Oh Hail!

Mountaindale neighbors are still chatting about the amazing hail storm we had Tuesday afternoon. It was really amazing to see and hear these marble sized "snowflakes" slamming the sidewalks and cars on Main Street. Here are two images from this exciting event just for fun. Thanks to Gina for the photo below of the angry sky and all the leaves that came down early due to the combination of fierce wind and hailstones.

By the way, this has nothing to do with anything other than neighborhood chit chat. If you have Verizon wireless service here in town, you pretty much have it made due to our cell tower on Church Road. With any other provider, you might not even have enough service for a measly text. Well, a new AT&T "sweet spot" was just discovered. The old, risky one was on the double yellow line on Main Street.  I just heard about a new one on Chef Robert Uccelli's new deck at Uccelli Restaurant. Check it out the next time you stop in for a bite to eat. Please remember, they are now open for Lunch, Sunday Brunch and have a new Early Bird Dinner Menu. You just might have to set your phone to vibrate while you dine al fresco.

Evening of Academic Excellence

Honor Society Oath for newest Inductees

I recently had a wonderful opportunity to enjoy "An Evening of Academic Excellence" with all of the other proud parents of Fallsburg High School students who were being recognized for their scholastic achievements. Many young adults were being presented with Honor Roll Awards and a sizeable group were Inducted into the National Honor Society.  This requires high grades as well as regular community service and civic group participation.

It is important to note that the 6:30 PM ceremony had to start late as we waited for a number of the attendees to complete their final afterschool sports competitions. This is a great indicator of these Comets being well rounded in sports and other activities, unlike the stereotype brainy, nerdy kids in the popular media. (Including my new favorite show, "The Big Bang Theory.")  To be inducted into the National Honor Society, each student must submit an application which verifies not only their grade status, but also demonstrates the candidate’s outstanding performance in the areas of Scholarship, Service, Leadership, and Character.

The keynote speaker, Michael Williams, High School Principal, addressed these 4 tenets with a wonderful challenge. He encouraged each member to help a fellow student get inducted next year. It might take clear shoving or just subtly, kindly motivating a peer. His dream would be for the entire student body to be on the stage one day. A fabulous treat that Fallsburg provides for students who consistently earn Superintendent's List standing is the annual trip to Broadway to see a live hit show. We should be proud of this effort to encourage "academic excellence." Additionally, the Mountaindale community can take pride in the large number of local kids in attendance.  This includes chapter President, Gregory Bedik and Lindsay Malman, who lit the candle for Character during the ceremony. The most heartwarming moments occurred when older siblings introduced their younger brothers & sisters as the newest members. This included Aaron & Rachel Schmitt, Shorouk & Adham Abohussien, and Morgan & Cody Vegliante.

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL SCHOLARS!

Soapbox Derby this Weekend

Daniel & his racecar

Ladies & Gentlemen, START YOUR ENGINES! Well, in a manner of speaking. Back in September, we announced the countywide All American Soap Box Derby would be held this Memorial Day weekend. The event will be part of the Greater Liberty Chamber of Commerce's festival and will also include a parade, sidewalk sale and Yard Sale-O-Rama. After much anticipation, this event is finally here.

I recently learned that we have a local racer from Mountaindale who we can all be rooting for on Sunday at 10AM. The young man's name is Daniel. Thanks to the hard work of his pit crew and the generousity of Phil Vallone of the Rolling V Bus Corp, his soap box racer will be zooming down the Main Street track at this Liberty event. Daniel will be competing in the 8 to 13 year old Stock division. However, Daniel is no stranger to competition as he just earned 2 medals in a Soo Bahk Do Moo Duk Kwan martial arts tournament this past weekend in New Windsor, New York. Eight other students of Upstate Karate of Mountaindale also attended this event and took home championship medals.

Daniel is active in many other sports throughout the year. These activities include soccer, softball, skiing, and snorkeling, to list a few. These are all possible due to the love and support of his proud parents, Max & Slava Milov, who share in many of these sports with Daniel. We wish him great success! Go, Daniel, Go!!

Dear World

Robert Fogarty photo from DearWorld.me

Today, I learned about a fascinating social experiment on the DearWorld website. The creative mind behind it all is photographer, Robert X. Fogarty. His mission is to work "towards a beautiful, wonderful world where more people send a message to family, friends and strangers in this way. Where people get that we’re connected and that you can build something fast alone, but to build anything great you have to go together." His messages are written with Sharpie and are often extremely moving. You are encouraged to view the gallery on his website, where you will see very moving images. Images like the poignant "Cancer Free" on a survivor's chest and the special series reminding us of those who still need our help in communities struggling to rebuild after natural disasters like Joplin, Missouri and New Orleans. Some are fun, like the wry update on the 'See No Evil' monkeys. There are a great many messages being shared and "some stories need to be told" to the whole world.

Valedictorian Proclamation

Sometimes there are entire processes that go on without the knowledge of people who are outside the process. For example, everyone knows that each high school graduating class has a Valedictorian who makes a speech at June Graduation. Until you personally know a Valedictorian, you might not know all of the other details that are associated with this event.

Yesterday, I attended a wonderful program in the Sullivan County Government Legislative Chambers. The pupose was to honor the Valedictorians of each and every high school within Sullivan County. Each district Superintendent introduced each High School principal, who gave a brief biography of each scholar. Their County Legislators then presented the bright students with a Certificate of Commendation. It was very impressive to see that each Valedictorian seemed to be a well rounded person with a list of achievements that go beyond pure academia.  Most were musicians, athletes, leaders and strong community servants. Anecdotally, they were all female with the exception of the exceptional young man from the Fallsburg School District, who happens to be from Mountaindale, New York, and coincidentally happens to be my son, Aaron Schmitt. Mountaindale has had other Valedictorian residents, such as our past Sullivan Renaissance Summer Intern Ashley Hunter, who just graduated from Yale and is a marvelous young woman.

