Sue Kenney and the Golden Bookends, Pablo and Lady

Norwich-based dog trainer, Sue Kenney hasn’t always been a professional dog trainer, but she has always been involved with training dogs. It started with raising Guide Dog puppies for the blind.

Sue raised Guide Dog puppies since her children were young and would bring them into the Marion Cross School in Norwich. The dogs were even incorporated into the curriculum; students would keep journals about each puppy’s weight, nutrition, and behavior. Of course, the benefit went both ways, it was excellent socialization for the puppies as well.

When Sue moved on from the Marion Cross School, she studied under other instructors until she became a dog trainer herself. Although it was a big leap, she decided to start her own business called Goldenbookends Family Dog Training. The Golden Bookends, Pablo and Lady, were her two golden retrievers at the time. Pablo was a pup they raised for the Guide Dog program who didn’t make it, and Lady was a rescue.

Sully has been blilnd since birth

Sue did not advertise her business and, although that made her worry, she quickly found that news spread by word-of-mouth. She now teaches classes at SAVES in Lebanon. The realization that you can start a business at any time in your life and be successful has also been one of the biggest bonuses of Goldenbookends, Sue commented.

“If you enjoy what you are doing, people know that. They know you are in your element,” she said.

Sue built her training philosophy around establishing a team between the handler and the dog. In the classroom, she teaches the handlers positive reinforcement and attention games to teach the dogs to become “a thinking partner in the process.”

Her main goal is for the handler and the dog to develop a strong bond through the use of games, focus exercises, and self-control in order to communicate with each other. Unlike the traditional dog training classes where the idea is to have a dog submit to the human, Sue encourages obedience but with a give and take, an understanding of dogs, how they are wired and how best to work as a team. Using this philosophy, she tries to create an enjoyable experience.

I asked Sue her favorite class to teach: “Puppy First Steps,” she said. “That is when emotions run high, just having someone to talk to is so important. Each phase tests your creativity and patience. This is good for us. It’s about enjoying every minute. [As an instructor] You have to love people as much as you love the dogs. Guiding people through those early moments are some of the most satisfying parts and you have to be available [outside of class] for that too.”

The classes themselves create a wonderful sense of community among the humans too, as well as the dogs of course.

“[In a class] no one talks about where they come from. They are all there for a common purpose, to work together as a team.”

She also noted that the community often extends beyond the classroom as the handler/dog teams sometimes get together outside of class, building a supportive camaraderie that can create lasting bonds.

The original Golden Bookends have passed on since Sue started her business, but she has a new arrival in her life. Sully, a twenty month old blind golden retriever came to live with Sue in August of this year. She found the young dog, who has been blind since birth, through Yankee Golden Retriever Rescue based out of Hudson, MA. It’s been a new challenge, she said, but Sully has been a very willing participant, happy to live out in rural Vermont where he can hike whenever his handler wants.

Volunteer cooks Harjit Rakra, Sukhbir Sodhi and Devinder Sodhi

Each month, more than 1,000 households benefit from the Food Shelf at the Upper Valley Haven, an on-site source of groceries offered at no cost. Six years ago, the Healthy Eating Program began, which has taken the issue of food accessibility in the Upper Valley and turned it up a notch, adding in the importance of nutrition and a little cooking wisdom.

Jennifer Fontaine, director of Community Services and Operations at the Haven, said in the past, healthier items, especially produce, were left on the shelves, prompting staff to consider how they might get guests to consider healthier choices. People in need can take a week’s worth of groceries each month from the Food Shelf and have unlimited access to breads and produce.

“We emphasize good nutrition, not just any food to keep from feeling hungry, so have worked to acquire fresh produce, dairy, and protein,” Fontaine said. She said the Haven purchases food from a variety of sources including the Vermont Foodbank and local retailers to stock the Food Shelf, but “about 87 percent of the food that is distributed is actually donated or rescued food.”

