Music paves 'The Road' home; community refrigerators; sea turtle rescue; Playla's days off; a message in a bottle — and from beyond?
Jared Wohl set his music career aside seven years ago to take care of life business — he got married, bought a house, had a couple of kids and changed careers. The pandemic gave him more time to return to his musical roots with a new album, “The Road.” (Photo courtesy of Samantha Zambito)
ACROSS AMERICA — Listen to what centenarian Connie Cicora has to say. Every day, she awakes with the same thought. She's thankful to be alive.
Cicora shows it, too. At 101, she's the oldest volunteer for the Caregiver Volunteers of Central New Jersey. She recently signed on, living the daily meditation that has served hr so well the nearly 37,000 days she's been alive.
"Enjoy whatever you are doing," whether that is volunteering, going to the opera or even mundane tasks like folding laundry, she told Patch. "Just enjoy living." » By Karen Wall for Manchester, New Jersey, Patch
'Ready For The World'
A baby born Christmas Eve on Middle Island, New York, has a chance at that kind of life. Chelsea Anderson had planned a Cesarean birth after the holidays, but went into labor before she could get Christmas Eve supper on the table. It was a short labor, ending in an ambulance on the way to the hospital. "He is ready for the world. He is ready to take it on," his mom said when Avion was reunited with the first responders who helped bring him into the world. "So here we are." » By Peggy Spellman Hoey for Shirley-Mastic, New York, Patch
The Road Home — To Music
With sudden changes and isolation brought on by COVID-19, all roads led back to music for Jared Wohl (top photo). The Parsippany Hills, New Jersey, High School alumnus ended a seven-year hiatus with the release of his first full-length album, appropriately titled "The Road." Seven years ago, Wohl was writing and collaborating on an album with "incredible musicians," he said, but "since then, there have been so many life-altering moments. I've gotten married, purchased a home, become a father to two amazing boys and changed careers." But a pandemic meant no commute, and no commute meant more time. He hung his guitars on his home-office wall and mastered the tracks for his new album. » By Josh Bakan for Parsippany, New Jersey, Patch
Evolving Food Insecurity Solutions
Food insecurity is a problem across the country, and the pandemic has made it worse. In Newark, New Jersey, one of the programs to get nutritious food into the mouths of hungry people is a community refrigerator program that addresses the need for around-the-clock access to necessities such as bread, cereal, eggs and fresh vegetables. » By Eric Kiefer for Newark, New Jersey, Patch
What's Behind Tiny Doors?
If you're walking around Sarasota, Florida, and find yourself enchanted by the tiny fairy doors around town, you have retired schoolteacher Joan Love to thank. "I just want to put a smile on people's faces," Love said, explaining her goals when she launched the whimsical "Tiny Doors Sarasota" in 2018. The adage that begins "if you've seen it once" doesn't apply here. The scene at doorsteps changes with the seasons. » By Tiffany Razzano for Sarasota, Florida, Patch
Message From Beyond In Message In A Bottle?
Two friends whose common interest in fishing bridged the five or so decade difference in their ages threw a message sealed in a bottle in the ocean off the coast of Maryland nearly three years ago. It recently turned up 3,200 miles away in Ireland. The couple who tracked down the now 14-year-old boy who dropped the bottle in the ocean did more than solve a mystery; they helped the boy process the death of his friend, Wayne. "We think somehow Wayne had a part in bringing us all together," said the woman who found it while walking on the beach with her husband. » By Beth Dalbey for Annapolis, Maryland, Patch
Playa's Day Off
After seven weeks on the run, a 2-year-old rescue greyhound from Spain who slipped away from her people in Palm Beach County was eventually found — but not before she traversed countless miles, visited at least four cities, crashed a Christmas parade and enjoyed some leisurely time on the beach. » By Tiffany Razzano for Miami, Florida, Patch
Sea Turtle Recovering After Surgery
When Bob Prescott picked up the Kemp ridley sea turtle he found cold-stunned on the beach in Brewster, Massachusetts, he knew that wasn't the turtle's only problem. Prescott, who oversees a local sea turtle restoration project, could see the marine reptile had ingested a balloon, and he knew from previously doing necropsies on a couple of Kemp ridleys that "things can be very complicated internally." But the veterinary staff at the New England Aquarium fixed up the turtle, which will be returned to the sea this summer. » By Jimmy Bentley for Falmouth, Massachusetts, Patch
One Last Bit
The world is changing. A Bradenton, Florida, hot dog restaurant is now accepting cryptocurrency. Rob Williams invested a couple of years ago when bitcoin first came out, then didn't check his portfolio until early 2021. "It was outrageously high. I was extremely surprised," he said. "I thought, 'This is interesting.' And I bought a few more." His own experience convinced him he should allow his customers to pay in Dogecoin, which Williams is accepting at his restaurant, is known as the "people's coin." » By Tiffany Razzano for Bradenton, Florida, Patch
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Source: https://patch.com/us/across-america/9-good-news-stories-just-enjoy-living-story-behind-tiny-doors
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