I had previously noticed that there is an unusually high ratio of female Valedictorians in our county. The year that Ashley graduated, I had invited her and the Liberty Valedictorian to meet my Girl Scout Troop at a "Gals Who Excel Tea" in Mountaindale. I think it is important for young girls to understand that they CAN excel in all subjects, especially Math and Sciences, where girls are frequently under estimated.

I look forward to getting to know more about the Valedictorians who are graduating this year. I am so glad to see that they will continue to be recognized for their achievements at upcoming events like a dinner in their honor at the Eldred Preserve and when they will be recognized next month on a state level by New York State Senator John Bonacic who will be hosting them at this prestigious event. These people represent a great ray of hope for our future.

Tale of Woe

This is all I have to say today:

Possibly Three Sides if you REALLY want the Truth!

Happy Mother's Day to All!

I hope everyone had a wonderful, happy Mother's Day yesterday! I say Everyone, because I think it should be a great day for all - all mothers, all children and all of the menfolk, trying their best to make it a nice day. It should have been a joyful, stress free kind of day.

I am a Mother to two wonderful kids and I must say, this is, by far, THE MOST controversial Mother's Day I can ever recall.  How can you make Mother's Day controversial? We got the weekend kicked off with Time magazine going for ultimate shock value with their cover demanding. "Are You Mom Enough?" Duh! No one asked a question like that in my Mom's day! Are we now supposed to feel guilty about how much we love our kids and how attached we might be. Well, honestly, that part has always been out there. I guess the new guilt is over how much we want to be SuperMom and balance home and career in the mind boggling juggling act that we perform daily. I also have some concern that there will be some kind of perverse backlash against nursing. That is one creepy image. My nursing days were some of the happiest moments of my life and I will always treasure that era. I  am far less offended by her breast than I am by the expression on her face and notion that the kid needs to climb a stepstool to come to her. Nursing is such a glorious private, cuddling time. I don't see a misogynistic plot in the Mom going to the child to provide love, comfort, and nurturing along with sustenance.

Then, on top of all this, we have model, Christy Turlington Burns, launching a 'just say No' boycott of Mother's Day with "Every Mother Counts," to raise awareness for childbirth complications. I can see where the holiday has become overcommercialized with cards, store sales, etc. However, there are so many other ways to be vocal and use our energy to provide better healthcare for pregnant women. We must not remain silent when the Religious Right and other ultra Conservative groups play with women's healthcare as a political tool. This is a mission that should remain at the top of our minds all year round and especially during every election season. See an interesting video by MoveOn.org to see how women were thrown under the bus during the primaries.

Birding by Ear

Edward Frampton photo

You can tell it's May in Mountaindale because the hummingbird feeders have begun to go up along Main Street. The little shimmering green Ruby Throated Hummingbirds began finding them immediately. All are encouraged to take a stroll along Main Street to watch their amazing antics. It's the best entertainment 1/4 cup of sugar can buy! It gets especially exciting as the young begin hatching & fledging and start visiting our feeders en masse during the summer months.

Sometimes, the first indication you might have that a tiny hummingbird is nearby is that you hear them. You might hear a buzzing, humming sound - hence, the name. Or you you might hear them chirping as they come in for a landing or fuss with each other for control of their favorite feeder perch.

This 'listening' for bird sounds is known as Birding by Ear. It has been especially useful this past week when the bleak, drizzly mornings have made it more difficult to spot our feathered friends in the neighborhood. Mountaindale offers a lovely quiet serenity that allows us to put the hustle and bustle of everyday life on pause and just stop and LISTEN to the nature sounds around us. If you learn what a cardinal sounds like, it might alert you to where you might look to be treated to a bit of scarlet up high on a tree limb. You might hear a Phoebe saying his own name. Nowadays there are fun Bird Call Identificiation Apps to help. Another great resource is the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, which can also help you learn to memorize certain songs and calls as you build up your mental library. Please come to see and hear the wide variety of birds on Main Street, in the Sandburg Creek RiverWalk Park and on the Rails to Trails.

Ramps Festival

Raise your hand if you know what Ramps are. Keep 'em up if you know I mean something to eat & not drive on! I confess, I never got up close & personal with ramps until I recently spotted a beautiful fresh mound at my favorite specialty produce market. I took a big sniff and the smell was absolutely divine! Now I get what makes them so appealing and why the good folks at Slow Food think we ought to spend a whole day with them.

You didn't hear much about lovely Ramps in the past. I checked my "Farmacopeia" book, which is supposed to have everything "from apples to zucchini, and everything in between," but it goes straight from radishes to rhubarb. To learn more, my suggestion is to head over to the Ramps Fest this Sunday, May 6th at the Callicoon Farmer's Market, where Slow Food UpDeRiVa will be celebrating the Ramp, one of this region's most wonderful wild delicacies. From 11AM to 2PM there will be demonstrations, recipes, and tastings before the start of the great Ramp Tramp in Callicoon Center. This will include plenty of foraging & feasting at the Ramp Potluck at the Channery Hill Farm. Can you imagine Ramp Ravioli? Bob Eckert of Northern Farmhouse Pasta will feed you some at noon. I hear it's pure joy in a dumpling. If you think you'd agree, mark your calendar for the Ramps Fest this Sunday.