July/A ugust 2020 · Volume 16 · Number 4
Summer destinations Trail tale Transform stress Top walking tours
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FA L L R I V E R H S O M E R S E T H S W A N S E A H T I V E R T O N H W E S T P O R T H D A R T M O U T H
CONTENTS JULY/AUGUST 2020 in every issue
prime season
4
From the publisher
8
In brief by Elizabeth Morse Read
12
20
Tracking COVID-19 by Michael J. DeCicco
Boomer in a box by Elizabeth Morse Read
prime living
good times
10
6
Sizzling Summer Savings,
16
Transform your stress! by Dan Brulé
18
Saving society by Deborah Allard Dion
storewide!
24
A walking tour summer by Steven Froias
The other side of the city by Michael J. DeCicco
The toes knows by Paul Kandarian
16 · Number 4 July/A ugust 2020 · Volume
er Sustimnam tions de
Trail tale Sewing Machine sales/service Fabric Consignment & Sewing Classes
Top walking tours
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Transform stress
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On the cover: Don’t let social distancing
keep you from your favorite summertime destinations! Pay a visit to your favorite haunts and enjoy the fresh air. Begin by choosing your direction on East Beach courtesy of sign artist Steven Froias and the City of New Bedford. Photo by the artist (also a Coastal Mags contributing writer).
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FROM THE PUBLISHER
The South Coast is on the path to recovering from COVID-19 (or, at least, reaching that “new normal” we have been hearing about). While working towards recovering and recovering are two very separate things, that doesn’t mean that your summer social calendar has to be cancelled. Keeping distance from others can be tricky at the grocery store or pharmacy, but in the great outdoors, it becomes relatively simple. On page 6, Steven Froias suggests a series of walking tours you can take for a whole new perspective on the region. If ambling on isn’t your thing, then it’s important that you find ways to become in tune with your body and de-stress. Luckily, Dan Brulé has just the techniques starting on page 10. Whether you’re a beginner or a master, you’ll have something to learn. And finally, we welcome a new contributor, Deborah Allard Dion, who is making her Coastal Mags debut on page 16 with a look at how the Fall River Historical Society is facing the changes forced by COVID-19, how they’re adapting, and how you can help preserve history. Of course, there is still time for cookouts, long drives with the windows down, and basking in the sunlight. But remember to do so safely – always mindful of your health as well as the health of others. We’re starting to get the hang of beating back this pandemic, so let’s neither stop, nor let it stop us.
Ljiljana Vasiljevic Publisher and Editor-in-Chief
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July/August 2020 n Vol. 16 n No. 4 Published by
Coastal Communications Corp. Publisher and Editor-in-Chief
Ljiljana Vasiljevic Editor
Sebastian Clarkin Online editor
Paul Letendre Contributors
Dan Brule, Michael J. DeCicco, Deborah Allard Dion, Steven Froias, Paul Kandarian, and Elizabeth Morse Read South Coast Prime Times is published bi-monthly. Copyright ©2020 Coastal Communications Corp. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, by any means, without written permission from the Publisher. All information contained herein is believed to be reliable. Coastal Communications Corp. does not assume any financial responsibility for typographical errors in advertisements, but will reprint that portion of an advertisement in which the typographical error occurs.
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GOOD TIMES
A walking tour summer After months of Stay-At-Home guidance, we’re now entering a Safer-At-Home summer – which recognizes the need to get out, soak up some sunshine, and become a part of society again. Steven Froias
Businesses are slowly and carefully reopening – and you can probably start to patronize some of your favorite spots in a socially distant manner. A good excuse to get off the couch and away from Netflix is to follow one of the many self-guided walking tours created for your warm-weather enjoyment. Once out and about, you can check in curbside at your regular haunts, and perhaps do some shopping or even get yourself some take-away lunch or dinner! Following are a few tours to help you rediscover the South Coast during the most epic staycation you will likely ever take.
New Bedford Creative’s
public art New Bedford Creative has three self-guided walking tours, all dedicated to public art in the city. In fact, in the process of putting them together, it was discovered that over 50 works of art dot the landscape throughout the city. They range from sculptures to murals. New Bedford Creative states, “Reimagining urban spaces is second nature to New Bedford artists. Throughout the city, you’ll find public areas that have been either activated or redefined thanks to the creative impulses of artists in this authentic seaport destination on the South Coast.” Patricia Thomas, New Bedford Creative Consortium Public Art & Facilities Squad co-chair and Artistic Director of the playwriting group culture*park, says in a
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release announcing the tours, “With these designated Walking Tours, New Bedford is right alongside other great cities where artists, art and community matter! “Being able to visit works of art outside, and in person now, is an extra special gift. I hope folks will get out and walk to see the murals, statues, and other outside art that may have been hiding in plain sight.”
“I
hope folks will
get out and walk
to see the murals, statues, and other outside art that may have been hiding in plain sight The self-guided tours are available to residents and visitors alike as either downloadable PDFs or via a specially created Google map. You can find links to both on NewBedfordCreative.org. They are arranged into three distinct areas: The Seaport Cultural District – Downtown; The Seaport Cultural District – Waterfront; and Love The Ave in the North End, centered along Acushnet Avenue.
Trees of New Bedford – mapped! The group Out On A Limb, operating out of the James Arnold Mansion on County Street in New Bedford (also the home of
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the Wamsutta Club), has done something remarkable for the last year. Each month, they have selected a different species of tree found in the city, and commissioned a column that delves deep into its historical roots. Who planted the tree? What legendary person of New Bedford cared for the property where it stands? Why was a certain type of tree chosen for that spot? What does the tree and its surroundings reveal about the history of the city? Now those featured Trees of New Bedford have been assembled into their own self-guided map that brings you all over the city – from the South End to Haskell Public Gardens; to Oak Grove Cemetery to the Armory; and from the James Arnold Mansion itself to the Rotch Jones Duff House just a few blocks away – sporting a magnificent Copper Beech Tree to welcome you. The Trees of New Bedford tour can be found via NewBedfordNow.com. They have been arranged on a Google map, but very well may also be available as a downloadable PDF by the time this issue is published thanks to a partnership with New Bedford Creative. In this social distancing age, rest assured that it is safe to hug a tree!
