Our BerkshireTimes Magazine, Holiday 2018

Holiday 2018, vol 51

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

Cover Art by Elisabeth Ladwig / www.elisabethonearth.com Vist us at www.ourberkshiretimes.com

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Holiday 2018

Our BerkshireTimes™ PUBLISHERS Kathy I. Regan publisher@ourberkshiretimes.com

Contents 4

LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHERS UPCOMING EVENTS

Kevin J. Regan kevin@ourberkshiretimes.com _______________ EDITORIAL Kathy I. Regan editor@ourberkshiretimes.com Proofreader Rodelinde Albrecht rodelinde@gmail.com _______________

art, culture & entertainment

ELISABETH LADWIG

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food & drink STUFFED BREAD & THE GIVING TREE STUFFED HOLIDAY BREAD RECIPE CHALLAH BREAD PUDDING

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home & garden DIY HOLIDAY CRAFT IDEAS NATURE MATTERS

DESIGN Magazine Design/Layout Kathy I. Regan Brianna I. Regan _______________

BERKSHIRE FABRIC & WALLPAPER IT’S NEVER TOO EARLY TO PLAN FOR SPRING

TO ADVERTISE CONTACT Account Representatives Kevin J. Regan kevin@ourberkshiretimes.com

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holiday gift guide

Debra Johnson mickschix2@aol.com

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health & wellness

Nina Anderson safe@bcn.net _______________ Our BerkshireTimes is a division of Visionary Group Unlimited P.O. Box 133, Housatonic, MA 01236 Phone: (413) 274-1122 advertise@ourberkshiretimes.com

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animal talk THE GIFT OF KNOWLEDGE

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NATURAL TIPS FOR BOOSTING YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM LEMON & GARLIC EXTRACTS

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education & workshops FACING FRUSTRATION

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fun things to do this winter SOMETHING DIFFERENT FOR THE HOLIDAYS

COVER ILLUSTRATION

Imagine by Elisabeth Ladwig www.elisabethonearth.com Elisabeth Ladwig is a photographic artist living 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 Our BerkshireTimes magazine.

BUSINESS SPOTLIGHTS

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featured advertisers

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ON THE COVER - Imagine, is printed on museum-grade, textured fine art paper (100 percent rag archival) with Canon IPF Pro-2000 and 11 color Lucia Pro pigment inks that ensure visibility of the smallest details, and colors that appear as fresh as day one, even after 100 years. Prints available framed and unframed in various sizes at www.elisabethonearth.com.

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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Happy Holidays!

2018 marks the 10-year anniversary of Our BerkshireTimes magazine. As the year comes to a close, we would like to take this time to extend our thanks and sincere appreciation to you, our readers, and to our advertisers, contributors, account representatives, and proofreader who have helped make this vibrant living, community-focused publication possible. Your kind words throughout the years have meant more to us than you know.

In 2019 we will be making some significant changes. Our print publication will be transitioning from a bimonthly to a biyearly magazine (look for new issues in April and October), and in addition we will be adding some very exciting online services. Please join our mailing list through our website at www.ourberkshiretimes.com to stay in touch and learn more.

Warm wishes, Kathy, Kevin & Brianna Regan Publishers, Our BerkshireTimes

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Holiday 2018 | www.OurBerkshireTimes.com

art, culture & entertainment

Explore the Berkshires AND BEYOND - FUN THINGS TO DO!

Berkshire Museum’s Festival of Trees When: November 17, 2018, through January 6, 2019 Where: Berkshire Museum, 39 South Street (Route 7), Pittsfield, MA Cost: $13 adult, $6 child, free for children 3 and under and members Festival of Trees 2018: “Often Heard” will challenge participants to interpret their favorite music in their tree decorations: this year’s Festival will feature more than 100 dazzling, decorated holiday trees, each one depicting a popular song. From hip-hop to doo-wop, blues and jazz to pop, country, and rock. www.berkshiremuseum.org

Lenox Santa Pub Crawl When: Friday, December 7, 2018, 8-11pm Where: Town of Lenox, MA. Pick up your Santa hats, wristbands, and schedules at the Lenox Visitors Center, 4 Housatonic St, Lenox, MA at 8pm.

Cost: $20 Your ticket grants you entrance to exclusive holiday parties at your favorite Lenox watering holes, including drink specials, food, live music, and a number of contests and games. A portion of each ticket sale will go to the Lenox Council on Aging’s new HINT2/Help I Need Transportation Too program. This year, the crawl is bigger than ever with Bistro Zinc, Frankie’s Italian Ristorante, The Gateways Inn & Restaurant, Bagel & Brew, Prime, Firefly Gastropub & Catering Company, and The Old Heritage Tavern on the roster! This event sells out every year, so be sure to buy your tickets early – we are not guaranteeing tickets the night of the event. www.lenox.org

Holiday Shop, Sip & Stroll When: Saturday, December 8, 2018, 3-8pm Where: Downtown Great Barrington Cost: Free Join downtown Great Barrington for their annual Holiday Shop, Sip & Stroll. Holiday fun will include a central bonfire, holiday music, face painting, a food court, raffles, fireworks, Santa, and more.

Green Arts Workshop: Winter Wonder Lanterns When: Saturday, December 13, 2018, 5:30pm Where: Berkshire Co-op, 42 Bridge Street, Great Barrington, MA Cost: $10 for Co-op owners, $15 for nonowners Discover how to depict your favorite moments of the season through light, shadow, color, and shape. Handmade from a mason jar and other

discarded objects, your glowing lantern will be a unique artwork lighting up your cold winter nights. Registration is required. Please pay and sign up in advance at Berkshire Food Co-op. (413) 528-9697, community@ berkshire.coop, www.berkshire.coop

The Elf Express™ When: Saturday, December 15, and Sunday, December 16, 2018 Where: r. k. Miles Depot Station, 670 Depot Street, Manchester Center, VT Cost: $25 Adults (13 and over), $20 kids (2-12), free under 2 (lap rider) This whimsical holiday train will take its riders on an enchanting one-hour journey through the Green Mountains of Southern Vermont. Passengers will be entertained with holiday melodies and dance routines by the elves of the theater and dance program of Burr and Burton Academy under the direction of Broadway and Hollywood song-and-dance man Jim Raposa.

Refreshments will be served on decorated trains. Hear a special story about Christopher Pop-In-Kins, who will also be hidden on every train in the greenery peeking to see who’s been naughty and nice! Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus will make a surprise visit to provide every child with a special gift. www.manchesterlionselftrain.com

Winterlights When: Saturday, December 22, 2018. Entrance to the gardens is ticketed in 15-minute increments between 5 and 8pm.

Where: Naumkeag, 5 Prospect Hill Road, Stockbridge, MA Cost: Members: $12, nonmembers: $17, children 12 and under: free This holiday season, the gardens at the historic home of Naumkeag in Stockbridge will sparkle with thousands of shimmering holiday lights. Each weekend throughout the holiday season (Thursday to Sunday evenings through December 30) will feature performances and activities for the whole family, from the young to the young at heart. Saturday, December 22 features a living nativity, Santa makes a visit for pictures, and a guided full moon solstice walk. Don your coats, pull on your boots, and join us for a new family tradition! naumkeag@thetrustees.org, www.thetrustees.org/winterlights

Winter Fest When: Saturday, January 26, 2019, 9am-12pm Where: The Montessori School of the Berkshires, 21 Patterson Road, Lenox Dale, MA Cost: Free!

Join us for a fun-filled morning of arts and crafts, games, hot cocoa, and more, at our annual Winter Fest open house. This is a great way to see the school, meet the teachers, and hear from current parents about their child’s experiences at The Montessori School of the Berkshires. (413) 637-3662, kehr@berkshiremontessori.org, www.berkshiremontessori.org www.OurBerkshireTimes.com | Holiday 2018

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Elisabeth Ladwig

OUR BERKSHIRETIMES MAGAZINE'S HOLIDAY 2018 COVER ARTIST

Bare Bones of Winter by Elisabeth Ladwig symbolizes that In the winter, when everything is bare, the evergreens remind us that the Earth is still alive, that warmer weather will return.

