S eptember /O ctober 2020 · Volume 16 · Number 5
Fresh resh
picks Find
a farm
Memory
lane
Sell
your home
Ready. Willing. Able. Trust us with your healthcare. After the COVID-19 limitations of these past few months, Prima CARE is ready to address your healthcare in person, online, or by phone. Whether it’s back in our offices or remotely by “telemedicine,” there’s no need to put off your concerns any longer. It’s time to act. Contact us on our Healow portal or call your provider’s office so they can determine which type of visit will give you the best care with the least risk to you or anyone you may encounter. You may not even need to leave home! If an office visit is the best choice, we’re willing to go the extra mile to keep everyone safe. You’ll be screened by the office staff before your visit and again at the door that day. You’ll immediately notice our “social distancing,” masks, hand cleansing and special attention we give to sanitizing our elevators and offices. Our highest priority is your safety. We are able to provide our usual array of testing, including radiology, laboratory (now requiring an appointment), cardiac testing and GI endoscopy procedures. If your provider believes that coronavirus testing should be ordered, we offer a “drive-through” testing facility on our main Fall River campus for your safety and convenience. Our more than 160 Prima CARE professionals are ready, willing and able to make sure your health comes first. We’re here when you need us the most. By your side… more than ever.
Take a look at our re-designed website.
prima-care.com
Like us on
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
Take a Step Forward and Leave Your Joint Pain Behind Join us for a virtual seminar Visit southcoast.org/ortho-talk or call 508-973-1559 for more information. Register today, space is limited!
We feel your pain. That’s why we’ve made it easier than ever to receive the treatment you need to get back to doing the things that you love. Southcoast Health’s free online Orthopedic Seminars are a great opportunity to learn about surgical and non-surgical options to treat your joint pain and speak with a Southcoast Health Orthopedic surgeon — right from the comfort of your own home!
This Veteran discount program is effective March 1, 2020, may not be used in conjunction with any other programs offered by The Arbors Assisted Living Communities (“The Arbors”) or The Ivy Assisted Living Communities (“The Ivy”), and supersedes all prior programs and offers. Participation in this Veteran discount program is limited to Veterans who are new residents of The Arbors and The Ivy communities and does not apply: to respite or short-stays; or to resident transfers within an Arbors or Ivy community (except for a transfer from a respite apartment to another apartment); or to surviving spouses of veterans; or to any former or current Arbors or Ivy residents. Offer is valid only when a Veteran presents their Military Discharge/DD214 form. The Veteran must meet current eligibility criteria for residency. The discount will only be given on a per apartment (not per person occupying the apartment) basis. The Arbors or The Ivy reserves the right to terminate, suspend or modify this Veteran discount program at any time without notice. This offer is valid for market-rate apartments only.
We do rehab right. Tell your physician you want to reserve your room with us.
Choose Right! Short-Term Rehab Stroke Rehab Pulmonary Rehab Post Surgical Care Ostomy Care, IV Therapy State-Of-The-Art Equipment
CONTENTS
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 in every issue
4
From the publisher
Prime living
6
Frederick Douglass returns home By Steven Froias
18
Check out our new normal
Physical & Occupational Therapy Knee, Hip & Joint Rehabilitation Pain Management & Wound Care Speech Pathology
dhfo.org Admissions 7 days a week Most insurances accepted
Stop by for a tour
508.996.6751
F
ind catholicmemorialhome.org rm FaHome a Catholic Memorial Fall River, MA
508.999.4561
508.822.4885
ourladyshavenhome.org Our Lady’s Haven Fairhaven, MA
2
508.679.0011
sacredheart-home.org Sacred Heart Home New Bedford, MA
memory l ane s
marianmanorhome.org ell Marian Manor Home ur home o y Taunton, MA
S ou th C oast P r ime T imes
S ep tember /O c tober 2020
S epte mber /O
· Numb er 5 · VOlum e 16 ctOb er 2020
Freshs pick
Find a Farm memoarnye l
sell ome h r u yo
Hawthorn Medical Urology Andy Boylan, MD Urologist
Prime season
8
12
Top 7 tips for selling your house this fall By Deborah Allard Dion Re-finding farms By Michael J. DeCicco
Good times
14
20
Dr. Boylan is a board certified Urologist who earned his medical degree at Boston University School of Medicine and completed his training at University of Connecticut Health Center and Hartford Hospital. He enjoys practicing all areas of general urology with special interest in BPH (enlarged prostate), stone disease, erectile dysfunction, male incontinence, and laparoscopic and robotic surgery. He is currently welcoming new patients.
Treatment for All Aspects of Urology Care
A South Coast childhood By Elizabeth Morse Read Bound to my age By Paul Kandarian
ADULT AND PEDIATRIC l
Vasectomy
l
Laser surgery
l
Robotic surgery
l
Bladder cancer
l
Urinary incontinence for male and female patients Overactive bladder Kidney stones Erectile dysfunction
l
Prostate cancer
l
Male Infertility
l
Kidney cancer
l
l l
Two Convenient Locations:
On the cover: It’s always the harvest season if you’re not picky
about what’s getting harvested. Make regular visits to local farms and farmer’s markets, like Walker’s Roadside Stand in Little Compton, to see what’s fresh! To learn more, turn to page 10.
Hawthorn Medical Associates 535 Faunce Corner Road, Dartmouth, MA Saint Anne’s Hospital Medical Office Building 851 Middle Street, Fall River, MA
Call 508-996-3991 for an appointment. www.hawthornmed.com
S ou th C oast P r ime T imes
S ep tember /O c tober 2020
3
Celebrating 50% OFF 130 YEARS
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Same family, same location
I know we say it every year, but surely we can agree that this year, more than in any other, summer has gone by way too quickly. It’s August as I write this, and there’s plenty of warm weather ahead of us, but we wouldn’t be New Englanders if we weren’t constantly cognizant of the chilly days ahead. It’s in our nature for our minds to wander into the future. For instance, after months of mostly staying at home, you may be wondering to yourself how much longer you can stand your current scenery. Well if you want to see yourself hibernating in a new cave this winter, now is the time to start thinking about making that switch. Luckily, Deborah Allard Dion has 7 hot tips for selling your house over the next few months. You can read them starting on page 8. There are also those of us who eagerly anticipate the fall – particularly the delicious farm-fresh food that becomes abundant. But in reality, there’s no reason to wait. It seems like everywhere you turn, there’s a farm or stand with fresh picks. Michael J. DeCicco brings us some of his favorites on page 12. And finally, during these warm summer evenings, our minds may wander to times far in the past. On page 14, Liz Read explores her childhood memories, and reminisces over the sights, smells, and meals that defined her upbringing here in the South Coast. Summer may go by faster than any other season, but for that reason, summer is the season that teaches us how to make our days count. The days may be getting shorter, but we live them more fully. Enjoy!
