A model for our own 90th birthdays

(Courant photo)

A Courant profile on Miriam Butterworth on her 90th reminds us all that maybe we still aren't doing enough.

I'm also thrilled to learn that one of my childhood favorites, The Enormous Egg, by Butterworth's husband Oliver was a fable about McCarthyism.

H/T to Susan Forbes Hansen, again.

I don't know a swift from a swallow

Awhile back, I posted a blog on what I thought were swallows which summer in a chimney at St. Sebastian's Church in Middletown.

Now I learn how swift I ain't. Those birds are not swallows, but chimney swifts.

My other car's a train (bike, bus)

Vijay Pinch pointed out two provocative articles about development and transportation in Sunday's Hartford Courant Editorial section. One deals with the definition of smart growth and how alternative transportation plays an important role in that definition. The other is about the success of Amtrak's Boston - Portland commuter rail.

One thing is clear. Middletown, as a halfway point between Hartford and New Haven, should be planning to be part of any future rail system. Right now, according to the Courant, a New Haven-Hartford-Enfield segment has the support of leadership in Connecticut. Middletown needs to be a part of this effort, with a spur that connects Middletown to New Haven and to river communities. A rail alternative seems an obvious catalyst for positive development

A local Middletown group has formed to address the issues and challenges of alternative means of transportation. Transportation Alternatives Middletown, is looking for people who think there's a better way to get from here to there.