55 Plus CNY, #105: June - July 2023

SAVVY SENIOR: FUN PART-TIME JOB IDEAS FOR RETIREES INSIDE Retired Cardiologist’s Heart Is in Gardening P.28 Marilyn L. Pinsky: Trends in Aging Well P.34

Issue 105 June-July 2023 For Active Adults in Central New York

cny55.com

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BIKE SEASON Put your helmets on and hit the road —like many in Central New York P. 38

Kathleen Sullivan and Dick Scheutzow ride their bike around Onondaga Lake Park.

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55 PLUS – JUNE / JULY 2023

102 WEST SENECA STREET Manlius • 315-464-9335 138 EAST GENESEE STREET Baldwinsville • 315-720-1305

Caragh Fahy stands with her sons at Onondaga Lake Park

With more than 20 years of experience in the financial services industry, I began thinking about my family’s philanthropic plan early on. It was important to me that we effectively incorporated charitable giving into our overall financial picture.

Building a financial plan is like putting together a puzzle and charitable giving is an important piece. We set up a donor-advised fund at the Community Foundation because it is a smart way to give. We can make an impact on Central New York now while having our charitable wishes continue for generations.

I enjoy engaging my sons in the current giving from our fund to organizations that support youth and outdoor revitalization. Our fund will receive a legacy gift with a contribution from my retirement investment accounts when I pass away. I am comforted knowing that my sons will carry forward our love for this community through our charitable legacy for years to come.

GIVING FOR GENERATIONS: CARAGH FAHY

Read more of Caragh’s story at cnycf.org/fahy

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55 PLUS | contents

SAVVY SENIOR: FUN PART-TIME JOB IDEAS FOR RETIREES INSIDE Retired Cardiologist’s Heart Is in Gardening P.XX Marilyn L. Pinsky: Trends in Aging Well P.XX

Issue 105 June-July 2023 For Active Adults in Central New York

June-July 2023

Do you have story ideas, or would you like to advertise in 55 Plus?

Send an email to editor@cny55.com or call 315-342-1182.

P.34

cny55.com

BIKE SEASON

To subscribe to the magazine, look for the coupon on pages 25 & 47

Put your helmets on and hit the road —like many in Central New York P. XX

ON THE COVER Kathleen Sullivan and Dick Scheutzow ride their bike around Onondaga Lake Park.

Kathleen Sullivan and Dick Scheutzow ride their bike around Onondaga Lake Park.

Photo by Chuck Wainwright

20 SAVVY SENIOR 8 GARDENING 10 DINING OUT 12 CONSUMER’S CORNER 24 AGING 34 MY TURN 36 DRUGER’S ZOO 60 LIFE AFTER 55 62 VISITS 64 LAST PAGE

Dan Harrington, 68, has been involved with Harborfest in Oswego for decades, but he is now in charge as he was appointed director in January.

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55 PLUS – JUNE / JULY 2023

28 14 DINING

• Dining al fresco in Central New York.

16 MONEY

www.cny55.com

45 45 MUSIC

• Bruce Ward: Hamilton resident is in tune with architecture, music.

• Social Security mistakes that ccn cost you a fortune.

48 HONEY

20 OUTDOORS

50 DATING

• Some in their 80s still putting up tents in the wilderness.

26 SECOND ACT

• Oswego engineer says he always wanted to be his own boss. He opened Junco Brewing.

28 VOLUNTEERING

• Retired cardiologist’s heart is in gardening.

32 GARDENING

• Plan flowerbeds for a summer of color.

38 COVER

• It’s open season for bikers.

58

• The buzz about Chuck Kutik.

• Best dating apps for retirees.

51 GHOSTS

• Ghostwalks: Historical figures come to life in Syracuse.

52 SPORTS

• Adult sports leagues provide camaraderie, exercise.

54 GARAGE SALES

• Guide to a successful garage sale.

EXTRA

• Profiles of The Flyin’ Column, a local Cetic band and the owner of Thorpe Vineyard in Wolcott.

WATER

Shep’s Pool Water

By Shepard Enterprise

Cell 315-591-7891

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We do business in accordance with the federal fair housing law and section 504 requirement Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968,as Amended by the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974. It is illegal to discriminate against any person because of race,color,religion,sex,national origin,familial status or handicap.

savvy senior

By Jim Miller

W

Fun Part-Time Job Ideas for Retirees

orking part-time in retirement can be a terrific way to occupy your time and earn some extra income. The key, however, is finding the right gig that’s fun and satisfying for you. Here are a few possibilities to explore.

• Pet Services: If you love animals, consider pet sitting or dog walking.

Pet sitters, who attend to a pet’s needs when their owner is away, can earn $15 to $40 per visit. Dog walkers can make $10 to $30 for a 30-minute walk.

To find these jobs, advertise your services in veterinarians’ offices or online at sites like Craigslist.org or Care.com. Or, if you’d rather work for an organization that offers these services, visit Rover.com.

• Teach or Tutor: Depending on your expertise, you could substitute teach or tutor students privately on any number of subjects. Substitute teachers typically make between $75 and $125/day, while tutors can earn between $15 to $30 per hour.

To look for substitute teaching positions, contact your local school district to see if they are hiring and what qualifications they require.

To advertise tutoring services, use websites like Wyzant.com and Tutor. com.

Or, if you have a bachelor, master or doctoral degree, inquire about adjunct teaching at a nearby college or university.

• Drive: If you like to drive, you can get paid to drive others around using Uber or Lyft apps, or become a food delivery driver through Instacart or Uber Eats. Drivers make around $15 per hour.

• Babysit: If you like kids, babysitting can be a fun way to put money in your pocket. Hourly rates vary by location ranging anywhere from $10 to $40 per hour. To find jobs or advertise your services, use sites like as Care.com and Sittercity.com.

• Tour guide: If you live near any 8

55 PLUS – JUNE / JULY 2023

historical sites or locations, national parks or museums (anywhere that attracts tourists), inquire about becoming a tour guide. This pays anywhere from $10 to $40/hour.

• Write or edit: Many media, corporate and nonprofit websites are looking for freelancers to write, edit or design content for $20 to $60 per hour.

To find these jobs try FreelanceWriting. com, FreelanceWritingGigs.com and Freelancer.com.

• Consult: If you have a lot of expertise in a particular area, offer your services as a consultant through a firm or on your own through freelancer sites like Upwork.com, Fiverr.com, Freelancer.com or Guru.com.

• Translator or interpreter: If you’re fluent in more than one language you can do part-time interpretation over the phone or translate documents or audio files for $20 to $40/hour. Try sites like Translate.com, ProZ.com or Gengo.com to locate translation jobs.

• Public events: Sporting events, festivals, concerts and shows need ticket takers, security guards, ushers, concession workers and more. The pay is usually $10 to $20/hour. Contact nearby venues to apply.

• Tax preparer: If you have tax preparation experience or are willing to take a tax prep course you can find seasonal work preparing tax returns at big-box tax firms like H&R Block or Jackson Hewitt for around $17/hour.

• Bookkeeper: If you have a finance or accounting background you can find freelance bookkeeping gigs at sites like Upwork.com and Fiverr.com, or through firms like BelaySolutions.com.

• Librarian assistant: If you love books, public libraries hire part-time workers to shelve books, send out overdue notices, help patrons, etc.

Contact your local library to see what’s available.

If you don’t find these options appealing, try FlexJobs.com, which lists thousands of work-at-home jobs from more than 5,700 employers.

cny55.com Editor and Publisher Wagner Dotto Associate Editor Steve Yablonski Writers & Contributors Deborah J. Sergeant Mary Beth Roach, Christopher Malone Carol Radin, David Figura Mike Costanza Columnists Bruce Frassinelli, Marilyn Pinsky, Harold Miller Jim Sollecito, Marvin Druger Michelle Reed, Jim Miller Eva Briggs (MD) Advertising Amy Gagliano Pamela Roe Tom Bachman Office Manager Allison Lockwood Layout & Design Angel Campos-Toro Cover Photo Chuck Wainwright 55 Plus: A Magazine for Active Adults in Central New York is published six times a year by Local News, Inc. at 185 E. Seneca St. P.O. Box 276, Oswego, NY 13126.

Subscription: $21 a year; $35 for two years © 2023 by 55 Plus: A Magazine for Active Adults in Central New York.

No material may be reproduced in whole or in part from this publication without the express written permission of the publisher.

How to Reach Us P.O. Box 276 Oswego, NY 13126

Phone: 315-342-1182 Fax: 315-342-7776 Email: editor@cny55.com Editor@cnyhealth.com

Don’t wait to get the care you need. When you visit the St. Joseph’s Health Cardiovascular Institute, you can expect the best. They’re rated high-performing in more heart procedures than all other area hospitals.* You’ll be back home and feeling better in no time. *U.S. News & World Report

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© 2023 St. Joseph’s Health. © 2023 Trinity Health. All rights reserved.

gardening

By Jim Sollecito

Letting Go

Sollecito: Sometimes letting go is the best way to go.

I

know a lot. And that’s because I have made so many mistakes.

As I am an aggressive learner, I try to learn as much as possible. I am hungry for knowledge. If you’re not moving forward, you’re not just standing still, you are falling behind.

Near-constant improvement means letting go of what we used to know.

No matter how far you have traveled in the wrong direction, you 10

55 PLUS – JUNE / JULY 2023

can always turn around. As I visit people at their homes they often try to explain why they have continued to live with landscape mistakes instead of just pruning at ground level and starting fresh. And this brings to my mind … fly fishing. Because a fish that I pursue, fight and land will be let go immediately, free to be a living, growing, thriving fish.

As I visit homeowners they often

ask, “What is wrong with this?” Or “What can I do about that?’’ By this time the plant has often lost the ability to be tall, bark and handsome. More than several times a day I have to balance whether a particular plant just needs more time and nourishment or if it should be sacrificed so resources can be redirected toward a plant that has greater potential. My interest is in the future because I’m going to spend the rest of my life there.

Listening to certain friends who are once again single, I am told the person they married was not the person they divorced. I also suspect that feeling was probably mutual.

Anyway, we are surrounded by people and things that can age like fine wine or could turn to vinegar, if not well nurtured.

My professional goal is for you to live in a natural environment with at least one element that comforts, refreshes, thrills or brings you joy.

As we celebrate our 50th year in business, I am thrilled that I can still make that magic happen. And it is something special watching the transformation between seasons in Central New York.

Winter ‘22-’23 was different.

Cornell called it a “Zone 6 Winter” where most of us live in Zone 5 or even 4. So you would think it would have been easier on the plants than it was. One contributor is lack of snow cover which buffers roots. And because it actually was pretty rough, I recommend adding a few liquid organic products now to help those root systems.

So be the Confident Captain of your yard. Look at that questionable plant in your landscape. If it were for sale, would you buy it? If yes, help it thrive. If not, then change it out. Don’t be afraid to let go of things that served their purpose. If you hold too tightly to some things, you are just wasting energy that might be better used on something else. If something doesn’t add to your life, maybe it doesn’t belong there. Because, at the end of the day, it’s about moving forward with intent and knowing when to let go.

Jim Sollecito is the first lifetime senior certified landscape professional in New York State. He operates Sollecito Landscaping Nursery in Syracuse. Contact him at 315-468-1142 or jim@sollecito.com.

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315-634-1100 Q.: How long do I need to work to become eligible for retirement benefits?

Everyone born in 1929 or later needs 40 Social Security credits to be eligible for retirement benefits. You can earn up to four credits per year, so you will need at least 10 years of work to become eligible for retirement benefits.

During your working years, earnings covered by Social Security are posted to your Social Security record. You earn credits based on those earnings. If you become disabled or die before age 62, the number of credits needed to qualify for Social Security benefits depends on your age at the time you die or become disabled. A minimum of six credits is required to qualify for Social Security benefits regardless of your age. You can create a my Social Security account to check and periodically monitor how many credits you have. Just go to www.ssa.gov/myaccount.

www.hospicecny.org/careers

Q.: Will my retirement benefits increase if I wait and retire after my full retirement age?

Yes. You can increase your Social Security retirement benefit in two ways: • You can increase your retirement benefit by a certain percentage if you delay receiving retirement benefits. We will add these increases automatically from the time you reach full retirement age until you start receiving benefits or reach age 70.

• If you work, each additional year you work adds another year of earnings to your Social Security record.

Higher lifetime earnings may result in higher benefits when you do retire.

For more information, visit www. ssa.gov/pubs to read, print, or listen to our publication, When to Start Receiving Retirement Benefits. You also can use our Retirement Estimator at www.ssa.gov/estimator to determine your estimated future benefits.

JUNE / JULY 2023 – 55 PLUS

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Vegan Southwest BBQ smash sandwich.

Dining Out RESTAURANT GUIDE

By Christopher Malone

LET’S GET ‘LODED’

Leave your calorie counter at home…

L

ODED on Thompson Road in Syracuse, if personified, would be one of those people who know how to make a grand entrance. It wouldn’t be as farcical as Kramer, yet it would seriously not take itself seriously.

Some places need a visual rather than an introductory paragraph.

You know, like a trailer or a scrolling narrative similar to what the Star Wars franchise pulls off. Yet, dash in that comedic take — so… Spaceballs.

LODED, which is appropriately stylized in all capital letters, is one of those places. After all, it’s tucked in the back of a car maintenance paradise: near a tire place, an oil changing business and a car wash.

(Cue the meta humor of Monty Python: “Get on with it!)

OK. [Clears throat.] Here we go: From the people who brought you Rise N Shine Diner comes a familiar dining experience which seems like none other. As soon as you step through the

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door, you’re instantly transported back to the early 1990s.

LODED is loaded with bright colors, patterns, neon lights, a mural featuring iconic musicians and flamingos.

Not only does LODED bring you back in time to what seems like better days, menu verbiage like “sawwce,” “sammich” and “nuggies” will have you asking yourself: “Am I right, am I wrong?”

The fast-food setup has you ordering and picking up the food from the counter in designated areas a few feet apart.

Ordering is simple, but can be a slightly confusing. Like a new board game, you get the hang of it after one round through. You order a base — burger, fries, poutine, hot dog, macaroni and cheese or chicken. Then you have it stylized or keep it as is.

LODED is located in the original location of Rise N Shine, which has a go-big-or-go-home way of doing

things. The photos on each place’s social media accounts are proof.

To kick off the experience, I ordered a vegan Southwest BBQ smash ($16).

The plant-based burgers were topped with sweet potato waffle fries and frizzled onions, lettuce, tomato, smoky BBQ sauce and vegan cheddar. The burger was enjoyable. The plant-based “meat” had a similar consistency to the real thing. It also boasted a nice spicy kick.

The ingredients are typically served between a gluten-free roll, but those were still frozen. I opted for the regular roll because gluten doesn’t negatively faze me. Another option is to get the burger, hot dog or chicken sandwich between lettuce.

The downside: You only get the burger. Typically, burgers come with fries or chips, but this isn’t the case at LODED, because the side is a base item or an a la carte option you can order as-is.

The BULL-GO-GI mac and cheese (small portion, $7) was another spicy and satisfying option. Bulgogi, which “fire meat” in Korean, is a clue into what will be experienced. The dish of seasoned pork belly, frizzled onions, and Korean barbecue sauce

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Interior of LOADED restaurant on 6393 Thompson Road, Syracuse; The Bulgogi mac and cheese; Nashville hot n dilly dilly chicken sandwich; Cosmic brownie milkshake.

doesn’t hold back with the heat or the heartiness.

The small option, considering all the ingredients, is definitely enough for three people. As filing as the bowl of adult mac is, it’s something there’s never enough of.

The Nashville hot n dilly dilly chicken sandwich ($11) continues the spicy theme of the dining experience.

The lightly fried, deep red slices of chicken breast are smothered in the yellow dilly dilly sauce consisting of dill, sour cream, mustard and a hint of lemon.

The portion of chicken barely fits between the halves of the roll and the meat was perfectly cooked. It’s an excellent chicken sammich. Similar to the vegan burger, it came solo.

To satisfy my sweet tooth, cue the cosmic brownie milkshake ($9.50). The vanilla milkshake with light chocolate syrup is topped with whipped cream, little candy-coated dots of chocolate and brownie.

I thought the brownie would be in the form of chunks, but it was a

whole Little Debbie signature “Cosmic Brownie” broken into two slabs sitting at the bottom of cup. Whether chunks or slabs, the brownie would have proven difficult to slurp up in a straw.

The milkshake, in my opinion, was less than stellar. There was less milkshake and more everything else.

The whip cream was plentiful, the brownie took up a lot of room and the bottom was filled with settled candies. LODED or Rise, both seem to boast over-the-top and overflowing milkshakes. This barely came over the lip of the cup.

