My cousin who moved back home after spending 35 years away from Fairfield – a good portion of them in South Dakota – told me this morning that our blizzard reminded her of those in the Plains state except that a storm like this one occurs every other week there.
No thank you. As far as I’m concerned, I’m done with winter.
The 50-plus-mph winds shook my house during the early morning hours, forcing me to get no sleep. Seriously, I was afraid the big poplar tree behind my garage and over my bedroom was going to crash in on me and my frozen body wouldn’t be found for days.
I was not one of the 1,200 United Illuminating customers who lost power (knock on wood), and for once, my cable was not affected. Kudos to the Fairfield Department of Public Works. Crews have been sanding and plowing since late Sunday afternoon, as well as overnight. I live on the Fairfield-Bridgeport line; Bridgeport hasn’t even bothered yet to send a truck. Oh, wait, I did see one plow pass through Sunday afternoon when we were experiencing only flurries. Cars are moving on my street, although slowly. In the early a.m. I did hear a snowmobile or similar-type vehicle race up my street.
The sky has some blue, so that’s encouraging, but the wind is still howling. And now the sun is out!
I see few of my neighbors shoveling. I am about to trudge out to the end of my driveway and flag down a private plow or wait until some enterprising young men or women come by looking for work. Boy, have I got a job for them!
If you travel on this day, be safe. If you don’t need to, stay home. Find a good movie to watch or a good book to read. Tomorrow should be better.

Merry Christmas to one and all. May your day be filled with family and friends, good food and fun. As you celebrate, please remember those in need and make a commitment in the New Year to help someone less fortunate.

I’ve got some interesting neighbors. A family of wild turkeys. I am not sure if the family includes the same male and female I have seen every year for the past six or seven. Probably not, since naturalists, including those at the state Department of Environmental Protection, say that turkeys are “polygamous breeders.” Hmmm … interesting lifestyle.
And I am not sure exactly where they nest at night. My back yard is filled with all kinds of trees. For a while, I believed they lived in the line of four trees (which were actually hedges that became overgrown) alongside my house. When I had to take them down a few months ago, I worried I was displacing this family. But, alas, they are still hanging around. My human neighbor consoled me that the turkeys will adapt. They certainly did.
Their number has been as large as 10 and as small as three. And they are huge when fully grown. The females are about 2 feet tall and about 2 feet around. The babies are somewhat smaller and kind of cute. In their early months of life, the poults, as they are called, seem to struggle to keep up with their parents. The male is even bigger – probably 3 by 3 – and looks larger when he fans his feathers and preens for the women. As he has been wont to do when he feels amorous.
One day in the early spring, which is breeding time, I watched a tom in my back yard spot a hen, then immediately start his routine. He puffed up his chest, opened his feathers wide and strutted. (Typical guy.) The female kept her head down foraging in the dirt for some food. She then non-chalantly walked right by him. (You go, girl.) I may be wrong, but I detected a bit of rejection on Tom’s face. He didn’t give up, though. He followed her around until she flew away. He must have been successful because in the summer, there he was with his conquest and his offspring – eight of them if I remember correctly.
In the mornings, the turkeys start their search for food in my yard. I leave the gate to my spent vegetable garden open so they can dig through the leaves. My neighbors behind me – who seem to have had every kind of wild animal living on their property at one time or another – regularly drop bird seed (primarily corn) on their cul-de-sac. The DEP, according to a wildlife fact sheet, recommends that people not feed wild turkeys “as this encourages the spread of disease and loss of wild instincts.” Oops. I admit that I have gotten into the habit of tossing cupfuls of corn onto my lawn.
And interestingly enough, they seem to remember who feeds them. They have approached me (with no harm intended, I believe) if they see me outside, and quite often have exchanged a glance if they spot me watching them from a window. They travel far, walking over to nearby streets, but they always seem to “come home.”
I am not afraid of the turkeys (although I have read that some people sincerely fear them) and I welcome them in my neighborhood. I would like them, though, to do something about that skunk living under my deck.

