It was slightly hazy, but not totally overcast.

That is a full moon. And there are no street lights in the backyard.

There is a military bases nearby. And it seems that UFO’s tend to be sighted more frequently near Air Force Bases. By the way, one of the bases nearby is Hurlbert Field, home to more than a few US Military Special Operations groups. How do I know. Can’t tell you, as then, well, we’ll just leave that one alone.

This was taken close to midnight.

Help me figure this one out. If it is something truly terrestrial, and you can prove exactly what it is, then I will give you a midweek stay at The Bee and Thistle, plus dinner at The Chestnut Grill. If we don’t figure it out, then I will choose from the best and or funniest explanation a choice of dinner at The Chestnut Grill, or a massage at Daydreams.

Okay, having been in the Marines, and not having been involved in mayhem in over 25 years (?????) there obviously only one thing I can say.

“Is it going to be legal?” By the way, this is a very pertinent question considering our high school years. Thank God for statutes of limitations and such.

So Edgar aka Sid as in Viscous (again back to the day) tells me that Steve Zygmont,  pyro technician extroidinaire,  and one of the lead shooters for Atlas Pyrovision Productions wanted to know if I would like to go to a shoot.

“”I dunno, let me check my schedule”  Of course I want to. Just tell me when and where.

So, this past Sunday, I am heading out to Old Mountain Field in South Kingstown, Rhode Island to light up the night sky. I figured this would be a great story, and a chance to see what it takes to put on a show. Now this is a 25 minute show, and as I found out, the folks in South Kingstown loves their pyrotechnics.

Now, what does it take to shoot a show like this?  How about a lot of labor. As in there was twelve of us, and when I say we busted it, we did. To the tune of  fourteen hours. WE did break to eat, once, and we also, obviously broke for the show, but that was it. It all starts with the tubes coming off the trucks, getting set up,cleaned of all debris, and then the supports get attached. For the record, this shoot had close to ONE THOUSAND TWO HUNDRED mortar tubes ranging in size from two inch diameter to six inch diameter. You can have tubes of up to twelve inch diameters, but due to safety requirements, the largest we could shoot here was six inch. Just so you know, each rack of mortar tubes consists of between three and ten tubes per, and weigh on the average of eighty to ninety pounds each.

After the tubes are cleaned and secured, it’s time to work on the shots themselves. As you can see, there are lots of these. Each shot has to have the manual fuse removed, a “squib” ( electric solenoid) inserted, and staged for placement in it’s tube. Now the whole time we are staging the shots, Steve is planning the show, and although I see him writing something down once in a while, and referring to the bill of laden, I swear, the whole show is being planned in his head. Now once all the shots are primed, it’s time to drop them in the tubes. And then two elastics around each tube to secure the wire leads, to keep them from coming unattached. You don’t think about this, but as you will see, the launch is sheer violence. After all the shots are secured, then the wires are set into the firing module, and then back to the firing board. This is a lot of wires.

It is now about 3 o’clock, and we finally break to eat. Now me being the ever attentive person that I am, (re smart ass) I look over and see TEN more cases of fireworks, so of course I make mention of this, something like ” count much?” This is when I learn about “cakes”  What a cake is is a box of small diameter tubes (think of the fireworks you can buy in a store) that are fired in sequence. Each “cake” has between 40 and 100 tubes in it. So now we are up to approximately TWO THOUSAND shots.

Back to work, finishing up the wiring, final placement, and then, finally it’s showtime. And what a show. Twenty five minutes of air bursts, ground effects, white flowers, and patterns. And where was I? Literally less than 25 feet from the trailer that had a majority of the four, five and six inch tubes. I would say that there was around a thousand pounds of explosives in the tubes. Wicked cool. The point of this little story is not the show, but the hardworking crew behind it. Now you know what Steve,Sid, Bob, Dan and everyone else on these crews due to provide you with these shows. And yes, it is extremely dangerous, as many of you know, there was an accident at the Madison shoot. A five inch round had a bad fuse and went off in the tube. A good friend of Steve’s is in Yale New Haven Hospital with severe leg injuries. He will survive, but it will be a long road back.