The brownie, in my personal opinion, should also be homemade, not a rock-hard, frozen treat from a box. But, yes, it’s for the namesake.

With tip, the bill came to $57 and change.

Aside from the milkshake’s falling short and the solo sandwich price points, there were not many downsides. Unfortunately, a sign read LODED was no longer serving hot dogs or poutine the day I was there. I am unsure whether this is a permanent

or temporary menu change.

LODED followed through with the go-big attitude and flavor. Aside from the boxed brownie, bland is nowhere near the fun-forward restaurant. And kudos to the staff for keeping the busy afternoon moving. It’s obvious why the place is popular.

LODED 6393 Thompson Road Syracuse, NY 13206 315-414-7687 lodedsyr.com facebook.com/lodedsyr instagram.com/lodedsyr Sunday: Closed Monday – Thursday: 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.

Friday and Saturday: 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.

JUNE / JULY 2023 – 55 PLUS

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Barado’s on the Water in

dining

Dining Al Fresco in CNY

By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

N

ow that sunny weather is finally here, enjoy dining out at area restaurants. Here are a few to whet your appetite:

museums as the Brewseum, which covers the history of brewing in Central New York. Check the Facebook page for live entertainment and events.

reputation for great fried fish dinners and a variety of other seafood. But burgers and other “landlubber” meals are also available, along with all the sides.

Barado’s on the Water www.facebook.com/Barados.on.the.Water

Crazy Daisies https://crazydaisiesflowers.com

On the shores of Oneida Lake in Central Square, you can access this restaurant the way you want— by car or boat. Many of the tables are outside on the patio overlooking Oneida Lake.

You may enjoy a wide variety of food with a great focus on fish and meats.

The Syracuse facility is part family greenhouse and part garden cafe and part live music venue. In addition to fresh salads and hand-tossed pizzas, savor New York state spirits, beer, wine and cider, whether dining on the wide front porch or at a picnic table on the lawn.

The Syracuse restaurant serves up Italian favorites and fresh bread with zesty hot tomato (“Hot Tom”) dipping oil. The patio seating adds to the feeling of a little Italian mom-andpop eatery in the Old Country. Buy a jar of Hot Tom to savor at home.

Rudy’s Lakeside Drive-In https://rudyslakeside.com

Laci’s Tapas Bar https://lacistapas.com

Located in Oswego, Rudy’s offers locally the ambiance of an oceanside restaurant, as it’s perched on the shore of Lake Ontario. A favorite of tourists and locals, Rudy’s has earned its

The Syracuse location serves Spanish-inspired tapas family style.

Expect a large variety of snack-sized portions to comprise the meal. The extensive drink list is also a big draw.

Heritage Hill www.facebook.com/heritagehillbrewery The Pompey facility serves beer, burgers and bucolic views overlooking Palladino Farms, whether seated indoors or outside. Heritage Hill is part of the Onondaga Historical Association’s group of community 14

55 PLUS – JUNE / JULY 2023

Pastabilities www.pastabilities.com

The Brewster Inn’s www.thebrewsterinn.com The Cazenovia restaurant features a patio that overlooks Cazenovia Lake.

The 1890s structure exudes romance, making it perfect for a summer date night. The drink list includes numerous cocktails, wines and craft brews.

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La Parrilla https://laparrillaoswego.com/ The restaurant sits on a strategic location — where Oswego River meets Lake Ontario in Oswego. It’s a vibrant, Mediterranean-style bistro with a wine list and ever-changing selection of farm-fresh fare.

Discover

Inlet, NY Parks * Trails Lakes * Sunsets Dining * Shopping Cottages * Camping Recreation & Events for all ages!

Lombardo’s Bridie Manor www.bridiemanor.com Another historic restaurant overlooking water is the Bridie Manor, which is in the circa 1833 Ontario Mill by the Oswego River. The menu includes Italian favorites, seafood and grilled items.

Doug’s Fish Fry www.dougsfishfry.com/ The patio at Doug’s Fish Fry in Skaneateles gets pretty busy this time of the year, especially on weekends.

It has served up seafood in a casual atmosphere since the 1980s. The menu includes chicken, kielbasa and other foods off the grill. Its dipping sauce became so popular that the restaurant bottled it for patrons to purchase and use at home. Don’t miss the variety of sundaes to top off the meal.

Heid’s of Liverpool https://heidsofliverpool.com It has served Hofmann hot dogs and other favorites since 1917. Gianelli sausage, Philly cheesesteak, chicken tenders, onion rings, mozzarella sticks and fries are among the offerings.

The restaurant lives up to its tagline, “Food you’ll like.” It’s also adjacent to Sweet Treats ice cream stand, open seasonally. There’s not much for a view at Heid’s, but the special events like cruise-ins and live entertainment, along with ‘50s drive-in ambiance make it a special place to eat. Check the website for the schedule.

InletNY.com

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Marvin Druger The poems in this book reflect on our everyday experiences and our environments.

Each poem carries a thoughtful message for children and adults about life and the world around us.

Newman Springs Publishing 2022 - $18.95

On Amazon.com or your favorite bookstore.

JUNE / JULY 2023 – 55 PLUS

15

money

11 Social Security Mistakes That Can Cost You a Fortune

W

By Gabrielle Olya

hether you’re counting on Social Security to fund most of your retirement income or supplement it, you want to make sure you get

1. The Mistake: Not Checking Your Earnings Record Even if you’re decades away from claiming Social Security, you could be making a big mistake if you don’t keep track of your yearly earnings.

The amount of Social Security benefits you receive depends on your earnings record, so if that record is incorrect, you might not receive the benefits you’re entitled to.

Errors can occur for a variety of reasons, including an employer reporting an incorrect amount of earnings or your earnings not showing up because you got married or divorced and your name change has not been processed correctly.

What To Do: Check Your Social •Security Statement While Working

To avoid losing money due to errors in your earnings record, check your statement annually. If you notice errors, gather proof of your earnings to send to the Social Security Administration, such as your W-2 or pay stubs. Once the Social Security Administration has verified your claim, it will correct your record.

It’s much easier to prove an error that happened the previous year, when you still have your records handy, than it is for 10, 20 or more years ago because you probably don’t have a paper trail going back that far.

all of the money you’re entitled to. However, with so many ways to claim benefits — especially if you’re married or used to be married — small mistakes

handle — costing even if you youaaim could end up lot ofto retire early. money over the rest of your life.

By knowing which Social Security mistakes to avoid, your retirement will be easier to

2. The Mistake: Not Working Long Enough To qualify for Social Security retirement benefits, you need at least 40 work credits. You can earn up to four credits each year based on your earnings. For 2023, you must earn $1,640 to get one credit, or $6,560 to get the maximum of four credits.

In addition, your benefits are calculated based on the average of your 35 highest-earning years. If you have fewer than 35 years of earnings, $0 will be averaged in for each year you don’t have earnings.

To Do: •DoWhat the Math Before Retiring

As you’re approaching retirement, check your earnings statement first to make sure you have enough credits to qualify for Social Security.

If you don’t already have 35 years of earnings, consider whether working an additional year or two could help boost your Social Security benefits.

For example, if you worked a first career where you weren’t covered by Social Security, working for an extra year or two might ensure you qualify for Social Security benefits or boost your monthly benefit amount.

3. The Mistake: Taking Social Security Too Early You can claim Social Security

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55 PLUS – JUNE / JULY 2023

benefits as soon as you turn 62 years old. However, for everyone born after 1959, the reduction for claiming benefits at age 62 is 30%. The lower benefits are permanent: Your benefits won’t go up once you reach full retirement age.

What To Do: Wait Longer Before •Claiming Benefits

As much as you might like to quit your job the day you’re eligible for Social Security, that might not be the best move financially. If you’re in good health and expect to live a long retirement, waiting to maximize your benefits could be crucial in your later years.

If you can wait past full retirement age, your benefits could increase by as much as 8% per year you wait — up to age 70.

4. The Mistake: Waiting Too Long to Claim Benefits Even though the monthly benefit goes up each month you wait to claim your benefits, that doesn’t mean it’s always best to wait as long as possible. If you live to the average life expectancy, theoretically it won’t matter whether you claim benefits early or late. That’s because the amount of the benefit reduction for claiming early and the increase in benefit for delaying your claims will even out.

But very few people are precisely

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average. If you’re in poor health, claiming early could result in more benefits over the rest of your life. In addition, if you have cash flow trouble, an infusion of monthly benefit checks at a younger age could help you pay off debt or avoid taking on debt, which could ultimately save money in the long run.

What To Do: Consider Your •Situation Before Taking Benefits

Don’t assume that waiting until age 70 is best for your situation.

Instead, run the numbers yourself or work with a financial adviser, and consider your unique circumstances.

For example, if you have health issues and don’t expect to live until 75, much less 80 or older, you’ll receive more in total benefits if you claim them earlier.

Regardless of when you decide to claim your Social Security benefits, make sure you sign up for Medicare at age 65.

5. The Mistake: Only Considering Your Own Benefits If you file for the Social Security benefits you’re entitled to based solely on your earnings record, you could be missing out on a larger benefit. This is especially important if you don’t have enough work credits to qualify based on your own earnings record.

For example, if you were a stayat-home parent while your spouse worked, you might not have earned the minimum 40 work credits to qualify or your benefit might be small.

However, you could still qualify for Social Security benefits under your spouse’s work record.

What To Do: Consider Your •Spouse’s Earnings Record

Check to see how much you would be eligible to receive under your spouse’s work record before deciding how to claim benefits.

If you’re divorced, you could also claim benefits under your ex-spouse’s earnings record if the marriage lasted at least 10 years, you are age 62 or older, you are unmarried, your ex-spouse is eligible to receive Social Security retirement or disability benefits, and your benefit from your own work is less than what you would receive under your ex’s earnings record.

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55 PLUS – JUNE / JULY 2023

6. The Mistake: Not Coordinating Benefits With Your Spouse

distribution doesn’t add to your taxable income and might make more of your Social Security benefits count as taxable income.

If you’re married and you and your spouse each look at your benefits in a vacuum, you could be missing out on strategies to maximize your combined retirement benefits.

For example, if your spouse plans to claim benefits based on your Social Security earnings record, the spouse won’t receive any extra credit for delaying claiming benefits beyond full retirement age.

8. The Mistake: Ignoring Work Rules for Early Benefits

What To Do: Coordinate Your •Claiming Strategies

When you and your spouse work together on your Social Security plan, you can make sure you’re maximizing your combined retirement benefits.

For example, a low-earning spouse might start claiming benefits based on the high-earning spouse’s income at full retirement age. Meanwhile, the higher-earning spouse delays benefits to increase their retirement credits. This strategy can be tricky, so consulting a financial adviser is worth the cost.

7. The Mistake: Not Planning For Taxes on Social Security Benefits Up to 85% of your Social Security benefits could be subject to federal income taxes if you earn substantial outside income, such as wages or dividends. The percentage of your benefits that are subject to income taxes depends on your combined income, which equals your adjusted gross income, any nontaxable interest income and half of your Social Security benefits.

What To Do: Proactively Plan For •Taxes

Engaging in tax planning can help ensure you aren’t paying the IRS any more of your Social Security benefits than you have to.

For example, if you’re planning to donate money to charity, consider a qualified charitable distribution to satisfy your required minimum distribution from an IRA rather than using other funds. That way, the

If you plan to continue working after you start collecting Social Security benefits, you could find yourself coming up short financially.

In the years before you reach full retirement age, your Social Security benefit is reduced by $1 for every $2 you earn over the annual limit. In 2023, the yearly limit for earners younger than full retirement age is $21,240.

In the year you reach full retirement age, your Social Security benefit is reduced by $1 for every $3 you earn over the annual limit. For 2023, the yearly limit for these earners is $56,520.

What To Do: Budget For Early •Retirement

If you rely on early Social Security benefits to supplement your working income in the years before you reach full retirement age, make sure you account for the rules for working while earning Social Security. It’s important to be aware of the potential reduction in your benefits.

Once you reach full retirement age, there’s no further reduction. Your benefit amount will be recalculated at this time to leave out the months when benefits were reduced or withheld due to excess earnings. Without proper planning, however, you could face short-term cash-flow problems.

9. The Mistake: Remarrying Without Knowing How It Will Affect Your Benefits Divorced seniors who are 62 years and older can receive benefits on their ex-spouse’s record, but only if they are unmarried. If you were relying on your ex-spouse’s benefits because your income was low or you didn’t work, you would lose the opportunity to receive their benefits if you remarry.

What To Do: Know the •Implications Before Tying the Knot

Retirement Age To Receive Your Maximum Spousal Benefits Although you won’t get credits for delaying benefits past the full retirement age as a spouse, you should plan on retiring at your full retirement age to get the maximum benefits if you’re going to collect spousal benefits.

When you reach full retirement age, you’ll be eligible to receive 50% of your spouse’s benefits, which is the maximum amount.

If your full retirement age is 67, and you start receiving your spouse’s benefits early at age 62, your benefit amount would only be about 32.5% of your spouse’s benefits.

Marriage can sometimes be as much about finances as it is about love, especially later in life. If you will struggle financially because you’ll miss out on your ex-spouse’s Social Security benefits by remarrying, take some time to figure out if it’s worth it for you to do it.

10. The Mistake: Waiting Until 70 To Collect Spousal Benefits

Delaying your benefits beyond full retirement age will only qualify you for delayed retirement credits if you are 11. The Mistake: the primary beneficiary. Social Security benefits you receive as a spouse do not Assuming Social include delayed retirement credits,Turning 65 or new to Medicare?

Security Benefits so there is no incentive to delay solidCover Your Canputs Fully collecting Social Security past yourHumana full retirement age. If you wait, you’llMedicare experience Living Expenses have missed out on years you couldat your service have been collecting.

The average monthly Social Security benefit for retired workers What To Do: Retire at Full was $1,827 per month as of January

•

2023. Although it might be possible to live off Social Security alone in some instances, it would likely require a big paring down of your lifestyle. For many people, however, it may not be feasible to live entirely off of Social Security benefits. Planning to live on Social Security alone — and then not being able to — puts you at risk for financial problems down the line.

What To Do: Create a Well•Thought-Out Financial Plan Before

Retiring Social Security can be a great supplement to other sources of retirement income, but it should not be your only source. Make sure you have a healthy nest egg saved in a 401(k) or IRA, and ideally set yourself up to have passive income streams that will continue to pay out in your post-9-to-5 life.

This article previously ran in GOBankingRates.com. Reprinted with permission.

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outdoors

This is home for the O’Connors in Limekiln State Park in the Adirondacks.

Still Camping

Some in their 80s still putting up tents in the wilderness

By Carol Radin

“

We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing,” said George Bernard Shaw.

One of the ways that some people play young and stay young all summer is to go camping, be it in tents, RVs, cabins or even disbursed campsites on state forest land.

Here five campers describe the places — all different, all fun — that they take their inner child.

The Best Vacation Sylvia and Dennis O’Connor of Manlius have been camping together since their 20s. Now 81, Dennis recalls many wonderful summer vacations crossing the country and setting up tents with their four children.

Utah’s Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park, Wyoming’s Yellowstone and the Monument Valley National Park in the southwest were “absolutely 20

55 PLUS – JUNE / JULY 2023

spectacular,” according to Sylvia. They once did a four-week expedition to Saskatchewan, Canada, in a 1994 extended Astro Chevy Van with room for six. By far, though, Dennis’s most memorable experience was when they drove, and drove, and drove while looking for a campground in White Sands National Monument. When it got dark, they decided to just plop down where they were. The next morning, they were awe-struck: fine white sand rippled in all directions, for miles, nothing else. “It was the most magical place I’ve ever camped,” Dennis says.

Now that their children are adults, Dennis and Sylvia are back to camping on their own. Among Dennis’s favorite places are the Adirondacks’ Lime Kiln State Park, Eighth Lake and Cranberry Lake, where life is simple, the views are great and “you can sit outside at night and watch the lake,“ Dennis says.

Occasionally, the O’Connors bring

their canoe. They are active hikers who will do trails of two or three miles up hill and down at Bald Mountain, Blue Lake Mountain and Bear Mountain.

Dennis and Sylvia always pack their fiddles, too, and their duets after dinner attract a gathering of other campers. Once out west at the Colorado National Monument, they were playing tunes when another camper happened by to chat — turned out she was a member of the Syracuse Symphony.

As lovers of music, the O’Connors also camp for a weekend every year at the annual Old Songs Festival in Altamont, west of Albany, a gathering o f m u s i c i a n s w h o c a n re s e r v e campsites for the three-day event of performances.

