By Sabrina Artusa
After the Aug. 19 storm, the lower level of the Smithtown Library’s main branch at 1 North Country Road had to be cleaned and gutted. The stairwell has been repainted and all electriclal equipment has been removed. Now, the floor is a blank slate. Smithtown Library Director Robert Lusak views this as an opportunity to re-situate the floor to make it a better, nicer area.
–Photos by Robert Lusak
By Sabrina Artusa
Six months after the Aug. 19 storm that damaged infrastructure, washed away the dams at Stony Brook Mill Pond and Blydenburgh County Park’s Stump Pond and upturned Harbor Road in Stony Brook, community pillars such as the Smithtown Library and Stony Brook University are on the mend.
The storm, which unleashed 9.4 inches of rain in only 24 hours, flooded the lower level of the Smithtown Library, bursting one of the windows and completely filling the area with water. Since the library sits at a lower grade, the water from higher grades flowed to the building and down the staircases on either side, overwhelming the sump pump and clogging it with leaves; therefore, it was not only 9 inches of water that flooded the library, but 8 feet.
However, walking through the Smithtown Library today, it would be difficult to discern evidence of the storm on the first floor or the mezzanine. The bookshelves and tables look relatively untouched; it seems that at any moment a library page might round the corner with a cart of books or a high school student will settle down at one of the tables. In a few months — April, possibly, according to Library Director Robert Lusak — the library could open again.
“In order to bring people back into the building, first we need power obviously, we need HVAC, we need heat and air-conditioning functioning, we need to have the elevator working, we need to have fire sprinklers operational … so there are a lot of factors that need to come into play before we can open the building,” Lusak said. The library’s architect, in collaboration with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, has put together “a two- to three-inch book” detailing the steps to reopening.
Temporary power has been restored. “Everything is moving along pretty well,” Lusak said.
Lusak and the rest of the library staff have been working with FEMA to account for damages to potentially get up to 75% of eligible costs reimbursed. The staff listed every item that was destroyed. One of the main obstacles, however, is the time-consuming process of ordering the necessary materials and the months it takes to ship.
“It is really the equipment that we need to reinstall that is keeping us from moving forward,” Lusak said. “When we have to wait for materials we have to wait 6 to 8 weeks in some cases. That is what we need in order to open the building up.”
Next month, Lusak and other staff members are flying to Michigan to evaluate the archive renovation progress done by Prism Specialties. The Richard H. Handley Collection, which features centuries-old documents and maps, was situated on the lower level. On the day of the storm, however, the water detection system failed and water infiltrated the room.
Lusak will have to determine which archives should be restored, such as precious original copies, and which would not be worth the expense, perhaps second copies. The cost of archival restoration already amounts to over $700,000. The archives will be considered by FEMA for reimbursement.
Lusak said that the designers will begin to redesign the lower floor this week. Since the first floor and mezzanine are nearly ready to be opened to the public — after the elevator, heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system and electricity are restored — Lusak plans to open the upper levels and have construction on the lower floor occur simultaneously.
In addition, the storm has exposed issues in the grading and stairwells. “We are looking at ways of safeguarding the building to make sure a situation like that never happens again … we are going to change the grading there [and] we are going to address the stairwells.”
At Stony Brook University, the rainfall affected 61 buildings, according to university officials; the Ammann and Gray residence halls were hit the hardest, and students residing there had to be reassigned to other buildings.
Vice President for Facilities and Services Bill Hermann wrote in an email, “In response to the flooding of our residence halls, we advocated for and will be relocating core facilities infrastructure (boilers, electrical equipment, IT and fire alarms) to upper floors.”
The university paid for a comprehensive storm infrastructure study which, according to Hermann, “revealed that our campus growth over the years had not been matched by adequate increases in storm infrastructure capacity.”
The university already addressed some of the weak spots dictated by the study, such as collapsed sections, but still has stormwater maintenance plans in the horizon, one being a plan to implement a stormwater detention and retention system under the athletic stadium surface lot to manage runoff.
“This mitigation is needed to upgrade and modernize the campus storm infrastructure to meet the current demands,” Hermann wrote.
At this time, Gloria Rocchio, president of the Ward Melville Heritage Organization, was unable to comment on the damage to Harbor Road, the ownership of which is debated as it crosses into Head of the Harbor.
