By Tonie Ann White
Back when I was a child, Mom’s Reader’s Di-gest magazines had a section called: “My Most Unforgettable Charac-ter.” My most unfor-gettable character has to be my mom. She was a capable per-son, whether calculat-ing custom draperies from rich fabrics at Forbes and Wallace in Springfield, man-aging Fabric Fair in Agawam, or super-vising a crew of teen-age girls at Lorenzo Lambson’s Tobacco Farm in Southwick. She was equally comfort-able selling her fresh-picked asparagus to the locals as she was giving her talk on the Twelve Days of Christmas on the Kitty Broman TV Show. She was her confident, pleasant self no matter what she was doing, who she was with, or where she was. She had a warm smile and a happy laugh. She listened well with a compas-sionate heart. She worked hard, serving even the most ungrateful and difficult of relatives. At the end of the day, she sat and knit baby blankets and sweaters for missions, afghans for the Sol-dier’s Home, and preemie hats for an area hospi-tal. Her amazing energy was focused on meet-ing the needs of others.
Mom had trademark expressions and some of them still ring in my ears. Some even come out of my mouth. When she saw graffiti she would chirp, “Fools’ names and fools’ faces al-ways appear in public places.” When my outfit didn’t look quite right, as I was heading off to school, her words of assurance were: “Nobody will know on a galloping horse.” “A galloping horse, Mom? At school?” If we started to eat our meal before everyone was seated at the table, she would quip, “We’re waiting, like one pig for an-other.” If I laughed at something she didn’t think was funny, her response was, ‘’T’aint funny Mc-Gee,” a quote from the Fibber McGee & Molly radio show. She had other quotes. “I would rath-er be pleasantly surprised than bitterly disap-pointed.” “It’s not that I don’t trust people, it’s that people can’t be trusted.” Her good words for inspiring and motivating creativity were, “Boredom is an insult to your intelligence.”
It’s winter, so I am feeding the birds and recalling how Mom loved birds and kept her feeders full of seed with fresh suet hanging nearby. She knew the names of every bird that stopped by her feeder. She even recognized the birds who were not from our area and she would point them out. “That bird came in from the mid-west on last week’s storm. He’ll be gone back home in a few days.” Like most bird-feed-ing people, Mom waged war with the squirrels. I can attribute some of my poor hearing to the day we were standing by the window, watch-ing a squirrel rapidly devour seed, when she suddenly blasted her air horn next to me. I don’t know about the squirrel, but I sure didn’t want to get near that feeder again.
Mom valued all birds, dead as well as alive. One day, I found a dead Ruby-throated Hum-mingbird outside her picture window where it probably broke its neck. She placed it in a clear clamshell plastic container, the kind in which you bring home a sandwich or donut. That lit-tle bird went with me to church the following day for a show and tell at our Vacation Bible School. Years later, it was still in that plastic box sit-ting on the end table by Mom’s couch. He was King Tut of the Hummingbird world. Unlike most women, she didn’t mind picking up dead things. She appre-ciated and admired God’s creation. So, one day, when she found a dead Starling, she reached down and picked it up to show me its surpris-ing beauty. She rotated it so that I could see the sunlight shimmering off the little heart-shaped designs in the feathers as well as the deep blues and purples and greens that I never would have seen when they were out feeding in the yard or flying by.
You might think that anybody who could handle a dead bird without gloves would not have a problem with dirty money. On one visit to the farm, I found her ironing money. When asked what she was doing, she explained that these bills were “dirty and smelled.” So, being a practical-minded good citizen, she just washed them and now she was ironing them. Most peo-ple would have just “spent it” on its way. “Mon-ey laundering” took on a whole new meaning.
At one time Mom worked with our vet, Dr. Boardman. He had the sad job of “putting to sleep” unwanted animals. Pudgy, an old, heavy-set Beagle, had been surrendered in tears by his very elderly owner who could no longer care for him. Every week, Pudgy would be taken out of his cage to be “put down.” Every week he would be put back in his cage because nobody had the heart to end his life. Finally, Mom’s tender heart moved her to bring Pudgy home where he hap-pily finished out his days at Caltonie Acres, our farm in Southwick.
Mom loved to read and write and was a life-time student. She loved her encyclopedias, her books, and the town library. I didn’t know any other moms who had 3x5 cards spread across their dining room table with books and notes for a research project just for fun. My brother and I would be groaning about having to write our high school term papers. Here she would be happily writing one for the sheer joy of learning! That was admirable, like so many of her unique qualities.
My most unforgettable birthday cake was the usual angel food cake with a spectacular twist. She walked it out of the kitchen and into the dining room with sparklers lit, fizzing, and shooting in all directions!
Both my kids were little and their eyes were big as saucers. When the fireworks ended, Mom discovered that the sparklers had left burned holes in her beautiful crystal cake plate. She sure kept life interesting.
When Mom, known to others as Skippy, lived her last 13 months at assisted living near me, she was 94. She was still rising early, show-ering, dressing, and off to breakfast. One day she told me that she was tired of picking up people’s dropped Kleenex, cutting up their food, rebuttoning their lopsided buttons, straighten-ing their collars, cutting their fingernails, and sitting with them when they felt lost and afraid. I assured her that she didn’t have to do ANY of those things. The morning that I found her passed away by her bed, two of the nurses told me, “Skippy never thought of herself as a resi-dent. She always saw herself as one of the staff.” She was capable and caring right to the end and undeniably unforgettable.
By Clifton (Jerry)
Noble, Sr.