So, with all this hard work, why do we do it? Yes we, as in me included, as I am hooked. We do it for the beuty of the displays. Yeah, the adrenaline rush involved with the possible dangers. But most of all, we do it for the all of you, so you can enjoy the this show on one of our greatest holidays. On Sunday, we made an estimated sixty thousand people go ooh, and ahhh. Life does not get any better than that.

And in case you miss it, Fireworks are far from done. Sailfest in New London has one of the largest shoots in the country going on Saturday. For me, I will be hanging in Guilford with a bunch of friends drinking summer libations and hanging with Steve and id again, as Atlas is doing the shoot. Damn, I love summer….

And the final word is: TOTALLY

Send all 5 words to me in the correct order for your chance to win one of two family four packs for Cirque Du Soleil” OVO”

edwinbartlett@hotmail.com

Now remember I told you I have really cool stuff to give away? Well here is how I am going to do it. First, the I need a name for this column.  best name gets dinner for two at The Bee and Thistle. Next I need your suggestions. And this is where I really give away the goods. Whenever I get that exceptionally cool place, I will open up my stash of swag, and let you pick something. And I always have massages, dinners, tickets and gift certificates available. And all you have to do is tell me where to go.

Most of us dread tax season, and feel “taxed” enough in the current economic climate. So, it is good to hear that there are a few areas where you might be able to reduce your tax consequences, either now or in the future. Check with your tax advisor to see if any of the below might apply to your situation:

1. Extended Home Buyer Tax Credit –

A. First Time Home Buyer Credit – Many are aware of the up to $8,000 tax credit available to first time home buyers. There are limitations, though, such as the home must be purchased after November 6, 2009 and before April 30, 2010, and the buyer must live in the home for 3 consecutive years after the purchase. The credit amount is based upon the price of the home and the buyer’s income, and is a terrific savings, if one qualifies.

B. Existing Home Buyer Tax Credit – What has been less discussed is the new Existing Home Buyer Tax Credit, which grants homeowners up to a $6,500 credit. Like the First Time Home Buyer Credit, there are limitations. Homeowners must have lived in the existing primary home for 5 consecutive years out of the last 8 years, and purchased another primary residence after November 6, 2009 and before April 30, 2010. Again, the buyer must live in the home for 3 consecutive years, and the credit amount is based upon the price of the home and the buyer’s income. While not as large a credit as the above, it is still substantial.

2. Home Loan Points - Generally speaking, one can deduct points paid for a new mortgage or home equity loan. There are some exceptions for refinancing, where amortization may apply instead. However, it merits review as a possible deduction.

3 .Student Loan Interest Deduction – While some time ago Congress eliminated interest on personal expenses as a deduction, the student loan deduction remains. There are limitations, such as income, and all of the interest may not be deductible. Still, it is worth considering.

4. Converting your IRA to a Roth IRA – As of 2010, there are no income limitations on converting traditional IRA’s into Roth IRA’s. Unlike traditional IRA’s, which grow tax deferred, Roth IRA’s grow tax free. While a Roth is subject to certain restrictions, it could provide tax-free retirement income. Converted amounts are subject to ordinary income tax, since they were invested on a pre-tax basis. For 2010 conversions, the taxpayer can spread the tax consequences over 2010, 2011 and 2012. While this option is not advisable for everyone, it should be investigated.

5. 401K’s and Company Matches – If your employer’s 401K plan offers a company match, then at a minimum contribute to the company’s match. Failure to do so will result in the loss of “free” money. All 401K contributions are made on a pre-tax basis, with the result that gross taxable income is reduced. Due to the reduction of gross taxable income, the subsequent tax owed is also reduced, and thus provides additional savings.

Just as everyone’s personal financial situation is unique, so too is proper tax planning. To insure that you are taking appropriate tax planning steps, please consult with your tax advisor.

Brenda Brinz VanDeWeghe, J.D.

President

BBV Consulting LLC, Hamden, CT

BrendaTalkingMoney@sbcglobal.net

If you really think about it, the only thing that prevents of us from being able to travel as often as we might like is the man made construct of time and money. TIME; that we are not able to take off from our jobs and our lives, and MONEY; that we have to spend instead on necessities like rent, food, car repairs, health insurance, electricity, etc. I don’t actually subscribe to the time/money paradigm in my personal belief system and yet it affects me.

