Our BerkshireTimes Magazine, Fall/Winter 2019

Fall/Winter 2019, vol 54

Complimentary

Our BerkshireTimes

™

Local Events | Art & Culture | Home & Garden | Vibrant Living

Cover Art by Elisabeth Ladwig / www.elisabethonearth.com

LOUDON WAINWRIGHT III 9/7 JANE MONHEIT 9/13 ANA POPOVIC 9/14 ALBERT CUMMINGS 9/15 ENTER THE HAGGIS 9/18 THE HIGH KINGS 9/19 SKERRYVORE 9/21 RIVER WHYLESS 9/26 CALIFORNIA GUITAR TRIO 9/27 DUKE ROBILLARD 9/28 MARY GAUTHIER, GRETCHEN PETERS & FRIENDS 9/29 SAMMY MILLER & THE CONGREGATION 10/2 JIMMIE VAUGHAN 10/3 ROBERT CRAY BAND 10/4 GREG LASWELL 10/6 DAVY KNOWLES 10/11 STANLEY JORDAN PLAYS JIMI 10/12 WILLIE NILE 10/13 RICKIE LEE JONES 10/17 KARLA BONOFF 10/18 YONDER MOUNTAIN STRING BAND 10/19 STEVE TYRELL 10/20 JJ GREY FRONT PORCH SESSIONS 10/24 FELIX CAVALIERE’S RASCALS 10/25 SEAN ROWE 10/26 ANDY GROSS AMAZING ILLUSIONIST & COMEDIAN 11/1 NICK LOWE SOLO ACOUSTIC 11/2 SOUTHSIDE JOHNNY & THE ASBURY JUKES 9/6

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MARCIA BALL

JOHN HIATT 11/7 TRIGGER HIPPY 11/14 GEORGE WINSTON 11/20 SPYRO GYRA 11/22 GIBSON BROTHER AND ROB ICKES & TREY HENSLEY 11/23 BROTHER JOSCEPHUS AND THE LOVE REVOLUTION 11/30 TUSK FLEETWOOD MAC TRIBUTE 12/1 MARTIN SEXTON 12/6 THE SUBDUDES 12/7 CRACKER 12/14 TRIBUTE TO JOHN DENVER: ROCKY MOUNTAIN CHRISTMAS W. CHRIS COLLINS & BOULDER CANYON 12/20 JERRY DOUGLAS 12/21 EILEEN IVERS JOYFUL CHRISTMAS 12/27 BIG AL ANDERSON & THE FLOOR MODELS 1/18/20 PHIL VASSAR “STRIPPED DOWN” ACOUSTIC TOUR 2/15/20 VILRAY 11/5 AN ACOUSTIC EVENING WITH

Fall/Winter 2019 Our BerkshireTimes™ PUBLISHERS Kathy I. Regan publisher@ourberkshiretimes.com

Contents 4

Kevin J. Regan kevin@ourberkshiretimes.com _______________ EDITORIAL Kathy I. Regan editor@ourberkshiretimes.com Proofreader Rodelinde Albrecht rodelinde@gmail.com _______________ DESIGN Magazine Design/Layout Kathy I. Regan Brianna I. Regan _______________ TO ADVERTISE CONTACT Account Representatives Kevin J. Regan kevin@ourberkshiretimes.com Debra Johnson mickschix2@aol.com _______________

art, culture & entertainment ELISABETH LADWIG

BENSDOTTER’S PET

WINTER FUN & FESTIVITIES

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home & garden

POWER IN TREATING THE WHOLE BODY

MICROGREENS & SPROUTS

FIVE FOODS THAT CAN CAUSE DEPRESSION

fashion & beauty COSTUMES CAN DECEIVE

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food & drink

CISTUS TEA

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WHEN SOMEONE

BANANA “ICE CREAM” IT’S TIME TO CELEBRATE COOPERATION

in the spotlight HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

education & workshops 100 YEARS OF WALDORF

APPLE & PEAR COBBLER

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health & wellness IAOMT

BEESWAX

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animal talk THE BIG FOUR

THE AIRPORT CRABS

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EXPLORE THE BERKSHIRES

BELIEVES IN YOU

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featured advertisers THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

BUSINESS SPOTLIGHTS

Our BerkshireTimes is a division of Visionary Group Unlimited P.O. Box 133, Housatonic, MA 01236 Phone: (413) 274-1122 advertise@ourberkshiretimes.com _______________ www.OurBerkshireTimes.com COVER ILLUSTRATION

I WAS A DIFFERENT PERSON THEN

by Elisabeth Ladwig www.elisabethonearth.com Elisabeth Ladwig is an award-winning photographic artist who lives with her husband, David, and dog, April, in the New Jersey Highlands where an abundance of protected land offers endless opportunities for creative inspiration. More of Elisabeth’s striking creations are on display locally at The Wit Gallery in Lenox, MA, www.thewitgallery.com. Also see Elisabeth’s website at www.elisabethonearth.com, and read more about her on page 6 of this issue of OurBerkshireTimes magazine.

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ON THE COVER - I WAS A DIFFERENT PERSON THEN Life seems to have a lot of rules. Over time, we may disagree with ideas we once accepted. Our evolving individuality continuously shifts the way we live. Our hearts light the way as we stray from the game to brave our own paths. “It’s no use going back to yesterday,” Lewis Carroll writes, “because I was a different person then.” Limited editions available in four sizes.

Our BerkshireTimes magazine has been proudly created without Wi-Fi since it was first published in 2009. This publication is printed with soy ink on Forest Stewardship Council® certified paper. Most of our editorial content is contributed by our community members.

All content in Our BerkshireTimes™ is accepted in good faith. We do not necessarily advocate and cannot be held responsible for opinions expressed or facts supplied by our authors, illustrators, and advertisers. We reserve the right to refuse advertising for any reason. For printing errors of the publisher’s responsibility, liability is limited to the cost of the ad space in which it first appeared. Unless otherwise noted, we use a Creative Commons License in place of a standard copyright.

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event

Explore the Berkshires AND BEYOND ▪ FUN THINGS TO DO

Holiday Craft Workshops

Thanksgiving Side Dishes Reimagined

When: Starting Saturday, Nov 2, 2019, 10am Where: Ward’s Nursery & Garden Center, 600 Main Street, Great Barrington, MA Cost: $25 to $30

When: Saturday, Nov 23, 2019, 1-4pm Where: Berkshire Botanical Garden, 5 West Stockbridge Road, Stockbridge, MA Cost: Members $55, nonmembers $65

Ward’s Nursery & Garden Center offers a festive destination for families in November and December with workshops for youth and adults to decorate for the holidays. Workshops include Make a Gift Terrarium ($25) on Nov 2; Thanksgiving Centerpiece ($25) on Nov 23; Your Choice: Boxwood Tree or Kissing Ball ($30) on Dec 7 or Dec 8. Preregister for workshops by visiting the website or by calling (413) 528-0166. Santa visits start Nov 29, too. Classes are still to be announced for March 2020. www.wardsnursery.com

Sides can be boring, but these are showstoppers. They are healthy, easy to make, and will become must-dos at your family Thanksgiving celebrations.

The best thing is, you can make them anytime during the season, not just for Thanksgiving! Dishes will include butternut squash and Brussels sprouts in agrodolce, sweet potato surprise, and cranberry sauce with maple syrup and ginger. Advance registration is highly recommended, but walk-ins are always welcome, space permitting. www.berkshirebotanical.org

Winterlights at Naumkeag

Brunch with Santa

When: Thursdays (except Thanksgiving Day) through Sundays from 5-8pm from Nov 21 through Dec 29, 2019. Plus Dec 23, 30, and 31.

Where: Naumkeag, 5 Prospect Hill Road, Stockbridge, MA Cost: Members $12, nonmembers $17, under 12 free Trustees’ Winterlights returns and is bigger and better than ever. Join us for a magical experience at Naumkeag in Stockbridge as it sparkles with thousands of shimmering and artfully designed holiday lights. Bring the family for scavenger hunts, crafts, seasonal characters and experiences, food and refreshments, and more. Winterlights runs multiple evenings each week starting the weekend before Thanksgiving and running through the end of December. Get your tickets early for this outdoor all-weather event before it sells out. https://naumkeag.thetrustees.org 4

Fall / Winter 2019 | www.OurBerkshireTimes.com

When: Saturday, Dec 7, 2019, 10am-2pm Where: Hancock Shaker Village, 1843 West Housatonic Street, Pittsfield, MA Cost: Members: Adults $40.50, kids 12 and under $22.50 Nonmembers: Adults $45, kids 12 and under $25 Includes admission to the village.

This classic event was so popular last year that we’ve added a second date.

Enjoy a delicious buffet, sit on Santa’s lap, and take part in crafts, music, story time, and visiting with animals in the Round Stone Barn. Be sure to plan extra time to stroll through the village as tickets include admission.

Fun for the young and the young at heart! See our website for more information. www.hancockshakervillage.org/event/brunch-with-santa

art, culture & entertainment

Holiday Marketplace When: Saturday, Dec 7, 2019, 10am, to Dec 8, 2019, 4pm Where: Berkshire Botanical Garden, 5 West Stockbridge Road, Stockbridge, MA Cost: Free This annual year-end event finds the Berkshire Botanical Garden transformed into a glistening holiday market featuring the Gallery of Wreaths, a holiday plant sale featuring hand-selected flowering plants, traditional centerpieces and holiday swags, and regional craft vendors offering a range of products from handmade giftware and jewelry to beeswax and felted products. www.berkshirebotanical.org

Manchester Lions Elf Express

Take $35 off when you spend $135 or more*

When: Saturday, Dec 21, and Sunday, Dec 22, 2019. Trains run at 10am, 11:30am, 1pm, 2:30pm, and 4pm (4pm ride Saturday only).

Where: R. K. Miles Depot Station, 670 Depot Street, Manchester Center, VT Cost: Adults (13 and over) $25, Children (2-12) $20, under 2 free if riding on lap

*Please present this coupon found in Our BerkshireTimes Magazine to server at start of meal. Offer expires March 31, 2020. Not valid for wine dinners or holidays.

One coupon per table. Cannot be combined with other offers or promotions.

“Come taste the ancient flavors of authentic Pompeian brick oven cooking and grilling, savored in an elegant, romantic, intimate setting in downtown Pittsfield.” ~ Davide Manzo, Proprietor/Chef Dinner daily starting at 5pm. Closed Tuesdays. Reservations suggested.

The Elf Express Train is a charity event sponsored by the Manchester Lions Club, a member of the world’s largest service club organization.

The whimsical holiday train will leave the Depot Station taking its riders on a one-hour enchanting journey through the Green Mountains of Southern Vermont. Passengers will be entertained on the decorated trains with holiday melodies and dance routines by the elves. Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus will also make a surprise visit. For tickets, go to www.manchesterlionselftrain.com.

Tribute to John Denver When: Saturday, Dec 14, 2019, 8pm Where: Infinity Music Hall, 20 Greenwoods Road W, Norfolk, CT Cost: See website for details and options Chris Collins and Boulder Canyon welcome in the holiday season with a special Christmas concert. A John Denver Christmas is a delightful blend of traditional Christmas music with some of your favorite John Denver hits and songs of the season. You’ll be reminded of John Denver’s popular Christmas concerts and holiday specials as this award-winning band presents an evening of music the whole family will enjoy! www.infinityhall.com

Mistletoe & Martini . . . and Music Trains

26 McKay Street, Pittsfield, MA (413) 499-1192 • www.trattoria-rustica.com

A Whimsical Holiday Train is arriving in Manchester, VT December 21st & 22nd The Elf Express™ ● Holiday

music ● Refreshments ● Visit

from Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus ● Special gift!

When: Saturday, Dec 14, 2019, 6:30pm departure Where: Hoosac Valley Train Rides, 4 Hoosac Street, Adams, MA Cost: $25 per ticket Enjoy a holiday version of our cabaret train with live holiday music by Sam and Ron (see www.samandron.com for more information), and BYO beverages and snacks. Reserve your seats early with secure online ticket purchase at www.berkshiretrains.org.

To purchase tickets go to www.ManchesterLionsElfTrain.com Online sales end 12/18/19 at 6pm. www.OurBerkshireTimes.com | Fall / Winter 2019

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Elisabeth Ladwig

OUR BERKSHIRETIMES MAGAZINE'S FALL - WINTER 2019 COVER ARTIST

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ll of her scenes have a strong natural connection, set completely or partially outdoors, often with an anonymous subject. “Anonymity allows the viewer to take part in writing the story, and that story is going to be different for everyone.” ~ Elisabeth Ladwig “‘Where do you get your ideas?’ is one of the hardest questions for me to answer,” says photographic artist Elisabeth Ladwig.