Elisabeth’s book, Elisabeth on Earth: Beyond the Lens of a Photographic Artist, slows the shutter to shed light on the artist’s creative process and inspiration behind the works. It includes behind-the-scenes photos, original sketches, artistic challenges, and personal journeys through 44 color plates.

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Titled after the song by John Lennon, Our BerkshireTimes magazine’s Holiday 2018 cover art, Imagine, is available in four sizes on museum-grade watercolor paper.

magine . . . Gazing into her crystal ball, she sees the world. Just as the Earth is rejuvenated over the course of its winter rest, she imagines a world that has been cleansed. She imagines a world in which the ego is extinguished by the humility and compassion in people’s hearts. She imagines a world in which people’s judgments are no match for the undying curiosity and excitement to learn and share their differences, instead of feeling threatened by them. As the crisp winter air flows through her being, a world without war unfolds before her, because there is no longer a need. Imagine raising our children differently, guiding them to create a world in which the entire human race is on the same team. Imagine a world in which there is no “us,” and there is no “them.” Will you imagine with me? ~ Elisabeth Ladwig Elisabeth Ladwig is an award-winning photographic artist whose work explores modern surrealism. A grade-school revelation connecting science, nature, and magic fuels her creations: the idea that all of life’s mysteries fall within the parameters of scientific explanation, that science abides by the Laws of Nature, and that all of it is magical. Comprising original photographs, her images bring to life layered metaphors for the relationship between humankind and Mother Nature. “The Universe encourages us to listen, even when it’s not something we want to hear,” Elisabeth says.

“No matter what that message is, there is always an opportunity for expansion.”

Once an idea is born in her sketchbook, 6

Elisabeth sets out to take the photographs she needs to create the image. She cuts and pastes the pieces of the puzzle digitally, blending colors and light for a contiguous image – a photograph that cannot be photographed. All 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,” she says, “and that story is going to be different for everyone.”

This year, Elisabeth’s work has appeared in exhibitions in ten states across the country, and is on view year-round at The Wit Gallery in Lenox, MA. Our cover image, Imagine, is one of her 2018 works. www.elisabethonearth.com

Holiday 2018 | www.OurBerkshireTimes.com

art, culture & entertainment

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A Whimsical Holiday Train is arriving in Manchester, VT December 15th & 16th The Elf Express™ ● Holiday

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To purchase tickets go to www.ManchesterLionsElfTrain.com Online sales end 12/12 at 6pm. www.OurBerkshireTimes.com | Holiday 2018

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Our Food System: AN INVISIBLE FORM OF OPPRESSION

By Mark Hyman, MD

Stuffed Bread and the Giving Tree HAPPINESS SPREADS EASILY IF YOU LET IT / By Michael Romano

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t was two decades or so ago when I found myself working at a small residential treatment center and school for behaviorally challenged kids. The coed center was operated every day, 24/7 including holidays, and the students’ ages ranged from six to twenty years.

It was a diverse group, and every major religion was represented in the population. Most of the kids came from an inner city somewhere but they had different backgrounds and presented different problems.

A lot of the students went home for the holidays but some of them had no place to go so they spent the respite at the school. At times it was pretty rough on them, but every attempt was made to make sure the kids were well taken care of and as happy as possible. Program money was set aside for the staff to purchase gifts, and activities were planned, on and off campus, for all age groups.

Each year the staff discussed ways to improve the holiday feeling, and we came up with something that was missing from the program – the spirit of giving! So many of the kids had no idea how important and wonderful the act of giving was. So, we decided we would create a program within a program to try and teach our students how to give to others by baking and raising money with bake sales to help local kids who had even less than they did.

Back then there was a Kmart in town, and right after Thanksgiving a big artificial tree called the Giving Tree was put up in the entrance of the store. On it among the decorations were tags with the first names of needy local children along with their gender, age, and wish list. The tags were attached to the branches of tree with scotch tape and there were a lot of them to pick from. We grabbed six of those tags, one for each team of the campus group homes. We focused on buying for younger kids because they were easier and less expensive to buy for.

Since I had a background in cooking I wrote a program proposal for baking ingredients, and we got permission from the school to use the kitchen and ovens after dinner was cooked and served.

After cleanup, staff and students set up shop and started making assorted cookies, brownies, coffee cakes, fruit cakes, cupcakes, tarts, and the anchor for the whole program . . . stuffed breads!

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Holiday 2018 | www.OurBerkshireTimes.com

The stuffed breads were a calzone-like item except we used bread dough rather than pizza dough. We made three different kinds: pepperoni bread with mozzarella and Romano cheese; spinach bread with spinach, cheddar, and feta; and four cheese bread with cheddar, feta, mozzarella, and Romano. We started with fifty pounds of bread dough and we taught the kids how to cut, stretch, fill, and roll the dough. We then let the dough rise for an hour before putting it into the big ovens.

The kids and staff were covered in flour, but you could still see the big smiles when the first batch of browned bread was pulled fresh from the ovens. The smell was incredible and delicious! But that also created a problem . . . the staff on duty started buying the hot breads the second they came out of the oven and soon they had decimated our stock that we needed for the bake sale, so we were forced to bake more. But it was a labor of love. We made 100 of them!

The time came for the bake sale. Kmart heard what we were doing for the local children and allowed us to set up shop in the foyer of their store. We arrived with tables and boxes of baked goods and brought some of the older students who had good people skills. Sales were brisk with the stuffed breads selling very quickly, but the cookies, cakes, and brownies did well also.

The students did a great job of engaging the public and even got some donations. When it was time to go we had sold most of everything, and the leftover products were sold to staff and students back on campus. We made $475.

We divided the money among the teams, and with tags in hand each team went shopping at Kmart for their chosen child. They were excited to do something nice. All gifts were left anonymously, unwrapped with the tag attached. On the delivery van ride there and back you could tell by the smiles and chatter that the students felt proud – they had earned the right to feel good about themselves and staff was proud of them too. We had all done something good and the recipients would never know who their benefactor was.

There was enough money left to add to our own school kids’ present fund and a surprise pizza party was held for everyone.

The program within a program was a success. The students learned a lesson about giving and making a difference to others through a bunch of stuffed breads and a giving tree. Happiness spreads easily if you let it. ~ Michael Romano, Great Barrington, MA

food & drink

Stuffed Holiday Bread

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y grandmother’s bread recipe was epic, easy to make, and filled her house with a wonderful aroma. She would make bread almost every day, and did so until just before she passed at 93 years old. Friends and relatives stopped by at all times of day to have her famous bread, toasted and served with her fresh coffee along with charming conversation. Grandma was a great cook and a beautiful person – a nice combination. She would have been tickled that we still use her recipe. She made large batches of her bread because of the high demand, but following is a smaller, foolproof version that can be made as is or stuffed with the fillings of your choice.

Ingredients 1 teaspoon sugar 3 ounces warm water (100°-110°F) 2 packets active dry yeast (¼ ounce each) 6 cups all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon sugar 2 tablespoons salt

1 tablespoon butter or shortening, softened 2 cups warm water 2 tablespoons olive oil Salt and pepper Choice of stuffing, such as cheese, spinach, pepperoni, or anything else that suits your fancy!

Instructions for Plain Bread Add the sugar to the warm water in a small bowl. Dissolve the yeast in the water and let stand 10 minutes. In a large bowl, combine half of the flour and the remaining dry ingredients; mix well. Then add the yeast mixture and stir in the rest of the flour, butter, and water.

Mix until a soft dough is formed.

Scrape the dough from the bowl onto a floured surface and knead until sticky and pliable. Lightly oil the bowl and replace dough into it, turning it once to cover the entire surface with oil. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and let it sit undisturbed for an hour (until the dough rises to approximately twice its size).

Punch the dough down (my favorite part) and turn onto a floured cutting board. Divide dough in half, shape each into a loaf, and place into two greased 9x5-inch loaf pans. Cover loaf pans and let rise again for 40 minutes, then place in a preheated 375°F oven and bake for 25 minutes until brown. At this point, before pulling the bread from oven, my grandmother would use a brush to paint each loaf with olive oil and sprinkle it with salt and pepper for a great taste. Cool for 15 minutes before cutting. (If you don’t have time to bake from scratch, you can a few pounds of frozen bread dough, thaw, and let rise. A pound of plain bread dough will make about three loaves of bread).