I remember the last time I saw my friend Tracy in 1997. It was the day before I was to leave New Zealand after a 4 month trip. I wanted to move there and although I had been offered a job as a producer/writer at TV New Zealand in Wellington, I could not get immigration to grant me the work permit because TVNZ had failed to advertise the position to the local community first. Unconvinced there wasn’t a talented producer lurking about in their very own country, immigration stamped “DENIED” in bright red ink across my application. (I have since heard from Joyce Metz of Preferred Travel in Essex, CT www.chuz2cruz.com that NZ just started a resettlement program and it is now much easier to immigrate there. Incidentally, Joyce is a great travel agent. If you decide to book a trip with her please give her this code, CBD 0110.)

Tracy and I were walking alongside a tiny brook next to a paddock across the road from her house in Kaikoura (www.kaikoura.co.nz) which is a magnificent place located on a peninsula near the continental shelf. Sperm whales gather there year round for feeding, while pilot whales, orcas and other marine mammals visit regularly. You can go on whale watching tours and swim with wild dolphin and seals. I chose the later and must say it was a bit intimidating. These large, curious creatures like to swiftly approach you head on. And just as you are literally nose to nose, and think for sure they are going to ram right smack into me, they gracefully turned on a dime without touching you at all.

As we were walking and talking surrounded by tranquil scenery, we were lamenting my leave of this gentle, sane country which to this day remains so near and dear to my heart. Tracy and I did not know when and if we would be able to afford the time or money to see each other again. We pondered that this paradox, was the only thing keeping us apart. Certainly it wasn’t from lack of desire. We thought it was crazy! But apparently it wasn’t, because here it is 13 years later and I still haven’t made my way back to see my friend and my godchild, Finnegan, Tracy’s eldest son. This had not been my first trip to New Zealand and hopefully it would not be my last.

In 1993, I was working at Mystic Seaport (www.mysticseaport.org), a maritime museum in Mystic CT, in their Film and Video Archives/Media Resource Division. People often donated historical footage to the museum, and as the Media Specialist, I got to view it all. One day we received a collection from a woman named Electa Search Johnson. (That was really her name, I kid you not, but she was called Exy for short.) She had sailed around the world seven times with her husband Irving, before exploring the inland waterways and canals of Europe, the Mediterranean, Scandinavia, the Nile, and the Baltic. In total, they spent 43 years at sea from 1933-1976.

The Johnson’s understood how unique their endeavors were and had the foresight to document every voyage on 16mm film. They circumnavigated the globe at a time when maritime laws did not restrict where a vessel could go. Some of the islands were so remote that the inhabitants had never seen a white person before. As a result, they experienced cultures, customs and places that have long since vanished due to changes in technology, weather devastation, political turmoil, and increases in development. I felt privileged to have archived this amazing collection.

The Johnson’s told of real life bungee jumpers in the New Hebrides (now called Vanuatu) with vines wrapped around their bare ankles. These young men flew off 83 foot towers fabricated from sticks to signify their passage into manhood. On the equator where Darwin had once journeyed, they encountered friendly sea lions that had not been encroached upon enough to know to fear man. In Raiatea in French Polynesia, they watched in wide eyed wonder as native firewalkers braved glowing ambers barefoot. In Tonga they made the acquaintance of a 200-year old tortoise that was once fed by the hand of Captain Cook who had made the same passage a century before. On Pitcairn Island they raised the anchor from the HMS Bounty, where Fletcher Christian and his merry band of mutineers had sunk her Majesty’s naval war ship in an attempt to hide from the British Navy.

I never knew there were so many wondrous places on this earth until I saw this collection. My curiosity went wild. I could no longer contain my burning desire to travel. All my waking moments were suddenly consumed by one thought and one thought only: How was I going to do it? I did not make a lot of money working at a non-profit museum and I hadn’t been able to save any either. All I knew was this: I was only 30 years, and Mystic was not going to be my last stop!

I wanted to know more about life than what I had at my disposable in the confines of Connecticut. I wanted to know how people lived and worked in other parts of the world, what customs they practiced, what Gods they prayed to. I wanted to experience beauty. I wanted to explore and to be free. I wanted to answer to no one but myself. I wanted to go. I wanted see. I wanted to do, and I wanted to do it alone. The Johnson’s inspired me because they had done it. They made you believe that anyone could do it. In fact, they encouraged it. I thought: This is for me. This has got to be the way for me.