By June 1955 construction on the West Spring-field tunnel and traffic circle ap-proach to North End Bridge were pretty much completed by the Berke-Moore Company. Also finished were the flood wall, ends of Park Avenue and Park Street south and north of West Spring-field town green, fence lines and granite bounds to mark edges of highway property.
My survey party personnel was Ernie Rapisarda, Jim Geagan and Vincenzo G. Penna. Things were so busy that we worked several Saturdays overtime at regular-rate pay. Occasionally department chief Frank Brown from Greenfield brought his party 40 miles south to join the fun.
We had started making final measurements on new ramps that were open to traffic. With survey needs less at the tunnel site I began work at the next Route 5 interchange south at Memori-al Avenue where Dean Amidon was resident en-gineer. Here the new, divided highway of Route 5 was far enough from the end of Memorial Bridge so that two overpasses, instead of a tun-nel, sufficed to carry the big traffic circle. Again I was responsible for location and elevations for the bridges. A retaining wall was needed and, of course, the usual ramps.
Reconstruction of Agawam Avenue and a new underpass replaced the access road to Bon-di’s Island Sewage Plant destroyed by the Route 5 relocation. All fill material came from the big Damato borrow pit south of Cooper Street in Agawam.
Beyond South End Bridge and Springfield Route 5 was projected to run near the railroad through Longmeadow lowlands to the Connect-icut state line.
My mother “Hester” and I visited cousin Carl Emerson and wife Esther on Connecticut’s Avon Mountain in early January. There we met Doctor Alexis Maltzeff and his young wife. Before com-ing to America he had been lead tenor at the St Petersburg opera in Russia. Currently he taught singing in Hartford and directed the Stanley Choir in Westfield, I lost no time in asking if I might take lessons from him. We arranged to meet Thursday evenings before rehearsal on the top floor of Stanley Products home office build-ing on Arnold Street. He had me buy a dollar book of vocalizations by Concone and taught me to place my voice correctly for best quality. He gave me one of his published songs and his book on voice placement
I continued lessons from Emily Yerbury, con-nected with the Hayle studio in Springfield. She emphasized sounding vowels (which would be fine in Hawaii). I perceived that consonants needed stress if an audience were to understand words.
In January I got swim briefs from Corona-do Surf Shop in San Diego, California, fine for summer tanning. From Fred Mueller in Denver, Colorado, I got denim shirt with snaps instead of buttons $4.75, western style dress pants $8.35, a cowboy’s spinning rope $1.75, and books of Gene Autry songs for $1.00 each. Elsewhere I got sneakers $2.69, a civil engineering handbook $11.00, Roget’s Thesaurus $3.95, and from Sears a hand air pump $7.95, and an extension ladder $9.88.
Depending on theater and picture it cost between 25 and 90 cents to go to the movies. In May we got mother new eyeglasses for $36. When I worked for optometrist Jack Corcoran in 1942 in Fresno, California, wholesale cost for frame and lenses was about $10.
Rent for out post office box in Russell was $1.20 a year and in Westfield $6.00
My cousin, Lester Emerson, gladly worked two days a week on my new garage-house at $2.00 and hour. The year-end building total, in-cluding Lester’s $831 wages was $4,883.12.
After a hot July, rain poured on August 2. Stopping at Amidon’s field office to leave survey books I saw a car sunk to hubcaps in mud and said to my crew, “Let’s get out of here.”
Crossing the Route 20 concrete bridge in Russell I noticed that Blandford Brook water was nearly up to the deck. I heard that wash out had caused a train wreck between Russell and Woronoco. I parked safely in our new ga-rage across Herrick Road from our schoolhouse home. That evening I found water from steep Herrick Road running across the corner of our front yard. A curved stone deflected it back into the road.
Next morning the intersection with Car-rington Road was a ten foot chasm down to ledge extending shallower up Herrick Road. Our car was in the garage on the far side. There was little hope that mountainside Carrington Road to Russell would be passable.
It was HOT. I was out in Coronado briefs when the road superintendent, his helper, and two selectmen came walking south. The town’s road scraper had been left in the gravel pit at the top of “Shanty” hill across Bear Den Brook and they needed it. I had a pile of sand in front of the garage for mixing cement. They asked if they could have my sand to fill the shallow Herrick Road end of the chasm. Thus they got the scraper across, and I got my car back in the schoolyard.
Dotty and Paul Barnes came from their new house across the brook. Paul’s father, Clarence, lived in the former Clark-Duggan place opposite our schoolhouse. With his pickup truck we fol-lowed the scraper to throw big stones out of the road. When the north end of Carrington Road was opened Dotty and I rode on a plank placed across the low sides of the pickup body.
At Main Road I expected Clarence to turn around and go home, but instead he went two and a half miles farther in Huntington, and me in swim briefs!
Dorothy had her purse with money and asked if there was anything she could get me at the grocery store. I said, “A box of dry milk.”
Later I walked two miles to Russell and took pictures of the landslide at the town line and of Russell’s flooded Main Street. From there I was able to phone Supervisor Tattan and guess when I might be able to get back to work.
My biggest surprise of the year involved singing. The next recital planned by Marjery Fielding Hayles was to be based on the Wizard of Oz. Instead of being blacklisted for bowing out of the 1954 Court Square Theater show, I was given the part of Tin Man in which I would sing “If I Only Had a Heart” and Mrs. Hayle’s own composition starting “People Help Each Other When They’re Lost in the Wood.” I bought gray tights for $6, a long sleeve, gray turtleneck and ballet slippers that could be painted silver. Tin foil stapled to a collared and sleeveless buck-ram shirt looked well with a funnel cap and a gray foam rubber blade on an axe handle. Swim briefs made perfect underwear. Head got white grease paint and gray hair spray.
