The South Coast Insider - April 2015

April 2015 Vol. 19 / No. 4

coastalmags.com

ALMOST THERE‌ Gardening guide New look for Tiverton books

Legacy of Prince Henry

Best baby food

Keeping up appearances

Mixing business with pleasure The tale of a dog Linda Morad, senior business development specialist, called on a customer recently and came home with a dog!

It might have been fate that brought her and her new canine friend Heidi together that day.

And maybe it was that same fate that brought St. Anne’s Credit Union to mind when the Forever Paws Animal Shelter in Fall River started thinking about financing.

It all started out simply enough. A New Bedford animal control officer knew Linda, knew about St. Anne’s Credit Union, and was very familiar with Forever Paws, a shelter that protects and cares for stray, abused and abandoned animals from throughout the area. A referral from that animal control officer brought all three — actually, ultimately four — together.

Forever Paws contacted Linda to inquire about a business line of credit. She headed to Fall River to drop off a loan application. That’s when a Shelter hound named Heidi jumped into her lap and then wouldn’t leave her side during the entire visit.

Linda, Heidi, and Erin at the Forever Paws Animal Shelter in Fall River.

Bottom line? Linda and Shelter manager Erin Pacheco ultimately swapped applications. One was for a line of credit; the other for a pet adoption!

Both applications were approved. Heidi is now an official member of the Morad family. Forever Paws is a happy member of the St. Anne’s Credit Union family.

“I was proud to be able to meet the banking needs of Forever Paws,” says Linda.

“It’s a wonderful organization that, like St. Anne’s Credit Union, is making a difference in our community.”

Ready for a local banker who’s the perfect match for your business?

Call Linda Morad today at (508) 324-7398.

“We’re making a difference.”

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contents In every issue

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From the publisher

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Book picks

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By LAURA LATOUR

Dateline: South Coast

By Elizabeth Morse Read

COVER STORY

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Growing full circle

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Spirit of Prince Henry lives on

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The yankee swap

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April 2015 / The South Coast Insider

APRIL 2015

THINGS TO DO

6

Tiptoe through the tulips

10

Maintaining your home

By Elizabeth Morse Read

By DAN LOGAN

ON MY MIND

30

The phone call I won’t answer

By PAUL E. KANDARIAN

By JOYCE ROWLEY

By MICHAEL J. VIEIRA

By SHERRI MAHONEY-BATTLES

BUSINESS BUZZ

18

By Jay Pateakos

22

By SEAN McCARTHY

Tiverton’s new library

New Bedford beats

ON THE COVER After winter, even the smallest signs of spring seem monumental. As the buds begin to pop up, join us as we greet the season with open arms.

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The South Coast Insider / April 2015

3

FROM THE PUBLISHER April 2015 / Vol. 19 / No. 4

Published by

Coastal Communications Corp.

I can’t remember being so happy to see the crocuses start to pop up from the ground. I’ve never been so happy to see dirt! Spring has officially sprung…so now what?

Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Ljiljana Vasiljevic

Editor

Sebastian Clarkin

If you’re like me, you’re probably itching to get your thumb green once again. On page 6, Elizabeth Morse Read offers a refresher course on spring gardening. It’s useful even if you’re not used to soil under your fingernails.

Online Editor Paul Letendre

Contributors

Paul Kandarian, Laura LaTour, Dan Logan, Tom Lopes, Sherri Mahoney-Battles, Sean McCarthy, Elizabeth Morse Read, Jay Pateakos, Joyce Rowley, Michael J. Vieira

The South Coast Insider is published monthly for visitors and residents of the South Coast area. The Insider is distributed free of charge from Mount Hope Bay to Buzzards Bay. All contents copyright ©2015 Coastal Communications Corp.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, by any means, without written permission from the Publisher. All information contained herein is believed to be reliable. Coastal Communications Corp. does not assume any financial responsibility for typographical errors in advertisements, but will reprint that portion of an advertisement in which the typographical error occurs.

Deadline

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Address

The South Coast Insider 144 Purchase Street Fall River, MA 02722

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April 2015 / The South Coast Insider

Now that you can stand outside for a while without getting frostbite, it’s a good time to check on how your house has weathered the weather. Turn to page 10 for Dan Logan’s advice on proper home maintenance. You don’t want to forget something!

After you finish all that work, you’ll probably just want to relax in a lawn chair.

Make sure you bring a book! Laura LaTour’s book picks on page 14 are all about the outdoors.

Speaking of books, Tiverton is getting close to finishing its new library. Turn to page 18 for Jay Pateakos’s story on a building that is sure to be an important part of the town’s community life.

And while we’re on the subject of community, Mike Vieira has the scoop on the Prince Henry Society of Massachusetts on page 16. If you’re a Lusophile, it’s a must-read, feel-good piece.

There’s even more for you to discover in this issue, so let those winter woes melt away and dig in to what lies just beneath the surface. We’ll see you next month—and we’ll be wearing our shorts.

Ljiljana Vasiljevic Publisher and Editor-in-Chief

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5

THINGS TO DO

Tiptoe through the tulips: The idiot’s guide to spring gardening

BY Elizabeth Morse Read

After the monochromatic gloom of “Blizzapocalypsageddon” 2015, there’s nothing quite so heartening as seeing that first bit of green poking its head up through the snow cover. It’s a reminder that summer will come again.

But, with apologies to Fran Lebowitz, the “outdoors” is more than just what you pass through between your front door and your car. That “outer space”—both horizontal and vertical—is where anybody (including you) can create a garden of earthly delights. All it takes is some planning and patience.

The earliest bloomers will be those perennials you remembered to plant back in the fall (right?), like crocus, dwarf iris, and daffodils (think “Easter” colors), followed by the tulips, lilies and hyacinth.

Once the permafrost finally melts and the days get longer and warmer, you can supplement your spring perennials by planting hardy annuals that will last into the summer and early fall.

The perennially-challenged gardener

Like most people, I am a busy person. I have limited time, energy, and discretionary cash for frivolous projects. But I also love living

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April 2015 / The South Coast Insider

amidst green things, whether houseplants, outdoor flowerbeds, or my backyard vegetable garden. So this is why I love perennial flower gardening—you only have to do the dirty work once! If you plant those bulbs and hairy thingies in a happy place before the first frost, they’ll produce beautiful, fragrant flowers that come back year after year. If you give them healthy soil and enough sun and water year-round, they will spread underground and “naturalize” a larger area over time.

So it’s very important that you plant perennials properly the first (and only) time. If you want tulips and Siberian irises in your early spring gardens, then you need to plant them in the fall—the winter weather actually stimulates their root growth. You may not get a spectacular blossoming the first spring, but you will forever after.

Know thy gardening limitations

Put down that issue of Home & Garden magazine right now! Planning your beautiful spring garden is not like showing your hairstylist a photo in People and hoping it all comes out looking like that.

Take an honest look

at how much workable garden space you actually have, and be realistic about your garden’s exposure to sunlight, moisture, pests, traffic, and weather conditions. Can’t make a silk purse, and all that.

But unless you live in an underground bunker, you can still take full advantage of whatever gardening space you’ve got. Make it a moveable feast of hanging baskets, clay pots, window boxes, and fishnet trellises over the railings, if need be.

Put some forethought into where you plant something, whether annual or perennial.

Are those flowers in the photo moisture/ shade-loving plants or Continued ON PAGE 8

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Continued FROM PAGE 6

Easiest South Coast spring perennials Most of these will survive and flourish in extreme soil, sun, and weather conditions if they’re planted in the right spot—their bulbs, corms, and assorted hairy thingies need to be planted in the fall before the first frost. Here are a few suggestions: Crocus – very early bloomer

Achillea (aka yarrow) – very hardy sun-lover

Daffodil and Jonquils – sun-loving, let leaves die naturally

Trillium (a protected woodland flower) – early bloomer, shade/moisture-loving

Bleeding Heart [dicentra] – mix in with hosta or fern, shade-loving

Bloodroot [sanguinaria] – shade-loving woodland flower

Hellebore (aka Lenten Rose) – early bloomer, deer-resistant

Grape Hyacinth [muscari] – early bloomers, will spread over time, plant with daffodils or lily-of-the-valley

Hosta (aka plantain lily) – bushy mounds of colorful greenish leaves (negligible flowers), great for borders, foundations and background color all summer and early fall. They’ll grow in sun or shade, no maintenance, easy to split and transplant when the shoots first appear.

Pushkinia (aka “squill” and Scilla) – very early bloomers Lily-of-the-Valley – hardy naturalizer, fragrant, great for trouble spots if you’re patient

Chives – fragrant, edible, great for walkways and window-boxes, best started from seed

Columbine [aquilegia] – wild variety of colors, shade-loving, slow spreaders if happy

Tulips – sun-loving, let leaves die naturally

Dianthus (aka Sweet Williams, baby carnations) – do not mulch, sun-loving

Dwarf Iris (Siberian, Japanese) – early bloomers, intense color, will spread slowly if happy, perfect for rock or water gardens, plant with crocus and daffodils Lavender [lavandula] – sun-loving, fragrant herb, best from starter-plants vs. seed, great for walkways or large pots. Repels deer and harmful insects.

