Tag: Community Family

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Florida’s two-day lobster season starts July 29

After nearly a four-month closure, local divers are eagerly anticipating Florida’s annual lobster mini season on July 29-30.

The two-day sport season, which is the
last consecutive Wednesday and Thursday
in July, is the first opportunity for recreational divers to catch lobsters since the regular season closed on April 1.

Being able to once again gather the main ingredients of a delicious seafood dinner is a big deal, but the mini season is extra special for two additional reasons.

With both the recreational and commercial seasons having been closed for so long, lobsters are generally more abundant during the mini season. They’re also typically less wary than when divers are poking and prodding them with snares, tickle sticks, and nets every day.

Another reason to love mini season in Broward and Palm Beach counties: The daily bag limit is 12 lobsters, or bugs, per person, which is double the regular season limit. (The mini season limit in the Florida Keys and Biscayne National Park is six bugs per person per day. Visit myfwc.com/fishing/ saltwater/recreational/lobster.)

Preparing for the mini season is essential, so now is the time to make sure you and your dive gear are in good condition. Especially if you’re one of those divers who only dives during the mini season.

Divers should bring their equipment to a dive shop to have everything checked out. That includes regulators and BCs (buoyancy compensators), which should be serviced annually. Hoses should be inspected for cracks and tears that could cause leaks.

Even the straps on fins and masks should be examined. It’s always distressing for a diver to get in the water during mini season and have a broken fin or mask strap end the dive before the first bug is bagged. So it’s also a good idea to carry spare straps in your dive gear bag.

Some equipment failures can be deadly, such as a BC that won’t inflate, which could send a diver plummeting to the bottom and not allow the diver to get back to the water’s surface. Likewise, a leaky air hose could cut short a diver’s bottom time or lead to panic, and worse, when the diver realizes he or she is out of air.

The earlier you get to a dive shop this month, the better. Some stores have cutoff dates to service equipment. Those divers who wait until the last minute to bring in their gear, even if just to fill their air tanks, will likely have to sit out the mini season and wait until the regular lobster season opens on Aug. 6 to hunt for lobsters.

Another way to make sure you and your gear are ready for the mini season, especially if you haven’t been in the water in a while, is
to go diving. That way you can re-acquaint yourself with your equipment and proper dive procedures. If any gear issues arise, you can get them addressed.

Diving before the mini season is also a good way to locate lobsters, which hide in coral reefs and rockpiles and under ledges. Jim “Chiefy” Mathie of Deerfield Beach, who has been spearfishing on a regular basis since the lobster season closed, said he and his dive buddies have seen plenty of lobsters, which should make for a successful mini season.

Things can always change based on weather and water conditions, sometimes for the better.

“I remember one year, we went to one of our regular spots the Monday before mini season and if we counted 12 lobsters, that was a lot,” Mathie said. “Come Wednesday morning, it was loaded. We got our seven-man limit of 84.”

A retired Deerfield Beach fire chief, Mathie is the author of “Catching the BUG: The Comprehensive Guide to Catching the Spiny Lobster,” which covers everything from finding to cooking lobsters. The softcover book is available for $24.95 at local dive shops and at chiefy.net and online retailers.

One of Mathie’s tips in the book is to send two divers down to check out a potential lobster hotspot. If the spot is loaded with bugs, the diver towing the dive flag will yank on the line attached to the flag so the divers still in the boat know that there are plenty of lobsters for them.

Another good lobster-hunting tip: If you’re not seeing bugs, but you see lionfish, take a closer look. Lionfish often hang out around lobsters, which might not be readily apparent if they’re hiding deep in a hole in a reef.

In addition to diving before the mini season arrives, those who are new to diving might want to book a mini season trip with an experienced dive operator. Those trips tend to fill up early, so the sooner you call, the better your chances of reserving a spot on a charter dive boat.

By Steve Waters

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Message from Parkland Mayor : Christine Hunschofsky – July 2020

At the time of this writing, Broward County just allowed summer camps and sports activities to take place. Graduation parades and virtual ceremonies were taking place and most families were adjusting their summer

plans. The City has been working to adopt the Broward County orders safely, while also preparing for the summer budget season.

