Where’s Stephen Colbert When We Need Him?

How depressing is this quote from another great NYT article, published Monday, by Charles Duhigg? (Hat tip to Paul, who brought "Millions in US Drink Dirty Water" to my attention.): “The same people who told us to ignore Safe Drinking Water Act violations are still running the divisions,” said one mid-level E.P.A. official. “There’s no accountability, and so nothing’s going to change.”

Last Monday I wrote about Nicholas Kristof’s op-ed in the Sunday Times. Judy’s comments attracted my attention, and I would like to reprint them here, for your consideration: “We have allowed corporations to dictate to us what is safe and what is not safe for human consumption, exactly as Mr. Kristof reports. 

What I don't get - Why do we still trust companies and corporations? Do we really think they care more about the public good than their profits? I think NOT.”

I totally agree. Over the past few months, how often have I thought of Marlo Thomas and Friends’ “Free to Be, You and Me,” and especially Carol Channing, shining her hi-beam on all the happy folks in commercials: “The lady, who smiles as she scours or washes or mops or cleans, is smiling because she’s an actress, and she’s earning mo-ney for learning those speeches …”

The company promoting detergent that contains harsh chemicals or shampoo with parabens, or the industry allowing tin cans to be lined with BPA, is not putting the welfare of consumers first. The motivation of company executives is only the bottom line. Their philosophy? If a product contains chemicals that are bad for the environment or the process of making the product involves toxic chemicals that somehow get into drinking water, so what?

In the case of NStar, the utility company’s executives obviously don’t care. The plan to spray herbicides June 1, 2010 has not been deterred by public outcry on the Outer Cape. Those toxic chemicals will filter through our sandy soil into the sole source aquifer, and be pumped into private wells like the one here at Chez Sven, ending up in water guests at this green bed & breakfast drink. So what if future generations of Cape Cod residents get cancer?

Yes, Judy. Corporations have become too powerful. The EPA intends to evaluate 104 chemical contaminants or groups and 12 microbes, which were never regulated, that is, if chemical industry lobbyists don’t find a way to sidetrack the investigators. Nation, wake up! Where’s Stephen Colbert when we need him?

NStar Creates New Road Under the Power Lines

NStar has once again demonstrated its willingness to act first and think about consequences later. Today I got a call from a desperate neighbor whose land, abutting the power lines, had received a very unexpected visit by a contractor with heavy equipment, hired by NStar. Hurriedly a small group of Wellfleet citizens braved the cold wind to meet at noon with an NStar official named Slade and National Seashore representatives at the intersection with Long Pond Road. Kristen Shantz shook her head as we surveyed the damage already done, which included a 26-foot swath of disturbed land to create a 10 to 12 foot roadbed, and in some places, even wider clearing, shown above. “You turned over our blueberry bushes!” one abutter exclaimed with distress. There had been no warning to abutters or to the National Seashore, no filing with Wellfleet's Conservation Commission. R. Cook, of the Seashore, called the work “overkill.” Lauren McKean, Highlands Center Project Manager, worried about the box turtles, which can no longer cross the three-foot ridge created at either side of the road bed, and stated how problematic it will be trying to keep summer revelers off this new access road into the depths of the National Seashore. All Seashore representatives, along with some irate citizens, emphasized that rain will now flow more directly downhill towards Long Pond, totally undesirable from an environmental point of view. The road will have six to eight inches of gravel. After listening to our complaints, Mr. Slade apologized and agreed to a future meeting to find ways to reduce the damage, but this incident shows NStar’s complete lack of concern for the environment and the people who live near the power lines. The contractor, hired by NStar, came out on a chilly day, when no one was around, and created a road to allow access “to repair electric wires” when NStar and National Seashore workers, not to mention local folks and abutters, have been using the existing sand road for dozens of years without any problem ...

Interview & Wellfleet Blues ...

Today I am being fêted over at A Traveler’s Library, so please go read Vera Marie Badertscher’s interview with me and learn something about my life before innkeeping. Chezsven has acquired so many new readers over the past two years that today I would like to thank everybody for following and do an instant replay of a post that took hours to create March 20, 2006 – which is why I now try to let words suffice, with a photo or two. I called this post Wellfleet Blues and still love the way it looks:

Blue ocean.














Blue sky.

















Blue boat.

















Blue tarp, yellow boat.














One blue canoe.

















True Blue.

















Blossom's blue bottles.













Bluefish?

















Blue litter on Route 6.











(Do we really need our newspapers delivered in plastic bags?)


Beautiful blue door at the former Catholic Church.