Immersion Camping Around a Theme Just as an experience like the Old

TOP: Dennis O’Connor at White Sands National Park in New Mexico.

It wasn’t exactly the campground they were looking for, but it was amazing.

INSET: Dennis O’Connor at Fourth Lake, a favorite spot in the Adirondacks.

Songs Festival gives like-minded campers a theme around which to gather, Luana Impellizzeri probably would never have considered camping had she not found her theme: a week going medieval. For the past 20 years, Impellizzeri, 81, has been completely hooked on a medieval-style encampment known as the Pennsic, in Slippery Rock, in western Pennsylvania.

Pennsic simulates a Middle Ages experience, complete with long dresses and tunics, canvas tents, torches and tournaments. Thousands of campers take history classes and workshops on activities like archery, needlework and mead-making.

Impellizzeri got interested through her son, who is a member of the Society for Creative Anachronism. She has even managed to get her grandchildren involved, teaching them to make period tunics just like Grandma’s!

“I camp with the same group from Ohio,” Impellizzeri says. She follows the medieval lifestyle for the week she is there, though with some modern-day variations. Yes, there are

showers. And for living arrangements: “I use a nylon tent rather than canvas, because it’s lighter, but it does look like an English cottage. I’ve got a cot, fold-up table,

and rugs.” For cooking, she will cook over open fire, but dinner is modern-day burgers and such. “I do cheat with a propane stove because I need my coffee in the morning, thank you very much!” And, for an anachronism within an anachronism, where there are kids, there must be toasted marshmallows!

Impellizzeri, who is retired from Syracuse University, where she worked in Byrd Library and in dining services, h a s always been a history buff and enjoys folk crafts like knitting and crocheting, needlework and sewing. Though she usually stays at Pennsic only one week, she can appreciate each week for its differences: The first week is Peace Week and the second is War Week.

During War Week, battalions of campers take to the field with wooden swords and rattan poles—No contact, of course. Impellizzeri’s grandson has had a stint as a water boy for the performing combatants.

Aside from the chance to immerse herself in playing history and bonding with other enthusiasts, Luana remarks, “I like being unplugged for a week. And not being responsible for anything on the outside.”

Roughing It and Easing Up Bonnie Carr, 81, is a young camper if ever there was one. “I like to play,” she says, plain and simple. A lifelong Syracuse resident, she has sailed, hiked JUNE / JULY 2023 – 55 PLUS

21

Sylvia O’Connor cooks while an unexpected dinner guest happens by at Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming.

and camped in the lush regions of Lake Ontario and the Adirondacks since she was 17, and she isn’t stopping yet.

“I’ve tried just about everything!” she says. Though her style has changed, from tent to RV to rented cabin, she definitely takes her inner child wherever she goes.

One of Carr ’s favorite spots is Stillwater Reservoir, state land northeast of Lowville. “It’s wild land,” she says with relish. “You have to drive six, eight miles off the main road and take your own boat to campsites.” It is roughing it, so packing provisions must be as economical as possible. After a few decades of that, Carr bought herself an RV. “It was an expense I thought I deserved,” she says. “I was a school bus driver for 16 years, so I had no problem driving it and maintaining it.” Although that precluded areas like Stillwater, Carr’s new favorite campground is the place where she now meets her daughter, who drives from the mid-Hudson area to meet Carr each summer, Promised Land State Park in Pennsylvania just north of the Poconos. “It’s wonderful.

22

55 PLUS – JUNE / JULY 2023

All natural trails. Swimming in the lake.” It is also more manageable, because they reserve a cabin. Carr sold her RV in 2018.

Roughing It Solo Last—and least in terms of amenities—is the solo camping preferred by Larry Martin, 58. Now that his three children are adults and his wife is more inclined to the creature comforts, Martin does hammockcamping by himself when he wants to get away. As a Syracuse resident, he has only to go as far as Morgan Hill State Forest south of Syracuse or to Finger Lakes State Forest.

Martin’s hammock sounds as good as a bed. It’s off the ground, away from moisture and dirt. “It’s a Bridge Hammock,” he explains, “with a straight spreader bar at the head and the foot, so it doesn’t fold up like a taco, and it has a sewn-in bug net.” Meals are usually packages of dehydrated food that expand in boiled water. “You can get just about anything dehydrated — dehydrated chili, dehydrated lasagna,

beef stroganoff, eggs, oatmeal…. And I’ve got my coffee.”

For a weekend at a time, he explores the hiking trails. Though this is more wilderness camping, also known as disbursed camping, the state forest areas are not without rules, and Martin in particular, a retired deputy sheriff, is more aware than most of following rules. “There are trail signs.

And there are some rangers.” Once he actually called a ranger to inquire about why a particular trail sign was marked closed.

What does Martin like about camping alone off site in the woods?

“The solitude,” he says without hesitation, and the sky. “You can see every star up there.” He also likes the heightened sense of being in nature.

“You can hear these strange sounds in the middle of the night, animal sounds, movement, branches…. Some people get anxious when they hear noises in the forest at night, but you have to realize it’s just other creatures out there existing like you and I do. Also, they’re probably making the same sounds during the day, but you don’t

TOP: A gathering at Pennsic, where Luana Impellizzeri immerses herself in history. This year, Pennsic 50 will be held in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania, from July 28 to Aug. 13.

INSET: For a week each summer, Luana Impellizzeri camps medieval-style at Pennsic, also called Pennsic War, in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania. She makes all of her own clothes for the event.

notice because you’re making noise yourself.”

The Voices of Experience Having devoted decades to the outdoors, these campers are aware of making adjustments as they’ve gotten older.

First, make setting up camp easier.

“I’ve gotten spoiled,” says Bonnie Carr, who is now all for staying in RVs and cabins. The O’Connors still enjoy tents, but resort to some new basics: a lightweight nylon tent, high enough to stand up in, with good LED lighting for the interior. “Ditch the sleeping bags,” Sylvia O’Connor says. “You are not going to want to shift around in this narrow little thing.” She and Dennis bring 3 ½ inch inflatable mats, wrap them in flannel sheets, and sleep under a comforter. “And bring your own pillows!” Dennis adds.

Grills are usually provided at organized campgrounds, but the O’Connors have a propane camp stove. It is a far cry from Dennis’s memory of lighting a campfire with buffalo chips in Yellowstone Park.

Buffalo chips are—yup, you guessed it!

Safety is always important, and even more so as they get older.

Bonnie Carr, who once did an outdoor education practicum at Raquette Lake as part of her Recreation and Leisure Education degree from Cortland

State, is emphatic about this. “People need to be aware of their physical limitations as they get older. You are no longer the best distance hiker or climber. And altitude might be more of a factor as you get older.”

Everyone should prepare for potential accidents and have a reliable means of contacting emergency responders.

“But remember,” Carr adds, “that your electronic devices might not always work in wooded or mountain areas.”

Martin puts it this way, “Limit your challenges.” Camp close to home, if need be. He also likes to remember that not long ago people had no electronic devices and they made do.

Once you’ve covered the essentials, enjoy playing. Campers can give in to spontaneity any old way they want to. “Remember not to do too much,” Dennis O’Connor says. “If we see something we want to do, we stop and do it. What’s the rush?”

JUNE / JULY 2023 – 55 PLUS

23

consumers corner

By Eva Briggs, M.D.

Easing the Discomfort of Constipation

T

here are so many over-the-counter medicines for constipation. Which one should you choose?

First, what is the definition of constipation?

Officially, it’s fewer than three bowel movements per week. But some people have stools less often. If that’s your usual pattern, that can be OK. Some other symptoms help define constipation: hard dry stools, painful bowel movements that are difficult to pass and the feeling that you can’t fully empty your bowels. You might also experience abdominal pain, nausea and bloating.

Constipation is one of the most frequent gastrointestinal complaints.

About 2.5 million people seek medical care for it every year. It’s more common as people age. Older people may be less active, may lose muscle contraction strength in their digestive tract and have a slower metabolism. Women, especially during pregnancy and after childbirth, have hormonal changes that increase the risk of constipation.

A diet lacking in adequate fiber is another risk factor. Some medicines are constipating. Common culprits are narcotics, antidepressants, iron pills, certain antacids, some blood pressure medications, psychiatric medicines and seizure medicines. Neurologic disorders of the brain or spinal cord sometimes produce constipation.

Constipation can lead to possible complications. Hemorrhoids are 24

55 PLUS – JUNE / JULY 2023

swollen inflamed varicose veins of the rectum.

Large hard stools can tear the lining of your anus, called a rectal fissure. A large accumulation of stool can become impacted in the rectum leading to a bowel obstruction. Prolonged straining to pass stool can damage pelvic floor muscles leading to stress urinary incontinence.

For new persistent constipation, see a medical provider to rule out serious underlying causes.

The first step is lifestyle change.

Drink adequate fluids and consume sufficient fiber. There is no magic correct amount of water. Your water needs depend on your size, the temperature and your activity level. The dietary fiber goal should be 25 grams per day from foods such as whole grains, beans, fruits and vegetables. Get regular physical activity. The CDC recommends 150 minutes of moderateintensity physical activity and two days of muscle strengthening activity each week.

The first recommendation when

someone requires medication is an osmotic laxative — one that draws fluid into the colon to soften the stool.

Polyethylene glycol (PEG) (MiraLAX, etc.) is widely used and well tolerated even by children.

Bulk laxatives such as psyllium (Metamucil etc.) can be a good starting point, but should be taken with eight ounces of fluid and may cause bloating.

When these measures are not enough you may need a stimulant laxative (bisacodyl, senna). Some patients, such as those on chronic constipating medicines, may need these stimulant laxatives long-term.

We now know that there is no good evidence that this will harm the colon or cause laxative dependence.

Docusate, a stool softener, turns out not to be very effective to prevent or treat constipation.

For chronic constipation not helped by these measures, there are several expensive prescription medicines: Amitiza, Linzess, and Trulance. These work by increasing fluid secretion into the intestines and speeding the passage of food through the bowel.

If you do purchase a laxative, read the ingredients. The brand name does not necessarily tell you what you are taking.

And remember, you are not alone.

About 1/3 of people older than 60 experience constipation every year.

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Interior of Junco Brewing: It’s open from April until mid-October.

Junco Brewing: Retiree Opens Microbrewery Oswego engineer says he always wanted to be his own boss

By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

R

ick Fernandes, 63, has worked in construction, operating and testing power plants, but “always for someone else,” he said. Once he retired in 2020, he decided it was time to do something he had always wanted to do: work for himself.

About 15 years ago, he began homebrewing beer as a hobby. So, launching a brewery made sense to the Oswego resident.

He researched commercial brewing for a few years before he retired from his most recent employment as a field engineer for Bechtel Construction in Reston, Virginia.

Opening the brewery has allowed him something to do with the 100-yearold dairy barn on his property.

“I needed a reason to refurbish it,” he said. “A brewery with a tap room seemed like a good idea. I like 26

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construction, remodeling and brewing beer.”

He took two years to complete the project and opened in spring 2022. It’s located at 37 Cemetery Road in Oswego. The building lacks heat, so Junco Brewing is open from the last week of April until mid-October, which coincides with the busy tourism season in Oswego.

Making the jump from hobbyist to commercial brewer required Fernandes to learn more about the craft. He spent hours talking with brewers and completed a few short courses from Siebel Institute of Technology in Chicago and from Hopshire Farm and Brewery in Ithaca. Overall, he has found brewers eager to share their knowledge. He also took a bartending class to learn the basics of serving.

“People told me when I got involved in it that you have to like

cleaning and you have to like being busy,” he said. “One of my fellow brewers texted me and said ‘brewer = janitor.’ It’s not something you jump into unless you really like cleaning and being busy. Artists make wine and engineers make beer, so I fell into making beer.”

Fernandes’ background in engineering helped him construct the plumbing necessary for his setup.

He also had to obtain the proper federal and state liquor licensure to manufacture and sell alcohol. Since he does not handle food, he does not need clearance from the board of health.

He sells about 95% of his beer on tap from kegs, although he did acquire a small canning machine so he is able to can beer on the spot so people can take their brew to go. Fernandes makes 31 or 62 gallons at a time.

He brings in local food trucks one

night a week and a local restaurant delivers food for people who want a meal with their beer.

“They can also bring in their own food,” Fernandes said. “We’re just a two-person show. You have to limit the things you do. We let the people who know how to cook and sell food do that. I worked my way through college in the restaurant industry, so I have experience in the behind the scene aspects of restaurants but it’s my first attempt of doing it myself.”

His wife, Dawn, is the other half of his two-person show. Fernandes said that she’s been very supportive with his new endeavor. Their adult children at first asked, “Dad, you’re doing what?” Now when they visit, they jump in to help him.

At first, he wanted to name the business Snowbird Brewing to reflect the couple’s winter migration to their home in Florida. But he discovered another company was already named Snowbird. He searched for types of snowbirds and discovered the junco.

The name fit his brand. Although few beyond ornithologists know what a junco is, guests like the backstory.

Periodically, Fernandes hosts live music events on the business’ four acres.

The brewery sponsors the Oswego River Hawks, a semiprofessional lacrosse team and hosts them after a few of the games.

Typically, Junco is a quiet place where guests can “sit outside and enjoy their beer,” Fernandes said. “We don’t have TVs or Yahtzee night.”

The brewery offers space for community groups and meetings for up to 60 people. Fernandes has an upper and lower tap room so that if one is used for a function, he can still serve the public in the other. The property also has enough space that guests may sit at the picnic tables outdoors.

Fernandes made about 60 barrels of beer in his first year of brewing and hopes to brew 75 barrels this season.

His operation is classified as a New York State Farm Brewery, so he must obtain most of his inputs from New York, including malt from New York Craft Malt in Batavia; hops from Chimney Bluffs Hoppery in Wolcott; and water from Lake Ontario. Yeast comprises a small portion of his beer.

He obtains that from a few suppliers in Belgium and some in the US. He belongs to the American

Rick Fernandes, 62, has worked in construction, operating and testing power plants. After his retirement, he worked on his project to open a brewery, which happened this spring.

Homeb rewers Association and has sought tips from organizations such as the New York State Brewers Association regarding starting his business and protocols during the pandemic.

Fernandes hopes to grow his business. However, “since we’re retired, we’re not looking to be the next Sam Adams. We’re just happy to provide a service to the community and being small like we are.”

He also wants to see more breweries come to Oswego County

by potential founders observing that Junco offers proof that a little guy can make it.

When to Visit Junco Brewing is located at 37 Cemetery Road in Oswego.

The taproom is open Wednesday through Sunday from 3 to 9 p.m.

For more information, visit www. facebook.com/JuncoBrewing.

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volunteering

Peter Huntington, 87, has volunteered for 37 years to keep the gardens at Rosamond Gifford Zoo in good shape.

Retired Cardiologist’s Heart Is in Gardening

Peter Huntington, 87, has volunteered at Rosamond Gifford Zoo’s garden for the nearly 40 years. He now commands a crew of 15.

By David Figura

I

t begins every spring at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse, thanks largely to the efforts of Peter Huntington.

Huntington, 87, a retired cardiologist, oversees a group of volunteers who begin planting, pruning and weeding the zoo’s colorful gardens starting in late April and continuing through October.

For Huntington, who lives in Tully, gardening has been a life-long hobby that he acquired from his mother. It’s a passion that has prompted him over the years to belong to two gardening clubs and to apply his green thumb to 28

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gardens at his home, church — and for the past 37 years at the zoo.

Huntington’s involvement at the zoo began after the county took over what was then the Burnet Park Zoo from the city in the late 1970s. With the help of the Friends of the Burnet Park Zoo, the county drafted a plan and came up with $13 million to pay for the work. The county provided $10 million and $3 million was raised by the friends group.

At the time of the zoo’s reopening in 1986, Huntington, then 51, was working full time at his cardiology practice in Syracuse.

Participating in a church program, he happened to take a couple of refugee youngsters to check out the new, improved zoo.

“I looked around and said to myself, ‘Man, this is a nice zoo, but they don’t have any gardens. It looks so sterile,’” he said.

Huntington said he approached Anne Baker, the zoo’s director at the time with an offer. “I told her I’d like start some gardens here. She said ‘Sure,’ and I’ve been doing that ever since. I supplied the labor and they would reimburse me for whatever plants I had to buy,” he said.

Some of the members of Men and Women’s Garden Club of Syracuse who volunteer to keep the gardens at Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse: (from left) Richard VanValkenburgh, Lisa Rigge, Deborah Holihan, Beverly Miller, Peter Huntington, Geraldine Greig, John Hosford and Diana Burchhardt.