Solomon’s Seal [polygonatum] – shade-loving, medicinal, will spread if happy Violets [viola] – short-lived and fragrant, but they’ll grow just about anywhere and spread Vinca (aka Periwinkle) – great ground-cover for ugly spots, shade-loving Snowdrops [galanthus] – very early bloomer

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April 2015 / The South Coast Insider

would they need full sun?

Would you need deer-resistant plants (like lavender or daffodils) or salt-resistant plants (like hollyhocks or columbine)?

Do you have the room for ground-hugging creepers, like alyssum or periwinkle (vinca), or trellises for climbers, like clematis and honey-suckle?

If you wouldn’t plant your tulips in the middle of a sidewalk, then don’t waste your money by planting Bambi’s free lunch, or by putting a delicate woodland plant or fern in a parched, direct-sunlight spot.

“Buy fresh. Buy local.”

Unless you have your own greenhouse and can grow everything from seed, it’s important that you buy your plant stock from strictly local nurseries and farms. Their bulbs, seedlings, starter-plants and hairy thingies will always be hardier and healthier than those pot-bound specimens that get imported from who-knows-where, carrying who-knows-what disease or invasive species (remember the tomato blight that spread across the South Coast a few years ago?)

Don’t waste your money on those already-inbloom potted spring flowers “on sale” at discount stores or the supermarkets. If you wouldn’t buy your shoes at a gas station, or your eggs at an appliance store, then why on earth would you buy your plants anywhere but from a reputable local nursery or farmers market? Caveat emptor.

I get by with a little help

If you were to beam me down in the middle of some huge plumbing supply store, I would have a panic attack. There is no way on earth I am ever going to be able to solve a toilet float problem (other than by putting another brick in the tank). I need expert advice if I’m going to tackle a DIY project on my own.

So, when it comes to flower or vegetable gardening, I rely heavily on the patient advice of local nursery owners and farmers. The staff are typically hands-on, knowledgeable, and chatty. They won’t cave in and sell me a plant that wouldn’t survive my outdoor conditions or my lifestyle.

Some of the really good local nurseries also have informational websites or offer free workshops.

Others sell specialty gardening products, or provide related services like tree-trimming, mulching, seasonal clean-up, and snowplowing. These are really good local people to know, just like your favorite mechanic or plumber.

And the South Coast is home to some of the most unique nurseries and garden-supply shops of any metropolitan area in the country. No matter where

It’s all about the birds and bees

Planting spring flowers is considered a bit of a luxury to some people – you either don’t have enough sunny ground space outside, or else the spare time for maintenance. If you fall into that category, then start thinking of spring flowers as outdoor houseplants.

Yeah,they’ll need some futzing, but if you create tiny gardens in hanging baskets, moveable containers on your porch/patio, or in a windowbox, you’re doing Mother Nature a very good deed. The bright colors and scents of spring flowers attract the “pollinators,” like honeybees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.

If you don’t have workable, healthy soil in an outdoor garden bed, then use containers to showcase the rainbow of annual flowers – pansies, coleus, petunias, alyssum. And if you do plant pansies in your garden beds, let them die back naturally – they may just surprise you and bloom again in late summer or early fall.

The best way to keep your annual plants happy and lush is to pinch off any stalk-y growth (aka “bolting”) and to “dead-head” them by regularly pulling off shriveled blossoms and dead leaves.

And if your sunshine-loving plants need watering, always do it early in the day or in the evening. Wet plants will burn and get spotty at high noon.

But the best thing about spring flowers, whether annual or perennial, is that they are incredibly fragrant. If you line a walkway or quiet corner with aromatic spring bloomers, you’re in for a real treat.

Some, like nasturtium and chives, are even edible!

Spring flowers offer you more than just curbside visual appeal.

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(and how) you live on the South Coast, there’s a top-notch plant vendor within driving distance. For instance, if you’re an urban gardener, make sure to visit “Clucks!” garden store in Providence.

If you’re looking for seashore plants or organic gardening supplies like “Coast of Maine” compost, try Sylvan Nurseries in Westport. If you love daylilies or Siberian/Japanese irises, head for Tranquil Lake Nursery in Rehoboth.

For all my DIY projects, plant or vegetable, I start at Howland’s Nursery, 240 Alden Road, or Roxann’s Nursery, 189 Alden Road, here in Fairhaven, then work my way out from there. Also of note are Frerichs Farm, at 43 Kinnicutt Avenue in Warren, and Four Town Farms, at 90 George Street in Seekonk. There are many other South Coast nurseries and farms specializing in flowering shrubs, water gardens, roses, fruit stock, herbs, shade plants.

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The South Coast Insider / April 2015

9

THINGS TO DO

Maintaining your home inside and out

by Dan Logan

What kind of outside maintenance does a house and yard need after the kind of rough winter we’ve had?

Y

our horticultural juices are probably flowing after the enforced hibernation of this particular winter, so here are some tips about what to check so your home is spiffed up for spring and summer, not to mention enhancing its ability to survive future winters without crisis.

First, aim high – meaning examine your roof. “It has been a very horrible winter for people’s roofs, even if they have not had any leaks come through [to where they’re obvious],” says Paul Rousseau, owner of Odd Jobs…My Specialty in New Bedford.

Maintaining your roof can extend its life by years.

Over time your roof is going to deteriorate gradually, but the process can be slowed tremendously by careful attention and preventative maintenance.

Do your own preliminary inspections, but if you think you have a house or yard problem you can’t handle, find an expert. “Be sure that whoever you call is licensed and insured – and don’t take their word for it. Get a copy of their work certificate,” Rousseau recommends.

Are there any dents in the roof from falling branches? Are roof shingles obviously damaged?

Ice dams that build up in gutters and in the roof valleys can back up under the roof shingles, loosening or destroying gutters and sealing off vents.

Are the roof shingles smooth, rather than having a granulated surface? The granules on asphalt shingles are made from minerals and protect the

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April 2015 / The South Coast Insider

asphalt from the UV damage caused by sunlight.

Manufacturers also use different color granules for decorative purposes. But over time these granules get scraped off by the weather (or by people walking on the roof). The dwindling supply of granules means the asphalt is being exposed to more UV rays. If your roof is a decade old, you have damaged shingles, and/or a dented roof, you have a lot of evidence that you might need a new roof.

You may not have noticed any stains inside the house on the walls or ceilings, but water could still be working its way into the structure. Once you’ve looked at the roof, inspect it from the attic.

Check the plywood sheeting, rafters, and insulation for stains or signs of water, Paul Rousseau says.

Check around the inner edges of the roofs in the soffit areas.

If your attic isn’t insulated, make note of that; this might be the time to save on future energy bills year-round by insulating more effectively.

If your chimney penetrates the attic, look for signs of water damage. Water gets into brick and mortar and expands slightly if it freezes, sometimes cracking the brick. Look for cracks or water stains on the brick.

Rousseau commonly sees this kind of damage on older two and three-story tenements.

Check the siding for damage. If water has penetrated from a roof leak, the damage may actually be beneath the siding and not visible, but damage to

the siding could create an entry point for water.

Look for cracks in the house foundation. Look for wings or droppings that can indicate a termite problem. Clean debris away from the foundation.

Inspect any outside stairs. Like chimneys, brick stairs and landings can also crack, loosening the mortar. You might need to contact a mason to do repairs.

Decks need love, too. Look for stains where your deck joins to the house. You can pressure wash away grime, salt, mosses, and molds. Check underneath the deck for mold, evidence of animals, or water damage.

Clean off the outside of your air conditioner, removing leaves, noting any damage where it enters the house. Check the outside hose faucets for leaks and to be sure they’re working.

Clean the gutters and flush the downspouts so that trapped water won’t create problems.

Rousseau offers one important preventative tip for homeowners and renters alike: know where your main shutoffs are for water, electric, and gas. You don’t want to learn after the pipe bursts.

Rousseau says he showed one of his customers where the shutoffs were and how to use them, and it paid off not long after when a leaking pipe started flooding her home.

Put color tags or identifying tags on each pipe.

You might even want to draw simple maps to show the locations of the shutoffs. If the directions for

shutting off a valve don’t stick in your memory, write them on the tag so they’re instantly available.

What about the yard?

Beyond the house, give your property a onceover. Walkways and driveways might have developed frost heaves, making them a hazard where people can trip. Don’t run the risk of a lawsuit; get the pavement fixed.

If your driveway or pavement cracked over the winter, have it repaired so that weeds don’t get a good foothold and cause further cracking.

If you used salt to melt ice, sweep up what salt you can when your pavement dries. Simply rinsing the salt into the grass can make it harder to grow plants and grass.

The long-lasting piles of snow are expected to result in more yard care issues this year. Bill Gil, owner of Blisscapes Design & Nursery in Dartmouth, is expecting to see more rodent tunnels under lawns and gardens, particularly by mouse-like rodents called voles. Gil warns voles will girdle small trees, meaning strip the bark around the circumference of the tree, usually at the base. “Your only hope is if the vole didn’t [girdle] 100 percent of the tree,” Gil says.

