for my family – I figured everyone company to this area and has practical products that are ex - has to cook. My girlfriend encouraged me to pursue it © 2012 Photo by Stehanie Richards tremely useful. In addition, I love the idea of how the com - and said she would support me with parties – I had four Lisa Marie Berthel has been an independent consultant pany was started and it’s Christian-based – that was people commit to hosting right away,” said Berthel, who for Pampered Chef for eight years. important to me.” is beginning her eighth year as an independent consultant No matter what direct seller you work for, Cournoyer for The Pampered Chef ®, a direct seller of high quality says the time you invest in the business does bring results. kitchen tools. “My husband was skeptical at first, wanting Outlook Survey, the U.S. was ranked as the top direct “You really get back what you put into it. If you want to be to know what the catch was and how much it would cost. selling market in the world with 20 percent of world - successful, you need to spend more time than the minimum But when he saw what I got in the consultant kit and how wide sales. Women far outnumber men as direct sell - suggested. As you get people under you, you also need to I could earn cookware, his view changed. He’s the cook ers, making up 78.1 percent of the workforce. grow your team,” said the mother of two teenage daughters. and I’m the baker in the family.” Berthel is among a growing list of women in the area “You are independent, so being motivated is very impor - According to the Direct Selling Association (DSA), “di - who have chosen direct sales as a means to provide ad - tant. It’s a family thing for us as my younger daughter helps rect selling is the sale of a consumer product or service, ditional income as well as build relationships with put lockets together.” person-to-person, away from a fixed retail location, mar - other women. Direct sales is ideal for mothers since you can set your keted through independent sales representatives who are Sturbridge resident Barbara Cournoyer spent five years with a popular jewelry company before leaping own hours centered around busy family schedules, sometimes also referred to as consultants, distributors or Continues on page 10 other titles.” According to the DSA’s 2011 Growth & into a new venture recently – Origami Owl, a direct “One-eyed Jane” Continued from page 7
something major had happened to this cat,” Christian said. “I decided to take her in; she was full of worms and the first four weeks she just ate and slept. She loves to be petted and gives kisses, plus she was spade already. My belief is that this cat had a home and experienced some major trauma. It was only a little over a mile from where the tornado hit; it makes you wonder because of the tim - ing when she showed up. She also could have been hit by a car.” One-eyed Jane is about two years old and Christian would love to reconnect her with her owners. She has called around to shelters to see if anyone has reported a missing cat with no luck. “It is an awful feeling to loose an animal this way –they disappear and you think they could be hurt, eaten by a fisher cat or found a new home. My main goal is to either find her home or the right home.” If you think you know this cat, email Christian at
THE CHRONICLE OF STURBRIDGE COUNTRY LIVING THE STURBRIDGE TIMES MAGAZINE 9 Direct-sell consultants conduct home shows, provide customer Continued from page 9 tant,” Cournoyer said. “I also attend things like kids Cournoyer added. “You have the flexibility to be your expos or bridal events to showcase Origami Owl’s own boss and work full- or part-time. However, you never unique lockets and charms and just introduce women work totally alone as you have a team of people support - to the product line.” ing you,” Cournoyer said, who also works as a waitress at To stay connected with past hostesses, Berthel The Sole Proprietor in Worcester. “The two keys to suc - started an annual appreciation brunch at her home that cess are setting small goals everyday and being organized.” involves her husband and sons cooking crepes. She Making a plan to achieve those goals is important spends the time showcasing new Pampered Chef prod - too, Comerford says. As a full-time show producer for uct lines and thanking hostesses for following through large-scale bridal expos, Comerford is use to being or - on home parties, hoping that they will repeat it. ganized and managing things from start to finish. She Another asset to communication in direct sales is says being in direct sales is no different. “The key to di - through fundraising. Most direct sell companies offer a rect sales is discipline. You have to get in the mindset fundraising component, where you can order a specific that you’re in a business and treat it like one,” Comer - product or host a catalog or home party and have a por - ford said. “You need to set goals and make a plan, es - tion of the proceeds go to a charitable cause. For ex - pecially in the beginning.” ample, Berthel does an annual party in the spring at a However, consultants don’t have to go it alone. local Curves workout facility with Pampered Chef’s Berthel said she gets encouragement from Pampered pink products for cancer awareness. Proceeds benefit
Chef fall and spring product launches, which include © 2012 Photo by Stehanie Richards the American Cancer Society. Thirty-One offers a U R testimonies from consultants about how the business Barbara Cournoyer of Sturbridge brings a wealth of experi - U Collection as part of it’s Thirty-One Gives initiative, changes their lives. Comerford added that support also ence to her role as a consultant for Origami Owl. with 31 cents of every purchase donated to nonprofit comes from online seminars, newsletters, and team said. organizations that contribute to the empowerment of building meetings. “Thirty-one has Facebook groups to Success in direct sales also has another key essential– women and girls. These and other fundraisers can pro - share ideas of what works and what doesn’t. In addi - communication. “You have to stay connected to people vide an introduction to a product line or allow con - tion, the company provides a goal setting calendar and and spread the word about new products or specials sultants to reconnect with past customers, all for good monthly checklist as tools to help you succeed,” she through phone calls or social media. It is very impor - causes.
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10 THE STURBRIDGE TIMES MAGAZINE THE CHRONICLE OF STURBRIDGE COUNTRY LIVING ‘nights out’ Business Briefs Conducting home shows does come with its own set of Local personal training firm, 15 years. challenges, but Berthel says flexibility is the key ingredient to In an email to local media on August 28, Klimavich adapting to every situation. “You have to learn to read the ‘Health is Wealth’ announces wrote: “Hometown Bank has been a client for nearly the crowd. Sometimes a group is chatty, so I have learned to walk addition to staff entire 15 years I have been in business. When I first around more and ask anyone who wants to help prepare an CHARLTON — Paula Pa - started working for the bank, they had just the one orig - item to come in another room with me. You really gain more truno, the well-respected inal branch in Webster under the name Webster Coop - self-confidence the more shows you do,” said Berthel, who local personal trainer has an - erative Bank. After the name change and new branding, is also a substitute teacher. “You also have to know how to nounced the addition of her they quickly added a second branch in Oxford and then handle things tactfully when you work in direct sales. Lots of son Kyle to her staff. a third, in Sturbridge. For quite a while, they continued things happen, like a credit card not working, check bounc - Kyle Patruno studied on that path, succeeding in becoming one of the most ing or no guests showing up at a party. All these things have Health, Fitness and Nutri - responsibly managed and profitable banks in the coun - happened to me – you just need to roll with it.” tion while a student at try.” In the end, direct sales feeds the needs of consultants in Holyoke Community Col - Joe will assume duties at the bank’s Oxford branch many ways. “I have met so many incredible women – it’s on September 4 when congratulations can be sent to Kyle Patruno lege. He is a Certified Per - my night out. I think women empower each other,” sonal Trainer through the him at: [email protected]. Cournoyer said. “I get to sit around a table and create a Aerobics Fitness Association of America (AFAA, and locket and really learn about a woman’s personality…I love will begin working in his mother’s firm on September it.” 5. He will be working one-on-one in personal training Berthel agrees. “The best part of this job is I get paid to and teaching Co-ed Fit Camps for all levels. go to a party, meet people and show them a great product,” Paula Patruno describes Health is Wealth as a com - she said. “I have met a lot of people who have become very pany that specializes in helping individuals of all ages good friends. I’ve also been able to help support my family recharge back into fitness and also those who have lim - and still be a stay at home mom…with perks. It is about flex - itations that need to be worked around. Their menu ibility, friends and fun.” of offerings includes small group training, specialized classes, shape-up fit camp and nutritional counseling. Contact info: On October 1, the business will relocate from its Lisa Marie Berthel, Pampered Chef present address to 74 Sturbridge Road, Rt. 20W, Charl - 508.867.8445; [email protected] ton. www.pamperedchef.biz/LisaMarie
Mary Ellen Comerford, Thirty-One Gifts Hometown Bank taps Joe Klimavich 508.826.2565; [email protected] to work on communications www.thirtyonegifts.com OXFORD — Hometown Bank has announced the hir - ing of Joe Klimavich to assume a new position han - Barbara Cournoyer. Origami Owl dling communications details for the company. 508.736.4841; [email protected] Joe will close his firm Klimavich Communica - barb.origamiowl.com tion/WebMechanic, which he owned and operated for
THE CHRONICLE OF STURBRIDGE COUNTRY LIVING THE STURBRIDGE TIMES MAGAZINE 11 INSIDE BANKING By JOSEPH CODERRE PRESIDENT & CEO , SAVERS BANK P ROFESSIONAL A DVICE F ROM A L OCAL B ANKING E XECUTIVE Investing in a college education FOR READERS OF T HE S TURBRIDGE T IMES M AGAZINE