Blue welcome sign.

Bits & Pieces

David Teffer at FishTV sent me the 350 video shot in October. See if you can spot me and Sven. I also received the photo below of the “A Walk in the Wood” wreath, the one that got away, created by Paula Erickson. The wreath landed on Janet’s door where it looks awesome. (Janet left a comment a few days ago saying she had attended the Wreath Pageant after reading about it on this blog.)

Since we reach the end of the week tomorrow, remember Yule for Fuel on Saturday night at WHAT and free performances by the Outer Cape Chorale all weekend long. Friday is Green Lights from 5:30 to 6, with Cape Cool, Wellfleet Town Hall lawn (bring your own wind-up flashlight or solar lantern), or, from 4 to 7, taste the wine and ogle the jewelry at Wellfleet Wine Cellar & Spirits, next to Cumberland Farms.

And, good news: Food & Water Watch has succeeded in its campaign to make sure schools can serve organic milk or milk without growth hormones.

How Big is (Too) Big?

There’s a new house rising on a hill, a short walk from Chez Sven through the woods. The lot itself cost over $100,000. I went to check it out yesterday afternoon and decided I would not want to live right above Route 6 myself, but the owners certainly will have an amazing view. How big will this house be? How big is too big? Here’s a question that interests me, one posed by the Wellfleet Community Forum on Monday night. After the Blaschs tore down the boxcar house in the National Seashore and built an enormous structure that caused the town to adopt zoning by-law amendments for the Seashore district, Wellfleet still struggles with issues raised by this experience. Does new construction need to “fit in”? Will trophy houses destroy traditional Cape Cod? What gives a town its character? Does Wellfleet risk the same fate as Nantucket, once a quiet whaling town? Read some of the impassioned views expressed by Wellfleetians at the meeting:

Hugh: A big house “tends to be where you can’t miss it.” The owners install “$7000 bathroom faucets” and “a monitoring system to Los Angeles or New York.” (Hugh seems to have new affluent neighbors and makes it quite clear he does not approve of “what comes with size.”)

Kathleen: “Where’s the economic reality? Nantucket is bust.” She doubts Wellfleet will be faced with another trophy home on the same scale as the Blasch house, very visible from the Herring River dike bridge.

Tom: “People are still building these things. I don’t think they are going to stop.”

Brent: “If the Mayo Beach cottages were (to be) replaced with a trophy home, Wellfleet would be changed forever.”

Ned: “Be careful not to legislate on style.”

Ben, who grew up here, points out that the debate is not new. There are already many different types of houses in town. “We should not exclude people based on their having money.”

John brings up the issue of affordable housing, dear to his heart.

Gooz Draz, one of the Planning Board members present, thanks the speakers and reminds everyone that build-able land in our town is limited: ”Character is not attributable to style …. Wellfleet is highly valued because it’s desirable and will remain so, no matter what size house we agree to.”

Throughout the country, houses have gotten bigger over the past fifty years. They are 50% bigger than in 1970. We will not discuss energy costs for such houses, although appropriate at a time when climate change is being debated in Copenhagen. The question is when is a house out of scale with its surroundings?

Note these goals for Wellfleet, expressed in a 2004 Survey and the 2008 Local Comprehensive Plan: 1.) to maintain the rural character of the community, 2.) to support marine and fishing interests, and 3.) to limit house sizes.

Motivated by the building that is rising beside Edward Hopper’s simple clapboard house, inhabitants of Truro are considering a new zoning bylaw that sets specific limits on the size of new homes, as well as renovations to existing homes. The issue was discussed Monday in the Cape Cod Times. The Kline house will be 8,333 square feet and soon block the view that inspired Hopper when he looked north, across the landscape, from his giant window.

Sven and I opted to renovate our Cape Codder using the same footprint, but not all houses in Wellfleet have charm and deserve preservation. What do you think of the current trend to tear down old cottages and build bigger? Should Wellfleet design a bylaw similar to the one being proposed in Truro? Do you think small towns should legislate size?

Wonderful "Water" Exhibit Opens In Wellfleet

"I came to Cape Cod because of the water. Well .... not exactly. It was the margin between the water and the land that I came for ...." So begins curator Terry Gips' introduction to the catalog of a new exhibit, half at our library, half at the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, until the end of the month. My photo, above, is not a part of "Water." I simply posted the photo because I had thought of submitting last winter when I happened upon an announcement downtown but the deadline had already passed.

"It's a wonderful exhibit, one of the best I've seen," pronounced Jaya Karlson, folding up a yoga mat after a session in the library hearing room, whose walls were adorned with paintings, photos, collages depicting ... water.