“Ideas are everywhere.” Every month or two, Elisabeth reserves a day on the calendar for an artist date, be it a museum exhibit, a collage session, an art show, a visit to a new nature center, or even just a walk in the woods. She also enjoys arranging simple nature mandalas, “just to stay connected with what’s going on in my yard. It’s especially fun to see what can be foraged in the middle of winter.”

In her book, Elisabeth on Earth: Beyond the Lens of a Photographic Artist, she explains that ideas can be literal or metaphorical. “A snail shell could just be a snail shell, or it might 6

represent privacy, soul-searching, or maybe a secret hideout. An apple: medicine, poison, bounty. A feather: travel, freedom, warmth.

Water is cleansing. The moon is peaceful and wise. An abandoned hornets’ nest would just be crazy cool. Please mail me one.”

Elisabeth is always on the lookout for treasures, and in her studio you will find a diverse collection of bones, shells, insects, stones, nests, seedpods, wings, and feathers.

Soon she will be completing a triptych inspired by a monarch butterfly that she took in from the November cold last year.

To see more of Elisabeth’s work, visit The Wit Gallery in Lenox, MA, and her website at www.elisabethonearth.com.

Fall / Winter 2019 | www.OurBerkshireTimes.com

The Airport Crabs IT’S SAFE TO SAY THINGS DID NOT TURN OUT AS PLANNED / By Michael Romano

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hen I worked at a residential school in the Berkshires, we had many students who were from the urban areas of Maryland and New York. When respites and holidays came, a lot of them went back to their home states for vacation. Some went by bus and some flew accompanied by staff. I always volunteered to fly the Baltimore area students from Bradley Airport to Baltimore/Washington International Airport. It’s a short flight, less than an hour, and I enjoyed flying. Once the students made it safely to their destination and were reunited with parents or social workers, we had a few hours in between flights to have a nice meal in an airport restaurant. The school gave us travel money for meals – we just had to bring a receipt back to the systems manager. The seafood in these Baltimore area restaurants was superb and fresh because the airport was close to the ocean, so it became a pleasant ritual.

On one particular trip that I remember well, I decided to try something different. But it’s safe to say that things did not turn out as planned. The world-famous Lexington Market on the bay in Baltimore is a huge brick building that houses vendors of all sorts – many are fishmongers. One of the biggest ones there is Faidley Market which has a huge selection of fish and seafood. It was a short taxi ride from the airport, and the plan was to spend the travel money I had on a bunch of blue crabs that were in season and bring them back home for a seafood feast.

I found out that I had enough money for about 65 very frisky crabs, so I placed my order. The crabs were put in a big Styrofoam travel cooler along with seaweed to keep them fresh for the short flight home. The cooler was then packed with a packing list and a “fragile, handle with care” stamp, and sealed with packing tape all the way around, ready for travel. Nice and secure. I paid the man and got my receipt to turn in, and carried the crabs to an awaiting taxi and rode back to the airport. I had about an hour before boarding, and since I already had my ticket, I went to get my boarding pass and check the cooler into cargo. I placed the cooler on the luggage step and a lady employee grabbed it to tag it and put it on the conveyor belt. That’s when it happened.

but then the crabs smelled freedom and all hell broke loose as they took off in every direction with me in hot pursuit.

The onslaught of crabs did not go well in the terminal – people began yelling and screaming as they encountered the blue crustaceans. I looked up at one point to see an attractive lady jump up on her seat screaming like she saw a mouse, and a man trying to step on one of the crabs like it was a bug. Several children were whisked up by concerned parents trying to avoid angry claws.

Airport employees joined in the hunt and bedlam continued to grow as the crabs dispersed everywhere. I shamefully admit I was reduced to helpless laughter at the chaotic scene.

In the end only about a dozen crabs were retrieved and I had to fill out a loss form with a copy of my receipt. The airport kept the remaining crabs as they were in rough shape and we had nothing to put them in for transport. I had a hamburger for dinner instead of a seafood feast.

On the bright side, in a few weeks I received a full refund check and a letter of apology. We cashed the check and my wife, Susan, and I had dinner at a local seafood restaurant in Great Barrington (Captain Toss at the time). I still sometimes wonder if any of those little blue crabs found their way back to the water. ~ Michael Romano, a Great Barrington, MA, resident for almost 40 years, is an avid fisherman who in his own words “kind of treats fishing as a contact sport and has had more than a few misadventures in the process.”

Michael is a retired chef who loves to grow hot peppers and vegetables in his wheelchair-accessible garden.

He and his wife, Susan, worked for many years at the now-closed Kolburne School.

As the airport luggage lady picked up the cooler and lifted it to her chest, the clatter of 65 sets of crab claws startled her – she yelped and dropped the cooler. It landed on the outside of the check-in desk and promptly broke open. There was a moment of silence, www.OurBerkshireTimes.com | Fall / Winter 2019

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Winter Fun & Festivities IN THE BERKSHIRE & LITCHFIELD HILLS / By Nina Anderson

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ome people seem to think that, except for winter sports, we hibernate for the winter in the Berkshire and Litchfield Hills. But that’s not so! Locals and visitors alike have a myriad of things to look forward to this year.

For art aficionados, the Williams College Art Museum in northern Berkshire County holds wonderful events all year round. Curator and artist talks, an exhibit that includes six activations of a scented candle, and an event planned by the Agents for Creative Action student group, are just some of the interesting reasons to visit, https://wcma.williams.edu/. If you enjoy listening to music at home on cold winter nights or plan to host a party during the holidays and are looking for some great tunes, while you are in the area consider stopping in at Belltown Records in North Adams at the Norad Mill. They have thousands of out-of-print records in stock and a huge selection of hard-tofind new and used CDs to choose from. You can also visit their online store at www.discogs.com/user/tooner.

In mid-county, Pittsfield is on board with winter activities with its 10x10 Upstreet Arts Festival. Check out their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/10x10UpstreetArtsFestival. Pittsfield also has a year-round farmers’ market located in the Zion Lutheran Church on first Street (for a convenient list of additional winter farmers markets go to www.tinyurl.com/y34otrrj). Theatre goers can fill their plate with productions by the Berkshire Theatre Group in the Colonial Theatre in downtown Pittsfield, including their fourteenth annual community and sensor-friendly performance of A Christmas Carol, and a New Year’s Eve celebration with the musical group Max Creek. Their Music Garage and Comedy Garage series present acclaimed regional comedians and musicians, www.berkshiretheatregroup.org. Also in Pittsfield, Hancock Shaker Village on West Housatonic Street has a lineup of events into the winter months – in early November treat yourself to a demonstration of mouthwatering smoking and curing methods, followed by a farm-to-table dinner. Other workshops include Woven Holiday Ornaments, a Shaker Harvest, a Winter Wreath ‘n‘ Sip, and Brunch with Santa, www.hancockshakervillage.org.

Even Jacobs Pillow in Becket has wonderful dance events when the snow flies as well as mini workshops that are open to those 16 years and older. In November look for Jacob’s Pillow and Mahaiwe Copresentations, Bolshoi Ballet in HD: Raymonda, and also Bolshoi Ballet in HD: Le Corsaire, www.jacobspillow.org.

New renovations in town have added to winter fun. The Berkshire Botanical Garden renovated its Center House, adding an art gallery, and will hold events throughout the year. In December they host a 8

Fall / Winter 2019 | www.OurBerkshireTimes.com

holiday market featuring the Gallery of Wreaths, a Garden tradition offering wreaths created by some of the area’s most talented artists, www.berkshirebotanical.org. The Boston Symphony Orchestra recently built four buildings in the Linde Center, its first year-round facilities on the Stockbridge side of Tanglewood, www.bso.org.

Summer historical house tours don’t have to end when the leaves fall. Ventfort Hall, a Gilded Age Jacobean Revival-style mansion that was built in 1893 for Sarah Morgan, sister of J.P. Morgan, is open for tours throughout the year, www.gildedage.org. Another historic home, the Mount, is one of only five percent of National Historic Landmarks dedicated to women. It is the autobiographical house of author Edith Wharton and is open after Halloween on weekends until February. During the holiday season it’s decorated festively by the Lenox Garden Club, www.edithwharton.org.

If fine dining is your passion and you love delicious Italian food, you won’t want to miss Trattoria Rustica on McKay Street in Pittsfield, MA. You can expect sophisticated Italian fare served in a lantern-lit, cozy brick-and-stone interior. Owner/chef Davide Manzo also hosts one-of-a-kind culinary and cultural expeditions to historic regions of Italy twice each year. To find out more go to www.trattoria-rustica.com. Further south, you will discover Chez Nous in Lee, MA, where a French chef from Brittany and an American pastry chef make culinary magic in their casual French bistro on Main Street. Chefs Franck Tessier and Rachel Portnoy pay meticulous attention to detail and to the quality of both their food and their service, www.cheznousbistro.com.

In the Great Barrington, MA, area, Ward’s Nursery & Garden Center offers a festive destination for families with a variety of workshops for youth and adults to decorate for the holidays.

Make a terrarium for a gift, a Thanksgiving centerpiece, or even a boxwood tree. Santa visits start the end of November, www.wardsnursery.com.

Just across the Connecticut border in Norfolk you will find Infinity Hall, a wonderful vintage theatre with star-studded performances, a restaurant, and bar that is open all year. A special holiday performance by Chris Collins and Boulder Canyon will feature many of John Denver’s hits and songs of the season. Look for a full lineup of events on their website, www.infinityhall.com.

Whatever you enjoy best, you can find it in the Berkshire and Litchfield Hills! ~ Nina Anderson is a retired jet pilot and author of 18 books, www.safegoodspublishing.com. She is certified in neurolinguistics and Reiki II, and is a specialist in performance nutrition as well as pulsed electromagnetic therapy (PEMT). www.nlpberkhires.com

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Beeswax

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NATURE IN ITS AMAZING WAY / By Ilan Ronen

eeswax is a natural wax produced by female honeybees – the workhorses of the colony. They use it to form cells (honeycombs) within the beehive, where their honey is stored. For centuries, beeswax has had various applications through many aspects of human life . . .

Good for Your Skin

When mixed with other natural ingredients (such as essential oils and honey) beeswax is a great choice for natural cosmetics, especially skin products: moisturizing creams, acne remedies, stretch marks, and anti-aging solutions, as well as fungal and skin infection treatments. Beeswax has an amazing ability to moisturize the skin, protect against irritants, and repair rough, dry, or chapped areas while still allowing the skin to breathe. Beeswax is rich in vitamin A and possesses other soothing properties that soften and rehydrate the skin, assisting in healthy skin cellular reconstruction.

Good for Your Body

Beeswax offers mild anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antiviral characteristics that are beneficial not only for our skin, but for our bodies as well. A study published in the Korean Journal of Internal Medicine found that beeswax alcohols mitigate fatty liver disease and improve cholesterol levels. As a natural remedy, beeswax is used in natural and homeopathic products to assist in relieving pain associated with inflammation. Other remedies include beeswax as an ingredient to treat respiratory-related symptoms like cough.

Good for Your Soul For good reason, many of us think of candles when the topic of beeswax arises. Beeswax candles relieve stress and promote relaxation, and unlike synthetic paraffin-derived candles that could be detrimental to your health, 100 percent beeswax candles burn brighter and longer while giving off a sweet, warming honey aroma.

Did you know that beeswax has plenty of other uses around the home? Let’s look at some of them.

Arts & Crafts

Beeswax is used in the ancient folk art called batik, a method of fabric dyeing that utilizes hot wax and dye. Another traditional folk art is pysanka, or Ukrainian egg decorating, which uses the same waxresist method. Pysanka derives from the word “pysaty” which means writing, and indeed, designs are not painted but written with beeswax on the eggs. If you use beeswax crayons instead of common paraffin crayons they tend to be sturdier than their soy counterparts.

Food Storage

Did you know that according to National Geographic, 91 percent of plastic is never recycled? Luckily, cotton cloths dipped in beeswax and mixed with natural oils and resin are quickly becoming a 10

Fall / Winter 2019 | www.OurBerkshireTimes.com

healthy (no potential endocrine disruptor), natural alternative to plastic wrap for food storage. You can wrap cheese, half a lemon, bread, fruits, and vegetables. You can cover a bowl or pack a snack for your next adventure. A Vermont-based company called Bees Wrap is making beeswax food wraps that are washable, reusable, and compostable. They provide a versatile and durable solution for sustainable food storage that can be used again and again.

Household & Maintenance

One of the main characteristics of beeswax is its ability to coat, seal, and protect. That’s why it can be helpful in the house in so many ways: ● Beeswax is a fantastic lubricant for old squeaky furniture joints, sliding glass doors, windows, or drawers to restore smooth and quiet movement. ● If you coat your nails and screws with beeswax, it helps to avoid splintering the wood when you hammer or drive them in. ● Coat your hand tools, cast iron, and shovels (and their handles) with beeswax to keep them from rusting. ● Beeswax makes a great furniture polish. Melt it and mix it together with coconut oil. Use a clean cloth to rub it onto your wood furniture. ● It’s good to keep a small cake of beeswax in your sewing box. Waxing the thread before use makes it easier to thread the needle and will keep the thread from knotting.

