Recuperation journey: Watching the birds


When I was really little my mother started watching the birds in our yard. She would enthusiastically tell me about her newfound interest, and of course I had no interest.

"I saw a tufted titmouse!" she'd exclaim, or something similar. She'd keep a written record of the dates she saw various feathered friends. I didn't understand the enjoyment of it all. 

My father bought her a good pair of binoculars and Roger Tory Peterson's Field Guide to the Birds of Eastern and Central North America to help her identify what she was watching.

Fast forward decades later. I find myself watching the birds outside my window.
The difference is I also enjoy trying to capture their photos, such as these I took in the spring:







Another observation: I've discovered there are other ladies "of a certain age" like me who also like to watch the birds.

Hmmm....  



Logan to host coffee hour at diner in Hamden


State Sen. George S. Logan, R-Ansonia, represents the 17th District. 

Learn about bees, wild plants, more at Massaro Farm in Woodbridge




WOODBRIDGE - Massaro Community Farm, 41 Ford Road, has announced the following schedule of summer activities:

Helping honey bees survive workshop

July 13
6-7:30 p.m.

Do you want to know more about how bees help in our overall food culture and how you can help them thrive? 

This workshop, presented by Bill Hesbach, author, teacher, and Master Beekeeper, will cover the origin of honey bees in North America and how they serve as a vital part of our food-chain and ecology. 
We will also cover some of the threats to honey bees and how each of us can help provide some forage and habitat for their survival. 

Wild plant and fungi foraging for the summer

July 22
10:30 a.m.-1 p.m. 

The summer months are a bounty of ripe berries, nectar-laden edible flowers, amazing edible plants along the seashore, and edible mushrooms can carpet the forest floor after warm, rainy days. 
Learn how to identify, sustainably harvest, and prepare the wild foods of summer, from beach plums to invasive wineberries, including some of the choice summer fungi like chanterelles and the myriad of pored Boletes

Join The 3 Foragers as they teach the edible plants and fungi of summer with their original photos and recipe ideas featured in an educational slideshow, and finish with a walk outside to put some of those newly learned skills to the test.

Fermenting at the farm

Aug. 24
6-7:30 p.m.
Come and learn healthy ways to store and use up your abundance of local veggies from the farm!
Expert fermenter, Sara Servin, will be taking a sample of veggies from the farm and teaching attendees how to preserve them using salt and yeast fermentation methods. 
Learn all about how you can preserve your fresh food to use later in the year, and at the same time, improve your health by creating natural probiotic cultures that encourage digestive health. 
There is a suggested donation of $10/person and each individual will bring home something to ferment from the class.

2017 Massaro's Dinner on the Farm
Massaro Community Farm will host its Annual Dinner on the Farm from 4:30-9 p.m. Sept. 3
This celebration features an all-inclusive, all-local meal prepared by award winning Chef Denise Appel, incorporating meat, cheese, breads, brews, and, of course, farm vegetables. Guests dine amid the fields and flowers of historic Massaro Farm, a former family dairy farm. 

Admittance includes a farm tour with Farmer Steve Munno, open bar, hors d'ouevres interactive exhibits, and silent auction. Proceeds support the farm's commitment to farm-based education and the thousands of pounds of produce we donate each season to those in need. $150 per person.  
We look forward to seeing you at the farm! buy tickets HERE.


This is a press release from Massaro Farm.

Ansonia posts holiday trash, recycle schedule


Sharing from City of Ansonia Facebook page:

"Trash and Recycle schedule for this week: Monday, regular schedule. 
"From Tuesday on, pick up will be delayed by one day due to the 4th of July holiday on Tuesday."

Cookbook Book Club to talk BBQ at Derby Public Library

DERBY - The Derby Public Library’s Cookbook Book Club meets on the first Monday of every month.  
A different theme is picked for each month. 

Participants select a cookbook from the Library’s large collection to peruse and choose an enticing recipe.  

They then select one recipe to make and bring to the meeting for all to share.  
After eating, the group rates the recipes and reviews the cookbooks.  
The theme for August is Anything BBQ.  
If you love browsing through cookbooks and trying new recipes, then this is the club for you! 

The Library will provide beverages and all paper products and utensils.  
Registration is required. For information, stop by the Library, 313 Elizabeth St., call 203-736-1482, or visit www.derbypubliclibrary.org.      


This is a press release from Cathy Williams, Director, Derby Public Library.