Exploring Western Massachusetts: Op-Ed

Showing posts with label Op-Ed. Show all posts

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Western Massachusetts: A Home in Our Hearts

Here in Western Massachusetts we have much for which to be grateful.

Our landscape is an Eden of elements, carved by the hand of Mother Nature with her tools of glaciers and frosts and hot and cold and ever-erosive currents of wind and water. Indeed, 'tis nary a dwelling window here in the boondocks of the Bay State that doesn't frame a tree or brook, rolling hill or pleasant valley or field, whether that window be in the city, suburbs or sticks. Our streams and rivers run cold and clear and our lakes and ponds are clean and healthy. Our forests are strong and diverse, the represented species a blooming bouquet displayed in wild acres unbroken, tucked into urban parcels or gathered into parks lovingly tended. Moss and ferns, blade and brush: Like a warm, cozy blanket, the lush terrain of Western Massachusetts covers an unforgiving strata of stone, soft comfort atop a solid base ideal to build upon, a platform from which to reach for the stars. Autumn colors and spring scents, the nip of winter air...shouts of summer swimmers, to live here is to live in a layered tapestry that envelopes and delights the senses. It is easy to feel blessed.

The farms and forests of Western Massachusetts combine to form a habitat rich with animal life. Growing populations of moose and black bear are testament to the area's wealth of undeveloped land and fertile food sources. It's common to see long fields hosting gatherings of wild turkeys or red-tailed hawks soaring and circling high overhead. Bald eagles are here and here to stay. Shad push up the steady Connecticut river with the spring swell and year 'round native trout ply the deep pools of icy brooks flowing out of the blue Berkshire hills. Fur and feather, scale and skin: We share paradise.

And as Mother Nature shapes the landscape, the landscape shapes the inhabitant. From rocky soil and snow-deep winters, April floods and summer droughts (ah, the price of beauty) spring a hardy stock of folk, willing to hunker down and get the job done. Rising seven days a week, three-hundred and sixty-five days a year, well before the dappling first rays of the rising sun, Western Massachusetts' farming families have a long tradition of providing soul and sustenance to the communities gathered 'round their furrowed fields, hungry guests to a feast. From harvest to table, 'tis the tasty fruit of their labor that drives the heart of the collective body, provides the power that makes it soar.

Like living spokes from a hub, energy radiates throughout Western Massachusetts with a visible hum. It surges and swells and softens to the flowing amperage of informed and active minds allowed to expand without restrictions or biases, lest they be self-imposed. The energy is seen in our architecture and artwork, old and new. It is apparent in our church spires and town libraries and our thirst for knowledge and enlightenment. The energy is seen standing at bus stops in the rain or passed hiking remote narrow trails on a late fall day. It is VFWs and struck-up conversations in doctor's waiting rooms. It's a door held open or a smile offered to a stranger. The energy is a well-maintained garden, a task complete, a favor given without asking. It is a photograph, a painting, a story retold with mirth. This buzz of non-choreographed communal continuity makes Western Massachusetts more than a mere location. Just as a dwelling becomes more than a house once occupied, it is home, Western Massachusetts is, and we welcome each other into it with that knowledge. Family.

There is much to be thankful for, much gratitude to be felt. We are the fortunate ones, honored by nature's palette. We live and work and love and rise or fall in one of the most magnificent locations on the planet. We pass along the heritage of our homesteads to the young ones and pass on, sinking roots into a deeper spiritual till, at last one with the land that had borne us to the spot, or return to the soil scattered as ashes in warm-favorite haunts, the sunny afternoons of our lives. For now, we have today. We have each other. We have our dreams. And no matter how far they may make us roam, we have Western Massachusetts.

Thank you, readers...friends. Your loyalty is humbling. May your Thanksgiving be filled with happiness and plenty.

Friday, April 18, 2008

The Businesses By The Bridge: Westfield, Massachusetts

Recently I've been wrestling with the idea of offering advertising space to interested folks here on EWM. I have to admit, I'm having a hard time with it. On the one hand, I sure could use the money. On the other hand, I like the mostly unadulterated feel of EWM as it is. I guess I'd still rather be a starving writer than a prosperous advertiser. Must be from when I was dropped on my head as a kid.