Vole tunnels will lie close to the surface of the lawn. You’ll have to add some soil to fill them in and seed to help the grass recover, Gil explains.

Homeowners can expect to deal with more mold in the grass this year, with the snowpack being an ideal protective covering for molds. A mixed-seed lawn is better at dealing with the molds, Gil says. A pure Kentucky bluegrass lawn is noted for hosting molds that take advantage of the moisture under the snow.

This year Gil also suspects that the depth and duration of the snow cover has protected deer ticks and Japanese beetles.

Because it was cold and most of the snow was dry, he’s not expecting to see a lot of broken branches that will make pruning difficult. In your inspection of your yard, however, look for trees that have been weakened by winter winds and snow.

Gill expects gardeners will see more winter kill for tender shrubs that were exposed above the snow line. He suggests trimming just above the live growth as soon as you can.

Keeping your house and yard in good condition year in and year out is a time-consuming and sometimes expensive proposition. If you suffered any serious damage, get more than one estimate if you’re facing a major repair, Paul Rousseau recommends. If you’ve kept with regular maintenance, it won’t usually come to that.

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The South Coast Insider / April 2015

11

COVER STORY

Growing full circle: from farm to highchair

By Joyce Rowley

People talk a lot about farming sustainability, but here on the South Coast we are seeing it in action. Farm to Baby, a new Mattapoisett-based home delivery baby food company, is the most recent link in the sustainable food chain.

Using certified organic produce from Skinny Dip Farm of Westport, Farm to Baby owners Amy Clark and Joanne Pratt make delicious, nutritious baby food at the community kitchen in How on Earth, a Mattapoisett market and restaurant that specializes in whole, locally-grown food.

Both Pratt and daughter Clark credit the company’s start to the birth of two sets of twins in the family in the past two years.

“When the first set of twins were born 27 weeks premature, they spent 121 days in the hospital,” said Pratt, the twin’s grandmother and a pediatric physical therapist assistant. “They were ready to eat food when they came out of the hospital.”

Pratt began making the twins blends of kale and sweet potatoes, blueberries and spinach, and squash medleys.

Seven months later, Clark had her twins and joined her mother in the baby food-making business.

“I’ve always been interested in nutrition and local agriculture, but from an environmental perspective,” said Clark, an ardent environmentalist with a

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April 2015 / The South Coast Insider

degree in biology. She said that it’s more than just a concern for human health.

“Supporting local farms is imperative if we are to end our dependence on fossil fuels and reduce pollution in general,” says Clark.

In addition to being organic and locally-sourced,

“It’s important for babies to get the best nutrients they can” there are no preservatives or additives in their baby food—that means no added salt or sugars. Roasting brings out the natural sweetness in foods like sweet potatoes, pears, and apples, Pratt said. The method of cooking also maximizes the retention of nutrients and vitamins.

The baby food was so good and so nutritious that they decided to begin preparing it commercially.

But they needed a licensed commercial kitchen for their startup.

Making it locally

Enter How on Earth, started by Margie and Michael Baldwin as a place to pick up shares of produce from South Coast community supported agriculture (CSA) farms in 2007. They added a kitchen to make organic, locally-grown products for what had become a general store and then a restaurant.

It now has a full range of local, organic produce, locally-sourced grocery items, and gluten-free, vegan and non-GMO foods.

In 2013, How on Earth added a commissary kitchen to encourage entrepreneurial food startups. It offers use of a fully-licensed kitchen on an hourly basis to producers like Farm to Baby who hold a permit from the board of health, liability insurance, and aHandmade food safetyjewelry certificate.

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Farm to Baby uses a number of local organic farms for its ingredients. Some produce can be stored overwinter, like apples and parsnips.

But last fall, when Pratt was looking for a local organic fresh food source, she found Hannah and Ben Wolboch’s Skinny Dip Farm. Skinny Dip is certified organic and has salad greens and root vegetables available year-round from a greenhouse all winter long on their six-acre farm.

“The greenhouse isn’t heated but the varieties are freeze-thaw tolerant,” Wolbach said. The plants are in the soil, not potted, in a 96-foot-long by 30-footwide greenhouse tunnel.

And Farm to Baby has a sampling booth next to Skinny Dip at the ORR winter farmers’ market, closing the loop.

For working parents, home delivery of fresh organic baby food makes it that much easier to provide nutritious “first” foods. Pratt says that every baby is different, and customers should check with their pediatrician before changing their baby’s diet.

The menu changes with the seasons. Currently they have a good supply of winter squash, parsnips, apples, sweet potatoes, and kale. Veggies and fruits are lightly steamed or roasted, depending on the blend, and pureed. They come in non-BPA containers and can be frozen for up to three weeks.

Pratt says the baby food should not be microwaved, partly due to the containers, but also because the veggies and fruits will lose vitamins and nutrients in the process.

“It’s important for babies to get the best nutrients they can,” says Pratt.

“I am passionate about getting infants started on the right nutrition path,” Clark added, “to hopefully educate and foster families’ attitudes towards healthy lifestyles which are environmentally responsible and friendly.”

Farm to Baby serves the South Coast from Falmouth to Seekonk. The baby food is so fresh that they request that someone be available for delivery or have a cooler available on the delivery date.

For more information on Farm to Baby, find them on Facebook at farmtobabycompany. Find Skinny Dip Farm at www.skinnydipfarm.blogspot.com/ and How on Earth the Store at www.howonearth.net/ To learn more about baby nutrition, Clark recommends visiting these online resources: www.foodrenegade.com/why-ditch-infant-cereals and www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/ right-way-to-feed-babies/

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BOOK PICKS

BY LAURA LATOUR / Partners Village Store

Let’s make this clear: I am not the outdoor adventure type. You won’t find me spelunking, mountain climbing, or even hiking (at least not very often). I am, however, an observer of the natural world, a wannabe gardener and birder, and an advocate for books about the natural world. When you say “outdoors” to me, it evokes in my mind the fragile warmth of the spring sun, delving into the loamy soil, and smelling the “greeness” of awakening vegetation. With this in mind, I’ve put together a wide and varied list of “outdoor books,” most dealing with the personal idea of nature, both in its idealized and messy incarnations.

The Outermost House: A Year of Life on the Great Beach of Cape Cod

By Henry Beston Published by St. Martin’s Griffin $16.99 paperback

The Wild Braid: A Poet Reflects on a Century in the Garden

By Stanley Kunitz Published by W.W. Norton & Company $18.95 paperback

In print for over 75 years, Henry Beston’s work has long been recognized as a classic of American nature writing. The Outermost House chronicles Beston’s solitary year spent on Easton Beach on Cape Cod. The author had originally intended to spend only two weeks at his seaside home, but was so captivated by the mysterious beauty of his surroundings that he found he “could not go,” and stayed to write this elegy to nature in longhand on his kitchen table.

“The world today,” Beston writes “is sick to its thin blood for lack of elemental things.” Beston explores all the elements; the rhythms of the tides, the windblown dunes, the migration of seabirds, and the scatter of stars in the summer sky. The Outermost House captures humanity’s relationship to nature in a very personal, yet universal way. The Walden of Cape Cod, Beston’s book The Outermost House is sure to live on, enchanting its readers, for another 75 years…at least.

Stanley Kunitz, a much-honored poet, was cofounder of the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, Massachusetts. Throughout his life (1905-2006) Stanley Kunitz created poetry and tended gardens. This book is the distillation of conversations which took place between 2002 and 2004.

Beginning with the garden, that “work of the imagination,” Kunitz takes us on a personal journey through his memory, the creative process, and the harmony of the life cycle. A bouquet of poems are scattered throughout the various chapters of this book. Twenty-six full-color photographs of Stanley in his garden celebrate the beauty of living life to the fullest in old age. My favorite is a picture of Stanley’s gnarled hands, clasped behind his back, with fresh dirt on the tips of his fingers. The Wild Braid received a 2006 American Horticultural Society Book Award. Booklist called it “A graceful and moving glimpse into a rare and giving artist’s refined poetics, garden aesthetics, and spirituality.”

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April 2015 / The South Coast Insider

Mud Season

By Ellen Stimson Published by The Countryman Press $16.95 paperback The full subtitle for Mud Season is “How One Woman’s Dream of Moving to Vermont, Raising Children, Chickens and Sheep, and Running the Old Country Store Pretty Much Led to One Calamity After Another” which rather wordily sums up this hilarious and self-deprecating memoir. The book chronicles Ellen Stimson’s acclimation from city living to rural Vermont farmhouse.

When Stimson decides she wants to own and operate the old-fashioned village store in idyllic Dorset, Vermont (pop. 2,036), she learns the hard way that “improvements” are not always welcomed warmly by folks who like things just fine the way they’ve always been. She dreams of patrons streaming in for fresh-made sandwiches, but she learns they’re boycotting the store. Why? “The bread,” they tell her, “you moved the bread from where it used to be.” Can the citified newcomer turn the tide of mistrust before she ruins the business altogether? Mud Season follows the author to her wit’s end and back. Come for the hilarious anecdotes, stay for the farm fresh recipes.