I had always been endlessly fascinated by the great explorers who braved the elements and gave up everything they knew in exchange for the unknown. What motivates people to do that? Was it purely adventure they sought? Or perhaps a desire to stretch and test themselves beyond what they believed their own limitations were, beyond the comfort and predictability of the place they called home. For me, it was a little of both.

One day, while I was working in the bowels of the basement of the Stillman Building, a dark musty space with only one window that I shred with my co-workers, I came across a very small classified advertisement while thumbing through a copy of WoodenBoat that read, “Looking for brave souls to sail around the world”. And I thought: That’s me!

This was the opportunity I was waiting for. I immediately rang the number listed in the ad. Hans, a doctor of some sort answered the phone. We talked for a while and came to an arrangement that I would go along as unpaid crew in exchange for room and board. And, with my newly purchased video camera, we agreed that I would give him a promotional video at the end of the voyage that he could use to solicit paying passengers which is how he was funding this trip around the world. Because I would need time away from my crewing duties to gather footage, I would not be subject to a 10 hour day like the rest of the crew. Instead, I would work an 8 hour day, using the remaining two hours for shooting. With this settled, I quit my job of three and a half years, sold what meager possessions I owned, put the sentimental stuff in storage, liquidated my bank account, purchased an obscene amount of Hi8 videotape, and said good-bye to all my friends and family. I boarded a plane for Whangarei, New Zealand to work on a 127 foot old cargo ship that had since been converted into a magnificent sailing vessel, or so I thought.

I am going to leave you all with that little cliffhanger until next month where my story will continue with my arrival in New Zealand, also known in the Maori language as “Aotearoa” The Land of the Long White Cloud.

THIS MONTH’S TRAVEL TIP: How to Survive the Airport and a Long Flight

I always get a bit nervous before flying, especially if I have connections to make, though I have only missed one in all the places I have journeyed and in all the flights I have taken. None-the-less, I am not the greatest traveler. I don’t like waiting in the airport, landing or taking off, turbulence, or being confined to a chair with little leg room as I tend to get claustrophobic, so I have invented little ways to make the whole waiting/flying experience more enjoyable.

When I first book my flight I consult www.seatguru.com where I can view the aircraft’s configuration and get the low down on which seats are good, which are bad, which ones don’t recline, which have more leg, etc. I also call exactly 24 hours ahead when the airlines will release the emergency exit seats because they have more leg room.

Whenever possible I fly out of Newark International because I can take Amtrak from Old Saybrook right into Newark Station. This saves me the parking fees at the airport and lots of stress by not having to sit in traffic on 95 worrying if I am going to miss my plane. Also, the flights out of Newark are frequently non-stop on Continental, and I like Continental as an airline in terms of on-time performance, comfort and service. (A lot of airlines are doing away with free food and movies, like American, where you now have to purchase these “luxuries” onboard.) Continental also has individual movie screens so you can watch whatever you’d like. That alone makes the trip go faster.

I board the train in Old Saybrook and get a friend to drop me off. That way I do not have to concern myself with leaving my car at the station for a lengthy period. I bring a brown bag lunch because the food on the train, if you can call it that, is absolutely hideous. I also purchase meaningless celebrity gossip magazines that I have affectingly nicknamed the “Rag Papers”, and small nips to make the ride go faster. Once I reach the stop for Amtrak station in Newark, a free monorail takes me right into the airport terminal.

Because most of the places I seem to go have flights scheduled around suppertime, I usually arrive at the airport much earlier because of the train schedule and sit outside as long as possible, drinking my store bought nips, enjoying the sun, and people watching. This helps to pass the time and save money on bar drinks. Once it gets close to boarding, I peruse the gift shops and book stores near the gate to occupy more time.

Once onboard, I pull out my book, earplugs, an inflatable neck pillow which really saves your neck and enables you to sleep with a limited recline, and yes, 2 sleeping pills. I never used to take them but I do now. Sleeping soundly really makes the trip go faster and then you wake up at your destination refreshed and ready for fun. I then stay up until my usual bedtime, completely avoiding jet lag!