I don't want anyone else to starve though, even if it is in a business sense. Especially when the businesses are located on one of the most interesting and history-filled chunks of land in Westfield: Depot Square on the North-side of the Great River Bridge, and just across the Westfield River, the area of Kane Park to the south. It would be fair to say that this is one of my favorite parts of town, the history of industry and transportation in Western Massachusetts captured in a microcosm. A simple shake of the globe sets fascination flying, the olden scene unfolding amidst facts readily stirred (and stirring): floating crystals in liquid history.

The Great River Bridge Project has had a real impact on the businesses along its path. Folks just don't want to stop like they used to, probably because they spend so much time already stopped in traffic on North Elm and Elm streets trying to get across the bridge. So it requires an extra personal effort, keeping these anchor family-run businesses going, but it's an effort worth undertaking, and one that depends on community involvement. And who knows where it could lead?

Stop and pick up the fixings to make a nice dinner for your sweetheart at North Elm Butcher Block. Ordering ahead saves time.

To make the evening special, hop across the street to Pilgrim Candle and pick up some tapers to go with your capers.

There is plenty of parking next to and behind the North Elm Butcher Block...

...So take your time to browse at the Little Black Dog Gallery next door to Pilgrim Candle for that special gift, or a romantic book of poetry that will set hearts a' flutter.

A warm fire can do much to set the evening's mood. Make sure your chainsaw is sharp at the Yankee Sharp Saw Company.

If dinner burns while you're outside sawing wood for the romantic fire, you can always order out from Elm Pizza.

Who knows? Maybe after your special dinner something more permanent is on your horizon, like a tattoo from Nitemare Tattoo, or heck, for single folks, maybe even marriage.

You could get your wedding invitations printed up at Westfield Printing.

And have your wedding photographs custom-framed at Walter's Fin Frames.

Maybe start a new family-owned business yourselves. The old Valley Hardware building next to Walter's is for sale.

A realtor comes in handy when you're looking for a home base, and Century 21 is everywhere.

Of course, now that you're all committed and responsible and stuff, you'll need to insure your house, your business and yourself. The Tierney Group is located in Westfield's restored train depot, on the corner of North Elm and Old Pochassic Streets.

Stock up on candles at Whip City Candle Company. Living happily ever after can take a long time.

Until death do you part. No one wants to get here, but we all do. One consolation: You get a chauffeur and they stop traffic for you when you make your final trip. No more waiting to cross the bridge.

So there's my free plug for the businesses by the bridge: From dinner to demise.

Let's keep them alive.

As always, thanks for stopping by and take care.

Meet the merchants:

North Elm Butcher Block
37 North Elm Street
(413) 562-6759

Pilgrim Candle Company
36 Union Avenue
(413) 562-2635
www.pilgrimcandle.com

The Little Black Dog Gallery
16 Union Avenue
(413) 562-1295

Yankee Sharp Saw Company
59 North Elm Street
(413) 562-0645

Elm Pizza
38 North Elm Street
(413) 568-2020 or 568-2757

Nitemare Tattoo
3 Depot Square
(413) 572-0437

Westfield Printing
338 Elm Street
(413) 562-4664

Walter's Fin Frames
55 North Elm Street
(413) 562-1285

Century 21 Hometown Associates
350 Elm Street
(413) 568-2491
www.century21.com

The Tierney Group
16 North Elm Street
(413) 562-7007
http://www.tierneyinsurance.com

Whip City Candle Company
3 Depot Square
(413) 568-9700
http://www.whipcitycandle.com

Czelusniak Funeral Home
349 Elm Street
(413) 562-4874

Sunday, March 30, 2008

Pretty Litter Dropped in the Sky

Far be it from me to spoil anyone's fun, but littering is just downright wrong.

You guessed it, I'm talking about balloon releases, usually done to commemorate someone dying or dead or those who have been able to put it off.

Everyone, in other words.

Even more senseless is the "balloon race" where the winner is the contestant whose rubbish lands the furthest away from the launch point.

Oh boy.

What makes it acceptable, or even anything less than ridiculous, to launch hundreds of thousands, millions in fact, of balloons into the air each year with no regard to where they travel or how they affect the planet?