This month, the City Commission will meet on July 8 at 6pm for
a workshop and at 7pm for a meeting. At our meeting we will be voting on a millage (tax) rate that will appear on the TRIM (Truth In Millage Notices) that are sent to every homeowner in August. This millage rate is only a placeholder, but when the Commission votes on the final millage rate at the two budget hearings in September, we cannot vote for a millage rate higher than the one we approve in July. At the July commission meeting, our city manager will
give the Commission her proposed budget. During July, August, and September, the proposed budget is available online to the public. Additionally, there is a link online to ask questions about the budget, and city staff are available to answer any questions any resident has on the budget. The Commission reviews the budget in July and has workshops on the budget in August and September. The final votes on the millage rate and the budget take place during two meetings in September. To view the current proposed budget (which will be available online after July 8, 2020) and previous budgets, please visit cityofparkland.org/budget.

The only ad valorem part of your tax bill that the Parkland City Commission votes on is the City of Parkland millage rate. Your tax bill is made up of many other governmental entities, not just the City of Parkland ad valorem. By making a quick online search at the Broward County Property Appraiser’s website at bcpa.net you can find your property and then click on the “Click here to display your tax bill” link at the top. This will take you to your property’s tax history and give you the ability to review the full details of your tax bill. In 2019, the ad valorem charges on your tax bill included (percentages are rounded to the nearest .01%):

Broward County (29.89%), Broward Schools (37.26%), South Florida Water Management (1.4%), North Broward Hospital District (5.44%), Children’s Services Council (2.57%), City of Parkland (23.30%) and Fl. Inland Navigation (.17%).

In addition to the ad valorem charges, you will also find a City of Parkland Fire Assessment Fee, a direct charge from your drainage district and a direct charge from Waste Management. I highly recommend going online, reviewing your 2019 tax bill and then reviewing your proposed 2020 taxes that are in the TRIM notice you should receive by mail in August.

Wishing you and your family a safe and happy July 4th! Enjoy these summer weeks with your family and friends. I hope you will all have time to relax and recharge. As always, feel free to reach out to me at any time at chunschofsky@cityofparkland.org with your questions or comments. I look forward to hearing from you!

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‘Selfies’ without a cell phone at Boca art museum

After hitting pause on their exhibits and programming in mid-March due to COVID-19, the Boca Raton Museum of Art reopened to the public on Jun. 3, offering a newly renovated lobby courtesy of board chair, Jody Harrison Grass, a redesigned Wolgin Education Center and free admission through September.

There is still time to catch a number of their time-run exhibitions, including “Eye to I:  Self Portraits from the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery,” kicking off their national tour. Originally running through Jun. 14, the show has been extended through Sept. 20.

At a time when millions of selfies are posted every day and identity is proving to be more fluid, this exhibition from the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery shines a new light on self-portraiture.

“These artists looked inward in ways we can connect with in our modern time in ways they could not have foreseen,” says Irvin Lippman, executive director of the museum. “They made a lasting mirror effect of themselves, cutting across time and creating a very personal art that engages us – the viewer,” he says. “

The show was organized by the Chief Curator of the National Portrait Gallery at the Smithsonian, Dr. Brandon Brame Fortune and showcases 60 works from the years 1901–2015, in a variety of styles and media ranging from caricatures to photographs, from watercolors to dramatic paintings.

Fortune chose all new works for the national tour, some not part of the original exhibit.

“It was an exercise in balancing works from the 20th century, balancing mediums, looking at representations and including portraits from each decade, across generations and across time, to make sure the show that goes on tour is as strong as the original show,” Fortune said

“Because selfies are so ubiquitous, it seemed like an interesting moment to pause and look at what artists have been doing for years.,” Fortune said. “Their self-expression tells us something about their personal lives and the times in which they created the portrait.”

Self-portraits by prominent figures in the history of portraiture include Robert Arneson, Thomas Hart Benton, Deborah Kass, Elaine de Kooning, Alexander Calder and Jasper Johns, among others.

More recent works include those by artists Ana Mendieta, Chuck Close, Lois Dodd Alison Saar and Cuban-born multi-media artist Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons, whose self-portrait, “When I am not Here, Estoy alla,” (or, When I am not Here, I am There), graces the cover of the exhibit’s catalog.

Standing serenely with her eyes closed, her face covered in white and brown makeup, one arm behind her back and one grasping a Bird of Paradise, Campos-Pons seems to evoke a discussion on the ephemeral nature of shifting identities and self-identity.