What initially started as a oneman show eventually evolved into Huntington overseeing a team of about 15 volunteers from the two gardening clubs that he belongs to: the Men and Women’s Garden Club of Syracuse and Habitat Gardening in CNY. Currently, the gardens at the zoo that Huntington and his team of volunteers created and maintain surround the circumference of the courtyard waterfowl pond at the zoo and run along part of the wildlife trail leading up to the Helga Beck Asian Elephant Preserve.

The gardens are a mix of colorful annuals and perennials, including a butterfly garden that incorporates native flowering plants which attract butterflies and pollinators.

“We call that the monarch butterfly way station,” Huntington said. ““We planted things that encourage monarch butterflies to come and stay.” He added he and the volunteers have also put up signage to educate zoo-goers on “what the gardens are all about.”

Since it reopened in 1986, the zoo has 700-plus animals, expanded to 43 acres and improved its offerings to visitors, the result of a number of

capital improvement campaigns fueled by efforts of the Friends of the Zoo. Following a $2 million endowment by the Rosamond Gifford Charitable Corporation in 1999, the zoo was renamed the Rosamond Gifford Zoo at Burnet Park.

Ted Fox, the zoo’s current executive director, is appreciative of Huntington and his “zoo crew,” which is composed mostly of members of the Men and Women’s Garden Club.

“The zoo has relied on Peter ’s dedicated leadership and we have been fortunate to entrust aesthetic design and the beautification of our zoo grounds to him,” he said.

Carrie Large, executive director of Friends of the Zoo added: “Peter has been a wonderful presence at the zoo over the years. Week in and week out, he and his team have brought expertise, skill and energy to the maintenance of the gardens throughout our zoo. He always takes time to share his enthusiasm and passion for gardening with everyone he meets, and our zoo is grateful to have such a positive person overseeing our gardens and connecting with our guests as they walk the grounds.”

Huntington retired from his cardiologist practice when he was 68. Apart from his work at the zoo, he has been active at his church, handling all of its gardening and participating over the years in mission and outreach work, having traveled to the Dominican Republic and offering his medical expertise.

Apart from the zoo, Huntington has been very involved with the two gardening clubs for more than two decades.

Leslie Molldrem, treasurer of the Men and Women’s Garden Club, said Huntington has received numerous flower and plant awards in our club “and also our bronze club service award, the Rotunno Award, for service outside the club (the zoo crew isn’t his only garden volunteering) — and our highest award, Master Gardener.”

Huntington said gardening and work at his church helps keeps him active. At his home, he tries to walk at least 20 minutes a day (rain or shine), has no special diet (apart from trying to eat healthy foods and watching his portions) and has been fortunate to get by with little or no medical problems.

He’s 6-1 and he weighs 187 — the JUNE / JULY 2023 – 55 PLUS

29

same weight, he said, as when he was in high school.

As for the zoo, Huntington said he and his ever-changing crew take turns, coming on different days. In total, they average some eight-10 hours of work each week, coming mornings before the zoo opens at 10 a.m., he said.

Geania Lasda, 75, of Camillus, has been a member of Huntington’s zoo crew for more than 10 years. She said he’s very good about coming up with ground plans for the gardens and dictates what everyone is doing.

“After every work session, we usually sit down for coffee for about a half hour and Peter will often talk about a particular weed or plant,” she said. “It comes so natural to him. He’s not only a good leader; he’s a good teacher and friend.”

Rosamond Gifford Zoo pond — and the flowers surrounding it.

Sign of the Men and Women’s Garden Club of Syracuse. Its members help with the zoo’s upkeep.

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Passion for Gardening Peter Huntington belongs to two garden clubs.

• The Men and Women’s Garden Club of Syracuse. Meets the third Thursday of the month at 7 p.m., Reformed Church of Syracuse, 1228 Teall Ave., Syracuse.

Meetings feature guest speakers on a variety of gardening and related topics. Members maintain gardens at Rosemond Gifford Zoo and Ronald McDonald House. Annual spring and fall flower shows, tours of local gardens and an annual picnic.

For further information, email mwgardenclubofsyracuse@gmail. com. The group also has a Facebook page.

• Habitat Gardening in CNY (HGCNY). Meets the last Sunday of most months at 2 p.m.

Liverpool Public Library, 310 Tulip St., Liverpool. HGCNY is a chapter of Wild Ones: Native Plants, Natural Landscapes. Wild Ones promotes environmentally friendly, sound landscaping to preserve biodiversity through the preservation, restoration and establishment of native plant communities. Meetings are free and open to the public.

For more, go to hgcny.org and ourhabitatgarden.org. Subscribe to the free e-newsletter by emailing info@hgcny.org

Photo courtesy of NASA

10 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT

LAKE ONTARIO

By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

Y

ou likely know that Lake Ontario is one of the Great Lakes that comprises a good share of our northern border.

You probably have a few favorite Lake Ontario beaches you know well or perhaps a great fishing spot. But you likely don’t know these 10 tidbits about it.

Upstate New Yorker Susan Peterson Gately knows a few things about Lake Ontario. She wrote the non-fiction book “Saving the Beautiful Lake: A Quest for Hope;” “Ariel’s World;” and two fiction titles set on Lake Ontario, “Widow Maker” and more recently “Shifting Winds.” She has sailed on the Great Lakes for decades, from a 19-ft. sloop to a 47-ft. gaff rigged schooner.

Here’s what Gately says: 1 “Lake Ontario is part of the largest freshwater ecosystem in the world.

2 “Our lake reverses the usual order of things in that Canadians greatly outnumber Americans

on this Great Lake. Something like 25% of Canada’s population lives within its watershed.

3 “I’m pretty sure Oswego is the only U.S. city directly on Lake Ontario.

Rochester is about 8 miles inland on the Genesee River.

4 “More than nine million people depend on Lake Ontario for drinking water 5 “There is an effort to promote legal standing for various bodies of water including the Great Lakes.

Many people believe “personhood” for lakes and rivers is the only way we can adequately protect water for future generations.

6 “The oldest continuously operating facility for refining radioactive material in the world is still going in Port Hope Ontario. It was started up by the Eldorado Gold Mining Co. to refine radium.”

7 Is bigger better? Concerning surface area, Lake Ontario is the smallest of the Great Lakes. It’s also not that deep, ranking second smallest of the Great Lakes in depth.

8 But it is the 14th largest lake on earth.

9 Which did people name first, Ontario County, New York, or Lake Ontario?

The county was established in 1789; the lake was named on maps in 1656.

The county was named after the lake.

10 In 1914, George Herman “Babe” Ruth of the Providence Grays was yet an unknown, 19-year-old. At bat at Hanlan’s Point Stadium, he stepped to the plate to face a Maple Leaf pitcher. He hit his first major league homerun and, as the story goes, the ball sailed over the fence and plopped into Lake Ontario.

Some claim to have recovered the ball; others say it’s still in the lake.

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gardening

Plan Flowerbeds for a Summer of Color

By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

M

ake this the year you make your flowerbeds the star of the neighborhood by planning for color all season

long.

Nan Stetler, owner of Marcellus Nursery in Syracuse, said that home gardeners can go with all annuals (which flower all season), stage perennials (which tend to have shorter blooming periods) or combine the two.

But it is important to plan.

“Read the tags at a garden center and see what flowers when,” Stetler said. “With some, you can force a second bloom if you deadhead them.”

This means removing dead, dry blossoms.

Flower gardening for season-long color also depends upon the right plant 32

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in the right place. Danielle Magee, nursery manager at Morgan Meile Garden Center in Syracuse, advises checking the care tags on plants at a garden center and then selecting the right place to plant, according to sun exposure and soil type.

“Cornell is a good source for help, like soil sampling, especially if someone planted the same thing two or three times in the same spot,” Magee said. “If it’s constantly failing, that’s when I recommend that they get a soil sample so we can see what’s going on in that area.”

Extension offices will test the soil pH and nutrients for a nominal fee per sample. This can help save money by using the correct amendments only as needed and prevent the mistake of

planting the wrong plant in the wrong place.

“Note the direction of the sun,” Magee said. “That will determine what plants you can use. The north side is the shady side, so pick ferns and hostas. In the south or west, you can put pretty much anything.”

The height and spacing of plants are important, because to avoid planting something that will become tall or bushy next to smaller, shorter plant. Competition for light and water is one way to complicate flower gardening. Plant shorter plants in the front, middle height plants in the middle and taller plants in the back.

Magee also plans her plantings based on naturally occurring moisture.

“I have a wet area in my backyard,

so I will choose plants that can handle the water like dappled willow or summer sweet to soak up the water,” she said. “I have a high water table so I can’t plant certain trees because of that.

“It’s about whatever works. Some things may work in your yard that doesn’t work in my yard. You can’t get discouraged. You have to work with nature and experiment. That’s what it’s about.”

When planning a client’s garden, Jim Sollecito typically relies on perennials for a low-maintenance display. A lifetime senior New York state certified landscape professional, Sollecito owns Sollecito Landscaping Nursery, LLC in Syracuse. In his own gardens, he likes to add annuals like marigolds, for their gold and yellow blooms.

“Yellow is the color best seen on overcast days, so it is important in CNY to make sure you have enough in your planting,” he said.

He avoids planting annuals in dry shade, as it’s one of the most challenging areas for annuals.

As most perennials bloom for two to three weeks, it takes planning their sequences to ensure a garden has continual color all season.

“Many perennials have nice fall color in their foliage, and many have much better leaf texture than annuals,” Sollecito said. “No annual has good foliage color.”

One of his favorite perennials is yellow archangel, also known as lamiastrum, which he calls “virtually deer proof.”

“It has wonderful yellow flowers in May into June, and wherever it touches the ground it tends to root in,” he added. “We sell hundreds every year, and the beds of variegated foliage seem to last forever.”

Another problem area is near the roadside, as salt contaminates the soil.

He likes Persian catmint or nepeta in those areas as a low perennial ground cover that flowers all season.

For wet areas, he plants Siberian iris, along with Caesar’s brother, which offer long-lasting flowers.

In the shade, Sollecito plants hot lips turtlehead, a colonizing perennial that offers color in late summer and early fall, when most annuals are nearly done.

“The hot pink blooms are so intense you’ll need sunglasses to look at them,” he added.

Early perennial flowers include Annuals that require full sun to partial sun Petunia (Proven Winner variety) Petunia (Wave variety) Schuetz said.

Geraniums Ageratum Lantana Marigolds SunPatiens Angelonia Truffula Straw Flower Cleome Zinnia Salvia

Helleborus Dianthus Primrose Candy tuft Forget-me-nots Phlox

Midseason flowers include Shasta daisies Daylilies, Hosta Bee balm Russian sage Lavender

Shade loving plants include Torenia (wishbone flower) Impatiens Browallia Coleus Lobelia Hostas Wax begonia Heliotrope Nonstop begonia.

Late season perennials include Black-eyed Susan Asters Hibiscus Anemone Chrysanthemum JUNE / JULY 2023 – 55 PLUS

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aging

By Marilyn L. Pinsky

Trends in Aging Well

I

had a far-ranging conversation with a doctor who looks at the aging process from the perspective of “trends.”

Isaac Kalvaria is a gastroenterology specialist retired from full-time practice who now does second opinion consulting and treats indigent patients at Sarasota Memorial Hospital in Florida. His ideas on aging well are grounded both in science and from his own experience as a physician. Most important, he provides specifics for what we can do to control our own aging process.

I think you’ll find his ideas as exciting as I did.

Q: Dr. Kalvaria, what is the premise of “trends in aging?”

A: With regard to health, the most powerful piece of information you have is your family history.

Armed with that, you can intervene in your own lifestyle early on. The knowledge that my father died at 45 of a heart attack prompted me to study my risk factors and proactively make the necessary changes to reduce the chance of the same outcome.

This requires a recognition of trends in individual health and the power of early interventions to improve outcomes. This ‘self-auditing” of trends is not restricted to health. These include monitoring our cognitive state, financial situation, physical activity and social lives. Continually auditing each of these areas can identify trends that are either positive or negative and can be proactively amplified or adjusted to improve outcomes.

Q: What led you to this approach?

A: As a doctor, my concern was always with the negative trends, which can lead to major health issues if not identified early and reversed. A progressive gain in weight needs to 34

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Gastroenterology specialist Isaac Kalvaria stands with his son Hylton Kalvaria.

be reversed before it becomes a major health issue. A weight gain of five pounds may not be something to be concerned about, but a weight gain of 25 pounds becomes both a physical and psychological problem. The real message here is to be proactive vs. reactive. Ideally, if one wants to have a real impact on future health and happiness, we would be aware of this in our 20s and 30s, but the problem with self-auditing and making meaningful changes at a young age is that there is less sense of relevance and urgency.

I consult with young people who have gastrointestinal problems and urge them to change their lifestyles as well as their family’s lifestyles. The younger the age at which changes are made, the greater the benefit for lifelong health. This might involve a change of diet, increasing exercise levels, improving sleep quality and

avoiding harmful habits such as smoking, alcohol and recreational drug use.

Q: Physically, I understand there are things we can do to stay healthy. But what about cognitively? That seems to be out of our control.

A: Yes, we all have a particular fear of dementia, particularly Alzheimer’s.

However, there are some very early signs which suggest the beginning of cognitive impairment, such as behavioral changes. Other more subtle signs are constantly being discovered. Early intervention can make a big difference in the quality of life. The Bredesen Protocol is one such program. This begins with a simple evaluation consisting of a set of blood tests, including tests for heavy metals and mold, and a cognitive assessment that can be taken

online. The protocol involves a healthy plant-based diet, modest frequent exercise, maintaining a healthy body weight, stress management, optimizing sleep quality, sun exposure, socialization and a sensible diet, including limitation of sugar intake and appropriate supplements. Being curious and open to constant learning is also very important. I encourage people to establish with a good general practitioner no later than their 40s and have annual lab tests, again looking for trends that can be improved with simple interventions.

Q: How do you feel about supplements and do you take any yourself?

A: I’m a believer in supplement use, but only after a careful assessment of good evidence-based data. Vitamin D, for example, has recently been identified as a very important vitamin for maintaining general health as well as perhaps reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s dementia.

Vitamin D dose should be adjusted to achieve an optimal blood level of 50-60 ng/ml.

Another useful supplement is Omega-3 fatty acids, derived from cold water fish.

I also take a general-purpose multivitamin. Low-dose aspirin is very controversial, and recommendations should be individualized. Other supplements may be important based on individual needs.

Q: For people who want to tweak their aging process, what type of medical professional should they seek out?

A: They may want to consider finding a primary care physician or internist who has an interest in functional or naturopathic medicine or, at the very least, is open to alternative therapeutic approaches.

I use both an Eastern and Western medicine approach in my practice. In functional medicine, we look for the root cause of a problem. Important factors which may have an influence on health include the type of birth (vaginal or cesarean section), whether breastfed or not, growing up with a pet, and growing up in a city or rural environment. These factors have a great bearing on the intestinal bacterial population called the microbiome. We have 100 trillion cells in our body and of those, 50-70 trillion are bacteria in

our gut. The microbiome is affected predominantly by diet, environment and geographical location. There is a dramatic difference in the composition of the microbiome between individuals living in developed countries compared to developing countries, the latter showing a more diverse and overall healthier pattern. Interestingly, there is even a difference in the microbiome between heavy and thin individuals, perhaps suggesting opportunities for weight control by adjusting the microbiome.

Q: I’ve heard a bit about Blue Zones, where people live longer. Could you explain?

A: The Blue Zones are those areas of the world where people live vigorously and healthily into their late 90s and 100s and pass away suddenly or after a short illness. People in those zones have been studied to see what

‘To remain youthful and age well, we need to remain inquisitive and have a sense of awe about this life we are living’ commonalities they share that would account for those healthy outcomes.

The zones are Okinawa in Japan, Loma Linda in California (mostly Seventh Day Adventists), Ikaria in Greece, a region in Sardinia, Italy, and the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica.

Though geographically diverse, they have the following things in common: there is active socialization within their own community, people are in constant movement without necessarily doing a formal exercise program, they live on mostly a plant-based diet, they stop eating when they’re 80% full, they have a sense of purpose in their lives, they drink alcohol in moderation, they are non smokers, they each have a way to downshift and shed stress, there is a sense of belonging, their culture puts family first (a sense of commitment) and they have a social circle that supports healthy lifestyles.

Q: How can people achieve those outcomes who don’t live in those communities?

A: In reviewing these blue zones, in addition to the diverse geographic locations, there are many differences in lifestyle, particularly diet, so there is not a “one size fits all.” This provides opportunities for a more diverse diet within sensible parameters. However, the most important common factor is surrounding oneself with a group of like-minded friends who provide support in both good and bad times.

