The Jewel Shines Over Thanksgiving Weekend

While the days prior to Turkey Day kept everyone a bit wet, Thanksgiving Day and the 3 days that followed certainly verged on perfection with moderate temperature, sun kissed skies and a medley of neighbors, family and friends.  While the B-Blogger was in Philadelphia on Thursday serving up turkey and all the trimmings to his in-laws, it is rumored that Judy Kohl put out a wonderful Thanksgiving spread for those Bettertonians that would otherwise have eaten Turkey all alone.  Participants each brought a dish or two and the wonderful conversation far exceeded any tryptophan induced sleep. While some neighbors rushed out early on Black Friday to snarf up those bargains, the weather created a great atmosphere to get out and walk or bike.  The B-Blogger wore out his standard poodle with multiple laps around the neighborhood on his bike.  Don't worry, I did carry my pooper scoop bags in my back pocket to assure a clean neighborhood.  Speaking of clean neighborhoods, the Farnham boys were busy on Friday too, mowing lawns and cleaning leaves, they certainly demonstrate the will to work, but thankfully on Saturday the Blogger did catch them throwing a football with their kids. So now is your chance to share your happenings and recipes with a post below.  Perhaps we'll even see some comments from former Bettertonians.

After catching your breath tomorrow, Cyber Monday, remember that Christmas and Hanukah are not far off.  The Chester River Chorale will be holding two very unique performances this coming December 2nd and 4th where they will celebrate the holiday yuletide and the festival of lights.  That's right, Christmas and Hanukah coincide this year so the Chorale will feature favorites from both holidays.  Performances will be held at the Presbyterian Church of Chestertown and only a $15 donation per person is suggested.

Speaking of performances don't forget the BCDC's annual Christmas party on December 14th at 6 pm.  Plans are to hold the event at the Sunset Grille, bring your friends and family.  The BCDC will be holding its annual meeting and elections at the same time so don't forget to offer yourself up for one of the several openings on the Board.  Contact Linda Hall or Joan Zellers for more information.

When you think traffic jams, DC, Philadelphia, Baltimore come to mind but Lynch?  Check out the photos that Dr. Z grabbed while waiting in a line of traffic as the lone choo choo made it across the road.

If you haven't been to B-Town in a few weeks you are probably unaware that the yacht that appeared stranded in Betterton harbor since mid-August has been repaired and moved out under its own power the week before Thanksgiving.  According to Bob Thomas, the owner had been coming down to B-town on Fridays and using a small power boat to travel out to the stranded ship and administer repairs which included some underwater scuba activities. As you'll see in the picks below the yacht moved from its spot in the harbor to Betterton's public dock.  Had it stayed in its previous position much longer, the B-Blogger was tempted to swim out and claim it for the town.  Since the yacht's owner has attempted to befriend Barbara Palma, perhaps we can get an update as to where it is berthed now.

A note of caution during the holiday season in that the Jewel continues to be plagued with a few petty thefts, so lock your cars, sheds and doors before going to bed or leaving your homes and don't forget to call the police IMMEDIATELY if you see anything that looks suspicious.

Sunset Grille and More

If its Thursday night in Betterton, then get yourself to the Sunset Grille at least that's the thought of resident Wendy Coslett.  For the past month or so, Ms. Coslett has encouraged neighbors and friends to join a "get to know" event on Thursday at the Sunset Grille at the Beach beginning at 6:30 pm.  The Grille's owners are there and want to hear how they can make this establishment better.  The Blogger can honestly say that over the past few weeks the quality of their burgers have improved along with their service.  Many neighbors who come will order dinner but you're welcome even if you just want a cold beer, glass of wine or diet coke. Mayor Sorge has joined the group several times and we'd welcome Town Council members too. The conversation is always lively and gives us all a chance to get to know each other better.  This Thursday there will be a BCDC meeting at the Community Center at 7 PM so why not go there first and then head over to the "Grille."  Perhaps we'll hear more about the robberies that have been occurring within the Jewel and develop plans to end this petty theft ring rapidly.

