V o lu me T h i rt y T wo , N umber 2
Februar y 2018
To spray for greener lawn or not? BRCI Board leans toward not, but lawn owners still have a choice By Ann Reed for the Green and Grounds committees
For decades there has been a consensus among the managers of retirement communities that competition for dense green lawns requires toxic chemicals. But as evidence has accumulated of the health and environmental dangers associated with these chemicals, there also has been growing unease about their use. Beaumont’s policies with respect to spraying are expected to evolve over the years. In a move expected to reduce the use of sprays (or at any rate those considered dangerous) in the immediate future, however, the board of directors has now made “no spray” the default position, except in the common areas. Up to now, residents who did not want the lawns around them sprayed have had to take steps to opt out of the spraying program. Now it will be up to residents who do want the lawns around them sprayed to take steps to bring on the sprayers. By decision of the BRCI Board, owners of villas
WINTER SNOWS brought out Jane Ruffin with her camera to catch this robin with a berry in its beak. More pictures on page 5.
and ground-floor apartments will receive a letter in April, before the first chemical spray of the season, advising them that the lawns around their residences will NOT be sprayed except as a result of specific request by the affected resident to the Grounds Department. Included in that mailing will be a separate flyer detailing the impact that SPRAY continued on page 7
IT to the rescue
Text and photos by Linda Madara When the longtime drummer in Beaumont’s Wynlyn Jazz Ensemble, Leonard Pavel, had sudden major surgery last month, there was (besides sympathy) a collective “Oh! Dear! What are they going to do?” The New Orleans Re-Opening Gala for the Beaumont Room was coming up January 17, and the Wynlyn Ensemble was scheduled to perform. Marvin Weisbord thought immediately of Allan Kobernick, a great friend and fine drummer who over the years had performed often with him. IT continued on page 8
THE RESCUERS: Information Technology Director Mary Huff and IT Tech Bradley Siegel lend a hand to save New Orleans gala.
If you’ve ever written an essay, letter, or good grocery list, read this:
Scalloped Tomatoes
Another recipe contest winner: This one from Ann Reed
We are the Writers Circle, formerly called the Creative Writing Group. We meet the second and fourth Thursdays of the month at 10:30 a.m. in the Club Room, at which time we read whatever we have written in the interim. None of us is a professional writer. We each simply derive pleasure from wordsmithing. Our topics are whatever we please: some of us are writing memoirs; some of us write about amusing or frustrating events of the day, big or small; some of us write fiction. We supply encouragement and support to each other, and sometimes we offer suggestions and recommendations. We do not correct grammar or wording, because that is not our purpose. This is an opportunity to express ourselves, however we wish. (But we would offer ideas for alternative wording or approaches, if the writer requested help.) Soon this year we hope to produce and distribute a document which contains samples of our efforts. Read it. If you like it, consider joining us. There is no obligation or cost, and you may find your inner author.
Tomatoes 2 one-pound, 13-ounce cans peeled tomatoes, packed in juice 1 large onion, chopped salt & freshly ground pepper to taste (already salt in tomatoes & butter) Croutons ½ cup brown sugar 6 tablespoons butter 6 slices bread (I use Pepperidge Farm whole grain.) Preheat oven to 325°. Drain tomatoes. Save juice (recipe says to add juice to tomato mixture if needed, but I never do). Cut up tomatoes a bit. Add pepper. Chop onions. Mix with tomatoes. (Original recipe says to sauté onions first.) Cut bread into small cubes (croutons). In large bowl, melt butter and mix with bread cubes. Add brown sugar and mix. (You can use more or less brown sugar, to taste).
—Irene Borgogno for the Writers Circle
The Beaumont News is published monthly, 10 times a year, from October through July, with a publication target date of approximately the 1st of each month. The deadline for contributors is now the 10th of the previous month (February 10 for the March issue) unless by special arrangement with Mary Graff, executive editor (Graffs18@gmail.com), or Lynn Ayres, managing editor (MarilynAyres134@gmail. com). Their deadline for submitting edited copy for layout and production is the 20th of the previous month (February 20 for the March issue). Articles, pictures or other related matter should be emailed to both editors, or if emailing is not possible, should be typed or handwritten (as legibly as possible) and given to the Front Office to be converted to email and sent to both editors. Have an idea for a story in The BN? Please email (or otherwise write) the executive editor, Mary Graff, Graffs18@gmail.com or leave at Front Desk to be put in Villa #16 mailbox. A very brief note will do. Or drop in at our monthly story conference, 10 a.m. on the first Thursday of every month in the Bistro. We are not a committee; attendance is open. Just please do not send or recommend anything off the Internet, please. We prefer original work by residents, staff or members of Future Residents Club. Contributions from the Writers Circle welcome!
