Van Wyck Gazette Autumn Issue 2013

Fall 2013

Van Wyck Gazette A magazine with personality!

Acoustic Thursday Mike Jurkovic

Falcon Ridge Folk Festival Steve Kelman

Humor ~ Smirk ~ Carol Nelson Falcone

Fishkill • Hopewell Junction • Beacon • Newburgh • Wappingers Falls • Poughkeepsie

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Fall 2013 Issue

Contents

Editor in Chief Joseph Caplan

Joseph holds a BA from SUNY Albany and MA in Community Psychology from Marist College. Currently the Publisher of Van Wyck Gazette magazine.

Falcon Ridge Folk 3 Festival Steve Kelman

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Steve holds a BA in Communications and reported for NJ Media Group and Prime Times of NJ.

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Dutchess Rail Trail Peter Rae

Peter Rae works on seniors-related projects and edits Quality Living @ Home on behalf of the Ridgefield (CT) Visiting Nurses Association which helps seniors to live as independently as possible.

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Acoustic Thursday at High Falls Cafe Mike Jurkovic

Mike is co-director of Calling All Poets at the Howland. His first book of poetry Purgatory Road was published in 2010 .

The Tomato Sauce 12 Massacre Carol Nelson Falcone

Carol holds a BA and MA from SUNY Fredonia and published her first book of humor titled Smirk.

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Falcon Ridge Folk Festival

by Steve Kelman

Events

Every summer a community of music and dance comes to life on a farm field in Columbia County, New York, something that has been happening for almost 25 years.

dance workshops in Cajun, Swing and Contra were also offered before scheduled dances took place. And some of those dances would go on to the wee hours!

Some compare this community of campers, musicians, and music and dance enthusiasts to the Lerner and Loewe musical Brigadoon, which is a story about a Scottish village that appears for one day every one hundred years.

Another large component to this festival experience was the food and craft venders who offered a wonderful variety of culinary and caffeinated delights as well as eclectic and unique gifts.

Members of this village however, do not have to wait that long to come together. The gathering which takes place at the Dodd Farm in Hillsdale in early August, (formerly late July) known as The Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, often lasts longer than the three day scheduled event.

“Our patrons are an amazing group of dedicated people who come year after year, bringing their own special contributions to the festival” Director Howard Randall writes in the festival program.

“They bring babies and tents and musical instruments and set up clever campsites. Here people are very friendly and everyone seems to watch out for everyone else, it’s a wonderful feeling.”

The artists that performed at this year’s festival, now in its twenty-fifth year, consisted of an interesting blend of folk singer/songwriter, independent bluegrass and jam band, traditional swing and Cajun dance.

Performers included Vance Gilbert, Red Molly, Dar Williams, The Jason Spooner Band, C.J. Chenier and the Red Hot Louisiana Band, George Marshall and Wild Asparagus, Ralph Sweet and Clayfoot Strutters, The Grand Slambovians, Susan Werner, Chester River Runoff and The Stray Birds to name just a few.

Throughout the festival there were workshops where performers participated in interestingly themed presentations with such titles as “Beatles Forever” “Hardly Strictly the Blues,” and “Wake me, Shake me.”

For those who loved dancing and desired to learn a few moves,

Red Molly Food venders included How We Roll, a food truck hailing from Pittsfield, Massachusetts, serving “everything in an egg roll;” Nyota’s Thing from Queens, New York, offered a variety of vegetarian cuisine; Que Quesadilla, had, well, Quesadillas; then Angelos Pizza for not only pizza but some unbelievably delicious blooming onions; Pierce Brothers Coffee Roasters for wonderful Fair Trade iced tea and coffee; and Thai Jasmine’s tasty lo mein and chicken satay.

As for craft venders one probably couldn’t find a more varied and interesting festival midway.

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Fall 2013 Issue

Events

Falcon Ridge Folk Festival

by Steve Kelman - continued

There you would find guitars made out of cigar boxes, African musical instruments, glass work, candles, soaps, handmade clothing, Native and South American artwork, buttons, bumper stickers, Eat More Kale tea shirts and hats, hats, and even more hats.