Fritz Scholder’s “Self Portrait with Grey Cat,” was the last self-portrait the artist created before he died in 2003, from complications of diabetes.

The dark, moody canvas features the artist boldly facing the viewer as he leans on his cane. His eyes are covered by tinted glasses, and the tubes from his oxygen tank run from his nose across the canvas to the floor, which has been described as a reference to the “shadow of death.”

Also extended through Jan. 3, 2021 and running concurrently with this exhibit is New  York based photographer Phyllis Galembo’s: Maske, a series of large scale photographs documenting African ceremonial masks and costumes and the Museum’s presentation of the “Edward Steichen: In Exaltation of Flowers,” a series of seven large art nouveau panels, inspired in part by Maurice Maeterlinck’s book, The Intelligence of Flowers, and depicts Isadora Duncan, Mercedes de Cordoba, Katharine Rhoades, Marion Beckett and others, along with their floral counterparts.

The seven large art nouveau panels, each ten feet tall, were painted by Steichen from 1911-1914 for the Park Avenue townhouse of Eugene Meyer and his wife, Agnes.

The murals were inspired in part by Maurice Maeterlinck’s book, “he Intelligence of Flowers,” and depict Isadora Duncan, Mercedes de Cordoba, Katharine Rhoades and Marion Beckett, along with their floral counterparts.

For more information, visit:  bocamuseum.org

 

By Jan Engoren

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Fine wine from a total solar eclipse

It took almost one thousand years for the vineyards in Burgundy, France,
to become dedicated to specific varieties, and it was the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay that became the masters of that fiefdom. When winemaking got started in California, the vintners planted anything and everything that they could lay their hands on. Among those early vintners was a faux Hungarian Count, Agoston Haraszthy, who is often credited with bringing to California most of the grape vines that have found a home there.

It has taken our vintners only 150 years and modern science to determine what grows best and where. Once the best locations were determined, American vintners began to make wine. American grapes, however, were not mirror images of their French parents, and winemakers had to discard French winemaking techniques to develop new ways of turning finicky grapes into exceptional wines.

Among the myriad of producers of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines, only a few have mastered those grapes and are producing outstanding wines. I recently had the privilege to sample some wines from one of those latter-day vintners, Gary Farrell. The grapes for all these wines were picked on August 21, 2017, the day of a total solar eclipse.

2017 Olivet Lane Vineyard Russian River Valley Chardonnay ($45).

The wine is outstanding and memorable. If you are seeking a carbon copy of a French Montrachet, you will be disappointed, as this wine is
a true child of California. The aroma of apples, peaches, and pears are intertwined with notes of fragrant summer flowers. I believe that this wine will set the stylistic direction for better Chardonnays for years to come.

2017 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir ($45).

The grapes for this wine were sourced from seven of the top vineyards in the Russian River Valley. The fruit from each vineyard adds its own nuance to the final blend, resulting in a delicately scented and brightly flavored wine. Cherries, both the fruit and the blossoms, dominate the aroma along with vanilla and toasted nuts. This is a wine that should not be taken for granted. It is a grand example of what a fine, well-made California Pinot Noir should be.

2017 Russian River Valley Chardonnay ($35).

This wine was made from the grapes of famous vineyards in the Russian River Valley. The wine displays the aroma of lemon, melon, peach, and pear with hints of green tea, jasmine and two of my personal favorites, arugula and wasabi. These flavors continue on to the finish where they mingle with tropical fruit and apple. This wine has an incomparable and unforgettable silky finish with hints of flavors that I have never before experienced in a Chardonnay.

It is customary to serve white wines slightly chilled. Unfortunately, all too often, the wines are served too cold so their characteristics become muted. If the wine fogs the glass, it is too cold. Twenty minutes in the refrigerator should be more than enough.

 

By Bennet Bodenstein 

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House of Hope receives $30,000 grant

Fort Lauderdale’s House of Hope has been awarded a $30,000 grant from the Jim Moran Foundation, which strives to improve the quality of life for the youth and families of Florida through the support of innovative programs and opportunities that meet the ever-changing needs of the community.

This grant supports House of Hope’s mission of providing hope and healing for those with substance abuse and mental illness. Like most non-profit organizations, House of Hope has had to modify daily operations due to COVID-19 and will use the funds to provide for the needs and adjustments brought on by the pandemic including purchasing additional PPE and cleaning supplies, updating the facility for telehealth visits, and preparing rooms for safely admitting clients.

