Hmmmm ... is that fever, headache, joint and muscle pain, flushed skin, red and watery eyes, dry cough, sore throat, watery mucus and general weakness the dreaded influenza — or is it something else?It might be the flu. Even medical experts have a hard time knowing for sure. The one thing everyone knows about the flu, though, is that no one wants to get it. At its best, it’s miserable. At its worst, it kills.Flu season has officially begun, and millions of Americans are heading for their doctor’s office, clinics, flu shot “events” and drug stores for vaccinations. The U. S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends everyone over the age of 6 months get vaccinated, except for those allergic to chicken eggs, anyone who has had a reaction to the shot in the past or anyone running a fever.The national health organization has a mission of preventing widespread outbreaks of any contagious illnesses. But not even the experts agree that mass immunizations are the answer to stopping the spread of a virus that changes constantly — potentially as often as with each body that hosts it. This year’s vaccine is the same as last year’s, which is unusual. The annual vaccine (effectiveness is estimated at as little as six months) is formulated based on past data and predictions for what might come. The current formula is aimed at H1N1, or the “swine flu” that caused the 2009 pandemic; Influenza A (H3N2); and Influenza B.It seems that everyone has a story about why they do or do not get vaccinated. One local 54-year-old woman gets a shot at the private school where she works. As an allergy and asthma sufferer, she feels it helps protect her. She still seems to get the flu every year but she believes the vaccine reduces the length and severity.A woman in her 20s, with some medical training, said she does not get an annual shot because she is not in a high-risk category, and because of the risk inherent in the vaccine.She says the virus can activate in your system after you get the shot, so you end up getting the flu anyway. Also, she said, the vaccine given each year only protects against limited strains of virus. It’s still possible, even with the shot, to catch a different version of the flu.Dr. James Steckleberg, on the staff at the Mayo Clinic, writes on the center’s website that many strains mutate in their host. But mutations that begin with a strain formulated into the vaccine may remain similar enough so that an inoculated immune system will attack it.Can you get sick from the vaccine? The CDC says it’s possible, since it’s made from a “killed” virus that is not dormant. That means it can activate in the body.However, the Mayo Clinic says what actually happens is an immune system response that produces flu-like symptoms, most often in young adults. Some would ask, does it matter? Symptoms are symptoms, and sick is sick.One of the biggest current factors in weighing the options is cost. Some Medicare and health insurance plans cover some or all of it.But some don’t, and many families have lost benefits to unemployment or cost-saving measures by employers.Shots average around $30. It can quickly add up to more than a family can afford. Children younger than 9 should get two doses if it’s the first time they have been vaccinated for influenza. There is also the potential need for a second shot during the flu season, if a particularly virulent new strain prompts the development of a new vaccine. The flu season can also last into May — beyond the estimated optimum protection duration for the vaccine.If you do get the flu, chances are you will be advised to tough it out, and most importantly, stay home and try to avoid spreading it to others. It is impossible for medical professionals to know for sure if a patient has the flu based on symptoms alone. Laboratory tests are now available, but doctors typically use them only on high-risk patients. Antiviral drugs can be given, and are most effective when taken soon after symptoms begin.Antibiotics are effective against bacteria, not the flu, which is a virus. They may be prescribed for those at risk, or who develop conditions such as bacterial pneumonia while fighting the flu.For others, taking antibiotics with a virus can do more harm than good, according to the CDC, as they can trigger an antibiotic resistance when needed most.Getting a flu shotMILLBROOK — The Dutchess County Department of Health (DCDH) will hold a flu shot clinic on Friday, Dec. 2, from 10 a.m. to noon at the Millbrook Cornell Cooperative Extension, 2715 Route 44.Interested individuals may register and find more information about flu immunization online at www.dutchessny.gov and clicking the “What to Do About Flu” button, or visit bit.ly/DCFlushots. For those without Internet access, call the Department of Health’s Flu information line at 845-486-3435 or call to register at 845-486-3419.The fee for inactivated flu vaccine will be $32; FluMist will be $40. The fee for the pneumonia vaccine is $75. Influenza and pneumococcal vaccines are covered by Medicare Part B; individuals must bring their card to the clinic. Adults enrolled in Medicare HMOs may be required to pay the fee.The adult flu clinics will offer vaccine to anyone 18 and older wishing to protect themselves against influenza. Individuals under 19 years of age may attend one of the department’s children’s immunization clinics to receive flu vaccination and other important immunizations at low-cost or no cost. Individuals younger than 18 years of age must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Go online to www.findaflushot.com to find other locations where the clinics will be held.
