LivingLBI Oct 2014
Balloons Blow
Caterpillar Mama
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Saying Goodbye to Summer LBI has dramatic seasons. Extreme summers are filled with excitement and commotion. Families run, ride bikes, walk and jog along the back roads. Cars jam the boulevard and traffic moves slowly with frequent stops. Beaches are covered in color. Umbrellas, striped towels and bright colored bathing suits stand out against white sand. The sounds and smells of summer fill the night air and cool breezes flow through screens. Yes, summer is extreme. Crisp fall nights following brilliant sunny days are delightful ways to steal a day. Sitting on an empty beach is a guilty pleasure that just a few of us have the opportunity to experience. Typical fall activities are not necessary on LBI. The few leaves that fall from the sky are blown away by the constant wind. Bittersweet, is the end of summer. Fall has a dramatic beginning. Labor day is gone, and so is the chaos. The show is over and our job is done. We welcomed our guests and tended to their needs, but now that they have gone, we need to adjust. It is just us now. It is our turn to vacation on our favorite island. The beach is ours again, and we now have time to enjoy it. Soon a cold wind with blow from the north. We’ll bundle up and walk our dogs on the beach. The holidays will come and go, and quietly we’ll wait for spring. Flowers bloom and skies turn blue. And we can’t wait to greet the guests and welcome summer chaos! Again. Lisa Ball
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September Sand Cool to the toes after the final guest goes and the monarchs have gone on their way the beach belongs to those who stay yesterday and today those whose eyes reach past the beach for the distant horizon out there with each new sunrise It’s no surprise there is still sand and sea and wide skies Written by Judy Horowitz www.senoraonline.com
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Contents Publisher: Lisa Ball Publisher: Lisa Ball Editor: Judy Horowitz Phone: 609-848-1111 Call Kim to advertise 609-549-1988 Submissions to: Lisa@LivingLBI.com
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3 Saying Goodbye to Summer 5 September Sand 7 Let It Snow 8 Sea Sirens 10 Ricon Latino 11 Small Town Charm 12 A New Year 17 La Hierha Crece De Noche 18 Balloons Blow 20 Through My Lens 22 Beach View Farms 24 Catepillar Mamma 27 Pink Sky 28 Don’t Be Too Quick to Blame God
View online at: LivingLBI.com Subscriptions available. Coming soon, our newest magazine: Beautiful NJ Beaches
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LET IT SNOW
Farmer’s Almanac is predicting lots of snow this year. I say, “Bring it on!” Snow is COOL! A beautiful white flurry of snowflakes falling from the sky, while we sit by the fire drinking hot cocoa is such a cozy feeling. Snuggle up in a hand crocheted blanket and watch a fun, family movie. Pop some corn and relax. Enjoy each season! Time flies so fast; don’t waste a minute. Lisa
4th and Broadway Barnegat Light, NJ
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Sea Sirens An odd hush thick as fog surrounds Long Beach Island; the calendar, too, tells us summer is officially over. Some of us find ourselves relieved to return to the familiar structure and routine we may have left behind as weekend guests and summer residents ventured across the causeway and shared our island world. Others find themselves saddened by the sudden still. By the vacuum which yearns to be filled. The tumult of traffic and a busy boulevard may be what we miss, as we again learn to live with a quiet Long Beach Island. Traffic lights and beach benches vanish, too, along with colorful towels and manmade sounds. We prepare for a bunch of months during which we have the opportunity to appreciate the essence of the island. Hopefully, warm memories will buoy us from local summer until next summer, as we reacquaint ourselves with simple sounds of hungry gulls and the smell of sand and sea. With the men who fish all winter and those in wet suits who brave the waves after the guests have gone, after the Monarch butterflies have flown, as gray becomes the norm--often.
