Look at me!

It all starts with that little bell on your tricycle. Nobody ever got run over by a tricycle. It is not really a warning device, but rather an announcement of your coming. Jing! Jing! Here I come! As you got older you graduated to a two-wheeler, but you still went Jing!, unless you had one of those deluxe models that had a horn. Then you went Blaaah.Some of us went in for the roar of the motorcycle, sort of, by attaching a card to the wheel so the spokes would stroke it. It did not so much sound like a motorcycle as like a push mower, but at least it was pretty loud. Clakkity, clakkity — it made people’s heads turn. We thought they were thinking, “Here comes the cool guy.” Really they were thinking, “Hey! You’ve got a card stuck in your spokes!”As we got older, there was a split. Boys tended to go for motorcycles or loud car engines. The best were Cutouts, a way for an auto engine to exhaust without going through the muffler. You got the full blast of the explosions in the cylinders. What we thought was impressive was really just annoying. Some of the horns were now functional, and then there were those that played “La Cucaracha,” or went “Ah-OOO-gah!”u u uEventually horns became our outside voice. You could tell by the length and frequency of the blast if it was a polite request to move, a demand, or a complaint. I had an Oldsmobile in the 1970s that could make people jump out of their socks. Trucks have extra loud horns because they know they will never be able to stop in time. I guess it was too much. Auto makers tried to tone most of us down with horns that you are embarrassed to sound. Mine sort of goes meeep, meeep. Pathetic. The deer don’t freeze in their tracks anymore. Now they fall down laughing. I guess that works.Most of us got over it. We moved on to quiet vehicles, happy to melt into the crowd and not attract the attention of the constabulary. There were a few who took the next step: a theme song. The Green Hornet, Lone Ranger, Batman and others of their ilk announced their arrival with dramatic music. They never seemed to catch on that this was a dead giveaway when sneaking up on evildoers. Sometimes police sirens perform similarly.Finally the ultimate step, taken only by a chosen few, who vie for the ultimate, knocking one another off the pinnacle of Look At Me Mountain. There can only be one of these at a time. It’s an actual law.They’re playing “Hail To The Chief” again. Bill Abrams resides in, and sometimes toots his own horn from, Pine Plains.

Latest News

Kent Town Hall, where the Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission approved the draft settlement.

Kent Town Hall, where the Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission approved the draft settlement.

Leila Hawken

KENT– A year-and-a-half-long legal dispute over an unpermitted roadway and dock built through wetlands on North Spectacle Pond is approaching a resolution. The KenMont and KenWood summer camp and the town’s Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission are close to reaching a mutually acceptable agreement.

The conflict began after the IWWC denied the camp’s retroactive application in March 2024 for the road and dock, which were constructed without town approval sometime last decade. The Commission found both structures violated town regulations, leading the camp to file a legal appeal.

Keep ReadingShow less
GNH blanks St. Paul 34-0 in Turkey Bowl

Wes Allyn breaks away from the St. Paul defense for a reception touchdown Wednesday, Nov. 26.

Photo by Riley Klein

BRISTOL — The Gilbert/Northwestern/Housatonic co-op football team ended the season with a 34-0 shutout victory over St. Paul Catholic High School Wednesday, Nov. 26.

It was GNH’s fourth consecutive Turkey Bowl win against St. Paul and the final game for 19 GNH seniors.

Keep ReadingShow less
Students curate Katro Storm portraits at HVRHS

“Once Upon a Time in America” features ten portraits by artist Katro Storm.

Natalia Zukerman

The Kearcher-Monsell Gallery at Housatonic Valley Regional High School in Falls Village is once again host to a wonderful student-curated exhibition. “Once Upon a Time in America,” ten portraits by New Haven artist Katro Storm, opened on Nov. 20 and will run through the end of the year.

“This is our first show of the year,” said senior student Alex Wilbur, the current head intern who oversees the student-run gallery. “I inherited the position last year from Elinor Wolgemuth. It’s been really amazing to take charge and see this through.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Mini horses, big impact: animal learning center opens in Sheffield

Le Petit Ranch offers animal-assisted therapy and learning programs for children and seniors in Sheffield.

Marjorie Borreda

Le Petit Ranch, a nonprofit offering animal-assisted therapy and learning programs, opened in April at 147 Bears Den Road in Sheffield. Founded by Marjorie Borreda, the center provides programs for children, families and seniors using miniature horses, rescued greyhounds, guinea pigs and chickens.

Borreda, who moved to Sheffield with her husband, Mitch Moulton, and their two children to be closer to his family, has transformed her longtime love of animals into her career. She completed certifications in animal-assisted therapy and coaching in 2023, along with coursework in psychiatry, psychology, literacy and veterinary skills.

Keep ReadingShow less