Other noteworthy performances hats, caps along with shorts, shirts and throughout the three days included the jam jackets. band and blues oriented rhythms of Jason “This festival is like being in a community” Spooner and his group, the high energy said Gail, an attendee from Norwalk, zydeco grooves of C.J. Chenier, the vocal Connecticut during the Friday afternoon harmonies of Red Molly, the authentic emerging artist showcase.

Appalachian sounds of The Stray Birds, a trio of young multi-instrumentalists, and virtually every guitar chord, vocal and joke coming from Vance Gilbert, who played numerous times throughout the duration of the festival.

An audience member was observed saying Gilbert’s performance as part of the “Sunday Morning Wake up Call” was “a highlight of the festival.”

This main stage festival fixture focuses on gospel and gospel related musical themes.

Mark Dann, a member of the Falcon Ridge House Band and a multiinstrumentalist from Woodstock, NY, has been performing at the festival for at least the last 17 years where he backs up many of the artists.

“The quality of the music here is exceedingly high, I’m always seeing people here that are really talented” he said.

Stray Birds Venders included Wild Ravens, for handmade tea shirts; the African Traders Market, for imported, traditional hand-made instruments such as kalimbas from Ghana and Senegal, as well as clothing and artwork; Eagle Ray Traders, for hand- made clothing made in Bali and Indonesia; Pacha Mana sold Native South American crafts, textiles and musical instruments mostly made in Ecuador; and Sunflower Trading had a wide assortment of hats, derbys, sun

Anne Saunders, Falcon Ridge copromoter wants to see the festival continue The emerging artist showcase kicks off and announced that in the coming months the festival on the main stage and is where a foundation will be formed to work on 24 artists from throughout the nation are making this a reality. given an opportunity to perform two songs “We would like to get this set up by each.

February 2014” she said adding information “This is a great way to meet people.”

The audience then votes for the three artists they enjoyed best, and the three who receive the highest vote tally are then invited back to next year’s festival as paid performers.

will be posted on the festival’s web site: falconridgefolk.com.

In closing, the experiences that I and others have had at this festival over the years would fill several articles.

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Fall 2013 Issue

Recreation

D u t c h e s s R a i l Tr a i l

by Peter Rae

Bicyclists and Runners Replace England Railroad, which ran through Freight Trains as Final Link in Dutchess Brewster and Danbury to major southern Rail Trail Is Opened New England industrial cities including Waterbury, Bridgeport and New Haven.

When it opens this October, the pedestrian

overpass being constructed over Highway 55 in the Town of Poughkeepsie will be the final link in the Dutchess County Rail Trail, a 13-mile paved pathway for runners, walkers and bicyclists between Hopewell Junction and the Walkway Over the Hudson in Poughkeepsie. But it’s not the first time this corridor linked cities and towns in Dutchess County, and west of the Hudson as well.

The Poughkeepsie bridge soon became the principal conduit for freight service between the states to the west and south of the Hudson and New England’s factories.

Trains were consolidated in the Maybrook Yards, about eight miles west of the bridge, and sent over the bridge and on to New England. And because the Dutchess County hills along the route through Brewster and Danbury had easier grades than the When the bridge first opened for business Millerton route, most freight trains used the in 1888, it was as a railroad connection DCR. providing the southernmost direct rail Despite the easier grades, the hills still passage over the Hudson River for freight represented a problem. The railroad trains. The first link on the east side was maintained as many as thirty “pusher” the Dutchess and Columbia Railroad, which locomotives at its Hopewell Junction yards ran northeast from Poughkeepsie to to get the long coal carrier and other trains Millerton, where it connected to lines to up and over the hills to the east and onward Hartford and Boston. On May 5, 1892, an to New England. alternate corridor was established with the In 1892, in addition to the New York and opening of the Dutchess County Railroad New England Railroad, two other rail links ( D C R ) , r u n n i n g s o u t h e a s t f r o m already operated through Hopewell (hence Poughkeepsie to Hopewell Junction. There the name “Junction”). One ran northerly it connected with the New York and New from Hopewell to Millerton, and another

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carried freight traffic that had crossed the river by ferry between Newburgh and Dutchess Landing (now Beacon). By 1905, all were controlled by the New Haven Railroad. Business on the MaybrookPoughkeepsie-Hopewell-Danbury corridor was so good it was double-tracked in 1910 and became known as The Maybrook Line.