In today’s economy there may be nothing termine a budget to get you there. Add to the best and brightest to their campus. The as important or as difficult as saving for a col - balance, whenever possible, with tax refunds “Having relied too FAFSA form (Free Application for Federal lege education. However, with the current job or bonuses. This, along with compounding Student Aid) uses financial information and market a college degree is essential as it can interest, will help balances accumulate over heavily on formulas, known as EFC (expected family open many doors that otherwise would be un - time. contribution), to determine how much available. For parents it can be the best in - There are many savings vehicles to use for financial aid money is expected to be contributed towards vestment they will ever make, also among the future college expenses. The most popular is could prove to be costs of a college education. The difference largest. a 529 plan. Similar to 401k plans, 529 plans between the EFC and the cost of attendance The average annual cost for an in-state or are a tax advantage if the funds are used to disappointing at a equals the financial need. Under the private school ranges from $20,000 to pay for college. There are two types of 529 critical time when methodology student assets are considered $42,000 respectively. Over a four year period plans: college savings plans and prepaid tu - up to 20%; unprotected parental assets up the total investment in an education can be ition plans. Plans vary widely from state to tuition is due.” to 5.6%; parental income up to 47% and stu - JOSEPH CORDERE between $80,000 and $168,000 with ex - state, but the basics are the same. The ad - dent income up to 50%. Please note however PRESIDENT & CEO , SAVERS BANK penses expected to increase annually by about vantages include: Federal and State tax free that the formula for computing EFC can 5%; alarming numbers for sure. for qualified education expenses, high con - change from year to year. Starting to save early is critical to investing tribution limits, unlimited participation, appropriate vehicle to coincide with your Having relied too heavily on financial aid in your child’s future. Money invested early professional investment, a variety of invest - overall financial planning strategies. could prove to be disappointing at a critical will have the opportunity to grow over time. ment options and wide use of funds for qual - Financial aid for tuition comes mainly time when tuition is due. The typical aid For example, $100 per month for 15 years ified education. Be aware that returns are from the college or the government in the package will mainly consist of loans, not can amount to almost $30,000 (6% after tax not guaranteed and fees differ from plan to form of loans, grants, scholarships and work grants or scholarships. As a general rule, assumption). plan. When making investment choices care - study. Grants and scholarships do not re - loans will make up the largest percent of the Deciding on a game plan is your first step. fully consider the risk of the investment and quire repayment, while work study is a time tuition bill; up to 50% and grants and schol - Determine how much you can realistically af - the time frame when the funds will be obligation and loans must be repaid. The arships up to 15%. To avoid a considerable ford to save for education without neglecting needed. amount of debt accumulated to finance an amount of debt after four years it makes other priorities. It is important to keep in Custodial accounts and savings bonds are education can become overwhelming, so sense to start saving early, or better stated, mind that you can borrow for education, but other great forms of saving, as well as a planning and the decision on which school start investing in your children’s future early. you cannot borrow for your retirement. Coverdell Education Savings Accounts; a to attend becomes critical. Mr. Codere is President and Chief Execu - Make a decision regarding a savings target, for unique account with tax deferred earnings The granting of financial aid is needs tive Officer of Savers Bank. He has two chil - example 50% of total college expenses. From and tax free distributions. A discussion with based and merit based. Merit based schol - dren attending college. this you can use a financial calculator to de - a financial advisor will help you decide the arships are used by colleges to attract the
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MemberMember FDIC / MemberMember SIF / EqualEqual Housing LenderLender 12 THE STURBRIDGE TIMES MAGAZINE THE CHRONICLE OF STURBRIDGE COUNTRY LIVING Mobile Marine: the place where boats hibernate By Richard Murphy thinking about the time back to school ads the work. Marine Service. Have you ever wondered where the boats appear. Sometimes, however, the wise decision When asked what would be the best way go during the winter? It is not as if they fol - The advantage to having a boat stored is is not to wait. As Craig put it, “A lot of for someone who wants to get on the water lowed the geese south, though who could that if there is a repair or improvement that problems could be solved at the dock” in - to go about it, he had a suggestion. In this blame them? Yet, as the days get shorter and could wait, the winter is the best time to stead of hauling the boat out of the water. economy, rebuilt and refurbished boats are cooler, there are less and less craft on our have your marine service professional do That’s why the word mobile is in Mobile Continued on page 16 lakes. This is understandable, as even most landlubbers would grant the wisdom of put - ting things away. To find out why it is vital to secure your boat off-season, The Sturbridge Times Mag - azine spoke with a man who is passionate about them. Craig Laliberte owns Mobile Marine Service in Southbridge. His boat - yard is mostly bare now. Only the odd proj - ect is on hand. It won’t be long before there will be a fleet of blue covered boats in hi - bernation. Craig is emphatic. Winterization is the most important maintenance for the boat owner. It will determine how the craft runs next season. For the small price of fall serv - ice, one can save enormously on repairs and time. The most important aspect of winteriz - ing the boat is stabilization of fuel. Today’s fuels, with ethanol added, go stale very quickly. They cannot be stored for more than a month. Maybe you think you could do it all your - self. A true jack-of-all-trades might be tempted. Given enough knowledge, time and equipment, not to mention storage space, they might even pull it off. Not most of us. There is a set winterization procedure that professionals follow. Craig outlines his as six steps. First, he will pick up your boat. Second, the bottom is thoroughly washed. The third is winterizing the engine. This in - cludes the aforementioned stabilization of fuel and draining of fluids. For the fourth step, the batteries are secured and stored in - doors. Fifth, the boat is shrink wrapped with the heaviest material available. The wrap is vented so there is no fear of mold. The sixth and final step occurs in spring. The boats are unwrapped, washed and vac - uumed. Then the engines are run-up. When all is in working order, they are de - livered. The trailers are stored for free in summer as part of the service. The customers of the storage service also get an insurance policy of sorts. Should they need to call for mobile service in sum - mer, it’s covered at no charge. Now that we’re in September, folks are already thinking of taking the boat out of the water. Craig says the mindset begins fall
THE CHRONICLE OF STURBRIDGE COUNTRY LIVING THE STURBRIDGE TIMES MAGAZINE 13 FITNESS QUEST Marking 20 years, Sims expands training programs By Kevin T. Baldwin I do exercises in the water.” Inside the brown building on Route 20 in Charlton, SIMS Susan explained she joined at first because she was Premier Fitness is in the middle of celebrating its 20-year an - concerned about fall precautions. “As people age, we lose niversary in operation. flexibility and our perception changes and it becomes Owner and Group Fitness Director Sarah Simonelli, who easier to fall,” Susan said. “Living alone, I want to live as is also a registered nurse and mother of four, explained how independently as long as possible and not become a bur - she and husband Peter wanted to open a club that would den to anyone.” offer the community a “friendly, family like atmosphere” and According to Susan, she found that, despite her edu - relayed a number of members who have joined for that very cation degrees and life experience, she couldn’t accom - reason. “People establish friendships here,” Sarah said, ex - plish her fitness goals on her own.“At SIMS, I started plaining how several members will remain in the club long working with a personal trainer, Darla,” Susan said. “I after their workout has ended, just to talk, socialize, play pool, explained I wanted a lot of balance work. One thing I swim, or enjoy the club’s “Juice Bar.” Mrs. Mazur said she enjoys taking the “BodyStep” and highly recommend is the Aquatone Water Fitness class, Sarah said she and her husband employ about 50 people, “BodyFlow” classes offered at SIMS. where your joints are supported (in the water) and it is a many of whom are CPR certified and are qualified in multi - Susan Terkanian, 61, from Spencer, is not a SIMS em - low impact class that you can get a good workout.” ple areas of fitness instruction including weight training, kick - ployee but holds a Bachelors degree in Physical Educa - Susan said since joining she has run into and recon - boxing, and are certified in various Les Mills fitness program tion from Plymouth State University, N.H. and a Masters nected with old friends, and the members who work out instruction. degree in athletic training from Indiana State University. are friendly. “We might not socialize outside the gym, but Janusz and Jogita Mazur, of Southbridge, recently joined Susan joined the club in February 2011. “I checked out the members I’ve met have all been welcoming and the club, and say they have been coming to work out every other clubs in the area and the SIMS facility impressed friendly,” Susan said. “You might see people working out, other day.“We joined because of the variety of machines and me,” Susan said. “I like that it has a family atmosphere and while you might not know their names, because classes,” Mr. Mazur said. “The doctor said I need to lose 30 and they have a shallow pool. I’m not into swimming but you’re all always there day to day, if you miss some time pounds, so here we are.”
