Bluebell

A sole Spanish Bluebell wood hyacinth sprouted this week in the Katan-Ensor Preserve flowerbed along the hill above the horse barn. A bright overcast sky created its iridescent metallic colors. Perhaps more will spring up. I confirmed the bluebell’s identification with a Granby CT master gardener who knew Joan Katan and said: “Joan would have … More Bluebell

Hope Rises

Hope rises when we enter the lives of others to understand our common humanity. Hope rises when we lift everyone in our community; when we see each other, hear each other, respect each other, help each other. Hope rises when we build affordable housing, reach out to the homeless, ensure no one goes hungry, provide … More Hope Rises

Indifference Helps the Oppressor, Never the Oppressed

Indifference manifests itself in ignorance, silence and blind acceptance. Turning our backs to the injustices suffered by the marginalized, vulnerable, and victimized in our local communities and around the world is a weak and heartless admission that the status quo is just fine with us when it doesn’t affect our lives directly — at least … More Indifference Helps the Oppressor, Never the Oppressed

The Farmington Canal Heritage Trail, An Accessible Path to Nature

Celebrating the Trail’s Accessibility to Nature  April is here. The weather warms, days lengthen, plants sprout, and birds arrive. Earth Day, April 22nd, is a day to celebrate one of my favorite stretches of the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail, the roughly three and one quarter miles running through wetlands and farmland from Copper Hill Road in … More The Farmington Canal Heritage Trail, An Accessible Path to Nature

Navigating a Segregated Nation with the Green Book

“For African-American travelers in the Jim Crow-era South—often journeying from the north to visit relatives who had not joined the Great Migration—an unprepossessing paper-bound travel guide often amounted to a survival kit. The Green Book often functioned as a lifesaver,” writes Kathleen Burke of the Smithsonian. The recently released movie Green Book, which opened to much acclaim, depicts … More Navigating a Segregated Nation with the Green Book

A Perfect Match

On Saturday, October 20, 2018, Georges Annan Kingsley awoke to a new life. Georges received his long awaited kidney transplant the night before. A perfect match, his new kidney worked immediately. This perfect match was on top of another successful transplant just twenty-three days earlier. On September 27, 2018, the United States welcomed Georges as a … More A Perfect Match

Habitat Homeowners Help Others Help Themselves

Hartford Area Habitat for Humanity is celebrating the start of its 30th year anniversary. It began with a kickoff party on October 19, 2018 at the Hartford Marriott Downtown. I interviewed Habitat homeowners Janice and Kerry Foster for the event. Here is their story.  Raised in Hartford’s Stowe Village housing project, Janice and Kerry Foster … More Habitat Homeowners Help Others Help Themselves