May 9—May 15, 2015
Getting from Here to
There
By Patricia Van Pelt
W
hen we moved here to the Lathrop
Community we not only recognized
the distinct value of
the city of Northampton and
the lively nature of the
Pioneer Valley, but we
said to ourselves that
both Boston and New
York City were
“nearby!”
After one year we
admitted that all we
had assumed about the Pioneer Valley was
indeed true, but that neither Boston nor New
York City was “nearby!” They were either long
drives in awful traffic that we are not going to
willingly inflict on ourselves, or long drives to a
railhead or airport with the questions of parking,
and how much?
Sitting in our library, looking out on the woods
we would hear the distinctive whistle of a train
approaching a crossing. It is a sound that carries
the history of the United States on the wind; the
iconic sound that opened up the nation from
ocean to ocean. But it wasn’t a service for us
lathrop.kendal.org
locally, so our travel was purely imaginary.
Now, that has changed! There is now a train that
stops in Northampton and goes all the way into
New York City. It leaves Northampton at about
1:30 pm and arrives at Penn Station at 6:30 pm!
Or it leaves Penn Station at 11:30 am and pulls
into Northampton about 4
pm. That is about five
hours, but there are
comfortable, reserved
seats, wi-fi, pleasant
conductors, a café,
clean restrooms, and
no changes. It was a
revelation to find
that one could go
right into New York City in such comfort and
security, arriving rested and eager to take
advantage of all that the city has to offer.
The tracks run along the river. We spent happy
time sighting the water birds that were just
returning to the north or glimpsing the flowering
bushes a little further south of us. Endlessly
interesting old buildings from a previous
manufacturing time stirred thought. Names of
towns between Northampton and the city awoke
old memories or provoked new vistas.
Now, we can really say that New York City is
“nearby!”
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Specials at The Inn
Saturday, May 9
Soup: Spinach Soup
Salad: Tortellini Salad
Entrée 1: Roast Chicken
Entrée 2: Saffron Shrimp with Gnocchi
Side Dishes: Brown Rice Pilaf, Swiss Chard, Salsify
Dessert: Key Lime Pie

Sunday, May 10: Mother’s Day
Soup: Chicken, Mushroom & Rice
Salad: Dilled Cucumber & Avocado Salad
Entrée 1: Tournedo of Beef Baltimore
Entrée 2: Roast Leg of Lamb with Garlic Mint Jus
Entrée 3: Coconut Salmon on Pineapple Salsa
Side Dishes: Sweet Potato Hash, Steamed Broccoli, Broiled Tomato
Dessert: German Apple Cake

Monday, May 11
Soup: Thai Style Lemon Grass Shrimp Soup
Salad: Pineapple Slaw
Entrée 1: Pistachio Breast of Chicken
Entrée 2: Balsamic Roast Pork Tenderloin
Side Dishes: Brown Rice with Mushrooms, Carrots Tzimmes, Sugar Snap Peas
Dessert: Chess Pie
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Tuesday, May 12
Soup: Cream of Celery Soup
Salad: Pasta Salad
Entrée 1: Beef Tips with Apples & Onions
Entrée 2: Grilled Swordfish with Lemon, Mint & Basil
Side Dishes: Caraway Egg Noodles, Green Beans with Water Chestnuts,
Cauliflower au Gratin
Dessert: Honey Walnut Date Cake

Wednesday, May 13
Soup: Lemon Lentil Soup
Salad: Caesar Salad
Entrée 1: Seafood Jambalaya
Entrée 2: Orange Glazed Tournedos of Beef
Side Dishes: Fried Tarragon New Potatoes, Roasted Fresh Okra with Thyme,
Corn with Bacon, Onions & Peppers
Dessert: Peanut Butter Pie

Thursday, May 14
Soup: Beef Barley Soup
Salad: Chopped Mediterranean Soup
Entrée 1: Teriyaki Scallops with Bok Choy
Entrée 2: Breast of Chicken Parmesan
Side Dishes: Angel Hair Pasta, Snow Peas, Julienne Carrots with Mint
Dessert: Strawberry Pie