Sure, it's a pretty thing to watch, all those colorful, happy little orbs of delight sailing triumphantly toward the sun, fragile and defiant. Who can resist their innocence and appeal?

Or something like that.

If you've never witnessed the wholesale littering of the planet by well-intentioned, but momentarily ignorant people, then do a Google image search of "balloon release." When I did it, I came up with 6,460 results.

Lots of pretty pictures.

What is disturbing about the photographs is that, in many (if not most) of them, the balloons are being released with string or ribbon attached.

Why is that disturbing?

Because even if the organizers of the balloon release have followed balloon industry standards and use biodegradable 100% latex balloons (which are thought to naturally decompose within six months), the attachments may last much longer, years in fact, as litter hanging in tree branches, for instance, or as potential snares for unsuspecting critters.

You caught me. I like trees and animals. Shame on me.

In one article I read, a woman told of how she filled a balloon with a packet of flower seeds and set it aloft every year to commemorate her father's death. Wow, that's deep and beautiful. And irresponsible and probably illegal, propagating species and all.

If that idea caught on in the sixties, the nation would be blanketed with marijuana fields.

There are other ways to have fun. Other ways to commemorate.

Plant a tree. Plant a bush. Plant seeds. On your own lot.

Buy some books for the local library.

Sponsor a 'Memorial Clean-Up.' Lots of stuff to clean. Balloon parts and string, for instance.

Adopt a highway.

Adopt a kid.

Say a prayer.

Release butterflies.

Release bees.

Run.

After releasing the bees.

But please: Don't litter.

Thursday, April 26, 2007

Editorial: 'The Real Meaning of Prosperity,' By Herbert Myrick, (1909)

'The Real Meaning of Prosperity,' By Herbert Myrick; Farm and Home, Published Sept. 1, 1909; Phelps Publishing Co., Chicago, Illinois and Springfield, Massachusetts

Editorial source: Library of Congress, American Memories Collection, Printed Ephemera Collection, Farm and Home, Sept., 1, 1909, H. Myrick, Digital ID: rbpe.01805000

Friday, February 23, 2007

Western Massachusetts Blogs

For centuries, one of Western Massachusetts' most valuable assets has been the creative bent of its residents. The tradition of thoughtful and determined expression continues today and is demonstrated in the variety and quality of locally-authored blogs. The following list is ever-growing and regularly updated. To suggest a blog, please leave a comment below or email: explorewmass@yahoo.com (Updated June 15, 2012)

9 2 Bay 2 9 2 10

"There is always something happening on Route 9 to Bay Road..." ~~Laura

http://bayroad.blogspot.com/

A simple life

"I made this blog to keep some records of different life experiences I might have. Hope you enjoy it!"~~Fishing413

http://fishing413.blogspot.com/

AboutAmherst

"Also bugs, flowers, movies, travel, my family, cat and food."~~Mary E. Carey

http://aboutamherst.blogspot.com/

Chester High School Alumni and Friends

"Okay, Blue Devils and Quarriers! Here's another "labor of love" brought to you unofficially by Walter "Wally" Boomsma, Class of '65 and (currently anyway) president of the CHS Alumni Association."~~Walter Boomsma

http://chesterhigh.wordpress.com

The Downtown Diaries

"This Blog has been created to chronicle the transformation of The Hippodrome in Springfield, MA back into the Paramount Theater. Scheduled to reopen in late 2009. Check here for more information as it becomes available."~~Mike Barrasso

http://paramounttheater.blogspot.com/

flash & yearn

"...The imperative "flash & yearn" is the beating heart of the poem, the tension that makes it hum."~~'Sachem Head'

http://sachem-head.livejournal.com

GavinThink

"Political and other opinions from Gavin Andresen."~~Gavin Andresen

http://gavinthink.blogspot.com/

Greg Roach's Berkshires Blog

"A blog of random thoughts and reactions emanating from the bank of a mountain stream in the farthest reaches of the bluest of blue states."~~Greg Roach

http://gregroach.blogspot.com/

Hilltown Families

"Welcome to Hilltown Families, a grassroots communication network for families with grade school children living in Western Mass, established in 2005 by hilltown mother and long time activist Sienna Wildfield.."~~From Hilltown Families