Audience filled the 800-seat auditorium of Springfield Technical High School. My cous-in Lester’s family brought mother. The trio of Scarecrow (Maurice Wilcox), Tin Man (me), and Lion (Art Smith) don’t show up until scene three. Then we were on stage with Dorothy (Mrs. Yer-bury’s daughter) till the end.
Mrs. Yerbury was supposed to play Wicked Witch of the West but substitution was needed because she got slightly injured by connecting her Buick with a Connecticut Company bus. However, she was in the audience to watch her daughter.
I was unaware of the audience beyond the footlights until the King of the Monkeys carried me across in front of the curtain. I remarked, “It’s lovely weather for flying.” People laughed.
Removing grease paint, hair spray, and get-ting back into street clothes made me last out of the dressing room. I found the Hayles to thank them. George kindly said, “We couldn’t have done it without you.
When Doctor Alexis Maltzeff sang at the St. Petersburg opera, Anatole Bourman was lead-ing male dancer. In America he had settled in Springfield at 441 White Street to teach ballet. Thus when Bourman came to see the Hayles’ re-cital of “The Wizard of Oz” he met Maltzeff who had come to see his student as Tin Man.
by Phil Pothier
There are just tracks now, filled with leaves,
in the woods, where if you didn’t know,
you couldn’t find a trace of what was years ago,
But no one grieves,
For they all use the new road nowadays.
It’s faster, and more fit for modern ways.
You can still use this, with a horse,
If you want, for hauling out your wood.
But most would find another method if they could.
I would, of course.
We haven’t any need for that today.
We’d sooner spend our extra time at play.
But it was different years ago,
‘Fore the flood of eighteen eighty-eight,
When blizzard snows, and rising water sealed it’s fate.
It had to go.
Before the new road came it was the way
To get from here to Southwick every day.
Once there were houses, if you look
By the side you’ll see the cellars there
Just piles of stones, no wall or chimney in the air.
I find no book
To tell us who they were. They have no name.
As to their fate, there’s no one left to blame.
This was the road, the old folks say,
Where the sheep were driven down the hill
And to the train, in springtime rain and autumn chill
And shipped away.
And so they made their living, year by year.
No sign is left of farm or farmer here.
I still walk here, and with my wife,
When we wish to get away from things,
Just being here, an air of peace and comfort brings.
Here there was life.
Now it is gone to where we cannot go
The past can never to the present flow
Looking Back
at 1955
~ Tin Man ~
May 2013
Flood August 2, 1955. Main St. Russell, looking East
The Most
Unforgettable
Character
I want to build confidence in you … the con-fidence to step out into the unknown.
When you type an address into your car’s navigation system, one of the options that may come up is “Route Overview.” When you click on that, it gives you all the details of the trip. There may be 15 instructions: “Travel 6 miles on the highway, get off at Exit 10, go 400 feet, turn left at the intersection.”
I like that – because your whole trip is clearly laid out for you. You know where you’re going, how long it’s going to take, and what to expect. Knowing all the details makes me comfortable. I can relax.
Well, did you know this? God has a “route overview” for your entire life. Before you were formed in your mother’s womb, He laid out the plan. He not only knows your final destination, He knows the best way to get you there. But, unlike the navigation system on your car, God doesn’t share the “route overview” with you. He leads you one step at a time.
The problem is: We want details. And God doesn’t give us details. We wouldn’t have any problem with taking that step of faith – starting that business, going back to school, moving to that new location – if we knew how long it was going to take, where all the money was coming from, and that all the right people were going to be there for us at the right time.
But here’s the key: God doesn’t give details. He’s not going to give you the entire “route over-view” for your whole life, because it would over-whelm you.
Instead, God says, “I’m just going to show you the next step. You’re just going to have to have faith and trust Me.” And, when you trust Him and take that step, He’ll show you the next step. Step by step, He’s getting you where you’re supposed to be.
The Bible says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” A “lamp” implies you have enough light to see the path right in front of you. He’s not giving you the light that shows the next fifty years of your life.
It’s more like the headlights of your car. When you’re driving at night with your lights on, you can only see about a hundred feet in front of you. But you don’t stop driving because you can’t see your destination, which is twenty-five miles ahead. You just keep going – you keep going in the light you have, seeing what’s right in front of you, knowing you’ll eventually arrive at your destination.
My question is: Will you move forward with the light you have? Will you trust God, and take the next step that God gives you? Because if you’re waiting for all the details, you’ll be wait-ing your whole life.
Life Lesson #1: Move forward with the light you have.
This is what Abraham did. God told him to leave the place where he was living and go to a land that He would show him. Abraham had to pack up his entire household, leave his extended family, and head out to a land that God was go-ing to give him as his inheritance.
The only problem was that God didn’t give him any details. The Bible says, “Abraham went out, not knowing where he was going.”
I can imagine Abraham telling his wife, Sar-ah, “Honey, I have great news. We’re going to move. God promised me He’s going to take us to a new land where we’re going to be blessed in a new way.”
I can hear Sarah saying, “That’s so exciting, Abe. I can’t wait. Where are we going?”
Abe answers, “I’m not sure. He didn’t tell me.”
She asks, “What should I wear? Will it be hot or cold?”
Abe answers, “I don’t know.”
At that point, reality sets in for Sarah. She says, “Well, Abe, how are we going to make a living? How are we going to feed our family? This seems like a mistake. Are you sure God told you this?”
Abraham said, “Honey, I’m not sure of a lot of things, but I’m sure of this: It’s time to pack our bags.”