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By Barbara Kingsolver Published by Harper Perrenial $16.99 paperback Barbara Kingsolver has always immersed her writing in the natural world. In her latest novel, Flight Behavior, she addresses the decline of the Monarch butterfly population in North America.

But, as always, her novel is so much more than what it appears to be.

In Feathertown, Tennessee, Dellarobia Turnbow, on the run from her stifling life, charges up the mountain above her husband’s family farm with sin in her heart, eager to meet a potential lover.

She stumbles onto a “valley of fire,” a vision she assumes is a message from God. What the miracle is revealed to be is an aberrant colony of Monarchs, struggling to survive the climate changes and pestilence brought on by “global weirding.” Soon, a group of entomologists, media hounds, and true-believers descend upon the small town, each attaching to the butterflies their own interpretation, and putting Dellarobia smack dab in the center of the controversy.

Kingsolver turns the plight of the Monarch butterfly into one woman’s personal awakening and a parable about the fragility of insect ecosystems.

This slight-of-hand skating the thin line between pedagogy and pleasure can only be managed by the most skillful of writers, and Kingsolver does it with aplomb.

Wild Flavors: One Chef’s Transformative Year Cooking from Eva’s Farm

By Didi Emmons Published by Chelsea Green Publishing $24.95 paperback The minute Didi Emmons, a chef from Boston, met Eva Sommaripa something amazing happened. Not only did Eva’s garden become Didi’s refuge and herb-infused Shangri-La, the two women also forged a lasting friendship that has blossomed and endured over time.

Wild Flavors follows a year at Eva’s Garden, a legendary farm located right here in Dartmouth, Massachusetts. The farm hosts 200-plus uncommon herbs, greens, and edible “weeds” which grace the menus of both local restaurants like The Back Eddy in Westport, MA and Persimmon in Bristol, RI and nationwide grocery stores like Whole Foods. On its most basic level, Wild Flavors is a seasonal cookbook celebrating greens, herbs, weeds, and foraged food. Forty-six plants and 150 recipes are featured, including under-appreciated herbs like chervil and tarragon, nutritious weeds such as goosefoot and chickweed, and sumptuous greens like dinosaur kale and baby mustard. Wide-ranging recipes reflect the shifting seasonal harvest and are easy to follow, but best of all, Emmons shows us how these herbs, greens, and wild foods improve and transform the flavors in our food.

Emmons also shares some of the valuable lessons she has learned from Eva about maintaining a healthy, satisfying lifestyle, putting the emphasis on community, thrift, conservation, and other time-honored virtues. Wild Flavors is a cookbook and a love letter celebrating the interconnectedness and health of the land, the animals, our neighbors, and ourselves.

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15

COVER STORY

Spirit of Prince Henry lives on in scholarships and good works

By Michael J. Vieira

It’s easy to ignore the old statue of Prince Henry as traffic passes by on busy Eastern Avenue in Fall River– and his presence on Pope’s Island in New Bedford is also a blur when cruising Route 6.

So it’s no surprise that the good works of a group of men and women in the South Coast often go unnoticed. The Prince Henry Society of Massachusetts began in 1980 and chapters in New Bedford, Fall River and Taunton were incorporated in 1984.

“Three Portuguese-American businessmen from New Bedford met to discuss the creation of a service-based non-profit organization to promote the civic, cultural, economic, educational, and social betterment of individuals of Portuguese descent,” the Fall River chapter website states.

All three chapters award scholarships to young PortugueseAmericans, maintain monuments —like the two statues of Prince Henry —host dignitaries and provide community services.

The late Milton Ferreira, Anthony S. Catojo, Jr. and Gabriel “Gabe” Mouro are credited with being the founding fathers. Originally just for men, it’s now open to anybody of Portuguese descent.

“Seeking a name for the organization that communicated leadership and strength, they chose The Prince Henry Society in honor of the famous Portuguese navigator,” the site explained.

16

Think kind of like a Rotary or Elks Club for Luso-Americans.

Why Prince Henry?

Infante Dom Henrique de Avis was a 15th century Portuguese prince who was an important leader during the early days of the Empire.

Remember: back in those days, Portugal was a major player in world trade.

Prince Henry was responsible for developing Portuguese exploration in western Africa, the islands like the Azores in the Atlantic Ocean, and beyond. They found gold and, yes, participated in the slave trade.

April 2015 / The South Coast Insider

But under his direction, Portuguese navigators developed a new ship called the “caravel” that could sail into the wind and revolutionized travel on the world’s oceans. Maps by Luso cartographers opened the seas to folks like Columbus.

He was also the governor of the Order of Christ, the Portuguese successor to the Knights Templar of Da Vinci Code fame. How cool is that!

Look at Portuguese landmarks like St. John of God Church where the Portuguese cross is featured on the steeple and in the church proper. The cross may also have been carved in Dighton Rock but was definitely used as markers to claim territory for the small European country that once claimed half the world as its own.

Some still see the cross as a symbol of power—and oppression. Both are true in many

ways. But the Portuguese did amazing things like discovering, exploring, and mapping Africa, Asia, and Brazil and opening a maritime route to India.

Exploring good works

The local Prince Henry members don’t sail in ships in search of new worlds, although at least some members of the New Bedford chapter have appeared in costume as the Prince and other navigators.

What they do is help others to the tune of more than $500,000—according to the Taunton Chapter website.

But that’s a low estimate.

According to the New Bedford Chapter site, that group has awarded more than $644,000 in scholarships alone, and the Fall River Chapter gave more than $390,000 as noted on their site. That’s more than a million dollars in just scholarships.

The Prince Henry chapters also donate to soup kitchens and disaster relief, host traditional Thanksgiving and Christmas programs, and even give blood. They also support the teaching of the Portuguese language including buying textbooks and flags for some classes.

“A primary purpose of the Society is to promote the betterment of our constituents of Portuguese descent,” Fall River chapter president Doug Rodrigues said.

How do they do it? Over the years, the Portuguese Empire has shrunk and the coffers of gold are pretty much spent. So the locals raise funds

through donations and events.

Symphonies, suppers, and socials

Each of the chapters host a number of fundraising events including Super Bowl parties, group ticket sales for theatre events, dinners, and concerts.

These bring in the funds needed to help students and the community.

The Fall River chapter’s big event is coming up in May. The Annual Spring Scholarship Concert will be held at Bristol Community College on May 9 at 7 p.m.

“The symphony is a tradition – it’s our premiere event of the season,” Rodrigues noted.

Tickets are $50 but include a “lavish reception” after the concert. It’s not cheap, but it’s for a good cause. And the musicians are no slouches.

The Atlantic Wind Symphony, according to their website, is the oldest professional concert band on Long Island. They’ve played at Carnegie Hall and will soon appear again at the Jackson Arts Center on Elsbree Street in Fall River.

If you want a preview, you can hear them if you go to atlanticwinds. org and, yes, they play John Philips Sousa’s The Stars and Stripes Forever.

That Portuguese band leader would probably be proud of both the rendition and the scholarship event.

The concert also features an “ad book” that will be distributed at the event. Sponsors for ads – as well as scholarships – are always welcome.

Both of the home pages provide more information about how to donate – New Bedford even has a PayPal link.

All about the culture

In the end, the Prince Henry Society is really all about keeping the Portuguese culture alive and helping the next generation appreciate the gifts of the previous. Each chapter is limited to 100 members – and only four can be from the same profession to ensure diversity.

Each month, the businessmen and teachers, the elected officials and the retirees, the young and the old, gather for a meal and a

business meeting. They call each other “Brother” or “Sister” and seem to mean it.

And they tell stories or talk politics, share jokes and memories.

Sometimes, they even write them down.

“It’s important to keep our heritage alive so that future generations understand where they came from,” Rodrigues stressed.

Fall River chapter member Gabriel T. Cabral has recently published a book called Traces of a Culture. It’s the story of his life, but also provides “first-hand knowledge” like how to turn grapes into wine, how to make a basket, and how to graft trees.

It’s like sitting for coffee and papo secos (small Portuguese breads) with your Voo, or grandfather (more accurately Avô). And like that old guy, Gabe gives good advice: “Teach when you can, learn as you teach, never consider yourself to be better than anyone else, and never, never, try to be what you are not!”

Proceeds from the book sales will go to fund a scholarship in memory of his parents and in-laws. His family also established a scholarship at Bristol Community College.

Most of the members of the Prince Henry Society are a generation or two away from the millworkers, fishermen, and farmers who came to the South Coast to weave, catch, and sow the seeds of a new life. They worked hard, lived in tenements, and planted a future for their families.

Now that their children and grandchildren are harvesting the benefits. These brothers and sisters, in turn, are passing on their knowledge, resources, and support to the Portuguese-American leaders of the future.

Like Prince Henry, they’re not afraid of the unknown—they’re helping to discover it.

For more information, visit the chapter websites: phsfr.org, princehenrysociety.org, princehenrysocietyoftaunton.com.