Beeswax, in all of its natural versatility, can be purchased in many different places including farm markets, homeopathic and health stores, and right here through the Camphill Village Store. All of our sales benefit the lives of adults with special needs who are involved in either designing or producing our products. Visit us to find 100 percent beeswax candles and blocks, healing lip balm that can provide great relief for cracked or chapped lips, delicious organic baked goods, wood products, and more. So keep some beeswax at home. We’re certain you’ll find it useful! ~ Ilan Ronen is a designer, maker, and brand-product developer. He is currently the work master for The Candleshop, a beeswax craft studio in Camphill Village, Copake,. NY, an integrated community where individuals with developmental differences are living a life of dignity, equality, and purpose. www.camphillstore.com

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11

home & garden

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Fall / Winter 2019 | www.OurBerkshireTimes.com

M

icrogreens and sprouts. You’ve heard of them, you’ve seen them, and you may have even eaten them, but do you know how fun to grow, how delicious, how incredibly good for you, and even how pretty they are? These life-force-rich, nutritious young plant foods come in many vibrant shades of yellow, green, pink, magenta, and dark violet, and can be mild, spicy, sweet, or bitter in flavor.

And just in case you don’t know the difference between the two, microgreens are generally one- to three-inch seedling stems and leaves that were planted in soil, exposed to air and light, and cut at the soil base before serving. Sprouts on the other hand are immature leaf buds that have germinated from seeds grown entirely in water under dark conditions, with edible seeds and roots.

Some people ask why not just eat the mature plants instead? For one reason, microgreens and sprouts have concentrated nutrients.

The vitamin E content in broccoli for example, can be as high as 7.5 mg in a cup of broccoli sprouts compared to 1.5 mg in the same amount of raw or cooked mature broccoli. And when you eat sprouted foods, you increase highly concentrated proteolytic enzymes that make carbohydrates and proteins digestible and protect you against chemical carcinogens.

My family and I eat a lot of organic salads (our daughter who is now 14 loved them even when she was quite young, I think possibly thanks to my eating plenty of raw vegetables throughout my pregnancy), and we also juice and make smoothies when we can. As a natural supplement to these foods I have occasionally grown and purchased various types of microgreens and sprouts (in addition to edible flowers) to include to amp up their nutritional value, but this winter I intend to get serious. I already miss the warm days of summer and our garden, so even though we don’t have a large home, my goal is to find an area that I can devote to indoor gardening.

Up until now I’ve used two large half-gallon glass sprouting jars (manufactured by NOW) that I purchased at Guido’s Fresh Marketplace, which work great for many types of sprouts. I intend to get more so I can grow a greater variety at one time.

In addition, my next stop is going to be with our new advertiser, Berkshire Glass & Grow in Great Barrington, MA, to get some of their high quality grow lights, and Ward’s Nursery & Garden Center to pick up McEnroe’s organic soil so I can start growing microgreens. Then I just need to find some stainless trays (we don’t want plastic chemicals near our food) or figure out a way to have holes drilled in some glass trays.

Wish me luck! ~ Kathy I. Regan, graphic artist

and publisher of Our BerkshireTimes magazine.

home & garden

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www.OurBerkshireTimes.com | Fall / Winter 2019

13

fashion & beauty

Costumes Can Deceive:

Gone with the Wind, the Movie

By Lynda Meyer scholar of the Civil War nor a sociologist, but I am a fashion historian and can trace fashion design over a two-hundred-year period within five years. When I state that many of the most celebrated costumes created for GWTW are not authentic, I know whereof I speak.

Let’s begin with the first glimpse of Scarlett, played by actress Vivien Leigh, in front of Tara with her father, Gerald O’Hara. The time frame is 1860, just before the start of the Civil War; Scarlett is about 18 years old. As a romance, focusing on its characters, it is still of interest to study its limitations. Scarlett is wearing a hooped, white organdy garden dress with layers of ruffles. Quite a spectacular frock, but the truth is that this dress never existed.

The shoulders are square, with a frilly, high-necked, standup collar. Such collars did not appear until the late 1880s, and from the 1840s through the 1870s the shoulder line was below the shoulder and had a very demure feminine effect. This look lasted for more than three decades, was a very definitive fashion statement, and did not change until more than a decade after the Civil War. The square shoulder line of this dress was much more influenced by Snow White, from the 1938 Walt Disney film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, than the mid-19th century antebellum American South. The 1938 Disney film, released just one year before GWTW, was phenomenally successful. Snow White’s dark, wavy hair, parted in the middle, her long, rounded dress and little puffed sleeves were the look the Disney animators dreamed up as the popular, accepted look for “olden times.”

O

Vivien Leigh from Gone with the Wind trailer, Photo: Public Domain

n the coffee table in my friend’s house in North Adams, Massachusetts, was Gone with the Wind, the Definitive Illustrated History of the Book, the Movie, and the Legend by Terryl C. Boodman, 1989. Gone with the Wind (GWTW), published by Margaret Mitchell in 1936, was a look at Southern plantation life during the 1860s; the movie’s release in 1939 was considered an iconic representation of that period in 20th-century literature and cinema. Along with D.W. Griffith’s Birth of a Nation (1916) and Leni Riefenstahl’s 1935 Triumph of the Will (an ode to Hitler’s supremacy), these films present a naive acceptance of racism. They were all innovative and masterful productions of their time, so much so that viewers were blind to the destructive, brutal message embedded in these works – the supposed superiority of the white race.

Misrepresentation can be useful in an overarching message, no matter how seemingly trivial a subject may be: athleticism in Triumph of the Will or costuming in GWTW. I am neither a

14

Fall / Winter 2019 | www.OurBerkshireTimes.com

The mourning dress Scarlett wore to the Confederate fundraiser after the death of her first husband was also an ersatz design.

The time period is about 1862. Scarlett is supposed to be in deep mourning, when the only thing she is really mourning about is not being allowed to join the high-spirited dancing. Scarlett’s mourning attire is as off-the-mark as is her supposed devotion to her deceased husband. Walter Plunckett, head costume designer for GWTW, created a costume that bore no resemblance to the design intent of the early 1860s. Once again, the squared shoulders and the stiff, high collar of the 1880s, atop the big, very full skirts circa 1850s, were employed to present a stylish Scarlett. This mishmash of designs was acceptable because of the audience’s inability to relate to styles outside their realm of recognition. Designer Plunckett was playing to the prejudices and ignorance of the times. Of course, he was coming up with the look that the producer of the film, David O. Selznick, wanted, presenting a story with a background rooted in racial superiority.

The ever-famous “visiting toilette” made by Mammy from old,

fashion & beauty

green velvet drapes and cords hanging above the living room windows, an ensemble meant for Scarlett to impress Rhett with her postwar elegance, was an inspired success and would be remembered for generations. Actually, the very funny spoof by Carol Burnett 40 years later on TV was closer to the truth of the ludicrous concept of this costume.

My personal favorite is the phantasmagorical burgundy velvet and ostrich feather bustle gown that Rhett forced Scarlett to wear to Ashley’s birthday party. This gown did exist (kind of), but in the 1930s, when it was made popular by none other than that great costume innovator, Mae West. The gown that Walter Plunckett came up with for this scene in GWTW was a mermaid-shaped, princess-line gown with a sweetheart neckline, ostrich feather cap sleeves, and bustle. The design of this “full dress toilette” left me in bewilderment: What is this!? To begin with, the princess style did not exist until the 1900s, when it was created by Charles Worth in Paris. It was a major success, also known as the “S” curve, in the heyday of Mae West’s career. West was hauled off to jail in 1910 for her play, Sex, and she parlayed her curvaceous body and decadent costumes into a highly lucrative career for more than 50 years. The 1930s audiences welcomed Mae with open arms and a big wink; the Nell Gwynn of the depression era!

Representation of black women in this movie, is a cliché, lacking imagination or intelligence, but a reflection of its time.

The leading black women actors are background figures for the main white characters, and are part of the setting. Both Hattie McDaniel as Mammy and Butterfly McQueen as Prissy were consummate professional actors. Hattie McDaniel won an Academy Award for best supporting actress in1940 for her role as Mammy. There was at that time no consciousness whatsoever of the injustice of a society based in racial superiority, not in the book, and certainly not in the movie. Nonetheless, McDaniel’s skill in her role was recognized.

There was a certain amount of authentic, period representation in Plunckett’s designs, as the Confederate and Union soldiers’ uniforms were very carefully recreated. I am sure the producers didn’t want to ruffle any military consultants’ feathers. Once again, the superstar male lead, Clark Gable, was costumed in a look that was much closer to the likes of the late 1930s fashion for men, wide pant legs and silk ascots, leaving Gable to look like the movie star he was.

Plunckett did manage to infuse some of his designs with authentic 1860s and 1870s styles – after all, three years were spent researching and producing GWTW. The gowns worn by Melanie, (Scarlett’s rival for Ashley’s love), Scarlett’s sisters, and Aunt Pitty Pat, were more representative of period fashions. These characters were meant to be old-fashioned, unattractive, and not sexy, especially in Melanie’s case. Again, the preference and superiority of contemporary (1939) aesthetics and values over authentic historical fashions are reinforced, rendering truth in this arena irrelevant. The lack of artistic integrity in GWTW, underscores just how easily the realities

of a period, prejudice, and ignorance can manipulate people away from appreciating the truth. “Politics is a kind of fashion . . . in its concern with public appearance” (Oscar Wilde).

The mid-19th century was a very beautiful and important transitional period in fashion. Synthetic dyes were invented in England in the 1850s, introducing exciting colors and dominating fashion into the future. Flexible steel in the early 1860s allowed the introduction of hoop skirts, and the beginning of the great French couturier houses influenced fashion worldwide. The huge textile mills in the United States and England, brought affordable textiles for clothing to the masses, the democratization of fashion for the first time in history with no more consumption laws or taxes. The study of the evolution of fashion in the mid19th century should be reexamined and seriously appreciated.

This may reflect its time and place more than its actual historical reality and for this reason we should strive to educate ourselves about fashion, culture, and the truth.

Speaking of education, the public has evolved, not only in taste, but in its expectation of authentic depiction of costuming, set design, and period representation. For more than forty years now films have been growing more responsible and going to great lengths to display a time and place as accurately as possible, and audiences should expect nothing less.

To me, the beginning of this important transition to authenticity began with Bonnie and Clyde in 1967, starring Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty. It was a great moment when Bonnie emerged from her ramshackle house and looked as though she had truly stepped from the 1930s. She wore a simple cotton dress and a bowl-cut hairdo; old jalopies rambled down a dusty road. It was so exciting to see a star totally submerged as a genuine, historic person! Bonnie and Clyde was a first step in educating audiences to go beyond their own limited experience. The Masterpiece Theater productions on PBS, in conjunction with the BBC, continue to raise consciousness with very exact renderings of period works. Downton Abbey permitted audiences all over the world to experience a culture and time in a very intimate way. The willingness of people to learn and understand another culture can only benefit society. A movie like GWTW could never be made again, unless it were about the making of GWTW. That is a movie I would really like to see! ~ Lynda Meyer is the proprietor of Lynda’s Antique Clothing Loft in Adams, MA. She has lectured on the history of fashion for more than 20 years, covering 160 years of fashion from 1800 to 1960. Venues for these lectures have included Norman Rockwell Museum, Stockbridge Library, Clark Art Museum, Rowe Historical Museum, The Mount, Williams College, Miss Hall’s School, Pittsfield Library, Adams Library, Bennington College, and Skidmore College. www.lyndameyer.com www.OurBerkshireTimes.com | Fall / Winter 2019

15

Apple and Pear Cobbler Serves six / Guido’s Fresh Marketplace Cool weather comfort food at its sweetest!

Ingredients For the Filling

For the Topping

4 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, quartered, cut into ½-inch-thick wedges 4 firm Bosc or D’Anjou pears, peeled, cored, quartered, cut into ½-inch-thick wedges 4 T unsalted butter ¾ cup sugar 2 T all-purpose flour 1 tsp ground cinnamon ¼ cup heavy cream

1¾ cup all-purpose flour 2 tsp baking powder ¼ tsp salt 2 T cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes 1 cup plus 1 T heavy cream 2 tsp sugar

Directions Preheat oven to 375°F.

For the Filling Toss together apples, pears, butter, sugar, flour, cinnamon, and cream in a large bowl. Spread out in a 3-quart (9”×13”) baking dish and bake until just bubbling, about 15 minutes.

Make topping while filling bakes.

For the Topping Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt; work in butter with your fingertips or a pastry cutter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 1 cup cream and stir just until a dough forms.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and dust with flour, then roll out with a floured rolling pin into a ½-inch-thick round. Cut out biscuits with lightly floured cutter. Gather scraps and reroll once, then cut out more biscuits.

