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Reprinted with Permission by The Vermont Standard

8/18/19

This seems to be our summer to hop around to various lakes. This past weekend, Tom & I were visiting friends on Pontoosuc Lake in MA. I would imagine that our local lakes were well populated this weekend with the warm weather and folks squeezing in summer activities before school begins in another week or so.

It appears that the insects are liking the heat & humidity. Our walk this evening was full of flying creatures. I believe they are called darners – large dragonflies that were zooming all around us gobbling up smaller insects!

There was a large crowd at the Community Luncheon this past week. Thanks to everyone who contributed food items (Katherine Pingree, Kathy Lynds, and Joy Donnelly), interesting travel stories (Rodrick Pingree), and the teens and staff from Windsor Youth who help to serve and cleanup. It is a team effort with others opening and locking up the church, setting up and making coffee, plus those who circulate and make sure everyone is comfortable! We are always looking for help with this monthly community endeavor, so let me know if you would like to help.  The next luncheon will be Thursday, 9/19.

The final Grace Coolidge Musicale will take place at 4 PM on Sunday, 8/25 with pianists Abigail Charbeneau and Susan Cobb performing music by American composers George Gershwin and Amy Beach. These concerts have been named in honor of the former first lady who was famous for her Sunday afternoon musicales at the White House. This series, organized by the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation, is sponsored by the Alma Gibbs Donchian Foundation. For further information, visit www.historicsites.vermont.gov

Reprinted with permission by The Vermont Standard

8/12/19

Oh my, the season is changing. All the signs are there. Darkness is coming earlier, the ferns are browning, and my late phlox are blooming. Even a few leaves are changing on the Tyson/Reading road. But, “wait”, I want to say. I am having so much fun with summer activities – splashing in lakes both near & far; riding my bike after a two year hiatus; eating outside on the deck. Alas, time marches on and so must we….

Yet, there are many enjoyable events yet to come, so prepare to be part of them. For instance, this week is the Community Luncheon that takes place downstairs at Tyson Church. Open to all – come enjoy lasagna, salad, and dessert, plus a travel discussion at 11:15.

Upcoming events include the hilarious spoof on the work of the Bard. None other than “Shakespeare Alive” is happening again at the Union Christian Church at the Historic Site on Saturday, 8/31 at noon. Professional actors provide a provocative and entertaining time with fast-paced lines delivered with professional precision to tickle your funny bone. Don’t miss it!

As usual, the Folk & Blues Festival will take place on Labor Day weekend. It will include a nice variety of music by talented musicians from here and there. It will happen both Saturday, 8/31 and Sunday, 9/1 afternoons and although ideally it will happen outside on the grass, the church will be available in case of rain. More details will follow.

Registered voters, don’t forget to review the proposed Town Plan so you can vote knowledgeably on Tuesday, 9/10, at the Town Hall between 10:00 am and 7:00 pm. It has been carefully prepared and you can read it on the Plymouth website or pick up a copy n the Town Clerk’s Office.

Lastly, I would be remiss if I did not mention that Julia Kowalski did a great job when she joined the cast of “ klahoma” on stage on Saturday evening at the Weston Playhouse. It was a high energy performance and she fit right in!

Reprinted with permission by The Vermont Standard

8/4/19

We are into August – where does the time go! It already seems to be getting dark earlier, but here is hoping we have many more delightful days before the weather turns. These cooler nights are great for sleeping!

Although the crowd seemed a bit smaller, there were still plenty of people on hand for Old Home Day at the Notch. I was mainly helping at the Emergency Services BBQ, so I didn’t get to see all of the other activities, but this adorable little girl, Avery, with the American Flag was just too cute not to get a picture. Her dad, Matthew Denhart is the Executive Director of the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Foundation.

Coming up this next weekend is the Tyson Ladies Aid Bazaar that will be held at the Veterans Park in Ludlow from 10 – 2 on Saturday, 8/10 or the Ludlow Community Center in case of rain. Members have been busy creating marvelous baskets for the raffle – something for everyone, even ones that will interest men shoppers. Worth checking out!

The luscious chicken BBQ will take place at noon, but the Bake Table will be loaded with wonderful goodies as well. The Book Sale may need to be expanded to two tables his year, so come peruse, then simply fill a bag and make a donation.

This fundraising event helps to ensure the continued good works of TLA – scholarships for graduating seniors from both BRHS and WUHS, upkeep of Tyson Library, and meeting many other community needs.