Did summer sift through your fingers too quickly? Are there dreams that drifted out of reach? Are there wishes that just did not come true? Like Don Quixote, frightened by the windmills, did you find that some waves held you back from your search for treasures of the sea? The wonderful thing about welcoming summer’s end--where a morning mist separates us from the stars or a small seaside island is a dream away from the horizon--is that like the shops that gradually close and the sand that grows cold, every ending of something whispers the beginning of something else. Let’s begin something good together this fall--on your island, on our island, LBI. “To live each day congruent with your values helps us to fulfill our dreams--awake”--ljg Judy Horowitz www.senoraonline.com Judy Horowitz www.senoraonline.com
Photo by Lisa Ball
Rincón Latino
“No hay camino; se hace el camino al andar”--Antonio Machado I took slow, short steps up to the teacher's desk while my classmates watched in silence. In a whisper I said, “Yes, teacher?” I looked down at the floor. Mrs. Just asked, “What were you just doing?” I kept my head down and didn’t say Written by Judy Horowitz anything. Her voice got louder. “What were you doing?” www.senoraonline.com Suddenly, Mrs. Just grabbed my chin and pushed my head up. My pencil fell to the floor and the point broke. I Hola. My name is Luz. I was born in Mexico, and still remember that, too. “Look at me when I speak to you!” my family moved to the United States before I entered she said, and she made me look at her. I was scared because kindergarten. When spoken to by an adult, Mexican I had never before looked into the face of an adult who children are taught to show respect by bowing their heads was speaking to me—not even my parents or grandparents. and not looking directly into the eyes of the adult. This Never before had a teacher grabbed me. I was embarrassed rule of our culture caused me a big problem my first day of and hurt. middle school. For the rest of the day I felt very upset, and when I The first day of sixth grade remains a painful memory got home, I told my parents what had happened. The next for me; it was a cool, sunny September morning, and all day, my mother went to school with me. We met with Mrs. of the children were excited to see one another after a long Just, and mi mamá explained that in our country, it was summer apart. My heart was full of wonderful memories disrespectful to look an older person in the eye. Mrs. Just of two months spent with my grandparents in Mexico. explained that in American culture it was disrespectful not to My next door neighbor, Patty, and I were happy to be in look someone in the eye, especially when spoken to. When the same class; we were both nervous because we were I understood this, I told Mrs. Just that I was sorry. She said entering a new school. We sat next to each other and talked. she was sorry too, and then she gave me The whole class was chatting and giggling; everyone a great big hug. was happy to see old friends again. I learned many The first lesson of the day was lessons in middle math. Mrs. Just introduced school, and some of herself and asked us to be quiet. them had nothing Then she passed out to do with learning review sheets to read, write or do math.
A Big Life Lesson
with examples and problems I recognized from fifth grade. Almost immediately, Patty whispered to me, “What did you get for number three?” I started to tell her, but Mrs. Just called out from her seat, “Luz, turn around and be quiet!” Just then, one of the other teachers opened the door and asked my teacher a question. While they were busy speaking, Patty asked me another question. I turned to tell her to stop talking to me, but Mrs. Just must have seen me. After the other teacher left the classroom, she called out in a loud voice, “Luz, come up here right now!” My mouth got dry and my heart beat fast; I felt sick.
LivingLBI Magazine • Oct 2014
I am Mexican-American. I have had to adapt to many differences between our countries. A parent now, I am teaching my child to understand and respect both. I do not want her to experience what I did. That day in school, Mrs. Just and I learned something about each other’s culture. We both learned something else: respect for one another.
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Small Town Charm Summer fun Meet new friends Sun and Sand Splashing waves
September comes Tourists leave Empty houses Blinking Lights
Quiet town Full of Charm Greeting neighbors Exchanging hugs
Two short months Too much work Vacation rest Family time
School begins Children sing Order restored Learn and grow
Winter snow Warming hearts Snuggle up Keeping warm Lisa
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A New Year and Renewed Resolve