Feral Felines Fear Fragrance

Today, November 16th is National Feral Cat Day!  The dilemma of feral felines is something not unique to Kent County, Maryland and is an area of intense interest to the Shelter Medicine program at Cornell's College of Veterinary Medicine.  In the most recent edition of the Cornell Feline Health Center's "CatWatch" magazine, there is some interesting advise on keeping these unwanted felines out of your gardens and other outside areas. 

Citrus, specifically the rind of oranges, grapefruit, lemons and limes is a fragrance that most cats despise.  So if you have feral felines spending time digging, pooping, peeing, and or lounging in your vegetable or flower gardens try a citrus compost.  The suggestion is to chop, grate or grind the rind of your favorite citrus fruit and sprinkle it throughout your garden on a regular basis, this will encourage all felines to look elsewhere for a comfort zone.  Camphor balls will have a similar impact and can protect your precious flower bulbs from moles and squirrels too. However, camphor balls if not buried in the soil can poison some canine friends.

Cornell's recommendation for feral felines is institute a trap, neuter, release program but assure that no one is feeding these felines.  Create a town event where neighbors can help build cat shelters deep in a wooded area within the township.  Plans for these feline shelters are readily available online.  All privately owned felines should be micro-chipped so that they can easily be identified and returned to their rightful owners should they stray from home.

He's Back!

No we are not talking Freddy Kruger but rather the B-Blogger after a 15 day lecture tour through Asia.  Needless to say the good Dr. Z in addition to handling his shifts at CRHS was busy walking the dog, cleaning the cat litter box and did I mention replacing the drywall and painting it after Irene's damage at our Philly abode.  Thanks to our amazing Annette Green I was able to keep an eye on the Jewel from S. Korea, the Philippines and mainland China.  It was in the Philippines that Annette reminded me she needed my recipe for carmelized figs with goat cheese and almonds.

Prior to my departure to South Korea and the World Small Animal Veterinary Conference, my personal physician warned me that my return trip home would take a toll on me.  Indeed, the twelve hour difference has had me going a bit wacky as I'm ready for bed at 10 AM EDST and  wanting breakfast at 7 PM EDST.  I gather I should be back on schedule by Thanksgiving.

So what about Asia?  The people were great and I spoke on communicating with pet owners to audiences of veterinarians that ranged in size from 70-200 people.  As I flew from South Korea, to the Philippines, then to Shanghai and Beijing China, on to Tokyo,Japan and finally in Taichung, Taiwan, I learned a lot about veterinary medicine in these locales.  Dogs and cats in Asian cultures have traditionally been considered outdoor animals and not pets.  This has been changing slowly over the past 10-20 years with many Asian families owning small dogs and some cats as household members.  To my surprise most of the medicine practiced is of the Western influence and only a few practices are doing Eastern medicine such as acupuncture.  While the majority are small 1-2 person veterinary facilities it was surprising to me that there were also a good number of multi-doctor, multi-hospital facilities, some with 24 hour emergency care and a few that even offered pets ultrasound and /or CT scans.  This being said, dogs and cats are still being raised for food and inhumane treatment of them made it to the Chinese newspaper's front page.  I was also supposed to have spoken in Bangkok, Thailand but due to flooding from the recent Typhoons, that trip was cancelled.

Many of the Asian countries that I visited had veterinarians who could understand English but concerned about their speaking abilities and since I'm not fluent in Mandarin I had interpreters at each conference at which I spoke.  Lecturing with interpreters is a bit of a challenge if you haven't done this before as not only must you slow your pace down but in certain cases you can only speak a few sentences before stopping so the interpreter has time to rapidly digest the speaker's words and then transpose them into the appropriate language.

I'm pretty adventurous with my willingness to try different foods and for the most part everything was delicious.  There were a few fishy things in Manila that could break a tooth if you chomped down hard, so I did elect not to consume them.  What was another surprise was the delicious and varied breads that were served in China.  "Against the Grain" would really have to work hard to compete with the taste, texture and content of these Asian breads.  Did anyone say wine?  Well Dr. Mel, wines in the Philippines, Korea, China and Japan are not what we get here.  The Asian wines are most frequently drank from a shot glass and sipped pretty slowly, they are sweet and powerful with an alcohol content of greater than 40%.  B-town's Mayor may need a sip or two after battling with the Maryland legislature over refunding our gas tax.