Instructions for Stuffing the Bread You can use just about anything for stuffing your bread – whatever tickles your fancy – as long as it fits into the rolled dough and is not too moist. We created three simple savoury stuffing mixtures for the bake sale (rough proportions below) but feel free to get more creative if you wish, possibly even using fruit, nuts, or other sweet fillings to create a dessert bread.

After your dough has risen for the first time, been punched down, and divided into loaf portions, place it on a floured surface and stretch each loaf into a roundish shape about 12 inches in diameter. Then choose your stuffing.

● For spinach stuffing you can use a thawed 10-ounce package of cut spinach, well squeezed and drained. Mix with enough shredded mozzarella, Parmesan, and feta until stiff enough to be scooped as stuffing. Make sure mix is squeezed dry so it doesn’t ruin the dough with too much moisture. Place two scoops of mix on the flattened dough and sprinkle with a dash of salt and pepper. ● The pepperoni and cheese stuffed breads are easily made using the same roll-up procedure, except we found that fresh pepperoni leaks grease when baked, so you should prebake the slices in paper towels for 15 minutes. Coat the flattened dough with ¼ cup of pepperoni and liberally cover it with shredded mozzarella and Parmesan. ● The four cheese mixture is the easiest. Using shredded cheddar, mozzarella, Parmesan, and drained crumbled feta, simply mix the cheeses well and place two good-size scoops onto the dough.

After you have placed your choice of stuffing mix from end to end in the middle of each loaf of dough, roll up and seal the dough ends together with a few drops of water. Place the loaves on a lightly greased and floured sheet pan about 5 inches apart. Cover loaves with a moist towel and let rise for 40 minutes (until about double in size). Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until browned, and brush a thin layer of butter or olive oil onto the hot loaf and sprinkle with a dash of salt. If you can wait a half hour before eating, you have more will power than I do!

The only problem I have found is that when the loaves are served there are seldom any leftovers. But, that may be a good thing. Have fun with it! ~ Michael Romano, Great Barrington, MA

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Challah Bread Pudding with Fruit & Crystallized Ginger

By Guido’s Fresh Marketplace

A

comforting, custardy, raisin-studded pudding that creates its own luscious caramel syrup. Truly a dish worthy of any Hanukkah or other celebration. This recipe is from Eating Well Magazine and has been adapted by local dietitian Rachel Alves, Guido’s Fresh Marketplace. Serves eight.

Ingredients 2½ cup low-fat milk 4 large eggs ½ cup sugar, divided 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ½ teaspoon grated lemon zest

⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg ⅛ teaspoon ground ginger 4 cups cubed challah (about 4-6 slices) 2 tablespoons golden raisins

¼ cup crystallized ginger, chopped 1 teaspoon butter, softened 2 tablespoons butter 2 ripe pears, peeled and cored 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions Preheat oven to 350◦F. Warm milk in a medium saucepan over medium low heat. Stir until steaming (4 to 6 minutes). Whisk eggs thoroughly in a large bowl; gradually whisk in ¼ cup sugar. Slowly whisk in the hot milk until blended, followed by vanilla, lemon zest, nutmeg, and ginger. Add challah, raisins, and crystallized ginger to milk mixture; fold together. Press down lightly, cover with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature.

Butter bottom and sides of round 2-quart baking dish with 1 teaspoon butter. Put a kettle of water on to boil. Cut each pear half lengthwise into four slices. Place in a medium bowl and toss with lemon juice.

Warm a medium skillet over low heat, add the 2 tablespoons butter; swirl until melted and foam subsides. Sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup sugar; arrange pear slices on their sides in an even layer.

Increase heat to medium low. Without stirring, let pears begin to brown and sauce to caramelize, about 10 minutes. Do not allow to burn. Take pan off heat; carefully turn pear slices over and return to cook until sauce is golden (2 to 4 minutes more).

Transfer pears one by one to baking dish, arranging decoratively in a circle. Scrape any remaining syrup over pears.

Set baking dish in larger, shallow baking pan. Cover pears with bread and custard mixture; press down on bread until submerged.

Place pan in oven; add the boiling water to shallow baking pan until it is halfway up sides of baking dish.

Bake until pudding is browned on top and set in center, 1 to 1½ hours. Remove from oven; transfer to wire rack. Let cool for 45 minutes or more. To serve, run a knife around edge of pudding.

Place serving platter over dish, invert to place pudding on platter.

Serve warm or chilled.

Make-ahead tip: Cover and refrigerate up to one day. ~ Guido’s Fresh Marketplace, www.guidosfreshmarketplace.com

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Holiday 2018 | www.OurBerkshireTimes.com

food & drink

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DIY Holiday Craft Ideas

GET CREATIVE AND GET INTO THE HOLIDAY SPIRIT!

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Make pretty fruit cup holders – cut oranges in half, scoop clean, decorate with cloves, and fill. Hint: Berkshire Food Co-op (see ad page 11) sells herbs in bulk.

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Buttons come in every size, shape, and color – in plain or bling. Perfect for adorning ornaments, purses, pillows, and more. Hint: We heard Spin-off Yarn Shop (see ad page 7) has an amazing selection of buttons.

3

Use string lights in creative ways (like fairies in a jar!) to add magic to the holidays. Hint: Jaeschke’s Orchard’s garland (see ad page 13) is just right for decorating.

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Have yourself a mini little Christmas – Decorate a mini tree and surround with mini (real), colorfully wrapped presents. Hint: A gift from Zabian’s Jewelers (see ad page 17) is the perfect “small” way to go big!

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Holiday 2018 | www.OurBerkshireTimes.com

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Kids of all ages never grow tired of making gingerbread houses. Hint: Need a new oven for baking? Visit Alliance Appliance (see ad page 13) – you deserve it!

6

Create a village down to the last detail with diminutive buildings, people, plants, and an operating model train.

Hint: Find train supplies at Hobby World (see ad page 7).

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Winter is a beautiful time of year, but it can feel long, especially for gardeners. Bring the outdoors in by creating a terrarium with lush plants. Add a porcelain animal figurine to create a wildlife scene, or create a beach theme!

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For a special touch, tie presents with twine, dried herbs, and add a drop of essential oil. Hint: Find a handcrafted gift at Mountain Goat Artisans (see ad page 13).

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www.OurBerkshireTimes.com | Holiday 2018

13

Nature Matters CONSERVATION & PRESERVATION AT ITS BEST / By Helen Ward

A

red-tailed hawk perched on a little stand in the kitchen looks at Jen Leahey with imploring brown eye as if he were a puppy asking for a treat. “You just had two mice, you’re good,” she says, as a skunk named Kenny potters about the room looking for doors to open and bags to explore. Interconnectedness is the major theme underlying Nature Matters, the nonprofit organization run by Jen Leahey out of Leahey Farm in Lee, MA. And from the crew in the kitchen, which also includes a tangerine-colored corn snake and a skink, her work is obviously connected to her home life.

According to Leahey, “The aim of the organization [launched in September 2017] is to have people interact with animals and the outdoors so they become aware of the importance of conservation and preservation, of the local landscape, and the animals that live in it. The only hope nature has is that we accept it and meet in the middle to foster connectivity and conservation.”

Nature Matters is uniquely situated to offer this experience.

Much of Leahey’s work involves lecturing at schools and local institutions (such as the Berkshire Humane Society) throughout the county with a few of her animals in tow. However, its home base is Leahey Farm, an organic dairy (active since 1889) on three hundred acres that encompass deep woods, edge habitat at the border of October Mountain, and open fields where the dairy cows graze and where most of the featured animals – owls, gray foxes, turtles, a potbellied pig, and others – live alongside the livestock in enclosures or stalls in the Starline red barn.

Leahey describes the traditional family farm as one component in an ecosystem intended to act as a balancing point between the wildlife of deep woods and edge habitat animals. “Wildlife has often been seen as a nuisance, but it’s really the farmer’s job 14

Holiday 2018 | www.OurBerkshireTimes.com

through good husbandry to protect livestock while allowing coexistence with neighboring wild species.”