Ljiljana Vasiljevic Publisher and Editor-in-Chief
facebook.com/thesouthcoastinsider
4
S ou th C oast P r ime T imes
S ep tember /O c tober 2020
September/October 2020 n Vol. 16 n No. 5 Published by
Coastal Communications Corp. Publisher and Editor-in-Chief
Ljiljana Vasiljevic Editor
Sebastian Clarkin Online editor
Paul Letendre Contributors
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.
Next issue October 14, 2020
Circulation 25,000
Subscriptions $19.95 per year
M ailing address South Coast Prime Times P.O. Box 3493 Fall River, MA 02722
Phone (508) 677-3000
Website
Offering Physical, Occupational, Speech and Respiratory therapy. Respite and Long-term care services also available.
coastalmags.com
Our advertisers make this publication possible —please support them
508.998.7807 • TheOaksMa.com 4525 Acushnet Ave. • New Bedford, MA
S ou th C oast P r ime T imes
S ep tember /O c tober 2020
55604
editor@coastalmags.com
5
PRIME LIVING
Frederick Douglass
returns home
Steven Froias
On a recent episode of the podcast, “Why is this happening?”, hosted by Chris Hayes of MSNBC fame, the guest was historian David Blight. The topic was rethinking America’s statues, monuments, and memorials as the country grapples with its history.
Blight argues that the dialogue shouldn’t just include the history that needs to come down, but the history that needs to go up. His suggestion: America needs a memorial to Frederick Douglass, the former slave who became, as the title of Blight’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Douglass biography makes clear, the nation’s “Prophet of Freedom.” Well, David Blight is getting his wish! Because there is already a plan to erect a memorial to Frederick Douglass in the city where he first tasted freedom, found his name, and sharpened his oratory: New Bedford. As part of its ambitious Abolitionist Row Historic District project, the New Bedford Historical Society issued a “Call for Artists” last year that went out around the country and garnered 20 applications, according to its president, Lee Blake. The Douglass Memorial Committee reviewed all the applicants, and selected sculptor Richard Blake (no relation) for the project to create a Frederick Douglass memorial which will sit in the park that will be part of Abolitionist Row. Richard Blake lives and works in the Amish countryside of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. “As a sculptor, Richard focuses on historical figures with social significance. His compelling sculptures capture the
6
S ou th C oast P r ime T imes
realistic figure, the social context, and the spirit of the person,” Lee Blake writes. She further explains in a phone interview that, due to public input, the depiction of Frederick Douglass will be age appropriate to the time he really lived in New Bedford, as a young man of 20, and be very accessible. The sculpture will find Douglass seated on a bench, with the space to allow visitors to sit right alongside him.
The sculpture will find Douglass seated on a bench, with the space to allow visitors to sit right alongside him
One such visitor may very well be David Blight. Blake recounts that he has visited New Bedford several times, and in a sneak peek of future plans reveals that he will be returning for a discussion about the Underground Railroad in the not-toodistant future. The creation of the Abolitionist Row Historic District and Park, where the Dou-
S ep tember /O c tober 2020
glass memorial will find a home around September, 2021, has been a labor of love for Blake and represents an extraordinary accomplishment for herself, the Historical Society she leads, and the City of New Bedford.
Journey to freedom The journey began back in the 90s with the restoration of the Nathan and Polly Johnson House (actually two adjoining houses) on Seventh Street in New Bedford. Working with WHALE, the society brought the properties back to life and today open them to the public for tours. According to nbhistoricalsociety.org, “The Johnson House was home to African American abolitionists Nathan and Mary Johnson and served as an active Underground Railroad station. The Johnson House was the first home in freedom for Frederick and Anna Douglass who escaped enslavement from Maryland to New Bedford in 1838.” It’s also where Douglass literally became “Douglass.” Until then, he was known as Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey. But escaping slavery meant remaking his identity, and Nathan Johnson gave him the name “Douglass” in addition to refuge. As if that wasn’t historical enough, New Bedford is where Frederick Douglass honed his speaking and writing skills in city churches, developing the legendary arguments that would, as author Blight writes, fuel his legacy as a “Prophet of Freedom.” So, it is entirely appropriate that a Douglass memorial find a home in New
Thinking about selling your home?
Join our waiting list today!
Adult communities for 55+ Join our extended family! Safe, worry-free living with fun activities and friendly on-site management Oakwood
– Swansea – 508-324-1279
The Nathan and Polly Johnson House is part of the A bolition Row Historic District in New Bedford. A park
OakwoodSeniorEstates.com
across the street will soon be home to a new sculpture of Frederick Douglass.
Bedford, Massachusetts. It was actually the launching pad for the man who would become a national and international voice and writer of conscience. The sculptor Blake is uniquely suited to the task, and the Historical Society has selected wisely. His sculptures have been included in over 100 International and National exhibitions and are represented in many private collections and public outdoor commissions. His work has received numerous honors and awards from the nation’s oldest and most venerated art institutions including the National Sculpture Society and the National Academy of Design, both located in Manhattan. He has also served as the President of the National Sculpture Society (NSS) from 2007 thru 2010 and is a fellow of NSS. He has also interpreted Douglass before. For the campus of West Chester University of Pennsylvania, where Douglass delivered several of his historic abolitionist and suffragist speeches, Blake created a seven-and-a-half-foot bronze and stone sculpture of Frederick Douglass that you can see, along with his other work, at richardblakesculptor.com. In all, Abolitionist Row Park will include “many elements to make it not only a historical attraction for residents and visitors alike but also a destination for folks traveling to and touring the New Bedford
Westport Village
North Farm
WestportVillageApartments.com
NorthFarmSeniorEstates.com
– 62+ Westport – 508- 636-6775
– Somerset – 508-676-9700
— Equal Housing Opportunity —
Historical District and Waterfront,” states the Historical Society. Other elements include a Cherry Tree border and seasonal floral changes, a community garden space, a public gazebo and plaza area to serve as a space for events or just to provide shade to spend some time outside in the neighborhood, and walkways and seating to tour visitors through different markers denoting the historical context of the neighborhood, which also includes the historic Friends Meeting House. That was also crucial to New Bedford’s antislavery movement and the Underground Railroad. But there is no doubt that a memorial to one of the country’s most important historical personages will be the highlight of Abolitionist Row Park.
Fall River's Best Taxi & Transportation Service Airport Transportation Non-Emergency Medical Transportation
508-673-5843
JEANNE FULLER-JONES
Seniors Real Estate Specialist/Partner
S teven F roias is a freelance writer based in New Bedford and is a regular -contributor for The South Coast Insider and South Coast Prime Times. He can be reached at NewBedfordNow@gmail.com.