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The organic runway at HVSFW puts sustainable style among the apple trees at Stone Ridge Orchard.
Jay Ballesteros
That’s the question behind Hudson Valley Sustainable Fashion Week[end], a two-day celebration of sustainable style, local makers and the possibilities of keeping clothing in circulation. The weekend lands at Stone Ridge Orchard, a 200-year-old working farm, on Sept. 25 and 26, pairing an evening fashion show with a new all-ages Slow Fashion Fair.
“To me, slow fashion means intentional fashion. Careful, thoughtful, human,” said Joanne Louis-Paul, the event’s communications director. “Slow fashion is the speed at which one person can sew an intricately detailed dress. It’s taking the time to go to a thrift store or clothing swap and sifting through an unknown bounty of possibilities. It’s extending the life of a piece of clothing for as long as possible.”
In everyday terms, she said, “It’s stopping to think before purchasing anything or giving anything away.”
Friday’s fourth annual Organic Runway brings Hudson Valley designers to the farm for a sunset showcase of garments made from repurposed textiles and produced locally. Designers include Clare Bare, ennui, Kacy Coyle, KNUD, la vie après l’amour, Last Night on Earth, So Vicki and Touch Threads. The evening runs from 4 to 8 p.m., giving attendees time to pick apples and sip local cider before settling in for the runway.
“We’re all about the whimsy here at HVSFW,” Louis-Paul said. “The runway is so incredibly dreamy. Being outside makes for an unpredictable, one-of-a-kind backdrop every year, and there’s just nothing like that sunset glow.”
Models walk the organic runway at HVSFW. Ilan Harel
The unlikely pairing of fashion and farming is also part of the point.
“Once you’re sitting amongst the apple trees, you realize how much sense it makes to mend the relationship between fashion and nature,” she said.
Saturday introduces the inaugural Slow Fashion Fair, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., with workshops, mending, fiber art, vendors, music, eco-friendly kids’ crafts and a clothing swap. There will even be sheep.
“We wanted to have a fair so we could invite more people in the eco-friendly ecosystem into the fold,” Louis-Paul said. “We get to highlight not only designers, but makers and artisans of all kinds.”
The organizers hope the fair appeals not only to people already thinking about climate and sustainability but also to those encountering the ideas for the first time. With mending, a clothing swap and hands-on workshops, the emphasis is on showing visitors things they can actually do.
“There are so many things anyone can start doing today,” Louis-Paul said. “From something as simple as sewing a patch onto a stain or tear to hosting a mini clothing swap at your house with friends and family, there are tons of ways to engage with your wardrobe more thoughtfully.”
She speaks from experience. Before becoming involved with the event, she said, secondhand shopping held little appeal.
“As someone who never liked the idea of thrifting, I am now completely sold on circular fashion,” she said. “I recently sewed a broken strap on a dress I got at a clothing swap, and I felt so accomplished! Being in this world has shown me that conscious consumption is attainable and fun.”
But behind the fun is a serious concern about what happens to clothing once consumers decide they no longer want it.
“Just because you throw it away doesn’t mean it goes away,” she said, pointing to discarded clothing accumulating in other parts of the world and the microplastics shed by synthetic fabrics. “The planet and people are suffering because of this throwaway culture we’ve adopted. If an outfit is new but super cheap, believe there’s a high cost to someone else.”
For more information and tickets, visit hvsfw.org
Susan Schneider, owner of Shandell’s in Ashley Falls, in her studio.
Susan Schneider, owner of Shandell’s in Ashley Falls, in her studio.
She has been creating lampshades for 25 years and has settled in Ashley Falls, where she is renovating a barn behind her house for a larger studio. Her mission: “Changing the view on plain white lampshades, one at a time!”
Besides using marbled paper, she uses papyrus, silk and hand-painted papers for the shades.
Shandell’s on Main Street, offers a large selection of marbled decorative home items on its website — trays, coasters and bookends, to name a few — as well as scarves and belts. Schneider will also customize items and creates custom wallpaper, gifts and favors for weddings and special events. She offers consultations by appointment.