Leahey tries to bring this home to her audience using animals to tell the story. All of her wildlife ambassadors were either captiveborn or had been injured, usually through some interaction with humans, and in both cases unreleasable. Local wildlife rehabilitator Dawn Collins and Julie Shanahan, DVM, have helped place animals unable to fend for themselves in the wild with Nature Matters. Most of the exhibits are native wildlife of Massachusetts, but a few of them are from out of town, such as the skink and a pair of South American tortoises – pets whose owners could no longer care from them.

Leahey, a graduate of University of Massachusetts Boston with a major in English specializing in education, has been working with animals her whole life – as a veterinarian’s assistant, a stable hand, and a pet groomer while still a teenager. After college, she entered the museum world via the Museum of Science in Boston as an administrative assistant. “It was a good job, but not where I really wanted to be. I kept wandering over to the Live Animal Center whenever I could.” At that time the associate curator Lew Stevens was working on his own there except for volunteer high school students; only a few months later, Leahey made the leap to assistant curator.

Leahey regards Stevens as her mentor and is fond of quoting his observation that “whatever you’ve read about animals, they’ve always read something different.” She notes that despite being representatives of their species, all the creatures she encounters have their own characters. “Even the hedgehogs have their own little personalities,” she says, referring to Mocha and Luna who have a cozy home in her living room.

“I loved working with animals, the public, and kids,” Leahey says of

home & garden

her days at the museum. “But there I was working in a basement in the middle of the city. I wanted to be somewhere rural.”

Quality since 1988 Licensed and insured

This longing led Leahey to a farrier school in California and then eventually back to Massachusetts and Old Sturbridge Village, where she was coordinator of farms for several years.

Dressed in period clothing, she milked cows by hand, skimmed butter, and plowed with oxen. From there she met and married Phil Leahey and they have been farming the last ten years while raising their two kids, Brenna and Thomas.

Leahey says she always knew she wanted to get back to educating the public about wildlife, and the time was ripe for Nature Matters. With her kids now in school and the bottling process for the milk outsourced, she has more time and space.

And the livestock combined with the wildlife allows her to fuse her experience as a farmer and a wildlife educator.

“I love to see the curiosity and excitement both adults and kids have with the animals,” Leahey says. “I’m not fond of just standing in front of a group and lecturing. I want this to be a hands-on experience.” To that end her animals are brought to libraries, schools, and on field trips, and visitors travel up to the farm.

She describes some of these hands-on experiences as the highlights of her work. Recently a troubled teenage boy made a connection with her rather aloof piebald horse. “Patch put his head on the boy’s shoulder and just let him cradle him. He doesn’t even let me do that.” And she describes how one girl overcame her fear of snakes . . . Over the course of several visits the girl came into closer proximity to Darla, the corn snake, until she declared, “today’s the day I’m going to touch the snake.” She took the plunge and finally made contact with Darla, exclaiming, “Hey, that wasn’t so bad!”

“I want people to see living beings like snakes aren’t just creepy,” Leahey says, pointing out that Darla’s species has been vital for controlling rodent populations in farms. “And to open a door to let them know more about all these creatures. Unless you instill that empathy no one’s going to bother to care.”

Basically, Leahey just wants everyone to know that nature matters. ~ Helen Ward is a freelance writer who lives in Berkshire County. Her work has appeared in New York Magazine, The Berkshire Eagle, and Marathon and Beyond. She is also a physical therapist assistant at Adams Physical Therapy. Nature Matters can be contacted at naturemattersinc@gmail. com, and through www.naturemattersinc.org and www.facebook.com/ naturemattersinc.

` Photos (inset from left to right): Bonding with hedgehog and ducks by Helen Ward, Kenny meets the public by Elizabeth Filkins, Jen with Hawk

by Mark Thorne, Mocha the hedgehog by Helen Ward, Jen with Kenny and kids (Thomas Leahey, Ava Lopez, and Brenna Leahey) by Helen Ward.

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www.OurBerkshireTimes.com | Holiday 2018

15

home & garden

Berkshire Fabric & Wallpaper

“From reupholstery to windows to walls ...we have you covered.”

W

hat started out as a weekend drive through the country ended up as a new career for Donna and David Gopfert of Sturbridge, MA, and a wonderful asset to home decorators throughout Berkshire County (professionals and do-it-yourselfers alike). Donna was an online retailer and Dave was a retired executive from Dunn and Bradstreet. But on that day in 2003, Donna and Dave discovered and purchased the inventory of the Old Stone Mill Wallpaper Outlet in Adams, MA, and their new career journey began with Berkshire Fabric & Wallpaper.

Q: Donna, please describe what you do.

A: We offer personalized home decor services and products that help turn your house into a home.

Q: Tell us more about how Berkshire Fabric & Wallpaper got started.

A: Our first store opened in North Adams. It was then called Berkshire Fabric & Wallpaper Outlet. It wasn’t long before we outgrew that space, so in 2006 we moved our still fledgling business to the Allendale Shopping Center in Pittsfield, MA. This move brought custom sewing and upholstery and special order wallpaper into the mix. Finally, in 2013, another move was necessary to accommodate the growing number of customers from Northern and Southern Berkshire County. 274 Wahconah Street in Pittsfield would become, and still is, the home of Berkshire Fabric & Wallpaper. With every move we added a new service – this time we added the most complete and comprehensive line of window treatments available in the county along with specialty fabric lines.

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Holiday 2018 | www.OurBerkshireTimes.com

Q: What specifically do you offer?

A: Berkshire Fabric & Wallpaper offers one-stop shopping for

your home from shades, blinds, and shutters for your windows to custom-made draperies, bedding, window seats, and patio cushions, along with top-of-the-line reupholstery services.

Q: What is your philosophy?

A: From the very beginning, Dave and I decided to offer only

the finest products and services. Products that we are proud to sell and our customers are even prouder to own – famous brands known for their quality like Hunter Douglas, Graber, Comfortex, Norman International, P Kaufmann, Covington, Robert Allen, Stout Brothers, Duralee, RM COCO, Norbar Fabrics, and Greenhouse Fabrics, to name just a few.

Q: How can our readers find you?

A: Berkshire Fabric & Wallpaper is conveniently located at 274 Wahconah Street in the heart of Pittsfield. We are open daily, 10am until 5pm, Saturdays 10am until 4pm, and always by appointment.

You can visit in person, call (413) 442-4420, or view our website at www.berkshirefabricwallpaper.com.

We are also on Facebook, where you can see a larger portfolio of our work. And when you visit, make sure to ask to meet our store kitties, Remy, Zane, and Zoe. They just love making new friends!

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Allow us to demonstrate our commitment to excellence! We encourage you to browse our online inventory, schedule a test drive, and investigate financing options.

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www.berkshirefabricwallpaper.com www.OurBerkshireTimes.com | Holiday 2018

17

home & garden

BEFORE

It’s Never Too Early to Plan for Spring! / By Michael Giannamore

T

he swimming season in the Northeast is, in many people’s opinions, short. Although one can add features that can significantly extend the season (heaters, attached spas, and automatic pool covers, to name a few), planning to build a pool for next summer should begin long before spring. If you aspire to build your dream “oasis,” or wish to upgrade an existing pool, it’s best to start planning in the fall or early winter. Frost in the ground will likely prevent a pool company from doing any manual work in your yard, but during this time there is a lot of other preparation that can take place that will make it much easier to start construction in the spring and provide a longer first swim season!

Decision Time: Okay, you have decided you want to get

started. Now it’s time to make some decisions . . . the best type of pool (in the Northeast, a gunite pool lasts longest), the correct builder (whom do you trust with your hard-earned money?), decking (brushed concrete, gravel, slate, flagstone, and more), size, shape, and landscaping. And let’s not forget all those extra features to choose from (for many people, this can be the most fun, yet longest part of the decision-making process). Decisions take time – by starting early, you can have the luxury of time.

Permits: Once you have committed to a builder (and they to you!), blueprints and plans must be created and submitted to the town (regulations vary from town to town). Once the town has all the correct information, it will take time for the officials to approve it.

Preconstruction Meetings: Before a shovel hits the ground, everyone involved needs to connect. How will the construction crews access the back yard? Will excavated soil be removed or left on-site? Where will the mechanical equipment be placed? And a lot more! The planning is just as crucial as the actual construction.