While the Haven promotes nutrition via its Food Shelf, many visitors do not have experience in cooking some of the healthier options offered. “Many of our visitors live in more rural settings where shopping options are limited,” Fontaine explained. “A lack of variety and higher prices govern their diets. Studies have shown that it costs more to eat healthfully, and that is a luxury some of our visitors do not have on their limited incomes.” Fontaine referenced a 2013 Harvard School of Public Health study on the costs of eating healthy (i.e., diets rich in vegetables, fruits, fish, and nuts) versus eating unhealthy (processed foods, meats, and refined grains). The study concluded that a healthy diet is $1.50 more per day, which, when spread over 30 days and for multiple family members, adds up quickly. (More information on the study can be found here www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/healthy-vs-unhealthy-diet-costs-1-50-more.)

The Healthy Eating Program helps community members in need to obtain healthy food and learn how to prepare simple meals with it. Volunteers at the Haven help make this happen through cooking and offering samples every day. “Volunteers come in to the Food Shelf in the morning and choose items that we have an abundance of to create their sample of the day,” Fontaine explained. “Some make up their own recipes, and some search cookbooks or online for recipes.”

Monday through Friday around 10:30 am, volunteer chefs start working on their healthy dish, ready to serve food to Haven visitors between 11:30 am and 12:00 pm. If people like what they try, they can take home a pre-made bag of the necessary ingredients and recipe so they can make it at home. While most of the volunteers do not have professional cooking backgrounds, Fontaine said “a common thread is their love of healthy cooking.”

The preparation of meals is an important element in the Healthy Eating Program. Rather than just offering fresh, seasonal vegetables in the Food Shelf, cooking these foods in front of and for guests of the Haven shows them how to easily incorporate healthy and fresh foods to their diets.

“Walking through the doors you are met with tantalizing aromas — onions or garlic cooking, a good base for a lot of recipes — or sweet spices or savory herbs,” Fontaine said. “Being able to watch food being prepared is a great lure for people. Smelling, seeing, and tasting are a great way to engage people in talking about food and getting them to consider working with and eating featured ingredient.”

Guests have responded positively, according to Fontaine. “People are taking produce that they might not have taken before, things like kohlrabi and patty pan squash, and commenting to us how it’s improved the diversity in their diet,” she said.

“Anyone in need in the community is welcome to shop our Food Shelf,” Fontaine said. “We require minimal demographic information and a few statistical points from visitors, but we do not require people to show proof of need. Our philosophy is to serve people without creating more barriers,” she added. “Anyone is welcome to sample from the Healthy Eating program. On any given day you will see other volunteers, other service providers visiting, and even staff supporting the efforts of the program to encourage our visitors to participate.”

Clothespin tree ornament made at Norwich Historical Society

The holidays can get crazy. Lots to do, never enough time. It can all easily degenerate into a Stress Odyssey. The Norwich Times asked around to find out how people manage to keep the JOY in the holidays (and hold the stress at bay).

Artist Kate Emlen lives on Elm Street. “I don’t necessarily go out looking for joy,” she admits, “but it snuck up on me yesterday while I was vacuuming my kids’ rooms and singing along with my headphones on. The kids will both be home, to be joined soon after by my three quirky brothers and families. Doesn’t get any better than that and I get a clean house as a bonus!”

Gail Langeloh, who lives on Kendall Station Road with her husband, John Roback and their two daughters, has a simple answer: “Balsam scented candles. Everywhere!!” She elaborates, “I break them out after Thanksgiving. They remind me of winter and a Christmas tree, but without the effort of getting the tree up (which happens later). I guess they keep me going because the flickering lights are pretty and they smell wonderful. They remind me that holidays are coming.”

Bill Aldrich (standing, wearing v-neck sweater) and his extended family celebrate Christmas in the parlor of the Aldrich House in 1945. Note star on top of the tree in top left corner.

Dawn Carey, who lives on Hogback Road and works at The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy & Clinical Practice, learned how to keep her eye on what’s really important about the holidays the hard way.

