Thanksgiving report

We are in the last day of the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend. It is a beautiful day in Dummerston, VT - sunny and relatively mild for the season. We are fortunate indeed! Thanksgiving Day was, of course, unusual this year. No in-person gatherings. Ellen and I had our thanksgiving dinner sitting by our fireplace: turkey drumstick (for me; white meat for Ellen), squash, mashed potato and gravy, stuffing and cranberry sauce, plus a choice of apple pie, pumpkin pie or mincemeat turnover  - a very traditional meal. Ellen had bought a very inexpensive 13lb. turkey - $4.00! But it had no pop-out button - it was cheap for a reason. Result - it was undercooked. Not a common thing for master chef, Ellen, believe-you-me!  So I didn't finish my drumstick. But everything else was delicious. But - it was a busy day with three Zoom sessions: (1)with Rob, Katie, Kate (all in Santa Fe), John and Cynthia at about 1pm; (2)with the Phil and Deborah McKean/Jacob families (about 30 persons in all) at 3:30pm, and (3)Katie, Savanna, Brendon, Tye, B, Dusty and Dorothy at about 6pm. So we felt very connected. 

Here are some Thanksgiving meals:

John and Cynthia's meal:    

Layered Enchilada, roasted brussels sprouts, potatoes and mushroom gravy.               Apple sauce from our wild apples hadn't made it onto the table yet.

The Shay meal in Santa Fe:

                                                                Turkey & stuffing 

                                                                Braised red cabbage 

                                                                Beans, cranberry, pickled radishes 

                                                                And of course the walnut balls

Hot turkey sandwich on Friday at our house

Friday, we had a quiet day: I read an entire novel, Wildlife, by Richard Ford, which Ellen had recommended. It is told from the perspective of a 16-year-old boy watching his parents' marriage unravel over a period of about four days. Masterfully done!  I also did something I have not done for months - I went to the pool. Yes, it is open, but under very restricted conditions. All I did was use a couple of pieces of exercise equipment just to exercise my body. I had the exercise room to myself.  Unfortunately, the hot tub is closed, as is everything else except the gym and the lap pool: no changing room, no showers, no steam room, no water aerobic pool, etc. The staff cleans the equipment you used as soon as you finish with it. I think it was entirely safe. 

Saturday, I slept late, had more leftovers, did the Spelling Bee, transcribed some Jerome tapes, and we both forgot a Feinland family Zoom session - quelle domage! However, John put me on to a talk about "how to buy a telescope" coming out of the Dublin Academy (New Hampshire) observatory, which was fascinating, even though I am not contemplating buying a telescope. I learned that there are three basic types of telescopes: 1) refraction (the traditional type); (2) Newtonian reflective, and in particular, Dobsonian (the best bang for the buck), and (3) the composite Schmidt-cassegrain type - the best all-round including photography. Avoid all box-store telescopes (junk). You can do really  well in the $500-900 range, but of course they can get up into the thousands. Here is the Schmidt-cassegrain type:

Diagram showing interior construction: a combination of lenses and mirrrors

Eric, the speaker, showing a real telescope of this type

Today was an outstanding 1st Sunday in Advent church service at Guilford Church, featuring a beautiful anthem, I Believe, based on an inscription coming out of the Holocaust:

            I believe in the sun, even when it is not shining;

            I believe in love, even when I don't feel it;

            I believe in God, even when God is silent.

You can find it by going to YouTube, searching "Guilford Community Church" and scrolling for "I Believe anthem." 

Later today we may get to Grandma Miller's bakery. We're out of morning-glory muffins. 