As we entered our adolescent years, our sins “grew” in my mother’s eyes; we began to take the subway to Throughout much of our childhood, my twin brother and I lived on the top Rockaway Beach in order to throw floor of a six floor walk-up on 14th Street and Avenue B in Manhattan. We were the them away. Much more moving only Jewish family in the building; all the other tenants were Puerto Rican. Another water. Stronger winds. Many more major difference between our playmates and us was that my parents did not speak unseen angels there. More heaven to Spanish. Whereas my mother lit Shabbat candles every Friday evening, my best look at. Who could imagine that my friend at that time always had a candle burning in her apartment. I was aware at a mom was teaching me in those most very young age that my family celebrated the New Year in early autumn as well as impressionable years that whatever on January 1st. My family even had two calendars hanging on the kitchen wall. our misfortune, there is someone Every Rosh Hashanah my mom would take Jake and me to the East River close by who has suffered more and we had to “throw away” our sins. She would remind us every year that this had and needs our help. Someone, we to be done by moving water, so the angels could easily carry them away with their may not have even met. Is this how wings. Predictably, every September or October, depending on when the Jewish compassion develops? New Year arrived on the lunar calendar, I, a good little girl, would insist that I had At some point during my no sins to throw away to some angel I could not even see. And, predictably my young adult years, my mom abruptly mother would sternly admonish me, “Then, throw away someone else’s this year. stopped the yearly ritual. I would Lots of people need your help.” begin to make the voyage to the beach alone. It was there that I would ask God difficult questions, like why good people like my brother and first cousin had died young? Like, RREM why people who didn’t even know APPROVED each other hated each other? As I met others there who might have lost Custom Homes, Custom Modular Homes & House Raising Specialists family or homes to one unforeseen tragedy or another, I began to learn that we all share a commonality that supersedes our differences. NJ RREM Approved Builder Locally Owned & Operated Through the decades, I have The Price Home Group is a RREM approved Builder ready and able to accept all “Pathway B” grant recipients. witnessed the relentless tumult and tyranny of the tide as it has cruelly swallowed a beloved beach and devoured entire communities. I have also been awed by its beauty and grace as a gentler sea can bequeath The Bayman The Rum Runner The Pelican a legacy of lovely shells and 3BR/2BA 5BR/3BA 4BR/ 3BA Starting at $249,900 shimmering sea glass under a kind Starting at $325,000 Starting at $200,000 sun. The ocean at Long Beach Island is no different. A New Year dawns for many islanders still recovering from the effects of a storm we could not fully anticipate or control. Somewhere, The Tern though, in the unceasing salty spray The Kingfisher The Hummingbird 3BR/1BA - $149,900 and frothy foam and tears of those 4BR/3BA - $210,000 3/4BR/ 3BA - $304,900 1050 sq. ft. who still endure varying degrees of 1825 sq. ft. 2200 sq. ft. destruction and despair at the hands We Can Build You These Homes at Quoted Prices “turn key” which include Engineering & Installation of Pilings. of Hurricane Sandy, we are reminded *RREM grant recipient pricing may vary of the many people all around who One Stop Modular Home Construction & House Raising have reached into their hearts to help make this time one of healing and Affordable, Custom, 3BR/2BA & 4BR/3BA models The Price Home Group is hope for those who begin, yet another designed specifically for Jersey Shore living. registered as a New Home Builder and licensed as a Home new year of living, of learning, of Meet the architect on weekends, call for availablility forgiving--on your island, on our Improvement Contractor with Visit our Model Home at 79 Morris Blvd. Beach Haven West island, LBI. the State of New Jersey. We on Saturdays from 9-4 and Sundays 10-3 “There are glimpses of heaven in offer a one stop solution to Phone Online elevate and rebuild your home. every act, or thought, or word that local: (609) 488-2121 info@pricehomegroup.com raise us above ourselves.”—Arthur toll free: (855) 937-7742 www.pricehomegroup.com Proudly Servicing the Stanley
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11312 OH Living LBI_full page 2/28/14 2:38 PM Page 1
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Outdoor Showers LLC
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La Hierba Crece De Noche Así, se siembra esta mañana también mañana, y pasado manana también. Así, se riega esta mañana también mañana, y pasado manaña también. Así, se deshierba esta mañana también mañana, y pasado manaña también. Con amor y con fe y con muy buena gana cada mañana hoy y mañana y pasado mañana también a pesar de cualquiera de todas maneras... Una mañana, así se despierta ¡se ve, se ve! ¡La hierba crece de noche!
Grass Grows At Night This is how we plant this morning and tomorrow too, and the day after tomorrow, as well. This is how we water this morning and tomorrow too, and the day after tomorrow, as well. This is how we weed this morning and tomorrow too and the day after tomorrow, as well. With love and with faith and a willing heart, too, every morning today and tomorrow no matter what, one way or another... One morning, we awaken Everyone can see! Everyone can see! Grass grows at night!
judy horowitz www.senoraonline.com ¡Yo les deseo a todas las familias muy buena suerte este año escolar!
