The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

In the Know

Creating Winter Warmth

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Last winter was one of the coldest and snowiest on record. It was also the winter that I was on an endless pursuit for a warm winter coat as I was house training a new puppy and seemed to be outdoors for an ungodly amount of time. As I am of short stature and particularly picky about my sartorial choices, I finally found my coat at the end of the season and instead looked for other ways to warm my heart and soul during that relentless winter.

As I look out my window while writing this column, snow has blanketed my backyard and beautiful icicles are forming on my pine trees. It is the first snowfall of the season and my kids couldn’t be happier. Me? Not so much…I have to wrap up this edition and was hoping to finalize it instead of having a dreaded snow day.

But as I’m leafing through the pages herein, I come across Dan Levitz’s beautiful essay on how winters actually help with community and family bonding. And I wholeheartedly agree. With an unanticipated early dismissal yesterday, my neighbor on the cul-de-sac invites my kids and I over for a playdate. The kids get busy to work on crafts and us moms get busy imbibing a nice glass of wine while the snow picks up. That morning while I was on my “bread and milk” run before the snowy Armageddon hit us, I asked her if she needed any groceries too. If there’s anything I learned after living here for seven years is that we have to help each other out if we are going to survive the long winter.

And help we do…just perusing through Facebook last night there were several messages about the MetroNorth schedules and which roads/highways to avoid (practically all!). After spending admittedly too much time on social media, I put my iPhone down and curled up with a good book. As a source said in Anna Young’s article about local book clubs– “There’s nothing like having a cup of tea with your book with the fireplace going. It’s perfect.” I couldn’t agree more. It’s the best antidote to a cold winter night.

Wishing you a holiday season filled with warmth,

Gratitude for Our Homes

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Tell me if this sounds familiar. You take a fun-filled vacation and it’s filled with great memories, exotic locales, scrumptious food and maybe even some quality beach time. But the second you walk in through the front door to your home, you are thankful to be surrounded by your belongings and happy to actually whip up a home-cooked meal. Maybe your house is a bit disheveled, maybe the bedding isn’t 3,000 thread count like the luxury hotel’s that you stayed at but it’s home and that in itself feels great.

I was reminded how thankful I am for my home this summer when I drove my kids back from sleep-away camp. As soon as our car passed the Chappaqua exit on the Saw Mill, my two older children started crying. Once I stopped by the traffic light on Quaker Rd, I paused and asked, “Why are you crying?” They replied in unison, “We are happy to be home.”

Nothing quite evokes gratitude for our homes like the upcoming holiday season. Thanksgiving is a time that I am especially grateful to be in my warm home surrounded with loved ones. If you are looking for a little inspiration for your holiday table, check out our Thanksgiving tablescapes articles for tips from local residents. After you’ve gorged yourself on the requisite turkey or tofurkey, sign up for one of the Turkey Trots mentioned in these pages.

For those of us with pets, I now feel like my home is empty whenever my beloved dog Arlo is at grooming or boarding. I’ve grown accustomed to him keeping me company while I type on my laptop (just as Ronni Diamondstein’s essay on Maggie Mae can attest to) and couldn’t imagine life without him even though his sock eating habit is thoroughly annoying. I’m embarrassed to say we’ve come close to losing him a few times and recently just installed a fence to keep him safer. If you are looking for ways to help curb pet loss, read Anna Young’s article on the subject.

As we head into holiday season madness, be sure to take a gratitude moment to stop and appreciate all that we have to be grateful for in our homes and New Castle.

Wishing you warmest holiday wishes,

Five Minutes with Beloved Local Bear Mr. Scrabbles

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By Stacey Pfeffer

With the start of school tomorrow, maybe there is a heightened level of stress in your house like mine. So Inside Chappaqua sat down with Mr. Scrabbles for an exclusive interview and some much needed distraction. Read on to see what this fascinating creature has to say about New Castle living.

  1. Inside Chappaqua (IC): Facebook is full of posts of photos with you and several residents. Everyone has photos with you. In fact Inside Chappaqua’s publisher Grace Bennett posted a picture with you and said that you are in a relationship after being ‘outed’ on Facebook’s Chappaqua Moms by a roving paparazzo. We’ve also spotted you with Rob Greenstein and Bill Clinton. How are you finding time to get to all these photo shoots?

    Photo By Peter Chatzky  See more of this paparazzo’s work on the public Mr. Scrabbles page on Facebook. 

Mr. Scrabbles (MS): First of all I want to say what a warm and welcoming town Chappaqua is. But unfortunately that is fake news! I may have a doppelganger somewhere in town but that is not me. I much prefer candid shots.

  1. IC: You seem to love hanging out by Hardscrabble Lake. What’s the appeal?

MS: Well the properties are big, so I have plenty of room to roam. Plus there is lake in the name and we’ve had quite a heat wave lately so I love any place where I can take a dip and cool off.

  1. IC: Why Chappaqua when there are so many other towns to go to?

MS: The natural beauty of this town is what really attracted me. There are great parks, yummy food options plus I’m looking for a little peace and quiet. The past few weeks in August the town has been really sleepy with everyone away on the Cape or the Jersey shore so all that’s left is my diehard paparazzi crew. My social media likes have been blowing up!

  1. IC: What’s the yummiest thing you’ve had since migrating here?

MS: Well let’s be honest. I follow a Paleo diet so the nuts and seeds on the bird feeders are delectable. Much better than anything I’ve had in Harrison. Plus many people have left out some delicious BBQ from Le Jardin du Roi – the smoked brisket is my personal favorite. Please don’t throw out any kale or spa tuna leftovers – I’m a bear folks and need some meat on my bones for the upcoming brutal winter.