Schneider explained how she began making lampshades.
“I was in business as an antiques and textile dealer, needing lampshades at the time (the early 1990s). I had a dealer who used to make lampshades. She was moving and sold me everything she had in her barn for making them. Arcs, templates for lampshades, and tools.”
Schneider used the marbled paper from the endpapers of old books to make small lampshades.
“I collected those voraciously.”
The papers were too small for the larger lampshades she wanted to make. To get paper in the size she needed, she decided to learn how to marble.
That was 10 years ago. She now has 20 tanks for marbling, including one 10-foot tank that allows her to make 3 yards of fabric at a time.
As she demonstrated the marbling process, making covers for journals, it was easy to see why she “got hooked.”
Susan Schneider, owner of Shandell’s, creates a variety of products with marbleized surfaces in her Ashley Falls studio.L. Tomaino
She explained that marbling takes a couple of days of preparation. She prepares water mixed with carrageenan the night before so that it thickens and becomes a viscous liquid onto which the acrylic paints can be dropped. Paper or fabric must also be prepared with alum, which “makes the paint stick,” she said, a day or two ahead of time.
When she was ready to start, Schneider first used a level to make sure the tank was even. Then she pulled a squeegee across the surface of the carrageenan mixture to break the surface tension, followed by strips of newsprint for the same purpose. She also dipped small pieces of newsprint into the mixture.
“The hardest thing to teach people is to break the surface tension first,” she noted.
Next, she used droppers to place rows of paint onto the mixture.
“It’s a joyful process,” she said as she chose more colors. “It’s totally the pleasure of the colors.”
She explained, “The colors are stopped from spreading by the surface tension.”
Then she added newsprint around the edges of the tank to break the tension again and added another layer of color. Next, she used a marbling comb, slowly dragging it back and forth across the width of the tank to create a feather-like design.
Combs come in many sizes, with teeth spaced at different intervals and in different patterns. She chose another comb to drag through the length of the tank, making the design more intricate before laying two pieces of paper on the surface. After a second or two, she lifted them, perfectly capturing the pattern, and carried them to the sink for a rinse with water.
Once she squeegeed away the paint left in the tank, she was ready to begin the process again.
Next, she created a different type of design, dripping colors in a less ordered array, then twirling them into curving lines and circles with a thin rod.
When the surface was ready, she laid a journal cover on top, then lifted it out, covered in a vibrant pattern of swirling colors.
For observers, the process can seem magical.
Schneider loves to share the delight of marbling by teaching classes at Dewey Hall in Sheffield. Upcoming classes will be held Nov. 20, 21 and 22. Beginning in November, she will also offer private classes in her home studio. Schneider had never pictured herself having a business like Shandell’s, but she discovered a passion for creating, as she says, “things that make you smile.”
For more information about her work and upcoming classes or to contact her for a consultation, visit shandells.com.
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Muriel Stockdale, left, and judge Roger McKee during the awards announcement at the juried art show at Trinity Episcopal Church. Stockdale\u2019s \u201cKevin\u201d was the second place winner.
Patrick L. Sullivan
Organizer Theresa Kenny said the show attracted some 66 artists, 10 of whom were new to the show.
Judge Roger McKee, who recently retired as an art teacher at Salisbury School, said of the winning work, “The technical mastery here is overwhelming.”
Roger McKee naming the winners with the first place entry over his left shoulder. Patrick L. Sullivan
Hwang was unable to attend the reception, but the second- and third-place finishers were on hand.
Second place went to Muriel Stockdale’s “Kevin.” McKee said the piece “has just enough to be compelling without getting too caught up in the details.”
Muriel Stockdale’s “Kevin” took second place in the juried art show at Trinity Episcopal Church.Patrick L. Sullivan
Joan Macfarlane’s “Branching Out” was the third-place winner. McKee described the piece as “a compelling balance of realism and interpretation.”
McKee and Emily Cox served as judges. Cox could not attend the reception, but McKee said they began their work by looking at the entire show, then went through it a second time, taking photos with their phones of the standout pieces before comparing notes.
“There was a lot of overlap,” he said. “We argued a little bit and then came to an agreement.”
The show is open for viewing Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 26 and 27, from noon to 4 p.m.
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