Butter casserole. Pour the tomato mixture into casserole. Top with croutons and press down into tomatoes. Should be a solid crust. Bake 1½ hours. Can make ahead. Reheats well. Very good served with spoon bread.
BEAUMONT NEWS The Beaumont News is published by the residents and staff of the Beaumont Retirement Community, 601 N. Ithan Avenue, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010 Executive Editor Mary Graff Managing Editor Lynn Ayres Deputy Executive Editor and Production Manager John Hall Graphic Designer TJ Walsh Photo Editor Louise Hughes Contributing Editor Linda Madara Quality Control Jennifer Frankel Index Manager Nancy Harris Consulting Assistant Editors Mary Schnabel, Jean Homeier, Peggy Wolcott, Sis Ziesing and Wistie Miller
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Calling all readers, listeners, puzzle fans and coffee drinkers
books written by our residents. A fun activity is our table with jigsaw puzzles. Do come visit us and savor the best cup of coffee in town. If you like the New York Times crossword puzzle, Peggy Wolcott you can pick up a copy and take it with you to enjoy at your leisure. Since our shelf space is limited, we cull the books on a regular basis and put them in the back-hall closet where you can help yourself. Yes, free of charge! Despite limited space, however, we welcome all book donations from the residents. Once in a while we take our culled books to the Ludington Library as well as to Sunrise in Bryn Mawr. If you haven’t been to see us recently, come and discover what you are missing!
By Peggy Wolcott, for the Library Committee
If you like books, you’ll love our library. We are not just a library. We are a collection of many things, so you can love us anyway, books or not. We do have books of every variety such as fiction, nonfiction, mysteries, biographies and histories, to name a few. We also have books in large print. All are welcome to come and browse around to your heart’s content. We have a computer with printer, which anyone can use. We have CDs and audio DVDs as well as a variety of magazines. How could it be better? Our return policy is very friendly. You may take out an item and keep it for a month or more if necessary. We assume you will take good care of it and return it when you have finished. One thing that is very special is our collection of
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Groundhog Day: Where? When? Why?
Note: As of this writing, Groundhog Day 2018 (Friday, February 2) was still in the future. By Irene Borgogno and Lynn Ayres
When February rolls around and people long for spring, Groundhog Day and Punxsutawney Phil take center stage. Punxsutawney is a Native American word, from Unami, one of the languages of the Lenni Lenape Indians. The word means “town of the mosquitoes” or “town of the sandflies.” The derogatory name may reflect unhappiness with the location. The Lenape were originally based in New Jersey, southern New York, eastern Delaware and eastern Pennsylvania, extending no farther west than the Susquehanna River. By the 18th Century, due to expanding European colonies and ongoing conflicts with a traditional enemy, the Iroquois, the Lenape were pushed westward, out of their homeland. Punxsutawney was established as a Lenape settlement shortly after 1758. Europeans began arriving in 1816. Punxsutawney lies 84 miles northeast of Pittsburgh. It was a prosperous factory town, but suffered the fate of most rust-belt towns as factories closed in the latter part of the 20th Century. Its most famous resident is Punxsutawney Phil, who catapulted to international fame in the 1993 film Groundhog Day. In the film, actor Bill Murray plays a cantankerous Pittsburgh television reporter named Phil who fumes that he has been assigned to cover a weather forecast by a large rodent. The two Phils have no love for each other. Reporter Phil is disagreeable, offensive and rude. He calls four-legged Phil a fraud. The groundhog is grumpy and considers the reporter a loser. After all, furry Phil is a TV star, while hairless Phil is just his groupie. Reporter Phil arrives in Punxsutawney the night before the big event. In the morning, his clock-radio clicks on at 6 a.m. as the announcer declares, “It’s Groundhog Day!” After a thoroughly miserable day, reporter Phil insists on leaving immediately despite blizzard warnings. His TV van gets stranded in the snow on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Reporter Phil’s first awareness after being stranded in the blizzard is being awakened at 6 a.m. by the clock-radio, as the announcer declares, “It’s Groundhog Day!” Something is very wrong. The reporter is caught in a time loop that he cannot
Photo by Sherry Stuckless
KISSING COUSINS: The groundhog and ground squirrel (chipmunk) are closely related.