Once this takes place, other contractors can be ready to go as well.

Site Work: If there is any need for tree removal or alterations like boulder walls and grading, some of this work can be accomplished over the winter. The more that can be completed prior to the actual pool construction (which requires above-freezing temperatures), the better. This will save everyone involved valuable time come spring.

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Holiday 2018 | www.OurBerkshireTimes.com

The Details: So, you want blue tiles at the water line? What shade of blue? Is there a pattern? What size tile? Just as in building a home, there are a lot of choices to be made from tile to interior finishes to sanitizing equipment and lighting, and more. Some selections can wait until construction begins so that your pool builder can show you fully functioning “real” pools and material samples, but a lot of the decisions can be made now. The devil is in the details, but a good pool contractor can guide you through this process, and it can be exciting and enjoyable if you allow yourself ample time before the spring rush.

Saving Money: The cost of materials, especially in the pool industry, tends to go up as the winter progresses. When that happens, contractors have little choice but to raise their prices too. The earlier you can make your decisions and supply a deposit, the more price increases you can avoid and the more money you can save.

Ideally, spring will come early, the sky will be mostly clear, and pool contractors will be out building pools in March or even sooner. But in truth, that’s not the reality of spring in the Northeast! Weather is unpredictable and “things” can happen to slow down a jobsite. The ground tends to be wetter, which slows down all construction (not just for pool builders). Come springtime, everyone wants to be first, and everyone is in a rush to have the backyard ready for Memorial Day and summer. So beat the rush by planning now and you will find yourself ahead of the curve and ready to swim before the first heat wave! ~ Michael Giannamore is the president of Aqua Pool & Patio, located in East Windsor, CT. Michael joined his father at Aqua Pool & Patio in 1983 and his expertise ranges from design to construction. Michael is an APSP-certified building professional and service technician and holds a plumbing and piping limited contractor-SP1 license. Aqua Pool has been serving all of southern New England for the past 49 years!

You can contact Michael and his team at (800) 7222782, info@aquapool.com, www.aquapool.com.

See ad on inside front cover.

animal talk

The Gift of Knowledge Keeps on Giving Great gift-giving options for learning about the safe and effective use of alternative therapies for pets!

HERBAL REMEDIES

There is still much we do not understand regarding the potent synergy of action of the chemical compounds found in medicinal herbs.

As natural therapies, herbs are often seen as harmless, but they must be used with wisdom and care.

Written by acclaimed herbalists and formulators, Herbs for Pets

by Gregory Tilford and Mary Wulff (formulators of Animal Essentials herbal pet products) is a must-have resource for the safe and effective use of herbs as natural remedies in the treatment of pets.

FLOWER ESSENCES

Although we can trace the therapeutic role of vibrational healing all the way back to ancient Egypt, it was the work of an early twentieth-century medical doctor that first began to characterize the therapeutic use of the vibrational properties of flowering plants.

Illness is often as much about emotional imbalance as it is about disease, and Healing Animals Naturally by Sharon Callahan, with a foreword by Dr. Michael Fox, Senior Scholar, HSUS, offers valuable insight into using flower essences to support pets facing emotional challenges.

HOMEOPATHY

What Newtonian physics could not explain, quantum physics now can, and homeopathic remedies, long confounding to most conventional practitioners, are now widely recognized and used in health care systems around the world. Similia similibus curantur!

A fantastic general introduction to homeopathy and homeopathic medicine for pets, Textbook of Veterinary Homeopathy by John Saxton and Peter Gregory, Part I: The Theory, Part II: The Practice, would be a great gift for that smart kid who aspires to be a holistic veterinarian! ~ Gift ideas provided by BensDotter’s Pet, (413) 528-4940, 940 Main Street, Great Barrington, MA. www.bensdotters.com www.OurBerkshireTimes.com | Holiday 2018

19

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SHOP LOCAL

giftguide

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HOLIDAY 2018

DELIGHT

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

CREATE

Artist Gift Bundle / JWS Art Supplies

If you have an artist in your life, JWS Art Supplies has the perfect gift. They have created a series of starter sets in different media including watercolor, acrylic, and oil. All come with everything you need to start painting, including paint, palette, brushes, paper or canvas, and a JWS tote bag. This great gift regularly retails for $68, but will be selling for $50 through the holidays. Visit JWS today and explore their wide variety of art supplies from crafts all the way to student-grade and artist-grade materials. Also, don’t miss their great gift section, with lots of stocking stuffers and wrapping supplies for all your holiday needs. JWS Art Supplies is located at 38 Railroad Street, Great Barrington, MA. (413) 644-9838, www.jwsartsupplies.com

SATISFY

Chocolate Gift Box / Chocolate Springs

Give your family, friends, coworkers (and yourself!) a decadent chocolate gift box assortment this holiday. Chocolate Springs is a European-style chocolate and dessert café run by proprietor Joshua Needleman, with decades of experience in crafting the finest handmade bonbons from natural ingredients. Chocolates at the café (and for online purchase) include milk and dark, truffles, award-winning ganaches, and amazing hot chocolate, made fresh every day using only the finest seasonal and organic ingredients whenever possible. Also enjoy coffee, sorbet, espresso, and much more. Buy gifts online at any time for the holidays and beyond, or visit Chocolate Springs Café in person at their convenient location at 55 Pittsfield Road, Lenox, MA. (413) 637-9820, www.chocolatesprings.com

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holiday gift guide

“It was her compassion that was so pretty.”

Close your eyes. open your heart. concernedsingles.com

/ Stadium System CUSTOMIZE Carhartt Stadium System is pleased to

be the area’s Carhartt headquarters for men and women. They have everything you need to keep you warm this winter, and if they don’t have your size, style, or color they will order it for you. Stadium System also offers screen printing and embroidery services to personalize your apparel. There is no better way to brand your business than with customized apparel! Please stop in and check out their large selection of men’s and women’s jackets, vests, pants, flannel shirts, and so much more! In addition to Carhartt they also offer Red Wing work boots, Merrell, New Balance, Muck, and Kamik for all your winter footwear needs.

Visit Stadium System at 297 Ashley Falls Road, Canaan, CT. Open seven days a week – Mon-Fri 10-6, Sat 9-5, Sun10-4.

(860) 824-4300, visit them in Canaan, CT

Berkshire’s Premier Source for Enlightened Gifts incense | essential oils | jewelry | clothing crystals | sage | gifts 5 Cheshire Road, Allendale Underground, Pittsfield, MA 413-329-8162 ● newmoongiftshop@gmail.com Open Tues-Fri 11am-6pm, Sat 9am-12:30pm

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ENJOY

Furniture / Hartsville Design

How often do you have the chance to get exactly what you want right down to the last detail? You can with custom furniture. Bring your ideas to life – choose the color, grain, size, shape, texture, hardware, and budget, and have it fit perfectly anywhere in your home or office.

Be practical or wildly creative. Enjoy the luxury of bespoke furniture or cabinetry with beautiful hardwoods and simple clean lines or exotic veneers and whimsical curves. Hartsville Design Woodworking can create a bespoke piece for any room in your home that will be treasured for generations to come.

(413) 274-1122, www.hartsvilledesign.com www.OurBerkshireTimes.com | Holiday 2018

21

health & wellness

Natural Tips for Boosting Your Immune System NOW IS THE TIME TO TRY THESE ALL-NATURAL PRACTICES

By © Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health

A

s we head into cold and flu season, now’s the time to try some all-natural practices to support your immune system. Ayurveda, India’s ancient health science, offers simple yet effective approaches for strengthening your ojas, a Sanskrit word that means “vigor.”

“When your ojas is strong, your immune system is fortified,” says Larissa Hall Carlson, Kripalu Schools faculty member and former dean of the Kripalu School of Ayurveda. When it’s compromised, however, it can lead to symptoms such as fatigue, inconsistent appetite, weight gain or loss, disturbed sleep, and increased sensitivity to light and sound.

Weakened immunity, Larissa notes, can also have mental and emotional effects. “If you’re more frazzled, scattered, restless, indecisive, if it’s difficult to stay steady and focused, or if you’re lacking motivation to get daily tasks done, that could be the result of a compromised immune system,” she says.