New Bedford Preservation Society featured properties The subject of a The South Coast Prime Times article just a year ago, New Bedford Preservation Society walking tours have adapted to this moment. The group is offering their own selfguided tours with an eye on architecture and have launched a special “Spotlight” series of unique buildings on their Facebook page. Each week, a different property is explored virtually and you can then make your own pilgrimage to the place of
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Buzzards Bay Coalition Story Walks Perhaps one of the most inventive walking tours (and one appropriate for all ages but with special appeal to kids and grandkids) is the new series of StoryWalks by Where the Wild Things A re as featured the Buzzards Bay on the Buzzards Bay Coalition S tory Walks Coalition. Found in the secluded natural habitat along the StoryWalks is through their Facebook Acushnet River, StoryWalks unfold in page, found at Facebook.com/ P.J. Keating Woods, one of the newest SaveBuzzardsBay. properties in the growing Acushnet River No matter what walking tour you choose Reserve. to take this summer season, the imaginaIt’s 21 acres of woods, wetlands, and tions of artists, architects, and storytellers waterfront views with a trail that offers will help guide your path through these an interesting walk with excellent wild times – and lead you to where the opportunities for wildlife viewing. And wild things are within yourself! this summer, visitors will find stories along the way. S teven F roias is a freelance writer based Along the trail, the Coalition places in New Bedford and is a regular -contributor for pages from popular children’s books to The South Coast Insider and South Coast Prime read while walking. As this issue went to Times. He can be reached at press, the classic Where the Wild Things Are NewBedfordNow@gmail.com. by Maurice Sendak was the featured story. The best way to keep up with future
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PRIME SEASON
Tracking COVID-19 In early April, the Baker-Polito Administration announced the creation of a COVID-19 Community Tracing Collaborative to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in Massachusetts. Michael J. DeCicco
“This initiative is a collaboration between the administration and Partners In Health, and is the first of its kind in the nation,” the news release stated. “The initiative will focus on tracing the contacts of confirmed positive COVID-19 patients, and supporting individuals in quarantine, and builds on the efforts already underway from the Command Center to leverage public health college students to augment the contact tracing being done by local boards of health.” When individuals around the South Coast get a COVID-19 “Contact Tracing” telephone call, however, it’s nothing to fear but merely part of important rules to follow.
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So says Amanda Stone, Mattapoisett Public Health Nurse and lead for COVID19 Response and Mitigation for the Mattapoisett area. She, in fact, has been a “contract tracer” for 14 years as the town’s public health nurse, tracing contacts related to other communicable diseases such as the flu and other viruses. In addition to this role, she’s been a COVID tracer for the state since midMarch. “It is one aspect of the work I do,” she said. “Anyone in town who tests positive for COVID-19, I am notified of through the MAVEN (Massachusetts Virtual E Network), a secure online information system managed by the DPH (Department of Public Health).” That role has gotten more crucial within the past few months and weeks. On May
5, there were 22 confirmed positive cases in Mattapoisett. By May 11 that number had climbed to 24 cases. Her biggest concern over the demographic she covers is that the majority in Mattapoisett who have tested positive for COVID-19 are over the age of 50. “That’s an age that is vulnerable,” she said. The contacts themselves run the gamut from the very young to very old, she said. In the end, what she’s learned is that her community is “as vulnerable as any other community.”
First contact That’s where following the right contact tracing rules becomes important. She explained each positive COVID-19 case has had up to five contacts. Anyone who has been exposed to a COVD-positive person becomes a contact. Federal Centers for Disease Control rules include that contacts are encouraged to stay home and maintain social distance from others (at least six feet) until 14 days after their last exposure, in case they also become ill. To protect patient privacy, contacts are only informed that they may have been exposed to a patient with the infection. They are not told the identity of the patient who may have exposed them. “They should monitor themselves by checking their temperature twice daily and watching for cough or shortness of breath,” CDC guidelines state. “To the extent possible, public health staff should check in with contacts to make sure they are self-monitoring and have not developed symptoms. Contacts who develop symptoms should promptly isolate themselves and notify public health staff. They should be promptly evaluated for infection and for the need for medical care.” Stone telephones each contact to inform them they have been exposed. She asks what they need, who they’ve seen, who else they’ve had close contact with. Have
they traveled lately? Do they need any services? Do they need help with groceries or getting to medical appointments? “Then I get them the help they need,” she explained. “And I answer their questions and say they can call me anytime.” She said the task of COVID contact tracing takes up some part of every single day. “COVID doesn’t stop on the weekend.” How people react to a contract tracing telephone call or an actual COVID-19 infection depends on personal circumstances, she said. “Some have mild symptoms. Some have severe symptoms. You can’t generalize. Their questions include wanting to know about the impact after they recover. Will their antibodies make them immune? The answer, unfortunately, is unknown at this time.” She asks everyone she contacts to quarantine, but, “The caveat is it depends on that person’s circumstance,” she said. “Healthcare professionals know what to do already, for instance. But everybody has their own story. And it impacts people in different ways to varying degrees.” The Community Tracing Collaborative (CTC) website notes people will always know they are receiving an official COVID-19 related telephone call. The CTC calls will always have the prefix 833 and 857, and the caller I.D. will say it is from the MA COVID Team. Calls will be made daily only from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mattapoisett Nurse Amanda Stone will be calling from either 508-758-4118 or 508-989-3585; or MA COVID team at 833-638-1685 or 857-305-2728.
“To the extent possible, public health staff should check in with contacts to make sure they are selfmonitoring and have not developed symptoms.”
M ichael J. D e C icco has worked as a writer for over 30 years. He is also the author of two award-winning young adult novels, Kaurlin’s Disciples and The Kid Mobster. He lives with his wife Cynthia in New Bedford.