I agree. "Kettle Pond Swimmer" by Mark Adams particularly caught my eye.

Get out and see this exhibit! In itself, "Water" is worth a trip to Wellfleet.

Wellfleet's Wreath Pageant: Conclusion

Wellfleet had its first really cold night of the fall, which makes me want to go see the ocean. As long as the wind is not blowing and you bundle up, walking the beach is still an option here. Yesterday, for the Christmas bazaar, despite the wind chill, vendors sold jewelry, cards, sweatshirts, and much more. I paused at Tracy and Swede Plaut’s stand, with their marvelous hand-dipped candles, but I know blog readers are more curious about which wreath I purchased at the Wreath Pageant, described yesterday, so let’s move on, down Main Street. There was a crowd of festive Wellfleetians at 361 Main. Some drank cider, others ate cookies. Some did both. Preservation Hall’s Marla Rice was bouncing around the room like a Christmas elf, who had just been chosen to load Santa’s sleigh. She admitted to having placed bids on half a dozen wreaths. Tracy Harmon Hay’s wreath was up, and her husband Mac stood at the counter, chatting with Mark Gabriele of the Events Committee. No one had bid on "Oysters & Lemons" yet, a tongue-in-cheek wreath that still makes me smile. I checked the bidding sheets and realized I had been outbid. Both my bids no longer took home the wreath of my dreams!

Since I had Sven with me, we toured the rooms again.

Yesterday I had placed a bid on Mark's "Tin Roses", as well as on Paula Erickson’s nature wreath, adorned with found objects from the woods: a tortoise shell, feathers, a bird’s nest. Several future bidders stood contemplating this wreath. They looked as if they really, really wanted to take it home.

Sven and I moved on. My husband stopped in front of a very simple wreath, created by shellfisherwoman Barbara Austin. Barbara had made her wreath entirely from scratch, Mark had told me, as opposed to starting with the ring of fir branches, provided by Preservation Hall. Barbara’s “A little bit of Wellfleet” was similar to "A Walk in the Woods" only without ostentation. There were pine branches and pretty pinecones, but also cedar and fir sprigs, yellow euonymus and red berries. Barbara even used bits of santolina, whose grey foliage reminded me of my own garden. There was no ribbon, no tinsel. Just pure Wellfleet, unadorned, symmetrical, classic and utterly traditional, “the way people must have made wreaths back when our house was built,” according to Sven.

“This will look lovely on your inn,” Bruce Bierhans, of Preservation Hall, said as I handed his wife my check.

I could only agree with him. What do you think?

Nicholas Kristof Writes Op-Ed on Chemicals and Cancer

Sven just called my attention to an op-ed in the Sunday New York Times. What can I say? Like minds think alike? Although I want everyone to read about Wellfleet’s amazing wreath pageant, posted earlier, I must urge you to read Mr. Kristof’s conclusions. Don't get the New York Times? Fortunately, he has a blog where his op-ed also appears. Most people now know better than to microwave plastic, but did you know not to put plastic containers in the dishwasher? Time to return to glass. Please spread the word about this possible link to cancer ....

Building Community, One Wreath at a Time

I rushed from the parking lot in the chilly rain, avoiding raindrops as best I could, to reach the wreath pageant to benefit Wellfleet's Preservation Hall. Yesterday I revealed my plan to buy a wreath decked out with presents in Sweden’s colors. At 361 Main, I threw open the door and stepped into an empty, yet surprisingly cozy, shop whose walls were adorned with 65 plus wreaths. Christmas music was playing in the background as I began my tour of the display. Preservation Hall's Mark Gabriele, above, explained that some items could be bought outright, while others required silent auction bids.

In a second room, I found the wreath with the blue and yellow presents. Oh, rats! Someone got there first. The red dot told me the “Swedish wreath” had already been purchased. But there were many more to admire.

Behind me, Marsha Peaslee was saying, “It’s fun to see how different they are.”

How right that assessment was! Our town’s folk certainly proved imagination is not lacking on Cape Cod. No two wreaths looked alike. Ribbons, ornaments, chili pepper lights, a thong ….

Each wreath had a name. Some taunted, like Sharyn Lindsay’s “Naughty or Nice.” Others were prim and dainty, like Joan Platt’s “Pinecone Pleasure.” “Bluebird” hung from a red organza ribbon and featured – what else?— a bluebird, relatively new to Wellfleet and here, perhaps, due to climate change. One wreath was called “Memories of Grandma’s Kitchen.” Marieke Hall had sprayed pine cones with silver paint and adorned her wreath with dried flowers and red berries, above right. It seemed as enchanted as a fairy tale. Some artists – for indeed, the creators of these wreaths are artists – had used miniature kitchen utensils, oyster shells, or images of the stained glass windows of Preservation Hall as decoration. The wreaths were all exquisite. Hard to know which one to buy.