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T
here is a rising problem that many are not aware of. Balloon releases are becoming a popular activity. Balloons may seem innocent as they float out of sight, but when they fall to Earth - whether on land or in the sea - they can become deadly to any animal that comes in contact with the fallen remains. It may be just a single balloon slipped from a child’s hand or thousands released purposely for memorial, fundraiser, or to celebrate a birth. The end result is always the same - ugly litter that is a risk to animals. Balloons can also get caught in electrical power lines causing dangerous power outages & fires. For this reason, there is a warning printed on foil/mylar balloons alerting the consumer not to release them outdoors, but the fine print is overlooked, causing thousands of costly power outages every year. Balloons are becoming one of the most common forms of trash found during beach clean-ups & seen floating offshore. Although not just a problem at the seashore, balloons are found polluting the most remote & pristine places. From mountaintops to deserts, from glaciers to swamps - no habitat is immune to balloon pollution. Unlike other forms of litter, balloons can easily travel thousands of miles to pollute places otherwise untouched by human activity. Due to a heavy marketing campaign by balloon companies, they have become saturated in every occasion. The industry falsely markets latex balloons as being “biodegradable”, suggesting they are environmentally friendly to release, causing mislead consumers to toss even more of this especially dangerous form of litter. These latex balloons are particularly deadly to animals as they often burst at high altitude causing them to shred, forming a latex lure that mimics the food of many animals. In the sea they look like jellies or squid, on land they resemble nutrient rich vegetation. Countless animals such as endangered sea turtles & bighorn sheep are often killed by consuming latex balloons. The balloon blocks the digestive tract preventing the animal from digesting nutrients, causing them to slowly starve to death. The risk they pose is not limited to wildlife, domestic pets & farm animals have also succumbed to balloons. The balloons themselves are not the only hazard, the ribbons or strings that may be attached pose an entanglement risk. Many curious animals become tangled, restricting movement, causing a slow agonizing death. Birds in particular often become entangled in the strings. While balloons can be found polluting any area, the Earth’s surface is 70% ocean, giving them a high probability of landing in the sea. Spent balloons accumulate along the coastlines around the world. Most every beach cleanup will yield several spent balloons. The increase in balloon pollution is evident along New Jersey’s barrier Islands as the upper level winds bring them drifting towards the ocean & the sea breeze brings them ashore. The local & migrating wildlife are being affected by this flyaway trash. The osprey
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Balloons Blow Don’t Let Them Go!
have been especially effected as spent balloons are in abundance in their habitat. The osprey use them as nesting material endangering their family. Chicks have been killed in the nest from balloon ribbon entanglements. Helium is also a matter of concern, experts warn production is not keeping up with consumption. With only a limited supply on Earth it should be conserved. This finite resource is critical in the medical field for MRI’s & ventilators, yet it is wasted on filling this temporary toy. Fortunately many people are choosing to take small steps to lessen their impact on the environment. Not using singleuse throwaway products & being mindful of the waste we produce can make a positive impact on the planet. Balloons are a short lived wasteful product that quickly become trash. There are many wonderful, reusable &
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exciting alternatives. Ribbon wands, pinwheels, banners & streamers are more fun. Blowing bubbles or planting a memorial tree or garden can be a more meaningful & lasting way to honor a loved one’s passing. Releasing balloons is simply littering. We must be mindful of the little actions we take that can have a big impact. It’s easy to help protect the planet & animals by simply choosing an alternative. Remember, balloons blow... don’t let them go! For more information, photos, & alternatives visit BalloonsBlow.org
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Danielle & Chelsea BalloonsBlow.org PO Box 1766 Jensen Beach, FL 34958 Balloons Blow...Don’t Let Them Go!
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I
was not out for a “fall in love” story, yet that is exactly what I found. This adventure began innocently enough. Its goal was to capture a series of digital images of the shorebirds who make their breeding grounds and summer homes along the Barnegat Light Sate Park jetty. Although I did acquire quality images of the American Oystercatcher, the Least Sandpiper, the Caspian and Forster Tern, high tide caused a temporary absence of small shorebirds, such as the Ruddy Turnstone, the Dunlin, the Purple Sandpiper, the Semipalmated Plover, the Sanderling, and, up until the end of my journey, the Piping Plover. With the high water level that comes with the high tide, these little creatures are denied feeding places along the large rocks that are the jetty. After having walked the jetty out to the ocean and being disappointed over the obvious absence of shorebirds, my return walk back to the lighthouse provided a much more meaningful and life altering experience. It involved the Piping Plover. This experience has caused me to look at our beaches and dunes differently. You see, I once perceived our beaches to be recreational places. Places where people float in the water, swim, fish, boat, play volleyball or simply relax and sunbathe. Beaches were places where people engaged in a wide variety of recreational activities. Well, when I met Karen and her tiny brood of piping plovers, my perception of the beach was altered. A staff person employed by the New Jersey Fish and Wildlife Commission, Karen was positioned at her regular post. She was observing something within the roped off area which I have since learned is named an exclosure. Exclosures are fenced in or roped off areas along the beach and near the dunes which are erected by conservationists--in this case the Fish and Wildlife Commission of New Jersey--to protect and, thus, prolong the life of endangered species. Karen was observing the behavior of a brood of piping plover. Having noticed the camera hung around my neck, and I having seen her looking through her binoculars, we waved to each other, and I yelled out, “What are you seeing in there?”. “A family of piping plovers”, she returned. This would be a first time experience for me: taking digital images of newborn piping plovers. Even then, I did not understand how this experience would change me. First I had to make my way over to Karen’s location. When the tide is up, water finds sufficient space within the seams of the rocks and makes its way from the inlet to the narrow beach on the south side of the jetty. Being on top of the rocks required me to climb down the south side of the jetty and into the high tide water. My first plan was to walk on the jetty until I came to a narrow band of water that I could conceivably and safely jump over. Fifteen yards later, this plan gave way to a new one: simply walk through the water – I have not yet mastered the art of walking on water. I made my way to a spot where the jetty was favorable to a decline. Sitting on the edge of a rock, I removed shoes and socks, tossed them over to Karen who agreed to retrieve them for me, and stepped into the shallow, warm brackish water. Now I had a bunch of questions which my mind wanted to ask all simultaneously. First things first. “Where are they?” I asked. Karen led me over to her observation post.