Or contact the author at michaeljvieira@comcast.net, who is a new member of the Fall River Chapter.

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BUSINESS BUZZ

While the library’s grand opening is scheduled for June 13, Library Director Ann Grealish-Rust says there will be a soft opening sometime in late May.

Tiverton’s new library

BY Jay Pateakos

There are towns that struggle to comprehend the true impact a town library can have and there are other towns that just get it.

T

iverton, Rhode Island is one of those rare communities that saw what a new library could do for the town. The gathering spots, the conference area, the expanded sections, and sitting areas the old library didn’t have led to the creation of a central spot in town that everyone could call home.

Many people assume that libraries are a thing of the past, but that’s just a mentality for those who don’t take the time to go.

Why a library?

When the economy tanked in the late 2000’s, many people who hadn’t visited their library in years went back. Libraries have seen a resurgence over the last few years and there’s no sign of that changing anytime soon.

Tiverton broke ground on its proposed 23,793-square-foot, $10.6 million library on

18

April 2015 / The South Coast Insider

October 26, 2013 and the library is just about done.

While they are planning a June 13 Grand Opening Ceremony, Library Director Ann Grealish-Rust, who has been with the library the last five and a half years, said there will be a soft opening sometime in late May. Grealish-Rust said the new library, located off Bulgarmarsh and Stafford Road’s Bliss Corner area of town, will be eight times the size of the current Essex Library at 238 Highland Road.

Built in 1938, Essex contains 2,500 square feet of usable library space with a subsidiary library, the 19th-century Union Public library, which is half the size of Essex. Grealish-Rust said the town’s library buildings have been considered outdated for the last three decades. There had been plans drawn up and much talk about a potential new library for years but it just needed a group to come together and push for it.

“The idea of building a new library had been around a decade before even I came around,” said Grealish-Rust.

A Building Committee was formed in the late 1990’s with the idea of combining state and federal funds with some hopeful town funds and a capital campaign in order to construct a new library. But it would take another decade before the group would be able to grab the bull by the horns, so to speak.

Begun in 2010, the new library’s capital campaign would set a goal of raising $3.6 million for the library.

Funding the future

It started with a $450,000 grant to purchase the land for the new library from the state’s Housing and Urban Development group. The $10.6 million needed would include a $7 million dollar bond with $4.1 million to be reimbursed by the Rhode Island Office of Library & Information Services, and

a $2.9 million town capital expense spread out over the next 20 years.

Dr. Leon Hoyer, chairman of the Building Committee, said they began the silent phase of the fundraising in 2010 and early 2011, eventually raising the $3.6 million including a $750,000 grant from the Champlain Foundation, $250,000 from the Van Buren Charity, $250,000 from BayCoast Bank, an anonymous $1 million donation, and many $25,000-$50,000 donations.

“It was a lot of footwork; a lot of grant applications written by the Building Committee, a lot of little parts,” said Hoyer of the 10-person group. In addition to the $450,000 for the land, the group secured a grant from the RI Foundation to cover the initial planning, architectural work, and capital campaign consultant that would be so instrumental in raising the needed funds.

A referendum vote asking the town for the $2.9 million to finish off the $10.6 million needed passed on the first try in

programs that would be made possible by having the building.”

More than books

Grealish-Rust said the current library is basically a “warehouse for books” and that it has no “people space,” something very much needed for a library to have a welcoming atmosphere. With the new conference room, the library will include 4 reservable meeting spaces – two larger rooms and two medium-sized ones, along with a couple of smaller study rooms.

Meanwhile, the teen space hopes to draw in a crowd that consider libraries anathema.

“There’s really not a lot of places for these kids to gather anymore, and this space will have everything – a large screen TV, an internet bar for their laptops, a gaming area, and books and DVD’s catered to teen interests,” said Grealish-Rust. “They’ll have a studio area where they can do audio editing and they will have

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November of 2011. With towns like Acushnet and Sandwich putting a big thumbs down to its own new library aspirations (sometimes multiple times) how could Tiverton get it passed on the first try?

First off, Tiverton’s aging library system had been on the state’s naughty list of poor libraries since 2000. The town found itself against a wall because if it made no progress toward a new building soon, it would lose state funding.

“There was a big stick hanging over the town that either they build a new building or they wouldn’t have one,” said Hoyer.

Second came the important part of educating the population on the importance of a new library and what it could bring to the town.

“We did a good job of explaining to the town what a new library would mean – that we’d have expanded children’s spaces and a place for teen activities especially, with the space so close to the middle and high schools,” said Hoyer. “That we would have a conference room and other meeting areas that would make the library the center for the town. The focus wasn’t just on the building but on

window seats that will overlook the skate park.”

But don’t worry, the adults won’t be left out.

Grealish-Rust said while the current library only has a couple of tables for computers and basically no place to just sit and read, the new library will have ample space, including an adult reading room equipped with a large picture window, a gas-fired fireplace, as well as a number of quiet terrace spots where adults can go outside and sit and read.

The library will also include a business center where people can job search, seek help writing a resume and a local history room helping to pull together much of Tiverton’s history into one place, something lacking in the town. The new library is even going to have a drive-up window for the elderly who struggle to get out of their cars or parents with sleeping children who can just drive up to the window for service.

In realizing not all library patrons like to sit around and read, Grealish-Rust said the new library will also feature self-check areas where people can

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come in and scan in their own returns and even take their own books out that are on hold.

“Some like to come in and read and spend some time in the library while others just want to get in and out,” said Grealish-Rust. “We are trying to accommodate both.”

Despite the massive size increase, she said the library staff will stay the same as it is now: six parttime and six full-time workers. Grealish-Rust said they will evaluate the scope of services and how much it increases before making any kind of decision on staffing increases.

“I think this is going to be a place the town is going to be very proud of. It will be a place for all ages and intents,” said Grealish-Rust. “Those people who have only used the library casually over the years will be amazed at the full-functionality of the new library.”

Hoyer said the outside of the building is completed as well as most of the inside including security cameras, sprinklers, and ceilings, and the construction crews are working on the final parts of the flooring and cabinetry. Asked for what he will do with his time once the new library journey is complete, Hoyer hesitated a bit. “Relax for a little bit, I guess.”

Once the new library opens, the old library will close and the town will need to decide what that next stage of Essex’s life will be, Hoyer noted. But for now, it’s all about getting ready for the end of May and working to show off the new library and reward the town for their belief in its need.

“It’s an important center of information for many people and it makes that information available to people who maybe can’t afford to get it on their own, people who may not have or can’t afford internet access at home,” said Hoyer.

“This will be a place for many educational programs starting at pre-school and activities for all ages as well as adults and seniors too. This place will provide the town with a sense of community so they can see what a new library can do for all of us. The future is something I am looking forward to – a chance to take advantage of programs and of space we never had. That’s what happens with a new library.”

While the library’s grand opening is scheduled for June 13, there will be a soft opening sometime in late May. A preview gala benefit will be held on May 2 from 7-10 p.m. For more information and to make a donation, call 401-625-6796 or visit www.

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The South Coast Insider / April 2015

21

BUSINESS BUZZ

Chris Haskell

Avalon Medical Spa

s t a e b d r o f d e B w e N

By SEAN McCARTHY

New Bedford-area musicians are making music that rivals anything you may hear on your iPod. Whether it’s folk or metal, reggae or punk, the opportunity to see original music is growing.

“Original music is just one part of a movement by a group of people that’s trying to make things happen in the city,” says Craig Paiva, owner of the No Problemo restaurant, bar, and club. For five years, Paiva has booked more than a show a week, and half the time it’s a local band or performer. Paiva is so devoted to local culture that most of his shows are break even.

“New Bedford has such a

22

reputation that I can also book bands from Providence, Boston and New York,” Paiva says. “There’s a lot of different styles. There’s something for everyone.”

For years local music and its supportive fans have referred to New Bedford as “The Secret City,” based on the large unrecognized pool of talent in the area.

“We’re blessed in this city,” says Dori Legge of New Bedford whose

April 2015 / The South Coast Insider

standout voice has been entertaining local audiences for nearly 40 years. “The quality of the talent is outrageous.”

Thanks to modern technology, musicians are able to record original music for their friends and fans that is accessible instantly over the internet, but many acts continue to release CDs. Butch McCarthy has been a popular presence on the local music scene for 40 years. He recently released a CD

with 13 original songs, Middleville.

“Original music is good for the fans and the bands,” McCarthy says.

“People who buy a bands’ CD are going to feel invested in the band, and they’re likely to go to more shows.”

In 1982 The Butch McCarthy Band sold 3,000 copies of their 45 with the songs “Brat” and “Special To You.” Like many local acts, McCarthy incorporates his original material along with songs by other artists that the

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J Kelley has been building a solid fan base since he first began performing in 2006. Today, whether he is playing solo or with his band, his sets are predominantly original. When he plays cover songs he puts his own spin on them by applying his own arrangements.

He has sold 2,000 copies of his two CDs, Untied and Reservoir.

Kelley claims that the city could take an important step to enhance the culture of original music – a club devoted entirely to original music. He says that when the area saw two clubs close in the last five years, the New Wave Café and Bridge Street Station, the area lost two establishments devoted entirely to original music.