The lesson is: Move forward with the light you have. Abraham understood this principle. He knew that just because you don’t have all the answers – just because you don’t have all the de-tails – and just because you’re nervous and un-comfortable – doesn’t mean you aren’t supposed to move forward.
The Bible says, “The steps of a good per-son are ordered by the Lord.” Another way to say that is: Don’t be anxious. Don’t be worried. Don’t be afraid. Your steps are organized, ar-ranged, and planned out carefully by God Him-self.
If you take that next step – not knowing all the details, but trusting that God knows what He’s doing – then each step of the way you will have God’s provision, you will have God’s pro-tection, and you will have God’s blessing.
Yes, it’s uncomfortable not knowing the de-tails. But with every step you take, you’ll be growing and getting stronger.
Life Lesson #2: Living your best life always involves risk.
The Bible tells us about the time when Jesus walked on the water. Man, I would have loved to see that! Jesus just came strolling across the stormy sea in the middle of the night. And imagine this! Peter got to walk on the water with Him. Why Peter? Because Peter was the only one who dared to get out of the boat.
I can imagine the other disciples saying, “Pe-ter, you better stay in here with us! The waves are big. The sea is deep. You could drown.” But when Jesus told him to come, Peter stepped out into the unknown and walked on the water.
You say: “Well, Jeff, you failed to mention that Peter sank.”
Yes, but he walked on the water more than you or I have!
Although what is familiar is comfortable, it can become a curse rather than a blessing. What’s familiar – what you’re used to, how you were raised, that job you’ve had for years – can keep you from becoming everything God knows you can become. Don’t let your comfort level de-termine your level of living. Get out of the boat and become who you were created to be!
Living your best life always involves risk. Peter climbing out of the boat was a risk. Abra-ham leaving home was a risk. You can’t play it safe your whole life and reach the fullness of your destiny.
You say, “Yeah, but what if …”
Friend, don’t let the “what-ifs” talk you out of it! “What if I fail? What if they say no? What if I don’t have the funds?” You’ll never know un-less you try. When you come to the end of your life, will you have more regrets about the risks you took … or the risks you didn’t take?
The point is: Move forward with the light you have. Living your best life is always going to involve some risk. Have the courage to step out into the unknown.
By Michael Dubilo
The month of May paves the way for garden preparation. So wel-come to the party and let us have some fun. I call it fun due to the fact outdoor activity benefits you. What a privilege it is to have fresh air space to create something useful, in this case tasty, savory, highly favored vegetables and herbs for seasoning and medicine. This party attitude is fueled by real-life thinking. Good for the brain. Consistent brain engagement keeps old age type of stuff at bay.
Now to the detailed plan. Survey the scene. To produce full, mature, tasty crops we need to start with enriched soil saturated with natural organic nutrients and security for our harvest. We tend to link security measures with everyday life, but not much attention is given to a vegeta-ble garden. However, the rabbits I encountered last summer, munching down my labor-filled crops transformed my mindset. My setback was a sign of a comeback. Experience is a profitable, reliable friend. Persevere among challenges. We are more than conquers.
Rabbits are remarkable creatures. They can run within an hour after birth. Their physical skill set is much like a gifted NFL player run-ning for a touchdown, amid opposing anatomi-cally powerful, determined men. Defensive foot-ball players are hungry guys, they want to eat you up. Paid with a contract that you and I can only dream of. Tackling the man with the ball inspires rewards and cheers. Rabbits can move laterally back and forth, weaving through dense grass like no human. And escape they do, with touchdown experience. The breed is extremely quiet with top-notch hearing and the power to perceive odors or scents utilizing sensitive or-gans in the nose.
When they find a suitable mate, they exercise by hoping over one another repeatedly. That is how a male attracts a female. If the lady rabbit is receptive, she joins in jumping. Vertical jumps reach twenty inches in a single bound.
Given this power of knowledge, a steel bar panel two feet high, vertical bars placed at one-inch intervals, was constructed around the gar-den. I needed Fourteen panels to form a defense. It will be put to the test this season. I am hope-fully confident the rabbits will travel onward to other locations.
Looking out my garden window, I see a me-nagerie of an oak tree trunk positioned in a hori-zontal lean. Its purpose was to provide a support system for some unique activity. Ropes were tied to the trunk to set the stage for five swing sets ready in waiting. Seated comfortably were five rabbits dressed in colorful outfits smiling with their elongated ears flapping in the wind. They were captured in a picture on April 1.
No this was not an April Fools joke. A vision of creative imagination foretelling future events was the reality. I quickly discerned: that these cottontails were happy to see me preparing the environment for growth. “Their Food” for the summer can be entering their “Bugs Bunny” minds. Without a vision, May’s garden will per-ish. Not going to happen. Homegrown vegeta-bles are grown for human consumption. Faith in application.
Throughout the year I save most vegeta-ble scrapes, along with egg shells and coffee grounds mixing them in soil. Organic remains encourage topsoil with a shot of vitamins, trans-forming it into useful plant fertilizer. Calcium for the soil is provided by ground-up egg shells. Veggie scraps and used coffee grounds are food delights for healthy worms. Earthworms provide supercharged excrement generating growth in the plant kingdom. This is the gold-en key to the secrets of nature. Natural labor with huge payoffs. In addition, wood ash from my Soap Stone wood burning stove is mixed in the soil to ensure adequate PH levels. Ash from hardwoods is best. I use an old-time pitchfork to open the winterized garden bed, allowing fresh air to dive in. Joy fills my heart when I observe mature and red, baby worms jumping around when pitched forked about. The next step, wait for warm temperatures to cozy in. The ground must be warm, facilitating plant root extensions. Similar to like-minded and spirit-filled friends, working together toward high-end outcomes.