LivingLBI Magazine • Oct 2014
Piping plovers are small, six to seven and a half inches long and weigh anywhere from one and a half to two and a half ounces. Their sandy and primarily gray color makes them very well camouflaged with the sandy beach. In fact, this is their best defense against predation. The adults are easily distinguishable from the chicks as they have yellow to orange legs, a black band forehead that runs from eye to eye, and a black ring around their neck, which thickens during their mating season. Searching for them in the sand through my lens with Karen as a guide required a few minutes before I spotted them. As I was snapping away with the shutter release, Karen was providing valuable information. She told me this brood was born June 14, 2014 and were now in the fledging stage which occurs twenty-five to thirty days after birth. Unlike most bird species, the female adult migrates south upon the eggs becoming hatchlings while the adult male, in this case his name is Tufters, remains behind to serve as the chicks’ protector. He protects them from bad and stormy weather, while at the same time his goal is to prevent predation. Natural predators are raccoon, skunk, fox, crow and gull. Human introduced predators include pets, such as dogs and cats running lose on the beach. This brood of piping plover which was originally four nestlings was reduced to three due to predation, and more significantly, this brood was the only one born within the Barnegat Light State Park this season. Karen went on to educate me about the piping plover being an endangered species, and after observing this tiny creature myself and learning what it must do to sustain itself, my view of the beach has been and forever will be altered. Presently, there are eight thousand pairs of nesting plovers in existence. Along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts from Canada to the Caribbean, there are fewer than two thousand piping plovers. There should be, according to the Fish and Wildlife Commission, over three thousand. Eleven states have declared them to be endangered. The piping plover population began to decline in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries when piping plovers were taken by humans for their feathers. Plumes for female hats were created with the feathers, were pronounced as attractive, became popular and in demand. With the passage of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, Wikipedia tells us, through the 1930’s the piping plover population recovered. However, human development, shoreline stabilization projects, habitat loss and human activity on beaches near nesting sites has caused a second decline within the piping plover population. More recently, shoreline states along the Atlantic and Great Lakes coasts have been protecting the beach area habitats of the piping plover. Protection projects in New Jersey alone include: identification and protection of nesting sites, public education, limiting pedestrian and vehicular traffic on our beaches – this includes walking, running or riding near or on dunes, and limiting predation with the use of chicken wire or other material fencing. Piping plovers prefer to nest along the beach on high ground away from the water and this usually means they will nest along the edge of a dune. Their eggs are tiny, and the female will begin to lay her eggs mid April to mid May, producing a nest of two to four eggs. They nest in the sand. Within twenty-seven days, hatchings are born. The eggs and hatchlings are so small they are easy targets of predation,
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Through My Lens: Share a Wildlife Photographer’s Adventure Conserving and Preserving the Life of the Piping Plover Article and Photo by Tom Sangemino
animals will continue to migrate and breed here. Leaving trash on the beach attracts predators, so we must keep our beaches clean. When you see an exclosure and signs indicating an area is preserved for an endangered species, respect it and leave it alone. These are the simple things we can do.
as well as accidentally being crushed by human traffic. The day a hatchling is born, it must learn to feed itself. Can you imagine what the world must look like to something this small? And, having to find food and feed itself right after birth you can also imagine what this tiny creature’s priority is. This newborn is too preoccupied with eating to sustain itself rather than thinking about a predator. Many factors dictate the newborns will not survive; however, humans are intelligent enough to learn how not to become a factor leading to a piping plover’s fatality. Please, when you are on the beach be cognizant of the piping plover’s preferred nesting areas along the edge of a dune. Remain at least fifteen feet away from the dune and try to be closer to the water’s edge when performing recreational activity. As our development on beaches denies this bird and other species its preferred habitat, we must conserve whatever beach space remains so these
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Since that day in July when I was not looking for a “fall in love” story but found one in the conservation and preservation of the piping plover, I know I will be more conservationist-minded wherever I am. Now, I have run out of space, but if you are inclined, copy and paste into your browser the link I have provided here. What you will see is a moving pictorial essay of the piping plover’s story. Please watch it.