“We are so thankful for the generosity of the Jim Moran Foundation during this challenging time,” said Sue Glasscock, House of Hope CEO. “As we all adjust to the new normal, our goal is to continue providing our clients with the resources they need to stay on track with their recovery journey and this grant will help us accomplish that. The grant acknowledges the positive impact House of Hope has by rebuilding lives, reuniting families, and building stronger communities.”

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SoFlo BUZZ: Coral Springs-Parkland Fire Department recognized again

The Coral Springs-Parkland Fire Department is among 348 departments nationwide rated Public Protection Classification (PPC) ISO Class 1.

The PPC program is known to help communities prepare to fight fires effectively through the community’s investment in fire mitigation.

The ISO expert staff analyzes the data collected regarding municipal fire protection efforts in communities and assigns a Public Protection Classification on a scale of 1-10. Superior property fire protection
is classified as Class 1. The classification generally determines the price of fire insurance in a community – the better the rating the lower the price, assuming all other factors are equal.

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SoFlo BUZZ: Area seventh-grader wins second place in state essay contest

Isabella Renert, a seventh-grade student at Coral Springs Middle School, has won second place in the Florida League of Cities “If I Were Mayor” essay contest.

Her essay was among 291 submitted state wide. The first place winner was Rithika Shankar from River City Science Academy Mandarin in Jacksonville.

“I am extremely proud of Isabella,” said Bettania Opthof, Isabella’s 7th Grade Teacher. “This young lady is every teacher’s dream student.

“To say that she is highly gifted is undeniable, but what makes her truly special is her kind heart and love of family, friends, and community. With future leaders like Isabella, I feel confident that our great country will be in good hands.”

Isabella’s essay began, “If I were mayor for a day, I would help the homeless, make sure the city is clean, and make sure the schools are safe.”

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Pet Talk: Socially distanced, we told stories on my driveway

One night my wife and I were socially distancing with neighbors on my driveway. People that I have never met, neighbors that have been living on the street for years were coming out of their home quarantines and bringing chairs and coolers to my driveway. The six chairs grew to 20 and we all stayed six feet apart. I learned that more than half of us were in the healthcare profession. The other interesting thing I learned was that everyone owned a dog and most of us recognized each other by their dogs. I went from the golden retriever guy to the veterinarian who lives in the two-story house on the corner. That was fun.

As the evening went on it was like a classic joke: A veterinarian, a physician and a dentist walk into a room. Literally, a dentist and a physician and I spent more than an hour trying to outdo each other with the crazy things we have seen, removed or took off a patient. At least my patients have an excuse why they do some weird stuff but what the physicians or dentist had to do for their patients was mind- blowing.

Then the conversation went to clients and patients that
did not follow the golden rules. The physician was a dermatologist and discussed skin cancer from not using suntan lotion. The dentist talked about severe dental disease from not brushing and flossing and I talked about the emergencies that I saw from not spaying and neutering.

I met a guy years ago who wanted to adopt a dalmatian. At that time, I was the veterinarian in charge of the Dalmatian Rescue League of South Florida. The only requirement to adopt was a home inspection and review of their current pet’s health care. The potential adopter owned two Pekinese dogs, and neither were spayed.

The owner did not have an issue that the female dalmatian that he wanted to adopt was spayed but had no intentions
of spaying his Pekinese. He wasn’t going to breed them but has never spayed or neutered a pet before and didn’t believe in it. I was a younger veterinarian and respected the owner’s opinion but was steadfast that he was not going to adopt this dalmatian. It caused a big problem for the rescue group and

for me. What I didn’t know was that he was a politician. He wasn’t used to not getting his way.

About a week after I told the owner and his kids that they were not going to adopt one of the dalmatians I got a call
on my after hours emergency line. It was from the politician. He was at an emergency hospital in Fort Lauderdale and his dog was being prepped for emergency pyometra surgery. Pyometra is when the uterus fills like a balloon with pus. It is the nightmare scenario that can happen when you don’t spay your female dogs.

He wanted to know if I could do the surgery, not because of my reputation, or that he respected me professionally, but he wanted to know if I could do it cheaper than the estimate he received at the emergency center. I hung up.

