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.

One of the best things I did for myself recently was to clean out my clothes closets. Lightening the load feels really good. After everything was boxed or bagged, I donated the no-longer-wanted clothes to Goodwill and the Salvation Army.
Along those lines, The Bank of Fairfield is collecting new or gently used coats for the Bridgeport Rescue Mission through Tuesday, Dec. 30.
The Bridgeport Rescue Mission helps the hungry, homeless and addicted in Fairfield County. It has been in operation since 1983, and offers free meals, safe shelter and long-term recovery programs, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, according to its website.
The bank also is collecting food, specifically canned green beans, corn, peas, sweet potatoes and cranberry sauce; gravy mixes; 1-pound cans of coffee; powdered fruit drink mixes; stuffing mixes and croutons; holiday spices and herbs; and brown sugar. The Bridgeport Rescue Mission also is accepting “virtual turkey” donations for a needy family. Go to www.bridgeportrescuemission.org and click on “Special Programs and Services” and then “Special Thanksgiving and Christmas Outreaches.”
Donations of coats and food can be brought to either of the bank’s branches, at 2150 Post Road or 2248 Black Rock Turnpike.
Do it for yourself and do it for others.

One Thanksgiving many years ago, my father penned the following poem. Usually, poetry was left to my mother, who also always had a penchant for finding the right sentiment for any occasion, some of it original work. My father apparently decided to give it a try, adding his flair for humor. While he often did not outwardly display it, having his family around always made him happy. He died at the age of 81 in 2007, the day before his birthday. I always will be thankful that I had him in my life.

Happy Thanksgiving to one and all
It’s much more pleasant here than at the mall

I hope you all enjoy the turkey
Even though the day is wet and murky

It’s so nice to celebrate this day
In this very special family way

It’s so very nice to have you all here
And I hope we are able to meet again next year

So in closing I would like to say
Have another great Thanksgiving Day.

I am a tennis groupie. I make no apologies for it.
One of my greatest joys is to watch tennis tournaments. Throughout the season, I sit in front of my television rooting for my favorite players. Among those I follow is our own James Blake. Who can forget the classic match between Blake and Andre Agassi (my all-time favorite player) during the U.S. Open on Sept. 7, 2005? I even stayed up until the early morning hours of the next day to watch that epic battle to its conclusion – and had to get up for work that day after having little or no sleep. I also had the opportunity to see James play at the Pilot Pen tournament in New Haven a few years ago. The power of his game is incredible in person.
As a side note, I have read both athletes’ books, Blake’s “Breaking Back” and Agassi’s “Open.” Both are good reads.
Along those lines, I undoubtedly will read Betty Blake’s newly released “Mix It Up, Make It Nice: SECRETS of a Tennis Mom,” which is a memoir of her son James’ rise in the tennis world. If you regularly watch James’ matches, you see his mom sitting in the stands. The Blakes have a longstanding connection to Fairfield. Betty Blake lives in my neighborhood and I often have seen her walking her dog. I one time had to stop my mother from tapping James’ brother Thomas on the shoulder to say hello when we spotted him having breakfast at the counter at the Circle Diner. And people tell me that they have spied James around town on occasion. I have yet to be as fortunate.
All three Blakes will be on hand Saturday, Nov. 27, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Borders Books, 1499 Post Road, where Betty will be signing copies of her book.
This is a real treat for tennis fans. I am going to do my best to get there and wait amongst what I suspect will be a throng of people.

As a way to help obtain donations for Operation Hope’s Food Pantry, state Rep. Tony Hwang, R-134, and Leo Redgate, founder and president of the Community Theatre Foundation, will host the showing of the Will Ferrell Christmas film “Elf.”
The event will take place at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 27 at the Community Theatre in Fairfield Center.
Admission is a donation of a non-perishable canned food that will go to the Operation Hope Food Pantry. Cash donations will go toward the purchase of holiday gifts for children staying at the Operation Hope shelter.
“This is a wonderful opportunity to get into the holiday spirit and to help a neighbor in need,” said Carla Miklos, the executive director of Operation Hope, in a press release supplied by Hwang. “We are so grateful for State Rep Hwang’s creative idea of community outreach, and we look forward to a great turnout at the event.”
The event will coincide with the Chamber of Commerce’s annual “Santa’s Arrival” at Sherman Green. Families can come down and visit Santa on the green and follow it up with a trip to the movie.
“This will be a fantastic and fun Holiday celebration,” said Hwang in the release. “And best of all, it’s for a great cause, helping people share in the joy of the holiday season. I hope that many members of the community join us at this event and welcome the Holidays by helping Operation Hope.”

Santa’s Arrival
As for the annual Chamber of Commerce event on Saturday, Santa will arrive on a fire truck, thanks to the Fairfield Fire Department at the start of the fun-filled day, which will take place from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. He will greet the children at the gazebo at Sherman Green. Additionally, the children will receive a small toy provided by the Chamber of Commerce and parents will have a chance to take a photo of their child with Santa.
The chamber announces that more than two dozen organizations and businesses will be selling holiday goods and refreshments. Each organization will donate its proceeds to the charity of its choice.
A petting zoo sponsored by Fairfield County Bank will be open from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and horse and wagon rides sponsored by People’s United Bank will be available.
Admission to Santa’s Arrival is free.
Come this weekend, the holiday season is officially here!