www.nps.gov/featurecontent/caco/plover_slideshow.html 21
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Beach view Farms Organic farming very close to home! On top of the hill, off of Route 9, is an eight acre, certified naturally grown farm. Beach View Farms opened in May of 2013 by Chris Adams upon graduation from Delaware Valley College, with a degree in Horticulture & Agriculture. Open from March until November for organic produce, they grow over 40 varieties of vegetables and fruit. Beach View Farms sells produce to a few local restaurants but mostly sells to the public at their farm. School field trips, seminars, and field days are offered at the farm. “Pick your own” blackberries are available between the second week in July through the second week in August. In October, Beach View Farms runs a fall festival on weekends which includes hay rides, pick your own pumpkin, a kids maze and other family fun attractions. They also sell farm fresh eggs and local honey.
2101 Long Beach Blvd, Ship Bottom, NJ
(609) 494-0606 LivingLBI Magazine • Oct 2014
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When is it in Season?
We are so spoiled by supermarkets that we forget what is in season and grows in New Jersey. Kiwi, bananas, oranges and lemons don’t grow in our New Jersey communities. So, you have to go to your local supermarket for them. But to have “bursting with flavor, organic, fresh off the farm” produce, you have to buy them when they are in season. The chart to the right shows the crop that is available at Beach View Farm.
BEACH VIEW FARMS 178 Beachview Ave Manahawkin, NJ
(609) 661-2240 beachviewfarms@gmail.com
www.beachviewfarms.com
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Caterpillar Mama
“I have released more than 100 on LBI and probably close to 1000 over the years, if not more.� -Judith Johnson
In 2000, a colleague shared MRI images of
a Monarch butterfly chrysalis. Being as I am an abstract painter, I was immediately hooked on recreating those images. I began painting the MRI images, but I wanted more. I looked at many butterfly images, but this time I became fascinated with their exterior beauty. The symmetry on each wing, top and bottom, the most beautiful colors and design needed to be shared.
In 2001, I established my first butterfly habitat. I created a caterpillarlooking tent big enough for children to walk in and see first hand what it feels like to have a butterfly land on them, but even more joyful to watch them see the wonder of a butterfly taking its first flight. I convinced the garden club to have butterflies as their summer tour theme. Unfortunately many participants used pesticides, but it was a beginning. That next Easter I worked on creating 5-foot fabric butterflies and a butterfly house for a mall. This large structure housed mostly native Pennsylvania butterflies, but also tropical ones. As the children stream in and out the large Easter Bunny sat nearby on his chair waiting fruitlessly for children to come and sit on his lap. In 2002 I moved to Lancaster. There, I created three butterfly tent enclosures: one for eggs, (the nursery) one for caterpillars, and one a mating tent filled with nectaring flowers, milkweed and yes, a fountain. Very romantic, as I ended up with more caterpillars then I could safely raise. My solution- a caterpillar giveaway. I said to my friend, “Look at the beauty we have here. Why can’t that be on the front page?” A reporter came to the house, taking photos and discussing what I wished to accomplish. I said I want to have a butterfly give away. “Let’s get the community involved in something lifeaffirming. I have three requests: 1. They most bring a container, 2. a host plant, and 3. a small nectar flower.” The butterflies made the front page. More than seventy-five
people arrived, young, old, one man in crutches who wrote me a letter as he stood on the other side of my rickety bridge. I helped him over, and he stayed all day. In fact, if it hadn’t been for a late day thunderstorm ,I wasn’t sure they would ever leave. From that day on ,I would have strangers showing up in my backyard. Then, I moved to Long Beach Island. I had been successful raising Black Swallowtails here and thought as I watched Monarchs flying overhead on their migration to and from Mexico that it was time to care for them again. Especially since I witnessed their declining numbers. In June, a female laid eggs on milkweed seedling in my backyard. I gathered the eggs and put them in a Johnson Popcorn Container. Only five survived, giving me serous thought to mating them when a very fertile Monarch landed on the seedlings, peppering them with 27 eggs. It has been non-stop since. Which is what led to me becoming “caterpillar mama.” Because my seedlings have been chomped to nothingness, I walked two miles every morning scouring LBI for and trimming all milkweed I find to feed my hungry brood. And that is the story of how I became “Caterpillar Mama.”