The other lines were soon abandoned.

Passenger Service on the DCR Initially, the organizers of the DCR envisioned passenger traffic as a key profit center as well as freight. On that opening day in 1892, the first train departing Hopewell for Poughkeepsie was publicized as the fastest means for shoppers to visit the department stores of Poughkeepsie.

While more than 600 made the inaugural trip, that was only two-thirds of its capacity, and the promotion was deemed not entirely successful.

A 1919 timetable shows three westbound trains operating daily on the line. Two were through trains between Danbury and Poughkeepsie, and the third was a local that ran from Hopewell Junction to Poughkeepsie in twenty-five minutes.

Stations along the way included Fishkill

Va n Wyck Ga ze tte

D u t c h e s s R a i l Tr a i l

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Recreation

Plains, Didell, Briggs, and Manchester local traffic only, the Maybrook Line had its opened this October and is already Bridge. For a time, passengers could even last run in March 1982. Soon afterward, the “unofficially” open on weekends. travel between Washington and Boston by rails were torn up and the right-of-way sold. train using the Maybrook Line’s tracks.

And the Creation of the Rail Trail The Maybrook Line’s rebirth as a rail trail Passenger service continued until 1933, but it never met its original expectations began in 1991, when Ulster County seized and eventually lost out to the financial part of the right-of-way west of the bridge realities of the Great Depression. The line and turned a five-mile portion over to the did offer some unusual perks, however. Towns of Highland and Lloyd. This was According to Bernard Rudberg, head of the developed in stages as a multi-use linear Hopewell Depot Restoration Corp., station park called the Hudson Valley Rail Trail, renovators found a cache of wine and liquor with the first segment opening in 1997. bottles beneath the floorboards, and it was Developers hope to extend the trail another later learned that during Prohibition the five miles to New Paltz, where it would basement of the building had served as a connect with the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail speakeasy. that runs from Gardiner in the south to Kingston in the north.

Nine hundred feet long, the new overpass Decline of the Rails…. will not only carry runners, walkers and After World War II, the growth of truck East of the Hudson, the Dutchess County bikers over the busy six lanes of Route 55, traffic and the decline of industry generally Rail Trail was also developed in phases. but over the two-lane Old Manchester Road in New England gradually reduced rail traffic The first phase, an eight-mile stretch from as well.

And while it won’t offer the grandeur on the Maybrook Line. In 1961, it was Hopewell Junction to Old Manchester Road of the views from the Walkway Over the reconverted to a single track, and in 1974, in the Town of Poughkeepsie opened in Hudson, the Route 55 Overpass will be a fire damaged the Poughkeepsie bridge 2007, and phases 2 and 3 were added to impressive in its own way: it shows that, so severely that it could not be reopened. the trail in 2009. Phase 4 runs from Old given enough effort from concerned citizens At the same time, a new, more modern, Manchester Road to Overocker Road and and governments, purely recreational freight yard had been built in Castleton-on- includes the new Route 55 overpass. Phase facilities still have a place in enhancing the Hudson, near Albany, and absorbed most 5 is the portion from the bridge itself to quality of life and living for us all. of the Poughkeepsie traffic. Limited now to Morgan Lake that is also scheduled to be

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Fall 2013 Issue

Music

Destination: Acoustic Thursday

by Mike Jurkovic

Sean Schenker, AT acolyte, getting this show going every week.” Terri singer/songwriter/guitarist, The Massardo, musician, AT acolyte, co-host/ Trapps. director, John Street Jam And so it goes: audience and performers alike gushing over Acoustic Thursdays. AT’s hosts Kurt Henry and Cheryl Lambert, on the other hand, are a duo of quieter recollection.

Acoustic Thursdays at the High Falls Cafe is my choice destination every week. Buffy and Brian Gribbon (HFC owners) are committed to local musicians and serving stellar food in a welcoming atmosphere.

