Town Crier Articles

Front Porch Chat: The End of Summer
Posted on September 1, 2022 5:50 AM by Patti Vaticano
 
The end of summer is always poignant and sad.  The beach trips and backyard camp-outs end; corn-on-the-cob and s’mores ingredients in local markets become scarce; water shooters, pool noodles, and slip’n sides get consigned to the garage—and the dreaded (for your child, at least) notebook and backpack displays pop-up in every store in the area.  But the end of summer also begins the cooler days of fall and our hopes for the holiday season to come.  One of my most beloved books is Something Wicked This Way Comes by the author, Ray Bradbury.  I hope quoting the opening here, which beautifully anticipates the charms of arguably autumn’s seminal festival, will ease the going of summer in our hearts:
 
First of all, it was October, a rare month for boys. Not that all months aren’t rare. But there be bad and good, as the pirates say. Take September, a bad month: school begins. Consider August, a good month: school hasn’t begun yet. July, well, July’s really fine: there’s no chance in the world for school. June, no doubting it, June’s best of all, for the school doors spring wide and September’s a billion years away.

But you take October, now. School’s been on a month and you’re riding easier in the reins, jogging along. You got time to think of the garbage you’ll dump on old man Prickett’s porch, or the hairy-ape costume you’ll wear to the YMCA the last night of the month. And if it’s around October twentieth and everything smoky-smelling and the sky orange and ash gray at twilight, it seems Halloween will never come in a fall of broomsticks and a soft flap of bedsheets around corners.
 
Favorite Books and Recipes Round-up!  Front Porch Chat is still looking to highlight your favorite book and/or recipe in the months ahead, so if you have a beloved book—old or new—or a rave recipe you’d like to share with your New Town neighbors, send them on in!  No takers on our BBQ Recipe request, so here’s a little ditty from resident, Angela Lesnett, along those lines:
2 Hot 2 ‘Q
If temps are way too high today
Try “Pierce’s.” It’s the best, I’d say.
 
Honorable Mentions: Old City Barbeque and Matchsticks BBQ Co.!
 
To brighten your day: 
Jokes:  What do you call a boomerang that doesn't come back?  A stick.
 
Funny Quote:  People say money is not the key to happiness, but I have always figured if you have enough money, you can have a key made. —Joan Rivers
 
Poems: 
To keep your marriage brimming
With love in the loving cup,
Whenever you’re wrong, admit it;
Whenever you’re right, shut up.
—Ogden Nash
  
Historical Fact:  There were female Gladiators in Ancient Rome! A female gladiator was called a Gladiatrix, or Gladiatrices. They were extremely rare, unlike their male counterparts.
 
Curious Happening:  Aeschylus, Greek “Father of Tragedy,” lost his life when a hungry eagle dropped a tortoise on his head so the shell would break and the eagle could eat the meat. Apparently, the eagle mistook his bald head for a rock. 
 
Household Hacks:  Hot water and an Alka-Seltzer tablet for 15 minutes will clean away stubborn messes in your frying pan or skillet.
 
PC Hacks:  Alt-Tab will display all your open windows at once. Tab to the window you want—and simply lift your finger off to get to your destination.
 
Recipes: 
 
Sesame Date Rolls—thank you, resident Miranda Saumier!
8 ounces chopped dried dates-- hot water as needed
¼  cup toasted sesame seeds, divided
¼  quarter cup chopped walnuts
½  cup whole raw almonds
½  cup unsweetened, shredded coconut
1  tablespoon coconut oil
¾  teaspoon ground cardamon
¼  teaspoon of cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pinch of salt            
  1. Place dates in a small bowl and completely cover with hot water. Allow to soak until softened, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain, but reserve soaking liquid.
  2. Combine soaked dates, 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds, walnuts, almonds, coconut, coconut oil, cardamom, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of a large food processor. Pulse several times until mixture comes together to form a soft "dough," scraping down the sides as necessary. If mixture is too dry, add in some of the reserved soaking liquid, 1 tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency is reached. 
  3. Turn out dough onto a piece of parchment paper. Roll into a 10-inch long by 1 1/2-inch wide log using lightly greased hands. Sprinkle remaining toasted sesame seeds evenly over the log on all sides, pressing them in gently. Wrap the log in parchment paper, and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 to 2 hours.
  4. Remove log from fridge, and cut into about sixteen 1/2-inch thick rounds. Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
 
Pet Care:  If your dog or puppy is a super-fast eater, place a tennis ball in the bowl with the food.  It will slow pup down, as it will cause he or she to work around the inedible obstacle to eat what is. 
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