Special Observances: May 15 - 21

MAY 15: INTERNATIONAL DINOSAUR DAY

The third Tuesday in May is International Dinosaur Day, falling on May 16th this year. Dinosaur Day seeks to celebrate — need we say? — Dinosaurs. Dinosaurs were a group of reptiles belonging to the ancestral family Dinosauria. These creatures lived millions of years ago during the Mesozoic era, which began around 252 million years ago. It is estimated that they went extinct 66 million years ago. So, they were the ancestors of today's common lizards, snakes, turtles, crocodiles—and even birds. IDD is the occasion to learn all about the different types of dinosaurs! This day aims to educate and inform people about dinosaurs and their descendants. It encourages everyone to learn more about dinosaurs.

MAY 16: LOVE A TREE DAY

On this holiday, go out and give a tree a great big hug. Or, climb up into your favorite tree, and share some quality time with it. Wait. Second thought: don’t climb, sit under a tree and commune any way you like.

National Love a Tree Day celebrates the joys of life provided by trees. Trees are a good thing. They give us shade, comfort, and warmth. They give off oxygen, too. Some provide fruit.

Most species of trees tend to be long-lived. Some trees live to be several thousand years old. The tallest known tree is 379 ft. tall. Between 1630 and 1910, there was a steady decline from 1,023 million acres to 754 million acres. That’s a decline from 46 percent to 34 percent of the total land area of the United States. According to the U.S. Forest Service, about 766 million acres of forest land exists in the US today. This number has held steady since 2012.

 MAY 17: NATIONAL WALNUT DAY

We have an idea that the squirrels might enjoy this one.

 In 1958, May 17 officially recognized National Walnut Day by a Senate resolution signed into law by President Eisenhower. Today we celebrate with delicious recipes of salads, desserts, and snack foods. Rounded, single-seeded stone fruits of the walnut tree, walnuts are a high-density source of nutrients, particularly proteins and essential fatty acids. Grown for their seeds, the Persian or English Walnut and the Black Walnut are the two most common major species of walnuts.

The United States exports more walnuts than any other country. Ninety-nine percent of the nation’s commercial English walnuts are produced in the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys of California.

 MAY 18: INTERNATIONAL MUSEUM DAY

Since 1977, the International Council of Museums (I.C.O.M.) has celebrated May 18 to pay tribute to the international museum community. Museums are vital venues for cultural exchange and enrichment, as well as for the development of peaceful coexistence and cooperation among nations and communities. This day encourages people to visit museums dedicated to many fields of human endeavor such as agriculture, fashion, astronomy, archaeology, art, and natural history.

Each year, International Museum Day has on a particular theme. This year’s theme, “Museum, Sustainability and Well-being,” focuses on the importance of the environment, health and well-being in everyday life, and how museums can contribute to these aspects as cultural institutions. Museums can play a key role in promoting sustainability and wellbeing, by implementing initiatives that encourage environmental responsibility, health and wellbeing for visitors and staff.

MAY 19: NATIONAL PIZZA PARTY DAY

Each year on the third Friday in May, millions of pizza lovers across the nation join in extolling the qualities of pizza on National Pizza Party Day.

Since pizza is one of America’s favorite foods — and Friday Pizza at Kendal is a sacred event — it comes as no surprise we would celebrate a day that features a pizza party. Pizza parties bring friends together. Birthdays and some minor achievements are also celebrated with pizza parties, too. Although, just about any excuse can be used for a good pizza party. Like a Friday.

In ancient Greece, the Greeks covered their bread with oils, herbs, and cheese, which some attribute to the beginning of the pizza. In Byzantine Greek, the word was spelled “πίτα,” pita, meaning pie. The Romans developed a pastry with a sheet of dough topped with cheese and honey, then flavored with bay leaves. Our modern pizza had its beginning in Italy as the Neapolitan flatbread.

The original pizza used only mozzarella cheese, mainly the highest quality buffalo mozzarella variant. The first United States pizza establishment opened in New York’s Little Italy in 1905. An estimated 2 billion pounds of pizza cheese was produced in the United States in 1997.

The largest pizza ever made, according to Guinness World Records, weighed 26,883 pounds. It was made in Norwood, South Africa, on December 8, 1990. As far as pizza eating contests go, the winner goes to Kelvin Medina, who ate a 12-inch pizza in 23.62 seconds on April 12, 2015.