Kurt and Cheryl host singer/songwriters from the region and occasionally as far afield as California, Switzerland, and Canada. While I often attend to hear performers I’m familiar with, it’s always a delight to hear someone new.” Maureen Black, AT acolyte

“Our first Acoustic Thursday was January 26, 2006,” Cheryl pitches in, as Kurt momentarily forgets which year this grand tradition began. “At the old cafe, The Clove Cafe, and before that . . . what?

Anzalone’s, right?” Cheryl nods. “Buffy and Brian took it over about eight years ago,” Kurt continues “and they’ve been here (at Stone Dock Golf Course) for two years. We started at the old Clove because it had this nice stage in that funky backroom. Which was great back then, y’know” Kurt muses. “You’d get fifteen people, fifteen die-hards comin’ to hear the music . . .”

Yes, it was funky and Cheryl and I both agree. The walls lined with old record covers – Stone’s Crow, Herman’s Hermits, Highway 61. Several family-sized booths and tables, bartenders who knew your drink, delicious “Acoustic Thursdays are about one thing... food, and the music sublime. music. With fewer and fewer venues, here “Peggy Atwood, Vince Sauter, and Yankee comes one place, run by caring folks, who Rose, performed at the very first Acoustic continue to find a way to honor & cherish Thursday, so it’s always been very dear to musicians and songwriters. You go to a our hearts. We often work in conjunction to good doctor when you feel sick. You go to set up a performer to do a set on Thursday, the HFC Acoustic Thursdays when you then do John Street Jam the following want to hear real music for real people.” Saturday. Kurt and Cheryl work tirelessly

“It took about a year, maybe, for it to catch on, for people to say ‘Hey, I can come by any Thursday . . .”

“Though I’ve moved from the area, it’s well worth the ninety minute drive back to Acoustic Thursdays. Each week we’re treated to three talented performers with bookend performances from Cheryl and Kurt. Some musicians are new but many are returning favorites who love the place as much as the audience! Where else can you comfortably meet with friends, have a fine meal, and hear such mostly original, wonderful music?” Rosanne Sartori, AT acolyte “As the event began to expand, moving to a bigger room, you’ve to y’know, start playing with a bigger sound system. That became another aspect of the gig. Because we didn’t have stage space when we moved here, we developed some lighting to frame off a stage area. Having reliable sound and lighting completes the performance atmosphere.”

(To editorialize, I swear, Kurt’s being modest about reliable sound. No one makes a guitar – acoustic, electric, or in-between - sound like a guitar in a live setting like he does).

“I start the evening off kinda folky, getting things ready like, “hey the bald guy’s playin’ it’s time to start!” Cheryl shares his laugh as does this other bald guy. “Then everyone runs a half hour set and we usually do twenty at the end.”

“I don’t like to start late because one of things that has made AT work is the hours, ®

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Destination: Acoustic Thursday

Music

especially in the winter. Most people want “We listen to everyone with an open wonderful new mechanisms for recording it start at seven o’clock. They want to wrap mind,” Kurt begins the discussion of decid- music and people have a tendency to sculpt it up around nine because they’re working ing who plays. a perfect image. And that’s great! But then people who get up early and don’t want to “We get a lot of CDs. A lot of CDs. And I it’s showtime, and you can’t show up not be up late.” think anyone who has gone through all that knowing how to play your instrument.” work and expense deserves our listen. Right You’ve had bands play in the past but it’s “Is that an age thing you think?” away a CD sepa“I don’t know maybe,” they both laugh.

“Maybe it’s a musical preference. Are people rates out the into acoustic music really night owls? I truly amateurs. Now I love them too, but suspect not.” the disc is a good “It’s an excellent place to hear well loved place to start.” performers from all over the Hudson Valley.

“Most of who Even though it’s on a weeknight, it ends we think are good early enough to get folks home to bed at we’ll invite to the their usual work-week hour. Definitely, check gig.

Some, when it out!” John Martucci, singer/songwriter/ they find out guitarist, AT acolyte we’re passing the “Being an accomplished player yourself, hat and paying you had to have been a night owl at some them from that, point.” well, that thins “Yea, absolutely, I loved it! The old clubs things out natuDave Kearny (Photo by Cheryl Lambert) stayed open to three, four, in the morning. rally too.”