“There is nothing like breaking your wrist four days before Christmas to help strip things down,” she says. On December 21st of last year, Dawn slipped on some ice and broke her wrist. She had been on her way to a party and was all dolled-up. Always the intrepid optimist, she posted a photo of herself from the ER and labeled it “ER Best Dressed Award.” Despite the bandages and IV sticking out of her arm, she looked great. Still, it was terrible timing. “I remember sobbing on the way back from the ER, realizing that I hadn’t wrapped ANY presents, made any of our favorite foods, or done the laundry in the past week. Christmas was ruined.

“Then it slowly dawned on me that all the things that I LOVE about the holiday were still there: the snuggly-ness, all my kids in the house again, the small rituals of love. The kids, three out of four of them well into their twenties, still donned their matching jammies. We still read the letter from Santa and reveled in each others’ company. Christmas is the epitome of coziness for me.”

Jennifer Roby’s approach to the craziness that can overtake the season is a pragmatic one. “I usually keep a pretty detailed list of what I need to get done. (Of course that’s an everyday issue!) I keep my calendar open specifically around the holidays and devote whatever time I can to family. My favorite place to be is at my parents’ house, with my family, just sitting in front of the fire, chatting, laughing and reminiscing.”

Chiara Rothwell-Ferraris and Jane Korey at NHS

Family is the focus of the season for Bill Aldrich too. Bill, who has lived in Norwich his whole life and is surely a fixture in town, says he “does nothing really out of the ordinary” during the holidays. “We just enjoy family, which is close by.” Over the years, Bill’s extended family, some eight or nine generations of it, has been rooted here at least since the early 1800’s.

“The MOST important thing,” Bill explains, “is when the grandchildren all read a page out of the Story of Christmas all the way to the end. They start as soon as they are old enough to sound out the words.”

Growing up with extended family all around town, generations of Aldriches – including Fullingtons, Grays, Wallaces and Wests, Bill and his many cousins and other relatives gathered at his grandparents’ house, known to this day as the Aldrich House at 16 Beaver Meadow Road.

“I guess I’ve learned over the years to go with the flow. In my working days, I worked a few Christmases. Since I’ve retired, my wife and children make it go easily. We all get together here on Christmas Eve and exchange gifts with the grandchildren. We give our kids and spouses a card with the easy-to-give gift: cash. Then they can get what they need. We have a lunch or dinner, according to the time of day, and then we chat while we slide into our usual comfort of enjoying the day. Then on Christmas morning we’ll go to our kids’ homes and watch the grandkids open their gifts. We’ll have lunch at one place or another, and then return home to watch football. Or not!”

Dawn Carey after breaking her wrist in December 2014

Once the kids have grown up and Santa is no longer coming down the chimney, many people find a solution to holiday financial-overextension and exhaustion by shifting the focus from gift-giving to family activities. “We finally did away with gifts and made a game of it,” offers Martha Sass who works at Zuzu’s. Martha’s children are now college-age. “Last year we each spent Christmas morning writing an original poem. The poems went into a jar and we read them aloud at dinner. Everyone had to guess who wrote which poem. It was really fun.”

“We also make up variations to the old Yankee Swap,” she continues. “Last year we did a sort of Yankee Swap/Bingo thing. We had a grab bag of small items, all wrapped-up. Everyone pulled a gift out of the bag. Then we read The Night Before Christmas [a.k.a. Clement Clarke Moore’s poem A Visit from St. Nicholas] aloud. Every time the word ‘the’ was read, you passed the gift in front of you to the person on your right. When the story ended, whichever gift you had in front of you was yours! It was fun.”

Clothespin tree ornaments made at NHS

Any effort made at the holiday season can be appreciated. Eileen McHugh, owner of Zuzu’s, recalls a wayward Christmas gift that managed to hit the mark anyway. “One year my sister, who I think was in high school or college at the time, tried to make a Christmas stocking for our mother. She embroidered her name on it and everything. But she didn’t finish it in time. My mother still uses that half-made stocking, every year.”

Creating something helps bring color and joy to the holidays. For several years running, the Norwich Historical Society held a yearly ornament decorating party for all comers, young or old. Free and open to anyone, the event featured tables spread with all the materials needed for creating something sparkly. Cookies and beverages were provided. Strangers (with or without crafting experience) gathered to chat over glitter and glue, and find the Zen of working with their hands to create something beautiful. People who hadn’t known each other before had a chance to chat without feeling self-conscious or forced, using ornament-making as a good excuse just to play.

