Confidential Chat

Fond camp memories Dear Chatters:

I am wondering if there is anyone who remembers Camp Chanrudoma in Winchendon. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, I attended overnight camp and have wonderful memories and met some great friends. However, I believe the camp closed and the property was sold sometime in the mid-to-late 1970s. There used to be reunions, but the last one I know of was held more than 30 years ago. I am wondering if the directors of the camp reopened somewhere else, maybe under a different name. Do any Chatters have memories of Camp Chanrudoma that they would like to share? I feel fortunate to have had the ''overnight camp" experience that so many teens participated in back then. Most of the camps I find currently are specialty camps -- specific sport, special needs, educational or enrichment, etc. There don't seem to be many general-interest camps around anymore. Through the years, I have tried to contact some of the people I befriended in camp, but letters have been returned by the Post Office. I've ''googled" the name of the camp, names of friends, etc, and have come up empty. It seems the camp and anything having to do with it have disappeared from the face of the earth!

J.A. AND T'S MOM

A favorite poem Dear Chatters:

I am searching for the full text of a children's poem about a foghorn that was in print in the '50s. If recollection serves, it was titled, ''Who Are You and Where Am I?," and the first line was ''Whenever I go to sleep at night."

I am hoping to find it and include it as a gift for a friend's 50th birthday -- it was his favorite childhood poem. Any ideas?

NEW DREW

Needs Bernina bobbins Dear Chatters:

I have a Bernina 1000 designer sewing machine that was purchased in 1991. It uses plastic bobbins with a small ''b" on them. My local dealer has advised me that the bobbins are no longer made. The machine must use genuine Bernina bobbins or it does not sew well, despite being tuned up recently.

Does anyone have a source for these bobbins? Thank you in advance.

ADESSA

Valuable items to donate Dear Chatters:

I have some items to give away and am looking for some ideas or suggestions. I have some old books, good condition. These are from 1860 to 1917. I have two grammar school textbooks (one math and one reader) from about 1860. I also have many old poetry books, such as Whittier and Emerson. In addition, I have a large set of dishes (white and very formal) which are a well-known, expensive brand and are like new. Do the readers have any ideas who could make good use of these donations, as I am downsizing? Thanks.

LITTLE LUCY

Jump rope rhyme Dear Chatters:

My daughter loved to jump rope when she was small. Can someone help complete her favorite rhyme? It started: ''I'm a little Dutch girl, dressed in blue. These are the things I like to do. Salute to the captain. Curtsey to the queen. . ." Thanks for your help.

PUNKY'S MOM

Legend of the crystal bowl Dear Chatters:

Does anyone know the legend of the crystal rose bowl? I am giving one as a gift and would like to include the legend. Thank you.

MIMI E

Hand-cranked ice crusherDear Chatters:

I used to have a wall-mounted hand-cranked ice crusher made by Dazey Products. Does anyone know where I can get one today?

FAT FARM MEMBER

Advice on healthcareDear Chatters:

My husband will be retiring from teaching in two years. As he was in the active military and also a reservist and guardsman, he will be eligible to participate in the military TriCare health system upon his retirement. He is also entitled to purchase healthcare from the city where he taught.

I don't know too much about the TriCare system and am hoping that some Chatters out there are familiar with it and can advise me of its pros and cons. Is it something you would recommend? Can you keep your usual physicians, hospitals, etc., or do you have to visit those at a military facility?

Any advice you can provide will be very much appreciated. Thank you.

PATIENT LUCY

Anyone need tote bags? Dear Chatters:

Do you know of an organization that could make use of some cloth or vinyl tote bags? I keep accumulating them from meetings and conferences. They have vendors' names and promotional messages on them so I don't use them myself, but I hate to throw them out because they're in good condition. I'd appreciate your advice.

PURPLE HAZE

Florida quarter found Dear Chatters:

Thank you very much for the many responses I received offering a Florida quarter. I would like to thank MIRACLE OF BIRTH, CEEJAY OF WALPOLE, AND SOMMER OF BOCA RATON. Regrettfully, I do not have the Oregon, Kansas, or West Virginia quarters that RETIRED PROFESSOR'S WIFE wants. I do have enough quarters now, and thank you very much for your responses.

RETIRED TEACHER

Bedridden daughter had her baby Dear Chatters:

Thank you so much for all the letters about my daughter's bedridden pregnancy. The letters were very helpful. They kept her occupied and the great news is she had a beautiful daughter in June. We are so grateful. I will write from time to time to keep all of you posted. Thank you.

GRANKRACKER

Thanks, and one more thing Dear Chatters:

Thank you to all those who responded to my query about ''going to bed by daylight" (poem). If I counted correctly, close to 40 people responded to me. I will put all your names in my scrapbook.

Now I have another question. There used to be a saying, ''when thunder and lightning come, you can count how far away it is by the interval between them. Each second denotes a mile away." Makes me wonder about the difference in time between light and sound.

ALWAYS CLIPPING

A great surprise Dear Chatters:

I want to send a (very belated) thank you to all the people who sent me recipes for pumpkin bread (my request for a pumpkin recipe that many years ago had been part of an advertisement in the Globe for the One Pie pumpkin company was published in Chat in March). Chat sent me a large envelope of recipes submitted by a lot of people. While the recipes all looked interesting, they were not exactly the one I wanted. Imagine my great surprise when, almost five months after my original request, I got another slim envelope in the mail from Chat. Inside was a photocopy of the advertisement with the recipe! THE BIRDS AND THE BEES had photocopied her copy and sent it to me.

I cannot tell you how thrilled I am to have this recipe again and how much I am looking forward to baking the bread. I appreciate very much that THE BIRDS AND THE BEES sent this to Chat. Thank you to Chat for this service.

ES and JJ

Pork pie recipe SUGAR, who wanted a recipe for pork pie, sends thanks to everyone who responded, including TEXAS GIRL, FRENCHY, GOODIE'S GIRL, JANE BEAUPRE, BEVERLY QUILTER, EAMON'S NANA, PROUD LIBRARIAN, MEDICO'S DAUGHTER, BLUE IS BEAUTIFUL, and GRATEFUL IN MARLBOROUGH, whose recipe appears below.

Tourtiere (Pork Pie)

You can prepare this in advance and freeze it uncooked until you are ready to bake.

1 prepared pie crust (top and bottom) for 9-inch pan

1 pound ground pork

1 onion, finely choppped

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Salt and pepper, to taste

3 boiled potatoes, mashed

Combine the ground pork and onion in a skillet and cook until nearly done. Add the remaining seasoning and mashed potatoes, and then mix well.

Set up bottom pie crust in a pie plate. Turn pork mixture into the pie crust. Top mixture with upper crust. Poke small slits in the upper crust to allow steam to escape.

Bake in a 350 degree for 45 to 50 minutes, until cooked through and the crust is lightly browned.

Confidential Chat is a forum for Globe readers to exchange ideas, advice, or helpful information on any subject. Letters should be addressed to Confidential Chat, Living/Arts, The Boston Globe, P.O. Box 55819, Boston MA 02205-5819, or via e-mail to chat@globe.com. Writers should choose a pen name but include real name and address (for our files only) in order for the letter to be printed. When a letter is addressed to a writer, it is always forwarded and may also be printed.