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Please
Pink Sky Pink and blue fill my eyes Overhead, A seagull flies The scene I see is so surreal Colors change the way I feel All around me sand and sea A gorgeous sky surrounding me
Keep Our Beaches Clean
Why it is, I don’t ask why I just enjoy LBI Lisa Ball
Rem e the Smbering hack
Lisa
Exp 10/31/14
Ball
DON’T BE TOO QUICK TO BLAME GOD FOR YOUR MISFORTUNES
At noon On Saturday, May 3, I noticed the dark curtain that was ominously invading the field of sight in my right eye. I knew that this meant a detaching retina and that my window for obtaining help was small.
prompt attention. Had my retina problem occurred during a weekday, I would have had it taken care of at one of the local surgi-centers. In retrospect, that would have been a serious mistake.
But let’s start at the beginning. My wife, Betty Anne, and I have been fortunate to be able to spend summers on LBI and winters at our place in Jupiter, Florida. This winter, after many seasons, we decided to put our condo on the market, with the realtor’s contract scheduled to expire on April 1. We had planned to return to LBI on April 2. Before we left, in early March we had an acceptable offer that appeared ironclad. We began packing only to discover that the buyer backed out at the last moment for personal reasons. My initial reaction was anger--anger at God specifically. I had prayed for a sale, and not only had this not occurred, but I seemed to have been toyed with in the process.
We left the ophthalmologist’s office not knowing if Betty Anne could negotiate the complicated, eighty mile emergency drive to Miami. Arriving back at the condo, we called Michael and Mary Ann, friends living on our floor. This was the beginning of the resources being provided that I needed. These friends would serve as angels on my shoulder until we returned to LBI.
Then, I remembered a clergyman once saying that sometimes our wishes aren’t granted because God has a greater (different) plan for us. This consoled me and my anger dissipated. But even in my wildest dreams I couldn’t envision what God’s plan for me would be. The day after we arrived back at LBI on April 4, we received a better cash offer from a different buyer who had viewed the property earlier. It proposed a closing date of May 13, which was a week later than the original offer. I did not realize then that I was about to have some serious eye problems, but God would provide the time, place and resources for me to prevail. With this new closing date, God had just established the timetable that would coincide with my upcoming eye problems and the place (South Florida) where a miraculous series of events was about to occur. As a scientist, I define a miracle as science so advanced as to be currently unexplainable. Betty Anne and I returned to Florida to pack our belongings on April 29. At the airport rental counter I was asked if I wanted to upgrade to a luxury car. I declined, but in the rental lot, a Cadillac awaited us. The packing went smoothly until four days later when my retina began to detach. Being a Saturday, my ophthalmologist’s office was closed, but the answering service forwarded the message to the on-call doctor who agreed to see me within the half hour. He confirmed what I suspected, but delivered worse news that all eye surgery centers, including the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute satellite in nearby Palm Beach were closed for the weekend. The Bascom Palmer Hospital emergency room in Miami was the only place in south Florida where I could receive
Michael and Mary Ann drove us to and from Miami. At Bascom Palmer, a retina specialist on duty determined that fluid had already invaded the center of the eye known as the macula. Immediate surgery to prevent this was no longer needed, so I was scheduled for surgery on Monday, May 5, the same day that the movers would be arriving at the condo. In addition to these logistical problems, we were worried about a persistent hacking cough I had that might undo a delicate retina operation. I also was concerned about having brought along sufficient hypertension pills to get me through almost two additional weeks in Florida. I counted them, and there were exactly the number that I would require. On Sunday, May 4, Michael accompanied me on the return trip to Miami, while Betty Anne and Mary Ann stayed behind to supervise the move. In he meantime, Mary Ann had been on the internet and discovered that Bascom Palmer had been named No. 1 in ophthalmology nationally for ten consecutive years in U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Hospitals” rankings. This meant that it also had to be No. 1 in the world. We stayed at a nearby hotel in Miami for two nights. Michael was constantly at my side pre-and post op at the hospital to assist and independently listen to everything I was told. He returned to the hotel during the surgery which was supposed to last 30 minutes. It took two hours because my cataract-replaced lens (IOL) clouded and prevented the surgeons from seeing the retina. Two of Bascom Palmer’s top retina specialists employed an endoscope to complete the operation. Later my surgeon told me that Bascom Palmer was probably the only eye hospital to have such equipment available in the operating room. The chances of surgery success without it were nil. Five minutes after my arriving in the recovery room Michael appeared, telling me that he had ordered special recovery equipment by which I could remain face down, as required, for a week or more. The only place where