Friday, May 15
Soup: Strawberry Soup
Salad: Fingerling Potato & Fennel Salad
Entrée 1: Shrimp Pernod with Fennel over Wild Rice
Entrée 2: Sweet Potato Beef Roulade
Side Dishes: Asparagus, Yellow Beets
Dessert: Blondies with Vanilla Ice Cream
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IT’S EASY BEING GREEN
It's Not Easy Being a
Mama Bear
By Barbara Walvoord
I
n an earlier column about bears
coming out of hibernation, I asked
whether anyone had seen bears yet this
spring on Lathrop land.
Well, sure enough, Carol Neubert sent me
photos taken about April 6. She writes:
At about 9:00 in the morning Mama Bear and
her two cubs appeared in our backyard. Mama
went over to the tree line, lazily reclined on her
back, and the two cubs proceeded to nurse. Two
of our grandchildren (ages 6 and 3) were
visiting and, needless-to-say, the bear visit was
the highpoint of their stay.
(but hopefully not your garbage or bird seed) , and
she will continue to lose weight until summer, when
berries and nuts will help her gain. She'll do this
every two years across her 25-year adult lifespan.
The cubs will continue to nurse until September,
when they may weigh between 15 and 160 pounds
depending on food supply. These look really big
If you think that
the picture of
nursing mom
looks like a huge
blob of cubs
pouncing on
her—well, that's
how she might
feel!
She's been
nursing them
since January, in
her den. Their
birth weight was
under a pound—
the smallest birth weight in relation to the mother's
weight of any placental mammal. As they have
grown big and strong, she may have lost up to a
third of her body weight, which was 90-175
pounds. Now she is eating grass, herbs, and leaves
and healthy for this time of year. I would guess
that Mama weighs 120 pounds and the cubs each
40. If we translate these times and weights into
human terms, it's as though we had twins, and they
nursed until they were 3 years old and weighed a
third of what Mom did. Whew.
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C U LT U R A L LY S P E A K I N G
artwork. He first observed needle-felting in the summer of 2010 and began producing pictures in January, 2011. The art of needle-felting involves the use
Saturday, 5/9 at 7:15: “Boyhood” in the MTR
of dyed wool fiber (before it is spun into yarn), a
Filmed over 12 years with the same cast, this is a
backing, such a blanket material, and a special neegroundbreaking story of growing up as seen through
dle to push the wool fiber through the backing to
the eyes of a child named Mason, who literally grows
create a picture or design, much like paint on a
up on screen before our eyes. This drama charts the
canvas.
rocky terrain of childhood like no other film has beWednesday, 5/12, 12:00: “East Meets North”
fore. This movie is 2 hours, 45 minutes and can be
Luncheon Mixer at the
shown in two parts.
Inn
Monday Matinee, 5/11 at 2:00 “America’s Castles,
Make new friends at this
the Grand Tour” in the Mount Tom Room
luncheon mixer for resi“America’s Castles” takes a grand tour of the nadents of the Easthamption’s most extraordinary homes. From the White
ton and Northampton
Castle of Louisiana to Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago
townhomes. Menu:
in Palm Beach, these remarkable estates and manChilled Raspberry Soup; Margarita Chicken Salad
sions stand as the crown jewels of America’s most
(Spinach & Romaine with grilled chicken, orange
rich and famous.
segments and strawberries with margarita dressing);
Wednesday, 5/13 at 7:15: “Selma” in the MTR
Choice of daily selections of desserts. $13.75, prepaid at the front desk of the Inn or Meeting House
A chronicle of Martin Luther King's campaign to
office—deadline to sign up is Sunday, 5/10 to reserve
secure equal voting rights via an epic march from
your space. Van from MH at 11:45 (limited to 12
Selma to Montgomery, Alabama in 1965.
from each campus).
Silver Screen
On This Week’s Calendar
Saturday, 5/9, 2:00: Lihuan Meyer, violin & Jerry
Noble, accompanist in MTR
CANCELLED (to be rescheduled)
Sunday 5/10 at 3:30: Artist Reception for Gil Billings
at the Inn
Gil Billings, a retired
professor of science
education, is a selftaught needle-felting
artist. Gil has always
admired other people's
Wednesday, 5/13: Sing-along with Dana Pasquale,
First Churches Choir Director, in MTR
Join friends and neighbors for this uplifting monthly
seasonal sing-along.
Still Time to Sign Up
Saturday, 5/9: Pioneer Valley Symphony Orchestra:
Mascagni
6:30/6:45 (ETD). Tickets $15 available at the front
desk of the Inn and the office of the Meeting House.
SU / V.
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NOTEWOR THY
formed in 2014 and has pursued its mission with
vigor. The Subcommittee is comprised of members
from both the Easthampton and Northampton
Lathrop campuses and has prioritized the eradication of invasive plant species (mostly by hand!), the
esidents of the Lathrop Communities of
proliferation of native species to support insects and
Easthampton and Northampton were just recwildlife, and the initiation of a solar energy project
ognized by the Governor of Massachusetts for their
on the Easthampton campus.
ongoing conservation and reclamation efforts here in
The members have brought speakers to Lathrop to
the Valley.
help educate the Lathrop adLathrop and Kendal toministration, staff and resigether embrace the deeply
dents on land conservation
felt responsibility to be
and wetlands protection
concerned about the approprinciples. Members have
priate use and conservation
marked walking trails and
of the earth’s resources,
developed new campus maps,
and strive to conduct all of
fostered a monarch butterfly
their activities in an ecologprogram, and established
ically sound and socially
and catalogued a collection