To Bake Arrange biscuits a half inch apart over hot filling. Brush tops with remaining tablespoon cream, then sprinkle with sugar. Bake until topping is golden and fruit is bubbling in center, 25 to 30 minutes. ~ Guido’s Fresh Marketplace, www.guidosfreshmarketplace.com

Editor’s Note For those with food allergies, sensitivities, or concerns, choose all organic ingredients and consider the following substitutions: coconut butter or Miyokos Vegan butter for the butter, raw honey or coconut sugar for the sugar, almond or coconut flour for the flour, coconut cream for the cream, aluminumfree baking powder (Rumford brand) for the baking powder, and Himalayan salt for the salt.

food & drink

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www.OurBerkshireTimes.com | Fall / Winter 2019

17

food & drink

Banana “Ice Cream” CREAMY, DELICIOUS, VEGAN, GLUTEN-FREE, DAIRY-FREE, AND SUGAR FREE

W

ho says you can’t eat ice cream in the winter? And besides, it’s the perfect complement to warm desserts.

But what if we want to keep our diet dairy and sugar free, and as unprocessed as possible? It can be a challenge, especially during the holidays. No need to feel deprived – this banana “ice cream” seriously rivals the rich, creamy goodness of real ice cream. And it’s fun to make. Ingredient list? Just bananas!

Instructions for 4 servings ● Start with six ripe, soft, sweet (not brown) organic bananas. Peel the bananas and chop them into very small, even pieces. ● Place the banana pieces in an airtight container (it’s healthier not to use plastic) and freeze overnight, or at least two hours until frozen solid.

● Transfer the frozen banana pieces into a small food processor or powerful blender (like a Vitamix or Blendtec) and pulse until crumbly. Keep pulsing until the bananas just start to look gooey. ● Switch to blend mode, occasionally scraping down the sides of the container. Blend until completely creamy, but do not over blend. ● If desired, add one or more of the optional additions below to suit your taste (experiment!). Blend for a few more seconds.

You can eat the ice cream immediately (it will be quite soft). Or you can transfer the mixture to an airtight container and freeze until almost solid, like traditional ice cream. Serve and enjoy!

Optional additions: Half to one teaspoon extract such as vanilla

or almond, or spice or herb such as cinnamon, cardamom, or mint.

One or two tablespoons of carob or chocolate chips, cocoa powder, nuts, peanut or almond butter, green tea powder, or coconut cream.

One cup of frozen fruit such as strawberries or mangoes (frozen fruit must be added to the food processor with the bananas right at the beginning). A dash of Himalayan salt to enhance the flavors.

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Fall / Winter 2019 | www.OurBerkshireTimes.com

food & drink

It’s Time to Celebrate Cooperation!

O

/ By Jill Maldonado

ctober is Co-op Month! Every October for the past 50 years, cooperative businesses of every kind take the opportunity to reflect on their shared principles and talk about the value that cooperatives bring to their communities.

Great Barrington and Wild Oats Market in Williamstown warmly welcome everyone who’s looking to buy good food at great prices.

What is a Co-op? A cooperative business is formed by a

that other shoppers don’t receive, like occasional discounts or the ability to place special orders. Owners also get to elect the Board of Directors and have more input into how the business is run.

One of the most compelling reasons to become an owner-member of the food co-op near you is the direct relationship between your investment and the local economy. Cooperative businesses leverage community assets to create positive impact. That means the money you spend – both to join and to shop – work to support local farmers, food producers, and small businesses.

group of people who come together to create a solution to a shared problem. For instance, if a community doesn’t have a reliable source of healthy, affordable food, they might pool their resources to create a food cooperative that would serve their area.

Co-ops give people the power of ownership. They aren’t owned by a single person, a corporation, or a group of outside investors.

Instead, ownership is shared among people in the community who each pay a small amount to become owner-members and benefit from the services they provide.

Who can belong to a Co-op? Anyone and everyone! Coops are committed to inclusion and open to all people without discrimination of any type. Co-ops are a powerful economic alternative that celebrates community connection. Every ownermember is treated equitably and has the same influence over how a Co-op is run. Each person can buy one share of equity and gets one vote for the Board of Directors. Co-ops are truly democracy in action. No single owner-member has more power than any other.

Do I have to be an owner-member to shop at a Co-op? Most co-ops welcome everyone to shop! Both Berkshire Food Co-op in

gOoD

real foOd, REAL

34 Bridge St, Great Barrington | (413) 528-9697 | berkshire.coop

If everyone can shop at a Co-op, why pay to become an owner-member? Sometimes co-ops offer member benefits

Cooperatives support cooperatives! Did you know there are

Fair Trade cooperatives all over the world that work with family farmers teaching them how to raise crops using sustainable methods and then make sure they receive a fair price for their products? Many food co-ops give special preference to products created by other cooperatives and that’s an amazing way to leverage local dollars to create global impact.

Co-ops offer a sustainable business model that creates a better life for individuals, families, and communities, and that’s a future we can all support! ~ Jill Maldonado, Berkshire Food Co-op, Great Barrington, MA, (413) 528-9697, www.berkshire.coop

everyone can shop, anyone can join!

320 MAIN STREET, WILLIAMSTOWN 413-458-8060 WILDOATS.COOP

www.OurBerkshireTimes.com | Fall / Winter 2019

19

in the spotlight

holiday giftguide ADORN

Bottle Stoppers / Cheshire Glass

Distinctive, one-of-a-kind, handcrafted blown glass bottle stoppers are the perfect gift for wine enthusiasts. They can even be used for sparkling water or oil and vinegar! Vibrant colored glass swirls adorn a decorative stainless steel base. Cheshire Glassworks, an independently owned studio and gallery located in the northern Berkshires and run by artist/owner Jill Reynolds, is filled with everything from eye-catching pendants, earrings, bracelets, and rings to whimsical glass vases and imaginative sculptures.

Jill lovingly creates each and every piece with the magic of fire, glass, and brilliant color. Visit Cheshire Glassworks at 24 South Street, Cheshire, MA. (413) 743-7828, www.cheshireglassworks.com

a DELIGHT

Exchange Chocolate Bars BENEFIT Equal Berkshire Food Co-op

Using cacao sourced from democratic co-ops, Equal Exchange’s Fair Trade and organic chocolates benefit small-scale farmers in Latin America. These chocolates are a delicious part of a more equitable, alternative supply chain. Equal Exchange works in collaboration with communities to teach sustainable farming methods, crop diversification, and women’s leadership development. Equal Exchange not only works with farmer cooperatives, and sells to food cooperatives, but they are also a worker-owned cooperative themselves! You can feel good about enjoying these tasty chocolates because they support a better way of doing business in the world! Find them at Berkshire Food Co-op at 34 Bridge Street, Great Barrington, MA. (413) 528-9697, www.berkshire.coop

Candles, Cookies, Blocks & More Camphill Village Store

Delight friends and loved ones with specialty small-batch organic cookies in a variety of flavors from our Village Bakery. Entertain the children in your life with interlocking wooden blocks handcrafted from finely sanded oak in our Woodshop. Light the way this holiday season with our classic pillar beeswax candles, carefully created in our Candleshop. These products and more were made at Camphill Village Copake, an integrated community where individuals with developmental differences are living a life of dignity, equality, and purpose. All sales benefit Camphill Village. Visit our café and gift shop for treats and sweets at the Camphill Village Green at 84 Camphill Road, Copake, NY. (518) 329-4511, www.camphillstore.com 20

in the spotlight

CREATE

Speedball Art Calligraphy Kit JWS Art Supplies

Create art with words. The trend of calligraphy and hand-lettering seems to have exploded over the past few years. You too can design your own stunning holiday cards, invitations, wall art, and more. Enjoy it as a hobby, de-stress, or gift the creative person in your life with this complete Speedball calligraphy kit that includes a practice pad, nibs, penholder, acrylic ink, pen cleaner, and more. Visit JWS today and explore their wide variety of calligraphy and handlettering supplies. From charcoal and pencils to oil and acrylic and everything in between, JWS carries items for professional artists, designers, students, and even kids’ crafts. 38 Railroad Street, Great Barrington, MA .

(413) 644-9838, wwwjwsartsupplies.com

ENJOY

Thymes Frasier Fir Candle / Bella Flora

Fill your surroundings with the crisp, just-cut forest fragrance of Frasier Fir. Bella Flora carries an abundant supply of the Thymes product line. Friends and family will also enjoy the beautiful selection of handmade beeswax candles. Bella Flora is dedicated to local artisans, sustainable products, Fair Trade, and the latest styles. Owners Annie and Chris Whalen and their team enhance all their floral work with creativity and freshness. Local delivery available. This holiday, let them share their love with your loved ones with floral arrangements, gift baskets, plants, personal accessories, and more. Visit Bella Flora at Guido’s Fresh Marketplace in Pittsfield, MA, and at their sister location in Great Barrington, MA. (413) 496-8242, www.bellafloraberkshires.com

RELAX

Artisanal Glass Smoking Pieces Berkshire Glass & Grow

Relax and enjoy local dispensaries’ wares with our artisanal glass smoking pipes! We offer beautifully handcrafted pieces by more than a dozen local and regional glassblowers, as well as bongs, bowls, and accessories from top brands.

For those looking for that something special, we offer custom sandblast etching to personalize almost any pipe. Also featuring wall prints and shirts by local artists, a great selection of CBD, and the specialty supplies you need for growing cannabis indoors or out. Come check out our holiday sales and browse our selections for perfect gifts at 965 South Main Street, Great Barrington, MA. (413) 717-4009, www.glassandgrow.com

DRILL

Berkshire County’s Ice Fishing Headquarters Onota Boat Livery

Onota Boat Livery, Inc. is your one-stop shop for all of your ice fishing needs. The store is open seven days a week during peak season and offers a huge selection of tip-ups, jigging rods, lures, ice augers, power augers, jet sleds, ice shanties, and more. They sell live bait including minnows, worms, mousies, spikes, and wax worms. Power auger service, repairs, and parts are available, as well as auger blade sharpening. The store also offers boat and motor sales year round. They are located on Onota Lake at 463 Pecks Road, Pittsfield, MA. Visit their website or call them for more information.

Mention this spotlight to receive 10 percent off your tackle purchase.

(413) 442-1724, www.onotaboat.com www.OurBerkshireTimes.com | Fall / Winter 2019

21

In the spotlight

Celebrate History

H

A Season of Tradition

Embrace the beauty of the Berkshires GRATEFUL SHAKER SUPPER

Saturday, November 30

An intimate candlelit dinner

HANCOCK SHAKER VILLAGE INFO/TICKETS

HancockShakerVillage.org

HANCOCK HOLIDAYS

Friday–Sunday, December 6–8 A magical weekend filled with family activities

AT THE CITY OF PEACE

ancock Shaker Village began in the late 1780s, when nearly 100 Believers consolidated a community on land donated by local farmers who had converted to the Shaker movement. They named their utopian village the City of Peace.

Today, as we celebrate our 60th anniversary as a living history museum and the 230th anniversary of the village’s founding, we honor twenty authentic buildings, the oldest working farm in the Berkshires, and significant collections of Shaker furniture and artifacts.

As crisp autumn air gives way to magical snowflakes, it’s the most wonderful time of year at the village. Get in the spirit at our Grateful Shaker Supper. Stroll the village during Hancock Holidays. Bring the kids for brunch with Santa or enjoy a toasty fire and live music at Yule Jam.

Sunday, February 16

Shop for unique gifts in Shaker Mercantile and stop by Seeds Market Cafe for farm-to-table meals. Sample delicacies from around the world at a holiday supper. Celebrate winter at the Big Chill.

1843 West Housatonic St, Pittsfield, MA

For information on hours, admission, and to reserve event tickets, visit www.hancockshakervillage.org.

THE BIG CHILL

Snowman making, live music, a roaring fire & more

Artists, Retail Shops & More AT THE HISTORIC WHITING MILLS IN WINSTED, CT

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insted, settled in 1750, was one of the first mill towns in Connecticut.

In the late 1800s Winsted Hosiery was a small manufacturer of men’s hosiery and occupied two red brick industrial buildings and a stone building on Whiting Street. The company later expanded its products and became the largest hosiery manufacturer in Connecticut.