The love of music can be a shared experience, and acquiring a pet can be very therapeutic. Avoiding social isolation in older age groups is critically important.

Q: Any final words of advice for healthy aging?

A: Identifying trends and then amplifying the good ones and reversing the bad ones is perhaps the most important general piece of advice. It is not easy to change a diet you have become accustomed to for years, but if you identify bad dietary habits, start to change those today. Slow and steady changes are much easier to adopt and maintain than drastic interventions.

Likewise, friends can support a healthy lifestyle or not — smokers tend to associate with smokers and alcoholics with alcoholics. Surround yourself with like-minded individuals who are motivated to stay healthy.

Try to identify and treat anxiety and depression, which can be very detrimental to health and avoid situations and individuals who induce anger, which is a very psychologically and physically damaging state. Get the many facets of your life in order, including organizing your finances, preparing your living wills, and, if appropriate, your trusts. Try to leave a legacy beyond financial, to include happy and healthy descendants.

None of us knows what tomorrow brings, so we have to assume the best day of one’s life is today. To remain youthful and age well, we need to remain inquisitive and have a sense of awe about this life we are living, and be aware that by self-auditing, we can make changes today which will benefit us tomorrow.

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my turn

By Bruce Frassinelli Email: bfrassinelli@ptd.net

Money Doesn’t Grow on Trees, You Know — or Does It?

W

hen I was growing up in the anthracite coal regions of Eastern Pennsylvania, I would get a modest allowance for which I was expected to do chores around the house and at our family’s grocery store.

It was so long ago, it’s hard to remember exactly how much I received, but I believe it originally was 50 cents a week, then, as I got older, $1 and, eventually, $5. I remember getting $10 a week spending money for my first year at college at a state school in 1957-58.

On those rare occasions when I could gather enough courage to ask my parents for a little more money for a special purchase, my mother would famously remind me that that “money doesn’t grow on trees, you know.”

It tickled me no end in 1956 when Patience and Prudence recorded a song called “Money Tree.” Part of its lyrics went like this: Oh, the money tree, the money tree, It’s a beautiful sight to see.

Why couldn’t it happen to you and me?

When I bought the 45 RPM recording, I played it for my mom.

“See, mom,” I said triumphantly, “money really does grow on trees.”

She was not amused.

Like a vast majority of the hardworking residents in my low-income area back in the ‘50s, it was living mostly paycheck to paycheck, not unlike what many families still experience today.

My friends and I would sometimes fantasize about what it would be like to be filthy rich and own mansions, multiple vacation retreats, visit exotic destinations with strange-sounding names on our luxury yachts, drive fancy cars that would make the townspeople green with envy and eat at upscale restaurants with hard-to36

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pronounce menu items.

When I babbled on about wanting to be rich some day, my mother constantly reminded me that money could be the root of all evil. She also warned me never to spend my money before I earned it, which is probably why my parents relied so little on credit. My wife’s grandmother ’s favorite saying was, “Money makes the blind see.” I have to smile when someone once said to my friend, “Well, you know, money can’t buy you love.”

My friend replied, “Wanna bet?”

None of my high school buddies nor I ever achieved super rich status.

We are all comfortable in our own way in retirement, and each of us has had satisfying professional careers – one as a doctor in California, one as a senior vice president of a major bank now living in Delaware and the other as the former owner of a successful car dealership in Northeastern

Pennsylvania. I concluded a 39-year media career as a newspaper publisher at The Palladium-Times in Oswego.

You can’t fully appreciate how much wealth the super-rich have until you compare it to something tangible.

For example, there are about 47,000 households in Oswego County with a per capita income of $31,600, according to recent U.S. Census Bureau figures. In Onondaga County, with its nearly 188,000 households, the per capita income is more than twice as much at $66,000.

Just for fun, I multiplied the overall total per capita income for these two counties — $1.49 billion for Oswego County and $12.4 billion for Onondaga County.

If each of these counties were a person, this would put Onondaga in 140th place among the world’s wealthiest billionaires, while Oswego would come in at 2,020th in the

newest annual list published by Forbes magazine in April. Stated another way, it means that there are 12,019 individuals around the world who are wealthier than ALL of the residents of Oswego County combined.

For context, a billion dollars would buy 2,200 Rolls-Royce Phantom luxury automobiles valued at $455,000 each, one for every man, woman and child in Phoenix, a village in southern Oswego County.

Put another way, it would take a little more than 32,000 wage-earners making $15 an hour for a year to equal $1 billion.

I scanned the list of more than 2,600 billionaires worldwide to see whether the names of any of my neighbors or colleagues were on it. I knew I wasn’t. I was relieved to make the hundredaires list.

Some of the billionaire names you might recognize include: Donald Newhouse, patriarch of the family which owns many well-known newspapers including The PostStandard in Syracuse, $10.7 billion (165th place); former President Donald Trump, $2.5 billion (1,217); wrestling empire mogul Vince McMahon, $2.7 billion (1,104); media baron Rupert Murdoch, $17.3 billion (99); film director Steven Spielberg, $4 billion (699); rapper and music entrepreneur Jay-Z, $2.5 billion (1,217), and basketball legend Michael Jordan, $2 billion (1,516).

Elon Musk, of Tesla and Twitter fame, had been the world’s richest person until this year’s listings came out, but now he is No. 2 behind Bernard Arnault, head of the French luxury goods giant LVMH. Forbes pegged Arnault’s wealth at a staggering $211 billion, while Musk’s has fallen to “only’’ $180.8 billion.

Rounding out the top five richest billionaires in the world are Jeff Bezos of Amazon, $114 billion; Larry Ellison of Oracle, $107 billion, and Warren Buffett of Berkshire Hathaway, $106 billion. Microsoft founder and philanthropist Bill Gates of Microsoft, who had been No. 1 for many years, is in sixth place with an estimated worth of $104 billion.

All of the world’s billionaires combined are worth $12.2 trillion, down $500 billion from last year.

The United States still has the most billionaires with 735, followed by China with 562, according to Forbes.

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cover

Sam Sampere and wife Tracy Cromp, preparing for a training ride at Green Lakes State Park.

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IT’S OPEN SEASON FOR BIKERS They say they choose to bike for exercise, adventure, camaraderie

By Mary Beth Roach

T

o keep in shape, to make friends, to see parts of the country and world from a different vantage point.

These are just some of the reasons why area cyclists, all older than 55, say they continue to cycle.

“I see so many people retire and drop dead. That’s not going to be me.

How many people retire and have a hard time walking around the grocery store? It’s not going to be me,” said Sam Sampere, 58, of Fayetteville.

Sampere is a long-time member of the Onondaga Cycling Club and has been biking since his days as a student at LeMoyne College, when he would commute from his then-home in Syracuse’s Sedgwick neighborhood to the campus, having to climb that very steep Seeley Road, to get there.

Sampere often leads a group of cyclists during sessions at the club’s winter training facility. The riders go at their own pace and Sampere keeps them energized with his upbeat playlists.

“When you see yourself getting better and going faster it builds motivation. You build confidence,” he said.

These sessions, and clubs like the

OCC, build friendships.

“It’s the camaraderie,” Sampere added. “You don’t know anybody when you join the club, but then they become your friends.”

At a recent training, Paul Ciaralli, 76, of East Syracuse, said that friendships are one of the main reasons he enjoys riding, a sport he took up several years ago when his brother bought him a bike.

“It’s basically the people, and it’s nice exercise,” he said. He’s also done several charity rides and his longest ride has been a 60-miler, done in three 20-mile intervals.

Mary Beth Domachowske, of Syracuse, started about eight years ago and has taken part in several charity rides, including a 100-mile ride for missing children and a 50-miler for the American Heart Association.

The 65-year-old also does various triathlons, with an 800-meter swim; a 12 to 14-mile bike ride and a 5K run.

“It’s very motivating. It’s not for necessarily a medal, but for fitness,” she said.

And she said that she, too, has made a lot of friends and met women, similar in age, who enjoy working out.

That these training sessions can

help cyclists stay fit during the Central New York winters is one of the reasons that Ned Roulston, 60, participates.

It “gives you a leg up on staying in shape,” he said. The Jamesville resident travels the country, too, to do 100-mile rides, call centuries, which he said are group rides “like a rolling party” with breaks every 20 miles.

“You ride with people you’ve never met, but then for 100 miles, you’re buddies.” He also rode up Whiteface Mountain about four years ago he said.

Keeping healthy while enjoying something he’s done since his college days, when he raced, is what motivates Roulston.

“Now, as I get older, I’m worried about my health. I’d like to be around.

This is as much for fun as it is to keep myself healthy so I can enjoy my golden years,” he said.

Health is the key motivator for Bill Reilly and Mindy Ostrow, owners of the river’s end bookstore in Oswego, who have biked not only New York state, but also in Europe.

“We want to be able to experience life this way for as many years as possible,” Reilly, 73, said. “That’s the basic motivation. Mindy’s mantra is ‘keep moving’ and cycling helps JUNE / JULY 2023 – 55 PLUS

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Ned Roulston

Mary Beth Domachowske

Paul Ciaralli

us do that.”

And how they move!

Most of their traveling, Reilly said, is what he called “active travel.” When the pair looks for a getaway, he said, they want to be active.

“We’ve always done hiking or biking when we’re traveling and we like that because you’re really in touch with the outdoors. You’re in touch with the people. You’re not sailing by or driving by in the car. You’re experiencing wherever you are right,” he said.

They have ridden along parts of Lake Ontario, even leaving on the ferry at Wolf Island and touring Kingston, Ontario. They’ve taken part in the annual New York State Parks and Trails ride along the Erie Canal from Buffalo to Albany four times and have gotten family members and friends to join in as well. They’ve done the Auburn YMCA’s Bon Ton Roulet, which is a seven-day ride through the Finger Lakes, and the

cyclists, depending on which routes they choose, can ride anywhere from 45 to 75 miles a day. Reilly said that while the hills around Watkins Glen and Ithaca were challenging, it was a pleasant experience.

They’ve biked in Italy, the steep hills in which Reilly likened to those in the Finger Lakes and the West Coast of Ireland. They found Ireland more challenging than they expected and cautioned other cyclists venturing over there to watch for the stone walls that line many of the country roads. Ostrow also warned, with a chuckle, to keep an eye out for the sheep.

For one area couple, cycling has provided many more benefits than sightseeing and health.

Dick Scheutzow, 63, of Syracuse, and Kathleen Sullivan, 69, of New Hartford, met cycling about 15 years ago — and they fell in love.

The couple will be doing the 400mile Cycle the Erie Canal ride together in mid-July, traveling from Buffalo to

Albany.

The ride is sponsored by Parks and Trails New York.

The ride goes from Buffalo to Albany, and marry at Syracuse’s Burnet Park, which is one of the overnight stays on this ride.

A cyclist since he was 9, Scheutzow is involved in the local chapter of the Ride for Missing and Exploited Children and he has trained many riders over the years in ride safety, effectiveness, maintenance and etiquette. He also served on a task force in the 1980s for the Syracuse Metropolitan Transportation Council to connect the Erie Canal trail from Camillus to Dewitt. After 30 years, he said, his dream has been realized, which was to connect the 14 miles from Camillus to Dewitt, which includes the multi-use trail up the middle of Erie from Teall Avenue to Bridge Street and from Teall to Camillus.

While all the cyclists agree as to the healthful benefits of the sport,

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Kathleen Sullivan and Dick Scheutzow ride their bike around Onondaga Lake Park.

Photo by Chuck Wainwright.

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How to Participate Bike shops in the area are great resources for not only bikes, but gear and services. Some also have information on upcoming rides; several offer their own rides; and some of the shops’ websites have lists of upcoming rides or suggested trails. This list features more locally based stores. Also included are websites for cycling groups and trail information.

Advance Cyclery 118 Seely Road Syracuse, NY 13224 315-449-2453 www.advancecyclery.com Bike Loft 717 South Road North Syracuse, NY 13212 315-458-5260 The Bikery 7556 Van Buren Road Baldwinsville, NY 13027 315-638-2161 Mello Velo Bicycle Shop 790 Canal St. Syracuse, NY 13210 315-307-3104 www.mellovelobicycles.com Murdock’s Bicycles & Sports 177 W. First St. Oswego, NY 13126 315-342-6848 www.murdockssports.com Resource Cycling 128 W. Genesee St. Fayetteville, NY 13066 315-692-4812 www.resourcecycling.com Syracuse Bicycle 2540 Erie Blvd. East Syracuse, NY 13224 315-446-6816 www.syracusebicycle.com Parks and Trails New York – ptny.org Onondaga Cycling Club – Onondagacyclingclub.org CNY Triathlon – cnytriathlon.org 42

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Bill Reilly and Mindy Ostrow of Oswego in Bar Harbor, Maine.

they admit they are not immune from some aches and pains along the way — backaches, strained muscles and even sore behinds from hours on the bike seat. However, they offered some suggestions to alleviate the discomfort and build up stamina.

“The biggest preparation is for your butt because of the number of hours in the saddle,” Reilly said, advising cyclists to build up their time on the seat. “If you’re spending an hour and then two hours and then three hours riding, your butt acclimates, and it becomes no big deal.”

Ostrow also suggested that cyclists start with short day trips — and a good pair of bike shorts.

Besides the training facility run by the Onondaga Cycling Club and Central New York Triathlon Club in Syracuse, the two clubs also offer a variety of outdoor rides in season; and the Oswego YMCA offers a variety of cycling programs.

The Erie Canal Trail through Central New York is a relatively easy ride, with only slight hills to deal with. Parts of the trail are paved; other parts are gravel. There are paved trails along the east and west sides of Onondaga Lake. The east trail is in Liverpool, and the one on the western shore can be accessed near the Orange Parking Lot, off of Route 690’s Exit 7, or Longbranch Road. Near Exit 7 is another trail by the Visitor Center that will lead to Hiawatha Boulevard.

The Syracuse Creekwalk takes cyclists along Onondaga Creek, from near the Destiny USA mall through parts of downtown, Lower Onondaga Park and into Kirk Park. There are parts of the Creekwalk where cyclists might need to cross city streets or the trail follows sidewalks.

So, whether for better health, interesting sightseeing or to meet new people, it’s the perfect time to get rolling.

Group of bikers along the Erie Canal.

Photos provided by Great American Bike Tours.

Pedaling into a Business

Couple organizes bike tours along Erie Canal

By Mike Costanza

D

iane Kolifrath turned a love of cycling into a going business. Her company, Great American Bike Tours, gives bicycle tours in the Erie Canal and the northeast US and as far away as Canada.

Kolifrath came up with the idea of founding a bicycle tour company in 2015, when she was rolling along Canada’s Le Petit du Nord trail with her husband, Ron Bailey, and some friends.

“I was inspired to start a business that would leave my career as an IT director behind, which was kind of just chewing me up and spitting me

out every day,” the 61-year-old said.

Kolifrath and her husband now live in Raymond, New Hampshire, but at that time were spending May through October in Syracuse. Though they enjoyed cycling the Erie Canalway Trail, which runs along the Erie Canal through Syracuse, the lack of services for bicyclists made long-distance trips a bit difficult.

“The kind of bike trails had no support services,” she said. “I saw that void.”

That led Kolifrath to start Erie Canal Bike Tours. The company initially had only two employees —

she and her husband — and offered small-scale bike tours and services to those cycling the Erie Canal. That changed in 2017, when the Albany Symphony Orchestra asked the firm to help celebrate the historic waterway’s bicentennial. Construction of the canal began in 1817.

Partnering with the New York State Canal Corporation, the Albany Symphony arranged to give seven performances in cities and town along the length of the Erie Canal in July of that year. Audiences from Albany to Lockport had the chance to enjoy music from the orchestra’s Water JUNE / JULY 2023 – 55 PLUS

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Ron Bailey and Diane Kolifrath run Great American Bike Tours, LLC. The company organizes bike tour along the Erie Canal and other locations in the northeast U.S.

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Music New York series.

I n re s p o n s e t o t h e A l b a n y Symphony’s request, Erie Canal Bike Tours ran a tour of the canal that coincided with the orchestra’s performances. Kolifrath led 12 cyclists who pedaled along the waterway from Albany to Syracuse, a distance of about 150 miles. Her company provided meals, lodging and other supports for the cyclists and the orchestra provided the music.

“We got front-row seats for each of the performances that they did,” she said.

Since then, Kolifrath has expanded her business and changed its name to Great American Bike Tours. The company now has nine employees, including 63-year-old Bailey, and offers a variety of bike tours. While most go through the northeast US — the Le Petit du Nord tour goes hundreds of miles from north of Montreal, Canada, to Burlington, Vermont — the Erie Canalway Trail tour is one of the company’s more popular offerings.

