Columnists
Down the Decades
August 4, 2020 Edition
100 Years Ago - 1920
Saturday, Miss Julia Geib and Adam Metzger devoted their time to “putting over” the drive for the new St. Francis Hospital in Port Jervis. Their efforts resulted in raising, in this town, $286.35 for this most worthy cause. The total fund is $75,922.
Luis deHoyos ...read more
Garden Guru
Summertime
Summertime, it is hazy, hot and humid, and as a result no one wants to do much gardening. I can't say that I blame them, it is not much fun having to work in this heat. But if you are lucky enough to be on vacation or even just have a couple days off this weather can be really nice.
Now you ...read more
Retrospect
Wildfire
One of the propositions most often repeated in this column is that so much of our local history remains unknown one's body of knowledge much be constantly updated. One can literally learn something new every single day.
And that has happened once again.
Last week's column about former Major ...read more
Bethel Corner
Bethel - July 28
Happy birthday to Michael O'leary, Chris Bilick, Debra Rovi, Gloria Friehling, Monte, Marvin, Todd and Adam Herfield, Stacy Cohen, Shannon Suarez, and Ilana Herfield.
Happy anniversary to Maria and Guy Jollie, Cheryl and Jeffrey Cohen and Jaed and Josh Altman.
NYS and Mid Hudson are in ...read more
About Books
July 31, 2020
BREAK ‘EM UP by Zephyr Teachout (St. Martin's/All Points). I once actually voted for Zephyr Teachout because I liked her name when I saw it on the ballot. It was in a primary election where I didn't love the person who was certain to be the winner (of the general, too), so…it was the only vote I ...read more
Making Sense Out of Dollars
“A” is for Annuities
Part 1 of 8
An annuity is a contractually executed, relatively low-risk investment product, where the insured (usually, an individual) pays a life insurance company a lump-sum premium at the start of the contract. That money is to be paid back to the insured in fixed, incremental amounts, over ...read more
Kenoza Lake
Kenoza Lake - August 7
Morning bird chatter/songs have faded. Now the soft hum of crickets and other such insects. Soothing, until the first frost. A pair of wrens made their summer home on the front porch of the Otto household.
Their second batch of baby birds are chirping, and the parents are feverishly feeding ...read more
Hope for the Day
My guard dog
I have a guard dog. She's not a trained guard dog, and doesn't look like a guard dog. She's just a mid-sized mixed breed, a sweet old girl. Muffy wasn't even my dog to start with, but somewhere along the way she chose me to be her person and decided she needs to guard me at all times.
Muffy ...read more
Woodridge
Woodridge - January 17
Woodridge lost a treasure recently with the passing of Robert Longo, who was born in 1921 in Hazelton, Pennsylvania. He was one of ten children, part of a large and loving, but financially struggling family.
Upon graduation from high school in 1939 Bob decided to get a job to help with the ...read more
Youngsville
January 21
It's been awhile since I have written. The holidays arrived, we were busy and then the weeks somehow got away from me and one week turned into another and then another.
So here we are, into the New Year, 2014, and I am back. I hope everyone had a great holiday season and that the New Year ...read more
Smallwood
Smallwood-Mongaup Valley - July 31
One of the greatest joys of living in the country is how you attune yourself, gradually, to the changing sounds of the day and the night as the seasons progress. Earlier in the spring, out in the Smallwood Reserve by the Lybolt Stream, the tree frogs were at it in the long shadows of late ...read more
Jeffersonville
Jeffersonville - August 7
Morning bird chatter/songs have faded. Now the soft hum of crickets and other such insects. Soothing, until the first frost. A pair of wrens made their summer home on the front porch of the Otto household.
Their second batch of baby birds are chirping, and the parents are feverishly feeding ...read more
Lake Huntington
Lake Huntington - July 28
Hello, I am so sorry I did not have a column last week. I could give you lots of excuses, did not realize it was Sunday, and had nothing to write about, the dog ate my home work. The truth is I forgot, well I did remember at 2am when I got up to go to the bathroom.