In 2004, the 135,000-square-foot historic Whiting Mills complex (the future home of the nationally acclaimed American Mural Project) was purchased by Paul and Eva Blachere, and Whiting Mills, LLC, was established. The building has been turned into studios that are now home to a variety of artists, craftspeople, retail shops (including a hobby store), photographers, health and wellness practitioners, small manufacturing companies, and a center for artistic, community, and social events. Their semiannual Open Studio events enjoy a reputation for being a destination for the public to enjoy meeting resident and guest artists at the Whiting Mills. Hours vary by studio, so please contact the individual businesses for hours. Follow us on Facebook for updates and our latest news. www.whitingmills.com 22

Fall / Winter 2019 | www.OurBerkshireTimes.com

In the spotlight

A Trendy New Salon THAT STYLES WITH SOUL, CREATIVITY, AND LOVE

Meraki Salon

styling for the entire family

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eraki is a trendy new salon located in northern Berkshire County. The salon features three master stylists, each with more than 25 years of experience. The atmosphere is warm and inviting. The tree of life on our logo represents the diversity of ages that we specialize in. From your first haircut to your senior days, we do everything hair. In addition to haircuts we offer a variety of services including single process color, corrective color, high/low lights, permanent wave, balayage, iron work, updos, facial waxing, and weddings. Gift certificates available.

Salon owner Lori Kuczynski is a Navy veteran who served during Desert Shield/Desert Storm as an aviation mechanic. After returning home, she attended cosmetology school. In 2017, Lori followed her dream of starting a modern, trendy salon, and Meraki Salon was established. Betsy, a professional stylist for more than 35 years, loves what she does and it’s reflected in her work. Lorraine has 35 years’ experience in the beauty industry and is passionate about her field.

Both Betsy and Lorraine are welcoming new clients.

At Meraki, we cater to men, women, and children for all of their hair care needs, using only top quality products. Call for an appointment, or just stop by and see us. Walk-ins are always welcome.

“I finally found a salon that I WANT to go back too. I HIGHLY recommend giving these ladies a try!” ~ See more on Facebook!

▪ Hair cuts ▪ High/low lights ▪ Colors ▪ Facial waxing ▪ Perms ▪ Weddings

Open Tues-Fri 9am-6pm.

Sat 9am-3pm. Closed Sun & Mon.

(413) 743-1269 | kuz.lori@yahoo.com 90 Summer Street, Adams, MA

Gourmet Treats HANDCRAFTED IN THE BERKSHIRES

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hocolate Springs, a European-style chocolate and dessert café, is run by proprietor Joshua Needleman who has decades of experience in crafting the finest handmade bonbons. The café is a spectacular destination for chocolate lovers. In addition to a wide variety of gourmet treats, you will find comfy couches, tables for gathering, live music many evenings, interesting reading material, the delicious aroma of chocolate, and a relaxing atmosphere.

Chocolates at the café (and for online purchase) include milk and dark, truffles, award-winning ganaches, and amazing hot chocolate using only the finest seasonal and organic ingredients whenever possible. In addition to the goodies mentioned above, enjoy coffee, espresso, specialty desserts, and much more.

Chocolate Springs Café is conveniently located at 55 Pittsfield Road in Lenox, MA, the cultural heart of the Berkshires, just one mile north of historic Lenox village. Stop by to visit and shop, or order your gifts online for the holidays. You will also find Joshua’s gourmet treats at various locations around the Berkshires including Spirited Wines, Art & Chocolate, Brava, Guido’s Fresh Marketplace, Canyon Ranch, and the Berkshire Farms Market at Logan Airport in Boston, MA.

Escape into Chocolate ● Handcrafted In the Berkshires ▪ Relaxing lounge ▪ Visit in person or order online

▪ Serious hot chocolate ▪ Gourmet treats ▪ Classic assortments

Open 7 Days a week Mon-Sat 9AM-9PM Sun 9AM-6PM

55 Pittsfield, Lenox Road, Route 7, Lenox, MA (413) 637-9820 ● chocolatesprings.com

www.OurBerkshireTimes.com | Fall / Winter 2019

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In the spotlight

Studio Space HISTORIC LIGHT-FILLED SPACE IN NEW MARLBOROUGH, MA

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his historic structure, built originally as a Methodist church in 1849, is ideally situated right up the road from Gedney Farm and backed by a tranquil stream and distant mountain views.

Permitted use of the property allows both commercial and residential occupation, so it’s ready and waiting to be transformed into an amazing light-filled studio space, country store, café or restaurant, fabulous home, museum, antique shop, bakery, or office complex.

The building has a beautiful stone foundation with original doors and double-hung windows. The windows have their original wavy glass panes. The siding is full thickness old growth clear pine and is in great shape (only in need of new paint). The frame is a massive chestnut post and beam design in excellent condition with high ceilings. This structure has undergone careful internal renovations respectful of its history and integrity as a historic landmark. The main section has been gutted, insulated, and dry-walled (as per fire code). A 400-amp electric service was added as well as a Viessmann boiler and cast-iron radiator heating system. The maple floors have been refinished and are in good condition. The building is located on one-plus lovely acres with plenty of parking and young elm trees bordering the Route 57 side. For more information call Cohen & White Associates at (413) 637-1086.

Custom In-House Designs REPURPOSE, REINVENT, REUSE, RECYCLE, & REVIVE

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t SLAB Home + Design our mission is simple – repurpose lumber and metal to create meaningful and authentic works of art for your home. Producing maximal life and minimal waste is the essence of our craft and at the heart of all we do. From cutting boards, bowls, and home décor to custom tables, live edge wood furniture, and more, every item is handcrafted with meticulous care, environmental consciousness, and creative artisanship. Our core values are the pillars that strengthen our craft and inspire us to construct unique and reimagined pieces for people to share and enjoy.

Custom In-House Designs, Renovations & Built-In Projects Reclaimed & Live Edge Wood Intentionally Designed

Furniture ▪ Home Décor ▪ Interiors 10% off store purchase with this ad 316 Main St., Great Barrington, MA (413) 645-3053 ▪ slabhomedesign.com

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Because we care about our environment, we do not cut down trees solely for our use, nor do we advocate for clear cutting methods.

Our lumber is from tree care companies or from fallen trees whose lives have already been lived. We also repurpose discarded furniture (unearthing materials from dumpsters, trash piles, and auctions) fashioning them into new and innovative pieces with our own creative twist. Our process is as personal and original as our materials. Our motto is repurpose, reinvent, reuse, recycle, and revive. We value the collaborative process and work closely with our clients from the initial consultation straight through to successful completion of the custom project. We’re ready to assist you in making your personalized piece today.

in the spotlight

Come Visit Us!

Grimaldi Farm Store

SEE OUR ANIMALS, SHOP AT OUR STORE. WE LOVE VISITORS

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Certified Organic Grass-Fed Beef & Farm Fresh Eggs Our Farm Store is Self-Service. Stop in and Browse.

s a young man in the early 1980s, Mario Grimaldi followed his passion of farming on a beautiful piece of land in upstate New York in Columbia County. Flash forward to today and Mario has inspired his sons, Dominic and Joe, to follow in his footsteps to carry on the Grimaldi name in the agriculture community.

Dominic and Joe love to farm the land they grew up on, but recognize that times have changed – purchasing food and goods directly from local sources that are known for healthy practices has become a mainstream way of life for health-conscious consumers.

So they’ve kicked things up a notch by becoming fully certified organic, and now offer grass-fed certified organic beef from their free-range, happy, healthy herd.

The Grimaldi Family invite you to shop their onsite farm store at 22 Old Talerico Road in Ghent, NY, and choose from a wide variety of grass-fed certified organic beef products (including custom mixes), chicken, farm-fresh eggs, honey, maple syrup, and more. If you love to make rich, healthy bone broths, this is the place for you! You can also find their products at Love Apple Farm in Ghent, NY, Random Harvest Market in Craryville, NY, and Philmont Cooperative in Philmont, NY.

Custom Ground Beef Mixes | Quarter, Half & Whole Cow Options Available “We are proud to offer grass-fed certified organic beef from our freerange, happy, and healthy herd. We invite you to shop at our farm store and choose from our wide variety of grass-fed certified organic beef products. If you have any questions get in touch with us – we will be glad to assist you in any way we can.” ~ Mario, Dominic, and Joe Grimaldi

22 Old Talerico Road, Ghent, NY 12075 Vet Referred Home Visits 518-929-3420 ● www.grimaldifarmstore.com

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Swimming Vet Referred Home Visits for Vet Referred Home Visits Best-Kept Dog Lover’s Secret TRUE& BALANCE & Dogs ANIMAL WELLNESS Swimming Swimming & Vet Referred Home Visits

YEAR-ROUND SWIMMING AND MUCH MORE

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Vet Visits Vet Referred Referred Home Visits

in Great Barrington, MA for Swimming for and Year-Round &

ucked away in a convenient corner of Great Barrington, Massachusetts, you will find the best-kept dog lover’s secret in the Berkshires – a large year-round, indoor heated swimming pool for dogs! With 18 years of experience, owner Alden Beane of True Balance Animal Wellness and The Canine Aquatic Gym, offers a unique and invaluable service including bodywork instruction, individually tailored home exercise plans, class 3B cold laser treatments, and one-on-one hydrotherapy sessions.

They specialize in senior dog wellness, but also expertly address musculoskeletal issues pre- and post-operatively, obesity, arthritis, conditioning for athletes, building confidence in timid dogs, and enhancing overall quality of life for all dogs – well or unwell, small or large, young or old.

for Swimming Dogs Swimming Dogs for MA Dogs in Great Barrington, in Great Barrington, MA Dogs Low chemical, crystal clean, in Great Barrington, MA heated pool. inGreat GreatBarrington, Barrington, MA MA in in Great Barrington, MA

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CCRA, EqTPM bring 13 years of Just18 bring yourof dog, I bring 13 years experience!

The benefits of swimming are endless. Most canines experience I Ibring 13 years of experience! bringof your dog, I bringJust 13 years experience! increased mobility, increased energy, injury prevention, core and Alden CCRA, EqTPM I bring 13 Beane years of ,experience!

Alden Beane , CCRA, EqTPM Alden Beane , CCRA, trunk strengthening, improved active range of motion, better Alden Beane, CCRA, EqTPMEqTPM Alden Beane, CCRA, EqTPM cardiopulmonary heath, greater stamina, and more. In an effort to Rosseter Street, Great Barrington • 413-429-6879 provide continuity of care, home visits are also available enabling Rosseter Street, Great Barrington • 413-429-6879 Rosseter Street, GreatBarrington Barrington • 413-429-6879 Rosseter Street, Great • 413-429-6879 dogs that don’t travel well, or owners with busy schedules, to Rosseter alden@truebalanceanimalwellness.com alden@truebalanceanimalwellness.com Street, Great • 413-429-6879 Rosseter Street, GreatBarrington Barrington • 413-429-6879 alden@truebalanceanimalwellness.com alden@truebalanceanimalwellness.com access True Balance Animal Wellness. You can expect this to be www.truebalanceanimalwellness.com www.truebalanceanimalwellness.com www.truebalanceanimalwellness.com alden@truebalanceanimalwellness.com alden@truebalanceanimalwellness.com www.truebalanceanimalwellness.com your dog’s new favorite activity! www.truebalanceanimalwellness.com www.truebalanceanimalwellness.com www.OurBerkshireTimes.com | Fall / Winter 2019

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The Big Four “Prescription” Diet Companies THE FOUR BIG REASONS WHY VETERINARIANS SO OFTEN GET IT WRONG WHEN IT COMES TO NOURISHING OUR PETS

By Kristina Dow

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s much as I may have disparaged the level of nutritional expertise of veterinarians over the years, I’ve also readily acknowledged that we need to cut them some slack. We do, after all, expect a lot of our veterinarians. As general practitioners, they are called upon to be expert in all aspects of veterinary care and all manner of ailments, as diagnosticians, radiologists, surgeons, dentists, behaviorists, immunologists, pharmacists, and, as well, veterinary nutritionists. Is it any wonder then that when someone steps forward and offers to make something like nutrition a nobrainer for them, they snatch at the lifeline?

With that lifeline, namely the Big Four’s veterinary “prescription” diets, today’s veterinary general practitioners can do quite well for themselves with very little need to know about canine and feline nutrition, and about the overall effects of pet foods and pet food ingredients on the overall health of our pets. In fact, the modern veterinarian need read only the headline on a bag of “GastroIntestinal Formula” or “Urinary Formula” to identify a nutritional solution to “prescribe.” And, in many cases, alphabetically coded bags even facilitate script-writing: I/D for intestinal diet, K/D for kidney diet, L/D for liver diet, EN for enteric formula, NR for nephritis formula, UR for urinary formula, and so on. No need to know what’s in the food, no need to understand how and why it “works,” just stock it and “prescribe” it, with success often easily at hand!

Sounds like a great idea, doesn’t it? And, indeed it is, if you’re the manufacturer that has so brilliantly marketed its food through veterinarians, or if you are the prescribing veterinarian reaping the benefits of a guaranteed veterinary exclusive at a substantial guaranteed profit. But that success is not so well-shared by our pets, as is seen when we read the ingredient panels of the various 26

Fall / Winter 2019 | www.OurBerkshireTimes.com

“prescription” diets and realize that the effect of healing is an illusion brought about by predigested (hydrolyzed) proteins creating the appearance of improved gut function, constipating agents creating the appearance of improved intestinal function, reduced protein levels creating the appearance of improved kidney function, and so on and so forth, with each improvement in function accompanied by the detailing of an absolutely awful ingredient panel.