escape. Every day begins the same way. During the day he meets the same people and does the same things. He tries to change the events, using increasingly extreme tactics, but to no avail. The time loop persists. No one else is aware of the anomaly. *** One wonders why anyone would choose a groundhog to foresee the future. The groundhog (also called a woodchuck) is a very large rodent in the same tribe as the ground squirrel (or chipmunk). He is homely, ill-tempered and destructive. He certainly is not smart enough to give a proper long-range weather forecast. But perhaps he can be forgiven for that. No one is at his best when he is abruptly pulled out of his burrow in the middle of hibernation. Phil’s groggy-eyed annual forecast actually means, “Yeah, whatever.” Phil is not alone in his prognosticating duties. He is joined by at least two dozen other groundhogs, scattered across the U.S. and Canada. In some cases, in recognition of natural territory for groundhogs, other animal allies are called in to help, like Mojave Max, a desert tortoise that answers the call to duty in Nevada’s Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. In Alaska, February 2 is celebrated in a similar fashion, but as Marmot Day, and no individual marmot has as yet achieved notoriety. And in Shreveport, Louisiana, a separate tradition has been established for February 1, jumping the gun on the groundhogs and centering on Claude the Cajun Crawfish.
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Joel and Marjorie Jensen bring with them a love of music among multi-layered other interests
should be mailed catalogs. While Joel was at Wharton, Marj’s career in scientific writing took her from Rohm & Haas to Remington Rand UNIVAC and then to the University of Pennsylvania computer center, explaining complex products and systems to potential clients and purchasers. After Joel’s job took him to the Boston area, Marj formed her own independent consulting Marj Jensen corporation and worked for several Wall Street firms, including the New York Stock Exchange. The Jensens have two sons, two daughters and four grandchildren who live in Seattle, Indiana and northern California. All their children and grandchildren helped them celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary in March. Marj and Joel share interests in reading and music of all sorts. Both sing in the Wayne Presbyterian Church choir. Marj plays a beautiful parlor organ, now electrified, which her father remembered his grandmother playing. For years, the Jensens have collected turned wooden bowls, chiefly from Hawaii. Many are of unusual woods such as avocado and mango. Marj’s interests also include sewing clothes, using pattern-drafting software on the computer, and stock investing as a member of an investment club. In conclusion, this interviewer would like to mention that in considering retirement communities, one of the Jensens’ most important requirements was that transportation would be provided to the Philadelphia Orchestra concerts. Beaumont is glad to oblige!
By Jean Homeier An Iowa boy, Joel Jensen, and a Chicago girl, Marj, met as undergraduates at Iowa State University through a shared interest in music: Joel played the oboe and Marj played the bassoon in the college orchestra. In high school, Joel had thought he would become a physicist, but in college he changed his mind and majored in experimental psychology. Upon graduation he considered human resources but soon realized that a master’s in business administration Joel Jensen would be a good idea. He applied to business schools and chose Wharton for one all-important reason: Marj was in Philadelphia. She had majored in technical journalism with minors in math and chemistry and was working at Rohm & Haas, putting scientific work into understandable prose for those without technical backgrounds. Joel describes his career in management consulting at Arthur D. Little as largely “operational research”—the application of specialized mathematics to business problems. For example, in the 1960s he planned a transportation network for a Greek cement company, evaluated the logistics system of the Venezuelan military, and helped Sears decide which customers
MORE SNOW SCENES by Jane Ruffin, who visited (from left) Liseter Garden, Wheeler Woods and the view from the window by the mailboxes.
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Artist Jessi Brown uses cut paper to create delicate silhouettes
HELPING TO CELEBRATE opening of the newly refurbished Beaumont Room, the silhouette-style work of paper-cutting artist Jessi Brown, a Gladwyne resident, has been on display since mid-January. Working with an X-Acto knife and heavy paper that is black on one side and white on the other, she showed visitors to the opening reception how she does it. She drew a floral arrangement in blue crayon on the white side and then cut away all the white areas, leaving only the blue. When she turned the paper over, the black silhouette was revealed. —Linda Madara
Photos by Lynn Ayres
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SPRAY continued from page 1 pesticides, herbicides and chemical fertilizers have on the environment, and the potential health hazards that their uses pose for humans, pets and wildlife. (Contact Ann Reed to receive a copy now.) Every year a growing number of residents have opted out of our spraying program. In 2015 the Green and Grounds committees created the Green/Grounds Subcommittee to consider how we might curtail the use of such chemicals. That subcommittee proposed the Park as a demonstration area and explored the possibility of alternative ground covers. In 2016 the BRCI Board and the subcommittee agreed to keep the grass and to initiate organic lawn care in the Park. We raised the mowing height to 3 inches, and several times a season we aerate the soil and spread our own organic fertilizer, compost tea. (See The Beaumont News, June 2017.) How will the unsprayed areas look? We know that isolated unsprayed areas, such as the Pond periphery, look attractive, as does the Park after one year. We do not know how weed-resistant our lawns will be when all are unsprayed for years. Nor can we predict how our expectations of lawn beauty may change. There is an agreement among experts that the deeper roots and thicker growth of organically cared-for lawns may inhibit weed growth. We welcome the opportunity to test that hypothesis at Beaumont.