Nonetheless there are still a plethora of rooms for original music.

And that means an opportunity to sell CDs, giving audience members a chance to take home something special that most people don’t have in their record collection.

Ian Motha is the 21-year old singer and guitarist for The Anchors, based in South Dartmouth.

“It’s a fragile thing to put a song out there,” Motha confesses. “So when people compliment you, you become more enthusiastic and you want to keep doing it. “Compliments are accomplishments.”

Motha echoes McCarthy. “We sell our CDs and we see more people at our shows. They’re very special to us.

It’s great to see people singing your songs along with you. There’s two kinds of magic in the world – love and music and I try to combine the two.”

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23

COVER STORY

THE Yankee Swap

by Sherri Mahoney-Battles

As a Yankee, I have always been fond of a good old “Yankee Swap,” and over the years there have always been plenty of opportunities to make a deal.

A dozen eggs for a gallon of milk, tax returns for a painting, landscaping, goods, massages; endless opportunities for an exchange of goods or services without either party having to hand over the cash.

A few swaps haven’t ended well. One or two tax clients took their tax returns and didn’t fulfill their swap, but overall most of them have worked out pretty well. A swap is a great way to sample a product or for a client to show off their carpentry or painting skills. Sometimes a client with a backlog of tax filings or tax debt doesn’t have much money to settle their bill, but they are usually willing to offer up their services or products. I almost always try to accommodate since I know how stressful it is to be

dealing with tax debt or unfiled tax returns.

The IRS has their own opinion on our “Yankee swap.” They call it bartering, and they want their piece of it. That’s right – bartering is a taxable event.

A few years ago there was a flurry of startup companies set up as bartering exchanges. Couple this with the increased availability of internet trading opportunities, and the IRS decided to take a closer look at bartering activity. They went so far as to set up a Bartering Tax Center designed to educate taxpayers about their tax responsibilities regarding bartering.

Trade someone for goods or services in the conduct of business, and they expect you to report

the amount of goods or services as income and pay tax on it. You must include the fair market value of goods or services in income. As an offset, if you are in a trade or business, you may be able to deduct certain costs you incur to perform services that you barter.

What does that mean?

Let’s look a few examples where bartering can be effective. A plumber makes an arrangement with a graphic artist to install a hot water heater in exchange for a new logo. The plumber includes in income the fair market value of the logo and deducts the cost of the logo as a business expense.

The IRS website offers the following tax tips: Organized barter exchanges: A barter exchange functions primarily as the organizer of a marketplace where members buy and sell products and services among themselves. Whether this activity operates out of a physical office or is internet-based, a barter exchange is generally required to issue Form 1099-B, Proceeds from Broker and Barter Exchange Transactions, annually to their clients or members and to the IRS. Barter income: Barter dollars or trade dollars are identical to real dollars for tax reporting purposes. If you conduct any direct barter – barter for another’s products or services – you must report the fair market value of the products or services you received on your tax return.

24

April 2015 / The South Coast Insider

Tax implications of bartering: Income from bartering is taxable in the year it is performed. Bartering may result in liabilities for income tax, self-employment tax, employment tax or excise tax. Your barter activities may result in ordinary business income, capital gains or capital losses, or you may have a nondeductible personal loss.

How to report: The rules for reporting barter transactions may vary depending on which form of bartering takes place. Generally, you report this type of business income on Form 1040, Schedule C Profit or Loss from Business, or other business returns such as Form 1065 for Partnerships, Form 1120 for Corporations or Form 1120-S for Small Business Corporations.

A dentist agrees with a patient to provide a root canal in exchange for having his dental office cleaned. The dentist must include in income the fair market value of the cleaning services provided. He will also deduct the fair market value of the cleaning services as a business deduction.

Now let’s say that in exchange for a root canal, the dentist agrees to have his personal home cleaned.

He must include in income the fair market value of the root canal, but he does not have a business expense since the cleaning was not for his office but instead for his home. He has business income, but no expense to offset the income.

A business owner who sells an asset or piece of equipment will pay tax on the gain from the sale.

Gain is calculated by determining the difference between the purchase price of an item and the sale price of the item. Many of my clients are farmers, and often times the purchase price involves a handshake and a trade. A farmer sells a tractor for

I traded that tractor for two cows and a harrow… $6,000. “How much did you pay for the tractor when you purchased it?” I ask.

“Well, I traded that tractor for two cows and a harrow”, says the farmer.

“Ok, how much did you pay for the cows and the harrow?”

“Well”, the farmer says, “I traded that one cow for three sheep, the other cow came from my neighbor who gave it to me for turning his field, and I got the harrow in swap for my old John Deere.”

Sometimes, the path to getting to the cost basis can be a long one with a few curves along the way.

So, our good old “Yankee Swap” includes a few tax complications. Does that mean we stop swapping? No way. We are New Englanders. When it snows we shovel. When a hurricane makes its way up the coast we batten down the hatches and clean up the mess. Our heritage includes things like coffee milk, rotaries, and marshmallow fluff, and we like our swaps just fine.

By the way, I have two goats I’ll gladly swap—just let me know what you want to trade them for.

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25

DATELINE: SOUTH COAST

News, views and trends... from Mount Hope Bay to Buzzards Bay

by Elizabeth Morse Read

O

kay, it’s time to exhale—winter 2015 is over! It’s time to throw off the covers and celebrate the return to “normal” life! Tiptoe through the tulips, celebrate Passover, Easter, and warmer days. And there’s another school vacation week (unless it gets eaten by those snow days).

The groundhog may have predicted right for a change, but now it’s time to come out and enjoy the South Coast.

across the region Speaking of snow “daze,” state legislators and school districts throughout southern New England are re-evaluating traditional school calendars that allow for both a week off in February, then another in April. Stay tuned…

There is finally serious movement on plans to replace the oh-so-quaint New Bedford/Fairhaven Bridge. It was built during the whaling era, folks, and has become the Route 6 black-hole for vehicular traffic and maritime commerce.

Between the Aaron Hernandez trial and the non -stop snow of recent months, Fall River hasn’t seen this much media hoopla since Lizzie Borden.

Baseball lovers on the South Coast, rejoice! The PawSox, the Red Sox’s Triple A franchise, may be moving to a new stadium in Providence off Rt. 195!

Uh oh… The cataclysmic winter weather revealed chronic problems in the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) in greater Boston, and could possibly derail the final completion phase of the South Coast Rail project. Déjà vu all over again…

More uh oh… the demise of Cape Wind’s contracts with National Grid and Eversource (NSTAR)

26

April 2015 / The South Coast Insider

has led to Cape Wind canceling its lease agreement with the new Marine Commerce Terminal in New Bedford. Cross your fingahs, folks…

In case you haven’t noticed yet, your electricity and gas bills now come from Eversource Energy, the result of a merger of NSTAR, Northeast Utilities and several other public utilities companies.

State lawmakers Antonio Cabral (D-New Bedford) and Patricia Haddad (D-Somerset) have proposed two separate bills in Boston to help jump-start the offshore wind-energy industry off the South Coast.

Southcoast Health has closed its blood banks and ended the blood donation programs at Charlton Memorial Hospital in Fall River, St. Luke’s Hospital in New Bedford and Tobey Hospital in Wareham.

The venerable Reed & Barton silversmith company in Taunton has filed for bankruptcy, after almost 200 years in business.

Another one bites the dust… RadioShack declared bankruptcy in February, so their stores in Fall River, Fairhaven, North Dartmouth, Swansea and New Bedford have closed their doors for good.

Wal-Mart, TJ Maxx, Marshall’s and other major retailers have raised starting wages to at least $9/ hour, starting in June, with more to come in 2016.

Camp Angel Wings, the free two-day bereavement camp for children 6-12, sponsored by the Southcoast Visiting Nurses Association, will be held July 11 & 12 at Camp Welch in Assonet. Early registration is encouraged, and volunteer counselors are needed – go to www.southcoast.org/campangelwings or call 508-973-3227.

If you’re 50 or older, check out the trips sponsored by the New Bedford Senior Travel Program. Head for Foxwoods on April 13, plus there’s the trip to Washington DC May 15-19. For details, call 508991-6171. The Marion Council on Aging will visit the JFK Memorial in Hyannis on April 20 – call 508-748-3570. The Fairhaven Senior Center will host a 7-day trip to Savannah, Jekyl Island and Beaufort April 19-25. Call 508-979-4029. Take a ride to the Isabella Stewart Gardener Museum and the Harvard Art Museums on April 16 on a tour organized by the Friends of the Rotch-Jones-Duff House and Garden Museum in New Bedford. For info and reservations, call 508-997-1401 or visit www.rjdmuseum.org.

“My Brother’s Keeper” of Easton and Dartmouth is looking for volunteers and gently-used residential furniture for families in need. Free pick-up. Call 774305-4577 or visit www.MyBrothersKeeper.org.

acushnet During the second official blizzard of recent months (Valentine’s Day weekend), Acushnet got dumped with a record 22 inches of snow, the highest accumulation anywhere in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, or Connecticut during that storm.

attleboro There’s always something to see or do at the Capron Park Zoo! Call 774-203-1840 or go to www. capronparkzoo.com.

bristol When the kids K-4 are on school vacation (April 20-24), send them to Camp Sequoia at Blithewold!