I first began to become aware of how little many veterinarians understand (or even care to understand) about canine-feline nutrition and pet food ingredients when I stumbled onto a cautionary posting about ethoxyquin in avian diets some 20 to 30 years ago. Described as a by-product of Monsanto’s rubber stabilization process, ethoxyquin was at that time identified as a toxin that could be found stored in Monsanto plants in barrels with skull-and-crossbones labeling. While ethoxyquin was prohibited from use in human-grade foods, it was approved for use as a preservative in pet foods, and I was thunderstruck to discover that not only was it present in my parrots’ food, it was also present in the Hill’s Science Diet dog food that I purchased from my beloved veterinarian.

Up to that point I had fully believed that if I was purchasing my pet food from a veterinarian I was feeding my pets the best food available, but, when queried, my beloved vet showed no particular interest in knowing about ethoxyquin or any of the other ingredients in the bags of pet food he promoted and sold.

Even with evidence that those foods contained a known toxin, all he felt he needed to know was that they were veterinarianformulated, veterinarian-approved, and satisfied his need for quick, measurable improvement. And, over the decades since, that attitude has become pretty much the stock attitude of the overwhelming majority of ever-busier veterinarians.

animal talk

But the prevalence of veterinary “prescription” diets is not just about being a go-to nutritional solution for making the postgraduate veterinary professional’s life easier and more prosperous, it’s also about veterinary schools’ abrogation of their responsibility to provide the veterinary student with appropriate training in the biochemistry, physiology, and functional histology of pet nutrition. Instead, the Big Four “prescription” diet manufacturers have found all manner of ways to curry sufficient favor so as to afford themselves dominance in how and what veterinary students learn about pet nutrition. From the get-go, veterinarians learn what they learn about nutrition from representatives of the Big Four, and it does not stop there.

The education of board-certified veterinary nutritionists is also similarly influenced. And what we and our pets often end up with is a veterinarian or veterinary nutritionist who has done little to no nutritional homework beyond that which has been assigned by the Big Four “prescription” diet purveyors.

The true pity of all this for our veterinarians, our pets, and ourselves is that we all miss out on the wonderful effects of providing safe and effective remedies with species-appropriate natural solutions. And as but one example, when natural feeding solutions are employed to not just mask the effects of a damaged gut, but to actually truly heal the damaged gut, we are likely to discover concurrent improvement in the functioning of the immune system, better weight management and muscle tone, improved bladder and kidney function, improved blood glucose levels, a calming of the hysterical, and a rejuvenation of the moribund. In short, an overall improvement in general well-being can well be brought about by a simple, natural dietary change, and it’s wonderful to witness.

But, as cautioned by the www.truthaboutpetfood.com guru, Susan Thixton, there are more and more veterinarians out there who, as corporate partners with the Big Four “prescription” diet companies, are “crossing a line into false and misleading pet food information.” While the current misinformation campaign is focused on the unresolved FDA alert with regard to grain-free foods, that campaign of misinformation is an important harbinger of things to come, of how the growing numbers of corporate veterinary practices intend to manage themselves, manage us, and manage our pets, not only with regard to how we feed our pets, but also with regard to how we generally care for our pets.

Learning how to advocate for our pets can begin right here and right now. You can get more information from Susan Thixton’s website regarding the current pet food misinformation campaign. Educate yourself and your family and your friends, and begin to call out the deceit when you encounter it. Our advocacy on behalf of our pets begins locally, right now, and right here at home.

Thanks for listening. Cheers to your healthier pets! ~ Kristina

“Tina” Dow is sole proprietor of BensDotter’s Pet, a retail pet supply store in Great Barrington, MA. www.bensdotters.com www.OurBerkshireTimes.com | Fall / Winter 2019

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home & garden

“I quickly realized that I needed to be able to freely voice and promote the natural feeding and pet care I had come to believe in, and so BensDotter’s Pet came into being: A little bit conventional, a little bit alternative, a whole lot different!” ~ Kristina “Tina” Dow

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onveniently located on Route 7 on the quiet south side of Great Barrington, BensDotter’s Pet is owned by Kristina “Tina” Dow, and is operated by Tina and her husband, Larry. BensDotter’s offers quality foods, equipment, and supplies for dogs, cats, and parrots. The store’s lovely atmosphere, combined with Tina’s commitment to and expertise in natural feeding and holistic pet care, distinguishes it as a destination for discerning pet lovers from the tristate area.

Q: Tina, how did you get started?

A: When I retired after 30 years as a college administrator, owning and operating a retail pet supply store was just about the furthest thing from my mind. I had worked as a veterinary assistant, nurse, and technician while in college, and decided that would be a good thing to get back into in my retirement, not only to save a bit of money on pet care, but also because my interest in pet care had grown, not diminished, over the 30 years since college. Not only had I immersed myself in the world of dog showing, training, and breeding, I had also pursued extensive self-study in the areas of natural feeding and holistic pet care, and it was my expertise in raw-feeding that led to invitations for me to manage two different retail pet supply stores in the tristate area, both of which were affiliated with veterinary hospitals. Through those two management positions I learned a great deal about the mechanics of operating a retail pet supply business, but I also learned that my definition of natural feeding and holistic pet care was not quite in sync with what was being promoted by most veterinarians, even the self-described “holistic” ones. I quickly realized that I needed to be able to freely voice and promote the natural feeding and pet care I had come to believe in, and so BensDotter’s Pet came into being: A little bit conventional, a little bit alternative, a whole lot different!

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Fall / Winter 2019 | www.OurBerkshireTimes.com

Q: What does BensDotter’s Pet offer?

A: I think the most important thing we offer is a deeply personal understanding and appreciation of how important our pets are to us, how much they enrich our lives, how deeply we love them, and how integral they are to the essence of our family. Putting that together with our technical understanding of the formulation of modern-day pet foods, our knowledge of alternative therapies, our ideas about what constitutes really, truly holistic pet care, and, as well, our awareness of what the nuances of our pets’ behaviors tell us about their health and well-being, means that we are able to offer a unique perspective on pet care, and, in particular, the important role of pet food in pet care. Based on what our customers tell us, it’s that perspective and expertise that keep our customers coming back, and bring us many referrals from customers and veterinarians alike.

Q: What is your philosophy?

A: For those of us at BensDotter’s, it’s all about healthier pets and happier pet families.

Q: How can we find you?

BensDotter’s Pet is located at 940 Main Street in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, less than a minute south of Guido’s Fresh Marketplace and the Big Y Supermarket. We’re open Monday though Friday 10am-6pm and Saturday and Sunday 10am-4pm, and our parking is ample and convenient. Although we’re struggling with getting our Facebook act together, follow us anyway so you don’t miss any of our in-store events, as well as links to our articles and columns we’ll be republishing in that forum. Feel free to call (413) 528-4940, and join our mailing list at www.bensdotters.com in order to receive appropriate reminders and alerts. Cheers to our healthier pets!

health & wellness

The International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology

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hen you see the IAOMT logo on select dental advertisements, what exactly does it mean? It stands for the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit global network of dentists, health professionals, and scientists who research the biocompatibility of dental products, including the risks of mercury fillings, fluoride, root canals, and jawbone osteonecrosis. “Biological” or “biocompatible” dentistry typically refers to dental practices that utilize mercury-free and mercury-safe dentistry while also considering the impact of dental conditions, devices, and treatments on oral and systemic health, including the biocompatibility of dental materials and techniques.

IAOMT states “Our work is crucial because there is an alarming lack of professional, policy maker, and public awareness about dangerous dental products that are harming humans and the environment on a massive scale. To help change this dire situation, IAOMT members have been expert witnesses about dental products and practices before the US Congress, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Health Canada, the Philippines Department of Health, the European Commission Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks, and other government bodies around the globe.”

The organization was founded in 1984 by eleven dentists, a doctor, and a lawyer who were discussing a seminar they had just attended on the dangers of mercury from dental amalgam fillings. They agreed that the subject was alarming and if there really was a problem with dental mercury, the evidence ought to be in the scientific literature.

The scientific activities of the IAOMT are overseen by an advisory board composed of world leaders in biochemistry, toxicology, and environmental medicine and are dedicated to their mission of protecting public health and the environment.

IAOMT has 800 active members in North America, with affiliated chapters in fourteen other countries. Within their membership, IAOMT dentists have varying levels of training in mercury-free, mercury-safe, and biological dentistry. General members have access to all of their resources, SMART-certified members have completed a training course in the safe removal of dental mercury fillings, Accredited members have completed a comprehensive ten-unit course on biological dentistry, and Masters and Fellows have completed 500 hours of additional research, including conducting and composing a scientific review. Patients and others can search for an IAOMT dentist at their online directory at www.iaomt.org, which specifies the level of education the member has accomplished within the IAOMT.

Drs. Maureen & Jeffrey Viglielmo Biological Dentistry The beautiful smile we create with you is the gateway to a healthy body.

As biological dentists we provide safe mercury removal, biocompatible restorations, and customized periodontal therapy. Our office is located in Kingston, NY– a pleasant, scenic drive from the Berkshires and well worth the trip! ● Mercury-safe amalgam removal ● Invisalign® ● Biological periodontal therapy ● Mouthguards ● Customized supportive nutrition ● Intraoral imaging ● iTero® digital goop-less impressions ● Ozone therapy ● Only a little more than one hour from the Berkshires, MA ● Cosmetic & restorative dentistry ● Phase contrast microscope ● Digital radiography

(845) 339-1619 ● www.drvigs.com ● 56 Lucas Ave, Kingston, NY www.OurBerkshireTimes.com | Fall / Winter 2019

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Power In Treating the Whole Body THIS IS WHERE THE MAGIC HAPPENS / By Lisa Baumgart, MPT, FAFS

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A chain reaction of muscles, nerves, and bones all work together in an integrated manner to create a miraculous system of movement for you to complete your most basic tasks.”

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CHAIN REACTION EXERCISES Engage your whole body in standing positions to prevent and/or correct muscle/joint imbalances if your goal is to perform daily activities without limitation.

Starting position

1) Start with RIGHT foot on a chair or step stool. Bend LEFT elbow at waist with LEFT hand at shoulder level (RIGHT hand is holding onto the wall for support).

2) Next, raise LEFT arm up overhead while pressing hips forward (keep LEFT knee straight and LEFT heel down).

3) Finally, return to the starting position.

4) Repeat 10X, then switch sides (3X/day to create muscle memory).

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Physical therapists are trained to evaluate and treat pain and dysfunction in mostly nonweight-bearing (treatment on the table) and/or nonfunctional positions. While there is certainly value in assessing and treating joints and muscles on the table, it is only a small part of addressing the cause of dysfunction and biomechanical stress. Just as you would expect your car mechanic to look under the hood to find the cause of that rattle in your engine, you should expect the same in your rehabilitation specialist. Watching people move and restoring normal motion of the whole body in upright positions is the most important part of my business. Following is one of many examples I treat, showcasing chain reaction gone wrong.

My patient is a 53-year-old woman with shoulder pain and a Fall / Winter 2019 | www.OurBerkshireTimes.com

Hip extension

#1 - SHOULDER FLEXION WITH HIP EXTENSION

our body functions as an entire system, not as individual parts. A chain reaction of muscles, nerves, and bones all work together in an integrated manner to create a miraculous system of movement for you to complete your most basic tasks. As such, you need to engage your whole body in standing positions to prevent and/or correct muscle/joint imbalances if your goal is to perform daily activities without limitation. This type of functional movement and rehabilitation promotes lasting recovery of normal motion and is not commonly implemented. It involves engaging the entire body while addressing specific areas of pain or dysfunction.

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diagnosis of impingement. Upon inspection in the standing position, the mobility in her shoulder blade sliding on its thoracic cage is greatly diminished as she reaches overhead.

Since her shoulder blade is unable to move well during this task, her shoulder becomes impinged. Essentially, the ball of the long bone in her arm hits the roof of her shoulder blade. I immediately begin my process of why.

1) “Why is this shoulder blade not moving well?” With further functional testing, it is obvious to me that her midback is unable to extend backward with overhead reaching. If her mid-back is unable to extend, her shoulder blade is not getting the signal to move in a way that prevents shoulder pain and impingement.

2) “Why is her mid-back unable to extend?” Digging deeper, it turns out the front of her hip is unable to lengthen/extend.

3) Finally, I ask my patient why it appears her hip is so restricted and she reveals a ten-year history of intermittent hip pain from an old injury. She also adds “Oh by the way, my low back started hurting me three months ago too.”

Does this scenario sound familiar to you? Stories like this are very common in my practice. In this example, it is important to know that my patient’s inability to extend her hip created

health & wellness

2

Starting position

Shoulder row

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Starting position

Shoulder abduction

#2 - SHOULDER ROW

#3 - SHOULDER ABDUCTION PRESS

1) Stand with RIGHT foot forward and reach LEFT hand forward and down toward opposite knee, while rotating hips/torso to RIGHT. 2) Next, bring LEFT arm back to waist while bending elbow and rotating hips/torso LEFT. 3) Finally, return to the starting position.