MAY 20: WORLD FIDDLE DAY

World Fiddle Day, celebrated every third Saturday in May, is an annual celebration of fiddle music. This year, it falls on May 20. All across the world, particularly in regions where the fiddle is popular, several events are organized and put together for World Fiddle Day. The holiday was founded by Caoimhin Mac Aoidh in 2012. The date was deliberately chosen to be the same as the anniversary of the death of legendary Italian violin craftsman Antonio Stradivari.

The medieval fiddle began to show up in 10th-century Europe, deriving from an earlier instrument of similar build and purpose from the Byzantine era known as the ‘lira.’ The lira was a bowed string instrument of the Byzantine Empire and it is regarded as the ancestor of most European bowed instruments.

MAY 21: NATIONAL MEMO DAY

National Memo Day on May 21 has us getting our pens, notes, and typing skills sharp and ready. A memo is any piece of important information that is penned or typed down to be sent to a group of people. The National Memo Day was first celebrated in 1989 by KMJI Majic Radio, located in Denver, Colorado. The purpose of the day was to raise awareness about the memos that are being used by people in businesses.

Tracing the word’s origin, it comes from the Latin word ‘memorandum,’ meaning ‘it must be remembered.’ People have been using memos to convey messages and plans of action for centuries. There are several different forms of a memo (i.e. formal, informal, policy making, etc.), and the usage of each depends on the context of the situation and the people involved. At some point, memos were used to tell people about the changes in laws of a kingdom. In other times, they were used to inform military personnel about the next move. Memos have also had the reputation of falling into the wrong hands, resulting in disastrous outcomes. Major Andre’s capture in the Sleepy Hollow/Tarrytown vicinity comes to mind. Disastrous for Andre, not the American rebels.

In modern times, the main content of a memo could range from a few lines to a few pages. Today, the mighty Post-It is key to memos.

Art by Hart

After marathon negotiations, labor and management reached a shaky truce

Selena was sensitive about jokes involving French menus, tiny forks and garlic butter

Migratory birds and sea captains feared Lorelei's ominous, "Come here often, Sailor?"

Mr. Greenjeans was hailed as a hero for saving Stevie from the feral hyena

Ogden's fitness coach was adamant about his 5 am breaststroke and butterfly drills

Art and photos by Jane Hart

Inspiration, by Sheila Benedis

INSPIRATION

life on the autism spectrum

has created such a problem

sensitive to noise

not gregarious

causes stress

conundrum

 

as a child my life started

completely left brain absorbed

felt inspiration

art emanation

gratification

Joy appeared

 

inspired by bold images

my act of creating art works

feels  motivating

invigorating

designing

textures

organic shapes

 

Poem and art by Sheila Benedis

Spreading the Love of Reading . . . and We Helped Out

Every spring all the first graders in Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown take a walk around their neighborhood. On their walk May 5, nearly 250 children, plus teachers, and parent helpers visited the new Sleepy Hollow Bookstore at 95 Beekman Avenue throughout the day. Each child received a free book there, thanks to donations to the Kendal on Hudson Philanthropy Fund made by KoH residents, staff, and board members.

Caroline Persell

And there are other cool things in the bookstore, too!

Photos by Caroline Persell

More on the Rockwood Park Goats . . .

A crack team of a roving KoH reporter (Edward Kasinec) and photographers (Hubert Herring and Valerie Wallace) have breaking news on our neighbors in Rockwood Park, the goats. If you have been seeing what you think are large white rocks (until one of them happens to move), you might wonder what has taken over the park. Reporter Edward Kasinec has uncovered the skinny on the hairy:  

“The goats and their Pyrenees mountain guard dogs are part of the Stone Barns/Preserve Partnership to remediate and manage invasive species in the Park without the use of herbicides.”

You’ll note that there are movable enclosures around the goats so that they can feast in different areas of the park at different times. Sustainable, thy name is Goat.

Owen, one of the Pyrenees mountain guard dogs, makes sure the goats behave themselves and are safe. Bravo, Owen!

Photo by Valerie Wallace

Hubert Herring documented the goats at work:

Special Observances, May 8-14

MAY 8: NATIONAL COCONUT CREAM PIE DAY

National Coconut Cream Pie Day is devoted to the ultimate custard-and-cream concoction. On this day, we contemplate the sheer deliciousness of the coconut cream pie and, of course, help ourselves to a slice. It’s the beginning of warmer weather and longer days filled with languid hours that are perfectly punctuated by a piece of this cool, creamy pie. The basic ingredients for coconut cream pie are a custard made of coconut milk, sugar, egg yolks, cornstarch, and butter, topped with a pile of fluffy whipped cream and toasted coconut shavings. But it always ends up as more than the sum of its parts. Coconut cream pie is well-nigh magical, and that’s why it gets its own day in our calendar.