WWW.JFJHOMES.COM 774.240.8928 • jfuller-jones@kw.com 574 Washington St, Easton MA 02375
S ou th C oast P r ime T imes
S ep tember /O c tober 2020
7
PRIME SEASON
Top 7 tips
for selling your house this fall So, you thought about selling your home this summer, but with the pandemic, the heat and humidity, and “new normal” life stuff like washing your Deborah face mask by hand every day and searching the A llard Dion stores for paper towels, it just didn’t happen. Did I mention the pandemic? So now it’s cooler, and you’re still living between those same four walls. Maybe you’ve thought about downsizing to a condo or a smaller house now that those lovely grown children you love so much are the heck out of your house. Maybe you want a bigger house – with a swimming pool to float in while you watch the neighborhood fireworks next summer. Maybe you’ve decided that you’ve painted your deck and put on a new roof one too many times and you’re going to find yourself an apartment that’s someone else’s worry. Either way, if you’re selling this fall, you’ve got to get things ship-shape, and that goes beyond a few well-placed pumpkins on the front stoop. But that does look nice, so definitely do that.
1
Where to begin?
Take a good look around the house, a really good look, and see what needs fixing, cleaning-out and sprucing up. If something is messy, soiled, or looks worn, it can be seen as a red flag that the house hasn’t been kept up. You don’t want that when trying to get the best price for your house.
8
S ou th C oast P r ime T imes
We all get used to our own clutter like that pile of mail and magazines in the pretty basket that was supposed to be for fresh fruit. Clean it out. And that messy closet... guess what? Buyers will see it as smaller than it actually is. Don’t forget the kitchen counter. Stash away the crumb-filled toaster, dusty coffee mug tree, cracked sugar bowl, and folded bags of cookies and crackers.
2
Find a Ms. or Mr. Fix-It
Homeowners get used to the things that should have been fixed, but weren’t, and now are just part of the scenery. You may have stopped noticing the dent in the baseboard, the scuff marks on the linoleum, and that bit of peeling wallpaper in the dining room, but buyers will see them right away. Also, check for missing hardware on cabinets, faucets that are ancient or lost their hot water knob years ago, things like loose doorknobs, and pretty much anything being held together with duct tape. Repair and replace the items before that loose knob comes off in a potential buyers’ hand.
S ep tember /O c tober 2020
For buyers visiting your abode, those are flaws that stick out like a pimple on a fresh face. Add them all up, and you’ve got a breakout. Buyers will wonder what lurks beneath the surface that they cannot see. Sort out those minor repairs that show pride of ownership and help buyers see the beauty, not the blemishes, in your house.
3
Sort out big ticket surprises Hire a home inspector yourself. It’ll give you peace of mind to know if there are any major issues before it gets sprung on you by the buyers’ inspector and squashes or holds up your sale. If there is something big, you can either fix it or list the house accordingly and let the new owners know about the issues and handle the repairs. That said, talk to your Realtor or contractor and weigh the costs and scope of work before considering aesthetic renovations like knocking down walls to create an open design that may or may not pay you back in the end.
4
Cleanliness is next to gainfulness Clean, clean, clean. Buyers are attracted to clean homes, now more than ever. Give it a deep cleaning or pay someone to come in and do it for you
if you don’t have the time or inclination. You’ll want your home to look its best for your listing photo shoot. Then, keep it up. On days when there are showings, give things a dusting and get those faucets, mirrors, bathroom fixtures, and countertops shining. The bathroom and kitchen should always get special attention for showings. No one wants to see hair in the shower drain or grime in the sink. And, please put the toilet seat down. Protect yourself too. If you store prescriptions and even over-the-counter medicines in the medicine cabinet, move them to a safer place. And, buyers also don’t need to see your personal care products. Yes, some will open your cabinets and drawers. Clean the kitchen appliances. They’ll likely stay with the house, so dig that oven cleaner out from the back of the bottom cabinet, and clean up the dried spills in the refrigerator. Always take out the trash. Be aware of any lingering food smells – other than fresh baked cookies of course, which can only help that and any situation.
cookout gear, and other seasonal items since you won’t need those for a few months anyway.
6
Literally, go and stand at your curb and look at your house. It’s the first thing buyers will see. Just like looking your best for a job interview, your house must pass that first test too. If the front steps and deck paint is chipped, get some paint. It’s a relatively low-cost fix that will add aesthetic appeal to your house and can mean the difference between buyers calling for a showing, or driving to the next listing. Clean out the garage so buyers can envision their own vehicles in place. Mow the lawn. Plant some mums. If you’re planning to sell in the winter, take some good outside photos now to show how pretty your garden and backyard looks with flowers in full bloom. Sweep the front steps. And, yes put out some pumpkins and in-season florals.
Be aware of any lingering food smells – other than fresh baked cookies of course, which can only help that and any situation
5
Take yourself, your family, and your politics
out of the house Now that things are repaired and squeaky clean, remove those personal items. Yes, that’s difficult because you still have to live there – for at least a little while longer. But, photographs draw the buyers’ eyes away from the house you want to sell and into your family picnic and niece’s First Communion. Buyers also notice and draw conclusions about your city, town, and neighborhood from your local campaign signs, your Obama book collection, and your hand-knitted Trump throw pillow. You want to sell your house, not make a statement. As much as it hurts, pack it up. It’s time to start packing anyway. If it’s something you won’t do without, stash it in a drawer while potential buyers are in the house. While you’ve got a few boxes, you can also start packing your summer clothing,
Check the curb
7
What if it sells?
That’s the goal. But sometimes sellers are a f r a i d to list their house because it might actually go from open listing to pending at Road Runner speed leaving them feeling like they’ve been hit by an anvil. But, prepared sellers who have done the cleaning, fixing, and some early packing will feel more ready for the eventual, or lighting speed, closing. Sellers should make a plan and decide whether they will stay with family or friends or find a short-term rental if they absolutely must move quickly to seal a good deal. Sellers can also make finding new housing a contingency in their listing agreement if those other options are not a good fit. They should talk to their Realtor about their exit plans and remember that the Road Runner always goes on his merry way, unscathed, in the end.
D ebor ah A ll ard D ion is a native of Fall River and a graduate of B.M.C. Durfee High School, Bristol Community College, and Bryant University. She is a Realtor at Keller Williams South Watuppa, a writer, and an animal lover. Connect at DDion@KW.com or on social media. S ou th C oast P r ime T imes
S ep tember /O c tober 2020
9
D C R
ADVANCES IN
PROSTATE CANCER TREATMENT “You have prostate cancer.” These words can stop a man and his family in their tracks. After all, according to the American Cancer Society, prostate cancer is second only to skin cancer among men’s cancers in the U.S. In fact, ACS has forecast that more than 191,000 new cases would be reported in 2020, and about 1 in 9 men would receive the diagnosis in their lifetime. Furthermore, about 6 cases in 10 are diagnosed in men who are 65 or older. The good news: Patients with a prostate cancer diagnosis now have a variety of treatment options, right in their own community. Depending on several factors, such as age or stage of the cancer, these may include conservative approaches, such as watchful waiting or active surveillance. Other options may include surgery to remove the prostate gland; hormone therapy to reduce levels of male hormones that can fuel prostate cancer cells; or radiation therapy, to target cancer cells while sparing healthy tissue.