http://www.hilltownfamilies.org/

Holyoke Home

"One couple. One dog. One achingly lovely historic brick row house. One very cool city. One VERY LONG renovation 'wish list.' One project at a time? We'll see." ~~From Holyoke Home

http://holyokehome.blogspot.com/

Holyoke in Photos

"Holyoke's PhotoBlog"~~Jeffrey Byrnes

http://www.holyokeinphotos.com/

Husky Hiker

"A journey of weight loss through the woods."~~Jim

http://huskyhiker.com/

Ice Cream Diaries

"One guy's account of the trials, tribulations, and offbeat characters from one old-fashioned ice cream and candy shop just west of Mt. Tom, in the tiny hamlet of Easthampton, Massachusetts."~~Jim Ingram

http://icecreamdiaries.blogspot.com/

In Our Grandmother's Kitchens

"Cooking, singing and sharing in New England and Beyond"~~Tinky Weisblat

http://www.ourgrandmotherskitchens.com/

in the valley

"Outdoor enthusiast, I use this blog to justify my loafing around in the woods when I really should be stressing about the daily rigors of life. But hey, life is short, have to balance things..."~~Tony Mateus

http://thepioneervalley.blogspot.com/

The Joey B

"What's there to tell? I was a seventh grade spelling bee champion. I sometimes wear silly paper hats. I like doughnuts. That's about it."~~Joey B

http://thejoeyb.blogspot.com/

Seth Kaye's Photoblog

"Current photography by Seth Kaye"~~From web site

http://www.sethkayeblog.com/

Life in the NohoDome

"Northampton from the inside and beyond."~~Jim Neill

http://nohodome.blogspot.com

A Luminous Halo

"Happy enough for the present in Massachusetts but always looking East." ~~Cicily Corbett

http://cicilycorbett.blogspot.com/

Massachusetts 351

"Laura and Bobb are visiting all 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts and taking a picture in each as part of the Massachusetts 351 Project."~~Bobb and Laura

http://www.massachusetts351.blogspot.com/

MassLive Blogs

MassLive and Valley bloggers on one handy page including The Local Buzz, Bay Road Photo, Blog Beat and My Wide World.

http://www.masslive.com/blogs

Michaelann Land

"Justice for the Rest of Us"~~Michaelann Bewsee

http://michaelannland.blogspot.com

The Mt. Tom Billy Goat

http://mounttombillygoat.blogspot.com

Musings from the Otherworld: LizzieBelle's Photo Blog

"Explorations With My Camera"~~Elizabeth

http://lizziebelle.blogspot.com/

Musings of an old man

"I probably won't be elegant and I don't know what "aphorisms" means but I do have a lot to say after 64 years."~~Ted

http://musingsofanoldman.blogspot.com/

My Dating Muse

"I am a thinker and a doer. I often despair yet never give up. My quest for love is an extension of my dreams of, and attempts at, creating a better world."~~Penrapture

http://mydatingmuse.blogspot.com/

My Nephew is a Poodle (and Other Random Thoughts)

"A peek inside the mind of an author/comedian/homeschooling parent"~~Pamela Victor

http://www.pamvictor.blogspot.com/

My Northampton Diaries

http://crypticvalentine.posterous.com/

New England Abundance

"Notes from the Valley of Paradise."~~From the NEA blog

http://www.neabundance.com/blog_ne/

New England Girl

"Just a young gal livin it up in New England [for now]. I am an organizing, Type-A, neat freak; a mini-Martha Stewart wannabe; a blogging newbie; and a New England lover through and through. I hope you'll find as much humor in my day-to-day journey through this crazy New England life as I do! :)"~~New England Girl

http://newenglandlove.blogspot.com/

New England Pride

"Links to everything New England!"~~Craig

http://www.newenglandpride.blogspot.com/

New England Travels

"Visits to city and seacoast, farm and factory, mountains and valleys. And miles to go before I sleep."~~Jacqueline T. Lynch

http://newenglandtravels.blogspot.com/

Only in Amherst

"Amherst (Mass) has been described as 26 square miles surrounded by reality. And they do say that truth is oftentimes stranger than fiction." ~~Larry Kelley