What Weakens the Immune System Travel. Vacation or work trips tend to wreak havoc with your routine, making your system more vulnerable, Larissa says.

When we travel, we tend to skip our health-promoting habits, like exercising or doing yoga. Traveling also exposes us to more bacteria and germs; it usually leads to eating out more (which often means eating less healthfully); and it’s more apt to disrupt sleep patterns.

Stress. It’s the cause of countless health problems, so it’s no surprise that stress weakens your immunity, too. “When you go through any kind of trauma,” Larissa explains, “like a divorce, a death, or the loss of a job or a relationship, that definitely increases stress and depletes the immune system.”

Overworking. Multitasking and taking on more responsibility at work might have benefits, but it also erodes your health.

“When you’re overworking,” Larissa notes, “you aren’t taking breaks, you’re too rushed to eat mindfully, and you’re less likely to find time for regular exercise or to nurture your relationships with family and friends. All of these things can lower immunity.”

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Holiday Issue, 2017 | www.OurBerkshireTimes.com

How to Boost Your Immunity Imagine your immune system as an invisible, protective force field that you can fortify. Here are Larissa’s tips for boosting your immune system as the weather becomes cooler.

Get more sleep. Slowing down and getting into harmony with the rhythms of nature will naturally lead you to increase your sleep time. During winter there’s less daylight; slow down earlier and get to bed earlier, closer to 10 pm if possible. “Sleep is one of the pillars of Ayurveda,” Larissa says. “Adequate sleep allows the reservoir of immunity to be recharged.”

Drink tulsi tea. Also known as holy basil, tulsi is valued in India for its purifying qualities. “It’s especially good to drink tulsi tea in the fall and winter, because of its heating nature,” Larissa explains. It’s considered antiseptic and antibacterial, good for headaches, and reduces anxiety, fever, and congestion, she says.

She recommends steeping it for five minutes and drinking one cup daily, or more if you’re fighting off a cold.

Breathe. The yogic breathing exercise known as three-part breath can help boost your immune system, according to Larissa.

“It removes congestion, increases circulation, and releases stress and tension,” she says. Here’s how to practice: Sit in a relaxed position with an elongated spine. Fill up the belly with breath, then fill the rib cage, and then allow the breath to fill your upper chest, all the way up to your collarbones. Then release the breath in the opposite sequence. Larissa recommends practicing this breath for one to three minutes, two to four times a day.

Be quiet. “Increasing silent time is one of the best ways to prevent illness,” Larissa says. “The mind can get overwhelmed with information. Silence allows it the opportunity to digest, recharge, and replenish itself.” She suggests eating at least one silent meal a week, going for a walk without your iPod, turning off the radio in the car, putting your cell phone on silent sometimes, and turning off the TV or computer earlier at night and reading or journaling instead.

The benefits will be like deposits in your immune system’s bank account – they’ll build up over time and pay big dividends.

~ Reprinted with permission from © Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health.

All rights reserved. Visit www.kripalu.org.

“Lisa Baumgart is a very talented healer/therapist.

In the very first session she reduced my pain well over 50%. In a few weeks time, I had almost no pain.”

Lisa Baumgart, MPT, FAFS “Lisa Baumgart is a very talentedFunction & Fitness Restoring healer/therapist.

31 Williamstown Rd., Lanesboro, MA

- Don Rochelo

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www.OurBerkshireTimes.com | Holiday 2018

23

health & wellness

Lemon & Garlic Extracts PROVEN TO DESTROY CANCER CELLS

By Chris Wark

I

recently stumbled across a fascinating 2017 study, which investigated the anticancer effects of lemon and garlic extracts against breast cancer.

Garlic is the number one anticancer vegetable thanks to its unique combination of phytochemicals and organosulphur compounds, the most well known being allicin (thiosulfonate). I consumed copious amounts of garlic daily during the most intensive phase of my cancer-healing journey, but most folks are reluctant to consume garlic because of its strong flavor, or because they just don’t want to smell like garlic.

Important Note: Cooking garlic significantly reduces its anticancer activity. So it is best to consume it raw. If you cook with garlic, let it sit for at least 10 minutes after chopping, before cooking it. This preserves the potency of some of the anticancer compounds.

Citrus fruits such as lemons are rich in anticancer compounds like limonene, especially in the peels. Researchers speculated that combining garlic and lemon extracts might increase the anticancer activity of garlic by providing the acidic environment needed to enhance organosulphur compound production and by adding more phytochemicals from lemons with possible anticancer activity.

Meanwhile, the control group of mice not given either extract had an increase in tumor size of 566 percent. But wait, it gets better.

Tumors shrank by an average of 91 percent and completely disappeared in 80 percent of the mice treated with both lemon and garlic extracts! So, while lemon and garlic extracts are already potent anticancer agents on their own, there appear to be powerful synergistic anticancer effects when the two are combined. The combination also showed no signs of kidney or liver toxicity. It’s worth noting that 30 percent of the mice in the control group had no detectable tumors at the end of the study, indicating that their bodies either prevented or healed cancer without any help from garlic or lemons.

Practical Application Even though this is a study on mice, the good news is, you can easily make a lemon garlic extract at home and add it to your protocol with little to no risk of harm.¹ If you’d like to prepare a lemon garlic extract, here’s how the researchers did it.

Fresh garlic bulbs and lemons were washed and dried. Peeled garlic bulbs and whole unpeeled lemons were then used to prepare extracts in distilled water.

In this study, mice were injected with breast cancer cells. The injected cancer cells were allowed to grow for 14 days, in order to form tumors. The mice were then separated into four different groups and given either saline (control group), garlic extract, lemon extract, or both extracts, injected into their stomachs once daily. The reason for stomach injection was to insure that all mice consumed an equal dose.

One pound (500 grams) of each plant material was chopped into small pieces and vigorously mixed in one liter of distilled water, using an electric mixer (a blender could work as well).² The resulting solution was then strained and filtered. You can do this with a cheesecloth or nut milk straining bag. This will yield approximately one liter of each extract, which is a lot. If you would like to make a smaller batch, just maintain the ratio of equal amounts of garlic and lemon and 2:1 of distilled water and plant material.

Surprisingly, after just 14 days of treatment with either lemon extract or garlic extract, the tumors shrank by an average of 80 percent, and 60 percent of the mice were completely cancer free!

Doses of the extract were given in a 50 mg/kg ratio (50 milligrams of extract per kilogram of subject’s body weight). The most successfully treated mice received 50 mg/kg garlic extract + 50 mg/kg lemon extract, for a total of 100 mg/kg of body weight.

24

Holiday 2018 | www.OurBerkshireTimes.com

health & wellness

100mg is 0.1 mL of liquid. That equates to 0.02 teaspoons per kilogram of body weight.

Math Time Americans, divide your weight in pounds by 2.2. Then multiply that number by 0.02, and that will give you the human equivalent number of teaspoons that the mice were given each day, based on your body weight.

For example, 150 pounds divided by 2.2 equals 68. 68 multiplied by 0.02 equals 1.36. Rounding up, that’s 1½ teaspoons per day.

Using cowboy math, that’s about ½ teaspoon per 50 pounds of body weight per day.

One large garlic bulb and one small lemon yielded 8 ounces of extract, which is a 32-day supply for a 150-pound person using the formula above. In our experience, a batch of the extract stays fresh about one week. At around two weeks it really starts to get funky. I think it’s best to make a new batch each week.

Biohacking Just Got Literal The first time I made this formula, I took a tablespoon of it and got it down no problem. Later that evening, because I’m a wild and crazy guy, I decided to see what would happen if I drank four ounces at once . . . And that, dear reader, was a mistake.

I immediately felt lightheaded, tingly, and nauseous, and began salivating profusely. So I politely excused myself, stepped outside, walked out into the yard and bent over, fully expecting to barf, but surprisingly after a few minutes the urge passed. Apparently my body changed its mind . . . Whew! Lesson learned. Chris almost barfs so you don’t have to! Even in small doses, to avoid nausea, it may be helpful to not take it on an empty stomach.

Here’s How to Make It… Borrow a food scale from your mother-in-law. Weigh a lemon.

