All kinds of things

This was another very full weekend. Friday, we had lunch in Wilmington, VT (about 18 miles from our house) at Dot's Restaurant with Marcia Dorey, a retired UCC minister who was in a couple of classes I taught decades ago and whom I haven't seen for a while. She broke her neck in a car accident a year or so ago, and had to wear a brace for some time, but is out of the brace now and seems to be doing fine. She told us about a new company in Wilmington, called WheelPad, which builds what you might call a tiny house on wheels, except it is only a bedroom and bathroom on wheels. It is designed for people with physical disability who want a quick accessible bed and bath attached to their house. She said there was a model to look at just outside Wilmington, so we went to take a look, the idea being we might attach it to John and Cynthia's house. It is interesting -  it's attractive, and very functional. It's in a very different architectural style, and we don't know the cost yet. But worth looking into more.

A WheelPad. We learned later they cost $75,000! Too much!

Friday evening was a Dummerston Church Choir rehearsal, which went well. We were rehearsing Jeremiah Ingalls' Wedding Hymn, and it was complicated because I wanted a different combination of voices on each of the five verses, so there was a lot to keep track of. But the choir was very game about it. We were doing Wedding Hymn because Shawn was preaching on Jesus' appearance at the wedding at Cana, in John, chapter 2, and Wedding Hymn starts out with a reference to that. During rehearsal, one of our basses cried out excitedly that their mother goat was giving birth to kids at that moment - an event they had been anticipating for some time. After rehearsal, Ellen and I went to their place and saw the two new kids!

Mama goat with one of her kids

 Late Friday evening, actually after midnight, my granddaughter, Katie, arrived from Brooklyn. She had only Saturday and Sunday off, so she left after work Friday. She used ZipCar as a rental agency - you go through an app on your phone, locate a car in a parking garage near your apartment, pick it up and drive it off! She was tired but happy to be here. We talked a while and then all went to bed. Almost 2 a.m.

Saturday morning, I sang with Hallowell at a memorial service for Chuck Ratte at his home in Saxton's River. I first met Chuck 45 years ago when I was on the dean's staff at Windham College in Putney and he was a faculty member in Geology. He was also Vermont State Geologist and had quite a bit to do back in the 70's in getting Vermont off the list of possible sites for nuclear waste storage. It was a service outdoors under a tent on a beautiful day in a beautiful location. Katie wanted to sleep late so it didn't really take away much time from her visit, fortunately. It was a lovely service, we sang four songs, and were much appreciated. My friend Arthur Westing, also Windham faculty, took a photo and sent it. There were a lot of old Windham College folks there. Almost a reunion. Windham closed in 1978. It's campus is now Landmark College.

Hallowell at Chuck Ratte's service

John came over Saturday afternoon and for the rest of the day we all just snacked and talked about Katie's job, her love for Vermont and wanting to have a "root" down in Vermont, etc. Ellen and Katie did go over and visit Eliza, Sarah and the new baby. A good day!

Sunday morning, Katie came to church with us and sang in the choir. John and Cynthia were there. Choir went really well. We had four sopranos, two altos, two tenors and four basses! But the way I had variously arranged voices for the verses of Wedding Hymn, the balance was actually quite good.

After church, we had some snacks at the coffee hour and then came home, had a an additional quick snack for those who wanted it, and Katie was off for NYC by a little after 1pm. A good visit. John and Cynthia had things to get to, so they took off, I went down and got the NYTimes, and worked on Spelling Bee, and then Ellen went to a tea party at Eliza's and I went to a Windham-Union Association Meeting in Bellows Falls. An interesting meeting where the topic was on using cartooning as a means of communication in the church! Not the usual topic.  We all got a crash course in cartooning and were given the opportunity to express the story of Pentecost in cartoon form (Acts 2- where the Spirit descends like  "tongues of fire" on the heads of the disciples and they speak in many "tongues" - in foreign languages which are understood by many visitors who are amazed at hearing their own language being spoken by "Galileans"). I'm not much of a cartoonist, but here is my product. 

Pentecost in cartoon form by LCC

Today I met with a Brattleboro Hospice staff person to talk about the early years - I was part of the founding group of Hospice in Brattleboro and served on the Board in the early 1980s. So I shared memories and dredged up some names. Then I did a bunch of errands including a trip to the landfill - much needed - with both trash and lots of recycling items. All part of getting ready for our trip to Wyoming. But Paul called today and reported that they had been thrown a curve ball - the condo which they had been told they could stay in until end of June was suddenly sold, and they have to be out by June 13th. That's where we were going to stay, so we're not sure how that will be resolved. We'll see!