It was great! Sometimes you actually made “Acoustic Thursdays at High Falls works mostly solo acts, right? some money.” because of the dedication of Kurt and “Frankly, because it’s every Thursday Sure Kurt’s played his share of one- Cheryl. They make it so easy to play and and we have to move people through quickly nighters and all-nighters. What he doesn’t enjoy yourself. Their encouragement of Trio and there’s no real stage, I don’t want Mio helped us to believe in ourselves and mention, unless you drag it out of him, is someone coming in and overwhelming that on some of those nights he was opening our music.” Fran Palmieri, singer/songwriter/ whomever the solo performers are. If for The Byrds or Procol Harum. Some of guitarist, Trio Mio, AT acolyte someone comes in with two, three, acoustic those gigs had David Bromberg, Chuck And if there’s a stalemate between you? pieces, well I like that.”

Berry, and John Sebastian playing alongside Both chuckle. “That almost never “I hate the distinction between electric him. On many of those gigs, he was lighting happens.

Honestly, if we have any doubt and acoustic guitars. People put magnetic up regional clubs and dives with the legendary, country rocking Womblers out at all I go to YouTube. YouTube says it all. pick-ups in a flat- top guitar and it’s acoustic It’s the bottom line ‘cos that’s what we’re Factory presets on an acoustic is a blurry of New Paltz. gonna get when they get here.” line. But I like to expand. I’ve had jazz “Kurt and Cheryl are loving curators of players in. If we had a quieter room I’d have the musicians and their collective.” Robin “You can tell from YouTube when that poets in. I’d love to do that.”

Baker, singer, BreakAway & The Trapps, guitar is never in its case and when it only Continued on page 11 AT acolyte. comes out once a week. We have all these

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Fall 2013 Issue

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How to Prevent Insurance Fraud Prosecutors in Michigan are charging Dr. Farid Fata, a trusted Oncologist with more than 1000 patients, with telling his patients that they had cancer even when they did not. He then began treating them with chemotherapy that, at least for some, was not needed, and for others, such as endof-life patients, provided treatment that was of no benefit. The charges against Dr. Fata include “deliberate misdiagnosis of patients as having cancer, “giving “unnecessary chemotherapy.”

The prosecutors claim that Fata’s treatments were part of a thirty five million dollar fraud. Prosecutors say that Fata was motivated by money, billing Medicare for false claims all while living a lavish lifestyle in a ritzy suburb. Fata’s company is now accused of defrauding the government out of $35 million dollars in false claims. Officials say that healthcare fraud is a growing problem that “not only affects the patients who are sometimes put in harm’s way, but also the taxpayers. All of us are contributing to the Medicare and Medicaid programs and there are the dollars that are going out the door as a result of the greed of a few providers.”

by Charles N. Rock, Esq.

At common law a writ of Qui Tam allowed a private individual who assisted with the prosecution by or on behalf of the government to receive all or part of the penalty imposed by way of that prosecution.

The term comes from a Latin phrase “qui tam pro domino rege quam pro se ipso in hac parte sequitur, meaning “[he] who sues in this matter for the king and for himself.”

In 2007 New York passed a False Claim Act that allows the state and local government to bring civil actions to recover three times the financial losses. The statute also allows a private citizen with inside knowledge of such fraud to bring a Qui Tam lawsuit on behalf of the government and to receive up to 30% of the proceeds. By encouraging people with inside information on fraud against the government, the reporting person benefits financially while all taxpayers benefit in the long run.

The False Claim Act covers many types of fraud including health care government construction jobs, road, bridges, prisons, housing and others. The law is designed to encourage people with inside information on fraud against the government to come

Legal forward and report it. In fact, to further encourage people to come forward promptly to report the fraud, the False Claim Act bars any Qui Tam case that is based on facts underlying any pre existing Qui Tam action, so the first in time to file the claim is the first in right to proceeds of the claim, even when the second person has greater information.

On the other hand, to discourage people from committing fraud, the statute authorizes the courts to reduce or eliminate a reward from reporting the fraud if the person reporting is one who planned and initiated the wrongdoing.

The False Claim Act would apply to a case such as the one mentioned above if that had been committed in New York.