REDUCING THE SIDE EFFECTS OF RADIATION THERAPY An advanced technology used at Saint Anne’s Hospital that has proven to be effective in reducing radiation therapy’s side effects for qualified patients is called SpaceOAR. SpaceOAR (“OAR” refers to “organ at risk”) uses a hydrogel that is inserted by a urologist under ultrasound guidance. It serves as a protective spacer between the prostate and the rectum, greatly reducing the likelihood that the rectum is exposed to radiation. The hydrogel is minimally invasive, remains stable during radiation therapy treatments, and is gradually absorbed by the body after radiation treatments. At Saint Anne’s since 2019, prostate cancer patients and their doctors agree that it creates a more satisfactory radiation therapy experience.
“R si ti di sa w su ti du
Li ra ce is “F ca ju
R 2 H
Fo re pr bi
A so te
Urologist Derek Hausladen, MD, of Hawthorn Medical Associates, and Raymond Dugal, MD, chief of radiation oncology at Saint Anne’s Hospital, note the benefits for patients.
s
s
s
dy
Dr. Raymond Dugal Chief of Radiation Oncology
Dr. Derek Hausladen, Urologist, Chair of Robotics Committee
“Radiation treatment is very effective, but the side effects of radiation to the surrounding tissue, such as the bowel, have often discouraged patients from seeking this therapy,” said Dr. Hausladen. “SpaceOAR technology works by separating the prostate from surrounding tissue, which keeps the healthy tissue farther away from the malignant tissue during treatment.” Likewise, Dr. Dugal notes its value during radiation treatments. “Targeting just cancer cells, while avoiding healthy organs and tissue, is always the goal of radiation therapy,” he said. “For patients with prostate cancer, SpaceOAR can greatly increase our capacity to do just that.”
ROBOTIC-ASSISTED PROSTATECTOMY: 21ST-CENTURY TECHNOLOGY IN THE HANDS OF THE SURGEON For prostate cancer patients whose recommended treatment is removal of the prostate, 21st-century technology can make a big difference. At Saint Anne’s Hospital, urologists use highly sophisticated da Vinci robotic-assisted surgical technology to remove the prostate gland.
saintanneshospital.org
Dr. Hausladen, who chairs the hospital’s Robotics Committee, explains. “As with other robotic-assisted procedures, we start with a few very small incisions,” says Dr. Hausladen. “A 3-D high-definition camera magnifies the surgeon’s view inside the body, and the small robotic instruments allow us to perform surgery far more flexibly than the human hand. The da Vinci platform is ideal for procedures, such as prostatectomy, that require a high degree of precision and accuracy in a small space.” Dr. Hausladen notes that surgery using the da Vinci has great benefits for the patient. “Very small incisions and the da Vinci’s dexterity means that there is less blood loss and a much lower risk of infection,” he says. “It also results in greater pain control, with most patients going home with just ibuprofen (Advil) or acetaminophen (Tylenol) and being able to resume normal activities more quickly. It’s gratifying to offer this to our patients.”
LEARN MORE: SpaceOAR technology for radiation therapy of the prostate saintanneshospital.org/ services-directory/urology Robotic-assisted surgery: See and hear Dr. Derek Hausladen explain robotic-assisted prostatectomy at: saintanneshospital.org/ robotic-surgery
PRIME SEASON
Re-finding
farrms fa
Michael J. DeCicco
Even the farmers markets that offer patrons local produce from outdoor roadside stands across the South Coast have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic, but in ways that haven’t all been bad.
Karen Schwalbe is the executive director of SEMAP (SouthEastern Massachusetts Agriculture Partnership), an organization of farmers in Bristol and Plymouth counties that promotes local farming through research, education, and marketing. Nowadays, she said, more than threefourths of Southeastern Massachusetts farmers markets are fully open, back to business as usual. “But they are adjusting by reducing hours or opening in a new location,” she said. However, around 20 percent are still doing pre-orders only, at the stage of curbside pickup, she added. The good news is that demand for sustainable local farm produce and local farmers markets has increased, she said, “because people like short, local supply chains. They want to know where their produce comes from.” Yet because of the shutdown effects of the pandemic, farmers have had to pivot in
12
Mums, pumpkins, and Apples at Dartmouth Orchards
S ou th C oast P r ime T imes
order to stay in business. All of a sudden, she said, some of the traditional supply chains are gone. Restaurants that closed or are slowly reopening haven’t needed the bulk orders that farmers work to produce for them in a normal year. With individual consumers as a new target market, farmers have had to change or minimize how they package their eggs and milk. “It can’t change overnight,” Schwalbe said. “It takes a while to change, but our farmers are so adaptive and creative that they are doing it, such as by partnering with another organization or other farms on sharing a delivery route. In western Massachusetts, one entity is taking online orders for three or four different farms.” The changes have been stressful, she admitted. For example, patrons of a farmers market can’t be allowed to touch the produce the way they can at a supermarket. A farmers market must hire more staff for their stand. Separate people must touch the produce the customers indicate they want
S ep tember /O c tober 2020
to purchase, bag the merchandise, and run the cash register. Even the partnership’s own goals have had to change. She explained the partnership’s goals are to ensure that local farmers have the knowledge and the tools to be successful with what they grow, from what to plant, where to plant it, and where and how to sell it. SEMAP traditionally offered a variety of farmer-to-farmer training and technical assistance through workshops. Lately the partnership has had to emphasize virtual workshops but offer less of them than the in-person ones. “No fundraisers. No in-person workshops,” she said. “We’ve made a shift to more marketing and promotion. We keep training them where to sell, where to market.” Dartmouth Orchards and Seekonk Vegetables Elsewhere around the South Coast, the new pandemic shutdown conditions had very little impact on the timing for Dartmouth Orchards farmers market’s opening in late July. “When the crop is ready, it’s ready,” said owner Brian Medeiros. “A pandemic doesn’t have an effect on growing fruit. You can’t hold back mother nature. As far as opening the stand, we’ll be taking care of all the necessary precautions that the state has
“
There’s more
of a demand now for whatever we are picking and for whatever is in season
The farm adjusted well for its produce market as well. “Luckily we had already pre-ordered and received our seeds,” she said. “We expanded what we purchased from others to help prevent customers from having to go to the grocery stores. Now that it’s our garden season here we’re adding more and more items from our own garden daily.”