Fairfield’s best-kept secret is the town dump – or as it is more properly known, the Fairfield Transfer Station.
Part of the One Rod Highway complex, which also includes the state-of-the-art sewage treatment plant, Fairfield Animal Control shelter, the fire training facility, the school bus depot and the green recycling center, the dump is a must stop for any resident.
No offense to the town’s commercial garbage haulers, but the dump is a bargain! For $5 each trip, residents can dump their trash down into the big pit inside the brick building. Discarding recyclables and newspaper is free. I used to have my garbage picked up by a longtime, well-known hauler – in fact, I bought my house from his mother-in-law and, at her insistence, he gave me free pickup for a month after I move in – but over time his fee went up and my disposable income went down. The obvious thing to do was to haul it to the dump.
A nice man I know (my former plumber and a senior citizen) took my trash to the dump for me for a while, but after I left my job, I was on my own. I hesitated in the beginning after canceling weekly service, but once the garbage starts to pile up and smell, one has no choice.
I must admit I don’t understand the need for the two-step process once at the facility – at the first booth, you pay your $5 and get a two-sheet receipt, which you then drive to the second booth and hand to the man before you enter the actual dump and recycling area. I fail to understand the necessity of the second booth.
Nonetheless, once inside the dump area, you pull up to the open garage-like door, and unload your stuff. Some people back in; I don’t as I don’t mind the extra few steps. There are only a few parking spaces in front of the door, but I never have had to wait. And then there is the actual tossing of the bags into the pit. There is something cathartic about it. (I confess that I have peered over the top to see what is in the pit.)
Then I drive down to the recycling area and get rid of my bottles and cans, newspapers, mixed paper (like shredded stuff) and cardboard. Then I drive out.
The whole procedure takes less than 20 minutes, and I save lots of money.
Here’s some tips I learned over the last year or so:
*Wear gloves. Not only will they protect you from the cold in the winter, but they will help keep your hands clean. We are, after all, talking about garbage.
*Place your garbage bags inside something else when transporting, like a crate or box. I bought a bright orange plastic container for less than $5 and use that to safeguard my car from a stinky mess.
*Never throw plastic bags in with your bottles and cans. Not only is it not allowed, but I have watched one of the workers climb into the big bins to fish out the bags. Let’s give the guy a break! Other bins are placed nearby for you to toss those bags after emptying them. (I peer into the bottle and can trailer too. Fairfielders drink lots of wine!)
*Newspapers do not have to be tied up or placed in paper bags. You can just throw them loose into the trailer. (Fairfielders read The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Connecticut Post, The Fairfield Citizen and some other local papers. I know, I looked.)
*And remember to have a current town sticker. You know, the one you buy each year to get entry to the beaches. The sticker also allows you access to the dump.
The transfer center is open weekdays from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturdays from 7 a.m. to noon. It is closed on major holidays. Senior citizens get a reduced rate on certain days (I can’t wait for the day I can take advantage of that!)
For information, visit the Solid Waste and Recycling Department‘s home page.

At the Christmas party on Saturday at my mother’s assisted living facility, my four great-nephews, Michael, Kevin, Maxx and Jack – 8, 5, 3 and 22 months, respectively – were fascinated by the train that traveled a handmade track and scenery above the lobby area. The facility’s maintenance man built the track – now decorated with “snow,” pine trees and bridges made out of wrapped presents – after someone suggested it. He recently painstakingly removed everything so he could “bury” electrical lines for the lampposts that he added.
It is a pretty impressive display, and certainly captured the attention of my nephews.
I remember when Michael was a few years younger he was bitten by the Thomas the Train bug – everything had to be about Thomas. He had the train set and clothes emblazoned with the Thomas logo.
As my sister and I watched the boys look over the railing on the second floor to get a better view of the train winding its way around, we remembered how our family used to have an elaborate railroad display in the basement of our Norwalk house. It was set up on a huge piece of plywood, complete with wiring and scenery and multiple cars. But when my parents moved from Norwalk to Weston, they tossed it all out. Oh, I should mention here that what makes all of this so significant is that it was a Lionel train set. As we all know, certain Lionel trains became valuable collector’s items. But to my parents, dragging the entire display from house to the house was a chore; besides, none of us was interested in it any longer. (They also threw out my brother’s extensive collection of baseball cards, circa the 1960s.)
Models trains are a huge deal to many people. And why not? The detail that goes into the displays is incredible, and some enthusiasts spend hours fine-tuning their collections.
If my four nephews weren’t such a handful at times, I would take them to see the Fairfield Museum and History Center‘s Holiday Express Train Show. It is an elaborate, two-month-long exhibition that has a lot to offer.
Details of the event can be found at www.fairfieldhistoricalsociety.org/holidayexpress.php. To watch a video, go to www.fairfieldcitizenonline.com/default/media/Trains-Roll-For-Christmas-1565.php
The show runs through Jan. 2, so there is plenty of time to see it. You won’t be disappointed. The Fairfield Museum and History Center does a great job with its exhibits.