Until next time, safe travels. Enjoy the journey.

Caryn B. Davis

Next Month: My sojourn to New Zealand continues with landfall on Norfolk Island.

Caryn B. Davis is a commercial, editorial, architectural, marine and portrait photographer, and a published writer, with a studio in Chester, CT. Her images and articles have appeared in over 60 leading national and international publications. She is a member of the American Society of Media Photographers and teaches photography to adults and children. As an avid world traveler, Caryn enthusiastically and artistically photographs people, places and things at home and abroad. For more information log onto www.cbdphotography.com and www.thedesiretojourney.com.

]]> http://www.shorelineoutandabout.com/demo/blog/2010/01/the-desire-to-journey-2/feed/ 0 http://www.shorelineoutandabout.com/demo/blog/2009/10/yale-new-haven-thanks-for-fixing-us-up-again/ http://www.shorelineoutandabout.com/demo/blog/2009/10/yale-new-haven-thanks-for-fixing-us-up-again/#comments Thu, 22 Oct 2009 01:45:55 +0000 Tracey Scheer http://www.shorelineoutandabout.com/demo/?p=2070 A few weeks ago, I was attempting to open an oyster with a serrated bread knife. I knew when I was doing it that it was the wrong tool for the job, but before I could talk any sense into myself, I cut my finger pretty deeply and started bleeding like mad. Thank goodness for [...]]]> A few weeks ago, I was attempting to open an oyster with a serrated bread knife. I knew when I was doing it that it was the wrong tool for the job, but before I could talk any sense into myself, I cut my finger pretty deeply and started bleeding like mad.

Thank goodness for the folks at the Yale-New Haven Shoreline Medical Center. A friend drove me over there and in ten minutes, a triage nurse was examining my wound and asking me how much pain I was in. A few minutes later, a physician assistant was deftly stitching my finger back together after washing it and numbing it with some lidocaine. 45 minutes after I was injured, I was on my way home, all fixed up.

Now, I know as well as anyone else that sometimes there is a long wait at the emergency room. Patients are taken in order of the seriousness of their problems, and having a cut finger is not always at the top of the triage heap. However, compared to some city emergency rooms, the Shoreline Center is fast, pleasant, clean, and a lot less creepy. I can remember one nocturnal visit to an ER in New Haven where I sat for over two hours with victims of stabbings, drug addicts screaming through withdrawal, and someone violently vomiting. Not a pretty experience.

The best part of our 24-hour local emergency room is that it is affiliated with a world-class hospital. The physicians who treat you there are Yale-New Haven Hospital docs. They have access to the best equipment, information, and specialists. If you need to be admitted, an ambulance or helicopter can whisk you off to the big hospital in New Haven.

And in New Haven, we are fortunate to have not only Yale-New Haven Hospital, but also one of the finest Children’s Hospitals in the country, Yale-New Haven Children’s Hospital. I have been there more times than I care to remember for my kids’ asthma, food allergy reactions and croup. More than once they have saved my child’s life, and this is no exaggeration. The physician who took charge one night when my daughter was having difficulty breathing looked like he barely graduated high school. But he was expert in ordering around a team in the trauma room and, after much effort by all of them, brought the pink back to her cheeks and a smile to her lips right there in the emergency room. Only a parent who has seen their child being worked on in the trauma room like that can truly appreciate the amazing work these pediatric emergency medicine specialists do.

This week, the Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale-New Haven opens. (I always wondered why they don’t call it an “Anti-Cancer Hospital.”) Thus, with tremendous effort and the contribution of many, another wonderful medical resource has opened its doors to the community in which we live. And should you or someone you care about be unlucky enough to be diagnosed with cancer, it will be there for you to benefit from. Let’s hope our leaders in Washington pass some kind of legislation soon to ensure that all members of our community have access to affordable and excellent medical care.