“
hearing the customers’ fears about their food supply running out was a real wakeup call
“
Orr’s Farm, Westport Orr’s Farm, at 187 Adamsville Road in Westport, has made small changes since the pandemic that have worked out well, said Katy Orr-Dove, one of the farm’s general managers. “The first thing we decided on was going to a curbside service setup. Luckily we have spent the last two years getting set up with an Internetbased point-of-sale system that tracks all of our sales and inventory online.” Then she and her husband Don Dove, another of the farm’s general managers, added a drive-through window on the south side of the building. “Masks were required of staff a few days later as the most recent CDC guidelines were unrolled. It was several months of watching constant press conferences and trying to be ready for the next regulations they threw at us,” she said. She said the farm’s pick-your-own reservations system came later when the state lifted the restrictions on nonessential businesses. “On a typical Saturday in May, hundreds of people come and go at will,” she said. “I wanted a way to limit how many would come at one time.” The result, despite these limitations, is that the farm had so many curbside and drive through orders that “we could barely
keep up,” she said. “Normal meat suppliers (local farms) were having trouble handling the large quantities of orders just like we were. We added a second meat supplier. Deliteful Dairy from Boonsboro (about 30 minutes from here) has stepped up their production.”
“
mandated as well as the town’s health agent has suggested.” The third-generation farm at 515 Old Westport Road, Dartmouth, sells apples and cider and even homemade crafts. Similarly, the family-owned Four Town Farms in Seekonk sees few negatives from opening under the pandemic’s new normal conditions. Chris Clegg is one of the owners of the 150-acre vegetable farm located at the points where Seekonk, Swansea, Barrington, East Providence all come together. “Other than following CDC guidelines,” he said, “the big thing has been keeping to 50 percent customer capacity. It came down to where we would feel comfortable, which is a limit of 25 customers at a time.” Surprisingly, demand for his locallygrown produce is up in spite of (or perhaps because of) the pandemic conditions, he said. “It’s a question of how much we can grow,” he said. There’s more of a demand now for whatever we are picking and for whatever is in season. People are not going out to restaurants so they are cooking at home. Sales are definitely going up.” The farm’s specialties, he said, include squash, zucchini, peas, beets, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet corn, strawberries, and pumpkins. “You’re always learning,” Clegg said. “There’s a routine to the year. But every day is different and every year is different. I have generations that I can fall back on if I have a question.”
The farm’s other new routines are more sobering, however. “We have put up Plexiglas screens at the registers to protect our staff,” she said. “We also are wiping down carts and shopping baskets. Our cleaning routines have been put into overdrive. This week we have started morning meetings with staff where we ask them about their exposure to the virus and if they have any symptoms. We’re also temperature testing them before they begin working.”
Yet she remains upbeat about her new normal. “I’ve never felt the call to farm more strongly than I did this March,” she said. “Watching and hearing the customers’ fears about their food supply running out was a real wakeup call. I was able to comfort them with the promise that we would not run out of food this season. The importance of farmers in the U.S.A. really came to light. After several weeks of proving that we’d have a good supply of the staple food products, I began to see their fears calm and they settled into more normal buying patterns. I hope consumers know how hard we have all been working to make sure that their food supply is strong this year.” Escobar Highland Farms Along with important COVID-19 precautions, this Portsmouth, RI farm, which features a Corn Maze and, in season, a pumpkin patch, will reopen on September 4 with eight acres of corn planted and a new design now created. The popular Portsmouth labyrinth that draws thousands of visitors every Fall will once again get curious maze-goers “lost” when it opens to the public, farm manager Stuart MacNaught said. “Part of an increasingly popular ‘agri-tainment’ trend, it will be joined this year by more than 250 affiliated MAiZE sites across the United States, Canada, and Europe,” he added. To address COVID-19 safety, he said, the Escobar Farm Maze will be instituting the following: • Ongoing sanitizing/cleaning • Sanitizer stations for guests • Reduced capacity of guests • Social distancing of six feet in lines • Employees and/or guests wearing masks when distancing is not possible • Health screening and temperature checking of employees The Escobars are also currently exploring other safety measures including contactless payment via debit and credit cards, online reservations and online ticket purchases, he said. The Escobar family, in partnership with world-renowned maze designer Brett Herbst, and despite the COVID-19 cautions, hopes to once again give families a chance to experience the unique source of good farming fun in their newly-designed labyrinth, MacNaught said. 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.
S ou th C oast P r ime T imes
S ep tember /O c tober 2020
13
GOOD PRIMETIMES LIVING
A South Coast childhood
Eliz abeth Morse Read
I grew up in a magical place called New Bedford. It was full of strange grownups, interesting places, and foods and smells you’d never find anywhere else. Every day was a puzzle to unravel, a mystery to solve, a million questions to ask.
Like, why do men wear hats? How do airplanes stay up? Do fish sleep? Asking my mother or grandmother questions almost never got an answer. They’d say, “Go ask your father.” But they were around the house more than he was, so I always asked them first, just in case. When he came home, I’d ask him, or else I’d go downstairs to ask Mr. P., the elderly gentleman who was very smart and always had time to answer questions. Mr. P. spent a lot of time helping me with my arithmetic homework, even when I cried. We watched Huntley and Brinkley together every night, and he’d explain what they were talking about on the TV. I was good at sitting still and listening, unlike my sisters. He said that men wore hats to cover their bald heads
14
S ou th C oast P r ime T imes
and to raise them when they greeted a lady on the street. He let me watch him shave with a long knife, a mug full of soap and then he’d splash himself with something called bay rum.
We’d ride to Onset Beach to buy saltwater taffy or to Dighton Rock to see the drawings someone had carved on it,
S ep tember /O c tober 2020
He was born on a farm in 1890, a very long time ago, and he told me stories about carrying baked potatoes in his mittens when he walked to school in the winter and how his sister Eliza got coal in her Christmas stocking one time because she’d been naughty. He loved to go for long rides to explore places far away from our street. We’d ride to Onset Beach to buy saltwater taffy or to Dighton Rock to see the drawings someone had carved on it, or to Gulf Hill to watch the cows getting milked. He said it was going to rain if the cows were lying down.
O
n the weekends, my father was always making things or fixing things, and if I was quiet and didn’t fidget, he’d let me watch. He’d explain what he was doing and what the tools were called. He told me how air going over the airplane’s wings gave it a “lift” and that’s how the plane stayed up. Every Sunday, he’d take us all for long rides through the country in our station wagon to see apple orchards or fishing boats or through the woods and we’d see pheasants with long tail feathers walking
on the side of the road. Sometimes when it was getting dark, he’d drive us out to the airport to throw pebbles up in the air to fool the bats and swallows. He told me that the smell of low tide would make your feet grow. I didn’t want my feet to grow, so I held my breath for as long as I could when we drove over the bridge. He didn’t want me watching when he shaved, but I know he splashed himself with Old Spice, because that was what I gave him for Christmas every year. One time he gave me a microscope, even though he said it was from Santa. Anyhow, the best ride of all was when we’d get into our pajamas and go to the drive-in movies in Dartmouth or Fairhaven. My mother would spread out a blanket in the back and give each of us a pillow. I usually fell asleep before the movie ended. Sometimes my friend’s mother would drop us off at the Keith Theater in Fairhaven to watch Vincent Price movies, and take us to A&W after for root beer and French fries. I never fell asleep during Vincent Price movies.