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PRIME LIVING
Transform your stress!
Dan Brulé
One of the advanced breath mastery skills we teach and practice is “sucking” tension and fatigue out of the muscles with the inhale and releasing it from the body with the exhale.
With practice, anyone can learn to use the inhale to pull energy from tense, tired muscles, and then vent it from the system with the exhale. If you are an athlete, fitness junkie, or a high performer, this is an extremely valuable skill to develop, and so it is well worth practicing. For example, when your legs get tired and sore while running, you can use the inhale to suck that tension and fatigue up from your leg muscles and release it with the exhale. To begin this practice right now, tense your left arm and
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simultaneously relax and loosen the right. Now inhale and imagine drawing energy from the tense left arm and sending it across and out the relaxed right arm with your exhale. Do this a few times, then reverse it. Relax and loosen your left arm while tensing
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and tightening the right. Now draw energy from the tense right arm up across and out the relaxed left arm. You can also get in the pushup position, twist to one side and hold yourself up with one arm. Relax the other arm, let it hang loosely and practice drawing the tension and fatigue up from the weight bearing arm and exhaling it out the relaxed arm. You can also focus on any other part of your body that begins to feel stressed, tense, or tired. Gather that energy up with your inhale and send it out your relaxed arm.
When we exhale, we are pressing the energy into our system rather than releasing out of the body
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Do this a few times, then lay on your back, puddle out, and meditate on your energy. Notice that you feel something like an energized calm. This skill helps us to relax and recharge on the go, and it quickly notches up our endurance levels. In general, you want to remember to relax any muscles that you don’t need to do the required work or maintain the stressed position. A good exercise for this is to tense and tighten both arms and fists as much as possible, while deliberately relaxing your jaw and neck and face, or any other place where there is unnecessary tension. You can also relax your arm and shoulder while making a very tight fist. When you move or swing your arm, your fist should feel like a ball on the end of a chain. A very powerful and dangerous weapon!
Master moves
THE THE THE KID FLAMINGOS CHANTELS MAJORS KYLE
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TE DA !
sound to help the process and make it more alive. Do this for a few minutes. Breathe into your tired muscles or tense body parts, and then with the exhale send this energy in toward yourself, toward your center, rather than venting it from the system. After
NE
Recently, we have been practicing an advanced upgrade to this kind of training. It is very useful when you need to relieve stress and tension and fatigue, but you can’t afford to drop into parasympathetic rest and
We
all have the ability to transform energy, to transform dark heavy energy into light life force energy
recover mode because you are engaged in an important activity. When you need to perform and remain charged and ready, relaxing completely or puddling out is not an option. So the skill is in how to transform tension and fatigue through breathing alone, rather than dissolving it through relaxation. Here’s the practice. Breathe (inhale) into the area of tension. And then with the exhale, send the energy toward yourself instead of releasing it out of your body. Press the energy deeper into your system with the exhale. It is similar to the practice of Iron Shirt Chi Kung, where you use the breath to pack chi into your fascia. It also touches on one of the principles of “de-reflexive breathing.” I like the analogy of a French coffee press. When we exhale, we are pressing the energy into our system rather than releasing out of the body. You can use the “ujayi” breath
some time, lay down on your back, puddle out, and meditate on your body and your energy. You will notice that the “heavy” tense energy is gone but the muscles and body are still charged, but with a “lighter” form of energy. We all have the ability to transform energy, to transform dark heavy energy (i.e. tension and fatigue) into light life force energy. We can transform pain and suffering into healing and growth. We can transform negative emotional energy into creative, life-giving energy. Good luck in your practice, and many blessings on your path!
Dan B rulé is a renowned pioneer in the field of Breathwork and one of the originators of “Breath Therapy.” For more techniques and information, read Just Breathe (available through Amazon), or visit breathmastery. com, where you can learn about group classes and individual coaching sessions.
XVIII: THE HITMAKERS
Saturday, 7:30PM
AUGUST 22 Prime ti meS S o u t h M a rch
/A pr i l
2 02 0 • Vol um
C o a s t
e 16 • Num ber
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Cal waterm s Living larg e Hunt for tr easure Season seasoninfogr s Stitched to gether Rooster’s call
In times like these, it is more important than ever to stay engaged, entertained, and up-to-date on our community. Remember that you can read this month’s issue, and every issue, for free online.
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PRIME SEASON
Boomer
in a box
Eliz abeth Morse Read
I’m a senior citizen who quite happily lives alone in a very small cottage near the ocean. My income is fixed, my needs are few, and I try to live sustainably and cheerfully. Sometimes I grow vegetables, but this year I’m working on expanding my bee-and-butterfly gardens. I’m vegan (although I will eat fish), I don’t own a cellphone, and I wear one of those nifty Life Alert pendants in case I get lost in my backyard.
No matter the weather, I spend my days moving at my own pace, hopping back and forth from cooking to writing articles to reading Nordic Noir mysteries to calling my friends to binge-watching CNN. I drive a 2006 Hyundai with 36,000 miles on it, and never leave my house in the early morning without a detailed shopping list. Then I come home and take a nap. So when the curtains suddenly dropped on “normal” life with the stay-at-home order, I didn’t see where it would really change my daily rhythms all that much, seeing as I already lived like a hermit. But a funny thing happened along the way…
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COVID-19: the all-purpose excuse Okay, I’ve gotten used to not being able to find toilet paper, hand sanitizer or Clorox wipes, but why can’t I find things like bulbs of garlic, pipe cleaners, or tofu? Who on earth is hoarding all the tofu? When I ask what the problem is, I’m told, “All the shipments are screwed up due to COVID-19.” So, instead of leaving my house to shop quickly at one store, I end up doing the bar-hopping version, going from one store to another, trying to find what I need. And, for someone who recycles religiously, I’m suddenly drowning in plastic bags and
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glasses from fogging up Wet both sides of your eyeglass lenses with warm water, then put a small dab of dishwashing liquid on your finger. Work up a little lather on all four sides of the lenses, then rinse thoroughly. Vigorously shake off the excess water – do not wipe dry with a towel – and let them air-dry. When you put on your mask, make sure that your eyeglasses are sitting on top of the fabric, even if it means pushing them closer to the tip of your nose than you normally wear them. Try not to mouth-breathe.