Peel and chop enough garlic to equal the same weight as the lemon (eh, close enough).

Let the garlic sit for 10 to 15 minutes after chopping to activate beneficial anticancer compounds. Put the garlic and the unpeeled lemon in a blender together and add twice as much water as plant material. I had roughly four ounces of garlic and lemon combined so I added eight ounces of water. Blend the mixture until it is liquefied. Avoid blending so long that it “cooks” it [destroying the “live” enzymes and significantly reducing its anticancer activity].

Next, pour the liquid into a nut milk straining bag. Strain the liquid through the nut milk bag. Squeeze every last drop of liquid out. As you will see, two ounces of garlic + two ounces of lemon + eight ounces of water yields eight ounces of lemon garlic extract. The lemon garlic extract is now ready for your “enjoyment.” Put it in an airtight glass jar and store in the fridge. Again, it should stay fresh for one to two weeks. Enjoy!

` ¹If you are taking pharmaceutical drugs, make sure there aren’t any contraindications with the drugs you are taking. Remember, any time you consume plant extracts medicinally, you do so at your own risk. ²Distilled water is commonly used in lab experiments to exclude confounding factors like chlorine, fluoride, or other contaminants, which could react with chemicals used in a lab test and alter the results of an experiment. I doubt that the type of water you use will have any effect on the potency or efficacy of the garlic or lemon extracts; filtered water should be fine.

Special Note Even though 80 percent of the mice were tumor free after being treated with lemon and garlic extracts for 14 days, this protocol, if effective in humans, is not likely to produce results that fast.

One mouse day is the equivalent of about 40 human days, so 14 mouse days would be 560 human days or about 1.5 years. Healing takes time.

Having said that, 1½ teaspoons per day is a very small dose for a 150-pound person. Could taking a larger daily dose speed up the anticancer results? I have no idea. And I have no idea how much the maximum daily dose could be, but if I had cancer [as I did previously] I would be inclined to gradually increase my daily dose to as much as I could stomach or stand. Someone I know has been taking one tablespoon three times per day with no problems, which is over seven times the daily dose for her weight.

But remember, this is not medical advice. If you consume high doses of lemon garlic extract, you do so at your own risk.

Chris’s book, Chris Beat Cancer: A Comprehensive Plan for Healing Naturally, published by Hay House, is a national bestseller as ranked by USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, and Publishers Weekly.

~ Chris Wark was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer in 2003, at 26 years old. After surgery, he opted out of chemotherapy and used nutrition and natural therapies to heal. He began sharing his story in 2010 with a mission to inspire people to take control of their health and reverse disease by radically transforming their diet and lifestyle. Chris reaches millions of people per year as a blogger, podcaster, speaker, and global health coach through his social media channels and his website www.chrisbeatcancer.com. His book Chris Beat Cancer: A Comprehensive Plan for Healing Naturally, published by Hay House in late September 2018, is available at all major booksellers.

www.OurBerkshireTimes.com | Holiday 2018

25

Engaging children 15 months through 8th grade

Montessori means

expression

education & workshops

Facing Frustration and Flipped Lids

By K. Meagan Ledendecker

“B

ut we don’t know what to do!” wailed one of the boys.

We were talking in the quiet of a classroom. Classical music played in the background. Children were reading, drawing, crocheting, and generally relaxing after time outdoors. On this day, however, a few children had come inside teeming with frustration.

I tried to piece together the details: a fort, a vine pulled away, a child who felt excluded, others defending their territory. Removed from the situation, I could fairly clearly see the dynamics at play.

The excluded child wanted to belong, but didn’t know how to ask.

So he did something that would at least get him some negative attention – ripping a beloved vine off the fort.

Our children don’t always let us know what they need in the most constructive ways. Rather than say, “I feel disconnected and I need some extra love and attention,” they are more likely to hit or tantrum, or as they get older, say or do mean things to get us to notice. In this case, the child who wanted to belong decided to attack the fort to get the other children to pay attention to him.

a place of instinct. If we curl our fingers over the thumb, they can represent the frontal lobes of our brain, which help us with self-control, empathy, and decision-making. When we get upset, however, we can “flip our lid.” Our fingers (representing our frontal lobes) fly up and are out of commission, leaving our thumb (representing our amygdala) exposed. When this happens we tend to act from the more reptilian part of our brain.

The fort defenders were intensely focused on this description of our brain functioning, and yet they recognized the challenge. As the boy so plaintively stated, “But we don’t know what to do!”

His question was to the point. What do we do when we are intensely upset, have a flipped lid, and are in the midst of a challenging moment?

The boys and I really sat with the question. What if we were able to have a plan for when we get into these kinds of moments?

What if others around us were able to do this, too? What if our communities, our governments, our countries were able to manage flipped lids? What kind of world would we experience?

The defenders of the fort had responded from a place of fury.

Wanting to retaliate, they weren’t thinking about any consequences of their actions, much less about the other child’s motivations.

Even as we had conversation about what had happened, the boys became enflamed again.

Ultimately the boys decided to use each other for support when they felt overwhelmed by feelings of anger or frustration. They also thought about the other child’s needs and tried to help him feel more included. They moved from a place of not-knowing to taking initial steps to figure out their own plan of action.

I realized it was time to shift gears. “Our classroom gecko, she has a very basic response. If threated she has three options: to fight, to freeze, or to flee,” I explained. Continuing, I described how we have a very reptilian part of our brain, the amygdala. When we feel threatened, we tend to go back to basic responses: fight, freeze, or flee. We also happen to have our frontal lobes, which allow us to think more logically and consider other options.

While they didn’t have all the answers, their careful consideration of how to manage themselves in the face of challenge could serve as a reminder to us all as we confront frustration, the need to belong, or even just overstimulation this season.

Despite having a rational part of our brain, it is easy to do what Daniel Siegel has termed “flipping our lid.” If we represent our brain with our hand, our thumb curled into our palm is like the amygdala, a primitive part of our brain essential for basic functions. The amygdala is our alarm center and responds from

~ K. Meagan Ledendecker gets to be inspired by children every day in her role as classroom guide and director of education at The Montessori School of the Berkshires. www. berkshiremontessori.org

So let’s all take a collective breath, unflip our lids, and consider what we can do.

www.OurBerkshireTimes.com | Holiday 2018

27

fun things to do this winter

Something Different for the Holidays

By Nina Anderson

W

hen we turn the clocks back and the sun disappears in the late afternoon, we know that the holiday season is coming. Stores are abuzz and online shopping peaks. Rather than give a present that may be regifted next year, why not shop local and offer your friends and family members something they can really use. Gift certificates for outdoor enthusiasts are plentiful at our local winter sports venues. And, for those who would just love to snuggle up, relax, and rejuvenate in the colder months, you might send them to one of our luxurious spas.

For the Outdoor Enthusiast Most folks know that skiing is a Berkshire mainstay in the winter.

Straddling the border of New York and Massachusetts, you will find one of the first Berkshire ski areas, founded in 1939. With 1000 vertical feet of skiing, Catamount has the really challenging Catapult trail as well as almost two miles of easier trails, making it a great family destination. In addition, they have night skiing and discounted weekday tickets, as well as season pass discounts for college students and the military.

Bousquet is the family-friendly mountain in Pittsfield, MA, that has a fun water park in the summer. Not only do they offer ski lessons for adults and kids, they have terrific all mountain and development team programs during winter break to teach children how to race. They also provide snowboarding, a super snow tubing park, discounts for weekdays and nights, and a lounge with a fireplace, tavern menu, and ice-cold draft beer.

If you like a slower but more energetic pace of skiing you can find a beautiful cross-country ski center in Windsor, MA, run by the Trustees of Reservations. Notchview’s 3,000-acre crosscountry center has groomed trails for classical cross-country skiing as well as skate skiing. They have a separate trail system for “skijoring” (skiing with dogs), and welcome snowshoers to trek on their own trails. Their Budd Visitor Center is a great place to warm up next to a masonry heater with toasty soapstone seats, and enjoy lunch from their café.