Devotees of the 1990’s TV show Seinfeld will remember Frank Costanza (Jerry’s pal George’s contrarian dad, played by Jerry Stiller) explaining his own, made-up holiday called “Festivus.” Created in real life in the 1960’s by the father of one of the show’s writers in response to family holiday tension, “Festivus” found its way into a script and made its way into popular culture as an alternative to the commercialism of Christmas and the relentless pressure to be inclusive. In the 166th Seinfeld episode called “The Strike,” Festivus is celebrated by the fictional Costanza family “anytime from December to May.” It includes such annual rituals as “The Airing of Grievances” and “Feats of Strength.” Instead of a Christmas tree, the Costanzas erect a naked aluminum pole. Frank Costanza’s fervor for Festivus with its motto “Festivus for the rest of us!” is well worth watching online and remains a gentle reminder not to get too crazy.

Kate Emlen and her “3 quirky brothers” circa early 1960s

“The warmth of friends and family fills me with the joy of Christmas,” Dawn Carey concludes. “It burbles up when I revisit small touchstones of connectedness. I still bawl my eyes out at the Norwich Pageant and while watching How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Every. Single. Time.”

Looking Ahead Through the Rear View Mirror

Marcos Stafne, hands-on Executive Director of the Montshire Museum

Grandchildren were my original passports to Norwich’s Montshire Museum of Science. Starting as toddlers with Andy’s Place, the Bubbles exhibit, Science Park, and then a few summers in the Museum’s outstanding camp program, all three of these kids not only had a great time but also developed a sense of curiosity and engagement with science that continues today. In fact for my granddaughter, Eliza, now 15, the Montshire was, without a doubt, an inspiration in her choice to enroll in a residential semester program in Freeport, Maine, where a primary goal is to support and enhance the education of young women in the sciences.

Naturally, my grandchildren’s love of the Montshire ignited mine, and I became active as a volunteer on the Montshire Fund Committee and in various educational pursuits over the years. These connections have led to what I now see as my “grown-up,” ongoing engagement with this wonderful educational, scientific, and outside-the-box-fun resource, right here in town.

I was delighted to have the opportunity one afternoon this past fall to sit down with the Montshire’s new Executive Director, Marcos Stafne, who began work here in April. I wanted to know more about what he believed that he brought to his new job, what stood out about the Museum for him in his early months here, and what his thinking is as he contemplates his role in leading an institution turning 40 on January 10, 2016.

Marcos Stafne’s life history and job experience are very clearly museum based. He grew up in Orlando, Florida, where he spent a lot of kid time as a visitor to the Orlando Science Center and where he worked during college, as a program presenter as well as an actor performing shows about science, both of which, he says, “provided me with a great background for understanding the different ways that one can communicate science. I enjoy taking difficult concepts and making them accessible to folks at various levels.”  Marcos brings expertise from his work at the Orlando Science Center, the New York Hall of Science, the Rubin Museum of Art, and most recently, the Brooklyn Children’s Museum.

How did he get to Vermont?  By car, he states, driving up for the first time from New York during a snowstorm!  Encouraged by various colleagues to put his hat in the ring for the Montshire job when David Goudy’s retirement was imminent, Marcos arrived for an initial interview at the peak of last year’s intense winter. “When I drove toward the Museum from Hanover,”  Marcos says, “I was awestruck by its majestic position along the frozen Connecticut River. The building isn’t ostentatious, but the aesthetics project it as a place of importance,” an observation that Marcos elaborated on as our conversation continued:

“When I entered the building for the first time, I noticed how engaged all the visitors were. The exhibits allow you to bring your imagination to the table. In essence, a visitor plus the exhibit equals the experience. The Museum needs people to activate it; that each visitor experiences the joy of engagement rings true to my own personal connection with science.”