With the exception of Jeju Island, S. Korea, most of the nations are still battling with pollution and as you will see many of my photos are backgrounded in haze. Perhaps our very own environmentalist Kim Kohl should visit to bring them some real sunshine.  This being said Shanghai was my most favorite spot, having visited there in 1987.  What a change! It is a modern city with amazing public transportation where all signs including main street signs are in Chinese and English.  While B-town suffered some recent bout with bad boys and girls stealing and damaging neighbor's properties, I felt very comfortable walking through the many parks and streets of Shanghai.  Went to the People's Park, where parents are offering their daughters for marriage to eligible Chinese men.  Parent's of the men must come with a suitable resume of the future husband and much discussion pursues.

Well enjoy some pictures and let the Blogger know what your holiday plans will be?  Happy Halloween! Oh! What do you think of the blog's new format?

Sally Get Your Gun !

Whether Sally wants a gun for Christmas or JoAnn needs sports memorabilia get yourself to the Betterton Volunteer Fire Company's hunting and sports extravaganza on Saturday October 1st.  All you need is $35.00/pp to get in the door and then the fun happens with both a silent and live auction.  For a mere $300.00 you can purchase a table where your closest friends can gather too.  What no friends?  Don't fret you have time to collect a baker's dozen or two on your Facebook page or Google+.  Remember that without the men and woman of our Jewel's fire company the homes and lives of Bettertonians and their nearby neighbors are at risk.  Rumor has it from the Blogger's trusted source that donations of cash are more than welcome if you can't make the date.  Oh! Its from 4- 8 PM.

Betterton Volunteer Fire Company To purchase tickets, call 410-348-3030

B-Town Makes It Big Time

Bettertonians you did it again with an amazing Fig Fest, thanks to organizers Wendy Coslett and Barbara Palma.  While the US Congress may not know how to work together, B-Towner's and their friends sure do.  This year's Fest was larger than ever and the food unbelievable as you'll see from pictures above.  Its acclaim has even garnered a story in the "Chestertown Spy", check it out at http://www.chestertownspy.com/missing-the-fig-festival/ .While the two previous Fests have had judging and prizes, this was the first year for "junior judging" where the future adults of our community brought their own creations and Doyle DiStefano got first place.  Don't be surprised if in another 15 years Doyle doesn't open a great dining establishment right here in Betterton. Oh, how could I forget the great Judy Kohl article in this week's Kent County News, next year could bring pieces in Travel and Leisure, New York Times, Washington Post and the Baltimore Sun.  By the by did you know that Paul McCarty's yacht dropped anchor in Betterton Harbor outside the Coslett compound?  Wendy said she tried to swim out to invite them to come ashore, but getting the food out for neighbors did take precedent.

A few weeks prior to Fig Fest, B-towners hosted another big event and that was the Chestertown Havurah's Friday night service at the Zwanger/Kram house.  This was the second year for the Havurah to celebrate the beginning of the Jewish Sabbath with prayer and an Oneg.  The Oneg is all about food and friends.  This year's gathering brought not only tons of appetizers and desserts but also a crowd of about 25 members from Chestertown, Galena, and Middletown.  The prayer service was led by Cantor Gary Schiff, history professor at Washington College.  Many of the newcomers commented how beautiful Betterton is and how welcoming the neighbors are. 

As for upcoming events, the Betterton Volunteer Fire Department has a Sportsman's event planned for early October.  Any readers with more information should list it as a "Post" below.

Joan Zellers wanted to publicly thank all those Bettertonians who wrote comments to "Just Say No" to a Kent County Dumpsite.  Let's hope that as the Susquehana dam gates are opened to deal with the flooding to our North and West, that storm rampage will not turn our beautiful bay into a garbage dump.

Hope you enjoyed the pics!