4) Repeat 10X, then switch sides (3X/day to create muscle memory).

1) Start with LEFT elbow bent and LEFT hand at shoulder level.

Move hips to RIGHT while side-bending your head and trunk to the LEFT. 2) Next, press LEFT hand overhead while side-bending head and trunk to RIGHT. Hips will bump to the LEFT at this time.

3) Finally, bring arm back down by your side while returning hips to the starting position.

4) Perform 10X, then switch sides (3X/day to create muscle memory).

limited mid-back extension. This in turn directly prevented her shoulder blade from gliding downward on her thoracic cage/ mid-back, and ultimately created impingement in her shoulder.

This hip limitation also created her low back pain.

Over time for this patient, there has been a slow and steady decline in functional mobility as a result of poor chain reaction biomechanics stemming from her old hip injury. I would never have seen this, had I not watched her shoulder moving in relation to her whole body during the simple task of overhead reaching. Once this patient’s hip extension was restored (the cause), this allowed for better mid-back extension and shoulder blade gliding. Her shoulder impingement and low back pain completely resolved.

Assessing and treating the whole body is where the magic happens. ~ Lisa J. Baumgart, MPT, FAFS, proprietor of Greylock Physical Therapy (established in 2007), received her master of physical therapy from American International College in 2001. She graduated from Gray Institute in October 2013 with credentialing as a fellow of applied functional science and certification in Functional Manual Reaction. Lisa also graduated from the Mentorship Program at Kalish Institute for Functional Medicine.

This program focuses on diet and lifestyle counseling, lab interpretation, and lab-based supplement program design to address underlying causes of inflammation and disease. Lisa is currently working on certification as an Integrative and Functional Nutrition Certified Practitioner through the Integrative and Functional Nutrition Academy. www.greylockpt.com

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health & wellness

Five Foods That Can Cause Depression THE FOOD YOU EAT DIRECTLY AFFECTS YOUR BRAIN

By Kelly Brogan, MD

F

didn’t test positive for celiac disease. However, there are often false negatives on these tests because they don’t test for the full range of gluten proteins. Whether or not you have a diagnosed sensitivity to gluten, it isn’t doing you any favors, as it is almost exclusively present in processed foods.

Gluten drives inflammation by irritating the gut and gut microbes as well as intestinal tissues. This protein causes gut cells to produce a compound called zonulin, leading to intestinal permeability (or leaky gut). Gluten, which is a sticky protein, can also interfere with digestion by clumping food particles together.

A recent study showed that gluten caused inflammation in gut cells of healthy volunteers, suggesting that gluten may cause adverse effects that can lead to depression in everyone.

Gluten consumption has been linked to depression, seizures, headaches, anxiety, nerve damage, and ADHD-like symptoms.

Gluten has been linked to more than 200 conditions, with neurotoxicity topping the list.

I’ve seen amazing recoveries from people who ditched the gluten – including myself. Gluten-free diets have helped people heal from too many seemingly hopeless diagnoses, like depression, to count!

ood is the best medicine. All your cells, bones, signaling molecules, and tissues are built from what you eat. For example, dietary fats are the building blocks of brain tissue and help balance hormones, and muscles are built from protein. Different vitamins and minerals are used to create energy and send electrical impulses along neurons so that we can move, think, and feel. A nourishing diet is the best strategy against depression.

The food we eat affects both our human and microbial cells. Numerous studies have shown that food changes the collection of trillions of beneficial bacteria in our guts, called the microbiome. In the name of convenience, flavor, or simply habit, so many of us consume inflammatory foods on a daily basis that increase intestinal permeability (leaky gut), harm the microbiome, and create chronic inflammation that can lead to depression.

Many studies have shown that people who eat an antiinflammatory diet have significantly lower risks of depression.

A recent study that tracked about 6,500 women over 12 years showed that women eating an anti-inflammatory diet had a 20 percent lower risk of developing depression than their peers.

These anti-inflammatory diets consist of healthy fats, vitamins and antioxidants, and plenty of high-quality protein. On the other hand, many foods in the Standard American Diet (SAD) create chronic inflammation. These five inflammatory foods are the most frequent offenders I see when treating patients for depression.

Believe me: I understand that dairy can be deeply pleasurable.

Growing up in an Italian family, many of my fondest memories involve cheese, ice cream, ricotta, and yogurt. Science supports our attachment to dairy. On a molecular level, dairy contains morphine-like compounds, which engage our opiate receptors and create mild dairy addiction.

A number of studies have shown that casein, a protein found in dairy products, can drive inflammation. Casein has been linked to several psychiatric conditions, ranging from schizophrenia to depression. Dairy may not be a problem for everyone, and some people can tolerate certain types of dairy, like raw milk.

Fortunately, grassfed ghee is a wonderful substitute for butter.

If you’re suffering from symptoms of depression or anxiety, it’s worth eliminating dairy for 30 days and seeing how you feel.

Some people are able to reintroduce dairy after a month off with no problems, while others totally lose their taste for it and even vomit when trying it again!

Gluten

GMOs

By now almost everyone has heard of gluten, the glue-like protein found in wheat. Grains like barley, rye, and contaminated oatmeal contain proteins that may be recognized by your body as gluten. Gluten and gluten-like proteins are some of the most inflammatory foods you can eat.

Many people think that gluten doesn’t affect them since they

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have become a staple in the Standard American Diet. Beyond being a populationwide experiment in manipulating nature’s design, these foods, by definition, have been heavily treated with pesticides and herbicides. Since these chemicals have been designed to kill, it make sense that they’re quite toxic to our own human and

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Dairy

health & wellness

microbial cells. Indeed, studies have shown that the common pesticide Roundup (glyphosate) causes cancer.

Alarmingly, these chemicals have been found in fetuses and breast milk, showing that the toxins used in modern farming are harming generations to come. Roundup is toxic to fetal cells and can lead to birth defects. This toxicant disrupts our microbiome, messing with the production of essential amino acids like tryptophan, absorption of minerals, and detoxification in the liver.

In addition to Roundup, the primary herbicide sprayed on GMOs like soy, GMOs also carry a variety of other toxicants that may be even more harmful in combination than alone. As even non-GMO foods can be contaminated with pesticides, I advise my clients, especially those suffering from depression, to eat organic.

Think eating organic is too expensive? Our Vital Mind Reset community support director, Shauna, has written an excellent article about eating healthy on food stamps!

Sugar and Artificial Sugar Americans love sugar. The average American eats a staggering 164 pounds of sugar per year. Think about that for a moment. Even worse, sugar is highly addictive – the more we eat, the more we want.

Our bodies were not designed to handle the blood sugar and insulin roller coaster that many of us are on. Here’s how it goes: when you eat sugar, whether it’s in an obvious form like soda or a nonobvious form like pasta, your blood sugar increases quickly.

This fast increase then spikes insulin. When insulin removes blood sugar, you then have a blood sugar crash, and cortisol comes in to compensate and try to move sugar out of storage and back into the bloodstream. This process, often called reactive hypoglycemia, is responsible for carb and sugar cravings (since your brain needs steady sugar to function), which leads to anxiety, headaches, irritability, and ultimately depression.

Overall, high blood sugar causes inflammation, which is one of the most significant risk factors for depression. Balancing blood sugar is one of the most effective treatments for depression and anxiety.

Sugar messes with our brain health in three main ways. First, sugar creates inflammation, often by spiking insulin and harming our gut microbiome. Next, sugar derails hormones, ultimately increasing levels of the stress hormone cortisol and disrupting the balance of sex hormones. Finally, sugar starves the brain and damages important structures in our bodies, like cell membranes and blood vessels. All this can lead to depression.

Because of all the research showing how harmful sugar is, food manufacturers have gotten creative with its naming. Don’t be fooled by code names like cane sugar, crystalline fructose, maltodextrin, high-fructose corn syrup – it’s all sugar.

It’s tempting to swap out sugar for artificial sweeteners.

Artificial sugars, like aspartame and sucralose, are “zero calorie” because they cannot be digested by the human body. But these chemicals don’t just pass through your body with no effect. Artificial sugars confuse hormones and change your microbiome. A highprofile scientific article showed that artificial sugar consumption leads to metabolic syndromes like insulin resistance and diabetes.

Choose sweeteners that your body recognizes, like honey.

Vegetable Oils The Standard American Diet contains large amounts of unhealthy fats, mostly in the form of commercial vegetable oils. Many processed foods, ranging from store-bought cookies to salad dressing, contain these oils. Vegetable oils include safflower oil, corn oil, sunflower oil, soybean oil, and canola oil. These oils are considered processed because many high-heat and high-pressure steps, as well as chemical solvents, are required to create them.

Further, many of these oils are made from GMOs. For example, have you ever seen a canola plant? Canola oil, which has been touted as “heart healthy,” is derived from the Canadian rapeseed plant. Recognizing that “rape oil” was not a good marketing tactic, this invention was given a new name as a combination of “Canada” and “ola,” which means oil. Today, it is genetically modified by Monsanto to withstand saturation with Roundup herbicide.

In short, our bodies do not recognize vegetable oils, especially when they’re heated and distorted. Consuming vegetable oils sounds the alarm of inflammation. Processed vegetable oils have been linked to thyroid dysfunction, cardiovascular diseases, nutrient deficiencies, cancer, and psychiatric disorders like depression.

So What Do I Eat?!

I recommend that people give themselves two to four weeks to kick the sugar, gluten, and dairy habit. During this time, try nonGMO foods and healthier fats like olive oil and lard. People are amazed by how good they feel and how quickly their tastes change.

It can be overwhelming to try to overhaul your diet, and we’ve been led to seek quick and easy fixes. As someone who’s radically changed her diet and outlook on eating, I assure you that the deep commitment to yourself and your health is worth it.

When you remove these inflammatory foods, you can more easily tap into your intuition to properly nourish yourself.

~ Kelly Brogan, M.D. is a holistic psychiatrist, author of the NY Times bestselling book, A Mind of Your Own, Own Your Self, the children’s book A Time For Rain, and co-editor of the landmark textbook, Integrative Therapies for Depression. She completed her psychiatric training and fellowship at NYU Medical Center after graduating from Cornell University Medical College, and has a B.S. from M.I.T. in systems neuroscience. She is board certified in psychiatry, psychosomatic medicine, and integrative holistic medicine, and is specialized in a root-cause resolution approach to psychiatric syndromes and symptoms. For more information and article references go to www.kellybroganmd.com. www.OurBerkshireTimes.com | Fall / Winter 2019

33

Cistus Tea HEALTH BENEFITS OF CISTUS INCANUS (ROCK ROSE)

By Michael Van der Linden

H

ave you heard about Cistus tea? The Cistus incanus plant was the European Plant of the Year in 1999. It made headlines for its many health benefits. In 2010, Cistus tea made news again, this time for reducing the likelihood that regular drinkers would be bitten by mosquitoes and ticks.

Cistus is making waves in the healthy tea circles again this year, this time for its benefits in helping the body deal with retroviruses.

You’ll want to learn more about this fantastic Mediterranean plant and the equally fantastic tea you can make from it. Below, I’ll share some information about where this plant is sourced and why it’s so amazing.

What is Cistus Incanus?

Cistus incanus is an evergreen dwarf shrub herb in the family Cistaceae. It’s native to the arid Mediterranean region. The plant reaches one to three feet in height. The grey-green leaves are ovatelanceolate to elliptic, measuring ½ to 1 inch long. The branches and sometimes the leaves are hairy and sticky. The flowers have five petals, which are pink to purple and bloom for only one day.

Cistus Incanus Key Characteristics

Plants growing in the Mediterranean ecosystems endure multiple stressors and harsh conditions, such as drought, high sun exposure, and high temperatures. Mediterranean plants produce high levels of polyphenols to protect them against these stressors. Cistus incanus has the highest polyphenol content of any plant in Europe.

Cistus has also developed a symbiotic relationship with a root fungus. The fungus complements the root system in its task of absorbing water and minerals from the soil, thus allowing the host plant to dwell on particularly poor soils. It also helps Cistus fight off other fungi.

Cistus incanus is a source of polyphenols, proanthocyanadins, bioflavonoids, catechins, gallic acid, rutin, and other beneficial bioactive compounds. It makes a pleasant-tasting loose tea with a mild, floral-like flavor.

Cistus Incanus Traditional Uses

The traditional use of Cistus reaches back millennia. The Book of Genesis references the resin of cistus plants. Ancient traditional uses include treating colds, coughs, menstrual problems, and rheumatism. Cistus was used in ancient Greece as a wound healer and as a beauty product. In Moroccan traditional medicine, Cistus tea has long been used to maintain a healthy mouth and throat. In traditional herbal medicine, the leaves of Cistus have also been used to treat skin and inflammatory diseases.