MAY 9: LOST SOCK MEMORIAL DAY

National Lost Sock Memorial Day honors all the socks that are no longer with us. Where did they go? We are not certain, but what we do know is that losing one sock of a perfectly-matched pair is a wide-spread phenomenon. So much so that we have a day on which to honor those socks we have loved and lost.

With each American having an ever-growing sock drawer, the odds of a paired sock losing its mate increases. In a recent survey of 2,000 people, it was determined the average person loses 1.3 socks each month! That’s a lot of socks every year — over 15 per person, per year. So you can see how this universally hits home and causes us all great distress when a sock goes missing.

MAY 10: NATIONAL SHRIMP DAY

National Shrimp Day recognizes America’s favorite seafood. Americans eat more shrimp than any other seafood, and this is the day to celebrate this delicious seafood. A healthy food, shrimp, is low in calories and high in omega-3, calcium, iodine, and protein levels.  Shrimp is also known to be considered good for the circulatory system.

Shrimp fans all across the country can come together to honor their love for the shellfish, commonly called the “fruit of the sea.” Shrimp are interesting characters, and some can even glow in the dark! Elvis Presley even once sang a song about them, crooning, “If I should live to be ninety, I will never forget the little shrimp and the song he sang as he jumped into the net.” In the United States, shrimp is eaten more than any other type of seafood, so of course, it deserves its own day! Grill em, fry em, or eat em cold. Try them on a sandwich, on a salad, or one by one in some delicious cocktail sauce. Whatever you do, take some time to celebrate!

MAY 11: NATIONAL TWILIGHT ZONE DAY

National Twilight Zone Day features mysterious twists and turns highlighted with eerie background music and unexplainable occurrences. The television show The Twilight Zone was created, written, and narrated by Rod Serling. It premiered in fall 1959. The episodes were wildly popular, stretched the imagination, and captivated viewers. The show aired from 1959-1964.

Each episode presented unique stories that led the viewer on a journey into an unknown situation. The characters often revealed their backstories through intense exchanges. Settings ranged from the wild west to penthouse suites. And yet each story took place in the 5th dimension, in The Twilight Zone.

Serling combined his love of pulp fantasy novels with topics not often covered on television at the time: social issues such as war (including nuclear), subject matter McCarthyism and racism. In the opening sequence of each episode, the characters are transported to another dimension — the fifth dimension — known as the "Twilight Zone." There, they deal with many unusual events, and the show often has an unexpected ending with a moral lesson.

MAY 12: LIMERICK DAY

Everybody needs a bit of silliness in their lives from time to time and Limerick Day provides the perfect annual opportunity. The familiar five-line verse is renowned for its humorous, sometimes bawdy themes. Instantly recognizable from the rhythm of the verse they are cleverly constructed to put a smile on the face.

National Limerick Day is set on 12th May to mark the birthday of Edward Lear, the English writer known for his works of nonsensical prose and poetry. It was Edward Lear who was to popularize the Limerick in his A Book of Nonsense, published 1846. His limericks were popular then and this form of nonsense literature has managed to retain its appeal to this day.

Limericks will normally have the first, second and final lines ending with the same rhyme, while the third and fourth shorter lines have their own rhyme as illustrated below:

There was an Old Man with a beard,

Who said, ‘It is just as I feared!

Two Owls and a Hen,

Four Larks and a Wren,

Have all built their nests in my beard!’

This style of verse can act as a great introduction to the idea of poetry for children and Limerick Day helps to maintain awareness of this type of poem.

May 13: FROG JUMPING DAY

 The history behind National Frog Jumping Day has turned into a tradition that came to life from the idea of a short story. Mark Twain published his first short story titled “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” in 1865. This story also goes by “Jim Smiley and His Jumping Frog” and “The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County.” The premise of the story is about a man named Jim Smiley, a compulsive better. He trains a pet frog he names Dan’l Webster and bets his frog can jump higher than all the other frogs in town. The man who he bets with ends up tricking Smiley and wins the bet.

 Inspired by this story, Calaveras County in Northern California started hosting a Calaveras County Fair and Jumping Frog Jubilee during the third week of May. The first event was held in Copperopolis, California in 1893 but has since made its permanent residence in Angels Camp. The fair spans four days and offers classic fair food, award-winning wines, carnival rides, rodeo, and live music, among other things, but their main event is the frog jumping competition. Even though there are other frog jumping competitions throughout different cities in North America, the one at Calaveras is the most popular and well-known because of its relation to Mark Twain’s short story.