http://onlyintherepublicofamherst.blogspot.com/

Out of the Inkwell

"...writer, film historian, college instructor, and former radio talk show host with now 30 years experience in mass communications."~~Mike Dobbs

http://outoftheinkwell.blogspot.com/

Pine Cone Johnny

"The Past and Present Collide."~~Robert Genest

http://pineconejohnny.blogspot.com/

Pioneer Birding

"Field notes about birds, birding and travel from the heart of the Pioneer Valley in Western Massachusetts and beyond."~~James P. Smith

http://pioneerbirding.blogspot.com/

Plastic Revolution

"The wonderings, rantings and ramblings of a 30 something single mom trying to save the world . . . or at least save dinner."~~Reducing in HM

http://plasticrevolution.blogspot.com/

Poetry News

"This is a weekly newsletter/magazine which chronicles the poetry events in the Pioneer Valley and Western MA as well as the larger Springfield/Worcester/Hartford area."~~Lori Desrosiers

http://www.poetrynewsonline.blogspot.com/

The Quilts of Ann Brauer

"Contemporary art quilts that use color, fabric and the traditions of quilt making to create abstract landscapes. Custom orders welcome."~~Ann Brauer

http://annbrauer.blogspot.com/

Radio Free Earth

The Radio Free Earth Band's blog.

http://radiofreeearth.com/blog

Rambling VanDog

Holyoke happenings and more...

http://ramblingvandog.blogspot.com/

Readuponit: Travel and Voracious Reading

"Max Hartshorne, travel website editor and cafe owner, sharing some of the stuff I read, hear and see with you."~~Max Hartshorne

http://www.gonomad.com/readuponit/

Robert G. Judge

"The Blog of Robert G. Judge"~~Robert G. Judge

http://robertjudge.blogspot.com/

Running Hard Out of Muskrat Flats

"I am a single Dad. I am a chef by trade. I write for a band called Drunk Stuntmen. I play guitar, I make glass art and often submit to my bohemian artistic leanings which creates an air of solace and serenity in my life."~~Paul Brown

http://muskratflats.blogspot.com/

The South Hadley Historical Society

The blog of the South Hadley Historical society, which is based in the Old Firehouse Museum in that town.

http://southhadleyhistoricalsociety.blogspot.com/

Springfield East

"The city of Springfield, Massachusetts, is made of 17 different neighborhoods, each with something special to offer. As a resident of East Springfield/Liberty Heights area, I felt it would be interesting to travel my neighborhoods on foot and see what they have to offer. This blog will serve as a chronicle of my sojourns."~~Courtney Leigh Llewellyn

http://eastspringfield.blogspot.com/

Springfield History

"A virtual Historical Society for the city of Springfield."~~Ralph Slate

http://springfield-history.com

The Springfield Intruder

"The Springfield Intruder is owned and administered by William Dusty, living out of Springfield, Massachusetts."~~Bill Dusty

http://www.springfieldintruder.com

Surner Birding

Western Massachusetts Birding Blog

http://surnerbirding.blogspot.com/

Urban Compass

"Searching the soul of the city."~~Heather Brandon

http://urbancompass.net

Valleyist

"What is it and what makes it go?"~~Tommy Devine

http://tommydevine.blogspot.com/

Viking Pundit

"The only conservative in Western Massachusetts."~~Eric Lindholm

http://vikingpundit.blogspot.com/

Western Massachusetts Online

"Your Guide for News and Information Relative to Western MA"~~From WMO

http://www.westernmaonline.com/

Western Mass Politics and Insight

"...Commentary on news and the political happenings in Greater Springfield..."~~Matt S.

http://wmasspi.blogspot.com/

Western Massachusetts Regional Library System

"News and Updates: WMRLS-One-Blog"~~From the WMRLS web site

http://wmrls.blogspot.com/

Worthington Library

Blog of the Worthington, Mass. public library.

http://worthingtonlibrary.blogspot.com/

Check out EWM's Surfin' the Western Mass. Web for additional interesting close-to-home websites:

http://explorewmass.blogspot.com/2007/09/surfin-western-mass-web.html