14 THE CHRONICLE OF STURBRIDGE COUNTRY LIVING away from the gym they know you haven’t been there and programs offered at SIMS. “Young kids should be growing lifestyles.” Christine, a Silver Sneakers certified instructor, will ask ‘hey where have you been’?” up in a society of movement and learn that it is a natural explains the program is open for anybody. “We have always While Sarah said there has been a recent increase in thing to want to go to the gym,” Susan said. been about fitness, fun and friends,” Christine said with younger high school and college age members to the club, Peter Simonelli helps run the daily operation of the Sarah echoing how she considers SIMS Premier Fitness to she said there are enough programs available for older business but also is involved in real estate development. be a “community within a community” with “people from members and senior citizens, as well. “There was an older So, as a result, Sarah handles most of the club’s day-to- all ages and walks of life from Sturbridge and Charlton and man who came into sign up and asked me to speak with day fitness curriculum including the newly initiated “Les beyond.” his wife who was waiting in his car. He wanted her to join, Mills” fitness group workout programs. On Sep. 29 and 30 SIMS Premier Fitness will premiere as well,” Sarah said. The man’s wife had experienced a The Les Mills programs at SIMS include CXWORX™, a “group launch” and on Oct. 1 will hold an open house rapid 50 pound weight gain (due to the use of prednisone BODYATTACK®, BODYCOMBAT®, BODYFLOW®, where visitors can come explore all the group and individ - and other medications). “I spoke to her and she came in BODYPUMP™, BODYSTEP® and RPM™ ual fitness workout programs offered at the club. Visitors to look at the gym. She expected it to be all young, fit peo - According to Christine Jensen, of all the Les Mills pro - may also peruse other club offerings including the pool, rac - ple, but saw that we have something for all shapes and grams, “CXWorx is our most popular because it is 30 quetball court, physical therapy, massage therapy and “Mass sizes.” minutes of solid core conditioning” and “BodyAttack is Muscle Maker,” which sells vitamin supplements and diet As the wife was taking the tour of the gym, another the most intense because it is sports conditioning which plans at the club. member was introduced to her and her husband, ex - can burn up to 730 calories in just one session. From At SIMS Premier Fitness members with children can plaining his own success story.“I said how this member shoulders to knees you’re going to feel it,” Christine said. enjoy their workout as a childcare “kidwatch” program is had lost 100 pounds since joining the gym and he cor - “BodyPump is for weight training, RPM involves cycling, available (all staff members involved in “kidwatch” are rected me, saying no, it was 114 pounds,” Sarah said. BodyCombat is kickboxing, BodyStep is a step class, and CORI checked). “That was all it took. She joined and, on her first day, she BodyFlow combines Yoga, Pilates and Tai Chi.” SIMS is open seven days a week. For more information rode two and a half miles on the bike and she keeps com - Sarah attributes the club’s longevity by offering “some - on specific class times and what other fitness programs are ing back. Her daughter said to me how proud she was. thing for everyone” but is especially proud of the Silver - available at SIMS readers can visit their Facebook page That’s what we like to do. Keep motivating members to Sneakers® Fitness Program which according to their web (“SIMS Premier Fitness”), visit their Web site at www.sims - come back.” site is “an innovative health, exercise and wellness pro - fit.com or by contacting them by phone at (508) 248-4804 Susan suggests there are also philosophical benefits gram helping older adults maintain healthy, active or via email at [email protected]. which can be derived from the various physical fitness
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THE CHRONICLE OF STURBRIDGE COUNTRY LIVING THE STURBRIDGE TIMES MAGAZINE 15 A glimpse inside Picture a Craig Laliberte’s Mobile Marine Service world
Continued from page 13 without an economic solution. You might get what is essen - honeybees tially a “brand new boat at half the cost.” If ever a man was destined to work on lake boats, By Patricia Burke it’s Craig Laliberte. He was born and raised in South - bridge, and never far from water, including summer In 2007, the term Colony Collapse Disorder camp on Glen Echo Lake. He has playing with boats (CCD) was coined when honeybees in 24 U.S. states all his life and “never got sick of ‘em.” Being in the and four continents began disappearing. Worker boat repair business was what he always wanted to do. bees failed to return to the hive, leaving the un - He exudes passion in discussing the subject. capped brood abandoned. Normally, honey scav - As much as he takes pleasure in the boats and the engers including wasps and bees from other hives work, Craig also derives happiness from “All the won - rob a failing bee colony. But in No loss derful people I’ve met.” It is what you would expect the startling case of CCD, the from someone who believes, “My job is helping peo - hives were left untouched. may be ple enjoy their lives. “ Honeybees are not native to greater All his life it’s been boats except for three and a the United States, arriving in - than the half years as a forward artillery observer in the Army. stead on ships with the Euro - food It is a dangerous specialty with little chance to even pean colonists, but they now supply of get on a raft. He did consider the Navy, but the fam - dominate the pollination in - tomorrow. ily tradition is soldiering. That is all behind him and dustry in the U.S. According to Sources cited under NOTES he now lives with his wife, Tania, in Sturbridge on the USDA’s Agricultural Re - at the end of the article. Cedar Lake. Where else but a lake? search Service (ARS), bee polli - So, now the tribe of lake lovers is thinking about nation is responsible for $15 billion in added crop removing the summer home to land. Some are value annually. (1) Honeybee pollination is essential quicker off the mark than others. Craig’s fall season to the food chain. California’s almond industry is can range unto December. That is more than push - 100% dependent on honeybee pollination, provides ing it. After the first frost, the boat owner is taking a 80% of the world’s crop, and employs half or more risk. Boats have no radiators and are water-cooled. of the country’s commercial beehives during the Lake water freezes. two-week flowering season. Yet no matter when it happens, the boats all come out. Other than skaters and the ice fisher, lakes are In The Land of Milk and Honey lonely in winter. The cycle, however, begins again in Previously, a multitude of pollinating species for - spring. No one will be happier than Craig. aged the land. Because honeybees are cavity nesters and don’t create their own homes (contrasted with wasp nests), herbalists and farmers kept honeybees by providing shelter, such as round straw bee skeps. Gardeners tended honeybees as part of a unified di - verse ecology and only truly excess honey was har - vested. With the commercialization of beekeeping in the 1920s, honeybees became a commodity man - aged for both honey production and pollination. Unnatural practices were introduced that weakened the vitality of the honeybee species, making it more susceptible to parasites, viruses, bacteria, and fungi. In 1923, in a series of lectures presented at the Goetheanum in Dornach, Switzerland, Rudolf Steiner — the founder of Anthroposophy, Waldorf education and biodynamic agriculture — predicted that the honeybee would be in dire straights in 100 years. Translated from German in 1998 by the An - throposophic Press, Bees is a transcription of these lectures in which Steiner describes the spiritual wis - dom inherent in the bee, wasp and ant kingdoms, as Continued on page 18 .BJO4U4UVSCSJEHFt 16 THE STURBRIDGE TIMES MAGAZINE THE CHRONICLE OF STURBRIDGE COUNTRY LIVING THE CHRONICLE OF STURBRIDGE COUNTRY LIVING THE STURBRIDGE TIMES MAGAZINE 17 duction. Steiner noted that the unnatural diet was over- stimulating, and altered the bees’ digestive juices and blood, wherein the vitality of a species is held. As for the queen, biodynamic farmer Gunther Hauk of Spikenard Honeybee Sanctuary in Floyd, VA, writes in Toward Saving the Honey Bee, “The queen of the hon - eybee hive produces hundreds of thousands of offspring. On a good day in May or June, she can lay several thou - sand eggs — a marvelous feat for her metabolism. Cer - tainly the queen bee has an intimate and deep relationship with the workers. All of them are her prog - eny and she is the one that gives them a sense of belong - ing, the individual smell of the colony.” (2) In nature, new queens develop within existing hives, resulting in swarming. In May the colony is in a peak state of abundance, and, continues Hauk, “a remarkable event occurs. A few days before the new queen (usually more than one) emerges from her cell, on a fair day in the late morning, the old queen and approximately one half of the workers, as well as a number of drones, leave their beloved hive. The swarming begins!” Within days, the refugee community must find a new © 2012 Courtesy Spirit of Change Magazine Honey-making bees home. In nature, like Winnie the Pooh’s beloved Hun - dred Acre Woods, hives settle into old tree hollows. Continued on page 16 tices developed to boost productivity in commercial bee - Today, natural beekeepers catch swarms and provide safe well as their role in maintaining formic acid levels, which keeping. In years of heavy spring rain, flower nectar is new habitats, bear-proof and protected from the ele - are crucial to Earth’s ecosystem. scarce. Beekeepers responded by providing sugar syrup. ments. Specifically, Steiner warned against the long-term ef - This practice became the industry standard when both To make handling more convenient and cost efficient fects of sugar feeding and artificial queen breeding, prac - sugar and corn syrup were found to boost honey pro - for most of today’s commercial beekeeping enterprises,
