If your CO alarm goes off - GET OUT - quickly and safely!

Irvington resident, Charlotte Isler, tells us about her recent brush with a known killer.

It’s silent, deadly and lurks in the home while your family sleeps. Dubbed the “silent killer,” the colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-irritating, and poisonous gas – carbon monoxide (CO) – is very difficult for people to detect.

Here’s a letter we received from Irvington resident Charlotte Isler, that will make this threat all the more personal.

Last Tuesday evening, October 19th, 2010, our CO (carbon monoxide) detector went off about 9 PM. When we turned it over, it said: “If this alarm goes off, call 911.” So we did.

In short order, the Irvington Fire Deptartment arrived in full regalia, as did ConEd, a while later. They measured the CO content, and found high levels all over the house! We had to leave the house immediately, and just had time to open all the windows, and wait outside.

Next, the firemen and the ConEd man searched for the cause of the high CO levels. They found it about 1 1/2 hours later. It was an obstruction between the furnace and the chimney through which it vents.

They shut off the gas, and allowed us to go back inside only once their CO detectors had returned to 0. If we had not paid attention to the alarm, they told us, we would probably not have woken up the next morning – a sobering thought!

The firemen were wonderful, as was the ConEd man. I want to encourage people to install a CO alarm if they don’t already have one. It could save their lives as our alarm saved ours.

Charlotte Isler – Irvington

If you do have a CO detector, test and replace the battery in your CO alarm at least once a year. If your alarm is wired directly into your home’s electrical system, you should test it monthly. If your unit operates off of a battery, test the alarm monthly and replace the battery at least once a year.

CO kills 500 people each year and sends 20,000 more to the hospital, according to Underwriters Laboratories, an independent product safety certification organization. In the home, some common sources of CO include open flames, space heaters, water heaters, blocked chimneys or running a car inside a garage.

What to do when your alarm goes off
If your CO alarm goes off – GET OUT – quickly and safely! Practice a CO safety drill with your family so everyone knows how to react to a CO alarm. If your alarm sounds, evacuate the building and call the fire department. If you or your loved ones experience symptoms of CO poisoning – headache, dizziness or other flu-like symptoms – seek medical attention immediately. And, when you return home, be sure to open windows and doors for ventilation. Then, call a qualified technician to inspect your appliances.

Be Aware of Other Warning Signs
Be alert, don’t get hurt! Streaks of carbon or soot around the service door of your fuel-burning appliances, moisture collecting on the windows and walls of furnace rooms and fallen soot from the fireplace or small amounts of water leaking from the base of the chimney are all signs of a CO problem in your home.

We could potentially cut $130K from the budget if everybody in Irvington composted their leaves this autumn.

Irvington’s Green Policy Task Force (GPTF) tells us why composting is mulch ado about money.

Millions of little leaves still hang in the trees autumn scorched and ready to dump on us. The best thing you can do with your leaves is to leave them on your property. Thankfully autumn can be a tu-mulch-uous time. That’s because more and more Irvingtonians are mulching or composting leaves then ever before.

The village of Irvington spends an about $30K in leaf dumping fees and, according to the head of Department of Public Works, another $100K in labor and equipment costs. That means we could potentially cut $130K from the budget if everybody in Irvington composted their leaves this autumn.

Furthermore, there are other less tangible costs of dumping leaves, like car accidents caused by people swerving around the piles of leaves and by the floods caused by clogged gutters as the piles of leaves on the curb are washed down the road by rain storms.

On a personal level, composting and mulching will reduce your need to spend money on chemical fertilizers in the Spring. Francis Goudie, a volenteer for the Green Policy Task Force (GPTF) Composting & Mulching Subcommittee, points out the ecological costs.

“The leaves are part of a cycle where they are grown to size in the spring from nutrients in the ground. They are supposed to drop off and enrich the soil for next year’s leaves. So collecting the leaves and transporting them elsewhere impoverishes the local soil.”

Why is Mulching Different Than Composting?
Mulching is simply mowing leaves along with the grass during fall and letting the small leaf pieces filter down among the grass blades. Three to four passes may be required to chop leaves fine enough so that they filter through the turf and expose grass leaves to sunlight. Leaf mulch in the lawn helps retain moisture, reducing the need for additional water.

Holding bins are great for making high quality compost that will enrich your flower or vegetable garden and improve the soil around trees and shrubs.

What can you do?

• Shred leaves with a lawn mower and leave them in place on your lawn.
• Compost them in a pile or container (with or without shredding).
• Direct your gardener to compost your leaves or hire a yard service that already composts.

The Composting Mulching Subcommittee of the GPTF is in the process of composing a “Letter to my Landscaper” to assist property owners in instructing their landscapers in how to manage leaves and clippings more sustainably. You will find that letter in the near future on their website

So now that you decided to compost, here is some information on how to do it.

• Home Composting Guide from Cornell University
• Tips on Mulching
• Tips on Composting

If we all chipped in and did our share, we could significantly reduce village municipal services.