  1. IC: We hear you have a Facebook fan page. How do you get all those miles in and still find time to update your page?

MS: It’s not easy trying to balance everything. After taking a mindfulness workshop with Chappaqua resident Jodi Baretz by Hidden Hollow Lake, I got much better at multi-tasking with purpose. I would like to work on my Facebook page more at the Chappaqua Library. I hear it is very peaceful there and a real community treasure but for some reason they won’t give me a library card. 

  1. IC: What’s your next step?

MS:  Photo-bombing Bill and Rob was grand, but I really want to get into a picture with Bill and Hillary Clinton. Do you know where I can find them? I don’t like to go to downtown where I hear they frequent the shops so am hoping to take a photo with them in a more natural setting. Perhaps Whippoorwill Park. She hikes there, right?

  1. IC: We hear you were recently spotted close to Roaring Brook Elementary School right before the new school year. Why?

MS: I hear that the Chappaqua Central School District is the crown jewel of the Westchester public school system so I decided to check it out myself. Plus they have a new principal starting, Doreen O’Leary. I had hoped to meet her but I am a bear non grata on school property so I’m meandering elsewhere. To follow my journey, check out #WhereIsMrScrabbles on Facebook created by my publicist, Peter James, the manager of Chappaqua Paint and Hardware.

Stacey Pfeffer is the editor of Inside Chappaqua and Inside Armonk Magazines.

Editor’s Note: Although this article was in jest, we recommend all readers take caution with Mr. Scrabbles and read the handy guide “Reducing Human-Bear Conflicts” by the Department of Environmental Conservation at dec.ny.gov.

 

Easy Street

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When my colleague, Grace Bennett, the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of this magazine, mentioned that this issue’s theme is “Happy Days and Back to School”, I let out a groan. I’m sorry but “back to school” and “happy” don’t really go together like peanut butter and jelly, at least in my house. You see this past summer was the most relaxing one I’ve had in a good decade.

With my older two in sleepaway camp and my youngest in full day at her summer camp, I was living on “easy street” as I like to say. Less laundry, dishwashing, chauffeuring and cooking left me with a whole lot of time for summer fun. I made it a point to do something for myself everyday that made me happy – whether meeting a friend for lunch, catching an indie film at Jacob Burns or running with my dog. And I did just that. I felt fulfilled.

Turns out that I wasn’t the only one that had a fulfilling summer. Read through these pages to see a whole slew of Chappaqua residents doing exciting things this summer that are not only fulfilling but also altruistic. Our cover story celebrates a 50-year program, the Chappaqua Summer Scholarship Program, where teens from underperforming high schools in the Bronx are invited to live with local host families in July as they participate in an academic enrichment program. The teens and the host families had a blast. Greeley grad James Rosenberg took a cross-country bike trip to raise money for the women of Kore, Ethiopia and local couple The Roses travelled to McAllen, Texas to help migrant families.

If you are looking for fulfilling opportunities in town this fall, be sure to mark your calendar for Community Day on September 15. There are many non-profits here that are in need of volunteers. Community Day is a great way to get introduced to all of them.

As much as I’ve enjoyed my summer, it is not all doom and gloom when fall arrives. I’m happy to have my whole family back and I’m excited (and sad!) for my youngest to start kindergarten and my oldest to start middle school. I’m not quite sure how that happened so fast but maybe it’s because time flies when you are having fun. Here’s to a fun and fulfilling fall for all!

Enjoy,

Dads, Grads & the Arts

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As I write this column, it is pouring outside and the temperature is hovering at 60 degrees. It’s hard to believe that in ten days Memorial Day weekend will be here and the unofficial start of summer. As anyone in this part of Northern Westchester can attest, it has been a long, hard winter. And that’s why we wanted to celebrate summer (and dads and grads!) with our June issue.

We are fortunate enough to live in an area that is chock full of fun and culture during the summer. Fancy hearing the latest indie bands? Grab a spot at the Pleasantville Music Festival. Is chamber music more your thing? Head on over to nearby picturesque Caramoor. Want to see young thespians sing their hearts out? Take the kids and go see Annie at the Armonk Library.

For me, a backyard BBQ truly epitomizes summer and the best of living in the suburbs. Come Memorial Day weekend, I’m itching to get the grill going and I’ll be sure to visit many of the local farmers markets to pick up a few things–corn waiting to be slathered with butter, fresh fruit pies bursting with flavor and seafood that I’ll cook on my cedar plank. There’s a bounty of options for farmers market fans in our towns and nearby and I love taking the family there on a Saturday morning–our dog included! Not only do they offer an opportunity to connect with local farmers and purveyors but also provide a great way to socialize with your neighbors.

Speaking of neighbors, we wanted to highlight two dads in our community: John Berman, CNN anchorman of “New Day” and an Armonk resident who is always seeking the truth in his role as a journalist, and Ben Lieberman, a distracted driving awareness advocate who was recently honored with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Lifesavers Award for Public Service and a Chappaqua dad. They both give back to their communities in numerous ways and serve as role models. Happy Father’s Day to John, Ben and all the dads out there who give 110% of themselves everyday.

We also wanted to wish a congratulations to all the recent or soon-to-be grads out there. So whatever you are celebrating this month–dads, grads or the start of summer, here’s to enjoying every minute of it with your loved ones. Happy summer and see you in September.

Enjoy,