Don’t miss “Daffodil Days” April 2-26. And mark your calendars for “Dahlia Days” starting May 8. Go to www.blithewold.org or call 401-253-2707.

Experience pre-Industrial Age life at the Coggeshall Farm Museum, rated the “Best LivingHistory” farm in Rhode Island by Yankee Magazine.

To learn more, visit www.coggeshallfarm.org or call 401-253-9062.

If you’re a boat-lover, don’t miss the Herreshoff Marine Museum, home to the America’s Cup Hall of Fame. Learn more at www.herreshoff.org.

dartmouth

Meet your friends on Saturdays at the Oxford Book Haven and Café at the Church of the Good Shepherd in North Fairhaven. Fresh soups and desserts, used books on sale, board games, WiFi. To learn more, visit www.goodshepherdfairhaven. com or call 508-992-2281.

fall river Durfee High School’s Chelsea Aguilar and Adam Turcotte were chosen to sing at the All-State Chorus’ Music Festival at Boston’s Symphony Hall in March.

Check out the largest collection of Titanic memorabilia in the US, including the one-ton model used in the 1953 movie, at the Fall River Marine Museum in Battleship Cove. For more info, call 508-674-3533 or visit www.marinemuseumfr.org.

The Narrows Center for the Arts has a fabulous line-up – there’s the Pat Travers Band April 11, Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks April 16, Aztec Two Step April 18, and much, much more! For a complete schedule, visit www.narrowscenter.com or call 508-324-1926.

Check out the free exhibit of Depression-era WPA paintings at the Cherry & Webb Gallery, sponsored by the Greater Fall River Art Association. For more information, go to www.greaterfallriverartassoc.org.

Fall River’s Little Theatre will host its annual allyou-can-eat Clamboil April 25 in Rehoboth, and will present “Legally Blonde” May 14-17. For details, visit www.littletheatre.net or call 508-675-1852.

UMass Dartmouth PhD student Amir Zonouz won the first international Siemens Mobility IDEA award for his design of a smart-parking drone application.

Check out what’s going on at the Children’s Museum of Greater Fall River. For more info, go to www.cmgfr.org or call 508-672-0033.

UMass Dartmouth professor Vanni Bucci received a $465,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health to develop treatment programs for intestinal diseases.

marion

easton

The Marion Council on Aging will visit the JFK Memorial in Hyannis on April 20 – call 508-748-3570.

Check out the Children’s Museum in Easton! For info, call 508-230-3789 or visit www.childrensmuseumineaston.org.

fairhaven The Fairhaven Senior Center will host a 7-day trip to Savannah, Jekyl Island, and Beaufort April 19-25.

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Find out what’s happening at the Marion Natural History Museum. For info, go to www.marionmuseum.org or call 508-758-9089.

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The city received a $1.2 million energy incentive payment from NSTAR (now EverSource) to replace thousands of street and traffic lights with more cost-effective LED lights.

Continued ON NEXT PAGE

The South Coast Insider / April 2015

27

Continued FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

Spring is Here!

Make Your Property

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Learn all about “Backyard Chickens Basics” at the Rotch-Jones-Duff House and Garden Museum on April 9 (AHA! Night). Free! For details, visit www. rjdmuseum.org or call 508-997-1401. And plan ahead for the free tour of the Allen Haskell Park on May 11.

Philanthropist-alumnus Dr. Irwin Jacobs gave New Bedford High School more than $300,000 to purchase tablets/laptops for math students.

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April 2015 / The South Coast Insider

KG Urban and Foxwoods are still interested in building a casino on New Bedford’s waterfront. Stay tuned…

It’s all happenin’ at the Z! Head for the Zeiterion for “Mesmerizing Masterpieces, performed by the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra April 11, Bela Fleck and Abigail Washburn April 12, “Simon Wiesenthal: Nazi Hunter” April 16, and the International Portuguese Music Awards 2015 April 25 – and much more! Go to www.zeiterion.org or call 508-999-6276.

Also at the Zeiterion, catch New Bedford’s own Pearly Baker Band put on a benefit concert for the United Way April 18 at 7 p.m. Visit zeiterion.org or call 508-994-9625 ext 15.

Take a ride to the Isabella Stewart Gardener Museum and the Harvard Art Museums on April 16 on a tour organized by the Friends of the RotchJones-Duff House and Garden Museum. For info and reservations, call 508-997-1401 or visit www. rjdmuseum.org.

Don’t miss the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra’s performance of “Mesmerizing Masterpieces” April 11 at the Zeiterion. Go to www.zeiterion.org, www.nbsymphony.org, or call 508-999-6276.

Head for the Buttonwood Park Zoo when the kids are home! There’s something for all ages – try “Toddler Tales” every Thursday morning, free with admission. Stories, snacks and activities. For details, call 508-991-6178 or visit www.bpzoo.org.

Enjoy FREE family fun and entertainment at AHA! Night. The April 9 theme is “Sustainable South Coast.” The May 14 theme is “We Art New Bedford.” Go to www.ahanewbedford.org or call 508-996-8253.

If you’re a fan of Americana and roots music, check out the monthly Salon Concerts at the Wamsutta Club. The Two Riks will perform April 4, and the Rolling Roots Tour starts May 1. For details, go to www.wamsuttaconcerts.com.

The New Bedford Art Museum/Artworks! will host a “Bach Explored” recital on April 8. For details, call 617-466-9042 or visit www.paulcienniwa.com/ itinerary.

Turn off the TV and go see a play! New Bedford’s Your Theatre will perform “The Obraz” April 9-12, and “Fuddy Meers” will be performed May 14-24.

For more info, go to www.yourtheatre.org or call 508-993-0772.

If you’re 50 or older, check out the trips sponsored by the New Bedford Senior Travel Program – there’s the trip to Washington DC May 15-19. For details, call 508-991-6171.

Plan ahead for the “Student Jazz in the Garden” free evening concerts, starting May 19, at the Rotch-Jones-Duff House and Garden Museum. For info and schedule, call 508-997-1401 or visit www. rjdmuseum.org.

newport Go on a seal watch or nature cruise throughout April from Long Wharf. For more info, call 401-3246060 or go to www.savebay.org.

Watch this space! There’ll be a full schedule of festivals, concerts and special events on the waterfront starting in May. Plan ahead by visiting www.newportwaterfrontevents.com and www.fortadams.org.

Enjoy a performance of “When the Cat’s Away” through May 1 at the Newport Playhouse. Go to www.newportplayhouse.com or call 401-848-7529.

portsmouth Fourteen-year-old pianist Sebastian Bottone recently made his debut at Carnegie Hall in New York City as one of the regional winners of the Crescendo International Competition.

Head for Common Fence Music for some downhome entertainment. Check out Common Fence Music’s “Roots Caboose,” with The Gnomes April 18, Jon Brooks May 2, The Baker’s Dozen May 9!

Call 401-683-5085 or visit www.commonfencemusic.org.

providence

tiverton

Tiptoe through “Fairy Garden Week” April 18-26 at the Roger Williams Park Botanical Center. Go to www.providenceri.com or call 401-785-9450 for more information.

The Sandywoods Center for the Arts will present Magnolia Cajun Band April 4 and May 5, Gong Sound Bath April 18, and contra dancing on the third Wednesday of every month. Plan ahead for Folk Festival 2015 at Sandywoods, May 23-24. For a complete schedule, go to www.sandywoodsmusic. com or call 401-241-7349.

Head for the Providence Performing Arts Center for John Mellencamp April 16, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons April 19, and “Dirty Dancing” April 21-26 – and much more! Call 401-421-2787 or go to www.ppacri.org.

Catch a performance of “The Freedom Project” at Brown University through April 12. For details, call 401-931-9479 or visit www.everettri.org.

Take the kids to the Roger Williams Park Zoo! For info, go to www.rwpzoo.org or call 401-785-3510.

Listen to the RI Philharmonic’s “Classical 7: Bolero!” Concert on April 11. Go to www.riphil.org or call 401-248-7000.

Rhode Island College will host The Muir String Quartet on April 6. For a complete schedule, visit www.ric.edu/pfa or call 401-456-8144.

Treat your friends to a performance at Trinity Rep! “A Flea in Her Ear” will be performed through April 26. Call 401-351-4243 or visit www.trinityrep.com.

rehoboth The Zefira Trio will perform on April 25 in the “Arts in the Village” series at Goff Memorial Hall. Join the Sunday Night Jammers for free monthly dances.

Call 508-252-3031 or visit www.carpentermuseum. org.

somerset The AAA branch in Somerset will now process Registry of Motor Vehicles transactions. For details, visit www.massdot.com.

The town will be celebrating its 225th birthday this year, so be ready for a schedule of special events.

taunton The Boston Globe may be moving its printing and distribution operations to the former Boston Apparel building in the Taunton’s Myles Standish Industrial Park.

