August Home North/South Special Section - Hersam Acorn Newspapers

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HOMEA Hersam Acorn Special Section

August 2011

Greenwich Post • The Darien Times • New Canaan Advertiser • The Ridgefield Press • The Wilton Bulletin • The Weston Forum • The Redding Pilot • The Lewisboro Ledger

Great Soil,

Great Veggies The Secret Agent?Compost!

Go or Glow!Dumpster Bound

No More



2 HOME, a Hersam Acorn special section, Ridgefield, Conn. August 2011

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August 2011 HOME, a Hersam Acorn special section, Ridgefield, Conn. 3

Go or glow!BETSY K WILL LIGHTEN UP YOUR LIFE

by Karen Dydzuhn

Reality television shows, such as“Hoarders,” have recently shed a negativelight on people who have a difficult timethrowing anything away, to the point thatthey’re living in squalor. The clutter hasovertaken their entire lives.

Offering a more compassionate andunderstanding response, Black Rock’sBetsy Krobot, a professional organizer,specializes in helping people to “let go” of

their, well, junk.Part housekeeper, part decorator and

part therapist, Betsy explained that there

are several reasons that people hold onto tobelongings that they no longer use or evenparticularly like. “One of the biggest obsta-

cles is that they don’t know what to do withit,” she said. “I give them the solutions.”

She pointed out that many homeown-ers have unused items left over from homeprojects, such as building materials andpaint and old furnishings and decorativeaccessories that no longer are appropri-ate for their current décor. “You wouldn’tbelieve how much paint gets thrown awayand ends up clogging up our landfills,”Betsy exclaims. “I take it away and bring itto where it could be used.”

In a new collaborative initiative withPaul Hallgren, a master carpenter andartist, Betsy will supply Paul with unusedmaterials, fabrics, furnishings and decora-tive items so that he can create new, cus-tom-designed products.

Painted a bright orange, a forlorn knitting chest becomes unique storage.

B e t s yK r o b o t See Betsy K page 11

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Mountain lions in Greenwich? Puppiessnatched by coyotes? Moose crossing theroad? What’s going on? Animals used to hav-ing their own wilderness homes and lots of space are wandering into suburbia, scroung-

ing for food, viewing human beings and theirpets as life support and scaring many of themto death.

Dr. Stephen DeStefano, research wild-life biologist/professor and leader of a U.S.

‘Coyote at the Kitchen Door’ LIVING WITH WILDLIFE IN SUBURBIA

by Lois Alcosser

Geological Survey of fish and wildlife,has written a book Coyote at the KitchenDoor, explaining the current interaction betweenpeople and wildlife, totally unlike the traditional trap-ping/hunting scenario. He recently spoke at Highstead inRedding, the remarkable 150-acre ecological center workingto preserve forests, conserve natural resources and protectopen space.

The book’s cover photograph is a close-up of theglaring eye of a coyote, daring the reader to come

close and seeming to question why the world of wildlife is disappearing.“We started the

research with bears,moose and bobcats,”Dr. DeStefano said.“These animals’natural habitatis forest and

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mountainside. They normally require hugelandscapes and vast amounts of space. Yetthey have been seen roaming in cities. InNorthampton, Mass., 35 moose were taggedto trace their wandering and see how theywere using developed areas. They were spot-ted at 10,000 different locations — cross-ing roads, meandering through communi-ties, foraging for food left in garbage bags

and Dumpster bins. Their lives have beenchanged by global urban sprawl. Areas thatused to be 80% rural are now only 20% rural. As people have migrated to cities, animalshave followed them.

“Civilization means that we mow grass,prune trees, dig into earth to create imperme-able surfaces for sidewalks, roads, malls andparking lots. Coyotes, whose main diet usedto be mice and voles are not finding enoughto eat as natural habitats decrease.”

“Coyote” in Native American languagemeans barking dog, and they resemble dogsbut have the genes of wolves. In the old days,they were considered “varmints,” objectsfor hunters and trappers ... fur bearers.Then they became pests. And now, they arepotentially dangerous invaders. They can berecognized by their long, narrow snouts andbushy tails. Full-grown, they’re the size of

large dogs, and they can be quite handsome.For them, moving into cities and suburbs isdoing what comes naturally, looking for food.They pair for life, breed once a year and canhave as many as 12 pups.

Coyotes once were confined to the west-ern central states, but they’ve spread all overNorth America. “As we leave nature, replac-ing it with cities, does nature leave us?” is the

question Dr. DeStefano asked. “Lights, noiseand pollution have become nuisances, some-thing we’ve come to accept; 70% to 80% of people don’t see stars at night anymore ... orbutterflies.