Thanks to the several local folks who will be preparing food for the 8/15 Community Luncheon downstairs at Tyson Church.  Come around 11:15 to chat and hear some travel stories before we dive into lasagna, salad and dessert. There is no charge, but donations are always accepted. We really appreciate the help provided by teens from Windsor County Youth Services with serving and cleanup.

After so many years in the community and I might add for us a number of delicious dinners at the Inn at Waters Edge, there is a tinge of sadness bidding farewell to Bruce and Tina. It will be a well-deserved rest, however, and we wish them well.

More properties are changing hands these days.

1) 8 Acres off Route 100; $275,000 State of Vermont, Dept. of Forests, Parks, and Recreation to Markowski Excavating, Inc.

2) 45 Kingdom Rd $895,000 Bruce and Tina Verdrager to Waters Edge, LLC

3) 1830 Lynds Hill Rd $87,000 Thomas and Linda Rossi to Philip O’Brien and Catherine Newman

4) 743 Chapman Rd $250,000 Denis Young to Ian and Laura Harbage

5) 199 Kingdom Rd $470,000 Jonathan Vosburgh to Cecil and Leslie Allgoo

Reprinted with permission by The Vermont Standard

7/29/19

We were away this weekend visiting family on Oneida Lake in NY.  We are so fortunate to have our lovely little lakes in our area but I realized that they are pretty small by comparison!  In any case, it is still wonderful to pull right up and take a dip on these hot days.

This coming weekend will be Old Home Day at the Notch.  Festivities on Saturday, 8/3 take place from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.   You can enjoy craft and farm demonstrations, wagon rides, music, chicken barbecue by Plymouth Emergency Services and much more.

Stop at the church at 11 to learn more about Moxie (President Coolidge’s favorite soft drink) from Merrill Lewis, president of the New England Moxie Congress, who has co-authored a book that can be purchased and signed.  After enjoying the noontime delicious  chicken BBQ, at 2:47 p.m. you can attend the reenactment of Calvin Coolidge’s 1923 Homestead Inaugural with Coolidge family members on the Homestead porch.

There will be so many activities for all ages and lively music by local favorite, Adam Boyce. I am not going to mention everything that will be happening, but come enjoy this delightful experience for your eyes, ears, & taste buds (food samples, too).

Speaking of food, I already have a dessert for the 8/15 Community Luncheon, but volunteers are needed to make the entree and sides. Although not a church function, Tyson Church very graciously reimburses for the main course ingredients.  Anyone want to lend a hand?  This monthly event provides a nice lunch break and an opportunity to get to know folks in the area!  Still working on a speaker, too.

Reprinted with permission from The Vermont Standard

7/21/19

I am writing this on Sunday afternoon and just realized that I am going to miss the Grace Coolidge Musicale that will be taking place shortly! Pianist, Abigail Charbeneau and mezzo-soprano, Ellen Nordstrom will be performing and part of me regrets not being there.  I, however, will be swimming in Echo Lake at the invitation of a friend.  Life is full of difficult choices….

The recent weather seems so unVermont-like lately.  It is not often that the nights remain in the 70s, but that has happened for a couple of nights now.  Although we live in the woods, I do like to open up the house at night to let the cool air in, then close it during the day if the temps are going to rise appreciably.  No cool air circulating last night!

Late afternoon on Saturday, we were at a delightful party in Woodstock and the breeze made all the difference, especially in the shade. As we cruised by Camp Plymouth State Park, the beach was not as packed as anticipated, but I imagine folks were gathered on the grass under the trees; only emerging long enough to dunk themselves in the clear, relatively cool lake water.

Thanks to Windsor County Youth Services for handling the BBQ for the monthly Community Luncheon last Thursday and to others who assisted with food items.  Our speaker was Tayo Kirshhof, Director of the Ottauquechee Health Foundation.  She provided information about their wonderful programs.  Their goal of fostering health and wellness includes provision of caregiver and other referral services, plus respite and good neighbor grants.  It is no secret that medical care costs can easily get out of hand, so they strive to help make these expenses less devastating and more manageable.  Check out WWW.ohfvt.org.

On Thursday the Reading Group viewed the documentary that led to the novel, The Rent Collector, that we read in May.  It was overwhelming to see the way the folks lived in that dump in Cambodia, yet their resilience was admirable.   It has since been closed.  Our next book selection is Where the Crawdads Sing by Della Owens.  It is about a murder in a small town in NC.  The author notes that: “we are forever shaped by the children we once were, and that we are all subject to the beautiful and violent secrets that nature keeps.”  Consider reading it and joining us for discussion on 8/29.