Head of the Harbor Mayor Michael Utevsky said that discussions are progressing.
In 2025, labels are toxic, political and problematic.
DEI? Not allowed anymore. Woke? There’s undoubtedly an executive action to rid the nation of anything that fits under this large umbrella.
Fortunately, during last week’s final stage in a contest run by Stony Brook University’s Institute for Advanced Computational Science, politics didn’t enter the room, even though women, girls, families and boys met for a science competition.
The IACS unveiled the winners in their competition a few days after the International Day of Women and Girls in Science.
The competition helped over 150 local students learn about women scientists who may not be household names, but who made significant contributions to their fields.
Some of these historical role models were firsts. Mary Jackson was the first female Black engineer. Marie Curie was the first woman to earn a degree from the University of Paris.
Others made significant, and sometimes overshadowed, contributions to their fields. Rosalind Franklin, for example, provided key x-ray crystallography images that uncovered the double helical structure of DNA.
For students in the area, the competition was not only an opportunity to learn about the history of these women and the challenges they overcame, but was also a chance to conduct their experiments and present them to a receptive audience.
All the competitors were not girls. The participants, whether or not they won, appreciated the opportunity to learn and compete.
Parents of these precocious children were thrilled that this contest provided an enrichment learning opportunity, built their daughters’ confidence, and gave the next generation a sense of the myriad opportunities the sciences might present to them.
Each of these students — and some of them worked in teams — produced a one minute video explaining who the scientist was, why she was important and how they conducted their own experiment.
Some of them extracted DNA from strawberries, while others, like co-winner Allison Wong launched small objects through the air with their own miniature catapults, measuring the time marbles, cotton balls, ping pong balls and bottle caps were in the air and the distance these objects traveled.
Even amid concerns about future funding for all kinds of science and educational programs, this second annual competition was clearly a success for the competitors and a source of great satisfaction for parents, science teachers, and extended family members.
This kind of educational outreach program is exactly what every area needs, as students not only competed to win cash prizes, but also asked about future opportunities for scientific learning and advancement.
We congratulate the IACS and the co-chairs of this effort, Professors Marivi Fernandez-Serra and Monica Buggalo at Stony Brook University, for putting this great event together. We also hope that this kind of community service and outreach continues to provide necessary opportunities for personal growth.
These students expanded on the typical effort to study for a test, memorize dates or answer multiple choice or short answer questions for a class assignment. These videos took days to produce and edit.
We thank women scientists of the past for everything they did in and out of the limelight and we take great comfort in pondering a future led by the boundless enthusiasm of the competitors who are in the early stages of their own journeys.
By Daniel Dunaief
The flu season has hit with a vengeance in February, as a seasonal virus that can be deadly has become the dominant cause of illness in the area.
Suffolk County hospitals reported 337 residents with influenza in the week ending Feb. 1, according to New York State Department of Health data.
Just last year, for the 2023-2024 flu season, Suffolk County hospitalizations peaked on Dec. 30 at 52. Even in the year before, when people were starting to wear masks much less frequently than during the peak covid years, flu hospitalizations in the county peaked at 50 on Dec. 17.
“We are definitely seeing more people sick” with flu, said Dr. Sharon Nachman, chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital. The emergency room is “wildly full, and even urgent care walk in is full.”
The number of positive cases of flu A at Stony Brook University Hospital in January was 800. That compares with 400 cases for the same strain last year, according to Nachman.
While the flu is cyclical and can cause different levels of infections from year to year, local doctors suggested that the overall flu vaccination rate was lower this year, which may have increased vulnerability to the virus and extended the time people exhibited symptoms.
The number of people vaccinated is “incredibly lower compared to past years,” said Nachman. On top of that, people may not have been exposed to the flu for several years amid measures to reduce the spread of Covid-19.
Residents’ immune systems may have “no good memory response” if the last exposure to the virus occurred some time before 2020, Dr. Nachman added.
The dominant strain of the flu this year is the A strain, which accounts for about 80 percent of the cases.
Nachman suggested that people who were vaccinated in early September may not have as much resistance to the flu this month, as their peak resistance, which typically lasts about three months, has wained.
Health care professionals added that people who haven’t been vaccinated could still receive the shot, as the flu season could continue to last for a month or more.