Snuggle Up, Relax, and Rejuvenate If you aren’t sure about getting some outdoor exercise in the frosty winter temperatures, or if you would like to relax those ski muscles, you can take a spa day. Up in Williamstown, MA, located in an old grist mill, you will find InTouch Massage & Day Spa, 28

Holiday 2018 | www.OurBerkshireTimes.com

where you can relax to the sound of a rushing stream and have the ultimate private outdoor hot tub experience. Located only minutes from the Clark Institute, Mass MOCA, Williams College, and Jiminy Peak Ski Area, InTouch was listed as one of the best Girlfriend Getaways by National Geographic Traveler magazine.

Here you can get full body treatments including massage, facials, skin care treatments, hair and nail services, and more.

In south Berkshire County you can also find many places to relax.

Body & Soul Day Spa in Great Barrington, MA, has been offering respite from the fast-paced demands of everyday life since 1987.

Extensive spa services are available and they specialize in the relief of neck, shoulder, and back pain, and sports-related injuries – very important if you’ve stressed your muscles skiing. With the holistic touch of their world-class practitioners, a session has an amazing effect on your well-being and sense of happiness.

If you travel a little farther south to Sheffield, MA, you will find a hidden gem of a spa. In addition to massage, Julie’s Pure Bliss specializes in stress management and rejuvenation. She offers facials for quick lifts, anti-aging, skin brightening, and deep cleaning, and can create an individual package specifically for you. Her airbrush makeovers, waxing, and signature brand professional strength facial products make the perfect gift. Julie even offer facials for men so they can look great for holiday parties.

Across the border in Lakeville, CT, you will find an exceptional place for rejuvenation – the Ellora Spa & Sanctuary at the Interlaken Inn. The sound of flowing water and beautiful music adds to Ellora’s ambience, warming your body and relaxing your mind. Enjoy a massage, facial, Ayurvedic treatments, or even a scalp massage with luxurious botanical oils to hydrate and condition the scalp. In addition to their complete spa offerings they also have yoga and Pilates classes.

This winter you owe it to yourself, your family, and your friends to take advantage of everything the tristate area has to offer – and for the holidays you are sure to find many unique gifts that will not only be used but be greatly appreciated. ~ Nina Anderson is author of 18 books on natural health and on aviation. She also runs a sailboat charter service in Salisbury, CT, in the summer. www.nashallasailing.com

fun things to do this winter

a spa like no other EXCEPTIONAL SERVICES IN A BEAUTIFUL SETTING

T

his holiday season, treat yourself or your friends and family members to an InTouch Massage & Day Spa gift certificate for any spa service or product – purchase in person or conveniently online on their website. Spa owner Marc Freedman and his staff offer a wide assortment of services including massage, facials, skin care treatments, manicures and pedicures, and even a hair salon (for color, precision cutting, and/or special occasion styling), as well as a private outdoor hot tub in a relaxed atmosphere.

I nTO U C H

Massage & Day Spa 8 44 Water Wa a tt ee rr Street, WWilliamstown, am m ss tt oo w w nn .. MA MA A 884 W SS tt ..

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The spa’s beautiful nine-sided building in Williamstown, MA, began its life as a grist mill in 1762 and is perched on the west bank of the Green River. Clients frequently say that after they walk through their torii gate entrance, the peace and serenity of the flowing river combined with the spa’s ambience and attentive staff allows them to leave their cares behind.

Special holiday packages currently include a Date Night Special with a one-hour private outdoor hot tub session for two plus two one-hour massages. They also have special pricing for Swedish or deep tissue massage, their signature facials (anti-aging, vitamin C, enzyme, or purifying marine facial), microdermabrasion, and spa pedicures. Check the specials page of their website regularly at www.intouchdayspa.com for updates.

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4413.458.3235 13.458.3235

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Enjoy our relaxing and restorative atmosphere inside.

great deals for skiers A FAMILY FAVORITE SINCE 1939

C

atamount Mountain Resort, located conveniently in South Egremont, MA, offers great deals for skiers – midweek online lift tickets are only $20 (Monday through Thursday, holidays excluded). Looking for the perfect holiday gift? Purchase one of their value cards (good for tickets, store items, rentals, and lessons) or a regular gift card for any amount you choose. Discounts for season passes are available to college students and the military, so make Catamount your destination winter sports mountain!

Route 23 S. Egremont, MA/Hillsdale, NY

soul-satisfying THERAPEUTIC MASSAGE, SKIN, AND BODY CARE

S

ince 1987, Body & Soul Day Spa, located in the heart of the Berkshires, has been a place that offers a respite from the fastpaced demands of everyday life. Founders Doone and Stephen Marshall offer healing and luxurious services that support your natural inner beauty and innate tranquility. Their superb staff provide the ultimate in therapeutic massage and essential skin and body care. Professional, courteous, and warm – you’ll always be welcomed at this soul-satisfying oasis in Great Barrington, MA.

$10 SPA BUCKS Valid thru 3/31/19 toward any full-priced Massage, Facial, or Body Treatment.

One per person. Not to be combined with any other offer or redeemable for cash.

184 Maple Ave. Route 23, Great Barrington, MA Open Daily • 413.528.6465 • spa@bodyandsoulgb.com www.BodyandSoulGreatBarrington.com www.OurBerkshireTimes.com | Holiday 2018

29

fun things to do this winter

facials, skin care & more A PRIVATE GEM IN THE BERKSHIRES

J MAKEOVERS | FACIALS | PRODUCTS & GIFTS | THERAPEUTIC BACK MASSAGE LEG, BROW, AND LIP WAXING | BODY POLISH | GENTLEMAN’S SKIN TREATMENT

(413) 441-2750 ● 647 North Main (Route 7), Sheffield, MA Located across from the Bridge Restaurant ● www.jpurebliss.com Open by appointment ● All major credit cards accepted

ulie’s Pure Bliss, located in Sheffield, MA, provides a private gem in the Berkshires where you can treat yourself to a facial, massage, waxing, makeover, and more. Spa owner Julie Barros, a licensed skin care specialist, is knowledgeable and accommodating.

Her signature line of professional-strength, botanically based, exclusive skin care products are easy to apply, luxurious, and effective. The line does not contain animal products or synthetic chemicals and is available at the spa or online at www.jpurebliss.com.

outdoor recreation & fun!

FOR WINTER SPORT ENTHUSIASTS

W ROUTE 9, WINDSOR, MA

www.thetrustees.org/notchview | 413-684-0148

ith more than 3,000 acres of rolling terrain, Notchview offers an idyllic escape for winter sport enthusiasts, especially cross-country skiers and snowshoers looking to discover a winter wonderland! 17K of trails are groomed and track-set for classical cross-country skiing; 8K are groomed for skate skiing. Two separate snowshoe trails explore Notchview’s beautiful northern hardwood forest. Special events such as their moonlight ski/snowshoe, and wine and cheese tastings make Notchview your go-to winter destination.

the perfect gift

ELLORA

spa ● sanctuary ● pilates ● yoga Skin Care | Massage | Ayurveda | European Fashions Gift Certificates Available

At The Interlaken Inn ● 74B Interlaken Road, Lakeville, CT 860.435.1305 ● www.elloraspa.com

A SPA THAT IS MORE LIKE A SANCTUARY

E

llora Spa & Sanctuary’s ambience, enhanced by the sound of flowing water and beautiful music, immediately warms your body and relaxes your mind. Ellora, located in Lakeville, CT, is a complete spa offering clients Shankara’s distinctive signature spa treatments, which creatively harmonize the Eastern technique known as Ayurveda. They also carry select products from Shankara, Skin, Hanro, and Chantelle, and gifts including candles, fragrances, perfume, linens, and more. Gift certificates available.

family-friendly fun DAY AND NIGHT SKIING IN PITTSFIELD, MA

B www.bousquets.com 30

Holiday 2018 | www.OurBerkshireTimes.com

ousquet Ski Area is a family-friendly ski area offering day and night skiing within the city limits of Pittsfield. Tamarack Lounge offers a tavern menu with ice-cold draft beer and a fireplace to warm your heart. Save money with their $10 Thursday Night Owl lift special (3 to 9pm) with live entertainment and $35 Sunday Saver lift ticket (nonholidays), nights $20, weekdays (nonholiday) $25. Nonskiers, try our snow tubing hill . . . no experience necessary! Visit us at www.bousquets.com for more information.

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