Photo by Linda Madara
PING PONG: Marv Weisbord displayed winning form in a match with Waverly late last year. Beaumont players, in order of play, were Bill Ross, Rod Ross (no relation), Bob Kessler, Marv and Dick Peterson. The scorer was Joyce Randolph. Tom Garvin, CEO at Waverly, sent players Sam Crothers and Rick Hamilton. Beaumont won, 8 to 6.
Questions and Answers about the BRCI spray ruling
Q: Brock Nichols, as Assistant VP of Operations, please would you expand for us on the benefits of spraying? We have the Green and Grounds committees’ view; now we need to know the other side of the issue. A: Spraying has been done to give the turf a clean, weed/pest free appearance. This is done for aesthetic purposes. This is a short-term solution to make the lawns look nice and appealing to the residents and prospects. The industry is shifting toward treatment with compost and compost-tea type products for long-term turf development and health which is more natural and less hazardous.
calling for rain or if it will be windy. Also, foot traffic should be minimized on sprayed lawns until the spray has dried. Q: Are all sprays dangerous? A: Any lawn spray which is intended for pest or weed control is potentially hazardous. Studies have shown that exposure to these chemicals can cause health hazards as well as contaminate ground water and lakes and ponds. The compost tea spray (which is being tested) is a natural and safe way to treat the lawns to control weeds and pests. We have only started using this method. It will take some time to determine if it’s a viable replacement.
Q: Will the common areas be sprayed or not? Or partly? A: Common areas will still be sprayed. Q: If your neighbor’s lawn is sprayed, or you are next to a common area that has been sprayed, won’t those chemicals be blown or carried by foot traffic onto your lawn? A: It is possible that a small amount of run-off or transfer will occur. We try not to treat if they are
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Q: Mark Hritz, as Director of Grounds, a question for you: As the use of sprays diminishes, will we be invaded by mosquitoes and ticks? A: We do not spray for mosquitoes or ticks, only for the insects that afffect lawn quality. There may be an increase in those. As with everything else, we will have to wait and see.
New Year’s Eve 2017 rattled the renovated rafters
Text and photo by Linda Madara
December 31, 2017, it turned out, wasn’t just a run- most all of the party-goers were up on their dancing feet. The dance floor even sported wheelchairs being spun of-the-mill finale to a construction-filled year. It was an around to the beat. event planned as a WOW of With no holds barred and an evening from cocktails and every rule for “old people” shathors d’oeuvres in the music tered, the enthusiasm grew and room to a wild bash when the grew as the evening progressed. guests arrived in the balRecent music, show tunes and loon-festooned, newly opened the golden oldies positively Beaumont Room! rocked The Beaumont Room. Beginning with a Without question, mastertempting lobster appetizer on mind-cum-magician, Beaucrispy brown toast triangles, mont’s Merlin, Dining Services through the glorious salad, on Director Rose-Marie Hines, to the filet and shrimp melee, out-partied even herself with and ending up with a riot of this spectacular, memorable celebratory cakes marched in event—and that’s a major feat! by the wait staff—each cake Everything was perfect and decorated with sparklers— perfectly wonderful. What a it was extra, extra special. party…! What an evening…! The final touch: champagne And what a delight to be able bubbling its way into flutes to curl up in one’s bed with a as the music enticed everyone good book before midnight! to dance…and dance…and That’s the way Beaumont “old dance! TOASTING THE NEW YEAR: Sydelle Kessler’s smile said it all. folks” celebrate…! By the cakes’ arrival IT continued from page 1 Fast forward… The gala took place Allan agreed as planned (with the glue to stand in at any of still wet on the newly the “gigs” when his installed rug). The dinner calendar was clear, was spectacular, followed but he is a college by a “Birthplace of Jazz” professor with many evening. demands on his time. The Wynlyn EnUpon checking he semble was in top form: discovered that there Marv tickling the ivories, were some perforRob Stone trading from mances he could not clarinet to sax, David make. Zopf strumming a mean At first no one NEW ORLEANS AT BEAUMONT: As Richard Stephens, who took this picture, bass, the four soloists— seemed to know of a reported the next day, “The joint was jumping last night. Here is the group moving to Sandy Crow, Roz friend or family ‘When the Saints Go Marching In’.” Spiegel, Larry Serinsky member who was a and Mark Hollern—bringing Basin Street lyrics alive, good drummer. Suddenly, however, the proverbial light and there behind the drums were Mary Huff and Brad bulb went on: “Didn’t I hear that our own Mary Huff in Siegel drumming away as if they had always been part of IT holds a degree in percussion? Does she play the drums? the ensemble. What about Brad Siegel, one of her two right-hand Only at Beaumont! information technicians? Doesn’t he play the drums?”
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