RIDGEFIELD

Letter to the Editor - Selectmen Cave...... Again

Ridgefield Press, March 24, 2016

At their March 8th meeting, the Selectmen dodged their Charter responsibility by not making a recommendation on the requested 5.72% education budget increase. The Selectmen folded to political pressure from a special interest group representing 20% of our Ridgefield community. 

What ruffles my feathers is that we elect these people to make balanced decisions that affect the entire community. So did they?

Sort-of. By recommending that the mill rate not exceed 3.5%, they were saying that the BoE request was too high.

The question has now moved to the Board of Finance and they should have lots of pointed questions.

I re-read a letter-to-the-editor from 2004. The BoE and it's supporters made the same arguments then: state mandates, special ed, DRG, falling behind and real estate values. 

To begin: real estate values have fallen precipitously since 2004 despite steady increases to the BoE budget year after year -- mostly to support a larger school bureaucracy, more hires, a larger head count. Does this have a familiar ring to it?

About $800,000 of this year's school budget goes to training teachers. Are we hiring the right teachers? I don't understand why the teachers don't contribute to this training.

Nevertheless, over the years, nothing much has changed scholastically in special ed or standard ed. Yet this year the town has cut almost $1,000,000 in the highway department budget and will most likely be expected to cut planned fire fighters. These cuts will affect all of us in order to satisfy an insatiable 20% of the community. Is that a balanced approach?

The town's books are audited annually. Connecticut has an education auditing department. How about using it, Board of Ed? Let's make sure the kids are getting the benefits, not the bureaucracy.

From a strong proponent of great education.

Jan Rifkinson
New Road

Early Spring 2015

I think this was the first winter that really got me down. I usually find something beautiful in the architecture of the barren trees, clean white snow, the shadows of winter, but this year all those positive feelings went right out the window by the end of January. My soul has now been lifted by the peeking bulbs; all the daffodils & hyacinths.

Winterscape Series 1, 2014

#1 & #2 Depth of Field, #3 Old Tree, #4 Lunch

Hiking in Aldrich Park

Hiking in Hemlock Hills With My Girls

Fall Colors

Winterscapes in July

Blessing of the Animals 2012 by The Rev. John David Heeckt, Pastor, Ridgebury Congregational Church

A delicious 6 Tylenol evening w Michael Ahearn

Happy Birthday Annie !!

Sophie > Diary of a Southern Belle at the Races

Stella was lame in one paw so it was only the Soph & I who went to watch Carol race in the "Run Like a Mother" event here in Ridgefield on Mother's Day. The 3.1 mile route was to wend its way through town streets, ending up in the very pretty Ballard Park which is in the center of town.

It was a very festive, exceptionally beautiful day as Sophie & I set out. As usual, she was very excited to go on another adventure. I opened a small window so she could stick her head out to feel that rush of air as drove into town. She was clearly enjoying herself.

We found a parking space, & I got out, moved the front seat forward to make room for the Soph to dismount. She waited patiently for me to attach the lead to her collar & then waited for permission to exit the car.

We crossed the street and started down the sidewalk. She pulled ahead on a loose lead with some anxiety but I talked her into slowing down. Soon we entered Ballard Park to find it populated by fathers, children, photographers, balloons, food vendors and more. And the announcer on the loudspeaker trying to rally the crowd. Music was playing, little kids and dogs ran around. Sophie was very steady on her lead.

A lot of people stopped us, asked if they could greet Sophie, commented on how pretty she was and asking about her breed. We heard "Look at the big black dog, daddy" many times over. Sophie put up with the petting without much reaction from adults & children alike but I gently held her muzzle when little kids came over as I don't know her entire background. She was a real trooper & I was proud of her.

As we wended our way to the finish line, Sophie was very busy, looking left and right. There were too many people coming from all sides for her to re-position herself between them & me so she was a bit anxious.

