Archive: Around Town

A few years ago I got divorced, and ever since I've been feeling stuck. The divorce was traumatic, as I suppose they usually are, and I'm having trouble getting my footing. I was somewhat excited about starting a new life, but instead just feel like I'm spinning my wheels. I don't really know what I expected, but I think I assumed I'd have a wonderful new beginning. How can I jump start my life?
Feeling Stuck

By Doug Scott

My name is Horace, I'm a hound mix from Alabama, and I'm only 5 months old. I'm just a puppy bursting with energy, ready to get out there and play! I love walks, treats, and jumping up on everyone... Okay, so I could use some manners. I'm still working on it. But you can help me out with that, right? Let's do some training together, it would be a great bonding experience! Then I can work on being more polite with my sharp puppy teeth (because I'm so mouthy and excitable, I should go to a home without kids under 10, please). Won't you consider adopting me?

Visit the SPCA Web Page

v14i18

It's not too late to see Lansing Middle School's musical rendition of 'Mulan' tonight at 6:30pm and tomorrow at noon at the Lansing Middle School Auditorium.  The stage version is based on the animated Disney film that depicted the legend of Hua Mulan.  It's up to the misfit Mulan to save the Emperor, and save her father from war with the Huns by dressing as a boy and becoming a soldier.

There's nothing like a local business that celebrates its location, is owned by local people, gets supplies from other local businesses, and produces a local product.  Salt Point Brewing Company hits all the check marks, and has made a great start in the month it has been open so far.  A tap room features several beers made on the premises, as well as local wine and a menu of food that comes from local farms and businesses.

"A big part of it, for us, was wanting to put this business here in Lansing," says Chris Hesse, who owns the brewery in partnership with his wife Sarah, Camilo Bohorquez and his wife Alexandra Karnow. "We didn't want to start a brewery in Ithaca or Trumansburg. We live here.  We wanted it to be here.  That was an important aspect of our goal."

I've recently placed my mother in a nursing home. The decision came after her dementia became more severe as a result of her having contracted the flu. I was overwhelmed with the new level required to care for her when I brought her home from the hospital, and my inability to care for my own basic needs for sleep and nourishment. After coming to terms with my decision, what troubles me now is the reactions I'm receiving from friends and family. The responses range from giving me a 'high-five', which I find utterly tone deaf, to open disdain for my inability to let her age and die at home. I'm again questioning myself and my motives. Is there an end to these feelings that I've abandoned the individual most precious to me?
Feeling Guilty

Ever since I knew it existed, I've loved Ithaca Beer. Nut Brown, Apricot Wheat, Flower Power – all have been enjoyed and shared. But I had no idea what was in store this time. A dark beer that feels, looks and tastes just right – but with a little surprise.

'The Silverback Awakens' features hints of chocolate, toffee, coffee, and caramel – none of which overpower this magnificent brew. It's not available in packs, so we brought a couple 64 oz growlers home. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

By Doug Scott

Are you ready to be loved?! If so, I am your girl! My name is Munchkin, and I love humans! I squawk for attention, grab your hands in my paws, do endless head butts, and gentle love nibbles. I would probably do best in a home with older children or no children at all. I would go anywhere with my new person. We could watch TV together, snuggle in bed, or sit at the table together. You name it, I’ll do it if it means I get attention. Are you ready for a constant feline companion? Come on in and meet me, you won’t regret it!

Visit the SPCA Web Page

v14i17

Aurora, NY - The Wells College Center for Sustainability and the Environment announced a good showing in this year's Recyclemania, a friendly competition and benchmarking tool for college and university recycling programs to promote waste reduction activities to their campus communities. The Wells community posted gains in total campus recycling and high placement in recycling per capita. This is the seventh year that Wells has participated in Recyclemania.

The competition takes place over an 8-week period each spring, running this year from February 4 through March 31. Colleges across the United States and Canada report the amount of recycling and trash collected each week and are ranked in various categories.

The first grant award in the Youth Climate Challenge from Sustainable Tompkins has been made to two Ithaca High School students, Tilden Chao and Abigail Glickman. The students submitted their Keep It Cool: The Future of Refrigeration proposal in April, and received a grant of $990 to pursue their innovative and unique outreach and education program on containment and reduction of hydrofluorocarbon (HFCs) refrigerants.

HFCs replaced the ozone-destroying CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) refrigerants after the 1987 Montreal Protocol was ratified. This unprecedented global accord has secured the future of our protective ozone layer, but unfortunately the replacement HFCs have a greenhouse gas effect up to 23,000 times that of carbon dioxide. The students plan to develop a website and educational materials on alternative and safe refrigerants and host a summit for local businesses that depend upon refrigeration such as grocery stores, restaurants, and food distributors to learn about the alternatives. A new global accord, the Kigali Amendment, was adopted in 2016 to mandate the phase-out of HFCs starting in 2019. The students hope to help local businesses get a jump on both preventing leakage of HFCs and the transition to less harmful coolants.

Boy Scouts recognized outstanding service by both scouts and their adult supporters in dinner ceremony held in Dryden on Friday, April 27.

The Taughannock District gave its highest honor, the Award of Merit, to Michelle Lake of Homer and Roger Garnett of Lansing. Ms. Lake recently completed her service in chairing the committee overseeing the award of Eagle Scout rank for the Tompkins and Cortland County Area. Mr. Garnett, a former scoutmaster of Lansing's Troop 48, most recently helped to program an "Auto-ree" at the Living History Museum in Homer where he shared his over-100 year old horseless carriage.

Kyle White has been named employee of the quarter in recognition of his consistent exemplary job performance. In addition to exhibiting the Y's standards of honesty, caring, respect and responsibility White was chosen for his excellent customer service skills, overall positive working relationships with peers and supervisors, dedication and commitment to a work ethic above and beyond the minimum required.

The crystal ball from the movie "The Wizard of Oz" – one of Hollywood's most iconic objects – is coming to Cornell University Library this spring.  On view alongside an exhibition of Cornell's witchcraft collection, the famous film prop has been equipped with technology to recreate the movie's effect of conjuring images on its surface.  The crystal ball has been loaned to the Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections by Cornell alumnus Jay Walker, chairman of Walker Digital and founder of Priceline.com.

"We are honored to host this spectacular artifact, and grateful to Jay Walker for making this loan possible. This is the first time the crystal ball has been displayed outside of the Walker Library of the History of the Human Imagination and we hope students and the community at large will enjoy it," said Katherine Reagan, Cornell's curator of rare books and manuscripts.