Helene's Blog

Historically, Native Americans named each full moon as a way to track the seasons. The next full moon will occur on December 12th and is known as the Cold Moon or the Long Night Moon. In Europe, this moon is often referred to as the Moon before Yule. Yule is an old northern European winter festival that is now associated with Christmas and the winter holiday season. The Long Night Moon gets its name because the full moon in December occurs near the winter solstice, which has the longest night of the year. This full moon sits above the horizon for a long period of time as the winter cold fastens its grip, and the nights become long and dark. Each full Moon names were applied to the entire month in which each occurred.

Whether you celebrate Christmas, Chanukah, Yule, or Kwanza, it's a time of peace and friendship to all mankind and to the creatures that inhabit the earth. As the ground is starting to freeze and food is getting scarce, it becomes a great time to fill your bird feeders.

Allow yourself time to rest and repair. But also allow yourself time to celebrate and share.

Remember, the best time to observe a full moon isn’t when it’s bright, white, and high in the night sky, but rather when it's close to the horizon as it rises and sets. Nature speaks to us continuously if we take the time to observe it and be one with it. The reward of the Cold Moon will drench you in the beauty of this chilly, snow white season.

"The Surfrider Foundation Eastern Long Island Chapter announces Surf Movie Night XVII at Guild Hall, 158 Main Street, East Hampton, on Wednesday, July 31 at 7:00 p.m. Proceeds from the evening will benefit the Surfrider Foundation Eastern Long Island Chapter's Clean Water Programs including Ocean Friendly Gardens, Rise Above Plastics, and the Blue Water Task Force water quality-monitoring program which tests and reports on 50 local beach and freshwater sampling sites. The program provides critical data to residents and decision-makers to inform on health and safety issues pertaining to bacteria and other contaminants. "

"Surfrider Foundation Eastern Long Island Chapter (SFELI) is dedicated to the protection of our oceans, waves, and beaches. The chapter has been a strong advocate of public access and environmental preservation along our shoreline from Montauk Point to Moriches Inlet for over 15 years. Staffed almost entirely by a dedicated team of volunteers, the grassroots chapter has worked, and continues to work, with every level of government on resolving important coastal issues including shore preservation, sea level rise, beach access and water quality. In addition, dozens of beach cleanups, educational programs, and dune plantings have been done with local students and community members."

On Saturday, June 1st, 2019, members of East Hampton Volunteer Ocean Rescue conducted a free-of-charge Water Safety/Hands-Only CPR Training at the East Hampton Library in the Baldwin Family Lecture Room.

WATER SAFETY TIPS

In any suspected emergency always call 9-1-1 immediately. Stay on the phone until Dispatch has all the necessary information. Dispatch will activate the appropriate emergency resources - Police, Fire, Ambulance, Marine Patrol, Coast Guard, and/or Ocean Rescue.

THE GRIM STATISTICS

350 kids under the age of five drown in pools each year nationwide. In this age group, drowning is the second leading cause of death after motor vehicle accidents. Most children were being watched by their parents or caregivers and most accidents happened quickly.

Child Drowning is a silent death.

RULES FOR POOLS

Always instruct your babysitters about potential pool hazards. Those supervising children should not be distracted by phones, books, conversations, or homework. Never leave a child unsupervised by a pool. Remove toys from pool when not in use. Never leave a gate open.

Learn CPR.

When having a pool or beach party - hire a lifeguard! A designated pool watcher is NOT a substitute for a trained lifeguard.

BARRIER PREVENTION AND POOL, FENCE AND DOOR ALARMS

Many communities have enacted safety regulations governing residential swimming pools; it's up to parents to comply with these regulations. Apart from these laws, parents who own pools can take additional precautions to reduce the chances of their youngsters accessing the family pool or spa without adult supervision. Remember: Barriers are not childproof, but they do provide layers of protection for a child who strays from supervision. Barriers give parents additional time to locate a child before the unexpected becomes a reality.

RIP CURRENT SURVIVAL TIPS

According to the United States Lifeguarding Association, "rip currents are the greatest hazard to swimmers on surf beaches."

If possible, swim near a lifeguard. If you are in trouble, shout and wave; circle one arm up with a closed fist for help. Never swim alone and be cautious at all times.

If in doubt, don't go out!

If caught in a rip, remain calm to conserve energy and think clearly. Don't fight the current. Swim parallel to the shoreline. If unable to swim out of the rip current, float or calmly tread water. When out of the current, swim toward shore.

"WHEN THUNDER ROARS, GO INDOORS!"

As a rule, lightning occurs most frequently within 10 miles of a thunderstorm, but bolts of lightning can travel as far as 20 miles from the storm. Stop all outside activities and seek shelter in a solid building or hard-topped vehicle.
Wait 30 minutes after the storm to resume activities. Beaches and bodies of water do not offer protection from lightning.

BOAT WATER SAFETY

Always wear your Personal Flotation Device (PDF). If you capsize, remain with your boat and call for help. Always dress for the water temperature. Swim-test your gear every time you go out. Imagine the worst that could happen and plan for it.

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Place: Main Beach, East Hampton, New York

Date: Thursday, July 25, 2019

Time: 4:00 p.m.

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East Hampton Volunteer Ocean Rescue's Scholarship Benefit to be held at the Harvest Restaurant in Montauk, New York, on Tuesday, July 9, 2019, starting at 5:00 p.m.

Place: Atlantic Avenue Beach, Amagansett, New York

Date: Saturday, August 31, 2019

Registration: Afternoon of the event (4:00 p.m.)