something and trying to teach me how to clean, too. I wasn’t much interested and if I started playing her favorite songs on the piano (she loved “Moon River”), she’d forget and start singing while she cleaned all by herself. She sang a lot during the day, but I only learned how to hum along because sometimes the words just didn’t make sense. One of her favorite songs sounded like “Come to me, my melon – call me baby.” Sometimes she’d say something like, “You’ll catch more flies with honey than vinegar,” but she never answered when I asked her why anyone would want to catch flies. But that happened a lot when grownups talked. One time my father and his friend put a blueprint on the kitchen table and talked about how they were going to build a “bum shelter” in our cellar. Why would we want a hobo living in our cellar? And every time we went to Horseneck Beach in Westport, my parents would remind us over and over to be careful not to get sucked under the water by the Under Toad. Why would they bring us to a place that had giant frogs under the water waiting to eat us? At least when we went swimming at Acushnet Beach we only had jellyfish and sometimes a baby shark to worry about, especially after the bishop went down to the docks to call them.
We always bought our groceries at the BPM where they packed everything in big brown paper bags and delivered them to our house a few hours later
O
nce in a while my mother would take me with her when she went shopping downtown. I’d follow her through the Star Store and Wing’s and Cherry’s, and sometimes I’d sit in a little While-U-Wait booth when my shoes needed new heels. We always bought our groceries at the BPM where they packed everything in big brown paper bags and delivered them to our house a few hours later. Sometimes we went to the little bakery on Coggeshall Street to buy Portuguese rolls – the baker always put an extra roll in the bag just for me and called it a baker’s dozen, even though it was more than twelve. She didn’t shave like my father or Mr. P. did, but she put Chanel No. 5 on her wrists and behind her ears every morning. My mother was always cleaning
Estate and Medicaid Legal Services — For You and Your Family —
Schedule your Consultation Today!
• Health Care Proxies and Living Wills • Durable Powers of Attorney
• Homestead Protection • Wills and Trusts • Medicaid Planning • Medicaid Applications
Jane E. Sullivan, Esq. 624 Brayton Avenue • Fall River, MA
508-679-0535
It’s All About Doing What’s Best for You and Your Family
www.janesullivanlaw.com
W
e lived on the second floor and you could see into our neighbors’ dining room if they left the curtains open. We had a bathroom, a living room with the TV, a parlor for company, a dining room for Sunday dinners and holidays, a kitchen, two bedrooms, and a little room off the front hall for my grandmother. There was also a sunporch off the back hall where I could watch the birds in my neighbors’ trees. We all played outside until the street lights came on and it was time for supper. There were a lot of trees on my street,
Continued on next page S ou th C oast P r ime T imes
S ep tember /O c tober 2020
15
Continued from previous page
303 State Road n Westport, MA n
Monuments
n
Cemetery Lettering
n
Cleaning & Repair
n
Mailbox Posts
n
Benches
n
Address Rocks
n
Pet Markers
n
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
www.GunOrphanage.com 16
S ou th C oast P r ime T imes
which was good for hide-and-seek, but the hurricanes knocked a lot of them down. Sometimes in the summer, you would hear loud clip-clopping and you’d know that the rag man was coming with his horse and wagon yelling, “Rags! Rags!” and woman would come out of their houses with old towels and sheets. During the day, there would be people coming to the door all the time – the milkman, the mailman, sometimes the doctor, sometimes nuns, the Fuller Brush man, or the big man who delivered the drycleaning. One day he came while I was eating lunch and I noticed that the inside of his hands were the color of my skin and not like the rest of his skin, so I asked him why not. “Because that’s how God made me,” he said. Oh, okay. So I finished my lunch and went back to school.
how she would never trust a certain man because “his eyes are too close together,” even though his face looked okay to me. Dinnertime at our house was like a calendar – you always knew what day it was by what my mother cooked. Fish and chips on Fridays, black pudding and beans on Saturdays, a roast beef or chicken on Sundays. On the other nights, there were soups or stews with Portuguese rolls, pork chops (my mother loved pork chops) with potatoes, boiled ham dinner (followed by pea soup the next night), and sometimes my father would bring home spaghetti and meatballs from the Depot Cafe. My grandmother was afraid of “the trichinosis,” and wanted to take a boil out of meat before cooking it, so she was put in charge of desserts, which was okay with me because my mother wasn’t a very good baker. Sometimes she’d make us onion pies, or else she’d bring home a box of Eccles cakes, hermits, and lemon squares. Like all the old people on our street, my
During the day, there would be people coming to the door all the time – the milkman, the mailman, sometimes the doctor, sometimes nuns, the Fuller Brush man, or the big man who delivered the drycleaning
E
veryone in my neighborhood had a grandmother or old auntie living with them. My grandmother was born in 1898, a long time ago, and she came over here in a ship where the windows were covered in black curtains because of torpedoes. She only went to school through third grade and worked like everyone else in her family until they came over here when she was a teenager to work in the mills. She told me about how people here didn’t like them and had signs in the store windows telling them not to apply for a job there. She’d say strange things, too, like
S ep tember /O c tober 2020
grandmother went to church a lot and her bedroom was decorated with palms, statues of St. Jude and the Blessed Virgin, and holy cards stuck in the mirror. She said the rosary every day and listened to Cardinal Cushing on the radio on Saturdays. He always sounded like he had a bad cold. Sometimes she’d take me downtown with her – we’d take the number seven bus and wander through the Enterprise and Woolworth’s and then we’d eat chow mein sandwiches at the Chinese restaurant. Then we’d take the bus home and she’d let me pull the buzzer cord so we could get off. She taught me how to crochet booties because there was always someone in our family who was expecting a baby. She smelled like baby powder and mothballs.
One summer, my parents said I was old enough to take the steamship Nobska all by myself to visit my other grandmother and my cousins on Nantucket. It was nothing like my neighborhood – it had round stones in the streets, houses with porches on the roof, the Enchanted Dollhouse, and roses that smelled like my mother’s Pond’s cold cream growing everywhere. My Nantucket grandmother was born in 1900 in a place called Yorkshire and she had a scarlet fever when she was little and had to get her ears pierced because the fever had hurt her eyes. She drove a Volkswagen over people’s lawns to head in the direction she wanted to go. After the fog burned off each morning, we’d all pile into her car to chase the firetruck or watch the surf on the way to Sconset. She carried a basket instead of a pocketbook and smelled of tea and lavender. One Christmas, she gave me my first grownup book, The Silent Spring. Sometimes someone would give her a bluefish and she would bake it in the oven. It tasted okay, but I was always afraid the smell of it would make my feet grow.