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can’t find anywhere to get rid of them. (Although I did find a use for those flimsy plastic produce bags – wrap your hand inside one when you have to use an ATM or P-O-P touchscreen.) Yes, I’ve resorted to purchasing more and more online, but invariably I get alerts that delivery will be indefinitely delayed “due to COVID-19.” (Why don’t they warn you of that before you hit the send button?) And why have so many of my masks and gloves orders gotten “lost in the mail”?
They say necessity is the mother of invention – I’ve created some interesting (though not successful) substitutes for hard-to-find items They say necessity is the mother of invention – I’ve created some interesting (though not successful nor recommended) substitutes for hard-to-find items. For instance, I read that you can mix aloe gel and 70% alcohol to make hand sanitizer. I couldn’t find either, so I bought some Banana Boat “after-sun lotion with aloe” and a bottle of 100-proof vodka. (100 is higher than 70, right?) I couldn’t find surgical gloves, so I bought cotton gardening gloves. Of course, I didn’t plan on them shrinking to half their size after going through the washer and dryer, so now I look like I have claws instead of fingers. (Try pulling out a credit card from your wallet gracefully while wearing those.)
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Continued from previous page And will someone please explain how, if the stores really care about the health and safety of us seniors, there’s only one cash register open? All those oldies-but-goodies with bad knees and weak bladders are fidgeting in a jammed-up conga line, blocking traffic. They’re already hyperventilating behind their masks and fogged-up glasses (see sidebar), trying not to get herded over to the self-checkout section.
Pan(dem)ic attacks My forays out of the house these days start with a suiting-up ritual worthy of a moonwalk. I have to wear a jacket over my zip-up hoodie, not because it’s cold outside, but because I need four pockets to carry my new arsenal. But sometimes I forget that these aren’t normal times, and I’ll suddenly look around madly in the parking lot, mumbling, “Where’s my pocketbook?”
Peanut butter bread Use only an all-natural peanut butter brand like Smucker’s (just peanuts and salt) instead of some gooped-up sugary brand like Skippy or Jif – your arteries will thank you. Creamy- or chunky-style peanut butter is up to you. You can add chocolate chips or M&Ms to the batter – just don’t put them on top. Preheat oven to 325. Grease a loaf pan with cooking spray. Whisk together: • 2 cups flour • ¼ cup sugar • 4 teaspoons baking powder • ½ teaspoon salt Stir in 1 1/3 cup milk (and chocolate chips, if wanted) until blended, then ½ cup + 1 Tablespoon peanut butter. Use a spatula to spread it evenly in the loaf pan and bake for about an hour until top is crispy-looking. Test with a knife – if it comes out wet or streaky, bake it for another ten minutes. If the knife comes out clean, tip the loaf onto a cookie rack and let it cool before slicing.
Senior shopping hours I appreciate that stores created special hours specifically for seniors, but something got lost in the planning. For instance, if the seniors-only shopping hours are 7 to 8:30, why doesn’t the pharmacy section open until 9? Or if the seniors-only shopping hours start at 5:30 a.m., didn’t anyone realize that many seniors can’t drive in the dark? And, as for those little arrows pasted to the floor telling me which direction I’m allowed to go – who are all those people coming at me from the wrong direction giving me the evil eye?
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My New Year’s resolution was to lose ten pounds. Thanks to the stay-athome order, I only have 26 pounds to go (And why do some people use the handicap parking spots to stow their empty carts?) Even scarier has been waking up in the morning, not having the foggiest idea what day it is or what I did the day before, or else rummaging through the random piles of half-finished projects and mystery purchases all over the house, wondering exactly what I was trying to fix, do, cook, or build. Ah, yes – the museum putty was to stabilize those framed pictures that always tilt sideways when I slam the door. Oh, right – the bag of lemons was to finally clean my 30-year-old Revere copper-bottom pans. The jug of white vinegar was for decalcifying my coffee maker. The badminton net will supposedly hold up the honeysuckles I planted. And the alcohol swabs and Q-tips were for finally cleaning my TV remote.
A nti-depression recipes My New Year’s resolution was to lose ten pounds. Thanks to the stay-at-home order, I only have 26 pounds to go. I’ve been cooking nonstop, leaving ready-to-eat casseroles for friends who, between working and/or home-schooling, don’t have much time to cook. But I’ve also been making casseroles for myself, rationalizing that it would go to waste if I didn’t finish it all in one day. I’ve even tried to recreate childhood comfort foods like finnan haddie (a few drops of Liquid Smoke does the trick), vegan BLTs with carrot bacon, and pot pies of leftover veggies and Beyond Meat crumbles topped with Bisquik. But the stay-at-home order was an excuse for me to, once again, try to learn how to bake. (Ask my kids – I cannot bake anything, even if it comes pre-mixed.) Anyhow, I somehow ended up watching a Canadian cooking show on YouTube – a Depression-
era recipe for peanut butter bread (see sidebar). Sounded pretty easy, but then I had one of my I Love Lucy moments – Oooo! Oooo! My best friend loves Reese’s peanut butter cups, so why not sprinkle chocolate chips on top of the dough? As a nonbaker, I envisioned the chips melting, coating the crust with a thin glaze of chocolate. Much to my surprise, they didn’t, but when I tipped the bread out of the loaf pan onto my bare hand, I discovered that the chocolate chips had turned into molten lava.