“The secret of the coyote’s endurance is itsadaptability. Depending on conditions, thecoyote re-invents itself, but it is still a wildanimal and unpredictable. If a coyote startsliving in the neighborhood, the responsemust be aggressive. Throw a rock, bang pots

and pans to scare it away. Above all, don’tfeed it and discourage any neighbors fromfeeding it. Make garbage inaccessible.”

Dr. De Stefano’s talk described a seem-ingly unanswerable dilemma: how to be anenvironmentalist, whose first impulse is sav-ing endangered species, and yet insure safety

See Coyote page 12

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Prepare yourself to look at cantalouperinds, potato peelings and used teabags ina totally new way. At a recent workshop

on Composting and Wormy Culture atMillstone Farm, master composters Alexis

Wilcox and Dana Rozanski gave an entirecourse in four fascinating hours, from howto make low-cost compost bins to the cre-ation of the best soil in the world with the

help of wiggly red worms (who like peoplefood) and plump earthworms (who preferwoody twigs and leaves).

Alexis owns Duck Truck Composting,which has a truck that travels around to

schools to give hands-on composting work-shops for children. Duck Truck also doeshome visits to create bins and initiate fami-

lies to the composting habit. Duck Truckis so named because, for attention-getting

purposes, about 100 small plastic ducks siton the front of the truck.Composting is a science, an art and an

individual lifestyle that can be achieved in

the kitchen of an apartment or a many-acreestate. The basic premise is that maintain-ing a compost bin transforms waste – food

scraps, yard trimmings, leaves – into a soil-enhancing mixture that reduces the need

Great soil,great veggies

THE SECRET AGENT? COMPOST!

by Lois Alcosser

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for chemical fertilizers and pro-duces a nutrient rich soil that pro-duces tastier veggies, more beauti-

ful flowers and elevates garbage toreincarnated treasure. (Accordingto the United States Environmental

Protection Agency, the average citi-zen generates 474 pounds of foodwaste yearly.)

First, what kind of compostcontainer should you choose?Composting can be as simple as

adding leaves, grass clippings, foodscraps onto a pile in your backyardand letting it decompose naturally

to the purchase of a manufacturedbin with trays, a turning mecha-nism and other deluxe (and expen-

sive) features. Or, you can build awooden-box bin yourself, using

salvaged wood or discarded wood-en shipping pallets. You might alsotry a simple chicken-wire-meshcircular bin. You can even drill

holes (for aeration) into an oldplastic garbage can.

Microorganisms will eventually When it comes to layering a compost bin, start with such coarsematerials as leaves, shredded and moistened newspapers, stemsand weeds, then add soil or more compost, then add worms andfood scraps and finally, repeat the layers.See Compost page 10

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LOCATION: This expansive home in New Canaan has amenities galore.PROPERTY: More than four acres offer a diversity of settings amidst mature

trees, gardens, a river and a pond. There is a pool, lighted tennis court, aterrace and two gazebos.HOUSE: There are 18 rooms on three levels, including five bedrooms, six

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OUTBUILDINGS: A two-bedroom guest house.PRICE: $5,695,000.REALTY: Brotherhood & Higley.

Agent: Judy Dunn, 203-966-3507.Photography: Bryan Haeffele.

Vacation Home

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August 2011 Home of the Month




break down organic material and turn itinto compost, but if you want more imme-diate action, you’ll need red worms. They

can appear spontaneously, but for thriv-ing compost, you’ll probably need to buysome worms at a bait and tackle store. Red

worms eat “anything that was once living”– that includes coffee grounds, hair clip-pings, egg cartons, and, of course, fruit and

vegetable peelings.For those who’ll be collecting scraps in

the kitchen, there are bins that worms cannever escape from. For those who feel com-posting will attract varmints (rats, mice,

small animals), simply omit meat and dairyproducts. Vegetable compost doesn’t attractvarmints.

Alexis and Dana demonstrated layering– starting with such coarse materials asleaves, shredded and moistened newspaper,

stems and weeds. Add soil or compost andthen worms and food waste. The mixture

has to be turned and kept aerated. The ratioof brown material (leaves) to green material(food scraps) should be 3:1.

Composting takes patience. It may takea year or more to produce true compost.But the process can become a significant

part of your life. You are creating nutritiousearth, giving organic matter new life andchanging wastefulness into usefulness.