When my mother was growing up in Southport back in the 1930s and ’40s she visited the Pequot Library on a regular basis. She and her family lived in a white two-story house on the Old Post Road (where the Southport Green development now sits), she would walk over to the Pequot Library, sometimes taking the route through Southport Village or sometimes around past the Wakeman Boys/Girls Club. They were poor so buying books was out of the question.
Once at the library, she immersed herself in the atmosphere, reading books for pleasure or for her classroom work at Pequot School and later at Roger Ludlowe High School. It was a special treat, she tells me, when the fireplace at the library was blazing. Being there was one of her greatest joys as a young adult.
I must admit I have not gotten to know the Pequot Library quite like my mother did. My greatest joy involving the Pequot is attending its annual Book Sale in July. I have a book-buying obsession. I have a large collection of fiction, true crime, biography and autobiography and am always eager to add to it. Despite having to share the space under the tents and in the building with hordes of other bibliophiles (the areas can get pretty cramped sometimes with lookers), I can get lost for hours scanning titles of used books I may buy.
But the Pequot Library offers more than books. Check out its website and you will see there are events to satisfy all generations. Case in point, this weekend’s Children’s Picture Book Festival. Fourteen award-winning authors and illustrations, including the U.S. children’s poet laureate, will be on hand to open the world of books and art to children.
The event takes place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 21. Admission is free. For an article on the festival, read Meg Barone’s offering on the Fairfield Citizen website.
And then gear up the library’s Mid-Winter Book Sale, which will take place from Jan. 15 to 18. The sale focuses on fiction “in a seemingly limitless array of genres,” reads the billing on the library’s website.
I just may have to stop by.

It is that time of year again. Flu season.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends a yearly flu vaccine for everyone as an important step toward protection. The vaccine will provide protection throughout the season.
The Fairfield Health Department is offering the flu vaccine this month and next. The vaccine will be administered by appointment at the Public Health Nursing Office, which is located within the Fairfield Senior Center, 100 Mona Terrace. The vaccinations will be offered every Wednesday morning from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
According to the Health Department, the flu vaccine is for ages 4 and older. Pregnant women will need to bring a note from their doctor to receive the vaccine. The pneumonia vaccine is also available for those 65 and older and for younger people with certain long-term health conditions. Call the Public Health Nursing Office at 203-256-3150 for further information and to schedule an appointment.
The department accepts Medicare Part B, Healthnet Medicare and Anthem ID numbers that begin with “XG.” Without this insurance, the cost of the flu shot is $25 and the pneumonia vaccine is $45.
To obtain a consent form, which can be filled out ahead of time, go to http://www.fairfieldct.org/documents/2010/2010FluConsent.pdf. The form also will be available at the time of appointments.

The United Way of Coastal Fairfield County wants to talk to you.
On Thursday, Nov. 18, the United Way will conduct a “Community Conversation on Education” from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Connecticut Audubon Society headquarters at 2325 Burr St.
The conversation is part of a new initiative by the United Way to continue to build healthy communities. “Our goal is to listen to what ordinary citizens have to tell us about their aspirations and how they would like to see education so that we can understand the greatest needs and strongest desires,” according to a statement released by the organization. “As part of the conversation, we would like to hear what residents are thinking on issues like, are all students graduating on time, ready for college and life The conversation is not designed to address specific problems or successes in schools, but rather to explore what can be done to build stronger communities and improve the educational system.”
Merle Berke-Schlessel, the president and chief executive officer, in her blog, “Advancing the Common Good by Listening,” writes, “Our United Way has accepted the challenge to focus in the areas of Education, Income, and Health and achieve measurable goals by 2018. We have agreed to help cut the high school dropout rate in half, cut in half the number of families who lack financial stability, and increase by one third the number of young people and adults who are healthy and avoid risky behaviors.”
She continues, “In order to understand the diverse community of Coastal Fairfield County, and where to focus our attention, we need to get to know you better. We need to listen to you to learn about your aspirations, challenges, and ideas on how to ensure that all children in our region graduate on time. We need to hear from you – your ideas on how to build a stronger community.”
The United Way will be taking the conversation forums to the other 11 towns it covers: Stratford, Westport, Bridgeport, Weston, Trumbull, Monroe, Easton, Norwalk, Darien, Wilton and New Canaan.
Thursday’s forum sounds like a worthwhile couple of hours. Everyone knows that the challenges communities and their kids face sometimes can be daunting. The United Way is willing and able to help. Fairfielders should meet the United Way halfway.
To register for the forum, e-mail Marjolijn Wijsenbeek at Marjolijn@unitedwaycfc.org or call 203-339-6338.