“We start at Buffalo and we cycle all the way to Albany,” Kolifrath said.

“We’re the only cycle touring company that does the entire Erie Canal.”

The full Erie Canalway Trail tour runs about 400 miles, including a 40mile detour to sightsee and rest in Seneca Falls and takes nine days to complete.

Those who are seeking a shorter trip can do just the eastern or western halves of the canal.

Kolifrath still leads about half of Great American Bike Tours’ trips.

Bailey, the company’s operations director, manages the firm’s rolling stock, which includes four support vans that accompany cyclists on tours.

The vehicles carry first aid supplies, cyclists’ luggage and snacks and water for customers’ comfort and are also mobile bike repair shops.

Tired riders ride in them if they need a break.

For more information on Great American Bike Tours, visit www.

CycleTheUSA.com.

Bruce Ward (right) and his son Taiward Wider.

music

Bruce Ward: In Tune with Architecture, Music Hamilton resident splits his time presiding over the Earlville Opera House and his own architectural firm

By Aaron Gifford

A

s a teenager, college student and then a young professional just starting out, Bruce Ward often found himself torn between the guitar and T-square.

Now, as a Hamilton resident and craftsman who lives and works in the same community where he finished school, the architect by day and musician by night and weekends blends both instruments into perfect harmony.

“I feel pretty fortunate,” said Ward, who owns Bruce Ward Architect A.I.A. “I got my foot in the door for both passions.”

Ward, 69, recently talked about his upbringing, love for music and vocational interests to include his leadership of the historically famous Earlville Opera House and his continued desire to serve the small

Madison County community.

Ward grew up in Candor, a town south of Ithaca in Tioga County. He began singing in his church choir at the age of 5. He also played clarinet in the school band. He rode his bike as often as he could and later enjoyed driving tractors and old cars on his grandfather’s dairy farm. He came from a family of tinkerers. He fondly recalls watching his dad, an engineer, create designs of heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems.

In eighth grade, Ward worked part-time for his father, earning $1 an hour filing documents and running errands. This experience prompted Ward to take a mechanical drawing class in high school, inspiring strong interest in the work architects who outsourced engineering tasks to his father.

“As soon as I saw what they did,” he said, “I thought those architectural drawings were a lot cooler than what the engineers drew.”

With his savings from the job, Ward bought a guitar at 16 and learned to play folk songs by Gordon Lightfoot and Peter, Paul and Mary.

After high school graduation, Ward enrolled at Colgate University.

His initial course of study included liberal arts classes with a heavy mix of math and science for a path to engineering, but Ward found himself spending far more time in the music department. He changed his major to music and sang in the nationally acclaimed Colgate 13 a cappella group.

With guitar and bachelor’s degree in hand, Ward set out to make a living at folk music. The solo artist had a few gigs at local restaurants, but that JUNE / JULY 2023 – 55 PLUS

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Bruce Ward playing at Earlville Opera House in December 2021 with his wife, Sarah Wider, and son Taiward Wider.

career was short-lived. He was living in Ithaca at the time with his first wife.

He tried his hand at drawing again and in 1977 was hired by the Fred Thomas Associates architecture firm.

Ward worked there on and off for a few years between attempts as a long-term substitute music teacher in Southern Tier school districts, but a career in teaching wasn’t meant to be.

“Yes, some of the kids could be difficult, especially if they really didn’t want to be in music class,” Ward said.

“I don’t think they [schools] wanted me to come back for another year.”

Ward returned to design drawing as his main gig, and eventually obtained architect certification. He got divorced and re-married, moving to Hamilton with his new wife, Sarah, who obtained a teaching job at Colgate.

They lived in walking distance to the school because Sarah didn’t have a driver’s license at the time.

“And Hamilton is where we stayed,” Ward said.

Ward worked for architecture firms in Sherburne and Manlius before eventually going into business for himself in 2002. With previous employers, Ward had worked on public school projects, mobile home parks and multi-family dwellings, 46

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but he always preferred drawing up designs for custom single-family homes, so he stuck with that passion.

“I still enjoy my job,” he said. “I really can’t see retiring from it any time soon.”

Ward said his trade has evolved dramatically in the past four decades.

The pencils and T-squares made way for computer three-dimensional designs. The ways materials are applied, and the types of materials used have changed. Concrete, for example, is frowned upon because of contributions to greenhouse gasses.

“Educating the client is such a big part of the job now,” Ward explained.

“Just the way homes are heating and cooled — that has come such a long way. Everything now is about sustainability.”

Music has remained Ward’s deepest passion. He volunteered with the Earlville Opera House just outside of Hamilton in the 1990s and became the organization’s president in 2015.

Ward oversees facility projects as well as event planning for the 300-seat venue. He called those tasks, “a labor of love.”

“A ton of work goes into it,” Ward said. “But we’ve preserved an intimate venue where the sound is great, and

performers can hobnob with the audience.”

The Earlville Opera House is a New York State Landmark and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The site, located near the border of Madison and Chenango counties, has existed since 1892. The current structure was built in 1895 (the first two there were destroyed by fire).

According to its website, the opera house featured live entertainment from 1895 until 1922 to include Vaudeville acts, low-budget operas and traveling medicine shows. It was converted into a silent movie house early in the 20th century and occasionally took on the role of public auditorium to include high school graduations, political caucuses and town meetings.

The Earlville Opera House remained closed during the Great Depression, re-opening as a move theatre in 1937. It closed again in the early 1950s, unable to compete with larger theatres, drive-in movie venues and television. It reopened in the early 1970s as a volunteer-based organization and has remained afloat since then. In recent years, the opera house has been a popular venue for singer–songwriters acts, often of folk or mixed genre types.

Ward himself has sung at the Earlville Opera House, though he stressed that the paid performers are more established artists who go on tour. Ward loves to strum his guitar and sing folk songs at home without an audience, but he also performs with the Syracuse Vocal Ensemble, a jazz group that plays in four programs annually and rehearses once a week between September and May. When he is not drawing or playing music, Ward enjoys riding a bike as often as possible. His longest trek to date was about 100 miles. This was a group ride that followed a route from Stockbridge, to Oneida, to the Erie Canal Towpath through Canastota and Chittenango and DeWitt and then back.

Ward usually prefers to peddle close to Hamilton, where he volunteers with the Community Bikes program.

The organization refurbishes hundreds of bikes annually and provides them to families throughout eastern Madison County. In addition, as part of the “In Tandem” initiative with Community Bikes, Ward and other volunteers ride tandems with disabled persons served by the Heritage Farms program. The volunteer “captains” steer and peddle the two-person bikes from the front.

The “stokers” sit at the back of the bike and can also peddle if they are able.

The tandems ride around the village of Hamilton.

“It’s a lot of fun,” Ward said. “It’s just one of many great things going on in Hamilton. It’s a lifestyle that I enjoy.”

Ward’s son resides in Boston and his daughter lives in Denver. He has three grandchildren. In addition to visiting family, Ward and Sarah enjoy working out at the Colgate fitness center and frequent the Hamilton Farmers’ Market for local produce.

They try to prepare vegetarian meals at least twice a week.

“We try to eat healthy without being fanatics,” Ward said. “I do like a steak once in a while.”

Ward advises never to give up one passion to pursue another, whether a vocations or the arts, and always be willing to look for new opportunities.

“To love what you do at work, after work and for volunteer work for the community — I’m grateful for that,” Ward said.

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new director at Onondaga Historical Association P.42

Issue 104 April-May 2023 For Active Adults in Central New York

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honey

The Buzz About Chuck Kutik

By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

C

huck Kutik of Oxford, Chenango County, has been keeping bees since the 1970s when he received two beehives as a Christmas gift.

From that hobby eventually grew a business, Kutik’s Everything Bees.

Now 70, Kutik recalls feeling fascinated with bees as a child. Once he started keeping bees, he expanded his knowledge through shadowing mentors, one of whom was the state bee inspector.

Kutik trekked out to the woods with him to check out some commercial bee yards. As the bees hummed and flew through the sun-filtered canopy, the glittering bees looked like tiny jewels. At that moment, Kutik knew he would become a commercial beekeeper.

Handling bees and working them inevitably means stings, despite wearing gloves and a bonnet. There’s always a crack or gap where a stinger 48

55 PLUS – JUNE / JULY 2023

can get through. However, Kutik said that the stings don’t bother him as much as they first did.

His business has three branches: Kutik’s Honey Farm, a honey packing business; Kutik’s Pollination Service, which offers pollination on farms and makes honey; and Kutik’s Nucs and Queens. A “nuc” is a small hive of five frames. The business also sells equipment that supplies companies to resell them to their customers and sells equipment directly to beekeepers.

The honey business has been tough recently with three poor years of low crops in a row, each totally 500,000 pounds instead of the normal 800,000 to 900,000 pounds.

Varroa mites have decimated many commercial hives. These pests chew holes through bees’ exoskeleton which makes bees susceptible to viruses.

Kutik decreases mite populations by luring them away to drones. He sorts out drones by providing a “drone

comb” which is a structure offering the larger sized openings that drones prefer. Since mites prefer attacking drones, Kutik can cull the affected drones and thereby reduce mite populations in a hive. He prefers this to spraying miticide.

Environmental threats also make beekeeping tough.

“Pesticides are always an issue,” Kutik said.

Farmers spraying plants also affect bees. Moving the hives before spraying episodes seems a simple answer.

However, with 2,000 hives to move, it’s a lot of work.

Strategically spraying at night when hives are less active helps decrease the fallout.

Kutik has his hives trucked to California for almond pollination.

They join two-thirds of the commercial honeybees in the U.S. in their annual “work trip” to California. The hives travel on flatbed trucks, 400 hives per

Chuck Kutik and his wife Karen of Oxford, Chenango County. They have been keeping bees since the 1970s when he received two beehives as a Christmas gift.

load. Although covered with a net, “it’s like trying to keep water in a sieve; a few find a way out,” Kutik said.

The bees’ stay in California lasts from mid-February through the end of March typically.

Once back home, the bees’ foraging becomes tougher. The loss of wildflowers in yards and lack of hedgerows thick with flowering trees has been hard on anyone in the bee business. Bees forage for up to two miles and rely upon wild growth.

“A lot of people kill everything and spray everything,” Kutik said.

“It’s one of the biggest issues is losing forage every year.”

Shifts in agriculture also affect beekeeping. Corn is wind-pollinated.

More farmers are planting corn to meet the demand for ethanol and grain for non pastured animals. Eliminating millions of acres of pastureland thick with clover, alfalfa and other beefriendly plants and planting them in

corn has made it tougher for bees to find forage.

By the middle of November, Kutik has the bees trucked to South Carolina to enjoy warmer weather. The maple trees begin blooming in January. The bees become more active and Kutik can make up more nucs and raise more queens to sell.

Kutik’s retail store, Everything Bees, boasts waterfalls and six-sided, glass-enclosed observation hive, where visitors can walk inside and feel surrounded by bees. The store’s adjacent pollinator garden promotes plants that attract and support bees.

“We’re expanding on that every year,” Kutik said.

He hopes to eventually offer a tasting room for honey mead at the store.

His niece, Lindsey Moroch, is one of his business partners. He also has close to a dozen employees helping him and 19 seasonal migrant workers

from January through mid-November.

Beekeeping sounds like a sweet way to make easy money. However, Kutik said that’s not so.

“If someone wants a hive, I ask why,” he said. “If they say I want my own honey, I say to buy from a local beekeeper; it will be a lot cheaper. If they want a hive as a hobby, get their hands in there, enjoy the bees and don’t worry about making honey.”

It costs about $175 to $200 for one frame nuc — the equipment — and $300 to $400 for a hive of bees to put in it. A 60-pound pail of honey is $200.

D e s p i t e t h e d i ff i c u l t i e s o f beekeeping, Kutik said that he feels “blessed really well” to work with bees, along with his wife, Karen.

“You have to have a really understanding wife who doesn’t mind moving bees all night and sleeping in a truck sometimes,” he quipped. “We got to see a lot of sunsets and sunrises in the same day. It’s a great life.”

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dating

BEST DATING APPS FOR RETIREES

By Jim Miller

W

hether you’re interested in dating again or just looking for a friend to spend time with, online dating sites and apps have become an easy and convenient way for older adults to meet new single people without ever having to leave home.

And to make things even easier, most sites today use matchmaking algorithms that factor in your interests and preferences so they can steer you to matches that are best suited for you.

Here are some other tips to help you get started.

Choose a site There are dozens of different matchmaking websites and apps available today, so choosing can be a bit confusing.

While many sites offer free trials or watered-down free content, finding out the price can be difficult until you register and provide some information.

In general, viewing complete profiles and messaging potential dates will require a monthly fee, which can range anywhere between $10 and $40 per month.

Some top mainstream sites and apps that are popular among older adults are eHarmony.com, Match.com and OKCupid.com. If, however, you’re interested in more age-specific sites,

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some great options are OurTime.com or SilverSingles.com.

Or if you have a specific kind of person you’d like to meet, there are dozens of niche sites like: EliteSingles. com for educated professionals; ChristianMingle.com for Christian singles; BLK-app.com for black singles; JSwipeApp.com for Jewish singles; and Facebook.com/dating for people who love Facebook.

Create a profile When you join a matchmaking site, you’ll need to create a personality profile that reflects who you are, including recent photos, hobbies, interests, favorite activities and more.

If you need some help, sites like ProfileHelper.com can write one for you for a fee.

Practice caution When you register with a site you remain anonymous. No one gets access to your personal contact information until you decide to give it out, so be prudent to whom you give it. Before meeting, you should chat on the phone or video chat a few times, and when you do meet in person for the first time, meet in a public place or bring a friend along. And if someone asks for money or your financial information,

don’t give it out. Online dating and sweetheart scams are rampant so be very cautious.

Be skeptical In an effort to get more responses, many people will exaggerate or flat out lie in their profiles, or post pictures that are 10 years old or 20 pounds lighter.

So, don’t believe everything you see or read.

Make an effort A lot of times, people — especially women — sit back and let others come to them. Don’t be afraid to make the first move. When you find someone you like, send a short note that says, “I really enjoyed your profile. I think we have some things in common.” Keep it simple.

Don’t get discouraged If you don’t get a response from someone, don’t let it bother you. Just move on. There are many others that will be interested in you and it only takes one person to make online dating worthwhile.

Jim Miller is the author of Savvy Senior, a column published every issue in 55 PLUS.

ghosts

Nancy Roberts and Scott Peal have been involved with Historic Ghostwalks for decades. Peal coordinates the events.

Ghostwalks: Historical Figures Come to Life in Syracuse

T

By Mary Beth Roach

he Onondaga Historical Association brings some ghosts alive on the streets of downtown Syracuse and in a section of one local cemetery each year.

With a talented pool of actors, Scott Peal, education specialist at the OHA, puts together Historic Ghostwalks — walking tours with the actors cast as local historical figures.

One tour, in early June, will center around the OHA Museum on Montgomery Street.

Titled “Syracuse Forever,” visitors will meet various historic characters, from a cub reporter to an early leader.

Peal, 70, has been overseeing these tours for about 15 years — developing the stories, researching, writing the scripts, casting the players and selecting the costumes from the collection the OHA has amassed

over the years from donations and other stage companies or drama departments that have closed.

The downtown walks include five stops along the way. At each one, an actor or two gives a vignette, about 10 minutes long, describing the role their character has played in history. They will often interact with the audience and answer questions.

Nancy Roberts and John Sposato, both 73 and Syracuse residents, have been involved in the Ghostwalks for more than a decade.

Roberts brings a great deal of experience to her roles with the Ghostwalks. She has even helped to create some of the scripts for the event.

C e n t r a l N e w Yo r k e r s w i l l recognize Roberts from her years of hosting various programs on WCNY and Newchannels (the former Time

Warner). She has also done live theater locally and regionally and has been cast in two movies.

She said that she doesn’t do a lot of research on the people she portrays, drawing instead on the clues in the script.

“There’s so much in the script that Scott tries to incorporate, in terms of what their story is, where they came from, what they did that was remarkable or notable,” she explained.

Among her favorite characters are the colorful Grace Crouse and pioneering Hannah Danforth. Grace, an actress in the 1800s, claimed that she had been married to Edgar Crouse, of the well-known and wealthy Crouse family. Grace also claimed to have borne Edgar a daughter and therefore, was entitled to a portion of the Crouse estate when Edgar died at the young age of 49. Hannah, and her husband, Asa Danforth, were two of the earliest settlers in the area.

Roberts said she has enjoyed discovering what the Danforths had to go through living in the wilderness.