“It is not too late to get the flu shot,” Dr. Gregson Pigott, Commissioner of the Suffolk County Department of Health Services, explained in an email.
Dr. Adrian Popp, chair of Infection Control at Huntington Hospital, said the staff has been offering flu shots for residents who have were not already immunized.
“I don’t know how much longer this will last,” said Popp. “It’s still cold and it’ll be cold in March.”
Typically, it takes two weeks for the body to receive full protection from the shot. The shot does provide some incremental benefit immediately.
“You start building immunity from the moment you get” the shot, said Popp.
So far this year, there have been two deaths at Huntington Hospital, which is not unusual for the flu.
Mortality from the flu is “turning into what it used to be,” said Popp, with deaths at about pre pandemic levels.
High risk patients
High risk patients are typically older or have preexisting conditions.
People who have an inability to fight infections can get “much sicker from the flu,” said Dr. Alan Bulbin, St. Francis Hospital and Heart Center Director of Infectious Disease.
Health care workers urged those who are in higher risk groups either to see their doctors if they start developing symptoms or to use some of the at home tests, including a recent one that can test for flu A and B, as well as Covid.
“If you are immunocompromised, you should have a low threshold,” said Bulbin. “You should speak with a doctor, go to urgent care, and do a swab. That may differentiate influenza” from other infections such as respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, and Covid.
The antiviral treatment Tamiflu can be effective if people start taking it within 48 hours of developing symptoms. Paxlovid, meanwhile, can also help within a few days of developing covid.
“We urge residents, especially those at risk for severe illness, to contact their medical providers at the onset of symptoms,” Pigott explained in an email.
Lower Covid and RSV levels
While the flu has infected a larger number of people than in previous years, the incidence of RSV and Covid has declined.
In Suffolk County, 90 residents are hospitalized with Covid, while the number of deaths from the virus is 29 since the start of the year, according to the New York State Department of Health.
That compares with 190 residents hospitalized last year and 96 deaths from Covid from Jan. 1 through Feb. 14.
“The virus that causes Covid-19 is still circulating and causing disease, although not as aggressively as in previous years,” Pigott explained.
RSV, meanwhile, rose in the fall, peaked in late December and has been falling since then.
RSV accounted for 0.2 percent of emergency department visits on Feb. 1, Pigott added.
Future ID doctors
Specialists in infectious disease were unsure how the pandemic affected the interest among doctors in training and residents in their field.
For some, the appeal of reacting to fluid circumstances and to gathering insights about a developing disease that could and did affect billions of lives could be appealing. For others, however, the demands, the hours, and increasing politicization of medicine as well as the divided response to vaccines could have pushed them in other directions.
“Am I concerned that not enough people are going into the specialty?” Nachman asked. “Yes.”
By William Stieglitz
On Monday, Feb. 17, Long Islanders took to the sidewalks outside Congressman Nick LaLota’s (R-NY01) Hauppauge office to demand he hold an in-person town hall during the current congressional break. American and rainbow flags flew among rows of signs demanding communication with constituents as well as resistance against the administration, all while people called out “Where’s Nick LaLota?” and “Nick LaLota, Do your job!” The turnout was larger than expected, with over 300 registered and, according to what several attendees said they heard from police, many more protesters spanning from Route 347 to Town Line Road, totaling an estimated thousand overall.
The calls for a public town hall stemmed from LaLota not having held one through his entire time in office. This was a particularly sore spot for protesters, as none of the Republican congressmen of Long Island’s Congressional Districts 1 and 2 have held one since 2017—opting instead for “telephone town halls” where only questions chosen by the Congressman’s team can be heard. “LaLota has decided for whatever reason that it’s better for him politically to support vocally what [Trump and Musk] are doing to attack our institutions rather than actually fighting for the people of this district,” said attendee Nancy Goroff, co-founder of Long Island Strong Schools Alliance. “And he dares to dismiss all his constituents calling his office and contacting him by email as unimportant, rather than actually paying attention to what he owes to his district.”