Across the street was the chapel where I was supposed to go to Confession, but sometimes I forgot and went to the Mr. Peanut store instead
I
was very happy when my parents said I was old enough to walk downtown all by myself. I would walk past the drug store where you could buy a glass of Coca-Cola for a nickel, then wave at the old ladies who sat on their front porches. I would walk past my church and my grammar school, then the big funeral home and the public high school before I looked both ways and crossed the street. My first stop was always the library, where it was cool and dark inside with paintings of ships and whales up on the top floor. Outside there was a statue of a man in half a boat holding up a spear. Across the street was the chapel where I was supposed to go to Confession, but sometimes I forgot and went to the Mr. Peanut store instead. I wasn’t supposed to go below Purchase Street, but there was a joke shop with fake throw-up and whoopee cushions I liked to visit and sometimes I’d even walk down to the fishing docks and watch men crochet nets on their boats. It was pretty smelly down there, but I never stayed long because I didn’t want my feet to grow. Then I’d walk home with my new library books, eating my peanuts before I got home so I wouldn’t have to share with my sisters.
fall into savings event starts sept 1st!
Y
ou can’t go back to a time when children were largely left unsupervised and were expected to entertain themselves. To a time when people walked or took a bus because there was only one family car, and when everyone ate meals together at home. But some things never changed here, so I came back home years later because I missed foghorns, fried clams, white skies, and people who dressed for the weather, not fashion. I had missed the smell of low tide.
Elizabeth Morse Read is an awardwinning 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.
to 4 MON - FRI OPEN 10 9 to 1 SATURDAYS
S ou th C oast P r ime T imes
S ep tember /O c tober 2020
17
PRIME LIVING
Check out our
After several long months, the South Coast is beginning to look like its old self again. We are still on the path towards a full recovery from COVID-19, but that hasn’t stopped local business owners from finding creative solutions to the biggest problem any of us have ever faced. Bob G aw Preferred Residential Network
Missy Panchley Oakwood Estates
Susan Gurry Horner Millwork
218 Shove Street, Fall River prnafc.com
500 Swansea Mall Drive, Swansea oakwoodseniorestates.com
1255 GAR Highway (Route 6), Somerset hornermillwork.com
We have been very lucky to not have any confirmed Covid cases at any of our properties. We did have a sanitization company come every week through the end of phase 1 and every other week in phase 2 to help keep our residents safe. That, and our maintenance personnel sanitizing twice a day, and some luck, has kept the residents and staff healthy. We have also put in measures regarding mask wearing, social distancing, and reducing capacity in the elevator and laundry room. Now that Massachusetts is in phase 3, we are slowly starting to get together for socially distant knitting, card playing, coloring, and outdoor lunches. Our waitlist continues to grow. I think people understand that we have safe, clean, comfortable properties.
Horner Millwork remained open the entire time because we were considered an “essential business.” Early on, that was a difficult thing for some employees and people to understand. We were providing products to hospitals and other essential businesses that were critical to treating patients and assisting first responders. In many parts of the state, building remained strong and we provided our customers with products to continue building homes which had a positive impact on our economy. We also saw many homeowners, forced to stay home and cancel vacations, take on house projects. Door screens were very popular as well as outdoor kitchens and decks. The biggest challenges we faced, and continue to deal with, is a shortage in staffing in our manufacturing.
“
We are providing our Adult Family Care caregivers with free hand sanitizers, medical face masks, thermometers, and face shields. Anyone who is caring for and living with a friend or relative on MassHealth standard can apply today for personal protection supplies and a financial stipend up to $1,650 per month.
Sharon Vieira J&J Diamond Jewelers
“
167 Borden Street, Fall River JJJewelry.com
We understand that not everyone is comfortable heading out into the public. With that being said, we are continuing to offer curbside pickup and appointment business to help accommodate everyone’s concerns.
18
S ou th C oast P r ime T imes
“
S ep tember /O c tober 2020
“
Denis Tetrault Patenaude Jewelers
Bill Bachant Gun Orphanage
1473 South Main Street, Fall River patenaudejewelers.com
9 Tyler Avenue, East Wareham gunorphanage.com
“
We have been very encouraged by the ever-increasing business activity in the past few weeks. We are confident that people will continue to shop in a safe and considerate manner.
Sandy Dennis Creative A rts Network, Inc. 132 Highland Avenue, Fall River creativeartsnetwork.org
“
The recent public health crisis has proven challenging, canceling most of our events and putting our fundraising efforts on hold. In response, we have pivoted away from programing and focused more on projects such as “Hortensia” The Hydrangea Project and we have developed a 10-minute survey to help rank priorities from the communities. CAN is also directing its efforts into developing a public art policy for the City of Fall River. CAN’s refocused effort and strategy has proven successful.
Jane E. Sullivan, Esq. 624 Brayton Avenue, Fall River Janesullivanlaw.com
“
I am so grateful that Massachusetts has proceeded with the utmost caution throughout the pandemic and as we gradually reopen our economy. I have welcomed my clients and their families back with safety protocols in place that everyone is observing without hesitation. We must all strive to create our “new normal,” which includes following the guidelines issued by local and state public health authorities so that we can keep ourselves, our families, our clients, and customers and their families safe.
Joan A lbanese A lbanese Monuments 303 State Road, Westport albanesemonuments.com
“
We reopened in June and are dealing with our customers by email and telephone. Our office is open to the public from 10 to 4 on Monday through Friday and 9 to 1 on Saturdays. We meet with our customers outside of the office and try our best to meet their needs while conducting business outside.
“
Our real estate offices, our construction company, and our gun shop are seeing extremely robust business. In real estate, there are so many qualified buyers out there and so little inventory that houses are sold within a matter of hours. In building/renovation, everyone has been looking at renovating, upgrading, replacing, and refreshing their homes. And gun sales are through the roof! We cannot keep up with requests for firearms and ammunition and have been sold out each month for our gun safety courses.
Chris Richard Fairhaven Visitors Center 141 Main Street, Fairhaven FairhavenTours.blogspot.com
“
The Fairhaven Office of Tourism has just two regularly scheduled activities going on this summer, but both are doing quite well. The Huttleston Marketplace, held on the lawn of the Visitors Center and Fairhaven High School on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. has been hosting between 40 and 50 booths of arts and crafts, farm produce, and locally made food products, and attendance has been very good. Both the vendors and the public have been happy about how it has been going. Our other activity is the Pirates & Privateers presentation at historical Fort Phoenix on Friday mornings from 10 a.m. to about 11:15. Small family groups and individuals have been there on all of the weeks that it has been held. Both events require wearing masks and maintaining social distance and both are free of charge to the public.
Online advertising
Effective, affordable local advertising Our readers live and shop in our surrounding area and we can help you reach them!
Learn more and reserve your online ad today! Call 508.677.3000.