I remember being in Paris and ...read more
White Sulphur Springs
White Sulphur Springs - July 10
Congratulations to Liberty Central High School Seniors, Class of 2020. Among those graduating, my grandson Chandler Fink.
The graduation ceremony was held 7 p.m. on Friday, June 26th at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts. Only graduating seniors, Board of Education members and some administrators ...read more
Monticello
Monticello - November 16
This will be my last column for the Democrat for Monticello.
Good Luck to the three new members who were installed at the Monticello Elks Club and they are: Kyle McNair, Deborah Walker and Rosemarie Paty.
The Roast Beef dinner that was recently held by the Monticello Kiwanians seemed to be ...read more
Narrowsburg
Narrowsburg - January 15
In one of my 2018 “Narrowsburg News” columns, I requested information on a house in the Luxton Lake section of town. I had just bought the circa 1860s farmhouse, which was abandoned for many decades, and was starting the process of renovating it. I had heard tales it was called “Sleepy Hollow” ...read more
Library Directors Corner
Slow and steady wins the race
Have you seen the chart listing how risky certain activities may be for contracting the Coronavirus? Visiting your local library is listed as “low-to-moderate risk”. Well, your favorite local libraries are reopening! We all miss you.
As much as we can't wait to see you, we are still being ...read more
Give Us Paws
A hairy matter
You're really lucky to be human: you get to choose what you wear. Longer days and warmer weather make us want to change our wardrobe and get the lighter, brighter attire ready to wear. Pets? They each get one coat, with underwear that sheds in bits and pieces, all over the place. And no fur-bearing ...read more
EMS Coordinator
EMS - May 11
The requirements to be a paramedic are intense. It is a career choice for the brave at heart and not without consequences. Paramedicine is the highest level of EMS training. A paramedic can perform advanced life support skills such as initiating an IV, administering medications and advanced ...read more
Looking Back: At Vietnam
Scramble the seawolves!
Prologue:
In the Viet Cong-infested Mekong Delta, where small SEAL teams were frequently outgunned and outnumbered, their discovery meant swift, deadly consequences— and a radio call would go out: “Scramble the Seawolves” --for the attack helicopter gunships of the US Navy. The whirr of ...read more
Highland
Highland - August 4
The Barryville Chamber of Commerce and local General Practice attorney Michael Frey have teamed up for another of the Chamber's Business Assets and Well-being Workshop Series.
The next workshop will feature Mr. Frey who has nearly 40 years of legal experience aiding with completing Living Will ...read more
Jewish Culture
Mourning and Consolation
As I'm writing this article on Wednesday, we are getting ready for a fast day which is called Tisha B'av. The fast day is a time of mourning for the destruction of the two Temples in Jerusalem and mourning for the Jewish People's suffering throughout the long exile.
By the time the article will ...read more
Liberty
Liberty - August 4
Hello Again: It's Fran. For those thinking of moving South....OMG, I'd have to be inside in the AC all day. At least we have been able to sit outside in the shade and get a little breeze. My birdbath has been a delight to watch. (real entertainment for old folks) A family of finches takes turns ...read more
The Job Coach
Why do you want to work here?
Why do you want to work here?
In a previous article, I talked about answering the question, “what is your greatest weakness?” As you may recall, this is a traditional interview question - a common question that you can anticipate getting at some point during an interview. And because you know ...read more
Veterans Voice
My personal experiences …
Vietnam ended for me during May 1969 when I was seriously wounded on “Hamburger Hill.” Hill 937 was located in the Ashau Valley, a stronghold and Headquarters for the North Vietnam Army, located along the Ho Chi Minh trail, by means of Cambodia and Laos zigzagging along the western border of ...read more
Greening Sullivan
Summing up
I am going to take a leave of absence from this weekly column. It has been a privilege to share ideas with you to solve a problem about which I care very deeply.
I know that we share a common concern that our Earth is losing its ability to support human life. I am puzzled that so many hesitate ...read more
