Grammy had fretted over Olive’s adventures for 37 years
Celia’s magic act was full of suspense, but the ending was a sigh of relief
Halcyon-Rudge carried a lot of baggage
David had grown tired of all his toys
Wilford, a disappointingly drab maple leaf, decided to hibernate and try again next year
Art and photos by Jane Hart
Art and photo by Sheila Benedis
Photo by Harry Bloomfeld
Photo by Aruna Raghavan
Photo by Carolyn Reiss
Our friends the goats are getting closer and closer to our front door. Could they be thinking of retirement?
Photo by Edward Kasinec
Photo by Barbara Wallach
As you no doubt know—or, if you’re new, you’re learning fast—Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown take Halloween seriously. Decorations have been going up since the first of the month. One that caught Ed Lannert’s eye was a display in the wonderful Bakehouse that now occupies the Tarrytown train station.
Bakehouse is Halloween-devoted along with the rest of the towns. They are offering pumpkin-shaped cookies that come with do-it-yourself frosting apparatus and a slew of Halloween-oriented cookies of myriad shapes, sizes, and decoration.
Recently a sturdy band of Kendalites toured the mansion, art galleries, and gardens of Kyuit, the Rockefeller home in Pocantico Hills, built by old John D. and lived in by his children and grandchildren, including Nelson Rockefeller, longtime governor of New York.
Photo by Barbara Wallach
The tour was led by Barbara Wallach.
Photo by Ruth Dinowitz
With purpose, energy, and humor, Kendalites joined together in Ossining with citizens of nearby Hudson River Towns to exercise their rights of free speech and assembly.
Photo by Martin Smolin
Photo by Martin Smolin
Photo by Hildegarde Gray
Photo by Ed Lannert
From the Office of Ellen Ottstadt
There was great beer, delightful sweets, and dancing, dancing, dancing—in ones, twos, threes, and on up! It was Oktoberfest! And Kendalites had a ball!
We danced . . .
Rested, watched, and waited . . .
Especially for the classic Chicken Dance . . .
Photos by Harry Bloomfeld
Profound advice and observations for our Kendal Years . . .
Continued from last week . . .
I love being old, I learn something new every day and forget 5 other things.
A thief broke into my house last night. He started searching for money, so I got up and searched with him.
I think I’ll just put an “Out of Order” sticker on my forehead and call it a day.
Just remember, once you’re over the hill, you begin to pick up speed.
Having plans sounds like a good idea until you have to put on clothes and leave the house.
To be continued . . .
Contributed by Beverly Aisenbrey
It was dog-eat-dog on Friday night, October 17—or, rather, dog-spell-dog—as seven teams of expert spellers competed for 1st place in the very first Kendal Spelling Bee. Chris Mitchell served in the dual role of Word Announcer and Pronouncer. Pam Mitchell—doing her best Vanna White impersonation—served as the Provider of All Answers with each new word. Shamya Walker was Emcee, providing both humor and scores. The judges were Llyn Clague and Jan Maier. Ellen Ottstadt watched the clock as time-keeper.
Round 1 saw the teams of The Stellar Spellers, CVS (so named for the first letter in each team member’s name), and The Spell Demons competing . . .
followed by Round 2 in which the competing teams were: Ten Thousand Words, The Websters, The Wanna-Bees, and The Schzzeleppy Szzpellers (no, no one there, other then the team members, could pronounce it).
The winners of Rounds 1 and 2 then went on to the Big Spell-Off. The two finalists were teams CVS and Ten Thousand Words.
The teams battled it out unstintingly, as Pam Mitchell provided the answers.
And the winning team—with the word yttrium—was . . .
Team Ten Thousands Words, shown here happily admiring their handsome trophies.
An exciting evening—and one of great fun! Stay tuned . . . maybe there’ll be another soon. Start practicing now.
Photos by Harry Bloomfeld
The drawings, created by artist Jack Berkowitz, include store owners, seniors, children and their parents, teachers, community leaders, barbers, restaurant workers, politicians, librarians, artists, members of many different cultural communities, and more. The 50 original portraits depict the real people and rich culture of the very vibrant population of Ossining.
GALLERY HOURS (Starting November 6)
Monday – Friday, 10am-4pm
Late Night: Friday November 7, 10am-8pm
Select Saturdays: November 8, 10am-4pm
Select Sunday: November 9, 10am-4pm
OPENING RECEPTION: Thursday November 6, 6:30-8:30pm
SUNDAY SUPPER: Sunday November 9, 5-7pm
Join us from November 6-18 at Bethany Arts Community to reflect, share, and celebrate the people who call Ossining home and make Ossining great.
NOTE: OUR OWN AMANDA SLATTERY IS A FRIEND OF THE ARTIST. SHE IS OFFERING TO DRIVE ANYONE WHO WOULD LLIKE TO ATTEND THE SHOW’S OPENING ON NOVEMBER 6. GIVE HER A CALL OR SEND AN EMAIL.
Source: Westchester County website
As one lamp lights another,
no grows less, So nobleness
enkindleth nobleness.
By James Russell Lowell
Happy Diwali! October 20 marks the beginning of Diwali—the Hindu Festival of Lights (also joined into by other faiths) celebrated throughout India. It symbolizes the spiritual victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance.
Key dates for the five-day festival are:
Dhanteras: Saturday, October 18
Choti Diwali: Sunday, October 20
Diwali / Lakshmi Puja: Monday, October 20
Govardhan Puja: Wednesday, October 22
Bhai Dooj: Thursday, October 23
During these five days, celebrations include:
Lighting: Homes are lit with oil lamps (diyas), candles, and decorative lights to signify the triumph of light over darkness.