Distance / Start Times / Fees

5:00 p.m. for the 1 mile / $50.00

5:20 p.m. for the 1/2 mile / $40.00

5.45 p.m. for the 1/4 mile / $30.00

For ages 7 and over as of 8/20/19

Make the evening a memorable summer event by cheering your swimmers(s) on and helping to support EHVOR and all that they do.

Proceeds benefit East Hampton Volunteer Ocean Rescue. EHVOR is comprised of Volunteer Suffolk County Certified Ocean Lifeguards who respond to 911 dispatched emergencies year-round on the East End.

Place: Ditch Plains , Montauk, New York

Date: Friday, September 13, 2019

Time: 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

PROTECT MOTHER EARTH!

“In nature, nothing exists alone.”
— Rachel Carson, 1962

The first Earth Day took place on April 22, 1970. Since its inception, Earth Day continues to grow as a worldwide phenomenon focused on promoting a healthy, sustainable environment for people and wildlife alike.

Celebrating Earth Day serves as a conscious reminder of how fragile our planet is and how important it is to protect it. Earth Day is observed annually on April 22. It is a day held to demonstrate and promote environmental awareness and calls for the protection of our planet. Today, Earth Day, 2019 is celebrated in more than 193 countries each year.

We are all interconnected, so when we harm our environment, we are harming ourselves. Humans have irrevocably upset the balance of nature with the use of toxic chemicals, climate change, deforestation, habitat loss, unsustainable agriculture, pollution and pesticides. The impacts are far reaching into future generations to come.

It's time to educate and raise awareness, encouraging individuals to stop using toxic chemicals such as pesticides and herbicides. It's time to stand up and protest the environmentally dangerous decisions big business makes that do not embrace nature and its values.

EVERY DAY SHOULD BE EARTH DAY!

There's always hope when individuals ban together to promote environmental awareness. Have fun on April 22nd when you take some time out of your day to clean up your yard, your neighborhood park, or walk a local beach picking up garbage.

On Saturday, June 1, 2019, members of East Hampton Volunteer Ocean Rescue will be offering the public a free-of-charge Water Safety/Hands-Only CPR Training to take place at the East Hampton Library in the Baldwin Family Lecture Room from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

You can register at: http://easthamptonlibrary.org/

In any suspected emergency always call 9-1-1 immediately. Stay on the phone until Dispatch has all the necessary information. Dispatch will activate the appropriate emergency resources - Police, Fire, Ambulance, Coast Guard, Marine Patrol, and/or Ocean Rescue.

Have you ever wondered how many children drown each year in a pool?

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, "350 children under the age of five drown in pools each year nationwide. Among unintentional injuries, drowning is the second leading cause of death to this age group after motor vehicle accidents. Another 2,600 children are treated in hospital emergency rooms each year for near-drowning incidents. Some of these submersion accidents result in permanent brain damage." It's interesting to note, that most of these children were being watched by their parents or caregivers. Because child drowning is a silent death that happens very quickly, it's imperative that parents and caregivers never take their eyes off of children when they are anywhere near a pool.

RULES FOR POOLS:

Instruct babysitters about potential pool hazards.

Those supervising children should not be distracted by phones, books, conversations, etc.

Never leave a child unsupervised by a pool.

If a child is missing, check the pool first; SECONDS COUNT.

Keep rescue equipment in a designated location by the pool for quick access.

Do not use a flotation device as a substitute for supervision.

Remove toys from pool when not in use.

Never leave a gate open.

Learn CPR.

If you're having a pool or beach party, hire a lifeguard. A designated pool watcher is NOT a substitute for a trained lifeguard.

RIP CURRENT SURVIVAL TIPS

• 

Swim near a lifeguard. If you are in trouble, shout and wave; circle one arm up with a closed fist for help.

Never swim alone.

Be cautious at all times. If in doubt, don't go out!

If caught in a rip, remain calm to conserve energy and think clearly.

Don't fight the current. Swim parallel to the shoreline.

If unable to swim out of the rip current, float or calmly tread water. When out of the current, swim toward shore.

"WHEN THUNDER ROARS, GO INDOORS!"

As a rule, lightning occurs most frequently within 10 miles of a thunderstorm, but bolts of lightning can travel as far as 20 miles from the thunderstorm.

Stop all activities and seek shelter in a solid building or hard-topped vehicle.

Wait 30 minutes after storm to resume activities. Beaches and bodies of water do not offer protection from lightning.

BOAT WATER SAFETY

FIVE GOLDEN RULES FOR BOATING SAFETY:

Always wear your Personal Flotation Device (PDF)

If you capsize, remain with your boat and call for help.

Always dress for the water temperature - no exceptions.

Swim-test your gear every time you go out.

Imagine the worst that could happen and plan for it.

April is National Poetry Month!

Poetry is a special kind of writing that paints a picture with words. It's a concisely-written, yet mind-expanding expression of ideas or feelings, capturing the very essence of an idea, a mood, an observation, or a life experience.

My favorite poem, The Road Not Taken, was written by Robert Frost, one of America's most celebrated poets. It was published in 1916 as the first poem in the collection Mountain Interval.

In the poem, Frost presents the reader with a picture of a cool autumn day, when a person can shuffle his or her feet through freshly fallen, golden leaves and kick up the smells of the fall season. The central theme is about making choices in our lives, knowing that each decision made has consequences. The path is a metaphor for life, while the fork in the path is a metaphor for the choices we are often faced with. Our destiny evolves based on the choices we make in our lives as we travel our individual journeys. Hopefully, there are no regrets, because life has a funny way of getting busy, one thing leading into another, until there is no going back.

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The Road Not Taken

Two Roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I --

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.