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18 THE STURBRIDGE TIMES MAGAZINE THE CHRONICLE OF STURBRIDGE COUNTRY LIVING rectangular painted wooden houses have replaced round could include high levels of infection by the varroa and broad application of poisons the next year. Experience straw skeps, and plastic foundations, which may contain tracheal mites; poor nutrition due to apiary overcrowd - has demonstrated that new pesticides breed stronger, the carcinogen benzene, have replaced part of the honey - ing; pollination of crops with low nutritional value or more resistant strains of whatever they seek to destroy. comb. In addition, queen breeding is accomplished mainly pollen scarcity; exposure to limited or contaminated "We are inching our way toward a critical tipping through artificial grafting of worker larvae. To further water supplies; and migratory stress brought about by in - point," said Steve Ellis, secretary of the National Honey boost production, queens are replaced every year. creased needs for pollination.” Bee Advisory Board (NHBAB) and a beekeeper for 35 In Queen of the Sun, What Are the Bees Telling Us In addition, anecdotal studies from India and the UK years, “and we believe pesticides play an important role (2011, Clairview), contributing author Horst Kornberger reported on CNN and elsewhere report that direct cell in what’s going on.” explains that when the old queen is taken away, orphaning phone activity near hives ceases the production of honey, Of particular concern is a group of pesticides called the hive into a state of survival stress for several days, it decreases egg laying by the queen and dramatically re - neonicotinoids (neonics for short), many of which are boosts their acceptance of a new artificial queen. Gunther duces the size of the hive. (3) While EMF waves have banned in Europe and other countries. Instead of Hauk provides an apt metaphor: the assumption is that the often been suspected of contributing to CCD, questions being sprayed, neonics are used to treat seeds using queen can be replaced like an automobile spark plug, with - linger about the safety of cumulative EMF exposure for time-release technology, transforming plants them - out recognizing the deep and living intimacy of the queen all living beings. selves into poison factories. As the pesticides are ab - with her colony. The life expectancy of queens is halved. Migratory stress also takes its toll on the bees. Begin - sorbed by the plant's vascular system, they attack the ning in January in the U.S., honeybees are trucked up to central nervous systems of bees collecting pollen. Vir - What’s Good For The Hive 100,000 miles per year because intensive pollination is tually all of today's genetically engineered Bt corn is Is Good For The Bee necessitated by industrial mono-crop farming methods. treated with neonics. Corn does not require honeybee An ARS steering committee is coordinating a com - ARS statistics note the number of managed honeybee pollination, but research shows that bees forage in prehensive effort to research factors contributing to CCD, colonies has dropped from 5 million in the 1940s to only corn. They also have multiple other routes of exposure focusing on three major possibilities: 2.5 million today. At the same time the call for hives to to neonics. (4) •Pesticides may be having unexpected effects. supply pollination service has continued to climb, mean - Dr. Vandana Shiva is the founder of Navdanya, an •A new parasite or pathogen may be attacking honey - ing bee colonies are trucked further and more often. organization that helps preserve and distribute native bees. Industrialized agriculture has attempted to counter seeds to farmers. Her organization has been working in •Environmental stresses may have unexpectedly weak - the loss of honeybee populations by genetically breeding the Punjab region of India, which was transformed ened colonies. new bees immune to predators, the development of into a toxic wasteland by the use of pest-vulnerable, According to the ARS, “Stress, in general, compromises stronger antibiotics that mask weaknesses in the bee’s im - non-renewable GE hybrids that required intensive ir - the immune system of bees and other social insects, mak - mune system, and eradicating whatever appeared to rigation. Continued on page 30 ing colonies more susceptible to disease. These stresses breech the integrity of the hive last year through the Breakfast. Lunch. Delicious.
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THE CHRONICLE OF STURBRIDGE COUNTRY LIVING THE STURBRIDGE TIMES MAGAZINE 19 INSURANCE GUIDANCE By Richard McGrath, CIC, LIA PRESIDENT & CEO, McGRATH INSURANCE GROUP Are you covered?
One benefit of insurance is the peace of mind Common Gaps in Coverage Damage caused by the backup or overflow of sew- that comes from knowing that you’re covered if When considering potential gaps, your home- ers, drains and sumps may also be excluded. Addi- something happens. owner’s policy is the place to begin. Your home is tional coverage for water damage caused by sewers, But inadequate insurance provides a false your most valuable asset; what do you need to do to drains and sumps can usually be added for a minimal sense of security. Not all policies are alike and protect it? What protection do you need beyond in- cost. It typically includes a $250 deductible and pro- not all insurance carriers provide the same cover- suring your home? vides up to $5,000 for damages. age; in fact, some policies may exclude common Homeowners should be certain they fully under- occurrences, because of the cost of covering such Water damage. One common shortfall for stand what their policy covers when they are purchas- claims. homeowners is in the area of water damage. Damage ing homeowner’s insurance. When comparing One of the most important roles of your insur- caused when water leaks from plumbing, heating, air policies, don’t just look at the price; be sure to also ance agent should be to identify any important conditioning, sprinkler systems or household appli- compare what is covered. gaps in your coverage. You may elect not to cover ances is typically covered by homeowner’s insurance, every gap, but at least if you know what’s covered although damage to the appliance or system typically Mold and wet rot. With a significant increase and what’s not covered, you can make rational de- is not covered. in the number of lawsuits filed alleging bodily injury cisions about the insurance you purchase. However, many policies say they cover only dam- or property damage resulting from mold, some insur- Keep in mind that skimping on coverage will age caused by “sudden and accidental” leaking. ers have completely eliminated coverage for mold only save you money until you want to file a claim Some may even specify that damage is excluded if it is damage. – and find out that you lack the coverage you caused over a period of “weeks, months or years.” Most policies, though, still cover mold and wet rot need.
20 THE STURBRIDGE TIMES MAGAZINE THE CHRONICLE OF STURBRIDGE COUNTRY LIVING that results from covered causes, but not when it re- director of the agency, you will likely be covered by and to make expensive purchases, but to obtain sults from ongoing conditions. For example, if a tor- the organization’s directors and officers liability pol- home equity loans. There have even been cases nado rips off the roof of your home, and, as a result, icy. The purchase of an umbrella liability would pro- where an identity thief has fraudulently sold a fam- water gets into your home and mold develops, the vide coverage for directors/officers of a 501-C.3 Non ily’s home. damage would typically be covered. If mold results –Profit. Homeowners’ insurance sometimes includes cov- from an ongoing leak in your washing machine that erage against identity theft. An endorsement can be you failed to repair, damage typically would not be Auto Rental. It’s important to know what your added that provides coverage ranging from $5,000 to covered. existing auto insurance covers, otherwise you may $15,000, but it only covers expenses related to the To avoid having to pay out of pocket for mold not have the coverage you need or you may end up identity theft, such as attorney’s fees. damage, be certain to read your policy carefully and buying coverage you don’t need. Whatever coverage There are plenty of other areas where you may talk to your agent about closing any gaps. Also, try to and deductibles you have on the car you own will typ- have gaps in your coverage. Your insurance represen- prevent mold damage by addressing water damage ically apply when you rent a car, as long as you are tative should be willing to review your policies with quickly. To prevent mold damage, experts believe not using the car for business. you, identify any gaps in your coverage, and recom- that water issues must be addressed within 48 hours Insurance offered through credit cards also typi- mend the most cost-effective way to fill any gaps that of when they take place. cally covers damage to or loss of the rented vehicle. need to be filled. It usually does not cover loss of personal belongings, Richard A. McGrath, CIC, LIA is President and CEO of McGrath Insurance Group, Inc. of Stur- Liability. Personal liability coverage through a damage to other cars or property, or personal liability bridge, Mass. He can be reached at rmcgrath@mc- person’s homeowner’s policy and auto insurance pol- for bodily injury or death claims. icy insures many, but not all, causes of liability