A long, long time ago, the Lord God planted a garden with a sparkling river in the middle to water crops and every tree that is pleasant to the sight. Imagine the safe, productive opportu-nities that a fresh environment would offer. A garden providing all your needs, every day. Just take on a diligent steward mentality for what is given to you. Invest for gain.
May is an opportune time to cut or order fire-wood for the coming winter. This way the wood has time to season and prices are the best in spring. I can envision a path in my future when firewood may be delivered by something other than truck power. The image occurred when I saw a news video of four newborn Clydesdales on a farm in Boonville, MO. Standing at about three feet tall and weighing roughly 150 pounds, these baby horses have some more growing to do before they can officially join the World-Fa-mous Budweiser team. Meet Sergeant, Razor, Barron, and Stinger. As soon as they can stand, gentle training begins. Consistency and bond-ing relationships are keys to obedience, willing attitudes, and top performance. To make the traveling team (or hitch), the horses must be at least four years old, about six feet tall, and weigh around 2,000 pounds. They’ll eat up to 20 quarts of grain and 50 pounds of hay per day to grow.
The majestic horses first made their debut in 1933 to celebrate the repeal of prohibition. Nine-ty-one years of tradition. Our waterfront home location would welcome a delivery from these well-built horses. As an option to transporting beer, let’s say a food, water, and medicine de-livery that will be distributed to Americans in need. Acts of kindness and generosity would energize our communities. The “Good Samari-tan” character would eventually spread to indi-viduals who have the means to act accordingly. Picture in your mind, personal time with that certain Clydesdale, for as long as you desire. By the way, a trained maintenance person is avail-able, awaiting your request—vision of the power of love and sharing impacting our neighbor-hoods and nation. May’s outdoor party lasts all month, be involved you will be glad you did.
By Sage Fury, Southwick Agricultural Commis-sion
In 2022, Southwick was hit with drought dur-ing primetime growing seasons, as were many other towns, cities, and states. Crops rely on healthy fertile soil with the right moisture con-tent to yield a good harvest of heathy produce. In times of drought, there are options to get what you need to continue a good healthy crop, from irrigation techniques, types of crops used, expanding grazing areas and so on. Programs exist through the USDA to help build drought resilience and Federal programs that can aid partial losses for reduced use of land due to droughts of specific severity. Droughts are not always obvious however, the soil can appear nor-mal on the surface, but under the surface where the roots reach out could be too dry to feed our leafy plant friends.
But droughts may not be the worst of it. As one Southwick farmer says, Give me a drought any time. I can BRING IN water!”
In 2023, states up and down and all around felt mass flooding that felt almost endless as wave after wave came down upon us. Weather seemed to be either 90 degrees, or pouring rain! Perfect for weeds! Suddenly you get some clear skies followed by another surge of immediate flooding once again. Farmers feel this more than anyone, now facing oversaturated fields and loss of soil fertilizations, this can become a big financial loss. What’s even worse, due to these oversaturated fields, small rain fall can now drown, or wash away any attempts at adding new fertilizer, seed-ing, or plants with small root systems. Corn, for example, has a shallow root system and when the soil is saturated, it can easily blow over in the wind. Several Southwick farmers dealt with this in the 2023 season. This gets very expensive with a high risk of more losses as the water slowly works its way through the soil, before the next rain falls.
A video taken by Southwick resident Diane Gale (viewable via the QR code) shares the dam-age the small storm on Saturday, October 7th 2023, had with one of the farms, with oversaturated soil.
Please keep in mind our farmers in town and when you need supplies, consider stopping there first for your produce - after all, fresh is best!
Step into
The Unknown
By Ann Garvey
May is Mental Health Aware-ness Month, a very important topic, especially after the pandemic and the list of mental health problems that have arisen such as depression and anxiety. But one that tends to be more mis-understood and stigmatized is Bipolar Disorder. Bipolar Disorder is a chemical imbalance in the brain that causes violent mood swings.
I witnessed the struggle firsthand as my fa-ther, Jack Kalpakian, suffered from Bipolar at a time when there was no diagnosis. He was subject to severe mood swings which impacted every part of his life and caused a rift between himself and others. The drug that eventually helped him was Lithium, but it was not ap-proved by the FDA until 1970 and he was not diagnosed until 1978. Before the medicine, the so-called treatment my father had to undergo was the inhumane act of shock therapy.
Even though he suffered unknowingly from illness, I thought his erratic behavior was due to his mother dying in the Armenian genocide. But through it all, Bipolar didn’t deter him because despised having no family support, he was a brilliant man. He was self-made and bought land to build the largest drugstore in Spring-field, Massachusetts, Pine Point Pharmacy. At the time there was no CVS or Walgreens, only my father’s store.
My mother who was also brilliant, knew 5 languages, but English was her weakest. Watch-ing TV helped her improve but her life was somewhat reminiscent of the movie E.T. She un-wittingly thought life was going to be better and it was the total opposite. There were good times as well, but you tend to remember the worst times.
Through it all, my mother stayed with him at the expense of her own health. She couldn’t just divorce him because she was a devoted Chris-tian and would not be able to live with herself if he took his own life. Suicide and substance abuse are common in those who suffer from this devastating illness!
My Father continued to struggle with the un-known disease until I was diagnosed in college in 1978. I became manic due to having severely impacted wisdom teeth which made it difficult for me to sleep and precipitated the mania. So through my being diagnosed, he was diagnosed and was finally given lithium to treat his symp-toms.
