7 minute read
Coleman Senior Center Director Sheryl Watson retiring after 28½ years
Sheryl Watson (Photo provided / Senior Services)
BY NANCY KAWIECKI
Center Services Manager, Midland County Senior Services
After 28 ½ years as the director of the Coleman Senior Center, Sheryl Watson is retiring. Watson started as the director on October 12, 1993. While she was working in Midland at another agency located in the same building as Senior Services, a co-worker saw an advertisement for the position and suggested that Watson apply. The co-worker thought Sheryl would be a good fit since she was from Coleman.
In Watson’s position, she has touched many lives in the Coleman community. When she first started, the Coleman Center was at the corner of Fifth and Washington streets. In 2006, the center moved to its current location on East Webster. The main activity was playing cards and having various card tournaments. As director, Sheryl has added many more activities, such as video exercise, arts and crafts, puzzles, bingo, and other games. The center also hosts holiday parties, a monthly birthday and anniversary party, educational presentations, health clinics, and an annual picnic. Watson has also collaborated with 4-H and Boy Scouts to host a special holiday evening, and hosts the monthly Coleman Historical Society meetings. We wish Sheryl Watson the best in her future endeavors and are thankful for her time and commitment during her years at Senior Services.
Fire up the grill for fish
Grilling season presents ample opportunities to explore new culinary horizons. Just about anything that can be cooked indoors also can be prepared outdoors over an open flame. And many foodies insist that grilling produces unique flavors that simply cannot be replicated when cooking via other means. Individuals looking to stray from grilling season staples like hot dogs and hamburgers can try this recipe for “Mojito Fish Steaks” courtesy of Andrew Schloss’ “Cooking Slow: Recipes for Slowing Down and Cooking More” (Chronicle Books).
Mojito Fish Steaks
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients:
• 4 firm-fleshed fish steaks, such as salmon, swordfish, kingfish, or sable, each 6 to 8 ounces, about 3⁄4-inch thick • 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for brushing • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the Mojito Mop:
• 3 tablespoons light rum • Juice and finely grated zest of • 1 large lime • 1 tablespoon canola oil • 1 teaspoon hot-pepper sauce • 1 tablespoon sugar • 4 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
Directions:
1. Light a grill for indirect low heat, about 200 F. If using a charcoal grill, build a small charcoal fire at one end of the grill. If using a gas grill, set a burner at one end of the grill to medium-low. Put the grill grate on the grill and clean the grill grate with a wire brush.
2. Coat the fish steaks with 2 tablespoons olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Set aside for 5 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, make the mop:
In a small bowl, stir together the rum, lime juice, canola oil, hot-pepper sauce, sugar, and 3 tablespoons of the mint leaves.
4. Brush the grill grate with olive oil. Put the fish on the grill away from the heat, spoon 1 tablespoon of the mop over each fish steak, cover the grill, and cook until the fish steaks flake to gentle pressure, about 1 hour, basting with mop about every 5 minutes.
5. Serve each fish steak scattered with the remaining chopped mint and the lime zest.
LEFT PICTURE:
Lee Township resident Randy Kursinsky tries to get a closer look at one of the birds he spotted.
(Dave Shane / for the Daily News)
MIDDLE PICTURE:
When walking through nature, Randy Kursinsky keeps a tally of the birds he sees. (Dave Shane /
for the Daily News)
RIGHT PICTURE:
Randy Kursinsky, 64, of Lee Township, takes notes during a recent trip to Pine River Park on South Seven Mile Road. He has been a bird watcher for 50 years. (Dave Shane /
for the Daily News)
BY DAVE SHANE for the Daily News
When 64-year-old Randy Kursinsky of Midland was a boy, he received a memorable assignment from a science teacher at his school in Deckerville, a small community in Michigan’s Thumb.
It was an assignment that would change his life. Kursinsky, now a retired City of Midland worker who lives on a quiet road in Lee Township, was asked to go out and make a list of all the different kinds of birds he could see.
That assignment got Kursinsky interested in his life-long hobby of bird watching, or birding. To this day, when he goes outside, he automatically focuses on the sights and sounds around him.
“I’m into anything in the natural world – astronomy, I collect rocks, take photographs,” he said. “I feel aimless and without a purpose if I’m not looking at birds or looking at plants.” When Kursinsky started birding, it was a journey of learning. “When I was younger, and I heard a bird, I had to go find it to identify it,” he said.
Fifty years later, Kursinsky is an accomplished birder.
“I can walk outside in the woods now and identify 100 birds (by song) without seeing them.”
Senior Scope • July / August 2022
Experienced birders can identify a particular bird by its call before they actually see it. Then, they pivot their binoculars in the direction of the sound to see if they can spot their finding. Not only does Kursinsky know the songs of many birds, he can also tell you about the different sounds within the same species. Is it a robin looking for a mate? Is it in distress? Or, is the bird simply singing because it is a pleasant morning? Birders enjoy keeping tabs on how many species they can identify, and they often record and share their findings. For instance, every year, Kursinsky keeps a running tally of how many different kinds of birds he has seen at his property. July / August 2022 • Senior Scope His number might be higher than that of most homeowners, as he owns several acres, including a pond and woods. Last year, he identified 109 species. This year, he has already identified 105. And, while most migratory birds are spotted during the spring, he is confident he will surpass last year’s mark. Kursinsky is well prepared for the job. He has binoculars set in front of three different windows at his home.
Kursinsky has gone birding in 35 states and to several countries – like Poland, Ireland, Iceland and Costa Rica. But newcomers to the hobby don’t have to travel far to get started. A good pair of binoculars and a bird guide can help newcomers identify backyard birds. There also are bird sounds recorded online, so newcomers can identify what they are hearing. Was that a wren, or a sparrow? They also can receive assistance from members of the Chippewa Valley Audubon Club of Mount Pleasant – the closest organization to Midland for bird watchers.
Kursinsky said the recent global pandemic didn’t hurt the hobby. “I think it’s picking up, especially because of COVID. People couldn’t go anywhere. It was a boon for birding.” Being retired also is an advantage for Kursinsky. “I did a lot more birding when I retired,” he said. Some birders, like Kursinsky, enjoy reporting their findings online through various birding associations and apps. When a bird watcher reports seeing a rare species for their region, other birders may read about the finding and travel halfway across the state just to catch a glimpse of it. “It definitely gives you something to do. You are contributing to citizen science,” Kursinsky said. These days, Kursinsky, a Michigan State University graduate in parks and recreation design, enjoys showing others the best places to see nature. He recently led a group of bird watchers from the Chippewa Valley club through the Midland area. He also is building a list and a map of top Midland County viewing locations to share with naturalists. Currently, he has 37 places on his list – from Averill Preserve to Salt River Park to Whiting Overlook Park. Kursinsky said there are more than 10,000 bird species in the world. That includes about 450 that have been spotted in Michigan and 276 that have been spotted in Midland County. “Of those 276 in Midland County, probably 76 are rare,” he said. In his lifetime, Kursinsky has spotted 718 different species. “The goal is to always find a new bird you’ve never seen.” Kursinsky has a few bird songs he enjoys hearing. Around here, it’s the winter wren. Out West, it’s the canyon wren. Another sound that impresses him comes from the titmouse. It is a tiny gray bird that has a powerful voice. But if you ask Kursinsky what’s his favorite bird in the world, he has a hard time coming up with an answer. “A lot of people ask me that,” he said.
Perhaps that means he loves them all.