Kick off warmer weather at the 21st annual Garden & Herb Festival at Tiverton Four Corners on May 23. For upcoming events, go to www.tivertonfourcorners.com.

wareham The “Escape the Cape” triathalon will return to Onset on June 13 (rain date June 14). Organizers will be contributing $1,000 to the town’s Community Events Committee.

The pantry at A Helping Paw animal shelter in Wareham offers free pet food to pet-owners in need. Donations gladly accepted. Call 508-291-7297.

Global Education Team teachers and students from the Wareham Public Schools are hoping to raise enough money to attend a Global Student Summit in Sweden in April 2016. Any and all contributions to support their dream can be sent to their scholarship account at www.gofundme.com/ k8xtok.

warren Head for 2nd Story Theatre! “Other Desert Cities” will be on stage through April 12, “And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little” plays April 17- May 17. For details, call 401-247-4200 or go to www.2ndstorytheatre.com.

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www.glaserglass.com The South Coast Insider / April 2015

29

ON MY MIND

The phone call I won’t answer

W

by Paul Kandarian

e all make choices, every day, every minute, short term and long term. Some are good, some are bad, some are easy, some are hard.

And some are downright sad.

A friend of mine called a few weeks back– a guy I hadn’t heard from in a couple of years or so. We’d worked together a lifetime ago as flight attendants during the 1970s, a decidedly crazy time of youthful ambivalence to the harm we were doing to ourselves in embracing a lifestyle of drinking and drugs and casting our fate to the potclouded winds.

It was an absolute blast, and whenever we’d talk to each other, the many stories of those days were told and retold, embellished and enhanced in the way the years have of filling in the blanks with recollections that are better than the reality.

I moved on from those days a long time ago not so much by choice, but necessary internal evolution. I married. I had kids. I put away childish things in an almost instinctive way.

He did not move on. He’s been an alcoholic for too many years, losing good jobs because of it. He got divorced, had hard times with his kids. Along the way, he lost friends–including me.

I would see his name on caller ID, cringe and not answer.

Sometimes he’d leave groggy messages, no matter the time of day, full of sad laughter and drunken recollections of good times. Mostly he didn’t leave any. I was glad when he didn’t.

He called a few weeks ago. I answered. He was drunk, and sounded about 100 years old. He is 64. A scant three years older than me.

He’s had seizures, he said, using a walker now. He is homebound, unable to drive. His son lives with and cares for him.

There’s a wheelchair in case he needs it. He lives off Social Security. All of it, he admitted, from drinking. Which he has no plans to give up, despite committing slow suicide one gulp at a time.

I didn’t know what to say. What could I say that he hadn’t heard before, including from me? We’ve never been gentle with each other, busting each other’s chops mercilessly, always in fun, the way guys do.

I wasn’t gentle this time.

“You’re going to die, you goddamn idiot,” I told him.

“I know,” he sighed.

I told him he was smarter than his disease. I leaned on his long-dormant guilt button, saying he has kids, grandkids, who would like him around –and sober–for as long as possible.

I told him nothing new, nothing any alcoholic hasn’t heard a million times. He has treatment options. He has a way out if he wants it. He does not want it.

“It’s my choice,” he said.

Could I make choices for him, could his son or daughters, could any of us make sensible choices for those we care about, how easy it would be. But choosing for yourself is the hardest thing to do, even choosing to abandon a lethal

No amount of cajoling, good natured or tough loving, will change his mind. It’s up to him, as it is with all addicts. And it tears my heart to watch him die.

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April 2015 / The South Coast Insider

lifestyle you’ve known for too long.

There’s a saying I heard long ago that doing the right thing is easy. Knowing what the right thing is the hard part.

He knows what the right thing is. He won’t choose it. I can’t fathom that he won’t, preferring to stare into the bottom of the glass he’s draining, looking for hope he knows will never be there.

It’s easy for me to say I would not make the choice he’s made because I am not him. I haven’t been there, I don’t inhabit his skin, the sad space he’s lived in for decades. It’s home to him, the one he’s chosen over all and everyone else.

And he’ll die there. I don’t doubt that for an instant. And neither does he. No amount of cajoling, good natured or tough loving, will change his mind. It’s up to him, as it is with all addicts. And it tears my heart to watch him die.

If it were cancer eating him alive, his calls would be easier, and I’d take them every time. We’d talk, we’d laugh, we’d cry, we’d remember.

But when he calls, and I choose to answer, I can only listen and offer advice he won’t take and be pissed off and sad and supportive and harsh and confused and helpless and hate what he’s done to himself as I love the memory of him as a friend.

I doubt I will take any more of his calls.

We all make choices. His life is being lost by the one he’s made. And my sanity is being saved by mine.

The South Coast Insider / April 2015

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At Brandon Woods, We Love What We Do! We take pride in the care and support we provide to our residents and families on a daily basis.

It's nice to hear back from our families on the reasons why they love us, too!

QUALITY OF CARE “I thank you for the wonderful care you gave my brother. I miss him very much and when I drive by I think of all of you working hard to care for our loved ones. This is not just a job for all of you. It takes special people to be so caring and loving. I also want to thank you for helping me get through his stay there. I'm glad I picked Brandon Woods and happy I met all you nice people.”

Stop in today for a tour and to speak with an experienced staff member about how we can help you or your loved one!

We Offer: Short Term Rehabilitation Skilled Nursing Adult Day Health Centers Home Care Services Senior Transportation Brandon Woods is JCAHO certified and accepts: Medicare, Medicaid, Private Pay, Senior Whole Health, Harvard Pilgrim, BCBS, VA & Tufts, United Health Care

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT EVA FEY AT 508.958.5920 567 DARTMOuTH STREET, SOuTH DARTMOuTH, MA 397 COuNTY STREET, NEW BEDFORD, MA

efey@elderservices.com www.elderservices.com LaSalette Shrine will be celebrating its 61st year putting on its “Festival of Lights”, illuminating most of the South Coast with its massive 450,000 lights.

Family Owned &Christmas Operated

AMERICA’S ORIGINAL MARITIME CAMPING PROGRAM

2015 FAMILY NIGHT DATES:

Friday-April 24th Saturdays- July 11, Aug.1 & Sept. 12th *Family nights are intended for groups consisting of parents and children at least 6 years of age.

$55 per person for Fridays $60 per person for Saturdays

Spend a night on board a WWII battleship as you follow in the footsteps of the brave sailors and marines who out-slugged the enemy in every hemisphere of the globe.

5 Water Street, Fall River, Massachusetts Call 508-678-1100 ext. 101/102 to reserve your space!

Visit our website at www.battleshipcove.org for more information.

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Ashley Perry is modeling a Tunic from our new line of clothing from “Kaktus” and a Spring infinity scarf. Lots of new items from NYC including Kimonos, Shrugs, Vests and Skirts to go along with Spring Ponchos and Scarves.

Hours: Sunday Noon-5PM, Mon - Sat 10AM-5PM

1049 County St. • Somerset, MA

508-243-5428 • AnniesUniqueBoutique.com

C E L E B R AT E S P R I N G !

Handmade silver jewelry by Amie Plante Come and try on this unusual jewelry!

(508) 673-0561 Swansea Crossing Plaza ~ Swansea, MA 02777 www.plantejewelers.com

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WE’RE DONATING

$25,000 ...and you help decide who gets it!

KEEP IT LOCAL! S ’ T E L Community

Visit us at Mechanics-Coop.com for all the details!

Open an Account Online Today!

Grant Program

1-888-MECHANICS (632-4264) www.Mechanics-Coop.com S

Baked Goods • Homemade Belgian Chocolates Pies & Pastries • Penny Candy • Party Favors Birthday Parties • Special Events Gift Baskets • Wine & Spirits • Holiday Candies Fundraising • Ice Cream (Seasonally)

Steaks • Burgers • Seafood Homestyle Meals • Full Bar Brick Oven Pizza • Craft Beers Deli & Specialty Sandwiches

Full Service Butcher & Deli Dine-in • Take-Out • Catering

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We Have So Much to Offer, Why Go Anywhere Else?

111 & 115 Huttleston Ave., Fairhaven, MA 02719 508-996-3500 774-206-1132 ejsrestaurantanddeli.com totalconfections.com I N

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WHEN EVEN HUGS HURT

Do you have, or suspect you have, FIBROMYALGIA? Have you been experiencing pain for at least 3 months?

Are you 18 or older?

Then we need your help.

Current fibromyalgia pain treatments don’t work for everyone. So we’re conducting ALDAY– a medical research study to evaluate an investigational drug. The study will last approximately 21 weeks and all studyrelated assessments and drugs will be provided at no cost to you (study-related time and travel costs may also be reimbursed).

To learn how you could help shape the future of fibromyalgia care call 508-990-9555 or email info@novexclinical.com

OTHER STUDIES INCLUDE: • Anxiety

• Fibromyalgia

• Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSDD)

• Migraine

• Diabetic Neuropathy

• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

• Multiple sclerosis

• Overactive Bladder