The “Unscripted: LaLota, Listen to the People!” rally—organized by Indivisible in conjunction with eight local grassroots—was named in reference to LaLota’s comments in the Washington Post earlier this month. He described constituent calls to his office as “people reading off scripts… demonizing Musk, demonizing DOGE, which I think is unfortunate.” The response did not sit well with protesters. “Constituents don’t appreciate being mocked,” said Emily Kaufman, a co-organizer for the rally. “Our concerns are real and that’s why we’re here: to demand that he listen to us.”
Chief among the concerns were federal cuts to Long Island healthcare and education. Hundreds signed onto a petition demanding LaLota work to unfreeze funds to the Northport VA, Brookhaven and Cold Spring Harbor labs and other Long Island institutions.
“He is very proud of announcing grants that, for example, faculty at Stony Brook have earned,” Goroff said, “and yet now that those grants are in jeopardy, he is saying nothing against it at all.”
Organizers spoke heavily on the topic of cuts, with Kaufman emphasizing, “715 thousand people in this district are on Medicaid, and if we cut that we have pregnant women who are going to face a loss of care.”
Co-organizer Deborah Roberts also spoke on cuts to the Department of Education. “Education is the engine of economy, the engine of our democracy. What we would be losing would be funding for disadvantaged children, disabled children … People don’t realize this, but the Department of Education is a center for data collection, comprehensive data collection, about all of the programs throughout the United States. So we have programs impacted, disability rights, civil rights and policies in schools, equity in education, all these things would no longer exist, would no longer be funded.”
The protest lasted for over an hour, with frequent honks of support from drivers and most attendees staying past the scheduled end time. “It shows that we, at the end of the day, all want the same things,” said Suffolk Progressives founder Shoshana Hershkowitz, who emceed the event. “We want safe communities, we want to make sure our schools are funded, our hospitals are funded, and we care about this being a place everyone can live and thrive.”
Speaking to the energy driving the attendees, Kaufman said “We don’t want to be in the streets; it’s freezing out right now, but we are here because we have to be. If Nick LaLota’s not gonna show up for us, then we’re gonna come bring our message to him.”
When reached for comment on the protest, LaLota’s office was unavailable.
The rally was cosponsored by the 50501 Movement, a group designed for resistance against current administration with the motto “50 protests, 50 states, 1 movement,” and coincided with the organization’s Presidents Day protests across the nation. Local cosponsors for the Hauppauge rally included Assemble Long Island, East End Action Network, Long Island Advocates, Long Island Network for Change, Long Island Progressive Coalition, Progressive East End Reformers, Show Up Long Island, and Suffolk Progressives.
By Daniel Palumbo
The energy in the arena was electric on Feb. 16 at Stony Brook University for the Section XI Wrestling Championships. The athletes were supported by friends and family, who cheered words of encouragement during the matches. Each bout was fought with grit and determination. After each victory, most of the wrestlers leaped into their coaches’ arms in celebration. Signs of mutual respect were displayed throughout the competition.
In the 101-pound weight class, Trevor Patrovich of Hauppauge High School won first place, defeating Chase Phillips of Ward Melville High School in the finals.
In the 108-pound weight class, Connor Sheridan of Hauppauge reached the finals but lost to Austin Bro Campsey of East Hampton.
Smithtown East’s Dylan Reinard wrestled well in the 166-pound weight class, reaching the finals but falling to Longwood’s Anthony Lagala Ryan.
Gino Manta, a Hauppauge wrestler, won the 124-pound weight class, defeating Longwood’s Devin Connelly.
Smithtown East’s Mathew McDermott triumphed in the 131-pound weight class, defeating Anthony Severino of Lindenhurst.
Niko Marnika of Commack High School wrestled hard in the 138-pound weight class, earning a spot in the finals but ultimately losing to Camryn Howard of Bellport.
In the 145-pound weight class, Michael McGuiness of Walt Whitman High School made it to the finals but lost to Leo Mongiello of Sayville.
Kingston Strouse of Northport High School wrestled his way into the finals in the 152-pound weight class. In a difficult match, he lost to John De La Rosa of Brentwood.
Rocky Point’s Aidan Barry emerged victorious in the 170-pound weight class, earning first place after defeating James Dauch of West Babylon.
In the 190-pound weight class, Brady Curry of Commack won after battling Bay Shore’s John Betancourt.