I paused in front of “Tin Roses,” which turned out to be a Mark Gabriele creation. I asked Mark how he had made the “roses.”

“They’re embossed tin. From the roof of the old Catholic Church. We used some for the birdhouses, and I thought they might be nice on a wreath.“

“What tool did you use?”

“I coiled strips around the clip of a pen,” he said, picking up a ballpoint to demonstrate.

So, I placed a bid. Then, another. It occurred to me I might win two wreaths, but, if I do, that’s okay.

It’s all for a good cause.
Bids will be accepted today, too, but the silent auction ends at 3. If you are in the area, don’t miss the fun activities, which I described in detail in yesterday’s post, and especially the holiday crafts fair from noon to 4, an excellent opportunity to participate in a real community event and support Wellfleet Preservation Hall.

Main Street, Wellfleet: A Whole Lot of Festivity Going On

Here ye, here ye! Come all ye faithful. Gather round Preservation Hall, in downtown Wellfleet, for a weekend of fun. The Pageant of Wreaths preview takes place today, Saturday, from 10 to 2, 361 Main. Sunday, enjoy the outdoor holiday bazaar and craft fair, from noon to 4 pm at 335 Main, behind Preservation Hall. Santa arrives by fire truck at 2 pm. The place? Town Hall. The silent auction and Pageant of Wreaths ends at the same time, 2 pm, 361 Main. For Deck This Hall, head back to 335 Main. Deck This Hall is followed by a sing-a-long procession to 300 Main for the lighting of the town hall Christmas tree. Free hot cider and cookies will be available at the bazaar. And the Lighthouse Restaurant will also offer free holiday goodies, without specification of what they are. You have to go see for yourself. The crafts booths will be more numerous than in 2008, and heated. Seventy-five elves volunteered to make wreaths. There are quite a few gallery-owner elves, and their creations will probably be hanging on one wall together, so don’t miss this extravaganza. Here’s one wreath I should bid on for Sven, all decorated with Sweden's colors, blue and yellow!

Finally, An Article on Plastics!

Above, three objects I happened to touch today. If you start paying attention, you will notice we are surrounded by plastics. Apparently, industry is even adding plastic to diapers. Who knows how this relatively new synthetic material affects our bodies? Plastic may be convenient, but what will its full impact be on health? Blog readers have often heard me lament the presence of plastics in our lives. I found a writer who agrees with me: John Wargo, author of Green Intelligence: Creating Environments That Protect Human Health, available here. Please go read his article in Environment 360.

Guest Blogger Shares Environmental Concerns on Herbicide Spraying

I would like to present guest blogger, Laura Kelley of Littlefield Landscapes, second from the left, whose words were published yesterday in the Provincetown Banner’s Letters to the Editor:

“NStar intends to spray up to six herbicides on Cape Cod, where I have worked as an organic landscaper for 18 years. Federal law requires the utility company to remove brush under the power lines. In the past, NStar kept vegetation below the two-foot limit by mowing. I believe spraying herbicides will pollute groundwater. Governor Patrick’s new green procurement program gives me the hope that NStar executives will change their plans and choose a non-chemical solution, one that protects Cape Cod’s unique environment.

As an organic gardener, I fear the risks posed by herbicidal use have being vastly underestimated. Chemicals do not necessarily remain where they are applied. They will drain into our sole source aquifer. Most Cape Cod residents get drinking water from private wells. We live on a sand bar without enough topsoil to aid in natural filtration. Spraying a dangerous combination of herbicides will harm habitat and insects, destroying natural pollinators, the ones we need in order to support our ecosystem, not to mention the potential harm inflicted on humans!

According to the Massachusetts Water Works Association, scientists are concerned about what ends up in drinking water. They have no means of assessing how chemicals interact, even at low concentrations, and what affect these low doses may have on us. Most testing data so far has been based on the active ingredient in each herbicide. Therefore, it’s impossible to predict the toxic effects or full impact of all six together.

One of the herbicides NStar intends to use is glyphosate, a known carcinogen and endocrine disrupter at low doses. Personally, I would prefer not to have glyphosate in my drinking water.