Worship: Families perform Lakshmi Puja to honor Goddess Lakshmi, the deity of wealth, and Lord Ganesha.
Traditions: Celebrations often include creating rangoli (decorative patterns) at the entrance of homes, sharing sweets and gifts, and spending time with loved ones.
Businesses: In some traditions, business owners close their annual accounts on Diwali and begin the new year with blessings.
Meera Srinivasan made her own lamp this year. It will also be in the Kendal Fall Art Show which begins October 29.
Photo by Carol Monteleoni
A light would be fit into the point and lit. Lamps are displayed in groups, symbolic of community:
Photo by National Geographic
Photo by National Geographic
For more information about Dwali and its celebration, click the button below.
Known for penning works such as A Christmas Carol (1843) and Oliver Twist (1838), Victorian-era writer Charles Dickens is so influential that the word “Dickensian” was coined in his honor, meaning “of or reminiscent of the novels of Charles Dickens.” While “Victorian” suggests the prudishness and high moral tone on display during that queen’s reign, the adjective “Dickensian” connotes the poor social conditions in Dickens’ novels, or perhaps refers to over-the-top characters, such as master thief Fagin in Oliver Twist. It might also refer to the themes present in Dickens’ works: redemption, resilience, and social critique.
The author is even said to have invented a slew of interesting words, though incorrectly in some cases. He’s falsely credited, for example, with inventing common words including “boredom,” “flummox,” and “butter-fingers.” While he did popularize them in his writing, there’s evidence of earlier records by other authors. However, this shows that Dickens sought out lesser-known words, further demonstrating his prowess with the English language. Let’s take a look at some Dickensian words that the author did invent.
Sassigassity
Apparently, this word was employed only once, and by its inventor. According to Dickens, “sassigassity” means “audacity with attitude.” It was published in 1850 in “A Christmas Tree,” in the line “…the sassigassity of that dog is indeed surprising…” Perhaps it deserves a comeback.
Messiness
“Messiness,” a derivation of “messy” (“untidy” or “dirty”), can be credited to Dickens. It’s a result of converting an existing adjective into a noun, something Dickens was famous for. In addition to “messiness,” it’s believed he coined “cheesiness,” “fluffiness,” and “seediness” from their respective adjectives.
Sawbones
Dickens coined this slang term in The Pickwick Papers in 1837, and described it thusly for readers: “I thought everybody know’d as a sawbones was a surgeon.” We don’t see this word often, but it’s still listed in the dictionary as an informal term for a doctor or surgeon.
Whizz-bang
“Whizz-bang” was used in The Pickwick Papers to describe the sound of a gunshot. Today, “whizz-bang” (or “whiz-bang”) refers to a resounding success, as in, “She ran a whizz-bang campaign.” During WWII, it had a meaning closer to how Dickens used it, as a small-caliber shell.
Comfoozled
Dickens invented this word to mean “exhausted” or “overcome,” as seen in The Pickwick Papers: “He’s in a horrid state o’ love; reg’larly comfoozled, and done over with it.” This is not to be confused with the relatively new word “confuzzled,” which is a portmanteau of “confused” and “puzzled.”
Mildewy
While Dickens often turned adjectives into nouns, he was also known for adding suffixes to nouns to create new adjectives. Case in point: the word “mildewy,” which was first recorded in The Pickwick Papers as an adjective, and was used later in A Tale of Two Cities (1859) to describe “the mildewy inside of the coach.” This is consistent with the modern usage to describe something moldy or affected by mildew. While he didn’t coin the original nouns, Dickens was known to create many new adjectives by adding the suffix “-y” to nouns, including “bulgy,” “swishy,” “soupy,” “waxy,” and “trembly.”
Jog-trotty
Dickens went one step further with the noun “jog-trot” when he transformed it into an adjective with an entirely new meaning. “It’s rather jog-trotty and humdrum. But it’ll do as well as anything else!” he wrote in Bleak House (1852). Traditionally, a jog-trot is a slow trot by a horse, but Dickens transformed it into an adjective to describe something that is boring or dull. It seems that this was a one-off creation, never to be seen again in other works.
Source: wordsmarts.com
Contributed by Jane Hart
Contributed by Donald Butt
Contributed by Barbara Wallach
Contributed by Barbara Bruno
For the first time since prom, Brad and Octavia danced the night away
The Woodstock-Stratton freestyle swim race ended in a photo finish
There was something fishy about Irene
The Martins had never been so close to real celebrities before
Thanks to their excellent jigsaw puzzle skills, the Wilfords could go anywhere on one ticket
Art and photos by Jane Hart
Art and photo by Sheila Benedis
Photo by Carolyn Reiss
These seven hearty and talented souls have undertaken a new task: Drawing Botanticals. The course—taught by Pam Dietrich (far right)—is now blossoming in the Art Room.
Psst! Wanna see what’s behind the wallboard on C Level? Quick! Look below:
The latest and greatest in undercover photography. What you’re seeing is the new community room and beyond that the new Residents Association room and the ping-pong venue. Ssshhh . . .
Photo by Ed Lannert
Photo by Carolyn Reiss
Photo by Carolyn Reiss
Photo by Edward Kasinec
Henry Neale launched a challenge several weeks ago (reported here, no less!): Walk the entire Croton Aquaduct—from the Croton Dam to Bryant Park—in measured doses. The latest dose brings them within Kendal territory.
Henry’s best estimate of the mid-point between the Croton Dam and the Bronx (the plan for 2025). The Fearless Footed will most likely cross Benedict in the early stage of the next walk planned for Saturday morning (10/18/2025).
The rest of the way from the Yonkers/Bronx line in Van Cortlandt Park to Bryant Park in Manhattan is a project for Spring 2026.
Well done!
Photo by Philip Monteleoni
© 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.