Hawthorn Medical Welcomes
A nti-social distancing and other oddities Times of stress often bring out the best in people, but sometimes they bring out their inherent weirdness. Like the woman who, when asked why she and her friends were not practicing social distancing, replied, “Well, six feet means different things to different people.” Our commander-in-chief is hawking Clorox cocktails, endoscopic light shows, and fish-tank chemicals, claiming he inherited his scientific genius from his Uncle John who taught at MIT during WWII. I’ve seen adults throwing foulmouthed tantrums (or shooting people) because they have to wear a mask in public. (I wonder if their children wear seatbelts or bike helmets.) Some people have burned down 5G cell phone towers because they’d read online that they spread the virus. California’s first case of Covid-19 was traced back to a nail salon, yet one of the first businesses the state of Georgia let reopen was nail salons. Other things that I’ve noticed lately – seniors don’t yap on their cell phones incessantly the way some people do. Nobody looks friendly in a mask. Most people I see badly need a haircut or a root touch-up. Gas is cheap, but there’s nowhere to go. I haven’t seen a school bus or a New York license plate in a long time. And try finding a notary public when you need one. I’ve also noticed that meat is in short supply and the cost of groceries has shot up. Long lines of upscale cars are lined up for food donations; meanwhile, farmers have had to euthanize hogs and chickens, destroy their crops and pour milk down the drain because they can’t get them to market. Wait a minute – wasn’t it just last year that I.C.E. was raiding meat-processing plants and herding up “removable aliens,” but now those removable (i.e., deportable) aliens are considered “essential workers” and have been forced to go back to work? Go figure.
Que sera, sera. I have vague memories of the polio epidemic when I was very young. I remember my grandmother showing me a photograph of her only brother, who had stayed behind in the old country, only to die of the Spanish flu. My mother survived a bout of “the sleeping sickness” (encephalitis) as a small child, but one of her friends died of tuberculosis a few years later. In graduate school, I studied the Middle Ages and learned way too much about the Black Death. I moved to New York City just before the AIDS epidemic erupted. This, too, shall pass. Do whatever’s necessary to stay safe and healthy, and try to find something to smile, shrug or roll your eyes about every day. Pick up the phone and make a friend laugh – their life has been turned upside down, too.
Elizabeth Morse Read is an award-winning writer, editor and artist who grew up on the South Coast. After 20 years of working in New York City and traveling the world, she came back home with her children and lives in Fairhaven.
Luke Barré, MD, MPH, RhMSUS Rheumatology
Dr. Barré provides specialty care for patients with rheumatologic maladies including, complex autoimmune diseases like Lupus, Sjogren's, Scleroderma, Vasculitis, and Rheumatoid arthritis; inflammatory conditions like Gout, pseudogout and periodic fever syndromes; Collagen defects and hypermobility syndromes; and osteoporosis and metabolic bone diseases. He enjoys collaborating with his patients and other specialists to achieve a successful treatment plan that allows patients to do the things they care about.
508-996-3991 Welcoming new patients.
535 Faunce Corner Road | Dartmouth, MA www.hawthornmed.com
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PRIME LIVING
Saving society Deborah A llard Dion
Curator Michael Martins knows the provenance of every artifact on display at the Fall River Historical Society – from the 1870s hairpins in their decorative pasteboard box to the travel journal that toured Europe in the hands of Lizzie Borden in 1890.
But there is no guide or model from the past that can help determine the uncertain future faced by the keeper of Fall River’s history during the COVID-19 pandemic, or how technology might shape the very near future for the nonprofit museum. “It’s definitely going to be a difficult year for us,” Martins said. “I’ll be honest, I’m not sure how we’re going to get through this.” In early April, the Historical Society would have opened from its winter hiatus for tours, and with plans for a summer concert series, lectures, book signings, and a sale in the Museum Shop to make space for new merchandise for the Christmas season. But the mansion and shop are closed
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until re-openings are allowed in phases in Massachusetts. Martins said it will be difficult to re-open with social distancing guidelines, masks, and gathering sizes. “The rooms here are not huge rooms,” he said. “It makes it more difficult.”
Step back in time The sprawling 12-room house is spread over three floors and more than 8,000 square feet. But many of the rooms are made smaller by retail merchandise, or rendered inaccessible by velvet rope barriers placed to protect artifacts from human hands. The mansion dates to 1843. It was built on a two-acre piece of land on Columbia Street – a wedding gift from Andrew
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Robeson to his son and daughter-in-law. In the 1850s, it became a stop on the Underground Railroad where slaves were invited through a false bookcase (that still exists) and hidden in the wine cellar. The house was moved to 451 Rock Street in 1869 and founded as the Fall River Historical Society in 1921. Besides historic furniture and household items from Fall River families, it houses the largest-known collection of Lizzie Borden memorabilia. That collection of memorabilia, along with its superb period architecture, makes the museum a highly visited destination around the anniversary of the Borden murders each August. But, Martins is unsure how guided tours of the Borden room, as well as the other rooms, will be conducted. “We’ll have to do small groups,” he said. “Maybe by appointment with walk-ins as space allows.” The lack of air conditioning in the historic structure will be a burden for masked guides and visitors when the summer heats up. Another obstacle is that many of the
volunteer tour guides are “of a certain age” that makes them more vulnerable to the coronavirus. So far, Martins said the popular concert series, traditionally held in its Victorian gardens, has been cancelled. He said each concert brings out roughly 450 people – a group too large in pandemic times, even if it is held outdoors. The lecture series will likely be held online. There may be other online exhibits too. The release of a new book, The History of the Textile Industry of Fall River, will be postponed. Martins said the Society may take advance orders and offer curbside pickup. “We’re playing it a week at a time,” he said. “It’s tricky.”