A scond is Imazapyr, known to remain in soil. It has very high mobility and thus is likely to contaminate surface water, as well as groundwater. The breakdown of Imazapyr can be irritating to eyes, respiratory systems, and skin. I would prefer not to have Imazapyr in the soil I touch every day.

As an organic gardener, I know non-toxic ways to control vegetation exist. Why can’t NStar mow beneath the power lines every five years, as in the past? Mowing may not end sucker growth but how much more sensible than the use of toxic chemicals!

Local landscapers could maintain the rights of way annually to keep vegetation at acceptable levels. I know horticulturists who can identify native ground cover that would help prevent unwanted vegetation. Furthermore, it’s possible to remove their root systems and replace them with low native species. This would be the best solution, mutually satisfying to both Cape residents and NStar executives.

At the request of Selectmen in Eastham, where I live, Wellfleet, Truro and Orleans, NStar agreed this fall to a moratorium that will expire June 1, 2010. Over 2000 concerned citizens have signed petitions to urge NStar to chose a less harmful, non-toxic method of brush removal. I believe the use of herbicides is not a long-term solution or a sustainable way to manage weeds. I worry about my health and my neighbor’s health. There are already high rates of cancer here, and a large elderly population who are particularly vulnerable to toxic exposures. At a time when everyone is “going green,” why does NStar insist on chemicals?”

Wellfleet Shop Open Thursday through Sunday

Weekend visitors will find our new downtown water delivery system has closed certain roads and makes travel bumpy on hastily repaired Main Street. Yesterday, hardly any shops were open. Today, to my amazement, a flurry of OPEN signs had sprung up, displayed on lawns. Some pedestrians, indeed, were out shopping. I thought a quick correction was in order, and so voila, here it is: come shop in Wellfleet! I explored 25 Bank Street where everything is on sale and resisted numerous bargains. Several items seemed almost sticky, they were so ready to follow me home, for instance, these recycled wool rugs, which would fit our cottage perfectly. First I need Sven’s approval, and he is feeling under the weather (for an explanation of this idiom, go here). From Periwinkle’s second-floor window, there’s an unexpected view of town hall, all spruced up for the holiday. 25 Bank Street is open Thursday through Sunday. It's a two-fer day at Chezsven Blog, so don't forget to read my suggestions on Wellfleet gifts, posted earlier.

Thinking up Gifts While On a Commercial Street Walk

This morning the wind is howling, but yesterday I was able to get out for a walk down Commercial Street. It occurred to me that some readers might be looking for a gift connected to our sweet little town. (Wellfleet, by the way, for the benefit of Merrim, a new follower from Patagonia, is thought to be named after a place in England called Walflete, “long known for its distinctive and excellent oysters,” just one tidbit of local lore offered up by David Wright in The Famous Beds of Wellfleet, available through the Wellfleet Historical Society and an excellent gift.) Most of the town's shops were closed. I did find Audrey Parent, owner of the Left Bank Gallery, setting up miniature Christmas trees behind her picture windows. (The Left Bank Gallery blog explores the topic of gift giving here.) I also noted Jade Huber’s chocolate oysters are for sale at Wellfleet Marketplace. As I proceeded down Commercial Street, the alluring aroma of fresh pizza made me notice Town Pizza was open for business. At the bend in the road, I took a few photos of Uncle Tim’s Bridge, surely one of the town's most famous landmarks. Another must be the lobster, which David Wright explains was created by local artist Paul Suggs for the former Bayside Lobster Hutt, now Mac's Shack. I passed "the Shack," which reminded me that it’s possible to give a dozen real oysters through Mac’s online shop, which also sells T-shirts and hats. I must admit to having opted for a pink T-shirt, offered at Oysterfest by Lil Codders, for my granddaughter instead. This brand new Wellfleet company can be reached by email: lilcodders@yahoo.com. Another Cape gift for the kiddies, a CD by The Elbows, $12.95. Pay a visit to Shelly Daly’s online shop for amazing jewelry crafted from Cape beach stones. (Shelly offers free shipping through December 31.) A last idea is to make your special Wellfleet fan an official friend of WHAT. For $50, the person who receives the gift gets annual newsletter, recognition in season playbills and a WHAT bumper sticker. How cool is that? (And you get the satisfaction of supporting our theater.)

My favorite Christmas gift, mentioned on Ronni Bennet’s blog, is the gift of time. We never think of time as something to give, and yet it makes perfect sense. Everyone has older family members who would appreciate a visit.

Yo, Wellfeet lovers and fellow Wellfleetians, out in Cyberspace. Have any suggestions of gifts connected to your favorite town?