When I was diagnosed with Bipolar it was called manic depression. The hospital 45 years ago was like being in a spa. I learned tennis, ce-ramics, dance movement therapy, and could go outdoors while undergoing treatment but just 4 years ago when I was readmitted it was hell.
I knew I needed to be hospitalized, I was manic and that was not a good mental place to be. There were bars on the window, we were not allowed to go outdoors. I remember one time there was an orderly who just stood by while a patient knocked her head against the wall and when I mentioned it to my husband he just said “It’s always like this”.
I believe the woman was my roommate screaming and swearing at me, and slamming the door. I thought she was going to attack me so I ate and slept in the quiet room. Then there was another hospital that overmedicated me so much that I was in a coma for 3 days as was my father years ago during his treatment.
While mental illness is debilitating, I know that you can lead a healthy life if on the right medication, have a good psychiatrist up to date on the latest medication and your blood tests, and most important of all a strong support sys-tem.
I think back to my family in Boston where my mother and I lived for nearly a year while my parents were separated after the first manic episode I witnessed. One cousin in particular was a role model I needed considering the stress my mother was enduring.
My current support system is my husband and best friend, Donald Garvey. The majority of marriages end in divorce when either spouse is bipolar, but we’re hanging in there. We will have been married for 9 years this August 30. Our wedding was indeed a fantasy wedding. It took place at the Delaney House of which I have fond memories. My mother gave me a tennis bracelet complete with a limo ride, I had won the lottery a few months prior on my parents’ anniversary and had recently received a settlement for a car accident making it a truly unbelievable day. My family was reunited, my cousin from Paris came and my family on both sides were there.
In closing, the stigma of mental illness needs to be eradicated because people from all walks of life suffer through the debilitating diagnosis including writers, musicians, actors, artists, and dancers. As Dr. Phil says, there shouldn’t be such an emphasis on physical health alone but mental health as well. Like my father told me, you have to be strong! I am strong, I’m my father’s as well as my mother’s daughter.
Mental Health
Awareness Month
10-5
To include your event, please send information by the 20th of the prior month. We will print as many listings as space allows. Our usual publication date is prior to the 10th of the month. Email to: magazine@southwoods.info.
Stanley Park
Guided Tours
Stanley Park invites you to take a walking tour through the beautiful grounds of the Park. Your personal guide will show you the many inviting areas this picturesque Park has to offer.
You will learn some historical facts of Stanley Park as you stroll through the gardens. Unlock the secret of the Enchanted Oak. Take in the beauty of the newly restored Carillon Tower, which is a landmark of the Park. Travel through the Colonial-era Village while enjoying the scenic route around the ponds. Take a moment to stroll through the Veteran’s Memorial before crossing over to the Tea House in the Asian Garden. We hope you enjoy your tour!
Comfortable shoes are highly recommended for these tours. Tours meet in front of the Carillon Tower at 9:00am, ending at approximately 10:30 am. Tour Dates: May 18, June 1, August 17 and September 7. To make a Tour Reservation, please contact the Stanley Park’s Development Office at(413) 568-9312 ext. 108 or 112 or by email development@stanleypark.org
Southwick Community Episcopal Church
Tag & Bake Sale
Sat. June 15th, Huge Tag Sale at Southwick Community Episcopal Church, 660 College Hwy - 8:30 a.m.- 4:00 p.m.(Rain or Shine) Treasures Galore, ‘Priced to Go’, plus Fresh Baked Goods Table too! You don’t want to miss this awesome event! (no early birds please)
Southwick High School
50th Class Reunion
Calling all Southwick High School Class of 1974 Graduates! We will be having our 50th class reunion on June 8th, 2024! For location, price and other info or to RSVP please email to Ginnie at Ginbin696@gmail.com, Brad at Young29@comcast.net or Suzanne at doughy100@aol.com. We look forward to hearing from you!
American Legion Post 338
Spaghetti Dinner
The monthly American Legion Post 338 Spaghetti Dinner will be Wednesday May 15th, 2024 from 5 to 7pm. Veteran’s cost is $7 and Guests are $10. Funds raised will support the Southwick Animal Shelter. American Legion Post 338 is located at 46 Powder Mill Road, Southwick, MA.
Agawam Garden Club
Annual Plant Sale
Agawam garden club is planning its annual plant sale for Saturday, June 1st. This year’s event will be held at the Historical Thomas Smith House, 251 North West Street, Feeding Hills and will run from 9 AM til noon. The sale will include many perennials and shrubs all from members gardens and all a bargain. Because the plants are all grown locally in members gardens they are well acclimated to the area. Proceeds from the sale go towards funding the club’s scholarship and providing educational programs for the year. Please check the club’s website for further information. agawamgardenclub.com
Jam Session
Join us for Jam Sessions every Thursday from 6pm-9pm in the Southwick Meeting House located at 222 College Highway (formerly Christ Methodist Church). For more info please call Bob Fox at 413-579-4585. Open to all and any age. All fun and no pressure. Explore your talent or come to listen to some good music.
Stanley Park
Yoga Class
Yoga will be starting for the 2024 season on Thursday evenings beginning May 9th through August 22nd from 6:00PM to 7:00PM, on the Acre Lawn next to the Pavilion Annex. This class is for all levels of yoga practitioners, and all abilities are welcome. The poses are foundational, and modifications are always available. As a class we will harness the power of our breath in alignment with the movement of our bodies.
