Indian Summer's official beginning was Friday the 12th of November according to the 2004 Old Farmers Almanac. While the old farmer didn't say anything about the inch or two of snow that turned the world white on Saturday morning, we have to give
Indian Summerâs official beginning was Friday the 12th of November according to the 2004 Old Farmers Almanac. While the old farmer didnât say anything about the inch or two of snow that turned the world white on Saturday morning, we have to give him credit for the nice stretch of sunny, dry days that followed. We could almost be tempted to forget that December is just around the corner and Thanksgiving less than a week away.
Got your turkey yet? Whether you belong to bread and onions and giblets stuffing school (or the sausage and apples or cornbread, sage, and celery crowd) itâs time to pull out those dog-eared, gravy-stained recipe cards and stock up on ingredients. Thanksgiving is when everyone gathers for the traditional turkey dinner, yet each person brings his or her own taste preferences to the table. Pumpkin pie or mince, dark meat or white, candied yams or mashed potatoes, everyone has an opinion and isnât shy about voicing it. Sometimes there are debates about when the meal should be eaten. At 2 pm in between football games, at 4 pm after a long walk in the woods, or at 7 pm when everyone is finally too hungry and grateful to be sitting down together to complain about anything.
The almanac also mentions that on Tuesday, November 22, âall skunks hibernate now.â This, too, might be a useful thing to know while weâre taking that walk in the woods. As for me, Iâm thinking of hibernating myself, but Iâll do it inside the house, next to the wood fire and not before the Thanksgiving leftovers have been distributed.
Bill and Evy Watts probably wonât be hibernating much this holiday season. They won a new Mercedes in a Danbury Rotary Club raffle and now theyâre ready to hit the road for any reason at all.
The Watts arenât the only ones with a new vehicle. The Newtown Police Department has just received a new dark blue Ford Explorer sport-utility vehicle to be used as a sergeantâs vehicle for supervisory work. The Explorer replaces a larger Ford Expedition that the police had used for several years but had worn out. Police will use a new lighting array on the SUV, different from the emergency lights that were used on the former vehicle. Sergeant John Cole, who will be one of the supervisors using the new SUV, said this week that it is a fine vehicle.
Iâm looking at the fenced-off area on the north side of Edmond Town Hall where a new elevator addition is planned to be built, and I am wondering when thatâs going to happen. The area has been fenced off to traffic for months.
While driving on Main Street this week, I saw workmen busy constructing the new Dana-Holcombe House and realized that due to its most prominent location next to the Newtown Meeting House and the Main Street flagpole, the new bed-and-breakfast is sure to become the townâs next landmark. Some of the construction seemed to spill out into Main Street as workers searched for the main for the gas connection to the new building. The gas main was nowhere near where they expected to find it; it was buried about three feet into the roadway.
Saturdayâs snowstorm caused the postponement of the stringing of the lights on the tree at the Ram Pasture, but Stan Perrone, Dan Dalton, and the other volunteers expect to be out this weekend with the cherry picker. Besides the lights, the crew will put the new eight-foot star atop the tree Saturday morning, weather permitting.
The members of St Rose of Lima Church, Newtown Congregational Church, Congregation Adath Israel, and The Knights of Columbus are joining forces again to bring some fellowship and joy to individuals and families in the greater Newtown-Danbury area this week. There will be a hot dinner served at the parish hall at St Rose of Lima Church on Thanksgiving, starting at noon. Meals will also be delivered. Anyone who wants to help to serve or deliver, or to attend as a guest, should contact Charlie Hettenbach at 426-0732.
Looks like Gordon Williams has given up raking leaves. What looked like a dozen youth were busy at his house on Sunday, raking up the leaves and earning money for the Congregational Church Work Camp. Gordon, meanwhile, was leisurely walking to the Curtiss House for the Historical Society open house. The last time he raked the leaves he spent months hauling them away, so he decided enough was enough, and retired from leaf duty.
I think itâs time for me to retire from duty â at least for this week. But Iâll be back next week, so be sure toâ¦
Read me again.