— Photos by Daniel Palumbo
This is NOT “Resistance Corner”
As stated in our NYS charter, the Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Chamber of Commerce is a 501(c)(6) organization composed of local businesses. It is not by design nor practice, one that supports politicians or engages in political demonstrations. The antique train car, near the corner of NYS Routes 112 and 347, is the private property of PJS/T CoC as is the surrounding land, flag pole and Legacy patio. The 100-year-old car serves as the CoC office. It and the property, intended solely for use for CoC sponsored events, is diligently maintained by the all-volunteer board, despite the Town Park sign having utilized our old corner marquee to rename the park behind the train car. The public park is marked by the paddock fencing.
The Feb 6. Port Times Record cover and page A3 showed trespassers with a megaphone and signs standing on the train car decking and patio. This letter is intended to clarify: the train car and its surrounding property is private space and the PJS/T CoC has given no public individual or group permission to use it. The chamber liability insurance does not cover trespassers either. I ask you and your readership to help spread the word.
Jennifer Dzvonar, President
Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Chamber of Commerce
Murphy teacher went too far
After reading one letter and two articles written to the Times Beacon Record on Feb. 6 defending the R. C. Murphy Jr. High School teacher placed on leave, I must respectfully disagree with their positions. I consider myself a strong defender of free speech rights. They are truly the cornerstone of a free country. However, the facts in this case warrant an objective analysis.
The teacher in question did not simply criticize the Trump administration, call for impeachment or use derogatory words for the president or his staff. She went a step further, and used very specific and rather dark imagery to describe her hope for “all Trump supporters.” She hoped that they “don’t swallow right” (choke?), have no help, struggling to gasp (suffocating?), withering away (dying?) and suffering long. I think most reasonable people can agree that we don’t expect the educators of our middle school aged children to publicly call for the bodily harm of people with whom they disagree with politically or ideologically. Exercising self-control, good judgment and accountability are all qualities we expect from our educators, especially those involved with younger, more impressionable students.
This educator could have used her distress with recent political events as a “teachable moment” on how we can disagree politically yet maintain civility in our society. She could have protested on a street corner and campaigned for change. Unfortunately, she did not. She chose to speak in a disturbing manner that rightly causes concern given the sensitive nature of her job. Imagine for a moment if one of her students became aware of her public comments. Would that foster a trusting, safe, nurturing educational environment for that student if they thought their own teacher wanted their Trump supporting parents to suffer the terrible things she outlined in her post?
The reality is that we hold people in positions of power (police, teachers, health care workers, elected officials) to a higher standard when it comes to speech. I support the district’s decision to do their due diligence to determine if this is a one-time lapse in judgment or indicative of an underlying issue that needs to be addressed. We are extremely fortunate to have a school district that employs dedicated, caring professionals. Making sure that standard is maintained by all employees is in the best interests of the district as a whole and the students that it serves.
Charles Tramontana
Setauket
The train car is chamber property
It is important to respect organizations and their missions. I am referring to the Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Chamber of Commerce and their office train car located at the south east corner of Routes. 347 and 112. Over the years certain organizations, groups have chosen this location for their rallies without notifying the chamber and inappropriately trespassing on their private property. The nickname, “Resistance Corner,”’ not a title the chamber has sanctioned or approved of, has become the setting for such gatherings. The chamber is responsible for maintaining the train car and the grounds it sits on. They pay for the insurance, utilities and general upkeep at great cost and effort by their members and their officers.
Understandingly, this location is very visible and great exposure for groups to mobilize, but it could be reflected that said groups have the endorsement of the PJS/TV Chamber. This would not fit the mission of any chamber. We recognize that public display is lawful, but this corner isn’t fitting for ANY type of demonstration. There are other approximate locations for these types of assemblies. Just east of the train car in the public Town of Brookhaven Park and across the street from the car on the north side of 347.
It is distressing that people/groups assume they may use this property for their own use. That would be an incorrect supposition. To all, in the future, please be mindful of your actions and respectful. Thank you.
Barbara Ransome, President
Brookhaven Chambers of Commerce Coalition
P.S. I love you day
On Feb. 14, the Three Village community not only celebrated Valentine’s Day, but also P.S. I Love You Day. On this day students in this district and those across the state wore purple and shared messages to acknowledge love, caring and kindness toward one another. It began as a response to a tragic loss by suicide suffered by a West Islip student and grew into a movement to recognize mental health needs and interventions.