Goulash und Spaetzel

Lets go beyond the onion spired churches into the rolling hills of upper Bavaria for some real down home Goulash und Spätzle that is surprisingly easy to make and enjoy.

When the nights get long and cold, one of the things that can warm you up is Helgard’s Goulash und Spätzle.

Spaetzle is a type of egg noodle of soft texture found in the cuisine of Germany, Austria and Switzerland. At times it’s served with gouda cheese and fried onions, or with any type of gravy. In Hungary, they put it in soup. One of the most delicious ways to eat Spaetzle is with some goulash done as a stew.

Spaetzel maker -- a tool for sliding the spaetzel dough over boiling water.

Creating the Spätzle
You’re going to want a Spaetzel maker — a tool for sliding the noodle dough over boiling water. The best type of spaetzel maker is the one that resembles a cheese grater with a little box for holding the dough, which slides along the grater part. Typically, these have a little lip that catches on the edge of the pot of boiling water.

Homemade spaetzel is a and egg noodle of soft irregular texture

Here are the ingredients that you need:

• 3 cups flour
• 1 scant cup hot faucet water
• 4 lg eggs
• 2 tsp salt
• 4 qt (lg pot) of boiling water
• 1 TBsp salt

Combine first 4 ingredients and beat. Batter should be very thick and kind of break from the spoon in large blobs. Let stand for 15 minutes and beat again until smooth. Add 1 TBsp salt to boiling water. Spray the Spaetzelmaker with cooking spray. Fill the top of the Spaetzelmaker with the dough and start dripping it into the boiling water. Boil until they rise to the top (just a few minutes.) Pour into colander and rinse. Fry in a pan with butter before serving. Or make a day ahead of time and freeze.

Goulash as a stew.

Creating the Goulash
This isn’t a goulash soup, but rather a thicker goulash stew that is used to cover the spaetzel – Yum!

Here are the ingredients:

• 4 slices of bacon, chopped
• 1.5 cup chopped onions
• 1.5 lbs cubed beef (chuck, blade or flank)
• 1 sm green pepper, chopped
• 1 can consomme
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 2 Tbs sweet paprika (Hungarian)
• 1 tsp marjoram
• 1/4 cup ketchup to taste
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 cup water
• salt and pepper to taste

Helgard's Goulash und Spaetzel

In heavy skillet brown bacon till crisp. Remove with slotted spoon. Cook chopped onion in bacon grease until golden. Remove with a slotted spoon. Brown beef in the bacon grease. When beef is browned add green pepper, onions and bacon to the pan and cook a few minutes over high heat. Add consomme and wine. Stir in spices. Add about 1/4 cup ketchup to get the right color of the gravy. Cover and simmer for at least two hours or until tender. To thicken gravy – pour 1/2 cup water and 1/4 cup flour into a lidded container. Shake until mixture is blended and smooth. Slowly stir about half of the mixture into the goulash, bring to a boil while stirring constantly. Add more of the flour/water mixture until desired consistency.

photo by Marcie Cuff

The Clocktower Players are presenting this classic fairy tale in musical form from November 6 to 14. Get your tickets now!

Residents of Irvington, who were out enjoying the 6th Annual AQUEFEST last Sunday, were treated to a preview of this family friendly, charming production. After completing five or six songs from the Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella score, the cast was encouraged to perform them again for a new group of passersby. When the sound system faltered, the singers nerves did not and their a capella skills saw them through to the audience’s applause.

photo by Marcie Cuff

The Clocktower Players, the resident theater company of Irvington, have been enriching the lives of the community by performing vibrant, jubilant theater at the Town Hall Theater for the past thirty years. As the Players say on their own website (clocktowerplayers.com), they do theater “for the community, by the community.” On October 16, the group presents a star-studded gala performance featuring Jane Alexander (four-time Academy Award nominee and Tony and Emmy award-winning actress) and Jon Scott (Emmy award-winning television reporter, journalist, and news anchor) as co-hosts. The evening promises music and fun for all.

Cinderella runs from November 6 to 14 and a production by the Clocktower Players Kids Troupe of the Frog and Toad runs December 11 and 12.

Bento boxes: They're not just for sushi anymore.

Supermom Wendy Copley shows us how to build a better bento box

Bento (弁当 bentō?) is a single-portion takeout or home-packed meal common in Japanese cuisine. A traditional bento consists of rice, fish or meat, and one or more pickled or cooked vegetables, usually in a box-shaped container. Wendy Copley has adopted the idea and she is tailoring it to the tastes of her American family. Copley’s bentos are colorful, visually interesting, and filled with everything and anything — from green peas to peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Yum!

Copley, photographer and mother from Northern California, has been Blogging about her bento boxes. Success is based on, color, design, and ultimately how much of the lunch returns.

Batman Bento

“I decided to have a little fun with the daily chore of packing my son’s lunches by dressing them up and it turned into a full-fledged hobby,” says Copley, mom of 2 boys, ages 6 and 2.”