But, when it’s fall, you mind thinks of apples, pumpkins and pies. Lots of pies. Not only can you get all of this at Bishop’s, but many other gourmet items such as breads, meats, prepared dishes, cheese,and desserts are also available. And since it’s fall, Bishop’s make sure that it is not just another trip to any farm market. As has been the tradition, they have set up the giant hay bale maze, make your own scarecrow, and of course, the pumpkin patch.  For the next two weeks, Bishop’s will also have special Halloween events

The first will be a Haunted Halloween Storytelling hour featuring special guest reader, and local childrens book author Laura Vescovi. this event will be at 4Pm, and will run til 5PM. Just show up at the pumpkin patch in the Hay Pen.

Then, on October 28th, from 4PM til 5PM, the Halloween parade will be what’s going on. This is open to kids, and those adventurous adults to. Over $500 in prizes are to be had. From such great area merchants as The Purple Bear,Yolo Boutique, Comfort Keepers,Xtreme Fitness, and of course, Bishop’s Orchards. Snacks and goodies will be served to participants. And don’t forget to pick up the apple cider, and of course, an apple pie for dessert. Make it two pies. One for you, and a peach pie for the crew at Shorelineoutandabout.com. You can drop it off at 87 Whitfield Street, 2nd floor…….

Holy Mother of God! Is that swearing? I am trying hard not too. Well, not THAT hard but anyhow…I just got out the car from a three hour tour with the twerps and my lips are chapped from yelling. There isn’t enough wine in the world so maybe sharing my pain with you will be a good de-stresser. For me, not for you, sorry.

We have a large old suburban. LARGE but still stuffed full of kids and dog and noise. Oh, and gallons of homemade mushroom soup that miraculously defrosted in moments and hurled itself with abandon ( inspired by the children- no doubt) around the trunk.

At least there are restraints. How did our poor parents deal? How did all of us manage to reach adulthood when there weren’t even seat belt laws? How did our parents resist slowing down and hurling us out at rest-stops? Noise is noise but unrestrained bouncing and slapping and racing around the back of a station wagon must have been mind-boggling. No wonder everyone drank martinis at lunch.

Despite the fact that everyone is now buckled in they can still reach each other.

I spent three solid hours saying

“don’t pinch him.” “ Don’t slap her back.” “ Put that down.” “STOP that.” “no.” “no.”

“ maybe.” “Don’t pinch him.” “Put that back.” “no.” “Quit it.” “ Do not feed that to the dog.” “Spit it out” “ Stop it”.

Now say that fast and over and over and over and over. It’s like my own personal Tourette’s mantra.

Every so often my husband’s eyes would roll back into his head and I would lunge into the back and say,” look what you have done to your father. You are killing him. If he stops he may kill you so for the love of God, be quiet.” Everyone nods, says sorry then five minutes ( all right 50 seconds) it starts again. The gentle rustling followed be earth shattering screams,” he’s TOUCHING ME!” “ If your Father comes back there, HE”LL touch you!!”

Why do we choose to spend these lovely holiday weekends on the road? Millions of otherwise nice families engaged in combat traveling at 80 ( oh, I mean 55 ) down the coast? If I had just listened to Edwin and all the lovely things to do on the Ct Shoreline, none of this would have happened. The Brady’s never traveled ( except for that cool Hawaiian vacation ) and look how nice they were. Maybe if I had a live in slave like Alice I would be nicer. Too bad.

Well, I do feel a bit better. Thanks.

My financial advisor is a wonderful gentleman from Guilford named Tom Genera, whose business is Eagle Strategies Corporation. In conversation one day, he mentioned that he’d heard about a woman from Deep River who was sending homemade cookies to active military personnel and veterans abroad and at home. In typical Tom fashion, he said, “I’m not quite sure how she’s doing that.”

Since my curiosity is almost as big as my sweet tooth, I decided to find out. Following my nose led me to Debbie Schaefer, an unassuming mom from Deep River who came to the conclusion that fear can be a constructive motivator and that doing something – anything – is better than doing nothing. In fact, she tells her story this way:

I have two sons in the military. One of them was sent to Afghanistan. The other could be sent to Iraq. We’re small-town folk from Deep River, Connecticut. We don’t think about places like Afghanistan and Iraq. We think about places like Chester, Winthrop, and home. The shock of my son’s deployment was followed by fear, some anger, and a feeling of helplessness. But we small-town folk never forget our single biggest strength: the power to make choices. In this case, we had the choice to do nothing – or to make a difference in a very big, very scary world. So, we got busy.