Although such heinous actions are rare, it can and will continue to happen. You can help prevent your friends, family, neighbors and members of the community from becoming a “human cash register” like the victims of Dr. Fata or others who are willing to commit financial fraud against the government. If you know of a financial fraud against the government, report it or contact an attorney who can help you.

Destination: Acoustic Thursday - continued

Was Acoustic Thursday a joint decision? do I have to play with him?” And it’s really “I wasn’t so sure every Thursday was a opened me up to the exceptional quality of good idea,” Cheryl admits. “But I remember talent, especially here in Ulster County, that I was never aware of.” it being Kurt’s idea.”

“A couple things went into the thought process,” the host explains. “I like to play and I like to play with people. And I’ve never assumed someone’s going to ask me to sit in. To be honest, sometimes someone will come in and you know they’re thinking “Lord,

and past projects (AT has inspired Kurt to do an all acoustic CD). We rant on about playing for free and how bars still make money. We revisit the Womblers, and how “Cheryl and Kurt have created an amazing they once opened for the Burrito Brothers. scene at HFC and it’s a total pleasure to Then some last thoughts. participate both as performer and audience “It’s become our social life too,” they member.” Helen Avakian, singer/songwriter/ literally harmonize. “The people we’ve met guitarist, AT acolyte have all been great. These are friends we We drift easily off track, discussing new didn’t have before.”

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Fall 2013 Issue

Humor

The tomato sauce massacre

by Carol Nelson Falcone

Anyone out there ever try to make their own tomato sauce or pickles and then try to can them in glass jars? Holy crow! Let me tell ya’ it takes stamina, sweat and a lot of band-aids. After hours and hours of effort you’re like an anxious contestant on one of Chef Ramsey’s cooking shows hoping like hell it turns out okay and nobody dies of food poisoning.

You see, my parents were city folk but decided to move our family upstate to the Hudson Valley when I was in grade school to enjoy the benefits of country living. Lots of fresh air….growing their own organic vegetables …. all that good cleaning living crap. I can’t tell you how many days I sat snapping green beans on the porch singing the theme song to “Green Acres” putting on a fake Zza Zza Gabor accent.

pickles, every kind of jam and relish my daughter is at that pre-teen age and possible, and tomato sauce. wanting to learn how to cook. I thought it The only problem with this good feeling would be nice to create a fun memory for story is that my mother was not the best the three of us and to have a second chance cook and canning can be a catastrophe for to finally make some great sauce right from a city gal. That was the first and only year scratch. Since the whole nation has now we ever canned and pickled. The worst of caught up to my parent’s idea of organic it was the tomato sauce. It was like a jar of food and eating healthy, we had taken up red water. Poured over pasta it was just be the crusade for fresh vegetables this a puddle in the bowl – not a lick of it stuck summer as well. We planted a garden for to the noodles! A V-8 thrown on there the first time in years and were overloaded woulda’ had more stayin’ power. On top of with a ton of tomatoes. So my mother dug that it had zero spices because my father out the old canning jars from the basement didn’t like all those “little green things” in and one Saturday we were saucy fools there (basil and oregano – the heart of any cuttin’ n’ peelin’ about a thousand tomatoes. sauce for cryin’ out loud!) It was also hard I’m not sure how much of the sauce is to choke down all those tomato skins that actually tomatoes or blood since I cut myself kept getting caught in your throat because enough times to qualify the kitchen as a mom didn’t know you were supposed to crime scene. Then my mother conveniently skin them first. Everyone at the dinner table forgot to get “the little green” spices so the hacked up a storm like a bunch of Ferrell sauce was about as flavorful as dryer lint. cats with hairballs. Lord, and since they Ugh. Not again! At least I added some paste were not a wasteful lot we had to go the so it would stick to the pasta this time and whole winter eating cabinets full of all this people wouldn’t think it was soup, I thought.

One autumn in my early teens my mother roped me into helping her can and pickle her way through that garden and a couple of nearby orchards. I think she was overdosing on too many episodes of “Hee End result? It was God awful. Once again, Haw” or somethin’. We canned everything crap. Ugh. The kicker is that my parents thought it wasn’t half bad. due to the lack of spices and even though we could – peas, carrots, beans, green I added a vat of paste to it, for some reason, tomatoes, applesauce, bread n’ butter Well I got all nostalgic about it now that

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The tomato sauce massacre

Humor

it STILL didn’t stick to the pasta. I was baffled. “What the hell do ya’ gotta put in this stuff to make it stick to the pasta?!