Once you get involved, you’ve openedup realms of new discovery – the chemistryof the soil, the biology of microorganisms,

the mystery of nature’s plan. “Just likemaking soup, the more ingredients you

put into your compost, the better it willbe,” Alexis explained. “There’s a procedurecalled nutrient test management that mea-

sures the amount of nutrients in foods. Thehigher the number, the more nutrients.

When a simple food like carrot juice was

tested, store-bought carrots had a score of 2. Carrots grown in a well-composted gar-den scored 12.

For more details about composting, contact Alexis Wilcox at Duck Truck Composting, 203-494-8342, or visit ducktruckcomposting.com; or Millstone Farm in Wilton, 203-834-

2605. ■

Compost continued from page 7

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Passionate about the concepts of re-using, recycling and repurposing, Betsysaid that she encourages her clients to letgo of things that clutter their basements

Betsy K continued from page 3

See Betsy K page 14

A stuff bucket was created from old curtains on the

outside and slipcovers within.

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when a species is harmful to people and theenvironment.

The coyote wasn’t a threat when it wasable to survive on voles and mice. But whennatural habitats are eliminated, where can itgo? Risks can’t be ignored. Deprived wildlife

rarely wander into playgrounds, parks oronto porches, but it can happen. Coyotes areknown to form packs. The endangered spe-cies may be we humans.

So, despite our reverence for nature, dan-ger must be averted, and those who are ada-mantly against all hunting because of its cru-elty to animals should think again. Coyotesand mountain lions are not rabbits, thoughrabbits can enjoy what was to be the family’s

salad. The idea is to make it very clear tocoyotes that your kitchen and your neighbor’skitchen are not sources of food. ■

Coyote continued from page 5

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Box 1019, Ridgefield CT 06877203-438-6544

Jackie Perry, editor Jessica Perlinski, designer

•Thomas B. Nash, publisher

•For advertising information

call 203-438-6544AUGUST 2011 VOL XV, ISSUE 8

Special Section to:

Greenwich Post, The Darien Times, New Canaan Advertiser,

The Ridgefield Press, The Wilton Bulletin,

The Redding Pilot, and The Weston Forum in Connecticut,

and The Lewisboro Ledger in New York

Cover photo (Home of the Month): Bryan Haeffele.

HOME Copyright 2011, Hersam Acorn Newspapers, LLC




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and attics by showing them how their dis-cards would be put to better use.

“I show people how we’re going tobring life back into their things,” Betsysaid. “Our goal is not to trash anything. Wewant to repurpose and re-use it.”

Betsy said that she’s heard many clientsexpress a strong emotional attachment totheir possessions. For example, a womanmight feel that she’s honoring her motherby keeping the special teapot that she

inherited. However, she keeps the teapotin the attic or stored away in a box in thebasement.

“I tell them that nothing will be usedsitting in an attic or a basement. I’m hon-oring your mother because I am putting it

back out there in the world. It can servethe world in a better way if you just arewilling to let it go.”

Once a person is willing to let go andde-clutter their home, they are physically

and emotionally making room for newand exciting things to come into theirlives. “When you give away what you don’tneed, it opens up space for you to receivewhat you really do need in your home andin your life,” Betsy explained.

Since 2003, when she opened BetsyK Home Choreography, Betsy has helpedto make residences more functional for

local families. By transforming the livingenvironment in one room or the wholehouse, Betsy creates a home that trulyserves the needs of the individual family.For example, when one woman’s daughter

left for college and moved into her ownapartment, Betsy helped the mother trans-form the bedroom into a sitting room. Shetackles both small and large projects. Atask may be as simple as putting togethera child’s playroom by ordering and assem-bling furniture and providing decorativeenhancements.

Her work is cost-effective in that she

often re-uses furniture and decorativeaccessories already owned by her clients.She will look around the family’s basementand attic – even in other parts of the house– to find overlooked treasures.

Betsy K continued from page 11

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How can YOU protect your family and your home’s vitalsystems when the power goes out?

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Betsy is also adept at staging a whole

house before it’s put on the real estate mar-ket. The goal is to make the home warmand inviting so that prospective buyers can

visualize themselves living there. “If thehome is empty, I order furniture and make

it an appealing, warm and welcoming

place,” Betsy explained.

For more information about Betsy K HomeChoreography and The Hub in Stamford, goto betsyk.com. ■

What were ordinary chairs now strut their stuff in vivid hues.

B e t s yK r o b o t

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August Home North/South Special Section - Hersam Acorn Newspapers

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