Drove to the wind farm this afternoon seeking some peace. My hunters often find peace in a tree stand, I search for it on a river bank or at the wind farm among other places.
It has been a long week for so many in our community. I take the Quincy paper and each day’s paper is filled with new covid cases and deaths as well as the fact that the hospital is at full capacity and if they were able to make more beds , that staffing would still be a problem. Yet not a day goes by in Plymouth that I do not see a gathering of people. Wear a mask and social distance. These are easy things to do and just might help you or someone you love to stay healthy.
Our community suffered several losses this week. Jack O’Neal passed away on Sunday. He owned the rock quarry in Plymouth. Brian Lierly of Augusta passed away on Tuesday. I remember both he and his wife Gail from my time living in Augusta. Kris Jefferson is his daughter. Helen McElroy of Augusta also passed on Tuesday. Helen graduated from Bowen High School and has children who live in our community. Rebecca Hager passed away in Florida on October 30. She was the daughter of Freddie Hoelscher . Each of these people will be greatly missed by family and friends. May those left behind find solace whether it be in a tree stand, at the wind farm, on a river bank or elsewhere..
I have had hunters at my B&B since November 3rd. Most are like family to me as they come year after year. Though I did not take guests for a while and then only took long term guests for several months, I just could not turn down my regular hunters. They spent a lot of time in the woods and in their rooms. We were not able to sit around the table and talk and eat pie like we usually do. The Plymouth Women’s Circle Bazaar happens during hunting season every year and normally I bake an extra pie for the hunters. No Bazaar this year and no pie with them. I have sprayed so much blech water and room disinfectant that I am sure my house is going to lose color. The washer is gasping for breath and I thought it had died at one point this week with a quilt in it. Eventually found that a ground fault had tripped and am hoping the washer lives long enough to wash another mountain of bedding. So glad that I was able to at least give my hunting friends a safe and warm place to sleep.
One of the hunting families had a huge apple pie. It sat out too long to safely eat so I put it on the back porch of the garage. It disappeared so I thought that a coon had a fine meal. However the next evening one of the largest possums I have ever seen came by and asked about another piece of pie!
Received more fan mail this week. Again I say thank you to all who enjoy reading my musings.
Many of you know the “Royal Family, Victor, Victoria, Prince William and Prince Harry.” We lost Prince William a couple of years ago and you know that Prince Harry is blind and lives in my home. I had noticed that Victor was getting skinny and then was having difficulty breathing. Took him to the vet on Monday figuring it might be his last ride and it was. Victoria has never been without him and is disconsolate. She does not want to come down from the sleeping loft.
This week is Thanksgiving and it will be very different for many of us. Normally we have a family gathering and eat too much but enjoy being together. Our family is small and yet four of us were planning to eat together. My niece is a dental hygienist, my nephew lives in Burlington, I have been having guests in my home and my sister in law has been having church in her home. We decided that we just could not justify taking the risk of covid this year so will not be spending the holiday together. Though this was a difficult choice, it is better to be alone on Thanksgiving than to be unable to make any choices at all.
We have much to be thankful for. Most of us are well. The weather has been great. How many times can one ride their bicycle in November. It has been dry and the farmers have most of their crops out. We have been able to meet in our churches for a while, though that has once again stopped. Though I lost a beloved pet, I still have several more. Though we cannot see friends, we can still communicate via the internet and the phone. I got fan mail! There are some happy turkeys out there because since there are fewer family dinners, there are fewer baked turkeys.
Let’s just keep our chins up. Be thankful for the things you can control. When you can’t control a situation, you can control your reaction to that situation. And as always Scatter Kindness- it is so needed at this time.