While Sposato doesn’t have an acting background, he said he has always loved history and this gives him the perfect opportunity to delve into it even more.

“I enjoy learning about some of the specific characters and enhance my knowledge, enhance my desire to know more,” he said.

The next Ghostwalk is June 9-10 and June 16-17 in downtown Syracuse.

Tickets are currently available at cnyhistory.org/ghostwalk and are $15 each. Each tour runs about an hour and 15 minutes. There are eight scheduled tours each night, the first one beginning at 5:30, with the last one leaving at 7:15. The downtown tour starts and ends at the OHA Museum at 321 Montgomery St. The museum is handicapped accessible and the walks take place outdoors on the city sidewalks.

Ghostwalks are also scheduled Sept. 8, 9 and 10 in Oakwood Cemetery, near Syracuse University, but its gravel walkways can be challenging for those in wheelchairs. Look for more information on those Walks later in the summer.

Those interested in becoming an actor or guide for the walks can contact Peal at 315-428-1864 or at Scott.Peal@ cnyhistory.org JUNE / JULY 2023 – 55 PLUS

51

sports

ADULT SPORTS LEAGUES PROVIDE CAMARADERIE AND EXERCISE

By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

I

f you would like to improve your fitness, you could walk. It’s weightbearing to build bone and improve balance. Walking involves major muscle groups and costs nothing.

If you walk outdoors, it provides fresh air and sunshine. You can even wear weighted vests and carry hand weights to challenge yourself.

But joining an adult sports team offers benefits beyond these.

Tracy Chamberlain Higginbotham, president of Women TIES, LLC and the Women’s Athletic Network, has made it her life goal to try every sport at least 52

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once. She encourages other women to join her.

“Over the past 10 years hosting group sporting and adventure events for women in business, I’ve noticed how much they love the camaraderie, bonds and networking that occur during these unique opportunities,” Higginbotham said.

The team sports she has tried have included curling, field hockey, rugby and more. She enjoys the confidence, energy and camaraderie team sports offer adult women, along with the “rewards of staying physical as they

age, which is instrumental in keeping chronic illness, menopausal changes, weak bones and muscle weakness at bay,” she said. “These benefits help the average woman age stronger and more confident. Group sports also provide a new community for women to enjoy, too.”

Isolation is a known risk factor for depression and, in older age, cognitive decline. Team sports provide the benefit of the enrichment of meeting new people and building relationships, according to Higginbotham. These feelgood moments make exercise more

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Tracy Chamberlain Higginbotham, president of Women TIES, LLC and the Women’s Athletic Network, has made it her life goal to try every sport at least once. She encourages other women to join her.

enjoyable than slogging it out alone on a treadmill with little immediate reward.

Although exercising solo at the gym or on the hiking trail fulfills many aspects of fitness, group fitness through joining a team can help keep you accountable. You know that your teammates are counting on you to show up. It’s tougher to skip a session if you feel like you’re letting others down. You play hard to score and succeed. It’s also motivating to practice outside of scheduled times to improve your game.

If you have played team sports before, reviving your interest can be mentally stimulating as you recall old skills and sports memories. But learning new skills can also engage your mind, which is associated with maintaining cognition later in life.

Although playing a team sport can help you get in better shape, consider any health considerations such as previous injuries that a sport may aggravate. Check with your doctor about any health concerns before you sign up for a sport. You may need to participate in something less intense before joining the sports team of your choice.

To find area team sport available, check out your municipality’s offerings and teams that play at local sports complexes.

Some Organizations Offering Team Sports Syracuse Sports Association, Liverpool syracusesportsassociation.com Syracuse Indoor Sports Center, Liverpool syracuseindoorsportscenter.com The Central New York Family Sports Centre, Syracuse www.cnyfsc.com City of Syracuse Adult Athletic Leagues, Syracuse www.syr.gov YMCA of Central New York www.ymcacny.org/programs/ sports/adult-sports Accelerate Sports, Whitesboro) www.accelerate-sports.com Salt City Sports, Syracuse www.saltcitysports.org Legends Field, Oswego www.legendsfields.com

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53

garage sales

Your Guide to a Successful Garage Sale Everything you need to know to get rid of unwanted stuff

By Kimberly Blaker

A

re your garage, basement and closets overflowing from the heaps of stuff you've been saving “just in case?”

If so, it may be time to put those languishing piles to good use—in someone else’shome.

Rummage sales are a great way to clear out, recycle, and make some extra cash. Follow these suggestions for a successful sale and a clutter-free home.

The storefront A garage is usually the best place to hold a sale offering shelter and requiring little daily set up and tear down. If your garage is hard to access, hidden from view or contains 54

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valuables that can't be easily hidden, use a covered porch, patio, or your yard. Be sure to have plenty of tarps available to protect your goods from rain and for covering at the end of the day All in the timing Plan your sale when temperatures are between 60 to 90 degrees outdoors.

Typically, the best days to hold sales are Thursdays thru Sundays, with Fridays and Saturdays bringing the most traffic. Mornings bring the most significant flow of shoppers, and the earlier you're ready, the better. If you open by 7:30 a.m., rummagers will flock.

Displaying your wares Don’t heap your merchandise on tables or leave it in boxes to be ransacked. While some don’t mind digging through messy stacks, most people won’t bother.

Hang as much clothing as possible.

Use a laundry pole or portable closet, or install two support brackets and a closet rod. You can also support a ladder between two stepladders. If you only have a few clothing items, a clothesline will do.

Plenty of table space is also a must.

Borrow folding tables, and if you run out, make a table by resting a sheet of plywood over sawhorses, or prop spare planks of wood between chairs.

Keep all but big items off the floor for better visibility.

Neatly fold and stack clothing that can't be hung, and label stacks according to size. Organize good toys and complete sets where parents and grandparents will easily spot them.

Set up a 'guys' table with hand tools, gadgets, electronics, and home repair items. Then place small articles such as jewelry in divider containers

Don't overprice, or you'll end up packing up nearly as much as you started with. or egg cartons, so they're easy to view.

One exception to the disorderly rule is for small toys. Stick all these little goodies in boxes on the ground where young children can dig for treasures to take home. Label boxes according to the price per item or allow kids to choose one as a prize.

Finally, make sure batteries and electricity are available so you can show shoppers that items are in working condition.

Next to new sells Appearance plays a big role in the sale of used goods and how much they can bring. Wash and dry all clothing and linens, then fold or hang immediately to prevent wrinkles.

Wash dust, dirt, and grime from toys, tools, and household items. Also, repair broken merchandise when feasible.

Priced to sell Don't overprice or you'll end up packing up nearly as much as you started with. For big items, look through classified ads or on eBay for average resale prices. But if you check eBay, keep in mind that eBay pricing often isn't comparable to what people will pay at a garage sale. Some top quality items in like-new condition can bring 25% to 35% of the replacement cost at rummage sales. Occasionally, tools, equipment, and other things in small supply can be priced higher and sell for 50% to 60% of replacement cost, depending on age and condition. Most used merchandise will bring 5% to 10%

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of replacement cost at best.

Advertising Newspaper classified ads or Craigslist, as well as the more popular online garage sale locator websites, usually bring the best results. The exception is if you live on a main street or a heavily traveled highway. In your ad, be sure to include your address and main cross streets, dates and time of your sale, and what you'll be selling.

List big items individually as well as the categories of things you'll sell, like "tools" or "toddler clothing."

Also, post flyers on the grocery store or laundromat bulletin boards. If there are no regulations against doing so, posting signs on nearby corners is a must. Don't forget to put a bright sign in front of your house, too. Balloons tied to your mailbox or a tree can also make your sale more visible.

Tips for success The bigger the sale, the more traffic you’ll get. Go in with family, friends and neighbors and hold one big sale rather than several small ones.

Hold a street or subdivision-wide sale. This will draw people from surrounding areas.

Move big items such as furniture or appliances into the driveway to attract passersby.

Finally, have your items priced.

Many people will walk away from a sale with nothing when things aren't priced. They don't want to make an offer that's too low and might offend you. They also don't want the hassle of having to ask the price for every little thing they might consider buying.

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55

music

Jim Sheridan, Don Meixner, and Jimmy Flynn. Photo courtesy of Rebecca Sheridan

Carrying on the Tradition of Celtic Music

By Norah Machia

T

he three members of the traditional Irish group, The Flyin’ Column, have 86 years of collective music experience between them in the band — and they’re not planning to slow down anytime soon.

“We were Celtic before Celtic was cool,” is the motto of the Syracuse band, known for its catchy folk music sound.

The group performs at numerous venues and festivals throughout 56

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Central and Northern New York, including a tradition of playing the last Sunday of each month at Coleman’s Irish Pub in Syracuse.

Celtic music originated from the countries of Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Those who lived in these countries were often referred to as “Celts,” and that’s how their music came to be called “Celtic.” It’s often described as a type of folk music, with its own distinctive sounds and lyrics.

“We’ve been all over the place,” said member Jimmy Flynn. “The only time we took a long break was during COVID-19.”

The Flyin’ Column is made up of three retired professionals whose love of Celtic music has kept them performing together for years with both their voices and their instruments.

They’ve even mixed it up — occasionally adding in some rock and roll to the band’s set list, said Flynn.

“There have been many great trips around New York state and there are the lasting friendships of band mates and our many friends that continue to follow us wherever we play,” he said.

Even with some physical challenges, the band members have continued to perform on a regular basis.

Flynn, 70, who plays the bass guitar, retired from Carrier Corp. He is a double leg amputee and has been in the band the longest (44 years). There have been times when he has been out for several weeks, including after having open heart surgery in 2000, but he’s been able to find other musician friends to temporarily “sit in for me,” he said.

Irish band musicians are a close group in the Syracuse area and “we all help each other out,” Flynn added.

Don Meixner, 72, who plays guitar and banjo, retired from the Enable of Central New York organization. He has chronic back problems, but has continued to perform with the band for 34 years.

The “rookie” of the band is Jim Sheridan, 65, who plays the guitar and bouzouki (a special string instrument used for Irish music). He recently

retired from Cornell University and wears two hearing aids. Sheridan started playing with the band eight years ago.

“We’re still plugging along,” joked Flynn. “We’re going to continue to perform as much as we can and have a great time doing it.”

The group has even recorded three CDs at Subcat Studios in Syracuse.

They have regularly performed at annual events, including the town of Camillus outdoor concert series (they kick it off), the St. Patrick’s Church Irish Festival in Syracuse, and at several programs sponsored by the Ancient Order of the Hibernians in Auburn. They also play at weddings and other private events, including traditional Irish wakes.

The original band traces its origins back to a bad snowstorm, which resulted in a cancelled performance more than 50 years ago. The “Tom Dooley Choraliers” from Camillus were scheduled to perform at a dance in Pulaski, but the poor weather conditions kept them off the road.

Although not all of them.

Some of those singers ended up at the Green Gate Pub in Camillus and decided “to brave the trip to Pulaski,”

to give their own performance, along with one of the accordion players, Flynn said. They needed a name, so they called themselves Dooley’s Flyin’ Column, because they were a smaller part of a larger Irish singing group. “A flying column is a small, independent Irish military land unit capable of rapid mobility,” Flynn said. “So the name fit.”

The group later changed its name to The Flyin’ Column and its membership has undergone several changes throughout the years. But its mission has stayed the same — sharing Celtic music with the Irish and nonIrish alike throughout the region. “A lot of folks will ask us for new songs, and we’ll try them out at Coleman’s Pub,” said Flynn. “Sunday is always Irish day at the pub.”

Coleman’s Irish Pub has been in the historic Tipperary Hill neighborhood of Syracuse since 1933. It was first established as a working man’s saloon, and later expanded to include a restaurant.

The area was largely settled by immigrants from Ireland, including many from County Tipperary.

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57

winemaking

ABOVE: Fumie Thorpe Tasting Room boasts a simple, neat exterior.

MAIN PHOTO: Fumie Thorpe, 61, holds a bottle of wine she makes as the owner of Thorpe Vineyard on Lake Ontario in Wolcott.

From Stargazing to Winemaking

From Tokyo, Japan, to Upstate New York: the varied life of Fumie Thorpe

By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

M

any people experience a mid-career or post-career shift; however, few are likely as varied as the precareer shift of Fumie Thorpe, 61 and owner of Thorpe Vineyard on Lake Ontario in Wolcott.

She was a Japanese astronomer f r o m To k y o s t u d y i n g a b r o a d meteorology at SUNY Oswego more than 35 years ago when her life shifted dramatically. She fell in love with and married Jock Thorpe and the couple 58

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subsequently purchased a winery.

While visiting her, Fumie’s father, a real estate businessman, had noticed the property.

“He could see some value in the property,” Fumie said.

It was known as Straubing Vineyard then. Owner Bob Straubing of Newark had established it in the late 1970s and had developed it into a farm winery in 1984.

While her husband and father felt interest in the property and its

winery, Fumie did not. Over the years, however, the wine business grew on her and she learned viticulture from a variety of mentors. Though she and Jock Thorpe divorced in 2008, she has continued operating the 3.5-acre winery, which produces about 1,000 cases of wine annually from her grapes and purchased grapes.

“I live in a strange life,” she said about her abrupt change of trajectory from astronomer to winemaker and from city dweller to farm owner.

But she did not forget about her passion for stargazing. Her enrollment at SUNY Oswego as a meteorology student was a compromise as the school did not offer astronomy.

“I always told my professors I’d finish it if they had an astronomy major,” Thorpe said. “The head of physics department is an astrophysicist himself. Astronomy is still not offered.”

She finished her degree in meteorology in 1991, with a minor in astronomy. However, Thorpe never

“I think people are willing to purchase if I have more varieties to sell,” Thorpe said. “It’s not that people don’t want to spend money; they’re not finding what they want to buy. I knew some people and thought they might be good workers, but when I talk about doing more than sitting in the tasting room, they back off.”

As both a woman and an Asian, Thorpe feels unique as a farm owner compared with many other farm owners in the area. But she’s accustomed to feeling unique, as the winery was the first commercial grape operation in Wayne County, where tree fruits reign. Occasionally, she feels that people do not accept her.

However, overall, she parlays her uniqueness into making her business stand out. She also often expresses her happiness of living where she is.

“Tokyo is a fun place, but I always wanted to live in the country,” Thorpe said. “This is a pretty place to be.”

The year 2023 marks her business’ 35th anniversary, which she hopes to mark with a special wine.

In addition to stargazing and winemaking, Thorpe also enjoys watercolor painting during the slow winter months and has painted most of the art used on her labels and in the winery’s tasting room. She also writes poetry and essays.

Thorpe stirring the grape must at her winery in Wolcott.

pursued a career in either meteorology or astronomy. She has found ways to include stargazing into her winery business by offering Starry, Starry Night stargazing events, named for the Van Gogh painting of the same name.

She also promotes Sights & Sounds events, which emphasize birdwatching and listening, along with wine tasting.

“If you do birdwatching, it’s hard to sight them but you can hear them,” she said. “You can figure out what’s there and look into it. I started stargazing in my teens. I grew up in a big city of Tokyo, but I learned most of the constellations while in the city. You can do it and listen to the birds. I want people to get more curious looking around as to what’s in nature.”

Her location near Chimney Bluffs

State Park is ideal for access to nature. Hosting events has helped her business stay afloat during the pandemic, as people felt less nervous about going out and about in a more rural venue.

Like many business owners, the pandemic also affected her ability to find employees. While the farmworkers have been steady, helpers in the tasting room or in the manufacturing aspects of the business are tougher to find. This has led to her struggling to keep up with demand.

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59

druger’s zoo

By Marvin Druger Email: mdruger@syr.edu

M

Get A Job

ost people have some sort of job or career in their lifetime.

I always believed that we learn more from these jobs than we do in school. Jobs provide experiences that help shape our lives.

We learn from everything that we do and everything that we do becomes part of who we are.

While attending school, I experienced many different part-time jobs. The motive was to make money, since my family was poor and could barely afford the necessities of life.

My father was a truck driver and my mother was a housewife. My sister, two brothers, my mother, my father and I lived in a small apartment in Brooklyn overlooking an open lot next to the elevated subway. We somehow got used to the roar of the passing trains.

Despite poverty, we always seemed to have food, but not much else. My sister had to get a job after graduating from high school to help support the family. She never was able to attend college. Because my sister had a job, I didn’t have to get a job upon graduating from high school.

Instead, I attended Brooklyn College, mainly because my friends were going to college and they told me that it was free. Free? Then, I might as well go to college — and I did.

