Living

The volunteers of the Springs Library, Meals on Wheels, the food pantry, and other agencies are some of the many faces of dedication to community, speaking to a kind of altruistic giving that Dr. Stephen Post, director of Stony Brook Medicine's Center for Medical Humanities, Compassionate Care, and Bioethics, says is the mark of someone who stands to a live a longer, more fulfilling, and happier life. "There's an endless list of benefits that are well studied," Dr. Post told The Star.

These days, many people are living well into their 80s and 90s. Lois Nesbitt, a longtime yoga instructor and teacher-trainer who lives and works in East Hampton and New York City, specializes in helping older adults maintain their strength, stamina, flexibility, and balance, and has a lot to say about movement for older adults.

In simpler times, the most prevalent scam to be on the lookout for was the so-called "Nigerian Prince" email scam, in which a fraudster would send out an email that persuaded a potential "mark" — often an older adult — to wire them some money in order to trigger the release of a bigger pot of money that was coming the victim's way. More recently, scammers have gotten menacingly creative and even use technology to take advantage of victims.

The enthusiastic booksellers at BookHampton in East Hampton Village want readers of all ages to feel inspired, entertained, informed, and enlightened. But for an older demographic, Jesse Bartel, the store manager, has curated a special summer-reading list.

The Traceys are embarking this season on an expansion that will see them transition from their previous location, a Peconic Land Trust plot of a little under an acre behind Balsam Farm in Amagansett, to a three-acre property on Montauk Highway that was known as Bhumi Farm for a couple of years.

Frederico Azevedo has always been enamored with nature, flowers in particular. “As a child I would rearrange the plants for fun and plant the ingredients for my favorite foods,” he said. “The exciting thing about this medium is how it can make people happy and open up new parts of your life.” His business, Unlimited Earth Care in Bridgehampton, is celebrating a milestone this year.

Let us introduce you to the Landcraft Garden Foundation, the North Fork’s fraternal obverse to Jack Lenor Larsen’s LongHouse Reserve and a paradise that Dennis Schrader and Bill Smith have been building on the North Fork since 1992.

The Star’s hunter-gatherer, Durell Godfrey, went looking for the kind of stuff that Mother Nature would be happy to use — and reuse whenever possible. She loves sustainability, and so will you. Shop locally and thoughtfully.

. . . They’d ask for wallpaper, and they’d ask for Heather Dunn.

The gardens at Home, Sweet Home Museum were dedicated on Sept. 29, 2022, to Loretta Orion, who spent many years restoring and tending them. Ms. Orion, an anthropology professor, a French teacher, an author, a private duty nurse, a seamstress, and an etcher, died in July 2022 at the age of 77. The gardens are always on view for visitors at 14 James Lane.

Doug Tallamy, an entomologist, author, and professor at the University of Delaware, encourages homeowners to think about the role our yards play in the food chain that sustains birds and wildlife. The immense decline of the bird population by one-third over the past 50 years has opened eyes to its urgency.

At first, I liked the bamboo. It was a comforting green wall, separating me from my neighbor’s pool. When the wind blew, it sounded like one hand clapping. At the same time, I found myself thinking, “If the revolution comes, I will dig a trench around my house and fill it with bamboo spears.”

A home vegetable gardener offers some hard won advice for getting the most out of your garden along with what grows best here.

Laura Elizabeth MacPherson and Russell Edward Young of East Hampton were married on Jan. 21 at St. Therese of Lisieux Catholic Church in Montauk with the Rev. Liam McDonald officiating. A reception followed at Scoville Hall in Amagansett.

Elizabeth Rome Mallory and Christopher Robert Stonerook of Brooklyn were married at the Maidstone Club in East Hampton on Nov. 5.

Elizabeth Heppenheimer and Colin Worby of Medford, Mass., were married on Nov. 5 at Hampshire House in Boston, the bar that inspired the “Cheers” TV series. Justice Roseanne Pope officiated.

James Latham Sherrill Webb, a son of Dr. Sheppard Webb and Tania Elizabeth Emma Webb of East Hampton and East Setauket, and Meredith Ann Clavin, the daughter of Nancy and Charles Clavin of Miller Place, were married on Saturday at Mary Immaculate Catholic Church in Bellport.

Emily Lagler Schade of East Hampton and McNally Severn Lee of Manhattan were married on Sept. 10 at the Old Whalers Church in Sag Harbor.

Samantha Whitmore and James Leakos celebrated their marriage on Aug. 13 at the Chateau Lake Louise in Alberta, Canada. The bride is the daughter of Alice and Wayne Whitmore of Amagansett. Mr. Leakos is the son of Mark Leakos of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and the late Wanda Leakos.

Peter Gundersen, a son of Martha and Peter Gundersen of Amagansett, married Samantha Haney, a California native and daughter of Jane and Keith Haney of Gulf Breeze, Fla., on April 16 in Pensacola, Fla. 

Devon Luckey, a daughter of Joanne and Thomas Luckey of Wantagh and Montauk, was married to Jaime Daniel Alava on June 25 at the Montauk Lake Club.

Evan Thomas Lightcap and Lauren Elizabeth Sanford of Cleveland were married on April 30 at the Penny Lane Ranch in Sky Valley, Calif.

Moira and Robert Booth of New Hyde Park and Southold have announced the engagement of their daughter, Katelyn Barbara Booth, to David Charles McGinnis Boak, a son of Kathleen and Charles Boak of Amagansett and New York City.

James V. Wright of Montauk and Ralph Gibson of East Hampton were married on June 15 in a small ceremony at East Hampton Village Hall. Theirs was the first same-sex marriage conducted by Mayor Jerry Larsen.

Love has no age limit. Neither does Match.com, which is how Robert Marshall, 93, and Anne Marshall, 88, found each other.

Who better to understand the power of collaborations between brands than two women with backgrounds in the fashion industry, which seems to rely on the constant merging of brands? With 100 Design Style, Nikki Butler and Brigitte Branconnier created an interior design company that seems to strike the perfect balance between layout, light, color, tactile materials, and a connection to nature.

Rain gardens offer an opportunity to work with nature to restore balance, using the contours of the land to capture water that flows to lower elevations. The plants’ roots absorb rainwater and nitrogen runoff, while the soil filters particulates before they end up in our waterways. And rain gardens are also a way to ameliorate the dramatic loss of 3 billion birds in North America over the past 50 years.

On the list of milestones that allow you, force you even, to reflect back on your life, moving is right up near the top. Efficient packing and smart planning can reduce the angst just a little bit.

Like helicopters and jets, leaf blowers have long been the bane of many a South Fork resident’s existence, each one a portable spewer of pollutants and source of ear-splitting noise. But in towns and villages alike, enough residents got angry and organized, and governments listened. Today, the use of leaf blowers is restricted across the South Fork.

Perhaps making up for two years of lost time, the spring and summer of 2022 will be filled with marvelous workshops, lectures, and benefits here on the South Fork.