to grathinsurance.com. Umbrella liability insurance is a good way to close This article is written for informational purposes only which a homeowner may be exposed. many gaps. It provides protection beyond your auto and should not be construed as providing legal advice. Coverage for bodily injury to an insured person, and homeowner’s policies, and includes coverage for for example, is not covered by homeowner’s insur- accidents while driving a rental car. Umbrella cover- ance. Health insurance will, of course, cover medical age typically costs a few hundred dollars for a million costs, but a suit seeking damages would not be cov- dollars of coverage and a small amount more for each ered. additional million in coverage. If, for example, a homeowner is a foster parent and a foster child is injured, resulting in a lawsuit by Other. As we’ve previously written, no area is the child’s natural parent, it would not be covered. immune from earthquakes. Because they are rare in Anyone who is or plans to become a foster parent Massachusetts, the cost of adding coverage for earth- should check with the foster care agency to determine quakes is low. what coverage, if any, is provided. Many homeowners hold property in trust, so they Homeowner’s liability coverage also excludes busi- can pass it along to heirs without it being included in ness-related activities. If you have a home office or their taxable estate. However, a trust is not a person even occasionally work from home, be aware that an and cannot have a spouse or other relatives as resi- injury or property damage resulting from your busi- dents. If a trust is named as the insured, those who ness work will not be covered by your homeowner’s reside in the home will have no coverage for their policy. personal property or for personal liability. If you volunteer for a non-profit organization, A special endorsement can be added to the policy your homeowner’s policy would cover potential liabil- to provide coverage for residents and beneficiaries. ity in most cases, but not if you have fiduciary re- In today’s online world, identity theft has been sponsibility and a loss takes place. If you are a used not only to steal from victims’ bank accounts
THE CHRONICLE OF STURBRIDGE COUNTRY LIVING THE STURBRIDGE TIMES MAGAZINE 21 This monthly feature focuses on our trails and open space and related activities in the region, with an emphasis on enjoying the outdoors safely. Master Plan update; time to volunteer; fall hiking opportunities By Tom Chamberland, Park Ranger and Associate Member of Sturbridge Trails Committee
Recreation Trails Master Plan stated as the “worst case” costs without any vol - Help needed to build trails and improve dents can practice their Mt Bike skills without update: unteers, grants, or donations. It was also stated our public lands “getting lost” on the adjoining 1000 acres of open On Monday July 23, The Board of Select - that any funding by the town would have to go September begins the fall volunteer sea - space. men (BOS) held a public hearing on the Recre - through the Town Meeting process and voted son for working on the trails and our public On Saturday Sept 29, the Town will partner ation Trails Master Plan. I have written about on by the town. Adoption of this plan in no lands. The Sturbridge Trail Comm has set with other area trail committees and the U.S. the development of this plan over the last year, way incurs any costs, but does provide a sound two dates for volunteer events Sept 9 and Sept Army Corps of Engineers in “National Public and this public hearing process is the final step management plan for the town to use in devel - 29. Lands Day” (NPLD). This is the nation’s largest before an adoption of the plan. Much of the dis - oping trail on its open space lands. The BOS On Sept 9, help is needed for continued one day volunteer program to encourage volun - cussion that night dealt with improving access decided to continue the public hearing to Tues - construction of the gateway trail, our first teers to care for their public Lands. The day to our great ponds. Many in attendance were day Sept 4, 6:35 PM. specifically designed and designated “single events will start at 8:30 a.m. with registration with concerned that those improvements would be If you have not had the chance to read the track” trail on the Leadmine Mt Property. work parties until noon. As of press time dead - more negative than positive to the lakes and its plan it is posted on the town’s web site: This gateway trail is designed to be a family line, not all details had been worked out by the residents. Towards the end of the hearing it was www.town.sturbridge.ma.us and click on the friendly trail where one can enjoy an easy hike various trail committees, but projects will be an - suggested to remove this objective. Others had red banner, Recreation Trails Master Plan pub - or practice their Mt Bike skills. The project nounced for Westville Park, Leadmine Mt and expressed concern as to the costs. Although lic hearing. I encourage you to attend this pub - hours are from 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Heins Farm Conservation lands, as well as for costs were presented in the plan, they were lic hearing and voice your opinion. Sunday Sept 9. Meet at the Shattuck Rd gate, the towns of Southbridge, Brimfield and Hol - 10 Shattuck Rd., Leadmine Mt Conservation land. Area. Wear sturdy work shoes, bring your water bottle and pick/mattocks if you have The fall is great time to hike! one, otherwise tools will be provided. As much as I love being in the outdoors all Single track trail is no more than two-to- year long, I admit that there is something special three feet wide, bench cut trail designed for about a New England fall. hiking or mountain bike use. Single track is The hilly landscape softens in the warm light. the least formal of all the various types of trails The forest and understory bursts to the many col - and is generally constructed all by hand. Prop - ors of life, a play on variations in green, dotted erly designed with less than 40 degree hillside with colors of red, orange, and yellow. Birds and approach angles, grades of no more than animals scurry looking for insects and the forest 15%, undulations, dips and ticks, this type of floor harvest are colorful and alluring -- especially single track trail is sustainable, low mainte - to children. nance and a joy to experience. The area off I encourage you to get out and explore our of Shattuck Road selected for this trail will open space lands. Here are a couple of ideas on offer great views and vantage points to Stur - how to make it fun and interesting for the whole bridge as well as providing a trail where resi - Continued on page 31
22 THE STURBRIDGE TIMES MAGAZINE THE CHRONICLE OF STURBRIDGE COUNTRY LIVING PET Q&A WITH KATHY MENARD
Questions on training, peeing and praise
fessional Dog Trainers. She has trained under three world- Q. When can I start training my puppy; what will she A. No. Dogs of any age can benefit from training. renowned Schutzhund trainers for 14 years and has competed learn? in the American Kennel Club and the sport of Schutzhund, A. Q. Puppies are capable of learning as young as five weeks How do we prevent a five-month-old puppy from earning over 15 titles. Kathy is the owner of Compatible Ca - of age, so you begin training her as soon as you bring her peeing when excited? nine in Fiskdale, MA and KT’s Pet Stop in Palmer, MA. home. Pups are continuously learning even if you aren't con - A. I will assume you are referring to greetings. Be sure sciously training them. That is why it is important to get into to ignore your pup (and ask all guests to do the same) until an obedience class as soon as possible so you learn how to your pup is calm. Then keep the greeting low key. If you get properly reinforce the behaviors you want and not reinforce all excited with your voice and actions, this may stimulate the bad behaviors. pup to pee. If your pup suddenly begins inappropriate peeing, (as a Q. When can I start training my puppy; what will she new behavior), be sure to check with your veterinarian, as learn? this may indicate a health issue. A. Puppies are capable of learning as young as five weeks of age, so you begin training her as soon as you bring her Q. Is there one particular breed, or a few, more likely home. Pups are continuously learning even if you aren't con - to get along with small children? sciously training them. That is why it is important to get into A. While any breed can be raised to get along with small an obedience class as soon as possible so you learn how to children, there are many other factors you should take into properly reinforce the behaviors you want and not reinforce consideration when selecting a breed. If you google how to bad behaviors. select a dog breed, you will find many great websites that will Typical commands you will learn in a class are: sit, down, ask you a series of questions and then actually make recom - come, off, leave it and heel. In addition, you will learn how mendations. And it goes without saying that small children to create virtually any behavior you desire. should always be supervised when dealing with pets.
Q. Is there a difference between puppy training and Q. What is the best way to praise a dog? dog training? A. Verbal praise should have a higher pitch, unless you A. Yes. The main difference is in the pup's shorter atten - have an overly excitable dog. Deeper tones have been tion span. Puppies go through various developmental stages proven to be demotivating. In general telling them “good that affect training and focus so sessions should be kept girl/boy” in a happy voice works! shorter with many breaks. Kathy Menard has been a dog trainer for over 35 years and is certified through the Certification Council for Pro - Q. My dog is five years old. Is he too old for training?