Part-time jobs while attending c o l l e g e p ro v e d n e c e s s a r y a n d invaluable. I painted ceilings at an A&P supermarket; I sprinkled walnuts on fruit cakes as the cakes passed by on a conveyer belt; (I grabbed the nuts from a huge barrel, and alternated between sprinkling nuts and eating a handful); I delivered telegrams in Manhattan for Western Union on a bicycle; I stamped out letters for golf bags from pieces of leather (An old man who had done this job for years seemed terrified that I would replace 60

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him at the job); I was an usher at the Roxy Theater in NYC; I was a salesman at a men’s clothing store; I did various jobs for publishers; and had other parttime jobs. Each of these jobs provided memorable moments and insights about the real world.

What were some of the job-related experiences that I recall? As an usher at the Roxy Theater, I had to wear a uniform with a cap and white gloves (like in Phillip Morris cigarette ads of that era). The manager of the theater liked my voice, so he stationed me in the grand lobby to direct people to the orchestra or the balcony upstairs.

I was told to direct people to the balcony. I loudly announced, “For the best remaining seats, use the stairway on your left. Use the stairway on your left for the best remaining seats.” After doing this for about 45 minutes, the manager frantically accosted me.

“Druger, What t h e h e l l a re you doing?

The movie ended 30 minutes ago.

Everyone is in the balcony upstairs.

T h e r e ’ s nobody in the orchestra.”

Whoops!

M a n y

memorable episodes took place in the men’s clothing store. An old man and his two adult sons, Walter and Abe, ran the store. After hours, Abe would bring ladies of the night to the store for sexual encounters. Walter mentioned these happenings to Abe’s wife. I was present for the furious argument that ensued. I remember Abe yelling at Walter, “What’s wrong? Are you trying to break up a perfectly good marriage?”

My friends also worked at the clothing store. One friend would spend much of his working time hiding in a dressing room and reading books.

I remember a customer complaining that the sleeves on a jacket were too

long. The tailor measured his arms and made chalk marks where adjustments were needed. The tailor than took the jacket to the back of the store and simply erased the chalk marks.

He brought the jacket back to the customer. The customer put the jacket on and remarked, “Thanks. Now it fits much better.” This is how I learned the realities of the workplace.

Although most workplaces are honest, the motivation of any business is to make a profit. Sometimes, those profits are unreasonable. I’ll give one example. My wife and I were in Morocco and we wanted to buy a large Persian carpet. We saw one that we liked. “How much is it?” I asked. “$6,000 was the reply. I used my usual bargaining approach and I said, “But I don’t even like it. If I really liked it, I’d pay what you ask, but I don’t really like it.” The shopkeeper immediately said, “OK, $4,000.” “Let’s go, Pat,” I beckoned to my wife. As we left the store, my wife whispered to me, “But I really like that carpet.” “Don’t worry,” I said, “He’ll come after us.” Sure enough, as I was opening the car door, a little boy ran out from the store, “Mister, m y

uncle wants to see you again.” I bought the rug for $2,000. Even if that was a reasonable price, I left the store thinking, “Somehow, I was gypped.”

Many businesses leave you with that feeling. After all, for some businesses, the main purpose is to make as much profit as possible.

On the other hand, it is a pleasure to deal with ethical businesses who really care about their customers. I wanted to find a printer to print my book “The Diary of Love” (available at the Syracuse University Bookstore). I was told there was a print shop below Jowonio School on East Genesee Street in Syracuse (The Printing Center). I asked the principal of Jowonio if the printer was expensive. “No,” she replied, “He’s too cheap.” I had “The Diary of Love” printed by this printer.

He demonstrated competence, caring, quality and fairness. He seemed to thoroughly enjoy doing the project. We developed a good friendship and I had that wonderful feeling of being treated like a person, not as a profit.

The main purpose of this article is to provide reflections on the workplace.

What are some of the important things to keep in mind when entering the workplace?

First, credentials and past experience are very important.

This is why I always told my students, “Get a part-time job, or do an internship!” A prospective employer wants to see solid credentials and some work experience. Sometimes, having unusual work experiences help.

My son got one job because he had a summer job cutting off fish heads in Alaska.

The interviewer was very impressed by this experience and my son was hired.

Nowadays, skills with computers and technology are important. Many jobs involve working virtually from home.

Many employees rarely appear at a job site. Personally, I prefer being physically at the job site, but COVID-19 and other factors have fostered a new trend…as long as the job is done. So, nurture your technological skills.

The interview is very important. I think you need experience in interviewing, and then you get better at it. I advised

students to get as many interviews as possible, even if they may not be very interested in the job.

Other interviewing tips: • Dress appropriately. How you dress shows respect for the situation.

If you dress in a sloppy manner, that’s the impression the interviewer will have of you. Find out as much as you can about the prospective employer in advance. Show interest in and knowledge of the company.

One person who was interviewed for an assistant professor position made a very positive impression on the interviewers. He had looked up all the other faculty on line and he knew something about everyone’s research interests.

• Presentation. Certain questions are likely to be asked. For example, suppose the interviewer asks, “What are your weakest points?” It’s probably not advisable to say, “Well, I tend to be a little sloppy.” Or, “I sometimes have difficulty completing a task.”

Instead, it might be wiser to say, “I try too hard for excellence. I’m very conscientious and I want all of my work to be perfect.”

• Be businesslike. The interviewer appreciates a sense of humor, but the interviewer wants someone who can be serious about the job and do it well.

I think it’s fine to ask about salary and benefits, as long as you don’t make the interviewer feel that these are your prime interests.

• Try to be yourself. Everyone is unique and has special talents. Don’t be hesitant to make the interviewer aware of your special abilities and how you fit the job. Show confidence in yourself.

Great. Now you have the job. The next step is being loyal to the company and to network as much as possible. If you have the right job with an ethical company that shows that they care about people as well as profits, loyalty comes naturally.

Networking is extremely important. The common thought is that “Who you know is as important as what you know.” Opportunities and rewards often come to those who are in the right place at the right time and who know the right people. So, get to know as many diverse people as you can. You never know when one of those acquaintances may make a big difference in your life.

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life after 55

By Michele Bazan Reed Email: bazanreed@hotmail.com

Storing Up Memories for a Rainy — or Snowy — Day

Sunset at Breitbeck Park in Oswego.

I

don’t know about you, but I tend to hibernate through the long Oswego winter. It’s a luxury I can partake in as a retiree, and after 45 years of commuting on snowy country roads, I figure I’ve earned it.

But the long days and weeks inside mean a bit of homesickness for the fresh air and beautiful nature of Central New York.

As I write this, it is May and the ice and snow of an Oswego deep winter has given way to green leaves and daffodils.

A recent trip from Syracuse to Oswego reminded me to savor the moment. Driving up Route 481, I hungrily stared out the window, gathering in sights I’ve missed since January’s blizzards and ice kept me close to home.

The reflections of trees in the rippling water of the Oneida River as the highway crossed it. The awakening trees by the side of the road, putting 62

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out the bright green leaves of early spring. Craning my neck to catch a glimpse of eagles soaring over a bend in the Oswego River north of Fulton. Grass springing up alongside the railroad tracks, glimpsed through stalks of last year’s white, feathery grasses.

Seeing those sights and hearing birds sing for the first time in weeks makes me realize how much I usually take for granted. I tend to think the things I have or cherish will always be there.

Isn’t that the way of us all? We live with our family and friends, thinking they’ll always be there. We spend our days surrounded by the beauty of nature, often blind to its beauty in our rush to work or errands. And our health — we think these bodies of ours will always perform until stiff knees put an end to our marathons.

I realized that I need to take more time to stop and literally smell the

roses (or the coffee or the taco or the wet dog shaking mud all over the carpeting).

So here, for what it’s worth, is a list of random things which I vow to be more mindful of and store as memories for the inevitable dark days ahead.

• The sunset over Lake Ontario at Breitbeck Park during the golden hour at the end of the day.

• The shouts of children frolicking on the playground in West Park.

• The crash of waves on Lake Ontario as a late autumn storm brews up.

• The glimmer of light on the water, as I wander down the Oswego Riverwalk.

• Watching antique riverboats bobbing on the canal, as I gaze out the window of my riverside loft apartment.

• Common gray sparrows filling the tree in my parking lot with a twittering chorus as they flock to eat

The cold wet nose of a dog wanting love.

the last berries left hanging there in early winter.

• The glimpse of a cardinal doing a mating dance while an aloof female looks on.

• The taste of take-out pizza — and disposing of the greasy box in the dumpster.

• The smell of freshly ground dark roast coffee, made in a French press like my late husband did. (And served with a chocolate croissant, slightly warmed to make the chocolate just the right amount of runny.)

• The creamy goodness of a wellaged Brie, slathered on a crusty slice of baguette, hot from my oven.

• The taste of a sandwich made on hot sourdough I baked myself: almond butter topped with wild blueberry preserves from France.

• Anything dripping with New York state maple syrup.

• Hot tea sweetened with a dollop of golden, rich local honey.

• The crunch of fresh sweet corn on the cob from the local farmers market, dripping with fresh local butter and seasoned with coarse salt.

• Speaking of salt, the taste of salt potatoes eaten outdoors, preferably with Hoffman’s hotdogs.

• The sound of music in concerts on Oswego’s Riverwalk.

• The crashing and bright bursts of Harborfest fireworks over the lake.

• The taste of pierogi from my favorite Polish restaurant, washed down with a cold lager imported from the land of my ancestors.

• The tickle of dewy grass between my toes on an early morning yardstroll.

• The feel of book spines on the shelves at my local independent bookstore, and the smell of fresh ink on paper, as I crack open a hardcover volume.

• The sound of peepers in the pond at my old home, singing me to sleep each night.

• The rat-a-tat-tat of the woodpecker that awakened me each morning hunting for bugs in the railing of my deck.

• The comforting touch of a dog’s wet nose as he wedges his head under my hand for a pat.

• The warmth of a sleeping cat, purring up a storm as he naps on my lap.

• The ruby red glow of evening light through a glass of merlot from the South of France — and the taste of that red nectar on my tongue.

• The feel of my spouse’s hand, holding mine.

• The smell of a newborn baby’s head.

• The aroma of fresh cut grass, the early season, bright green shoots of May. • The crunch of autumn leaves underfoot.

• The smell of a late fall bonfire.

• The aroma of a fresh-baked apple pie and the luscious contrast between the flaky crust and juicy filling.

There are so many more-this column could become a book!

What are some of your favorite things: things you may enjoy every day, taking them for granted?

Vow now to savor them, so their memories can sustain you through any long winter.

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visits

New York:

A Dairy Cheesy

State

By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

N

ew York has ranked among the top milk and dairy product producing states nationwide for decades. It’s little wonder we have so many places to enjoy milk, cheese and other dairy items.

Get your dairy fix while enjoying a unique experience visiting these dairy venues this season.

Finger Lakes Muranda Cheese Company in Waterloo represents one of the state’s farmstead cheesemaking operations, with the cheese cave housed in the basement of a renovated dairy barn that neighbors the herd’s barn. On the entry-level floor, peruse samples of the handmade, small-batch Muranda cheese, available in dozens of varieties and flavors so you can try before you 64

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buy. The gift shop also features a bevy of local goods and gifts. Check social media for updates on special events.

• www.murandacheese.com Lively Run Goat Dairy in Interlaken operates a farm and creamery not far from Cayuga Lake. After a scenic drive on Route 96, enjoy a cheese tasting, try goat yoga, feed the goats and tour the farm. The farm store sells local goods, gifts and of course goat cheese.

• https://livelyrun.com Farther south, Engelbert Farms in Nichols operates a certified organic dairy, beef, pork veal and vegetable farm. The folksy farm store and creamery includes all of these goods, as well as other local farms’ items and shelf-stable items like

gluten-free flours.

• http://engelbertfarms.com The fourth and fifth generations work at Sunset View Creamery in Odessa. The farm creamery recently built a new store on the farm to sell its small-batch artisan cheese. Sunset also hosts the Finger Lakes Cheese Festival the fourth Saturday in July (July 22), which offers demonstrations, tastings, food and live entertainment.

• https://sunsetviewcreamerydotcom. wordpress.com

Capital Region King Brothers Dairy in Schuylerville operates a full-service, year-round ice cream parlor and farm store with King Brothers milk for sale.

The farm controls the entire process from cow to carton or cone. Choose from among 70 homemade hard ice cream flavors, as well as homemade soft serve, ice cream sundaes, and milkshakes. The farm store also regular milk and chocolate milk in plastic or glass containers along with many other local goods.

• https://kingbrothers.deliverybizpro. com/our-farm-store

Western New York At Hoover ’s Dairy in Sanborn, visitors can buy milk in glass bottles and shop the farm store for other local goods made in Niagara County.

Hoover’s has been in business since 1920. Don’t miss the strawberry milk, a flavor not often perfected among

flavored milks.

Even older is Pittsford Farms Dairy, which was founded in 1888 and represents one of the oldest familyowned dairy business in New York still in operation. Pittsford Farms’ chocolate milk has been lauded as the state’s best. The farm store also sells more than 70 flavors of homemade ice cream by the cone or by the quart.

Seasonal flavors include peppermint and pumpkin. The items served at the in-house bakery and café complement the farm’s milk.

• https://hooversdairy.com • www.pittsfordfarmsdairy.com

Central New York Trinity Valley Dairy in East Homer has milked cows for a century and creates products like cheese curds in

several flavors and home-baked goods.

It’s also one of the few dairies that sells non homogenized milk. Although pasteurized, skipping homogenization means the cream rises to the top, so customers should shake the jug before serving. The farm store sells numerous other locally made goods and the farm is open for tours by reservation.

• https://trinityvalleydairy.com

North Country Country Cousins Farm represents one of the few raw milk dairies in the state. The small, self-serve farm store includes the farm’s own raw milk, eggs and beef, along with local honey, maple syrup, and homemade soap.

• www.countrycousinsfarm.com) JUNE / JULY 2023 – 55 PLUS

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last page

By Mary Beth Roach

pretty good time.

Q: What’s new for 2023?

A: This year we are bringing back national touring bands for our Friday night show on the Novelis [Breitbeck] Park Lakeview Stage, which should draw more people from outside the county. We are also going to try and have a water show on the river as done in the past, which always seemed to draw people to West Linear Walk.

Also, this year we have a lot more entertainment and activities for the children, after the children’s parade on Friday morning.

Q: Is this a volunteer job or is it a paid position?

A: It’s a paid position, but I’m actually just doing it as a volunteer right now, just until I get my feet wet.

Dan Harrington, 68 New director at Harborfest busy juggling multiple responsibilites Q: When were you named executive director of Harborfest?

A: I took over as executive director in January of this year, after the previous director had to step down due to work.

Q: What was your previous involvement with the organization?

A: I had been helping for several years, assisting Bruce Turner with festival logistics and setup of the festival.

Working with Bruce, who has been with the festival since its origin 34 years ago, I got to see how much was involved with getting the festival running. After the previous director stepped down in November of 2022, the board of directors started looking for a replacement. I was part of the board of directors at the time, so I said I was interested and would give it a try; so here I am. For myself, it is a big learning curve, and I am finding it 66

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really interesting.

Q: What are some of your responsibilities overseeing this huge event?

A: I oversee our board of directors and our small part-time staff — business manager, membership and sponsor coordinator; vendor coordinator; volunteer coordinator — assist with obtaining sponsors and public affairs.

Q: What do you see as the most challenging part of this job?

A: I think that the biggest challenge is trying to get our sponsors to stay on board so that we can afford to have the festival.

Q: What’s the best part of the job so far?

A: When the festival comes together, and the people show up. You see families and friends get together in the park listening to the music. It’s a

Q: Can you share with us the budget; how big your committee is?

A: We carry probably about a halfmillion-dollar budget. We have a board of directors, all volunteers. We also have an executive staff, which is myself, a business manager, a marketing person and a vendor coordinator and a volunteer coordinator.

Q: Are you still working? If so, where, and how do you balance all of your responsibilities?

A: I am still working part time at Novelis. After 47 years working for Alcan/Novelis, it is really hard to break away. Novelis is a great place to work, and I have had many opportunities there to be involved with many upgrades and continue to do so today. Right now, I spend a couple of days at Novelis and the rest at Harborfest. I have also been involved for several years at Oswego Speedway with miscellaneous upgrades and maintenance. Involvement with Harborfest, Novelis, Speedway, and home projects takes a lot of time.

My wife, Patty, of 49 years, is a very understanding person and helps me wherever possible.

Q: As a lifelong Oswegonian, what does the event means to you personally?

A: We have been attending Harborfest since its beginning and wouldn’t miss it. The best part of the festival is when you see families and friends getting together for the events in the parks.

It’s just an enjoyable time.

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