Helping get out the vote in Georgia

Ellen signed us up to send letters to Georgia to help get out the vote in the January run-off election for two Senate seats. So today we mailed fifty letters to Democratic residents of Lawrenceville, GA, a NE suburb of Atlanta. The letters had the letterhead of the Gwinnett County Democratic Party (which was also the return address of the outer envelope). The letters were supplied, but we had to sign them, add a personal, hand-written note, fold the letter, include an Application  for Absentee Ballot Form (which had to be folded), and an envelope to put the form into; address the envelope, stuff it with the packet, stamp it (stamps supplied by us) and seal it. Ellen signed, wrote the note and addressed the envelopes, and I did all the folding, stuffing, stamping and sealing. We were fascinated by the names of the recipients (very diverse in background), and we had fun looking up addresses and seeing the homes people lived in on Zillow. Good job done!

Letters ready to be mailed

A Fine Late November Day

 Today it is sunny and in the low 50's - a fine day for Nov. 20th. I just met with Jerome Holland to do some final work on the booklet I am creating about his life. I think another session will just about do it. He and Margaret led Prayers of the People last Sunday in the Guilford service. That was very special. Ellen is busy making pies for the Guilford Church's Pie-Through, a drive-by pie sale tomorrow. We were pleased to learn at the church Annual Meeting last Sunday that pledges have gone up this year - that is remarkable for a pandemic year!

Jerome and Margaret doing the Prayers of the People

Just a brief note

Running late, so I'll just say that we're doing OK and put up a couple of photos:

Brendon with the lantern he made

The beautiful light of mid-November from off our deck. This is a favorite time of year for me because of the light and the bare trees

A box of chocolates for Ellen for her birthday from Jerry and Maggie, via Wilbur's of Maine. They are good!!

 

Happy Birthday Ellen!

Sunday was Ellen’s birthday. I think it was a lovely day for her. Robin brought a little cake for her:

                                          Ellen’s birthday cake with one of the lanterns she made.

Sunday was a full day. We had church in the morning, followed by the annual meeting of the church (via Zoom). I think more people attended by Zoom than normally do in-person. Then we had a little time for ourselves before a 3pm Zoom meeting of the Windham-Union Association of UCC Churches. Again, the attendance was good. I'm really wondering if we'll be using Zoom even after the pandemic is over - it is much easier to go to a meeting that way. I had arranged for our guest speaker, who was Dr. Stephen Ray, President of Chicago Theological Seminary.  I have gotten to know him through a Wednesday Noon session held by CTS via Zoom every week. We would never have been able to have him as a speaker in-person. So, score another win for Zoom. He spoke on the theme: What now for the church? When we invited him, we had no idea what the result of the election would be, so we left it open-ended: looking out at the world, what is the most important thing Christians should be doing in this moment? His answer? Working for justice in the public arena so that EVERYONE can thrive there. There is a lot packed into that statement, so he unpacked it, and we had a good Q&A session following.  I think it was a good meeting. 

Dr. Stephen Ray, President of Chicago Theological Seminary

In the evening it rained like crazy - our spring is really high now - so we listened to the radio, played Scrabble (Ellen won), and then watched The Crown on Netflix on the phone. We are burning thru data like crazy on the iPhone what with all these Zoom sessions and movies! It is our major link with the world. 

Surprise!!

Late last evening, about 11pm, Ellen and I heard an unfamiliar cry of an animal outside in the woods east of the house. It was a short, raspy cry, at about 5-6 second intervals, and went on for some time. At one point, I went out on the deck to hear it better, and it seemed to be fairly close and moving up the mountain. I came into the house and thought maybe I could get a recording of it with the phone. By the time I got the phone, it seemed very close by, and before I knew it, I heard footsteps on the deck! It was big! What was it? I turned on the lights that illuminate the deck, and OMG!  There was a black bear right outside the door! It was a small bear, the size of a large dog. It was startled by the light and pretty quickly turned and ran off  the deck, but   not before we got a good look. We couldn’t believe it! We actually saw a bear 🐻 on our deck!  I have no idea what drew it up on the deck. There was no food there. No bird feeder. And why was it crying earlier? Amazing!

Where did THAT week go?