We soon discovered we had more friends than we ever dreamed of. We learned there are lots of families like ours in our community. We learned that our community can grow every time you do a kind deed, every time you extend your hand to another, every time you need help and have the courage to ask for it.

The Connecticut Cookie Platoon is an extension of our growing community. It represents the work of a growing army of bakers, packers, shippers, helpers, sponsors, old friends, new friends every day, and more caring people than we ever thought we could meet. It humbles me to know that one idea could be so contagious. It makes me grateful to know that one choice could teach me so much about the world I thought I couldn’t change.

The Connecticut Cookie Platoon is changing the world one soldier, one caring volunteer, one cookie at a time. If you’d like to join our growing community, please send me an e-mail or call me. Every helping hand is welcome.

Once we got a whiff of what Debbie was cooking – and knowing she was right – we decided to do something. Since no one would eat anything I baked, we settled for the next best thing: we donated a website, which we will continue to host and maintain for as long as Debbie needs it. And considering Debbie’s determination to make the world a sweeter place, that could be a very long time.

Along the way, Debbie discovered (although, she’s too modest to admit it) that she has the ability to organize, motivate, and inspire people. With no budget, she’s marketed the Connecticut Cookie Platoon to volunteers, private contributors, and corporate donors. She’s put our troops first and herself last. And she’s made military people at the farthest reaches of the globe feel loved and at home, at least for a little while. The letters posted to her website attest to that.

If you don’t believe you have the power to change the world, contact Debbie through the website. She’ll soon have you convinced that power resides in the simplest of things, in the kindest of acts. She’ll soon have you understanding that you have more power than you can imagine, that differences are made one small gesture at a time, and that the sweetest things in the world can change it.

Is that possible? It is along the shoreline. We’re all about helping hands. That’s why Tom’s, Debbie’s, and mine came to be joined.

I’ll tell you what’s fun. Living in this area and having so many options of things to do and then never really doing them. This is usually the case with me, lots of interest, little motivation. maybe if I had slept through the night more than five times in the last 11 years this would be different. However, however, this past weekend was a veritable smorgasbord of stamina. Well, On Friday night and Saturday anyway. Sunday was a different story….

On Friday night I went to the Philip Pearlstein opening to have a drink with my Lymeline editor ( oh, and see the art). It was excellent motivation on my part and even the lugubrious I-95 traffic groping down Lyme Street was not a deterrent. By Friday evening I usually want to lie prone while having a Chardonnay IV hooked up but this was too good to miss.

The Lyme Art Academy is calling me. I paint and could really use a good honing of my basic drawing skills. They also call when they have someone like Mr. Pearlstein. He was so candid and honest about how and why he does what he does that I moved past years of grudges against pontificating art persons. ( Think Robert Hughes, who once rendered me comatose and furious concurrently with a condescending chat about himself and his considerable art connections).

After a lovely evening with a very good * bowl of salmon spread and very entertaining people ( Olwen Logan, Betty Cuningham, Phil and my eleven year old**) I was further inspired to explore the Lyme Congregational Rummage Sale the next morning, where many many unnecessary but desperately needed items were purchased. A bike, talking Pokemon head (not for much longer I assure you), a kerosene holder, half a walkie-talkie, some plastic horses, and a stable set. If you roll your eyes I will tell you everything I had to eat that day too so watch it.

Then I sent my brood off to the RC Prop Buster remote control plane show in Salem. (If you are going to comment that because I did not actually go this requires very little motivation on my part, please reference last week’s article involving the spontaneous location of six individual matching children’s shoes….)

This was a large hit as well. Are you seeing now why I am so impressed with myself? Not to plug my Monsieur Bartlett ( so to speak ), I will say that in large part this extraordinary initiative comes from reading here all the myriad things there are to do on the Shoreline. I am really impressed with the writers and ideas on SOA so far. How can I resist all these things to do? I can’t. Bring it on.

*really really good. still thinking about it.

** who wore a tutu and combat boots. She got more complements on being fabulous than I did- how is this fair??

Catch Jennifer Petty Mann’s weekly book review in Lymeline.com

By the way Jen, we think you are fabulous, but 11 year old’s in combat boots are hard to beat.

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