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Cistus Incanus Therapeutic Uses

Recent scientific research has confirmed the validity of this traditional herbal knowledge. Studies have shown that Cistus leaf extracts have powerful antibacterial, antiviral, and biofilmbreaking qualities. Cistus has shown anti-fungal activity against Candida albicans, Candida krusei, Candida glabrata, and Aspergillus fumigatus.

Drink Cistus tea daily (about 2 cups a day) for at least a week in order to realize its biting insect-repellent effects.

Cistus incanus herb is rich in bioflavonoids and polyphenols.

Tea made from this herb ameliorates cold and flu symptoms in about two days after drinking the first cup.

In Europe, Cistus is widely used to fight germs, viruses, and fungi. It’s used externally to cleanse the skin and ameliorates eczema, acne, and psoriasis. You can create your very own herbal version of a powerful antidandruff shampoo by using a large batch of tea to wash your hair.

Cistus tea works well for oral cavity hygiene as well. You can use this tea as a mouthwash. The biofilm-busting activities of Cistus significantly reduce oral bacteria and leave your mouth feeling clean.

Interestingly, recent studies suggest that Cistus extract targets viral envelope proteins, preventing the primary attachment of the virus to host cells. This reduces the virulence and reproductive ability of the pathogen. Cistus may have even more verified uses in the future.

Best Cistus Tea Brew Method

Start with 13 grams of tea to 1 liter of water. Use filtered water with no mineral content, and control your water temperature so it’s not less than 167°F and not more than 194°F for 35 minutes.

That’s it! ~ Michael Van der Linden owns Linden Botanicals, which sells the world’s ten healthiest teas and extracts. His passion is plant-based health. Find valuable resources about our teas and the fundamentals of a healthy lifestyle at www.lindenbotanicals.com/blog. Visit our online store at https://www.lindenbotanicals.com/products/.

Editor’s note: Dietrich Klinghardt, MD, PhD, well known for his successful integrative medical approach to Lyme Disease and other forms of chronic illness, is a great advocate of Cistus tea. To watch a video of Dr. Klinghardt discussing the value of cistus tea, go to www.tinyurl.com/y2kc4ha4. To read more about his biological Lyme protocol that involves Cistus tea, go to www.tinyurl.com/yyjbt47u.

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35

WALDORF SALAD

(ORIGINAL RECIPE DID NOT CONTAIN WALNUTS)

WALDORF ASTORIA CIGAR COMPANY, 1903

FIRST WALDORF SCHOOL, 1919

100 Years of Waldorf: SALADS, CIGARETTES, AND SCHOOLS / By Stephen K. Sagarin, Ph.D.

Q: A:

What do Waldorf salads, the Waldorf-Astoria Cigarette Factory, and Waldorf schools have in common?

students, with large, parallel classes in all grades, and it added a high school almost immediately.

The Waldorf salad is named for the Waldorf Hotel, where it was first created. The Waldorf Hotel was built in 1893 in New York City by William Waldorf Astor. It later joined the nearby Astoria Hotel, built by John Jacob Astor IV, to form the WaldorfAstoria Hotel. John Jacob and William Waldorf were cousins.

“Waldorf ” is an anglicized spelling of Walldorf, original home of Johann Jakob Astor, wealthy founder of the Astor dynasty in the United States. With his partners, Emil Molt, director and part-owner of a cigarette manufacturing company, bought the rights to the name “The Waldorf Astoria Cigar Company” in 1905. These cigars had been “connected with” the Waldorf Astoria Hotel (I cannot discover what the connection was – licensing rights? proprietary?)

From that first school grew all other Waldorf or Steiner schools in the world, including Berkshire Waldorf High School in Stockbridge, MA, at which I teach, and others in the area – the Berkshire Waldorf School in Great Barrington, MA (grades 1-8; formerly the Great Barrington Rudolf Steiner School); the Hawthorne Valley School, Ghent, NY; Saratoga Waldorf School, Saratoga, NY; and Hartsbrook Waldorf School, Hadley, MA. There are approximately 120 Waldorf schools in the United States, and around 1200 in 60 nations worldwide, educating roughly 250,000 students.

During this period, Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925) matured and became known as an editor, writer, and lecturer. His work covered, among a dizzying array of topics, philosophy, “spirituality,” economics, architecture, agriculture, and education.

Following World War I, Molt, a man with a deep and sincere interest in Steiner’s work, asked Steiner what he could do to promote peace, justice, and social health. Steiner’s response was to agree that Molt found a school for the children of the workers in his factory. The workers told Molt, “It’s too late for us, but it’s not too late for our children.” (Couldn’t each generation say that of itself ?) Children educated according to the needs of the times and according to their own growing humanity could develop to avoid the rigid intellectualism, moral blindness, and lack of personal responsibility that had led the Western world to war.

The school opened on September 7, 1919, with more than 200 students in grades 1 through 8. Although he never formally taught there, Steiner became the director of this school, Die Freie Waldorfschule (Independent Waldorf School) in Stuttgart, Germany, an industrial city that is also home to Mercedes-Benz. He hired (and, when necessary, fired) the teachers, mentored and coached them, and gave three distinct teacher education courses for them.

The school had a kindergarten for less than one school year; the school closed it because it needed the space to add an additional first grade. And there were no further early childhood programs based on Steiner’s principles, ideals, and insights during the rest of Steiner’s life. The school grew quickly to more than 800 36

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(Note: Some schools that use Steiner’s principles and methods don’t wish to be associated with a cigarette factory – although this association has been attenuated over time – choosing to call themselves Steiner schools instead. Differences between Waldorf and Steiner schools are in name only.)

We may recall, however, that Steiner did not intend those who came after him to found schools, nor to found an alternative to other ways of teaching and learning. Steiner intended his work to transform education in the modern world for all children, everywhere. His educational ideals, principles, and methods were to be made available for all teachers, all parents, and all children who would welcome them and who would benefit from them.

These principles are broad and deep and allow for a variety of expressions. They include enthusiasm in teaching and learning; imagination and creativity in a foundational sense; interest in human existence and what makes us truly and individually human; appropriate protection of childhood; and the importance of reverence.

Their implementation is not without challenges – the world today is clearly not the world of 1919, and there are healthy tensions between the world that Steiner addressed and the world in which we now live, and between our world and the better world we imagine and for which we work. Creatively addressing these tensions is the hard, joyful work of teachers, administrators, parents, board members, and friends of any Waldorf school or any attempt to put Steiner’s ideas into practice. *** In 1919, Europe had been devastated by what we now call World

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War I but was then called the Great War or the War to End All Wars. In Germany, England, and France, roughly one in six young men had died. Died from rifle and machine gun fire, from explosive shells, from poison gas, and from infection. And half of all young men of this generation from these nations – many, many millions of young men – suffered grievous injuries and wounds, to their bodies and to their souls.

The war started, we are told, because in 1914 a Serbian nationalist assassinated the heir to the throne of the AustroHungarian Empire, one of the last of the European empires.

Because of secret alliances and rigid mobilization and battle plans, the machinery of war began to grind.

Steiner, as what we now call a public intellectual, traveled all over Germany, speaking to as many of those with power and influence as he could, trying to convince them of a path that would not lead to war.

He failed. And war ensued.

Germany was not more guilty of promoting or prosecuting the war than were France or England or Russia. But, because Germany occupied the trenches opposite the victors, and because the German battle plan in 1914 called for aggression, Germany was judged guilty and held accountable. You may be surprised to know that Germany made the last payment on its war debt for World War I only in 2010, on the 20th anniversary of the reunification of Germany.

Germany ended World War I impoverished, humiliated, and in debt. It suffered hyperinflation followed by the worldwide depression of the 1920s and 1930s. All this laid a firm foundation for the rise of national socialism, the rise of Adolf Hitler, and the actions that led to World War II and the further devastation of central Europe.

Waldorf School in Stuttgart, we may remember and thank Rudolf Steiner for his work. We may also thank Emil Molt; we may thank the workers at the Waldorf Astoria Cigarette Factory. And, finally, we may remember and thank the cigarette factory workers’ children.

Not many in the industrialized world are humbler than a cigarette factory worker’s child in Germany after World War I. Some had no shoes. The youngest had never known a world not at war. Most had never tasted chocolate. Molt made sure to give all students a piece of chocolate as they entered the building on that very first day of their new school. ~ Stephen Keith Sagarin, Ph.D., is executive director & faculty chair of Berkshire Waldorf High School, Stockbridge, MA, and associate professor at Sunbridge Institute, NY. He is author of The Story of Waldorf Education in the United States: Past, Present, and Future, and former editor of the Research Bulletin of the Research Institute for Waldorf Education. Stephen has a Ph.D. in history from Columbia University and an A.B. in art history and fine art from Princeton University. He has been a Waldorf teacher for more than 30 years. His blog, “What is Education?” may be found at ssagarin.blogspot.com.

Berkshire Waldorf High School

Steiner did not despair. He spent the war mostly in Switzerland, a neutral nation, working with persons from many nations, including those that were at war against each other, and including visitors from the United States, which didn’t enter the war until 1917.

Together, they built the Goetheanum, a meeting and performance center that was and is at the architectural heart of Steiner’s work.

Steiner also turned his efforts toward implementation of a threefold or tripartite social organization or, as he called it, a social organism. He described this by applying the apparently contradictory ideals of the French Revolution – liberty, equality, fraternity (solidarity) – to human social lives. Our cultural lives, which Steiner also called our spiritual lives, should be led in freedom; our political lives should be structured according to a principle of equality; and our economic interdependence should find expression in solidarity. Molt hoped, in creating the Waldorf school, to bring such a balance to the world.

Small School.

Big World.

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When Someone Believes in You

By K. Meagan Ledendecker

I

’ve never considered myself a swimmer. Twenty years ago, I struggled to do laps in the pool. I couldn’t catch my breath; constantly felt like I was fighting the water. I found any excuse I could to avoid parts of the workout: bathroom breaks, talking to people in my lane, stretching.

I was getting better at swimming, but it wasn’t until I felt like someone really saw me, believed in me, and then shared that belief, that I began to soar. Not only has my confidence skyrocketed and my motivation increased, I have become more resilient when facing challenge or struggle.

When I observe in a classroom, I often see students engaged in this kind of struggle or avoidance. Like me in the pool lane twenty years ago, they are hopping up a lot to use the bathroom, or always needing to sharpen a pencil, talking instead of focusing, or regularly finding something else to do instead of tackling the challenge at hand.

Think about a time when someone really believed in you. And told you so. How did you feel? How did it change you?

With some encouragement and support, these children make progress. They learn some focus. They master some skills. They improve.

I’ve been thinking a lot about how to help others feel this kind of success. One step that’s pretty simple – I spend a lot more time being sure that the young people in my life know that I believe in them completely.

Over the past year I’ve been working incredibly hard to become a better swimmer. I’ve been swimming multiple times a week.

I’ve watched videos to hone my stroke. I’ve stepped outside my comfort zone to swim in open water. I have improved.

Sometimes I kneel down, look deeply into a child’s eyes, and communicate the belief directly: “You are really mastering multiplication. You must be feeling like a true mathematician.”

Sometimes I’ll make sure someone overhears me talking about that belief: “At some point, she’ll be ready to sweep up after herself. I know she’ll get there. Right now, let’s help clean up the space together.” Sometimes I’ll celebrate with others: “Look at how well these two have cooperated this morning! They found so many ways to work together. Let’s acknowledge their good work!

They are collaborators!”

Then something happened that I couldn’t have foreseen.

Something that helped me thrive.

My hope is that I can help young people move from just getting better, to feeling like they can find personal success.

I decided to take a few open water swim clinics to learn some techniques, like sighting to swim straight, or at the very least just to feel more comfortable in a lake.

I’m still not a great swimmer by any means, but whenever I start to doubt myself or feel old tensions creeping in, I hear the instructor’s words. I remember that someone believes in me. The result? I believe more fully in myself.

But I’m beginning to think that it takes a little something more to really flourish.

The clinic instructor was a character, a little rough around the edges and unpredictable at first, but he clearly loved open water swimming and wanted to help others do the same. So I came back.

In just a few sessions, I felt like the instructor really saw me. He could translate how my approach to swimming was relevant to my approach to life. Feeling seen was incredible. Then, as if that weren’t enough, he made a comment – the essence of which will stay with me for life. He said I was made for moving through water.

In that small, perhaps even off-hand statement, I felt like he believed in my ability. And it changed me.

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Remember a time that someone believed in you. Cherish that moment. Then together let’s help the young (and seasoned) in our lives believe in themselves, too. ~ As cofounder of The Montessori School of the Berkshires and long-time educator, Meagan loves to find herself in the role of novice so she can reconnect with the experience of learning something completely new. www.berkshiremontessori.org

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