responsible manner.
Above, left to right. Front Row: Barbara Walvoord (Chair, with citation), of “Green” books in the comJohnson, Lyn Howe. Back Row: Sharon Grace, Adele Dowell,
In recognition of this com- Eleanor
munity library. They are
Gillian Morbey, Jim Dowell, Eleanor Herman.
mitment and these efforts, Also present but not in the photo was Al Eipper (a founding member of currently working to partner
on April 29th, the Lathrop
the Lathrop Green Committee), pictured below.
with local land trusts and are
Land Conservation Subseeking to recruit farmers to
committee (a subcommitcultivate Lathrop’s farmtee of the Lathrop Green
land.
Committee) was presented
Lathrop is indeed proud and
with the Governor’s Citainspired by the passion and
tion. The citation reads:
prolific efforts of the Land
On behalf of the citizens of
Conservation Subcommittee,
the Commonwealth of Masa model of resident engagesachusetts, I am pleased to
ment and empowerment
confer upon you this Govermaking a difference and fosnor’s Citation in recognition
tering the Lathrop and Kendal commitment “to
of your dedicated service towards the conservation and
tread ever more lightly” on the land which has been
protection of ecological and native habitats. The citaentrusted to the Lathrop communities.
tion was signed by Governor Charles D. Baker and
Absent but essential members of the committee:
Lieutenant Governor Karyn E. Polito.
Chuck Gilles, Diedrick Snoek, and Roger Herman
The Land Conservation Subcommittee was officially
Governor Baker Salutes
Lathrop for Its Land
Stewardship
R
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NORTH NEWS
The Butterfly & Hummingbird
Garden at the Meeting House:
an Account of its Progress
by Peg Rasmussen
Tuesday: The Butterfly
and Hummingbird Garden got underway when
Lathrop's team of Dennis
and Nick turned over the
soil out front.
Saturday: Peg rigged a trellis and attached white
netting for climbing vines. Pat and Andy assisted
her from the veranda. Dave continued raking.
Sunday: The final leveling was done.
Monday: Gillian and Peg planted Butterfly Bushes.
Wednesday: Jane, Peg, and Gillian stepped into the
dirt to define 19 mini-plots for many named flowers. Newcomers Bob and Judy Buhner were drafted
to rake and clear out grass. And Bob made hose connections for our water supply.
Tuesday: This day was set aside for fertilizer and
manure spreading over the center garden. The garden will grow into a small meadow, planted with perennials and annuals that require low maintenance,
but are insect attractors.
Thursday: Dave Morrissey, another newcomer, arrived with garden tools, hat and a bucket. He raked
and moved a huge pile of grass-laden turf.
Friday: It was planting day for the mini -plots.
More volunteers showed up to match seed packets to
numbered spaces. Those kneeling along the edge included Nancy, Joan, Caroline, Stacy and
We all want the garden to attract butterflies and
Alex. Joan Davis snapped pictures for display inhummingbirds, and residents who gather
doors. Dean and Carolyn also took photos.
on the veranda all summer.
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AROUND TOWN
The 34th Annual Northampton
Pride Parade & Pride Event:
Saturday, May 2, 2015
Nine residents of Lathrop Northampton & Easthampton and two staff members (and one staff son)
celebrated with the entire town at the 34th Annual
Northampton Pride Parade and Pride Day on Saturday, May 2.
Above: Marching and riding in the parade, cheering and generally
having a wonderful time were: Left to right: Alex & Carol Neubert, Barbara Walvoord, then a group of Carol Neubert’s friends
who helped out, then in the back in an orange cap, Mike Strycharz, followed by Sharon Grace, Adele Dowell, and Judy &
Bob Buhner. In the background on the right of the picture is the
famous Oldsmobile Delta 88, and, in the Olds, (seen below) are
Eleanor Johnson, and Drew Strycharz. Not in the photos but
waiting for the Parade at the Fairgrounds and helping to work the
Lathrop booth was Jim Dowell. Photo by Michael Harvey.
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L AT H R O P G A L L E R Y
Illustrated Poems
by Betty Schaffer
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THE L AS T WORD
LATHROP: The BEST
Retirement Community!
Make Your Vote Count!!!
The Helping Hand Society
Delivers May Baskets Again
Last year, Lathrop won the award for the BEST
Pictured above are Phyllis Pombal (center) and daughter Melody
Retirement Community in the Valley for 2014 in the Gipperich (and friend, right) of the Helping Hand Society who
delivered bags of fresh fruit to every resident of the Inn on May Day.
annual poll conducted by the Daily Hampshire Gazette. (By the way, we were also voted the Best Assisted Living Community!)
The voting for 2015 continues through May 20, so
there’s plenty of time to get your vote in! Remember
that one does not have to be a subscriber to The Gazette in order to vote, but the voting must be done on
line, so access to a computer is absolutely necessary.
Northampton Resident
Association Meeting
To find the poll, go to www.gazettenet.com, and enter your email address and name – this is to prevent
multiple voting. All the voting is by “write in” and
the ballots for Best Retirement and Best Assisted
Living are both found under the category of Health
& Fitness.
There are over 170 categories in the poll, so feel free
to vote for your favorite restaurant, veterinarian,
shoe store, or whatever or whomever.
But VOTE for Lathrop!
The Residential Association Presidential transition at Northampton is
complete! 2014 President Joan Davis (left) passes the gavel to 2015
President Carol Nuebert (right) at the Association meeting on Wednesday, May 6.
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