As the new Executive Director, Marcos Stafne succeeds David Goudy, who held the job for 34 years. I was interested in how Marcos contextualizes for himself the connection between the past and the future, in thinking about his role here:  “There’s a reason, according to folk wisdom, that cars have windshields that are bigger than their rear view mirrors.” Going on to explain, Marcos affirms that the Museum was “built on a strong foundation, and my role is to take advantage of what is already working incredibly well, sharpen our focus, and keep the Museum relevant to the community.” Glancing backwards to identify strengths and depths that are synonymous with our identity, he suggests, we use that retrospective view to help sort through the choices ahead and make rock solid decisions.

David Goudy had “real vision,” Marcos commented. With dedicated and highly competent staff members and volunteers, he led the Museum to develop the hands-on opportunities that characterize visitors’ experiences here. He forged strong connections with local institutions like Dartmouth and with more distant pinnacles of the scientific world such as the Association of Science and Technology Centers, the National Institutes of Science, and the Noyce Foundation, whose aim it is to help develop leaders in the areas of math and science. Under David Goudy’s guidance the Museum also established multiple programs designed to deliver good science education to local school children and professional development opportunities to teachers.

Director of Education Greg DeFrancis created the School Partnership Initiative, further strengthening the Museum’s dedication to meaningful science education. Since its inception, the Museum has welcomed thousands of school children annually, through carefully planned school programs orchestrated by its highly skilled educators.

But that’s not all. It was under David Goudy’s leadership that the Museum expanded its footprint; built walking trails; began programming for adults; created the outdoor Science Park, recently renamed in his honor; and dedicated the Hughes Pavilion.

That’s a lot to work with, and Marcos looks forward to a future that will include expanding ties with Dartmouth and the community, exploring opportunities to utilize the Museum’s 110-acre campus, and increasing the educational programming. He also sees additional priorities on the horizon. Already, under the leadership of Jennifer Rickards, Director of Development and Visitor Services, the Montshire offers a “Warm Welcome” program, which provides greater access to the Museum for economically disadvantaged children and families.

Emphasizing a broad sense of inclusiveness will be a definite intention as the Museum looks ahead. “My short term focus has been to get to know the Montshire; listen to what folks have to say about the Upper Valley, Vermont, New Hampshire, New England; and interpret people’s perceptions to ensure that the Montshire is meeting the community’s needs,” says Marcos. On his list of possibilities down the road, he names improving access and opportunities for those with special needs, diversifying adult programming, providing connections for senior citizens, and exploring engaging programs for teens that can strengthen their ties to science in a supportive environment. Marcos envisions a museum that is both a community hub as well as an exciting destination for visitors from far and wide. Expanding partnerships and collaborations is on his radar as an essential pursuit in the years ahead. Community engagement in all aspects of science will be crucial.

As the Montshire Museum of Science celebrates its 40th anniversary, the leadership plans a year full of superb exhibitions, programs, and events beginning January 10 with a community Open House. The thematic mantra will be to cultivate the Joy of Science.

Human Plus: Real Lives + Real Engineering (January 30 – May 8, 2016) is a 2000 square foot interactive exhibit that offers visitors a chance to explore and create a range of low-tech and high-tech tools that extend human abilities.

Prototype Showcase: Making Music: The Science and Art of Instrument Design (May 16 – June 6, 2016) will allow visitors to share their input as the Montshire creates a new exhibition focused on the art and design of musical instruments.

The Tinkering Loft (June 25 – August 28, 2016) will be the Museum’s marquee exhibition for summer 2016. Based on the Montshire’s work piloting activities in the Tinkering Lab over the past 18 months, The Tinkering Loft will provide an extended environment to engage all visitors in tinkering, designing, and building.

And dinosaurs will be back next fall when the Montshire hosts Dinosaur Revolution. (September 24, 2016–January 1, 2016)

Please join me in wishing Norwich’s Montshire Museum of Science a very happy birthday, and also in welcoming Marcos Stafne as the new Executive Director of this

very impressive institution. As the Museum builds on its past and looks toward its future, may the goal of experiencing the joy of science lead to an even more vibrant and inspirational 40 years ahead, on all fronts!