Children 10 and up are welcome accompanied by an adult. Please bring your own mat and any props as needed, wear comfortable and stretchy clothes. Prepare to strengthen, stretch your body, and open your minds. Bring lots of water (you might also want a small towel). Pre-registration is strongly encouraged. Donations to the Park are welcome, with a suggested donation of $5 per person per class. Registration forms are available on our website at www.stanleypark.org and will also be available at class. You may sign up on our website, by e-mailing us for the registration form at development@stanleypark.org, or register at the Park at your first class
Southwick Historical Society, Inc
Annual Meeting &Amasa Holcomb Presentation
All are invited to join us for the Historical Society’s Annual Meeting and following presentation on Amasa Holcomb on Thursday May 26th at Southwick Town Hall Auditorium, 454 College Highway, Southwick. The meeting will begin at 6:30pm, followed by Edward Faits’ presentation about Amasa Holcomb, Southwick’s Benjamin Franklin at 7:15pm. The public is welcome to join either event.
Southwick Rotary
Southwick Rotary Concert Series
Rotary President and Fund-raising Chair Bob Fox announced that the FREE summer concert series are scheduled on Wednesdays (6 to 9 pm) during the months of July and August at Whalley Park, Southwick. Eight live performances from well-known performers from Connecticut and Western Massachusetts will take the stage.
In addition to the great entertainment, Fox said, “Whalley Park is an awesome venue with 70 acres of farmland turned into a place where dreams come true. The park includes a pavilion, play scape, baseball fields, and bathroom facilities with plenty of parking. It is Southwick’s “Field of Dreams,” often displaying a beautiful sunset at the end of our concerts. Attendees may even catch a baseball game while enjoying the music and a beverage”.
The funds raised assist Rotary in bringing benefits for the community including educational programs, scholarships, environmental needs, food, and clean water donations. When there is a need, and with the generous support from our community, these plans come together.
Attendees are requested to bring lawn chairs for seating. Food trucks are being scheduled, and soft and alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase. Attendees are allowed to bring personal snacks and nonalcoholic drinks.
July 10 – Hipptown, Floyd Patterson’s fuses sounds with disco, soul, and Motown favorites.
July 17 – Brass Attack, best high-energy horn band with classics from Chicago Cheap Trick, KC and the Sunshine Band, to Bruce Springsteen, Steely Dan, and Bruno Mars.
July 24 – Cobblestone Road, modern, energetic nineties band bring the fire back to country music.
July 31 – General Gist, a high-energy rock and blues band.
August 7 – 91 South, classic rock, Stones, Doors, Billy Joel, Bon Jovi, and AC/DC.
August 14 – Wild Heart Tribute Band to Stevie Nicks and Fleetwood Mac, the music, the legacy, and more!
August 21 – Blue Devil Bluez, a blend of rhythm and blues, rock, originals, ballads, and boggie.
August 28 – King Saison, eclectic, jam, folk, country, jazz, and rock selections.
Rotary Southwick, are “People of Action” who share a passion for community service, and friendship working together as volunteers under the motto of “Service above Self.” For information on the Club, visit southwickrotary.org, Facebook, or contact President Bob Fox at 413 579 4585 or rfox52@comcast.net.
By Elaine Adele Aubrey
In case you didn’t hear there was a writ-er’s strike going on in Hollywood that was recently resolved. Maybe you’re thinking “So?” Well here’s an-other question. Have you ever seen so many reruns?
I’m specifically re-ferring to T.V. channels that specialize in old situation comedies. I surfed through the channels and found many shows that were on the air during the 1950’s up to and including the 1980’s. Yep re-runs that you and I hadn’t seen in years.
Some examples - TV Land for winning shows like “Mash”, “Bonanza”, and “Andy Grif-fin” - FETV (Family Entertainment) for “Barney Miller”, “Mannix”, and “Emergency”- ISP (In-spiration) for westerns and oldies - and Cozi for “Highway to Heaven”, “McMillan & Wife” and “McCloud”. These oldies are the kind of TV you could watch with your family. Now you have a chance to show your kids what the world was like when you were a kid, you know, the cars, the houses, the clothing styles, that kind of thing.
But back to my main topic – Dennis Weav-er. Now the first time I saw him was in “Gun-smoke” (1955). He played Chester Goode, Matt Dillon’s assistant with “a stiff-legged gait”. And after nine years in the show, he left because he was afraid he “would never play anything else.” He wanted to be “a leading man instead of a sec-ond banana.” Here my research got stuck in the 1960’s because this was the time my daughter and I got into organic gardening.
In the 1960’s organic thinking people didn’t have many club members. Most people couldn’t spell ecology. In grocery stores, organic food was considered a fad so “no room on the shelf”. With the Internet still to be invented, I somehow discovered that in his private life Den-nis Weaver was considered a “pioneer environ-mentalist” and a “proponent of alternative en-ergy and recycling.” He was against fossil fuels, and lived in a solar-powered home. He really did more that just eat organic food - he was a vegetarian, and a student of Yoga and Medita-tion. Quite a thinker for this time period.
I’m sure his interest in this field was an up-hill battle. I know a little of this because here I am with our little organic garden and I get the weird looks and the “What the heck is that?” Fortunately my family soon made nearby, won-derful, organic-thinking, new friends that were on Weaver’s level. Speaking of Weaver…
From the time he was a youngster he wanted to be an actor. Yet throughout his schooling he played sports – football, basketball and track. While he was still in college he was “chosen for the 1948 United States Olympic Tri-als, where he finished 6th in the decathlon. I’m a grandmother of a triathlete so believe me this is an impressive feat on his part. I can under-stand why acting wasn’t in view at this stage of his life.
Born in the Depression years, Weaver’s fam-ily did what everybody else did – they worked for the money week-to-week, if they had a job. But somehow Weaver’s education included col-lege. It was interrupted for a stint in the U.S. Navy as a fighter pilot but he later finished col-lege with a degree in Fine Arts and Theater.