Back to quarantine. At the end of the night a female neighbor approached me. She told me my story gave her the courage finally to spay her Labrador. Her last dog died due to sepsis from a ruptured pyometra.

By Dr. Glenn Kalick

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Pandemic Parenting – Making it up as we go along

Think back to the beginning of the year. No one would have predicted that our children would be graduating in our living rooms; that summer camp, family get-togethers and beach days would be so oddly different.

For many, this change to a virtual existence has been difficult. Children thrive from social engagements, which makes this a time of great struggle and stress. Children’s brains develop through play and learning social skills. They learn boundaries and empathy through playing side by side with others, a scenario impossible to re-create through a video chat! So how do we fill the void for our children while maintaining social distancing?

Growing up, I had our summer ritual down pat. Days spent with family and friends, summer camp, vacation on Sanibel, school clothes shopping. It had a rhythm and regularity. This is the time to revisit your summer rituals and revamp them for COVID-19. Rituals are important for family cohesion. Resurrecting a custom from your childhood might be the answer. Unearth photo albums from your childhood and your children’s. Share stories and bring the past alive. Create a new rhythm for summer with family dinners, game time, and movie nights to help children connect with the family.

When we ask children to make a choice, they feel more empowered and in control. That’s a good thing. If we give kids choices, they have a set list of options to choose from. What they don’t have is an endless list of options you don’t want them choosing. “Are we going to the beach at 9 a.m. to beat the crowds, or are we playing in the sprinklers today?” Did you notice two choices with limits? If your child counter offers with a Disney trip, ice cream for breakfast or some other extravagance, it’s fine to pass. Just because your child wants something, it’s OK not to give it to them. Even when life is weird or stressful!

Just remember – you’re a great parent doing the best you can during a difficult time. You got this!

 

By Maria Berger

Maria Berger is a licensed mental health counselor and a registered art and play therapist. Her practice, Berger Counseling Services, is located in Parkland. Maria has been serving children, teens and families for over twenty years.

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A family affair

 

Continuing our profiles of folks connected to the Parklander during the past 30 years, we talked to Bobbi Mechler, from the Mechler Group.  

 

Thirty years ago, when the Parklander published its first issue, the city was already known as a place where young families raised their children in a park-like environment.  That’s one of the reasons that attracted Bobbi and her husband to the area after relocating from Long Island.

Parkland was an idea.  Surprisingly though, Parkland at the time, had no public parks.  The first park in Parkland, Quigley Park, was dedicated in 1989.  Over the years, as the city grew, more and more parks were added. Now it is hard to imagine Parkland without all of its playgrounds, sports facilities, and trails.

Bobbi, working in the real estate industry, has always enjoyed meeting the residents and potential new residents moving to the area.  She shared some of her interesting experiences in the Parklander™ magazine back in 1991.  One story about the perfect seller, a homeowner baking cookies for potential buyers, is still good advice today.

Her love for her work had a strong impact on two of her children.  Her son, Brent, and daughter, Courtney, joined their mom soon after college.  They have been working together for 21 years.

Even though real estate can be a very competitive industry, Mechler’s family enjoyed working together, and there was much laughter. Brent and Courtney were quick studies, and inherited the same charm from their mom.  Soon, clients were feeding back how much they loved working with them.

Having her kids working with her was a boon for Bobbi.  She was able to give them hands on training and advice from her years in the business.  Courtney, who always wanted to work with her mom, helped the team adopt new technology, and market effectively over the years.

These days, real estate marketing is recovering in the “new normal”.  After a period of time with no face to face meetings, recently rules with masks have been adopted.  Property owners can now set the rules for buyers.  Some advice from Bobbi, if you are showing your house, is to keep your lights on, so it minimizes potential buyers from touching the switches.

Looking forward, Bobbi would like to see the area continue to retain the park-like atmosphere, so she can continue to enjoy her tennis, bike rides and walks.  Considering how Parkland went from no parks in the 80s, to now, with the right planning, we can continue to improve our neighborhood.  Someday, perhaps, one of her grandchildren will be helping new residents finding their home in Parkland.

 

by Li Pan

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Broward County Library wins top state award

The Broward County Library has been named 2020 Library of the Year by the Florida Library Association.

“Broward County Library is dedicated to providing  our customers with the very best library services and resources available,” says Broward County Library Director Kelvin Watson. “We’re honored that our efforts and initiatives have been recognized by our peers and we’ll continue striving to reach and engage our community in innovative and meaningful ways.”