FIG FEST ON HOLD

Breaking news from meteorologist Dr. Mel states that Hurricane Irene is on a course that could bring 100 mph winds and downpours to the Jewel on Saturday and Sunday.  With this threat Wendy Coslett and Barbara Palma the Fig Fest organizers have put a "Hold" on this much anticipated event with a rain date for next weekend, Sunday September 4th at 4 PM. B-town neighbors and residents are being urged to put away chairs, tables and other items that could become projectiles with Irene's strong gusts.  Some reports are claiming that this storm could be the worst that we have encountered since the early 1990's.  Needless to say power outages are highly likely as a result of our unwanted guest, Irene.  Get out today or at the latest tomorrow and secure batteries for flashlights, canned and dry food as well as plenty of bottled water.  For those of you with pets remember to keep them indoors as strong winds can send cats and small dogs smashing into trees and or over the bluff and into the Chesapeake.  Stay safe, get a good book or two and save those fig recipes for a week from now.  Remember that phone lines may go down so assure that your cell phone is charged and use TEXT messaging when lines are busy.  For up to date weather information click onto Betterton Weather Update.

Betterton Shakes, Rattles Rocks and Rolls

It was Sunday morn while many were at Church as Nature showed her force with excessive winds and torrential rains in B-Town.  Several residents were totally unaware of the damage this storm brought to the Jewel as they sat in pews in Chestertown that was spared the deluge. Trees and their limbs were torn from the ground as electricity and phone service were downed for several hours.  Several homes experienced damage to buildings and their grounds while winds whipped outdoor furniture on their side or onto the bluff.  Just as the Town was beginning to revive, the ground shook from an earthquake centered in VA.  The shake was felt both North, South, East and West of B-town but thankfully with only minimal scares and slight damage.  Interestingly for the B-Blogger, not even a tremor was felt, as he drove down 95 from Philadelphia to Bear,DE.  If that isn't enough the weatherman/woman is reporting the potential for Irene to come and visit B-Town this weekend.  I'm sure my neighbors would agree we are a welcoming community but Irene please don't come.

Thursday and Friday are big days for B-town inhabitants to be activists with the Town Hall Meeting on Rigby Bluff and the Condo's at the Community Center on Thursday ;and the public comment period on a Kent County Dump Site proprosal coming to a close on Friday of this week.  The Sassafras River Association is encouraging everyone to write our County Commissioners with the message of "Just Say No."  There is a B-town petition circulating and for those in Town, contact Joan Zellers to place your "John Hancock" on the document.  For those who are out of town send an email, no later than Friday morning, to the following addresses:

 

Kent Commissioner Contact Information:

President Ronald Fithian, rfithian@kentgov.org                                                                                     Commissioner William Pickrum, wpickrum@kentgov.org                                                                      Commissioner Alexander Rasin, arasin@kentgov.org                                                                   Commissioners' Office, kentcounty@kentgov.org
(Direct your emails to all four of these addresses)

Mailing Address:
Kent County Commissioners
400 High Street
Chestertown, MD 21620

 

So now you have your work cut out for you!  Please leave a post below and tell us about how you and your family fared during the recent weather and what your plans are for Irene should she come for a visit.

What Does Betterton Day and the US have in Common?

The day was clearly beautiful and there were some winners, however, Betterton Day similar to the US credit rating were downgraded this weekend according to a poll from Miss Anna at Scotty's along with feedback from many of the attendees.  While the 6th Avenue Outsiders caught the spirit with their float and goats, there could be so much more if the parade was marketed better.  While the Blogger helped sell T- shirts many parade on-lookers wanted to know where the fish fry vendor was?  Weren't there some amusement type rides for the children last year, one resident asked? As for T-shirts, the two most requested were "Where the H is Betterton" and the Linda Hall Sailboat design with the American flag.  The former seemed to be the favorite of men and the latter was requested by women.  Speaking of women, many wanted to know why few if any of the T-shirts had women's collars?  Several other members of the female gender commented that shirts should include both medium and large sizes, as not all women are supersize nor do they buy these shirts just for nighties.

So what can we do better, according to Miss Anna and many others the BCDC and Betterton Fire Company need to work on this day together.  Start the planning process early and that means this Fall with joint meetings between these two groups.  Utilize town talent especially in the area of marketing and promotion.  Create a Betterton Day Website where ideas can be shared and developed.  Let's go neighbors and friends bet we can get our AAA rating back faster than our country if we don't play partisan politics.

A big thanks to all those who put in the time whether driving a float, manning a booth or helping prepare.  2012 will be amazing!