this equipment could be rented, predictably by now, was in Jupiter! While in the recovery room, separated by a curtain, a man in the next cubical was moaning in obvious pain. When he implored Jesus’ help, I also said a short prayer for him. I overheard an attending nurse tell another patient that everyone had to remain in the recovery room for at least one hour. Upon taking my blood pressure, she found it to be 168/95. I told her that I was confident it would return to 137/78 within 15 minutes. It did, and I was permitted to leave. Upon passing the man who had been in discomfort, I noticed he was resting peacefully, apparently without major pain. After a post-op examination the following day (May 6) I was cleared to return to Jupiter, worry free riding comfortably on the soft suspension of the Cadillac. I had instructions for Betty Anne to administer eye drops twelve times a day. She dutifully did this. The discomforting news was that I would be unable to fly for at least six weeks due to the gas bubble that had been inserted in my eye during surgery. We needed to be out of our condo in seven days, May 13, and had no idea what we were going to do. One good thing, my hacking cough disappeared after the surgery and did not return until my retina had completely healed. Beyond coincidence, Michael and Mary Ann told us that they would be driving to New York on May 15, and they insisted that we accompany them. Moreover, we were invited to stay with them during the two days when our condo would be unavailable. A quick call to the airline, Jet Blue, resulted in our being credited for our return tickets, without penalty. On May 9, I was able to meet with my surgeon at the Bascom Palmer satellite in Palm Beach, thus avoiding a long drive to Miami. It was then I learned that my lens had become completely detached, and I would require another operation. Apparently, it had been loose prior to the operation. This explained the squinting I sometimes had to do to focus that eye. Since we were about to head north, my Miami surgeon called Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia and arranged a follow-up examination with the surgeon who had been his primary professor while he trained there. That Sunday, May 11, we attended church and were seated directly in front of a woman whom we recognized. We had exchanged pleasantries in the past, but not much more. This time, however, upon learning of my eye problem, she placed her hand on my shoulder and related the story of her six-year old grandson who had an identical problem. Speaking softly, she reassured me that all would be well. I was certain of this as I realized God had just passed by and delivered a message to me. After spending the final two days of our stay in Florida with Michael and Mary Ann in their condo, we all headed north in their car. The drive was leisurely, and we spent
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three nights in hotels. The wind, thunderstorms and tornados remained a day ahead of us as we traveled in perfect weather. Upon reaching the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel we learned that it had been closed by weather the previous day. We arrived on LBI on May 18, whereupon Betty Anne called our friends, Larry and Judy who had looked after our house while we were in Florida, to inquire if they knew someone who could drive us to Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia on the 21st for my check-up. Larry said that he did, and the persons’ names were Larry and Judy. Thereupon, I became aware of the northern angels who would sit on my shoulder during the remainder of my recovery. They already had been active in my cause by informing Pastor Bill at the Zion Church in Barnegat Light of my situation and he had called twice to offer blessings and prayers. Church members also prayed for me. Larry and Judy drove us to Philadelphia twice where we found the hospital but a few blocks from the Ben Franklin bridge, and a parking lot was located just across the street. As Michael had done, Larry and Judy remained at our sides while we waited for my appointment when I learned that the healing was progressing nicely, but I would require another examination four weeks hence before my lens replacement surgery could be scheduled. During this exam on June 18 I learned that my surgery could not be scheduled until August 5 to allow for complete healing of my retina. August 5th finally arrived, and after an eighty minute operation, the old IOL was removed and a new lens was inserted in my right eye. The operation was a complete success, and my vision now is not appreciably different from what it was prior to the retina detachment. In retrospect, I ask myself the question as to whether God caused my eye problems and the improbable series of healing events. That would appear to be illogical. Then, why do bad things happen to people? Even Jesus on the cross didn’t seem to have the answer to this. What I do know is that I am trained in the powers of observation and can statistically separate chance from real phenomena. Thus, one or two of the events that happened to me after the onset of my eye problems can certainly be attributed to chance. But I am confident that the probability of all these being due to chance is not significantly different from zero. I think we should all expect bad things to occur. But when they do, if we are alert, we just might discover God standing near to ease our pain. Believe me, it happens. Since my recovery, I have often wondered why God came so staunchly to my aid after my eye problems. One reason, I suspect, is that God loves me, and another may be that God wanted me to tell my story to you, and you probably know why. S. M. Zdep, Ph.D.
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