The association said the award “recognizes a Florida library that has demonstrated outstanding service to its community” by providing creative or innovative programming that can be emulated by other libraries and by expanding library services to the community it serves.

Broward’s “Air, Land and Sea,” campaign increased services to new residents of Broward, explored current social issues and provided our community with free access to current technology including virtual and augmented reality gear, Watson said.

The campaign expanded library service points to unusual and unexpected places in the community, including buses, parks, businesses and the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

Other awards the library received from the association was its “Excellence in Marketing and Public Relations Award” for the branding/public awareness campaign of its airport branch, and the “Library Innovation Award” for “Project Welcome,” an initiative that supports English-language learners and newcomers to Broward County.

Makiba Foster, regional manager of Broward’s African American Research Library and Cultural Center, received the association’s “Outstanding Scholarly Contributions” award for her article “Navigating Library Collections, Black Culture, and Current Events,” published In Library Trends Journal.

Earlier this month, Foster and Watson were selected by Legacy South Florida magazine as among of South Florida’s “50 Most Influential and Powerful Black Professionals of 2020.”

Nationally, Broward County Library Community Engagement Manager Roslyn Dean was named one of  Library Journal’s 2020s “Movers and Shakers” in the digital developers category.

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So much more than a parade

“Listen,” my mother said, “here it comes.” I heard the sound of drums and then horns in the distance, my first glimpse of a marching band. This was my first Fourth of July parade.

That morning was warm and sunny. At home, my mom told my dad to “hurry up,” we had to get there or we wouldn’t be able to see. My dad hoisted me up in his arms and then up over his head so I straddled his shoulders.

Off we went. We didn’t have a car, so it seemed like a long walk before I was on the ground and sitting on the curbstone across from the Everett Mill building in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Before long, a man came by selling balloons. My mom bought me an ice cream bar from a car and a crowd began to gather on the other side of the street ad behind us, three deep. Many of them held small flags.

As a young child, the Fourth of July was just a day for a parade with marching bands, girls twirling sticks, local Boy Scout troops trying to walk in step, policemen marching, some soldiers or sailors, and fire trucks at the end of the parade. There was music and flag waving and cookouts and summer fun.

At some point, however, I began hearing about the Declaration of Independence and that Thomas Jefferson wrote it. School textbooks were of little interest to me; they seemed so dull, even boring. The books had dates and dry facts: John Adams was born on October 30, 1735 and became the second president of the United States in 1797. No history teacher stirred my interest, either.

I was out of high school before I really felt, understood, and appreciated that these men — many who were men of wealth and means — had so much to lose and literally risked hanging as traitors guilty of treason. Still, they boldly and courageously signed their names to the document that accused King George III of multiple offenses and declared their independence.

Who knew what would happen next? A group of colonies had declared war on a powerful nation with a mighty military. The colonies had no army when they took on King George.

In August 1776, British troops, some 34,000 of them, were prepared to invade New York. About a year earlier Patrick Henry told angry colonists meeting at St. John’s Church in Richmond Virginia: “Give me liberty or give me death.” The sentiment grew among the colonists.

The Declaration of Independence was born during the summer of 1776. It did not flow unimpeded from Thomas Jefferson’s pen. He was the original wordsmith, but over 17 days, a committee and representatives at the Continental Congress made more than 80 changes to Jefferson’s draft. They voted for independence on July 2 and released the final signed declaration on July 4.

John Hancock, the first to sign it, stressed the need for unity when he said, “We must hang together,” to which Benjamin Franklin added, “Yes, we must, indeed, all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately.”

They pledged to each other “our fortunes and our sacred honor.”

They knew independence would not come easily. John Adams said “the object is great which we have in view, and we must expect a great expense of blood to obtain it. But we must remember that a free constitution of civil government cannot be purchased at too dear a rate.”

The king called them traitors. They called themselves patriots. The colonists did indeed shed their blood and win their independence, setting the stage for the creation of a unique government that persists today, in spite of social upheaval, unrest and pandemic.

And, on a much smaller scale, they saved me that space on the curb in Lawrence, Massachusetts so many years later, and the right for my mother to say, “Listen, here it comes.”

 

by Bill Johnson

Bill Johnson is a retired news reporter and congressional aide who is now a freelance writer.

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