Between the Bridges in Broad Channel

Peter J. Mahon

“Who’s Rockefeller, Dempsey, Greenberg and Edison?”  

While cleaning out my mother’s home over in Woodside last week we came across my father’s “School Day Memories” book from St. Bartholomew’s Parochial School in Elmhurst where he graduated from back in 1941.  The book had a section entitled “My Favorites” just prior to the start of the blank pages that followed which were inscribed with assorted limericks and one-liners by his teachers, friends and classmates which I am sure at the time the authors felt were witty. One annotation however did stand out.  Penned by a classmate named Marion Taylor stating, “I wish you Rockefeller’s wealth, Dempsey’s health, Greenberg’s skills and Edison’s knowledge.”  Upon reading this I started to chuckle to myself as I know many people in today’s Google and Facebook page era would think to themselves, “Who’s Rockefeller, Dempsey, Greenberg and Edison?”  

Don’t forget to grab your antacid this Saturday and head on down to Shad Creek Road where the Broad Channel VFW will be hosting a Chili Cook-Off and Music Festival (Noon to 10 p.m.) on behalf of the New York Families of Autistic Children Foundation (NYFAC).  It’s for a great cause as evidenced by the NYFAC foundation’s mission statement: “Helping Parents …Help their Children …One family at a time.”

If you listened carefully this past weekend you could all hear the residents of Broad Channel breathing a tremendous sigh of relief when Joaquin turned eastward and headed out to sea sparing us the misery of another large hurricane.   Many of us had to put up with continual tidal street flooding during the weekend high tides but, as one of my neighbors put it – “After Sandy, street puddles and wet feet ain’t no big thing!”

It was good to see Jeanine Dougherty up and about and on the mend this past weekend on her injured leg which was fitted with a walking cast.  A few days earlier, little Sarah Dougherty (also fitted with a walking cast on her injured foot) stopped by my house with her grandmother (Carol Fox) where my lovely wife Grace (aka: she who must be obeyed!) introduced her to our “zoo” consisting of our dog, Zach, our two turtles, Crush and Squirt, our Guinea Pig Jerry, our bearded dragon Winky, and our cats, Louie, Sasha “B”, Bailey and Nibbles! Sadly our rabbit Belle recently expired and there were also two white lab rats our daughters kept in a fish tank in their bedroom, Michaelangelo andDonatello, and quite honestly I have no idea where they are today!

Winter’s frigid temps are just around the corner so I have been checking home heating oil prices this week as I want to make sure my tank is topped off before the cold air finally arrives.  I found prices as cheap as $1.81 per gallon for a minimum drop of 100 gallons at CODfuel.com.  Yes it is a “COD” service but I do not have a contract with any oil company as my heating system is brand new (remember Sandy?) and I  ensure the burner is serviced and cleaned prior to the start of the heating season. I have used this service for several years now and the savings I have realized on home heating oil has been substantial.

Broad Channel – Why would anyone want to live anywhere else?