Glue?!!” I fumed. My daughter grumbled something about how glue tasted better than our sauce. I almost felt I needed to go out to my garden and apologize to the tomato plants for massacring what took them three months to grow. I’d be afraid they’d pelt me with some hard green ones while yelling what a horrible bitch I am.

Later on I tried adding more spices but there was just no helpin’ this concoction.

Hell, I have no idea what it needed but it needed somethin’. My parents thought it was great if you can believe that. They keep raving about it to everyone. My mother is now hoarding jars of the stuff like they were gold bricks. “Oh no, I can’t give your cousin a jar of sauce – it’s too precious,” she says.

Obviously their taste buds are shot or they were burnt off in some horrible childhood accident. Maybe they’re lying and saying Canning Tomato Sauce Cartoon by Carol Nelson Falcone it’s good and not giving any to our neighbors had a fun afternoon; three generations of tasted like crap or not. All I can say is that and relatives to avoid charges of attempted women making sauce together. I was glad Prego would never hire us - that’s for damn murder. to do it one more time with my mother and sure. ~Smirk~ Well… at least we tried our hardest and pass it on down to my daughter whether it

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Page 14

Fall 2013 Issue

Living Fear can be one of the most debilitating emotions, and of course you know it’s the most non-productive. Learn to eliminate it, and you’ll lead a happier, more productive life. All things emerge from either love or fear. Everything we think and do, and all the decisions we make is either love-based, or fear-based.

Seven Steps to Conquer Fears

by Marilyn Cramer, RMT, Cl.Ht.

that may or may not have happened in their lives. Fears can be listed in one of several categories: fears that are imagined, fears that are projected or displaced, fears that are learned, and fears that are caused by a threat to our security – either physical or emotional.

and you’ll flow in the direction that you want to go. This is why affirmations work so well.

Fear causes great people to accept 1. Don’t let fear have time to think. mediocrity, and it causes procrastination. Verbalize your fear so that it can be out in When a person lives in fear… fear of the open. Take the clothes off your fear and dying, fear of losing a job or a relationship, expose its true essence. You may find that fear of not having enough money, fear of your fear is unwarranted. illness or disease, and on and on… it makes 2. Have faith, and believe you can us more receptive to the very things we conquer anything. Think positive. Your body fear. We attract the things we fear most in will flow in the direction of healing instead life by giving them thought and power. What of disease, and your mind will flow toward we think about becomes our reality. You your true desires. Realize, too, that most are like a magnet, and you attract all the adverse situations don’t last forever. negative things you think about and want 3. Think only constructive, encouraging to avoid. If you really want to avoid the things you fear in life, then you must let go of the and positive thoughts about yourself. You fears. Easier said than done, I know, but are a beautiful creation, and the flaws that you see in yourself are usually only seen you can learn to: by you. Your subconscious mind doesn’t Be invincible to the things you fear know the difference between what’s the most. imagined and what’s real. Thinking good, Most of the time I have clients come for healthy thoughts about yourself will sway a Reiki session filled with fear of something your subconscious mind into believing it,

5. Don’t allow your feelings to control you. You can control your actions regardless of your feelings. It may not be easy, but it’s a choice – refuse to act on fearful thoughts.

Remember, whatever the mind dwells on, the mind will eventually believe and act on.

4. Do the things that you are afraid of doing. You’ll be stepping out of your comfort zone, but your zone will get larger and larger with every new step that you take. In no time, you’ll wonder what you were afraid of Seven Steps to Conquer Your Fears: in the first place.

6. Find the root cause and solution to your anxiety. If a fear is an ongoing anxiety that has no apparent cause, realize that it is most likely a symptom of some hidden fear. You may want to seek a professional to help you find and resolve the cause.

7. Do things that bring joy to your life.

You may find that your fears resolve themselves when you make time to do the things that make you happy. Sometimes it can be as simple as that. Take care of you first.

Love, Light & Blessings to You…

Scott Russinoff, M.D.

Page 15

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