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Visitors tour the house for a nostalgic feeling of Christmas past. The house is lavishly decorated with multiple Christmas trees and garlands spread among the antiquities. The Museum Shop is filled with candies and jams, winter scarves and hats, jewelry, ornaments, and unique giftware. Nextdoor, the society’s Easton Tea Room serves up high tea, complete with finger sandwiches and scones, to its chilly diners. “We have hundreds and hundreds of people come in per day during the Christmas season,” Martins said. A decline in holiday revelers and shoppers could mean less money for the Historical Society. “It’s really what keeps us going for a big part of the year,” Martins said. “Last year, the Historical Society had a wonderful year. We had big plans going into 2020. We’ve had to regroup and rethink and try to make it work.” To battle the unknown, the society has applied for a paycheck protection loan for its three full-time and one part-time employees. Martins said he’s also been seeking grants, and hopes for donations. Despite the troubles brought on by COVID-19, Martins said the society will try hard to make it work this year. “We’re going to figure out what we can do to raise some funds,” Martins said. “All is not lost. Adaptability is going to be key.” To learn more about the Fall River Historical Society, become a member, or view its holdings, visit online at lizzieborden. org. Donations can be made to the Fall River Historical Society, 451 Rock Street, Fall River, MA 02720. For information, call 508-679-1071.
We had big plans going into 2020. We’ve had to regroup and rethink and try to make it work.
The ultimate challenge if the virus persists will be the annual holiday open house that runs from before Thanksgiving to New Year’s Eve, as well as the donations and retail sales it brings to the society.
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D ebor ah A ll ard D ion is a native of Looking for the perfect gift for a book lover? Check out the array of book-themed items in the gift shop.
Fall River and a graduate of B.M.C. Durfee High School, Bristol Community College, and Bryant University. She is a writer, Realtor, and animal lover. Connect at Debs251@ gmail.com or on social media. S ou th C oast P r ime T imes
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GOOD TIMES
The other side of the city Michael J. DeCicco
The Flora B. Peirce Trail
Nature has not been shut down because of the COVID19 pandemic.
Three urban nature trails within New Bedford’s city limits are the right remedy for the cabin fever we are all feeling in the midst of current regional and national shelter-in-place orders. These trails are also where the visitor can leave behind crowded spaces and social distancing concerns and just enjoy the peace of nature. “We ask people to only take photos and leave footprints,” New Bedford Director of Parks, Recreation, and Beaches Mary Rapoza said when asked to summarize what rules walkers along these trails should follow. She said families should take advantage of these trails to “find your own space. Social distance and enjoy what these trails have to offer.”
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Flora B. Peirce Trail The Flora B. Peirce trail off of New Plainville Road is 1.5 miles long and has two entrances, or “heads.” The first is on New Plainville Road, itself across the street from the Turners Pond parking area. (The second, less-accessible entrance is on a stretch of Shawmut Avenue behind New Plainville, off of Falmouth Street.) On the New Plainville side, a wooden railing marks where steps buried in the ground lead the visitor down a trail that includes lengths of boardwalk through
the trail includes lengths of boardwalk through woods alive with the sounds of birds and scurrying squirrels
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woods alive with the sounds of birds and scurrying squirrels. The route includes the head of the Paskamansett River, Rapoza said, as well as a 40x50 certified vernal pool and another small pond, and it abuts Dartmouth conservation land. She said it’s also where she’s seen deer and turtles and where visitors may find a variety of other wildlife. She noted the trail’s namesake, Flora B. Peirce, was instrumental in forming New Bedford’s first Conservation Commission, and she spearheaded the effort to create the trail, which was dedicated in 1973.
Ricketson Nature Trail The Ricketson Nature Trail that courses through Brooklawn Park takes the visitor down a path with historical roots. The trail, which measures just under one mile, dates back to the 1800s when the land was owned by noted city historian Daniel Ricketson. It was back then that Ricketson’s friend, poet Henry David Thoreau, wrote poetry about the experience of walking its paths. The trail head is on Brooklawn Street near the corner of Landry Street,
303 State Road n Westport, MA
“a wet meadow behind the Whaling City and Pony League diamonds is a good spot for birdwatching” and the route takes the visitor as far as either Irvington Street or to Acushnet Avenue facing the Charles Ashley School. The route includes unique woodland perennials and wildlife, Rapoza said. A boardwalk crosses the brook that dissects the beginning of the trail. “It will be wet at times,” Rapoza cautioned. “But a wet meadow behind the Whaling City and Pony League diamonds is a good spot for birdwatching.” Visitors will be able to follow painted arrows marking the direction of the trail and scan their smartphones over the QR code symbols posted on wooden signs to learn more about wild strawberries or raccoons. Rapoza noted these barcode-like symbols were created by the youth group Groundworks, which plans to spread them around all three trails eventually.
Ross C. Matthieu Nature Trail The Ross C. Matthieu Nature Trail, which spans approximately one mile, sits on Jordan Road off of Acushnet Avenue behind Casimir Pulaski School and the Pulaski Park basketball courts, with ample parking alongside it. The trail’s
namesake is Ross C. Matthieu, a sixth grader at the Pulaski School who died tragically in 1996. Visitors should bring their hiking boots and their walking sticks for this trail, because it offers the rockiest terrain of the three. Or as Rapoza puts it more gently, “The trail head leads to a unique landscape, a wooded area that empties upon a glacial stone formation.” Here visitors can follow a trail marked by whimsical signs. But as they do so, they must carefully step over rocky, mossy ground to enjoy the uncrowded tranquility of this hard-to-find spot. Rapoza said a second trail heading behind the school follows a stream that includes another certified vernal pool, where also she has seen deer and other wildlife. A walker along this trail could go all the way to the shores of Sassaquin Pond, she said. Rapoza urges potential visitors to download the maps for these three trails from the New Bedford Park, Recreation, and Beaches Department page on the City of New Bedford website (newbedfordfma. myrec.com). Click on “Nature Trails” and then scroll down to “Trail Maps.”
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Monuments
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Cemetery Lettering
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Cleaning & Repair
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Benches
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Pet Markers
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Laser Etchings
508-678-7801
www.AlbaneseMonuments.com
We buy your unwanted firearms and accessories. Many households have unwanted firearms that may have belonged to yourself or a family member - and you’d like them legally removed from your home - and earn some cash as well. We come to YOU! For an in-home consultation, please call Bill Bachant (774) 263-3134 or email bgslakeville@gmail.com
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For a complete
calendar of events, visit coastalmags.com
E xtra! E xtra!