He began act-ing on stage but it was hard times. He supported his family by “selling vacuum clean-ers, tricycles and women’s hosiery”. While struggling as an actor in Hol-lywood in 1955 he was earning $60 a week delivering flowers. Then he was offered $300 a week for a role in “Gunsmoke”. After nine years on the show he was earning $9,000 a week. He certainly knew how to “hang-in-there”.
Weaver married his childhood sweetheart Gerry Stowell in 1945 and later had three sons. Surprisingly music was “always a big part of the Weaver’s lives”. Dennis was also a singer and songwriter and he and his wife performed on stage with their sons as well. Today the boys are in show business.
Two performances of Weaver’s I remem-ber the most was a TV thriller in which Den-nis played a lone driver menaced by an ob-sessed “sinister petrol tanker driven by an un-seen force.” The other performance was his TV show “McCloud”. Here he played a “lawman from Taos, New Mexico, working in New York to learn the ways of policing in Manhattan”. Yes a stretch but I loved the Texan drawl, and the sometimes on horseback apprehending the vil-lain. With his cowboy hat, lasso and sheepskin jacket the plot worked for me. Gotta love a man in a uniform.
Weaver won an Emmy for his perfor-mance in Gunsmoke. He was also awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Tele-vision. But Weaver devoted his life to helping others and making the world a better place to live in. Although he is better known as an ac-tor he hoped to be remembered for his “tireless work in fostering sustainability of our planet.”
As to where is he now – he died February 24, 2006 at the age of 81 in Ridgway, Colorado and was cremated. His ashes were given to the family.
Dennis Weaver
By Peg Lis
On a chilly April day my grandmother, the teacher at my one-room schoolhouse, an-nounced that at my tender age of six, she was going to work with me and teach me the Gettys-burg address and at the Memorial Day services of our small farm community I would recite it from memory. I had never heard of this piece of history and was hardly prepared for the daunt-ing task once she reviewed it with me. She was a constant source of inspiration and the origi-nal “You can do it” grandmother/teacher. After many long hours of practicing and reciting I fi-nally accomplished my task. I could recite the Gettysburg Address without any prompting or handheld paper.
On the day of my debut, I donned my home-made frock made by my great-grandmother, had my pigtails braided, and was ready to face my fellow students and the community in gen-eral. I was feeling quite confident and prepared to wow them all with what I had accomplished.
Another part of my story was that my uncle who was in eighth grade at that same one-room schoolhouse along with his friends was in-structed to give me their full attention without any “Shennanagins” as she knew her youngest son and his accomplices.
.As I took the stage after all the proper prayers and pledge of allegiance I was (thanks to my wonderful grandmother) well prepared and thus began my debut.
As I progressed through my presentation it became very clear that not only my uncle and his friends but several people were clearly laughing or politely covering their mouth and snickering. I quickly finished and exited the stage into the waiting arms of my grandmother. As I lamented about everyone laughing and making fun of me she hugged me and said “Come dear, we must sit and discuss this.” After telling me that I had done a stellar job and had mastered an amazing task she then asked me if I knew that the letter “S” appeared over thirty times in that particular reading. I asked what that meant.
She lovingly explained that my two front teeth missing the context of the Gettysburg ad-dress took on a different tone as each “S” be-came “Th”. Being the wonderful teacher she was she said that often people were laughing with us and not at us and I would learn the differ-ence. On that day I realized what a wonderful grandmother and teacher I had and her lessons have followed me all through life. Her comment to me was “Remember dear, it is not always the context, more often it is the presentation.”
COUNTRY PEDDLER
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traprock driveways built & repaired. Gravel, loam, fill deliveries. Tractor services, equipment moved, York Rake. Bill Armstrong Trucking. 413-531-0498.
DELREO HOME IMPROVEMENT for all your exterior home improvement needs, ROOFING, SIDING, WINDOWS, DOORS, DECKS & GUTTERS extensive references, fully licensed & insured in MA & CT. Call Gary Delcamp 413-569-3733
RECORDS WANTED BY COLLECTOR - Rock & Roll, Country, Jazz of the 50’s and 60’s All speeds. Sorry - no classical, showtunes, polkas or pop. Fair prices paid. No quantity too small or too large. Gerry 860-668-5783 or G.Crane@cox.net
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Lakeside Property management - For all your landscaping needs. Mowing, new lawn installs, sod, mulch/stone installation, bush trimming, retaining walls, snow plowing/removal, etc. Serving Southwick, Suffield, Granby, Agawam, Westfield, Simsbury. Residential and commercial. Call Joe 413-885-8376. Give us a call and let us get that property looking the way you want it! Now accepting major credit cards.
Household Items for Sale LIKE NEW Black and Decker 5 GL Hot/Cold Water Cooler. Was $140 new. Selling for 65.00. Call 413-654-8260
LIKE NEW Haier Counter Top Thermal Electric Wine Cellar. Never Used. Was $219 new. Selling for 78.00. Call 413-654-8260
LIKE NEW 75lb T.K.O Punch/Kickboxing Bag Couldn’t hang. Was $275 new. Selling for 46.00. Includes MMA Gloves. Call 413-654-8260
St. Jude’s Novena - May the sacred heart of Jesus adored, glorified, loved and preserved throughout the world now, and forever. Sacred Heart of Jesus pray for us. St. Jude, Worker of Miracles pray for us. St. Jude, Helper of the Hopeless, pray for us. Say this prayer 9 times a day. By the 8th day your prayer will be answered. It has never been known to fail. Publication must be promised. Thank you St. Jude . - GR