I want to commend the Three Village schools for the celebrations that occurred throughout our PK-12 buildings and thank them for their valiant attempts to combat and aide in our battle for positive mental health. The music, the purple bracelets, the visits from the therapy dogs and the celebrations of life all contributed to a wonderful atmosphere of love and acceptance. In light of our recent tragedy and the loss of a valued member of the Class of 2027, it is most important to remember this; everybody counts or nobody counts. Continue to care for and respect each other no matter what our differences are and keep this in mind, P.S. I Love You lives on EVERY day.
Stefanie Werner
East Setauket
By Daniel Dunaief
Uh oh. I started to feel sick more than a week ago.
What could it be?
Let’s see: I had a headache, my nose was running, I had a low grade-ish fever, although my thermometer was much more like a magic eight ball than an effective way to determine my temperature, and I was much more exhausted than usual.
Of course, I had…. well, what?
I mean, these days, one person’s virus is another’s bacteria is another’s combination of things.
I went to the pharmacy and picked up a collection of over the counter flu treatments to reduce the symptoms for everything.
You see, the problem is that I know that I had only three or four days to get to a doctor to get a definitive diagnosis.
I felt too sick to go to the doctor and hoped my vague, general symptoms would leave me alone.
Nope, they barnacled their way into my system, leaving me, day after day, wondering what I had, how contagious I was and whether I should see a doctor.
After muddling through four days, I went to a local drug store, where I picked up a test for Covid and the flu.
After receiving negative tests for both, I scheduled a doctor’s visit. I wasn’t sure what she’d be able to tell me, but I was hopeful that she could give me a magic pill or a definitive diagnosis.
After explaining all my symptoms to the nurse, I went through the same routine with the doctor.
“Well, you should be getting better in a few days,” she shrugged. “There’s really no point in testing you at this point.”
“What can I take?” I asked.
“Advil? Tylenol?” she recommended.
Hmm. I felt as if I were hearing the old “take two aspirin and call me in the morning” advice.
I racked my brains trying to think about what might have made me sick. Was it the money I touched? I rarely handle cash, but I didn’t want to pay the extra 3 percent credit card fee for a food purchase in the days before I got sick.
Was it traveling on an airplane? Probably not, because I still wear a mask to keep my hands away from my face.
Was it the guy at the gym who was exhaling hard in my direction while he race walked on the nearby treadmill? Sometimes, when I can smell someone’s breath at the gym, as I did earlier last week, I figure that’s a sign to move to another apparatus, but those dang endorphins were kicking in, making it hard for me to give up my treadmill before working through my routine.
Much as we might wish that we could return to normal now that Covid is gone, normal, as we might recall, still includes the passing along of all kinds of disagreeable illnesses with their persistent symptoms.
Perhaps it’s the extended winter. After all, usually by now, we’ve had some respite from the lower temperatures and strong winds. We might be spending more indoor time with other people.
Yeah, people can be great, because they can make us laugh, commiserate with us when things don’t go well with our kids or at work, and can share entertaining and enjoyable outings to concerts and sporting events.
And yet, those same people are like walking petri dishes, with their own sets of flora and fauna that can threaten to keep us from feeling completely healthy.
Despite being a bit obsessive compulsive about germs, I am not antisocial and I don’t generally try to avoid people.
I do, at times when I’m feeling sick, wish that I had an app on my phone that’s akin to finding all my friends. Instead of searching for people in my network, this app might warn me about entering a room with a preponderance of viral or bacterial particles.
Maybe this app could be like a GPS with a safety feature.
“No, that bathroom in Grand Central Station is a bad idea. The knob is covered in virus A and the paper towel dispenser has virus B.”
Being sick saps some of the fun from each day. If misery loves company, I suppose I have plenty of friends with stuffy noses, dull headaches, and mild to moderate congestion.
By Leah S. Dunaief
Houses are like children. They need constant care and rescuing, especially in this current bout of tempestuous weather we’ve been having. Sometimes they have several needs that just pile up on each other.
The trouble started Saturday, when we plugged the vacuum cleaner into an electric strip and the lights went out. So did the computers. After much hunting and flipping of fuses in the fuse boxes, we finally found the culprit and restored the electricity—but not the computers. That took another long and arduous retracing of procedures, with the help of a kindly electrician, who came over despite his hernia operation four days earlier, until they worked.