Finally we were at the finish line, I asked Soph to sit which she did immediatly while I extracted the camera from my backpack. Every once in a while -- as I got organized -- I'd praise her & slip her a tiny biscuit. She semed totally calm. Eventually, she lay down on her own.

The time keepers tested the timer mechanism which emitted a shrieking sound but it didn't bother Sophie & I decided to test my shots w the early runners. As the crowds cheered & urged those women on, more people rushed to the finish line where we were. Some of them stepped over Sophie as she lay at my feet. She was a cool customer.

Then I saw Carol, took my pictures of the final few feet and went to give her a congratulations hug. Sophie calmly joined in the fun.

Carol announced she was off to the 'mamacita' zumba class so Sophie & I departed the park. On the way out, the Soph became a bit anxious, scanning the crowds in our path but I felt her anxiety was to be expected at this stage of her socialization with me, four months into our love affair.

Back into the car, we went for a capuccino & croissant & Soph got her share of croissant w a water chaser. She was a great Bouvier companion under VERY fluid circumstances. Never once did she panic. Never once did she yank on her lead as I took pictures or as people ran by. I was so proud of her.

Next: meeting other Bouviers. Ta.Ta......

WindWing Lake Hike With Shophie > Click on any image for a larger version

Six Degrees of separation or one strange day

The other day I attended a senior lunch at the Ridgefield Community Center, also known as the Lonsbury House. It's a beautiful place,  built by former CT governor, Phineas C. Lounsbury, in 1896. It's right on main street, Ridgefield.

Before lunch was served, I sat down on a rocking chair on the front porch next to a gentleman, also in his 60's. I introduced myself & discovered that we shared a common denominator. His mother was Puerto Rican & I was born in Purto Rico. So we chatted on about Puerto Rico.

As we moved inside for lunch, we found a table with two  ladies. already seated. Soon, several others joined the table. Joe sat to my left. I introduced myself to the senior woman to my right. Her name was Ginny. And I reached across her to introduce myself to her friend, another senior lady, named Carol.

After a few seconds I looked at them both & said, "I will never forget your names. The first love of my life was a beautiful girl named Gini. The second love of my life was a girl named Carol to whom I've been married for 39 years."

We all had a good laugh.

So you tell me, is this what is meant by six degrees of separation?

July Blooms

July Blooms

Maybe We'll Leave Ridgefield

Eleven years ago Carol & I moved to Ridgefield CT after seventeen years in beautiful Pound Ridge to live in a quaint New England town. This was going to be our last stop. While Ridgefield remains a wonderful town, it's beginning to remind me of what happened to us in New York City.

Many, many years ago we bought into an historic brownstone on an historic street on NYC's upper west side. It was in the 70's between Central Park West & Columbus Avenue. We had a neighborhood watch. People cleaned up after their dogs (before there was a law). Mr. Tiffany had once owned the brownstone across the street & you could see his study, complete with a back lit Tiffany glass ceiling; it was that kind of neighborhood. And it had a mix of all kinds: from folks who had moved there 30-40 years prior to newcomers, renters as well as owners. The Rolling Stones' Keith Richards was a neighbor. So was a well known heart surgeon.

Columbus Avenue was replete with tiny mom & pop shops: dry cleaning, fruit & veggie stands, cheese & hardware stores & the corner newspaper shop where Morris (who owned it) was the only person who cashed personal checks, knew everyone and had everyone's preferred paper ready for them in the morning. There were old styled soda shops with stools and counters, ordinary coffee and lots of mirrors, chrome & vinyl. Richard Ruskay of Ruskay's served reasonably priced, delicious meals to couples in old fashioned booths.

Then the neighborhood got gentrified. Fancy coffee houses, those kitschy little shops sprung up like so many weeds, Morris had to move out to make way for Putamayo and the rest is history. The sidewalks became so crowded with strangers that stepping into the gutter was sometimes necessary just to get by.

The neighborhood had been devoured and so we moved away, having lost the very quality we had bought into, worked hard to preserve and loved so much.