THE CHRONICLE OF STURBRIDGE COUNTRY LIVING THE STURBRIDGE TIMES MAGAZINE 23 r MUSINGS FROM LONG HILL s THE CARRINGTON EVENT
BY RICHARD MORCHOE
I asked my son, a technophile and engineer, if he were ends. Maybe if governmental agencies had been pro-active forced to give up the electronics he loves or modern plumb - last year, our ordeal might have been shorter. LEGAL ing, which would he choose. He is a thoughtful young Which points up that we don’t do Civil Defense very man and paused to consider the question. well. Oh, there is FEMA, though I doubt anyone thinks BRIEF He likes his iPhone, computers and all the accoutrements it’s glorious. There was a time in this country when CD of the connected world. Undoubtedly, the GPS has saved was taken seriously. Back in the 50s, it was big. Granted, ROBERT A. GEORGE, ESQ. him that most valuable of life’s commodities, time. much of it was associated with the nuclear war scare, but STURBRIDGE ATTORNEY Indoor plumbing is not something that we love, but it it was also concerned with natural disasters. is something difficult to live without. Certain daily func - Preparedness was iportant back in the Stone Age. M ONTHLY L EGAL A DVICE FOR READERS OF tions would have to move outdoors. The thought of going What if the big one hit? Yup, this is another end of the T HE S TURBRIDGE T IMES M AGAZINE out that little shack with the crescent in mid winter would world column. No, it’s not about something that hap - concentrate the mind. Only bathing once a week would pened prehistorically, like the meteor that might have OCIAL OST not be easy. There would be no hot water coming out of a wiped out the dinosaurs. It actually occurred just a little S H faucet, because there would be no faucet. Having to heat more than a century and a half ago. It had a big effect on LIABILITY the bath water with a fire adds a degree of difficulty. technology in 1859. That there was not much tech then Life, in times past without the level of hygiene we have, means it did not devastate civilization. School is starting, kids are going to be throwing par - had a different atmosphere, and it was, to say the least, It became known as the Carrington Event, named after ties and, in some cases, asking mom and dad if it’s okay pungent. It was also less entertaining. From waking to the astronomer who discovered it. Richard Carrington to drink a little beer. Say no. bedtime, we need not do without diversion for a second. was observing the Sun on September morning in 1859. Regardless of whether it makes sense to make young TV, radio, ipad, ipod, we are constantly amused if we want The Englishman saw and drew an unusually large group adults wait until they are 21 to drink alcohol, it is the law to be. It would be missed, even if the attention span might of sunspots. They were like none he had seen before. and the civil consequences for breaking it have become improve. The sunspots were interesting enough, but what hap - more severe. Some states hold parents liable even if they If anyone would be willing to forego the pleasures of pened next day before dawn was startling. Skies all over did not provide the liquor for the kids to drink, and even running water in favor of all the electronic gizmos it would the planet saw various color auroras and newspapers could if they didn’t know the kids were drinking at their house. have been my son. Yet, he could not decide one way or be read as if it were midday. In those states, a person who is injured by a drunk the other. For the old man, it would not be close. I love The power of the Sun was not just in a light show. The teen driving home from your kid’s party can sue you just word processing over the typewriter. Sending a word file technology of the day went berserk. Sparks flew from because the alcohol was available at your house. via email is so much easier than snail mail for both sender telegraphs and shocked the operators. Telegraph paper Civil liability is harder to come by in Massachusetts, and receiver. Still, having been forced to do without free was set on fire. The batteries powering lines were discon - but far easier than it used to be. Until the mid-1980s, flowing H2O after the ice storm last fall, I’ll take plumb - nected, but messages could still be sent thanks to the Sun’s there was no liability for parents to let underage kids ing. power. drink at their homes. The courts changed that when they Thus it was heartening to see this summer that the town Solar flares happen a lot and some of them do damage, adopted what is known as “social host liability” and has tagged trees that look a little worse for the wear up here but nothing like a Carrington Event. What would hap - began holding parents liable if the parents knew, or on the Long Hill. They will be cut down before the season pen if we had one today. should have known, that kids were drinking at their house. The civil liability for injuries caused by a drunk driv - ing crash can be astronomical and far exceed your home owner’s insurance coverage. You could literally lose your home. Another reason not to let them drink at your house: a maximum criminal penalty of one year in jail. The best reason of all: the awful things that can hap - pen to the kids and the people they hit when they do drive drunk.
24 THE STURBRIDGE TIMES MAGAZINE THE CHRONICLE OF STURBRIDGE COUNTRY LIVING Habitat for Humanity announces new leadership
Today everything is so interconnected that it would The Board of Directors of Habitat for Humanity - and, in the process, strengthen the neighborhoods and not end life, but a lot of lives would end. According to MetroWest/Greater Worcester has announced the selec - communities in which we all live.” a National Academy of Sciences (NAS) report within 90 tion of W. Timothy Firment as its new Executive Director Mr. Firment’s prior experience includes positions as seconds, 300 key transformers would be knocked out to succeed former Executive Director, Harriett Lebow. Executive Director, Fruitlands Museum in Harvard, MA and power would be gone for 130 million. Anybody liv - Tim Firment comes to Habitat MW/GW with an exten - where he spearheaded its successful turnaround. As a com - ing in a city apartment has to learn to live without water. sive background of progressive management experience in munity leader and volunteer, Tim served on the Board of Hospitals, after the backup generator is out of gas, are for-profit and non-profit organizations and a demon - the Worcester Cultural Coalition and has been an active out of business. Whatever fuel is in storage is unusable strated commitment to community service and leadership. volunteer at Habitat for Humanity and Loaves and Fishes without power to pump it. Board Chair Michael Wimberly in announcing Tim’s Food Pantry. Tim’s private sector career includes opera - There are almost no spare transformers so that elec - appointment, said “We are delighted that Tim has ac - tions director positions at Dunkin Brands and Pepsi-Co tricity will not return for years. If there is no power, cepted our offer of the Executive Director position. It was and as a financial auditor. Tim is a graduate of Pennsyl - there is no work for almost everyone. farming is heavily evident from the start of our dialogue with Tim that he vania State University and a resident of Harvard, Massa - petroleum based. Starvation cannot be avoided in the had a deep understanding of our mission. Along with con - chusetts. time it takes to revive agriculture. siderable non-profit experience evidenced by his turn - Of his appointment, Tim says, “I am thrilled to be as - You can say goodbye to the internet, and plumbing around of the Fruitlands Museum, he brings great sociated with a unique global institution that brings peo - and just about everything that makes life livable. Let’s business sense to the conversation. We are very confident ple together to build homes, communities and hope. As emphasize that word everything. There wasn’t much to that under Tim’s leadership we will continue to grow and one of the largest developers of affordable housing, Habi - knock out in the 19th Century. That is not the case perform the life-changing work of HFH-MW/GW to help tat for Humanity empowers families with “a hand up, not now. families become stakeholders in their own communities a hand out”. The Carrington Event can and will happen again. The date cannot be predicted. Maybe as you read this, or not for 500 years. We can do something about it now. The advisor to the NAS, John Kappenman, has pointed out there are work arounds that if done now, will obviate the worst of the problem. Remember Y2K? It wasn’t a catastrophe because the problem was visible and the work done to prevent dis - aster. A Carrington Event cannot be solved after the fact. If we try to do that, it will be as Phil Connors spelled it out in the movie Ground Hog’s Day, “'I’ll give you a winter prediction: It's gonna be cold, it's gonna be grey, and it's gonna last you for the rest of your life.” Even in summer. We may be worried about another Chernobyl or Three Mile Island, and justly so, but up above us is a huge nuclear reactor that no government agency can reg - ulate.
