The Healing Journey

January 6, 2026

The Windmill is one of the oldest neighborhood taverns in America, a landmark at 400 Hollister Street in Stratford since 1934. It has many loyal patrons and curious customers over the years who heard its menu included “the #1 hot dog in the country,” according to the Boston Globe.

As kids, Margaret and Kathy were there at least once a week, when their father took the family for chili dogs and the famed kielbasa and sauerkraut. While he had a few drinks at the bar, they sat in the booth with their mother, waiting for their order. And very often they had a takeout order and would drive a half hour to get there and a half hour back home with their hotdogs, hamburgers, kielbasa and fries.

That was a long time ago, but an enduring memory they would dust off whenever their children wanted to know about their grandparents. Their father Joe had passed away 25 years ago and their mother Dolly a few years later. And when they visited the cemetery and saw the dates of their births they realized that January 6, 2025 would have been their father’s 100th birthday, so it didn’t take them long to agree that their families should go to the Windmill for lunch on that day in their father’s honor.

The tavern hadn’t changed much in all those years, except that the menu was a bit more trendy with arugula salad and nachos and several other dishes for young adults. The neighborhood bar was busy as usual.

So they each had a chili dog with the works and a kielbasa on rye with sauerkraut in honor of their father, who had given them such a rich life with so many memories.

“Happy birthday, Dad!” they said as they each took a forkful of the slice of chocolate cake with a candle the waitress had brought them. “Happy birthday, Dad, wherever you are! We hope it’s the good place!”
©J Pisani

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