The Learning Garden--Part 2

Lisa Rosenbloom recently led a group of Kendalites to the OCC to celebrate the opening of their expanded Garden, partially funded with a Kendal donation. (The Residents’ Website included pictures last week.) The Garden is where the children grow vegetables that they can pick and eat. There were also some outstanding pumpkins in their garden! The children drew pictures of their favorites in the garden. Grace, 6 years old, drew the pumpkins and then wrote on the back of her picture that she liked to pick and eat the mint. The children were asked to give their pictures to the guests—one of whom was Lisa Rosenboom. Lisa says, “I was lucky to have Grace give me hers—and pretty nicely done for a 6 year old!”

The Residents’ Website would agree.

The Kindness of Kendal Strangers

A racing pigeon—lost and exhausted—had the good fortune to land outside of Robert Fulton. Good Samaritans Betsy Anderson and Lisa Rosenbloom gave the weakened bird water and food. Though a nice place to visit, no racing pigeon would want to live there. Bob Paxton pointed out that it was banded. There was hope! Sadly, the owners could not be found. After multiple calls, a bird rescue organization from Jefferson Valley offered to pick up “Kendal Snowy,” (a name bestowed by the Samaritans). In the meantime, he (Snowy)—nourished and safe from predators—took up quarters in an Amazon box on Betsy’s balcony, awaiting a better life.

Snow lands at Kendal

Good Semaritan Betsy Anderson announces its dinnertime

Snowy (a bit bashful) in his new (though temporary) digs.

The next day, a rescue lady in Jefferson Valley arrived to take Snowy to an animal sanctuary in South Salem where he will live in a farm silo with other pigeons or doves, open to the outside at the top so he can fly out whenever he likes.  (First, however, he’ll be treated for mites. How embarrassing!)

As he rode away to his new home, some were sure they heard him coo, “I have always depended on the kindness of strangers." Probably a fan of Tennessee Williams's A Streetcar Named Desire.

Just So You Know

Continued from last week . . .

Went to an antique show and people were bidding on me.

I won’t say I’m worn out, but I don’t get near the curb on trash day.

People who wonder if the glass is half empty or half full miss the point.  The glass is refillable.

Retired: Under new management. See spouse for details.

Be the kind of woman who when your feet hit the floor first thing in the morning, the devil says: “Oh, oh, here she comes.”

When you can’t find the sunshine . . . be the sunshine.

I don’t have grey hair.  I have wisdom highlights.

I’m a nightmare dressed like a daydream.

Sometimes it takes me all day to get nothing done.

I don’t trip, I do random gravity checks.

 To be continued again next week!

Contributed by Simone

And Thus It Begins

Each September, our geographic area dives into The Spooky Season: all things Halloween and beyond. It’s more than we at the Residents’ Website can juggle to announce all the events and their schedule, but—hallelujah!—the “Visit Sleepy Hollow” folks have done it for us.

If you want to see a list of all that is being offered this season, click below.

Click here for Everything Halloween (and beyond)

And if you scroll down on that page, you’ll find a click to reach a date/time schedule for all these events: September through November!

We will post this announcement on “Coming Soon” so it’s available throughout The Spooky Season! [Insert maniacal laughter]

I Never Knew That

The Formation of the Principality of Sealand

There is a micronation on a fortress at sea off the coast of Great Britain, and the British government once considered blowing it up.

During World War II, a series of sea forts was built to shoot down Nazi bombers. These structures were cylindrical towers of concrete and steel. One of these, Roughs Tower, sits 110 feet above sea level, off the coast of Suffolk in the North Sea.

After the war, these forts were largely abandoned. To British army major Paddy Roy Bates, Roughs looked like an ideal spot for a pirate radio station. In the 1960s the BBC dominated radio in Great Britain as the country’s only licensed broadcaster. The station played popular music only at night, irking listeners and causing pirate radio stations to proliferate. Bates first set up a pirate radio station at Knock John, another sea fort. He was evicted, prosecuted, and fined in 1966. That’s how he ended up at Roughs: At 6.5 nautical miles offshore, it was outside the standard territorial reach.

Bates declared the platform the Principality of Sealand and asserted its sovereignty as a micronation distinct from Great Britain. He named himself prince and his wife, Joan, princess, in September 1967: It was her birthday, so he made her royalty (men, take note). The couple and their two children, Michael and Penelope, moved in.

In 1968, Britain considered evicting the family by force, with declassified documents showing a plan to raze the fort. But the prime minister balked at turning weapons on a family—and a veteran, no less. Instead, the government mostly left Sealand alone.