THE CHRONICLE OF STURBRIDGE COUNTRY LIVING THE STURBRIDGE TIMES MAGAZINE 25 YARD WORKS Caring for what grows in your yard By Tom Chamberland, ISA
The fungi around us
Normally about to routinely rake up the this time of year I re - leaves as they fall and ceive calls about early bury them in the leaf drop, black spots, ground, or dispose of in white dust on leaves the trash, thus removing and related questions the inoculants of the “what is happening to fungi from the area. leaves of my trees?” Fungi are all around Well most of these us and a true necessity problems are various for life, in its most types of fungi that are minute form, in what is now producing spores, call mycelia, tiny shoe - and fruiting bodies, string like cells attach their “damage” to our and expand on tiny root plants. I use damage hairs, using the plants in quotations because energy expanding the for the most part, trees soil and allowing roots and shrubs at this to grow, Recent tree time of year have com - technology and care pleted their growing now suggests treating cycle, and with the soil around newly shorter days, they are planted trees with ap - starting to go into propriate myorrhizal their dormancy stage, fungi to help these trees with the leaves reduc - get a good start in ing their ability to produce starches, sugars and chloro - too late to try to take effective control. The best time growth and root development. Other fungi greatly help phyll the nutrients plants need to grow, thus allowing to control these fungi is in the spring, with appropriate in breaking down plant material to their basic nutrients their true colors to show in the fall. fungicide and or horticultural oil treatments. However allowing them to become more water soluble, thus able Fungi can show up in various forms including ¼” to their timing for application is very weather dependent, to be better taken up into our plants by their root sys - 1” black spots (tar spot); tiny less than 1/16” spots (shot and usually not worth the cost or effort unless you have tem. The success of your compost pile is a direct result of gun fungus), brown curly edges (usually a form of an - a very unique or specimen tree or shrub, for as I have fungi in action. thracnose) and a white powder looking covering (white mentioned this leaf damage now is not really damage at Mushrooms and tree conks are other forms of fungi. sooty mold). all to the tree, but more of an aesthetic issue, that we Continued on page 29 When you see these fungi on your leaves, it is usually just don’t like the look of it. The best treatment now is (PU.VNT
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26 THE STURBRIDGE TIMES MAGAZINE THE CHRONICLE OF STURBRIDGE COUNTRY LIVING THE HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL ADVISER
BY THE FACULTY OF HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL A R EGULAR FEATURE IN THE STURBRIDGE TIMES MAGAZINE Soothing dry eyes Lately my eyes have been feeling dry and Q. typically drops. These products are referred to as uncomfortable nearly all day long. Why is this happening? And, more importantly, artificial tears. This is a bit misleading because what can I do about it? they lack the growth factors, cytokines and other biologically active ingredients of the real thing. A. We need a thin layer of tears to lubri - Artificial tears usually contain some cellu - cate, protect and nourish the fronts of our lose to make them thick and viscous. Sub - eyes. If this fluid layer is not fully intact, stances like polyethylene glycol or polyvinyl you are likely to notice symptoms such as alcohol are added so they spread evenly, and irritation, scratchiness or a burning sen - most brands have a preservative of some kind. sation. Ophthalmologists and op - The starting dose is usually a drop in each tometrists call this thin layer the "tear eye four times a day. Artificial tears can be used film." more frequently, but the preservatives can be ir - The tear film isn't just salty water but a ritating if used more than four times a day. complex mixture of substances produced Some people who experience irritation are ad - and maintained by several glands and vised to switch to drops that are packaged as sin - structures in and around the eyes. If the gle doses so a preservative isn't necessary. tear film degrades, we experience dry eyes If artificial tears don't provide enough relief, and any or all of the above symptoms. your ophthalmologist may prescribe drops con - The tear film consists of two parts: an taining cyclosporine, an immune-suppressing inner layer of fluid that contains mucus drug that fights the inflammation that often and an outer layer of fat molecules. contributes to dry eyes Research has shown Growth factors, infection-fighting cy - that about 70 percent of eye patients who did - tokines and other substances float around n't respond well to artificial tears responded in the watery inner layer. The fatty outer well to cyclosporine drops. layer is important because it seals in and If artificial tears don't help soothe your dry prevents evaporation of the watery layer eyes, your best bet is to visit your ophthalmolo - is because they have lower levels of an - using a humidifier can make a big differ - beneath it. gist to discuss next steps. Chances are that he drogens, the male sex hormones. Some ence. Limiting screen time (television, com - When it's intact, the tear film serves can help you find a treatment that'll have you of the glands that protect against dry eyes puter monitors) can also help. multiple purposes. It is a physical barrier, seeing clearly again in no time. it defends against infection, it removes de - are, in part, activated by androgens. But the first-line treatment for most peo - © 2012 The President and Fellows of Harvard bris and it moisturizes. Light must pass Many conditions can cause dry eyes. ple with dry eyes remains an over-the- College through it to reach your eyes, so the film These include autoimmune diseases, in - counter topical treatment of some kind, needs to be smooth and regular or vision flammation of the eyelids (blepharitis) will be distorted. caused by allergies or certain skin condi - Air conditioning and indoor heat tions and conjunctivitis infections. Dry makes the air inside our homes bone-dry, eyes are a common side effect of LASIK so water in tear film evaporates rapidly. surgery to correct nearsightedness and Ĩ021'$<Ĩ Ĩ:('1(6'$<Ĩ %DQTXHWV Blinking evens out and replenishes the farsightedness, although it's usually tem - %XUJHU 6WRQH3LH3L]]D+ROLGD\3DUWLHVRU fatty outer layer of the tear film, and nor - porary. Contact lenses reside within the D3LQWRI D%RWWOHRI 3ULYDWH)XQFWLRQVIURP tear film, and dry eyes are one of the SHRSOH mally we blink every 10 seconds or so. But %HHU1LJKW9LQR1LJKW &XVWRP0HQXV$YDLODEOH watching television, working at a com - main reasons some people can't wear puter and driving a car can all cause dry contact lenses or can only do so on a lim - eyes because they slow down the blink ited basis. rate. Dry eyes are also a side effect of some Age is a factor because the tear glands commonly used medications, including become less productive, leading to drier antihistamines, beta blockers and the se - eyes. And with age, lower eyelids may sag, lective serotonin reuptake inhibitor so they don't form a good seal over the (SSRI) antidepressants, such as citalo - eye. In general, women are more prone pram (Celexa) and fluoxetine (Prozac). than men to have dry-eye problems. This If the source of the problem is dry air,
THE CHRONICLE OF STURBRIDGE COUNTRY LIVING THE STURBRIDGE TIMES MAGAZINE 27 HEALTH &FITNESS Strength training By Andrea Johnson of Everybody’s Fitness, Auburn and Sturbridge and your health
When it comes to your health, you need back those hour long cardio sessions to 30 smaller even when the scale doesn't move. much information out there in books to add strength training to your exercise rou - minutes. Research has shown that you only Track your workouts to see yourself getting and online that it can almost be over - tine. What is strength training? Also known need 30 minutes of cardio 5 days a week to stronger. Realize that fat loss is more than a whelming. Seek out a knowledgeable as weight lifting, resistance training, and reap the health benefits. Try changing your number on a scale. friend, buy a workout book for begin - pumping iron, strength training is defined as cardio routine. Swap walking for biking, The woman afraid of bulking up: This ners, or subscribe to a fitness magazine a method of improving muscular strength by spinning for jogging, or the elliptical ma - person thinks strength training will turn (I like Women's Health or Men's Health gradually increasing the ability to resist force, chine for the rower. Just do something dif - her into one of those female bodybuilders magazines). Check out a fitness website, through the use of free weights, machines, re - ferent so your body will be challenged to they see in magazines. If only it was that or find a fitness professional who can sistance bands or one's own body weight. adapt to a new exercise. Then add some easy! Strength training will not turn you help you get started pumping some iron. “But I'm an avid runner/walker/cyclist” you strength training for 30 minutes. into a miniature Arnold. Generally speak - Fitness coaches like myself are not just say, “and I am active enough already”! Or, The person who is looking to lose weight: ing, women do not have high enough levels for the rich and famous. My clients are “I'm trying to lose weight, so why would I This person believes that cardio is best for of testosterone to develop big huge muscles. all unique and each has their own set of bother with strength training when I should weight loss. That may be true. But weight And most women do not lift heavy enough circumstances that brought them to seek really be doing cardio”? Or, “I'm a woman loss means one thing, and fat loss means an - weights to create that kind of muscle out a fitness coach, but they all have one and I'm afraid lifting weight will make me big other. Weight loss refers to a number on a growth. Strength training will make you feel thing in common. They see the impor - and bulky”. These are three of the most com - scale, and fat loss refers to body composi - stronger, look better, give you confidence in tance in having a fitness professional mon reasons I have heard for not lifting tion, which is far more important and accu - your body, and reduce stress. Muscle also show them how to exercise safely, edu - weights, and I'm going to explain why rate to determine overall health. When takes up less room than fat so strength train - cate them about health and fitness, and strength training is beneficial for each of someone is overweight and wants to lose ing will also make you slimmer and trim - give them that motivation and push they these three groups. pounds, they really are referring to fat loss, mer. The fix: Embrace weights. Know that need to achieve their goals. No matter The avid walker/runner/spinner: This and improving their body composition. lifting weights is the best way to prevent what your circumstances are, the infor - person is already pretty active and in good They just don't know it because too much bone loss as you age, and adding valuable mation is out there if you seek it out. health, but only engages in cardiovascular ac - emphasis has been put on weight as the muscle mass helps to slow the muscle loss The bottom line is that there are tivity. Cardio is great for your heart, helps magic number that determines one's health. that occurs between age 30-50. plenty of resources available, many of control your weight, and boosts your mood. That's truly not the case and here's why. You So now you know why strength training which are inexpensive or free. Take the All good things! However, too much cardio can use cardio to lose weight, but you can is important. So where do you begin? This time to invest in your health and be - can lead to repetitive injuries; and over time, also lose beneficial muscle if you are cutting leads me to a fourth reason that people tell come educated about strength training. as your body adapts, you actually burn less your calories AND only using cardio and me they don't lift weights. They have no Your body will thank you and you will calories per minute. This can put a real your main mode of exercise. Strength train - idea what they're doing or where to begin! I reap the benefits of long term health. It's damper on weight loss or weight mainte - ing will help you to preserve your muscle call this the intimidation factor. There is so time to get to work!! nance. Proper strength training can actually mass, and as you burn off fat, those muscles help you improve your performance at your will show! The fix: Use cardio and strength chosen sport. Do you think a runner can ben - training together to lose fat and maintain efit from increasing their leg strength by muscle mass. Don't use the scale as your adding a lower body strength routine to their only marker of success. Take measurements exercise regimen? Of course! The fix: Cut so you can see that sometimes you get