Gosh, it's been a week since my last post! I can't think of a good  explanation for that. It is partly because we had Brendon as a house guest Tuesday afternoon to Thursday afternoon, and I think that altered the rhythm of things. Brendon just wanted a change of venue - he has been stuck at home for weeks. I don't think of us as being very exciting, but he seemed to have a good time. He and Ellen made lanterns on Wednesday. Ellen got the idea from Robin when we went to the Davis' for supper around their fire pit. They are made by blowing up a balloon, then covering the balloon with strips of waxed paper, Elmer's glue and fall leaves, letting that get good and dry, so that it forms a hard shell, then popping the balloon and pulling it out from inside the shell. Here we are at the fire pit but there are no balloon lanterns in this photo. I'll get one later.

At the Davis'

                      Lanterns at the Davis’

The other things we did with Brendon were: (1)drive to Grandma Millers'  bakery to get Morning Glory Muffins and  (2)watch episodes of Northern Exposure that Brendon brought with him.  I had seen at least one episode years ago, but hardly knew it - it's fun. Also, Bonnie Hull "Marco Polo-ed" us while Brendon was with us - and I responded with a video of what we were doing that included this shot of Brendon:

                                              

                                                                         Brendon

Otherwise, let's see. We went to the Feinlands last Saturday and had an early outdoor Thanksgiving because it looks like family gatherings for the real Thanksgiving are going to be against Vermont's COVID-19 protocols. We lucked out with a beautiful, warm, sunny day! Both Ellen and Julie contributed to a meal set out on the porch buffet-style.  Brother Jim Tolles in Maine sent a "scratch  track" for recording the Somerset Wassail song for a Zoom family Christmas event and the Feinland family recording themselves singing along with it, and I took a photo of them doing that:

The Feinland family (Max is in Boulder)

The deck is done!

Mike finished rebuilding the deck today. He is a good worker, and a hard and steady one as well. I am pleased with the result. He arrived at 7a.m. this morning and worked steadily until about 3pm. At noon or so he was joined by his friend,  Adam (who is a realtor in Newfane) to help him put back up the metal sheets - a two-person job. Everything looks really solid, and it should last for a long time. One less thing a potential buyer will have to worry about, and we should get a lot of enjoyment out of it as well. The new pressure-treated wood will need to weather a bit before we stain it - a job for next summer. Here are a few shots:

This is how it looks now

Mike and Adam finishing up nailing down decking

This shows how the new joists sister the old ones

Tomorrow, Ellen will deliver a meal to Tony and Margaret Dale Barrand, and then we will go down to Northhampton and have an early Thanksgiving meal outside with the Feinlands. It promises to be a beautiful day weather-wise, so we are taking advantage of that. We'll all  be wearing masks and be socially distanced, so it should be safe and enjoyable.

Election Day memories

Today the long-awaited and anticipated day has finally arrived: Election Day 2020. Bound to become a memorable day! At the moment, I am sitting in the car outside the Dummerston Church, which is the Town of Dummerston official polling place. That's right - a holdover, I guess,  from the era when town and church were combined. The Lower level of the church where Sunday school is held is also equipped with voting booths. Normally they are folded up against the wall and serve as cork bulletin boards, but today they swing out and become booths.  There seem to be no lines at all at the moment. Not too many cars in the parking lot either. We were told by Eliza Bergh (who is now apart-time Assistant Town Clerk), that 70% of. registered voters in Dummerston had voted absentee.  Ellen is actually back at the house making two kinds of soup for the poll workers for supper. They'll enjoy that!! So I need to be back a bit after 4:00pm so she can deliver the soup by 4:30pm. That gives me about 1 1/2 hours to blog.

Earlier today, we drove over to Keene, to Ted's Shoes and Sport, to pick up a new pair of New Balance sneakers, size 12B. They feel good on my feet, and I am hopeful that they will take care of my foot problem. You can sort of see them here:

My new sneakers!