In 1975 the country got a constitution. A currency, an anthem, passports, stamps, a flag, and a coat of arms followed. The country is self-supporting, with official Sealandic titles available for purchase. It is nearly self-sufficient, with solar power and wind technology.

Sealand has made headlines more than once. It has hosted skateboarding competitions, diplomats, helicopter visits, and even a short-lived data center.

Great Britain extended its boundary waters in 1987, but the Bates family maintains Sealand’s sovereignty: Roy Bates extended Sealand’s boundary waters a month earlier, after all.

These days, caretakers occupy the micronation, and the family lives mostly on the mainland.

Source: Britannica.com, Today in History, Michele Metych, September 2, 2026

In and Around Kendal

The Beauty of the Evening Sky

Photos by Philip Monteleoni

Meeting a Park Celebrity

While walking in the park one day, Carolyn Reiss and Allie came across not just any ol’ deer. They met #62.

Photo by Carolyn Reiss

Rain Water on Leaf

Photo by Jane Hart

A Summer’s Day: Picture Perfect

Photo by Edward Kasinec

Photo by Carolyn Reiss

Sand on Rather Than under The Hudson

Photo by Beverly Aisenbrey

Out and About

To (and From) the Lighthouse

Sunday, August 30: The day of the Lighthouse Swim fundraiser whose aim is to combat food insecurity in the region through a beautiful and challenging two-and-a-half mile swim across the Hudson, from Nyack to Sleepy Hollow. And Amanda Slattery was there—not to swim, but to watch and take pictures.

Dozens of swimmers ranging in age from 15 to 75 took part in the fifth annual swim.

The beneficiaries of the swim are Feeding Westchester, Soup Angels, and the Nyack Center. Why? Because the need for food assistance continues to grow, with 41% of county households in Westchester considered at risk. The event’s goal: $50,000. The actual realized: $66,000! Things certainly did go swimingly.

A great day for the event, by Amanda Slattery

Steady as ya go. One of the swimmers who helped raise $66,000. Photo by Amanda Slattery

On the Rock

Recently, the popular classic-rock cover-and-tribute band The Force was at the Mohansic Grill in Yorktown Heights. Amanda Slattery was there. Yes, she’s a fan, but there’s more:

Her hairdresser—Gary Renza—plays guitar in the band (his brother Roy plays the drums).

Photos by Amanda Slattery

Tellin’ It Like It Is

Amanda Slattery spent some of the summer back in England and noticed something: British stores are not shy when advertising their wares.

Photo by Amanda Slattery

Pat McGrath’s Great Adventure

Pat McGrath and his daughter, Moriah, have taken off on a Great Adventure! The second report is now in:

August 24:

Phew!  We woke up Saturday morning eager to ferry to Victoria BC from Seattle and heard the news that Canada had declared war on the US or maybe vice versa. One never knows anymore.

But it was too late to change our plans so we could only hope we would not be recognized as Americans. It worked! Our English was as good as theirs (I threw in a couple of “aboots” just to be sure) and French is spoken only on historical markers. More helpful, Canadians only wear American clothes so we blended right in. Although to the extent I understand the tariff dispute, Levi’s may soon cost $100 here, so next time we come (even if it’s become a state by then) they’ll only be able to afford fast fashion wardrobes, so Americans will stand out.  

Victoria is beautiful, famous for its gardens.  Here’s a mother whale and her calf in downtown Victoria.  Note mom and junior are both “spouting.”

Children Learn by Gardening--with Kendal's Help

Kendalites journeyed to Ossining’s Children’s Center’s official ribbon cutting for its expanded Learning Garden. Why? Because Kendal’s administration gave the center a grant to help build the garden.

The Learning Center provides affordable, high-quality early childhood education and childcare to families in Westchester County. The Learning Garden is a dedicated outdoor educational space at the center, designed to teach children about nutrition, nature, and the environment through direct, hands-on experience.

The kids themselves talked about what they looked to pick and eat from the garden. Some of their favorites: mint and cherry tomatoes.

The “big kids” liked it, too.

Photos by Carolyn Reiss

Just So You Know . . .

Telling a person to calm down is about like baptizing a cat.

My doctor asked if anyone in my family suffered from mental illness. I said, “No, we all seem to enjoy it.”

I thought the dryer made my clothes shrink. Turns out it was the refrigerator.

I thought growing old would take longer.

Went shopping while hungry. Now I’m the proud owner of Aisle 6.

Camping: where you spend a small fortune to live like a homeless person.

Just once, I want a username and password prompt to say: “close enough.”

Being an adult is the dumbest thing I have ever done.

I’m a multitasker. I can listen, ignore. and forget all at the same time!

To Be Continued

Contributed by Simone

© 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.