A Valentine’s Day Story

on the Valentine’s Day of 1915, Grandpa finally got the nerve to as Grandma for a date.

From Grandma’s point of view, I had learned that Grandma’s father did not fully approve of Watson taking his daughter for a date. You see, Grandpa rode his Indian motorcycle across Route 202 and knocked on the door of the Storms Homestead and asked to see Bertha. According to Grandma, it was her father who answered the door and when he saw Grandpa’s motorcycle in the back driveway, he was very concerned about Watson being too wild and reckless for his beloved daughter.

Grandpa often told me, with a big smile on his face, how he remembered sitting on the bench just outside the backdoor of the old Storms Homestead. “I remember your Grandma and her father had a bit of a discussion whether or not your Grandma was going to be allowed to go for a motorcycle ride with me,” Grandpa would tell me. Then Grandma would interrupt Grandpa and say to me, “but I finally convinced Pop to let me take that motorcycle ride with your Grandpa!”

In May of 1916, my grandfather got the courage to ask his beloved Bertha to marry him. She said yes. They got married the very next month. Together my grandparents had nine children, 15 grandchildren, 19 great grandchildren, and 16 great great grandchildren.

In memory, I return to those wonderful and magical times of watching and listening to Grandpa tell his stories of the remembrances of his life as a young man. I do my best to be true to bring his stories back to life, to honor the beloved patriarch. I loved my grandfather all so very much. In many ways, he taught me a lot about the fine art of storytelling. I dearly miss him. Richard Mabey Jr. is a freelance writer. He can be reached at richardmabeyjr@hotmail. com.

Reading

How Do You Treat a Broken Toe?

Courtesy Matthew F. Wachtler, DPM

How do you treat a broken toe? This question is very common and usually simple to answer, however not always.

Usually, when someone has a broken toe, the first thing that needs to be done is to make sure it is, in fact, broken. This can be done with an X-ray.

Simply assuming it is NOT broken, when in fact it is, can result in delayed healing, deformity as well as long term swelling and pain.

Therefore, the most important way to treat a broken toe, is to find out

IF it is broken in the first place. A simple x-ray can help determine if the toe is broken.

Next, if the toe is in a good position and the fracture is not displaced, the toe should be immobilized with buddy tape and a stiff soled shoe should be worn.

If the toe is misaligned however or if the fracture is displaced, it may need to be corrected and pinned surgically. While this is infrequent, it does occur. Call our office if you think you may have broken your toe. It is much easier to treat earlier rather than later. Cedar Grove Foot & Ankle Specialists, 882 Pompton Ave , Suite B1, Cedar Grove.

Elite Spine and Sports Care’s approach is based on the functional model and the dynamic use of manual medicine into physical therapy and rehabilitation . Offering Physical Therapy, Acupuncture, Chiropractic Care, Massage Therapy, Deep Tissue Laser Therapy, Pre-Operation and Post-Operation rehabilitation & more! Elite Spine is the leading northern New Jersey Physical Therapy center with over 120 5-star reviews on Google!

No Prescription Needed Courtesy Transportation Available

On Jan. 1, Woodland Park’s Borough Council saluted three outgoing members and welcomed three newcomers.

The Borough said “thank you” to outgoing council members Gary Holloway, Rita Pascrell, and Joseph Spinelli as all three retire from their posts. Holloway has served the Borough for 12 years. Pascrell and Spinelli both served for 21 years.

Mayor Keith Kazmark embarked on a journey together 21 years ago with Pascrell and Spinelli in running for the Council.

“The Borough will forever be indebted to these three public servants,” he said. “You do this because you want to help. You do this because you want to make a difference.”

The three outgoing council members helped oversee a 15-year road resurfacing plan, the McBride Streetscape project, the installation of the first turf field and revamping of Zaccaria Park, and the revamping of the recycling center, among their many accomplishments.

Kazmark then swore in the newly elected trio of newcomers to the Council – Michael Sica, Christine Tiseo, and Sam Yodice Jr. In selecting the candidates, the precursor