Ridgefield Press > Outlook for CT bats bleak

Written by Dennis Schain 
Tuesday, 20 April 2010 09:28

Bats with White Nose Syndrome.

A syndrome that attacks hibernating bats continues to kill them at alarming rates both in Connecticut and in expanding areas range-wide, which will lead to a dramatic reduction in the size of the state’s bat population this summer, according to wildlife experts at the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

DEP Commissioner Amey Marrella said today, “On the eve of the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, the outbreak of White Nose Syndrome (WNS) that we are seeing serves as a reminder of the fragility of our planet and the interconnectedness of all living things. The massive die-off of the bat population that it is causing is also likely to have serious impacts on agriculture, forestry and other sectors of our economy.”

Jenny Dickson, DEP Supervising wildlife biologist, said, “White Nose Syndrome continues to have a catastrophic effect on bats. Just three short years ago, one of Connecticut’s largest hibernacula had over 3,300 wintering bats. This year fewer than a dozen remain — all but one showed active signs of WNS. The outlook for their survival is grim.”

The DEP says visits to other winter hibernacula — caves and mines where bats hibernate — revealed similar mortality rates. Another large site showed a 95% decline in bat numbers since a winter count in 2007. The only positive note from the 2010 surveys was that only three of the remaining bats at that site showed visible signs of the fungus.

Ms. Dickson also noted that WNS continues to take a devastating toll in the nearby states of New York, Massachusetts, and Vermont, where a significant percentage of the state’s bat population hibernates for the winter.

Ms. Dickson said, “WNS continues to kill some of our most common, backyard bats including the little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus), the northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis), and the tricolored bat (pipistrelle; Perimyotis subflavus), but has spread to other species, too.”

“When you put together the massive die-offs in our hibernacula and the continued spread of WNS in the northern hemisphere, the news is not good,” said Ms. Dickson. “Bats live long lives and reproduce in small numbers — so there is no doubt that WNS will have a major impact on our bat population and on the biodiversity and ecosystems throughout the US and Canada for decades to come.”

Ms. Dickson also noted that the presence of WNS in bats has spread geographically at an alarming rate. After first being discovered in caves in New York in the winter of 2006-2007, it is now in two Canadian Provinces and 11 states from New Hampshire south to Tennessee.

Last week, the Ministère des Ressources naturelles et de la Faune (MRNF) in Quebec announced that WNS has been formally identified in the Outaouais region of Canada. Reports of abnormal behavior by suspect bats have also been made in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region in recent weeks. The MRNF is monitoring the situation with assistance from the Centre québécois sur la santé des animaux sauvages and the United States Geological Survey’s (U.S.G.S.) National Wildlife Health Center.

Bats with WNS have a white fungus on their noses and occasionally other parts of their bodies that is only visible during hibernation. The identity of the fungus responsible for this white bloom, Geomyces destructans, was confirmed late last year. The fungus has been genetically linked to a European fungus. There are strong indications that this fungus is a non-native, invasive species has had a deadly impact on native populations of bats. The exact role of the fungus in bat deaths is still unclear, but it is well-documented to alter normal sleeping patterns of hibernating bats causing them to use all of their stored fat reserves before winter ends. There is no indication that people are susceptible to the fungus.

Ms. Dickson said the DEP is asking the public to report any known summer bat colonies by calling (860) 675-8130 or via email to Wildlife Technician, Christina Kocer at christina.kocer@ct.gov . As bats continue to return to maternity sites and summer roosts, the agency would like to hear from people about changes in the number of bats they are seeing or even about bat colonies that once existed and do not return to their previous homes.

Ms. Dickson said DEP is working with other affected states and provinces, federal agencies such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S.G.S. and several research universities to learn more about WNS, possible control methods, and to develop conservation strategies to protect remaining bat populations and hopefully prevent the continued spread of this fatal fungus.

Additional information about WNS — and its impact in various states — can be found at http://www.fws.gov/northeast/white_nose.html

Feb 16, 2010 - Winter Wonderland - Ridgefield