CoastalMags.com
Nancy Chaffee Chaffee Communications 310 Maple Ave # L02, Barrington chaffeecommunications.com
“
We have seen somewhat of a slowdown. One client had to cancel their events for the season. Fortunately we can easily work from home with computers and the Internet. We just hope it gets better sooner than later.
S ou th C oast P r ime T imes
S ep tember /O c tober 2020
19
GOOD TIMES
Bound to my age I vowed with all my heart that once I started noticing I was getting older, to never get older. And along with the vow to my first wife to be Paul together forever broken K andarian decades ago, this newest one lays shattered by the side of life’s road in ruins, nothing but memories of a youth spent bounding. See, I was a bounder. That’s the best way to put it. I’d not walk anywhere like into my house or upstairs. I’d fairly bound, which is running at a good pace and leaping. Bounding and leaping. That was the mode of transportation du jour in my younger days, which far outnumber my older days. And that’s the thing as you age: you remember what you used to do, what your body was capable of doing and which you can still do now but in a greatly diminished form that little resembles the way it was, the way you were. Now, at 66 and really for the last few years, I don’t bound or leap. I try to, but it ends up being a slow lift of leg and foot with an accompanying groan of pain and simultaneous snap, crackle, and pop of every Rice Krispie joint in my lower half. It sucks. It totally and completely sucks. I mean my mind wants to do it, it remembers bounding and leaping, fondly, soaring up staircases three steps at a time, a veritable superhero of perambulation. I try that now and I feel like a broken-down former comic book character unable to perambulate to the nearest ambulance. Sigh. The human body wasn’t meant to be around as long as it is these days. It was designed to hit puberty, make children and provide for those children briefly by hunting and gathering, and then
20
S ou th C oast P r ime T imes
dying after fulfilling our promulgation obligation. Now, thanks to historically rapid medical advances, evolution hasn’t caught up (and won’t for a long time) to the need for our bodies to adapt to a longer shelf life. And as a result, everything hurts because our leaping and bounding years weren’t supposed to last this long. The pandemic definitely didn’t help. Granted, as of this writing anyway, I remain healthy, as do my family and friends. I am grateful for that. But the gyms closed, hockey went away, and as much as I tried to stay in shape hiking, things started to stiffen, ache, and resonate with the toll of a lotta years spent bounding and leaping.
Now, thanks to historically rapid medical advances, evolution hasn’t caught up (and won’t for a long time) to the need for our bodies to adapt to a longer shelf life. Now, the gyms are open and slowly I’m working worn body parts, or the muscles around them, to mitigate the pain, and that’s the best we can do. Strengthen the areas around that arthritic knee, shoulder, and back and take the strain off. It helps, immeasurably. And happily, I’m back to hockey, back on the ice, back in the tools of ignorance, as the late, great Gump Worsley called goalie
S ep tember /O c tober 2020
gear, he the last pro netminder to not wear a mask, leading to another great Gumpism as he famously said, “My face is my mask.” And it looked it. But for a little while now, I’ve been strapping on those tools and flopping and flipping and falling all over the ice in an effort to stop the puck, sometimes succeeding, sometimes not, but winning isn’t the goal anymore. Getting off the ice in one piece is. Or at least with minimal pain. The pain is still there, however, it never really goes away. Not too many years ago, I’d wake up to this pain or that pain, a balky joint, a tricky ankle, a back spasm, but the next day or even a few hours of stretching later, it’d be gone. And I’d be back to leaping and bounding. Now that knee, that shoulder, that back… the pain is constant and a good day is when I can walk without a limp. And sadly, that invariably leads to this when I’m walking with someone. Them: “Why are you limping?” Me: “I’m limping?” Shoot me. Shoot me now. But I shall persevere. I shall continue to hike, to play hockey, to work out. I shall not end up like my dad, who, after he hit 70 or so, just gave up, did no or little exercise and got very old, walking stooped over like a man forever looking for dropped coins. I shall not go gentle into that good night, as Dylan Thomas poeticized. I shall go kicking and screaming and playing the game I love and staving off the dark angel and living every juicy drop of life to its fullest. Just no leaping and bounding anymore. Hey, I’m an old guy now, what’s my hurry?
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.
Save hundreds in rebates! Plus 20% on your gas bill. Now’s the time! Replace your old gas-fired heating system
Most Efficient Efficient
2017 2019
www.energystar.gov
Clifton
ASSISTED SSISTED L LIVING IVING C COMMUNITY OMMUNITY
Because B ecause yyou ou ddeserve eserve iit! t!
Accommodations start start at at only only $3,150 $3,025per permonth....... month....... Assisted Living Accommodations beautiful New New England England country country inn inn that that overlooks overlooksscenic scenicMount MountHope HopeBay. Bay.Discover Discoveraa Imagine, living in a beautiful lifestyle that that provides provides aa wonderful wonderful new new feeling feeling of of comfort comfortand andsecurity. security. Contrary Contrarytotoliving living carefree senior lifestyle oversized house, house, especially especially when when assistance assistance isis needed, needed, the the “Inn” “Inn” atat Clifton Clifton can can be be alone in a large oversized worrisome and and less less expensive. expensive. At At the the “Inn” “Inn” we we have have no no typical typicalapartments—each apartments—eachone one significantly less worrisome do vary vary according according to to apartment apartmentsize, size,location locationand andspecific specificfeatures. features. is different and prices do other assisted assisted living living communities, communities, the the “Inn” “Inn” offers offers so so much much more. more. Clifton’s Clifton’s almost almost When compared to other consist of of amenities amenities that that many many other otherfacilities facilitiescharge chargeextra extrafor, for,including....... including....... all-inclusive rates consist Three delicious delicious Meals Meals Daily Daily Personal Personal Care Care Services Services Green Green House House Medication Medication Management Management Scheduled Scheduled Transportation Transportation Walking Walking Paths Paths Step-In Step-In Showers Showers 24-hour CNA 24-hour CNA Staffing Staffing Emergency Monitoring Monitoring Systems Systems Library with Fireplace Library with Fireplace
Daily DailyActivities Activities Registered RegisteredNurses Nursestotomonitor monitor your yourhealth healthand andwell-being well-being Garden Garden&&Water WaterViews Views Walk-In Walk-InClosets Closets Housekeeping Housekeepingand andLaundry LaundryServices Services Fitness FitnessArea Area Non-Denominational Non-DenominationalChapel Chapel Whirl WhirlPool PoolSpa Spa And AndMuch, Much,Much MuchMore… More…
You have choices in retirement, retirement, make make the the “Inn” “Inn” at at Clifton Clifton one one of of them. them.We Weencourage encourageyou youtotocall callDiane, Diane, make an appointment appointment and and learn learn more more about about the the advantages advantages of of our our unique unique Clifton Clifton Healthcare Healthcare Campus.......and compare. compare.
444 WILBUR ILBUR A AVENUE VENUE,, S SOMERSET OMERSET,, MA MA02725 02725 508-324-0200 508-324-0200