If you’re in need of extra inspiration, Copley has published ample photos of her bento creations for everyone to see.

Americans can get plastic bento box lunch sets at Laptop Lunches or if you want to get a traditional style bento box online.

Fall Colored Bento

You can also find interesting things like Cookie Cutter shapes for sandwiches. Puzzle shapes for sandwiches are also a good idea.

“Some of the things I like best about packing bento lunches are that it’s environmentally friendly — my kids’ lunches generate very little packaging waste — and that it’s creative and fun for me.”

If you want to read more, SFGate, a San Francisco newpaper, recently wrote an article about Copley’s Colorful Bento Boxes

Let the bento begin!

New York City hipsters don’t have the monopoly on culture and design. They ignore anything above 14th Street and they think Weschester is a type of knot for a tie. We can’t help them, but we can help ourselves. Here are three fun things you can do for your family to spread some more awesome sauce on Irvington.

Stuffed Aminals come right from children's coloring books.

Aminals are stuffed toys made from children’s drawings. Safe, soft, squeezable, silly and sweet, these Aminals are inspired by the creative lives of children. The hipster potential is extraordinary. Not only are they uber-cool but when youre friends say that they are, you can sniff back “and they’re organic, too.” Unfortunately, we’re unable to send in our own children’s pictures to have them stuffed.

Made in the USA because we're pretty much the only people crazy enough to come up with something like this.

If Aminals aren’t cool enough for your kids, what about this funky furniture from Dust Furniture. Right out of a cartoon, this ‘abstract traditional furniture’ is essentially a traditional piece of furniture that is stretched, curved, stacked and stepped.

Wood is the material used and the classical root of each piece helps maintain its identity as furniture and keeps the work familiar and approachable despite the highly unusual shapes. Made in the USA because we’re pretty much the only people crazy enough to come up with something like this.

And if that isn’t cool enough, go french. Because nothing says design snob like a French pop-up book that doesn’t have a story. Talented illustrator Benjamin Lacombe created “Il était une fois” (Once Upon A Time for the mono-lingual) featuring scenes from Alice In Wonderland, Poucette (sigh…Pinocchio), Sleeping Beauty, Bluebeard, Peter Pan, Little Red Riding Hood, Madame Butterfly, and Thumbelina rendered in splendid 3D. Yes…Madame Butterfly. This book is due out November 2010. Follow the white rabbit and see a preview video for yourself . . .

So just because we’re living in the Westchester suburbs, it doesn’t mean that we need to be out hipstered by those goatee wearing young’uns from Brooklyn. We can spice it up plenty with a little suburban design flair of our own.

John's Magic Rescue

Irvington resident, Charlotte Isler, has written a book for children, called John’s Magic Rescue.

This thrilling adventure story explores the excitement as well as the dangers of the great outdoors as good friends Jim and John run into serious trouble along the ice filled river.

Isler  will be interviewed on radio station WVOX AM(1460) on October 8th, 2010 at 10 am. The interview will also be available on www.wvox.com.

John’s Magic Rescue will make an exciting gift for 8-12 year old, and it’s available now at Amazon.com for only $10.76 with free shipping!

Rabid Skunk at Dows Lane

Parents were asked to keep their children off the playground after school today. The animal control officer indicated that the playground next to Oak & Willow Streets would most likely be closed for 10 days. That’s how long it takes a rabid skunk to expire.

Karla Garcia, baby sitter to local children, said she saw the skunk chasing a dog in broad day light. Skunks are nocternal and they usually don’t chase dogs. They don’t have to! But this unusual behavior is typical of rabid animals.

Garcia said the children were yelling “look at the skunk look at the skunk” and they wanted to get closer. The baby sitter wisely helped make sure the children were safe.

Later, two shots were heard and parents have reported that the skunk was killed and taken away.

“The icon of modern American conservatism, whose rise to political prominence was galvanized by the cultural rebellion of the 1960s, fighting off an attack-at-gunpoint by the quintessential modern American rebel. But when “The Dark, Dark Hours” episode of General Electric Theater aired live from Hollywood on December 12, 1954, Ronald Reagan and James Dean were just two actors yet to find the roles that would define them.”

From The Atlantic Monthly Article

I scoured the local salvage places, but nobody had anything suitable. I ended up at Home Depot; decent prices and selection, and they are everywhere. I got some six foot 1x6 dog-eared redwood fence boards for $1.97 apiece, quite a deal. It's rough and has a few knots, but no weaknesses; perfect for beds.

Phil Glatz, a computer programmer from Northern California, shows us how to build raised planting beds for our garden.

Sometimes starting a garden project is the hardest part because we aren’t always sure exactly what we’re doing. Following the leads of others might be just the thing to get you motivated. Phil Glatz went down the raised planting bed path and left his bread crumbs for us to follow.

My goals was something easy to build, strong, that would last many years, and not be too expensive.

He ended up using redwood and then he documented the entire process. Read how to build your own raised planting beds on his website: Building raised planting beds.