Bonni Brodnick Blog

By BONNI BRODNICK T he Kentucky Derby is coming up quickly on the Pound Ridge track. Come watch the action at the Pound Ridge Republican “Derby Day Party” hosted by Helene and Herbert Solomon . The annual event, sponsored by the Pound Ridge Republican Town Committee, is $30 per person. If you take a minute to step away from the tellie, you’ll find the gathering a nice opportunity to meet neighbors, friends, local officials and candidates. Open bar, buffet dinner, and the rush of adrenaline as your winning horse goes for the first jewel in the Triple Crown of thoroughbred horseracing. For reservations/information, race to the phone and call Frank Sisti at 764-5622 or Jackie Rodney at 764-5666. G et in the swim. Or at least start thinking about it. The “Early Bird” rate for Pound Ridge Town Park swimming pool passes is available until May 15. Start loading up on sun lotion, flippers and goggles. Opening day is nigh. For more info on other upcoming summer programs, call David Gold...

By BONNI BRODNICK T heir collective efforts grace our town with swags on the road posts at holiday time, and daffodils roadside in springtime. The Pound Ridge Garden Club makes us look real good. While we’re loving the site of daffs in bloom, it’s not too early to think about next year’s crop. The Club, who has planted literally thousands of daffodil bulbs in public areas and along roads throughout the town, is taking orders for a selection of bulbs to be delivered in time for fall planting. Think Marieke (which is golden yellow and long-lasting), Tahiti (a yellow early-bloomer with tufts of orange), Tête-à-Tête (small, early blooming with up to three yellow flowers per stem); Sushi (white accents and ruffled cups) and more. Also for sale are “Daffodil 100” collection of mixed varieties, colors and heights selected to bloom over a 6-week period. To purchase, look for the Pound Ridge Garden Club ladies who will have a table in front of Scotts Corners Market this weekend (April 17-18) a...

By BONNI BRODNICK F or those of us hanging out in Zone 6, listen up. As we plant the pansies and watch the crocuses come up, we also see our lawns awakening. Are you in the perennial state of panic thinking you’ll have crab grass again? Corn gluten is considered the organic and biologically responsible way to prevent unwanted turf problems. Tests performed on pestiferous areas have shown that crabgrass — as well as curly dock, dandelions, lamb’s quarters and pigweed — will be reduced by about 60 percent in the first year. Carol Cioppa of Cioppa Architects and program chair of Pound Ridge Garden Club (and an award-winning gardener, mind you) uses Organica Lawn Booster (available at Mill River Supply) and says that it also acts as a pre-emergent. “And do NOT fertilize your lawn until it is growing and you are mowing it!” Carol admonished. “Otherwise the corn gluten isn’t properly absorbed by the lawn grasses.” Ever green, Carol uses only organic fertilizer (with 8-3-3 feathermeal-bonem...

"TALK OF THE TOWN" By Bonni Brodnick L ast week the peepers arrived, which is always a harbinger that spring is here. The seasonal nocturnal peep is important during the breeding season, since the female will choose a mate by the quality of the male’s call—a single clear note (or peep) that occurs once a second. The faster and louder he sings, the more likely he is to attract a mate. You might also hear a lower-pitched trilled whistle, which means another male has moved too close to a competing male’s calling site. Often heard, but not seen, these tiny-thumb-nail sized frogs make quite a cacophonic chorus on a Pound Ridge night. Call the doctor. Spring fever is in the air. W hat’s up à la mode this spring? According to Gaynor Scott , Pound Ridge fashion arbiter and proprietor of Boo Girls in Katonah, “Short-cuffed shorts are in and skinny jeans, in white or dark wash, are here to stay. We also can’t keep Sugar Lips tank tops in neon colors on the shelves.” Other fas...