My mother is a 20-year breast cancer survivor. It is a badge that she wears with pride. She has been one of the luckier ones.
The cancer was found early. She underwent a lumpectomy and radiation, was prescribed the breast cancer drug for five years and then was given a clean bill of health. But she also took it upon herself to change her diet – eating fruits and vegetables that foster a healthier life. She is now 84 years old.
She credits her routine mammography with finding the cancer, and she has instilled in my sister and me the need to get yearly exams. I will admit – undergoing mammography is not fun, but it is a necessary task all women over a certain age must do. Insurance coverage pays for it and for those without insurance or limited coverage, there is no excuse thanks to the Swim Across the Sound. The Swim, a program established by St. Vincent’s Medical Center, is an annual event that raises lots of money for cancer research, support and programs.
The SWIM Women’s Imaging Center will offer free and low-cost digital mammography screenings for women age 35 and older on Wednesday, Dec. 8, at the Public Health Nurses’ Office at the Fairfield Senior Center, 100 Mona Terrace, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Mammograms are free for those who do not have health insurance, have financial limitations and qualify for assistance. For those who do not have insurance but do not qualify for free services, mammograms are discounted. Appointments are necessary and a physician order and insurance card must be brought to the appointment.
To schedule an appointment, call 203-576-5500.

I met Norma Peterson a few years ago when I was editor of the Fairfield Citizen. At that time she was handling publicity for the Fairfield Rotary Club. I liked her immediately because she was efficient in getting press materials to me, pleasant to talk to on the phone and obviously cared a lot about her town and her civic responsibilities.
Later, we worked together – in concert with then-Representative Town Meeting member Charlene Lebo and Deputy Fire Chief Art Reid – on a multi-part series of articles for the Citizen on being prepared for any emergency situation. The threesome was accommodating and helpful and provided a wealth of information and everyday tips for residents.
Norma was responsible for establishing the Fairfield Citizen Corps program in 2003, which later developed into the creation of the Citizens Emergency Response Team. Through the CERT, a host of Fairfield residents and town officials are at the ready to aid in times of emergency.
So it is no surprise that Norma was chosen as this year’s Fairfielder of the Year. She received her honor this week from the Board of Selectmen, and was appropriately surprised.
Selectman Jim Walsh told the gathering that Norma, who also is a member of the Police Commission and a past chairman, is “passionate about one of CERT’s main goal, emergency preparedness.”
That’s the truth.
Congratulations, Norma, you deserve the recognition and honor. We are fortunate to have you on our side.

OK, so maybe I just have a cold and congestion, but I am rarely sick and it is during these times that I appreciate my good health. It is also during these times that I miss those days of being pampered by my mother, who would whip up chicken soup at the first sign of a sneeze (I had to make my own this week) and who would make sure I had everything I needed to get well.
Mom is now 84 years old, enjoying the second chapter of her life at assisted living and, in fact, today she is headlining a holiday play, reciting “Twas the Night Before Christmas” with her new friends. So much for making chicken soup for her ill daughter.
About that chicken soup – a steady diet of it can be pretty boring, although it does have some magical qualities about it that makes one feel better. The benefits of comfort food, I guess.
Here are some other observations from the sick bed:
Daytime television is dreadful. Even the movies on HBO are awful, or it could be that I already have seen them hundreds of times.
I adore the Food Network shows but when you are under the weather, watching these happy, peppy people make meals is not a good idea.
The cable news programs repeat the news all day long. And what is breaking news on one program is the third or fourth item on another.
Dr. Oz offers useful information about your health, but watching he and his “assistant of the day” play around with the body’s organs is disturbing.
And Rachael Ray can be just a little too happy for me on some days.
I should be back in the fold in a day. Time to warm up that chicken soup.