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.