The Bonds Of Friendship

Make new friends, but keep the old; one is silver and the other gold.

This saying is one that many folks remember many years ago from their scouting days, and I am sure it is still used by scouts to this day. It is one that I repeated so many times during my own childhood years.

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Garden-Fresh, Grill Friendly, Great For Your Family

Summer in the North Country means farmers markets favorites including fresh fruits, vegetables, cheese and dairy products, as well as meat and even maple syrup.

“We’re very fortunate; we live in God’s country,” said David Martin, chef and co-owner of the Turtle Island Café in Willsboro. Martin likes to take advantage of all the local ingredients available to him living in the Adirondacks.

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The New Retirement

The Baby Boomer generation has never been one to stick to traditional ways of doing things. Throughout history they have exercised a healthy skepticism toward authority, questioned the establishment, and carved new paths for themselves. As the eldest of this game-changing generation approaches retirement, the trend continues.

Self-described “retirees” are some of the busiest people I know. Want proof? Just try and pin one down for lunch. Their calendars are filled with a healthy balance of leisure activities, volunteer efforts, family visits, and in growing frequency, some degree of work. In between tee times and tennis tournaments, more and more retirees are enjoying a scaled back version of their former full-time professional careers.
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Summer Favorites

Summer classics are great in the beginning of June, but like fireworks on the fourth, use these recipes to spark a new spin on your summer favorites.

• Vegetables
• Olive Oil
• Herbs

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mini artistry goes to the garden

Name: Jill Schoenfeld

Age: 44

Type of art: Photographer and designer of miniature gardens. Owner of Wee Garden.

Web site: www.weegarden.com, www.neighborhoodnest.com.

Hometown: A native of Chicago, Schoenfeld and her family now call Willsboro home.
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Learning to be...number one!

This past winter I was watching a football game with my husband and the TV camera panned across the stadium. A whole section of fans raised large foam fists with extended index fingers and shouted “We’re #1!”

That moment got me thinking about what it means to be number one. Regarding what? To whom? What are the criteria? I remember being #1 in a spelling bee when I was in the fourth or fifth grade. And I was the shortest (and heaviest) girl in my second grade class. I guess that counts as #1 (although it’s not on my resume).

Dear women readers, what does it mean to be number one? To put ourselves first on our “To Do” list. Do we make the top ten? Are we even on the list? Many of you are rolling your eyes now and thinking: Is she kidding? When is there time to think about me? To take care of me?
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Sizzling Summer Reads

Warm weather days bring afternoons spent lounging at the pool, sunning at the beach, or relaxing outside in a comfortable Adirondack chair with a glass of iced tea. There’s no better way to enjoy an afternoon then by passing the time with a good read. During the summer months, most of us are looking for books that are fun and light. “Books where you don’t’ have to carry a dictionary,” says Laura Pritchard, director of the Dannemora Free Library. At the library, Pritchard performs most a librarian’s duties including cataloging books and helping patrons who come in search of the perfect summer book.
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Always a mother

July 4th will always be about more than cookouts and fireworks for me. July 4th, 2000 was my son’s birthday and he would have been ten this year. I have entered a cruel phase of parenting when I am a parent to a child who is no longer alive. “A child who loses a parent is an orphan. A husband whose wife dies is a widow. But there is no word for a parent who loses a child. You will always be a parent.” It was a cliché that became significant when Max entered Hospice care.

After his death I returned to work as a pediatrician and was placed in the surreal position of comforting parents whose children died, while my own grief wound was still fresh. I would stand in my kitchen before work forgetting why I went to that room, feeling as if the floor just dropped away unexpectedly. My grief manifested physically as chest pain, dizziness and body aches and I found strength in anger for my day to day living. I felt very much alone.
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Live Longer. Be Healthier. Be Happier.

The Importance of Staying Active.

Staying active is not simply eating healthy and exercising, it also involves keeping your psyche active and a positive attitude. It is easier to stay active when you are younger, but it is essential to continue as you age.

Benefits include a better quality of life, a strong body and immune system, and it can even improve mental cognizance.

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Proud to be a tortoise!

Remember the Aesop’s fable “The Tortoise and the Hare?” It’s the story of a lightning-fast rabbit and a plod-along turtle that are seemingly mismatched in a race.

It was the tortoise, annoyed with the hare’s boastful assertions of being faster than the wind, that challenged the hare. To the surprise of everyone but the tortoise, (s)he wins.

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