In brief… Eliz abeth Morse Read
A Note to Readers: Due to the coronavirus outbreak, many venues and events are being closed, cancelled, or postponed, sometimes at the last minute. Call ahead before making your plans. Stay up to date with local, state, and federal developments related to the coronavirus outbreak by going to coronavirus.gov or, in Massachusetts, go to mass.gov/2019coronavirus or call 2-1-1. In Rhode Island, call 401-222-8022 or go to health.ri.gov/diseases/ncov2019.
Southcoast Health and the Buzzards Bay Coalition have created “Discover Buzzards Bay,” an initiative to promote active outdoor recreation. A series of guided monthly outdoor walks, called “Sunday Strolls,” and an online portal with information about more than 100 public places to walk, bird-watch, kayak/ canoe, fish, snowshoe or cross-country
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ski, can be found at savebuzzardsbay. org/discover – and check out thetrustees. org and massaudubon.org. To learn more about state parks and wildlife refuges in Rhode Island, go to asri.org, riparks.com or stateparks.com/rhode_island.
vineyard or farmers market near you, visit semaponline.org, pickyourown.org, farmfreshri.org, or localharvest.org. To find food and wine events, go to farmcoast.com, coastalwinetrail.com or ediblesouthshore.com.
Fill your baskets with local produce and artisanal foods! To find a farm,
Talk a walk through the Acushnet Sawmills public park and herring weir!
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Get in touch with nature at the Norman Bird Sanctuary! The Norman Bird Sanctuary has been connecting people with nature for more than 70 years. The trails are open and spending time in nature can be comforting, especially under the current circumstances. For details, call 401-846-2577 or go to normanbirdsanctuary.org. Canoe/kayak launch, fishing, trails. For info, visit savebuzzardsbay.org/discover. Check out what’s happening at the Audubon Nature Center and Aquarium! For details, call 401-949-5454 or go to asri.org.
Find out what’s happening at the Lloyd Center for the Environment! For info, go to lloydcenter.org. Explore the trails, wildlife and scenery of the Mattapoisett River Reserve – leashed dogs welcome. Hike, bird-watch, cross-country ski! For more info, go to savebuzzardsbay.org.
Wander through Parsons Reserve or take a stroll through Paskamansett Woods, nature reserves operated by the Dartmouth Natural Resources Trust. For more info, visit dnrt.org.
go to soulehomestead.org or call 508-9476744. Stroll along the Harbor Walk, a pedestrian/bike path atop the hurricane dike in New Bedford’s south end. For more info, visit savebuzzardsbay.org/discover. Explore the city’s history at the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park! For a schedule of walking tours and special events, visit nps.gov/nebe. Remember our veterans! Explore the region’s military history at the Fort TaberFort Rodman Military Museum! For info, call 508-994-3938 or visit forttaber.org. Take a stroll through the urban green-space of the Allen G. Haskell Public Gardens! To learn more, call 508-636-4693 or go to thetrustees.org.
Find out what’s happening in Fairhaven! For more info, go to fairhaventours. com or call 508-979-4085.
There’s always something going on at Tiverton Four Corners! For more info, go to tivertonfourcorners.com or fourcornersarts.org.
Spend an afternoon with the kids at the Soule Homestead! For more info,
Take a ramble around rural Westport! For more info, call 508-636-9228 or visit westportlandtrust.org.
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In the news… Rhode Island:
The Audubon Society of Rhode Island has a full calendar of events for July, but to make sure that an event is still on, visit asri.org for the most up-to-date information. In the meantime, the Society has introduced “Audubon at Home, Nature Play and Learning,” a new online resource for nature exploration. Each week there will be videos and activities posted online on Facebook and Instagram, where visitors can learn how to explore nature in a whole new way!
Taunton:
Mechanics Cooperative Bank has donated 2,000 KN95 masks, valued at over $5,000, to the Taunton Police and Fire Departments. According to Fire Chief Timothy Bradshaw, “The Fire Department is not often thought of as first responders – however, we got on several calls daily that require proper personal protection equipment for direct interaction with those in need. We can’t say thank you enough.”
New Bedford:
As of print, the Buttonwood Park Zoo has reopened! Visitors may come to the zoo Wednesday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The park will undergo cleaning on Mondays and Tuesdays. All visitors must purchase tickets for specific timeslots online at bpzoo.org/purchasetickets. As everywhere, protective face coverings are required for all guests of the age of 2. To learn more, visit bpzoo.org. The Waterfront Historic Area League (WHALE) has been giving free live virtual tours on Facebook (facebook. com/whalenewbedord) and Instagram (instagram.com/waterfrontleaguenb). Previous tours have shown the Seamen’s Bethan & Mariner’s Home, the First Baptist Church, the Co-Creative Center, and the Strand Theater. Follow them online to be notified of the next tour!
Dartmouth:
The Dartmouth Historical and Arts Society (DHAS) has reached an agreement with the Colonial Society of Massachusetts to work together to publish some selected early records (approximately 6,000 pages) of the Dartmouth Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends. Digitized copies of some of the pages are already available online at the DHAS website, dartmouthHAS.org.
As of print, the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park’s Visitor Center is temporarily closed. To be notified as soon as it re-opens, check nps.gov/nebe.
South Coast:
Work on the South Coast Rail continues! Culvert and track work was performed in early June in multiple communities as part of “Phase 1” of construction. Although the work continues and requires loud, heavy machinery, the project continues to be on track to connecting the region to the greater Boston area by 2023.
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summer stops
Dartmoor Gifts
Plante Jewelers
201 Horseneck Road, South Dartmouth 508-636-7700
Swansea Crossing Plaza, Swansea 508-673-0561 plantejewelers.com
For over a decade, Dartmoor Gifts has been a one-stop shop for homemakers looking for that perfect accent piece, for gardeners on the hunt for that unique lawn decoration, or for friends who want to give handcrafted goods to those closest to them. Stop in – you never know what you may find and what you’ll love!