I am remembering what is probably the most memorable election day of my life: the Election of 1952. The election itself was not hugely consequential, but the day was memorable for me personally. Here is the story:

I was a senior at Drury College in Springfield, MO. I was 19 years old, and thus not able to vote - you had to be 21 to vote in those days. But my roommate, David Sweet, was very politically involved and a passionate Democrat. The candidates that year were General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Republican, and Gov. Adlai Stevenson of Illinois, the Democrat. David was an avid Stevenson supporter, and he announced that he wanted to be in Springfield, IL, Stevenson's home, that evening, to hear Stevenson give his acceptance speech (he was sure he would win). Did I want to go with him? I was always up for an adventure, so I said yes. Neither of us owned a car, so our only mode of transportation was to hitchhike! Much more common back then than it is today. If we left first thing in the morning we figured we could make it in time to hear the speech - a trip of about 250 miles or so.

We walked out to the edge of town to Highway 66 (yes! that famous highway) to St. Louis, put out our thumbs, and - WOW! The first car to stop was a soldier heading to Peoria, IL! He would go right by Springfield, IL! We would be there by noon! Amazing! We had less than an hour to congratulate ourselves, however. About 50 miles down the road, the engine on the car conked out. It just stopped running. I forget what the problem was - I think maybe it was a timing chain - something major, in any case. So there we were, and now we were faced with a dilemma. The car was a convertible, and it was packed with the soldier's possessions. He had to hitchhike to a phone and get a tow-truck (no cell phones back then), and  he was loathe to leave his car unattended because there was no way to secure it. He asked us if we could stay with the car and guard it while he went for help. That would delay us, but we were nice guys and we felt we could still make it to Spfld. IL in time. So we said yes. It turned out that it took over two hours for him to get back with a tow-truck, but it was only about 11am - we could still make it!

Problem was that our luck changed. Nobody stopped for a long time, and we got only short rides when we did manage to get a ride at all. It was late evening when our ride dropped us off at a filling station right at the Chain of Rocks Bridge over the Mississippi River at St. Louis. We weren't even in Illinois yet! We went inside very discouraged, and heard a radio playing. Someone was speaking - it was Adlai Stevenson! And he was giving his concession speech! He had lost the election! (Stevenson carried only ten states: Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South and North Carolina, Kentucky and West Virginia! That's how much the electoral map has changed!). 

So that was the end of that! Nothing to be done but head back to Drury. And what do you know - a guy in a Lincoln Continental pulled in for gas heading west - an Air Force Colonel as I recall - and when we explained our plight, he said - "climb in!"  We were able to get some sleep in the back seat (nice car!!) and we were back in the dorm in a few hours. We were actually back in time to get breakfast and make an 8 o'clock class! 

So that was Election Day 1952

Four years later, Eisenhower ran for re-election and Stevenson ran against him again! That hasn't happened many times in U.S. history. Stevenson lost again, of course (despite the fact that Eisenhower had a major heart-attack in 1955!). In 1956, Stevenson  carried only seven states: Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South and North Carolina! He failed to carry his home state of Illinois in both 1952 and 1956! But he was a fine man, and an outstanding speaker. But he was up against a very popular general who had "won" WW2 in  Europe. 

My college roommate, David Sweet

David went on to become a college President - first at Minnesota Metropolitan State University, and then at Rhode Island College. 

The Candidates in 1952

The spring is up!

 And I mean UP!! I could almost reach in and touch it! About 17 feet - up from c. 4 feet. Showers tonight! Yay!!! This has happened other years - suddenly the ground is saturated and -  whoosh!!

Earlier this afternoon we went down to the Guilford Church to plant bulbs in memory of loved ones. Today is All Saints Day. I planted bulbs in memory of Shirley and Betsey. Ellen planted too. There were four others there also,  and Pastor Elisa read some poems and prayers. Very much worth doing!

Ellen planting

Where we planted