MAY 14: NATIONAL CHICKEN DANCE DAY

 National Dance Like a Chicken Day on May 14th encourages everyone to dance like a chicken! This day entertains from start to finish with people flapping their arms and strutting chicken-like. Everyone has probably danced the “Chicken Dance” at least once in their lifetime. This silly fun song is popular at wedding dances, Oktoberfest, and other celebrations, too. The song gets people of all ages up and moving on the dance floor.

Written in the 1950s by Werner Thomas, a Swiss accordionist, the Chicken Dance didn’t even make it to the United States until sometime in the 1970s. The Chicken Dance is associated with polkas or oom-pah-pah music. Upon arriving in America in the 1970s, the song acquired choreography with repetitive beak, wing, and tail motions, as well as the new name, The Chicken Dance.

The Haircut or Watch What You Say . . .

A man was getting a haircut prior to a trip to Rome. He mentioned the trip to the barber, who responded, “Why would anyone want to go there? It’s crowded and dirty and full of Italians. You’re crazy to go to Rome. So, how are you getting there?

“We’re taking United,” was the reply. “We got a great rate!”

“United!” exclaimed the barber. “That’s a terrible airline. Their planes are old, their flight attendants are ugly, and they’re always late. So, where are you staying in Rome?”

“We’ll be at the downtown International Marriott.”

“That dump! That’s the worst hotel in Rome. The rooms are small, the service is surly, and they’re overpriced. So whatcha’ doing when you get there?”

“We’re going to see the Vatican, and we hope to see the Pope.”

“That’s rich,” laughed the barber. “You and a million other people trying to see him. He’ll look the size of an ant. Boy, good luck on this lousy trip of yours. You’re going to need it! 

A month later, the man again came for his regular haircut. The barber asked him about his trip to Rome.

“It was wonderful,” explained the man. “Not only were we on time in one of United’s brand new planes, but it was overbooked and they bumped us up to first class. The food and wine were wonderful, and I had a beautiful young stewardess who waited on me hand and foot. And the hotel! Well, it was great! They’d just finished a $25 million remodeling job, and now it’s the finest hotel in the city. They were overbooked, too, so they apologized and gave us the Presidential Suite at no extra charge!”

“Well,” muttered the barber. “I know you didn’t get to see the Pope.”

“Actually, we were quite lucky, for as we toured the Vatican, a Swiss Guard tapped me on the shoulder and explained that the Pope likes to meet some of the visitors, and if I’d be so kind as to step into his private room and wait, the Pope would personally greet me. Sure enough, five minutes later, the Pope walked in. As I knelt down he spoke to me.”

“What did he say?”

“He said, ‘Where’d you get the shitty haircut?’”

Contributed by Cathie Campbell

Gift of Hiking, by Sheila Benedis

Utah Canyonlands

Gift of Hiking

Introducing our son

To mountain climbing

He started young

Step by step over rocks

Ascending mountains by the age of four

Happily hiking

 

Becoming a serious hiker as an adult

Climbing all four thousand footers

In the White Mountains

Drew his full concentration

Preferred the historic mountains of Europe

To the wide open spaces of American mountains

 

Introducing his children to hiking

Physically nourishes the body

Soothes the mind

Exercise and spectacular views

A special gift

Shared experience

Three generations enriched

 

Took photographs

Hiking Utah Canyonlands

Fueled my creativity

Inspired my interpretation

In collage

Art, poem, and photos by Sheila Benedis

Art By Hart

With the Coronation, the Derby, and the Leave it to Beaver reruns, the Mortmans spent Saturday glued to the TV.

Woodruff hoped that a small zoo on his head and a volunteer from the audience would make his old trapeze act new again.

This time, Selkirk felt certain that he'd pass his road test.

Thanks to Crocker's coaching, the sea horses were favored to win the dog paddle as well as their regular swimming events.

Dolly's dry wit kept the family in stitches.

Art and Photos by Jane Hart

Art Show Prep

A new art show comes to the Rue des Artists in late May. There’s lots to do before that can happen. April 26 was Bring in Your Work day . . .

The Process begins

All different kinds of work come in

Paperwork must be filled out for each piece submitted

Lots of organization is needed

Lots of discussion of tools and techniques

Artists admire each other’s work as it comes in

What did you bring in?

By the end of the day, it’s nice to just sit down

© Kendal on Hudson Residents Association 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 all rights reserved.  Please do not reproduce without permission.

Photographs of life at Kendal on Hudson are by residents.