Celebrating a summer birthday or anniversary? The team at Plante Jewelers is ready to help you find the perfect piece and gemstone. On-location designers and refurbishers can walk you through the entire extensive selection of items. Currently offering curbside service.
Fabric Treasures Seconds Count 270 Huttleston Ave., (Route 6), Fairhaven 508-991-2229 Seconds Count has offered a huge variety of clothes for over 20 years. The store is well-organized so that your gently worn clothes are likely to find a loving owner. Or maybe you’ll walk out with a new wardrobe of your own!
1032 American Legion Hwy., Westport 508-679-9301 amysfabrictreasures.com It’s a consignment store for creators! Carrying the most unique fabrics, trims, patterns, buttons and more, Fabric Treasures will inspire you like no other store. Not confident enough in your needlework? They also offer sewing classes, as well as sewing machine repair for all makes and models.
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GOOD TIMES
The toes knows Okay, this is scary. Granted, the whole pandemic thing has got us scared of not just our own shadows but virtually everyone else’s if said shadows aren’t Paul K andarian wearing a mask and aren’t a minimum of six feet away. But this thing happening to me is scary. Or it might not be. Too soon to tell. I noticed a dark hard spot on my little toe, underneath near the tip which I would only notice if cutting my toenails, which I tend not to do enough, thus rendering my feet nasty and gnarled and cracked and not at all unlike a hobbit foot. Just ugly. Honestly, that guy you see on the beach with feet so gross they scare kids? Yeah. I’m that guy. So I saw this thing in early spring, just before Pandemic Fever gripped us like Pennant Fever or Super Bowl Fever or whatever other sports-related fever we seasonally suffer in good years. Thought it was a blood blister, gave it no more thought until months later when I was thinking about cutting my hobbit nails and saw it again. Nothing changed. Same purple dark ugly hard spot. Had an annual physical coming up, so I figured I’d show my doc. The guy’s got a good sense of humor. Case in point: during the exam, as he’s readying for the prostate probe, I joke, “Great, the least favorite part of the exam for both of us,” to which he retorts, “What are you complaining about, I gotta go to lunch right after this.” I like the guy because he’s laid back and marvels at my good health, with my normal everything like blood pressure, cholesterol, only one prescription, and weight (not counting the COVID-10 that crept on because of COVID-19) but this spot on my toe made him go, “Hmmm…you should have that looked at.” So I am, as of this writing, doing so soon,
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getting a biopsy with a derm doc at Mass General in Boston because when it comes to cancer scares (this case being possible melanoma), I ain’t screwing around with the locals when world’s best is right up the road largely free from traffic, that being the one and maybe only good thing about the lockdown. Naturally, I started poking around the Internet and such because it’s the absolute pinnacle of verifiable medical information,
Naturally, I started poking around the Internet and such because it’s the absolute pinnacle of verifiable medical information, right? right? Right. So I find this thing called “Covid Toe,” which is dark purple or black spots on the tips of toes and so now I’m in a full-out panic until I see it affects mostly kids and young adults which made me immediately feel bad for kids and young adults while secretly going “whew,” until I remembered it said “mostly” kids and young adults. Not “always” kids and young adults. No, a waffling, quavering, uncertain “mostly.” See how crazy this is making me? I’m not one to panic, but I’m also not one to hear “melanoma” that often, despite my lifelong worship of the sun and proclivity for a deep dark tan in summer that seems to last yearround. And okay, my disdain for sunscreen. Yes, yes, I know, I know, shut up already. Then I started reading about all the signs of COVID-19. Which change from day to day. Some symptoms go, more come on,
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until you’re sitting at home in quarantine scratching your head until your scalp bleeds. Fever, dry cough, wet cough, runny nose, aches and pains, sore throat, no sore throat, new loss of taste or smell (as opposed to the old one you usually get?), trouble breathing… basically, the symptoms of COVID-19 are identical to every side effect on every impossible-to-read pamphlet of every drug ever made in the history of mankind. So I had some of the symptoms. Or none of them. I can’t be sure. It’s all just nuts. Like not knowing what day it is. That’s a thing, a side effect of lockdown. Near as I can tell, the days are now Thisday, Thatday, Otherday, Someday, Huhday, Noday and WTF DAY IS IT! Plus there’s this: since I noticed this toe thing a few months ago, I’ve had a persistent aching back, low, across the spine and side to side. My doc said it’s probably from putting on a few pounds. Did I mention I like the guy? That assessment may change if he keeps saying stuff like that. But it’s an ache and pain that didn’t exist pre-COVID, so that’s yet another thing that is turning my formerly non-paranoid self into a guy looking for the fatal boogeyman in every unexpected twitch, itch, and hitch. So if you’re reading this now, I may be fine. Or not. I may be dead. Or I may be alive. And if the latter, I’m hoping to be back in the sun, less the COVID-10 I got from COVID-19 lockdown, possibly with feet slathered in SPF 2,000 sunscreen beneath which I’ll be boasting a fresh pedicure. As the toe goes so go I. Stay tuned. And cut your nails more than I do. Don’t be that guy.
Paul K andarian is a lifelong area resident and, since 1982, has been a profession writer, columnist, and contributor in national magazines, websites, and other publications.
Most Efficient
2019
www.energystar.gov
Clifton
REHABILITATIVE NURSING CENTER
Certified Post Acute Care Short-Term Rehab Post Acute Care Transitional Care Long-Term Care
Clifton is the first facility in Bristol County to earn this Post Acute Care Certification by the Joint Commission, and one of only a few organizations statewide. The Joint Commission Gold Seal of Approval® is a national symbol of quality that reflects an organization’s commitment to providing safe and effective patient and resident care. The Joint Commission is an independent, not-for-profit organization for the accreditation of health care organizations.
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