Note:  This column was published on 9/13/2012, my very first for The Somers Record.  It has special meaning for me; I have rerun it each year since in memory of our fallen heroes, family, friends and those of us left to wonder “why?”

On that bright, clear Sept. 11, 2001, morning, I was in our office cafeteria getting coffee when the cafeteria manager came out and said ...

We recently took a little tourist trip to Gulliver’s Gate, an exhibit near Times Square that depicts world cities in small scale. We began our tour right in New York, since we were already on 44th Street. We had a much better view of the Manhattan skyline than from our hotel room. Little Italy is even littler than we thought, the High Line not as high, and traffic whizzed by beneath us in ...

When my daughters were very young, we had a Weimaraner whose registered name was “Silver Wraith” but was called Clarence at home. Clarence was somewhat larger and heavier than most Wy’s, and stood much taller than I on his hind legs. He was a “mush” at heart and as big as he was still tried to sit in my lap. His saving grace was his great loyalty to, and protection ...

Dear Dr. Linda,

We’re only into the second week of school and our fifth-grade son, Joey, doesn’t want to go to school again. He’s never liked school. For years we blamed his teachers. Then we put him in private school and it didn’t get better.

He’s a bright kid and self-driven. When he’s home, he’s never bored. He’s not playing video games or ...

Author’s Note: Mom + Pop Culture are a couple of real characters. They could be you and me. Or not. Every so often, I eavesdrop on their conversations. Let’s listen in on what they’re saying right now about Pop’s penchant for writing Letters to the Editor…

MOM: Whatcha doin’ there, Pop?

POP: Writin’, Mom.

MOM: Writin’ what?

POP: A ...

“What’s in the bag?” I asked my mother as she got into the car. She had just come out of the hair salon and apparently had been talked into buying some high-end hair products.

“New shampoo,” she said with some excitement. “My old shampoo was terrible. It really dried out my hair.”

“What brand were you using?” I asked. She thought for a ...

Dana Stahl, a learning specialist and educational consultant, will address educational questions and concerns that parents may have regarding their children’s academic development and progress in school. Topics can center on how to handle homework dilemmas to what questions to ask at a CSE meeting. Questions can range from “How best do parents advocate for their children?” to ...