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28 THE STURBRIDGE TIMES MAGAZINE THE CHRONICLE OF STURBRIDGE COUNTRY LIVING The fungi around us Continued from page26 Conks on trees are a very good indicator that wet wood ing mulch prior to the application of inorganic and rotting conditions are occurring in the tree’s center, mulch, in order to lessen the chance of reoccurrence. an indication of a potential hazard tree. As for mush - It is also theorized that bark mulches may reduce the rooms, well that is an article for another day but suffice to problem. If possible remove the mulch or place the say they are also an indicator of wet, rotting wood. Mush - mulch at least 30 feet away from any surrounding rooms near to trees could indicate a serious root rot prob - bright surfaces. Also Shotgun Fungus does not grow lem with your tree. on cedar, redwood, or cypress which is more rot re - Occasionally I get a call about tiny, "mysterious black sistant wood. Avoid mulches made of wood chips or specks" appearing on a home siding, a wooden deck, or ground up wood pallets. Stirring up the mulch regu - sometimes vehicles. The spots seem impossible to com - larly to keep it dry retards the growth of Shotgun pletely remove. Though the specks appear to resemble in - Fungus. sect feces, scale crawlers or possible air-borne pollutants, How can you tell it is fungus time? The best indi - they are actually mature spore masses expelled from fruit - cator is to look for a flower: “Indian Pipe” ing bodies of a fungus known as "shot gun" or "artillery" Monotropa Uniflora, rising from the forest floor. In - fungus. This fungus develops in organic mulches. It is usu - dian pipe is a flower that needs both fungi and rot - ally a greater problem in spring and fall, under cool, moist ting plant material to grow. It grows strait up from conditions under a temperature of 50 to 70 degrees. the ground to about 4-8” is white in color, with a This very small type of mushroom fungus is a cream or tulip shaped bowl on the end, as this flower matures orange-brown cup containing a black round mass of it turns black and the bowl structure turns to its side, spores which is very difficult to see. The mushroom fun - making the structure look like a thin clay “Indian gus opens up like a flower, and seeks out bright light Pipe” hence its name. Indian pipes grow on rotting sources to shoot the spores at. Spores can be "shot" as wood with fungi close to the soil layer, breaking down high as the second floor of a building (about 20 feet), and the wood cells. It can’t produce Chlorophyll, hence can spot downspouts, soffits, windows, cars, sun reflecting its white color. It takes its nutrients directly from the glass and other bright surfaces. According to some scien - soil fungus. Indian pipe is a common but unique tists, the fungus can generate up to 1/10,000 of a horse - plant, however don’t try to pick it as it will turn black power when expelling these spores. and die quickly. These spores are one to two millimeters in diameter, Take a moment this late summer and early fall and black, sticky, and globular in appearance. If you scrape the walk around your yards, observing these various fungi top of the black specks off with your finger nail you will at work in your yard, cleaning them up when appro - reveal a reddish or cream color. Removing them once they priate, enjoying and encouraging them every place have dried can be difficult, usually a hot water pressure else. washing in needed. If you have this problem, consider Tom Chamberland is the Tree Warden for the Town switching to inorganic mulch such as stone, pea gravel, of Sturbridge and a Certified Arborist. He enjoys caring etc. Or, a yearly addition of fresh mulch, so it completely for plants that grow in his yard and welcomes reader covers old mulch, which may lessen the problem, though suggestions for future articles. Email him at: tchamber - it still may reoccur. Consider a complete removal of exist - [email protected]
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THE CHRONICLE OF STURBRIDGE COUNTRY LIVING THE STURBRIDGE TIMES MAGAZINE 29 Why hConotinuned freomy pabge 1e9 es should matter to all of us “The pesticides that have been used in beehives to necessary to address the disappearance of the honeybee “The beauty of the seed is that out of one you can get treat for varroa mites are what we call ‘wax-soluble,’” and the deep challenges facing mankind. Both human millions,” she writes. “The beauty of the pollinator is that notes Hemenway. “This means they literally dissolve into and honeybee health has been eroded by poor nutrition it does the work of turning that one into a million. And the bees’ wax honeycombs. And not only do bees live on and an unnatural lifestyle. Perhaps the most significant that’s an economics of abundance of renewability, an this wax, but they store their honey in the wax comb cells, gift honeybees offer humanity at the dawning of the Age economics of mutuality that to me is the real economics and they raise the baby bees there. So when those pesti - of Aquarius is the ideal of the “group soul,” where the in - of growth…We must recognize, as its says in one of the cides dissolve into the wax, they affect everything the bees stinctual behaviors of each organism alchemize for the Upanishads, that everything is food; everything is some - do.” good of the whole. Without pollinators, no loss may be one else’s food, and the highest sacred duty is to provide Individuals can support bees by planting beneficial greater than the food supply of tomorrow. food in abundance and bounty and safety to all beings in herbs and wild flowers and eliminating the use of all pes - your sphere of influence. Not just your child, but all be - ticides. The Queen of the Sun website lists 10 things you Patricia Burke is a writer and meridian yoga teacher in ings in your sphere of influence.” (5) can do to help the bees, such as planting plenty of the Gloucester MA. This article is excerpted from the full length version available at www.theceresinitiatives.com. A new generation of green beekeepers is using holis - same type of bloom together as bees like volume of for - Patricia Burke is speaking on “EMF Overload” on Sun - tic approaches for pest control. Christy Hemenway of age, supplying a little water basin, and enjoying your lawn day, September 30, 10am at the Natural Living Expo in Gold Star Honeybees in Bath, Maine is a leading propo - full of clover and dandelions, a haven for honeybee. (6) Sturbridge, MA. Beekeeper Christy Hemenway of Gold nent of virgin wax production. There are many similarities between the corrections Star Honeybees will be providing ongoing demonstrations of natural beekeeping in top bar hives all weekend long at the expo. Visit www.NaturalExpo.org.
NOTES
1. www.ars.usda.gov/news/docs.htm?docid=15572
2. Hauk, Gunther, Toward Saving the Honey Bee, Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association, 2002.
3. http://articles.cnn.com/2010-06-30/world/bee.decline. mobile.phones_1_bee-populations-cell-phone-radiation- ofcom?_s=PM:WORLD
4. Atkins, David, “More Proof the System is Broken: Bee Colonies Are Collapsing Left and Right”, http://www.alternet.org/newsand views/article/762545/more_proof_the_system_is_broken%3A_ bee_colonies_are_collapsing_left_and_right/#paragraph4
5. Shiva, Dr. Vandana, “The Web of Being,” The Queen of the Sun, What Are the Bees Telling Us? Clairview Books, 2011. Documen tary film by the same name released 2011.
6. http://www.queenofthesun.com/get-involved/10-things-you- can-do-to-help-bees/
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30 THE STURBRIDGE TIMES MAGAZINE THE CHRONICLE OF STURBRIDGE COUNTRY LIVING Tom Chamberland’s September Sturbridge Trek
Continued from page 22 family. Think Like a Kid. Kids crave adventure. So when choosing a trail, adults need to think like kids. This means considering what hap - pens along the trail not just distance and des - tination. Choose trails that have a variety of experiences along the way not just at the end. Trails near water that move from meadow to forest or have big views are often popular. The Stafford Turnpike trail on Heins Farm, the Ar - butus park trail on Leadmine Mt, and the Westville Lake Community trail offer these op - portunities. Or how about visiting the Tan - tiusques area, on Leadmine Rd managed by the trustees of Reservations, http://www.thetrustees.org/places-to-visit/cen - tral-ma/tantiusques.html ,for a more histori - cal adventure hike Make Time to Wander. As much as they love adventure, kids also love to wander. While adults often hike for exercise, kids hike to explore. Expect to have your plans waylaid. Don't be disappointed if you don't get to the end of the trail. Instead, follow your child's lead and let him or her be the trail boss. The Cabin Loop trail on Heins Farm and the Old Growth trail on Leadmine Mt offer great op - © 2012 Photoo provided by Tom Chamberland portunities for kids to explore and experience Volunteers work on a section of the Gateway Trail. nature. Be Prepared. All good boy and girl scouts know this one. Proper shoes, water, snacks, band-aids and weather-appropriate clothing are necessities. If you're on unfamil - iar ground, take a map or GPS. Maps and brochures for Heins Farm and Leadmine Mt are available from the Conservation Office or online at www.town.sturbridge.ma.us . At the Corps of Engineer’s projects, trail maps are posted in their kiosks. File a trip report: Leave a note at home, in your home or in your car. Let someone know where you are headed and when you expect to return. Check the weather. Enjoying a hike, or a day volunteering, get - ting outdoors in the fall is a true New England pleasure. See you on the trail!
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