Vowing never again to plug the vacuum into the power strip, we thankfully continued on with our lives. We might have even felt a little smug about figuring out how to solve the various problems.
That is, until Monday. Now, no one I know loves Mondays. Unless they work on the weekends and have the day off. So it was not a pleasant beginning to the anyway unwelcome start of Monday, when we found that the fearsome winds of Sunday night had knocked down a heavy tree. It had fallen across the driveway, innocently forming a perfect right angle with the blacktop, making the driveway passable only for deer.
Eventually we got out, only to be informed that the toilet bowl in the office was having a bad day. According to prior plans, the plumber had come to restore the grout at the base of the pedestal, from which tiny amounts of water had been seeping onto the floor. In the process, he heard something snap, he said, and suddenly the minute (my-NOOT) leak turned into a gusher.
We rushed around the building, fumbling for the intake valve. Before we could turn off the water, the plumber somehow stopped the flow, but the problem was not solved. He told us that he needed to replace a particular part. Of course, Monday was Presidents Day, a holiday for plumbing supply stores the world over. After a fashion, our plumber was able to put the crisis on hold until the following day, but not until considerable hysteria was expended, along with the water.
We went home Monday evening, consoling ourselves that these were only inanimate material losses. At least we had personally survived unscathed.
At 7:12 the next morning, a text message arrived, informing us that the managing editor, our only managing editor, had a temperature of 102.3 degrees. She gamely told us that she could do some of her work remotely, but it was going to be a difficult day since the papers are due at the printer Wednesday afternoon. We took some prophylactic action, helped by the good nature and generosity of others, and hoped for the best.
The miseries weren’t over. When we got home, the mixer we were using, that had been valiantly making pulp of the raw fruits and vegetables for a smoothie, suddenly stopped. Just like that, in the middle of making dinner. Unplugging, replugging, restarting, shaking, switching receptacles, giving it a rest, were all to no avail. It was as if a ghost had snuck into the house and jinxed the heretofore powerful mixer, which wasn’t nearly old enough to have died on the job. We looked up the brand on the internet to see if instructions might help us solve the trouble. We found lots of instructions, all of which we had already tried, and the dumb machine just remained on the kitchen counter, silently defying us.
Exasperated, we moved into the living room, picked up the daily newspaper and were ready to turn our attention to exogenous problems about which happily we had no responsibility to solve.
And there it was. One more impotent machine before us. One more challenge to try and fix. The humidifier that we rely on to keep the heat from drying out our biological pipes, as well as our house, was not sending up its normal stream of vapor. I capitulated and went to bed.
Those few days, there must have been something in the water.
The annual, educational Maple Sugaring classes are back at Hoyt Farm. The highly anticipated program will run on three Sundays: February 23rd, March 2nd, and March 9th, from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Hoyt Farm Nature Preserve, located at 200 New Highway in Commack. Tickets are just $5 per person (cash only), with classes being open to the general public. Due to high demand, it is recommended that guests arrive by 1 p.m. to register.
“This is one of our Town’s finest and wildly popular educational programs, and it’s an experience every resident should take part in. The techniques used to make maple syrup are a cherished part of our history. Jeff Gumin, Sheryl Brook, and the entire Hoyt Farm team go above and beyond with their demonstration, making it an unforgettable experience that I highly recommend for the entire family,” said Smithtown Town Supervisor Edward R. Wehrheim.
The Maple Sugaring Program covers the history of maple sugaring, from its discovery by Native Americans to modern-day techniques. The program includes a special interactive portion for younger participants to learn about tree anatomy, chlorophyll’s role in sap production, and photosynthesis in maple syrup creation.
A unique feature of Hoyt Farm’s program is that Black Walnut trees are tapped alongside traditional Maple trees. To produce the sweetest sap, temperatures must remain below freezing at night and above 40 degrees during the day, which typically occurs during the late February to early March sugaring season.
Program Highlights:
The Hoyt Farm Nature Preserve’s maple sugaring program began in the late 1970s as a single class and has since grown into an interactive, family-friendly experience open to the general public.
For questions about this and other programs at Hoyt Farm, call: (631) 543-7804.
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