Pam – Page 156 – New England's Narrow Road

Small Town History and Pride

This is what I love about living in a small town. I recently received this e-mail notice.The Antrim Historical Society will host the 16th Annual Celebration & Reading of the Declaration of Independence on Saturday, July 4th, from 9:00 am – 10:30 am at the Bandstand at Memorial Park. The Declaration will be read by Bill Nichols and Dean Proctor in celebration of the birth of our country. As part of this annual tradition, coffee, homemade sweet rolls and doughnuts will be served.

I haven’t lived here for very long, but I know that the folks who have are proud of their way of life and keep the past alive by having meetings that celebrate our heritage. I think it’s awesome!

Some of the homes around here were once hotels that housed the flatlanders who came up from the Boston area to vacation in the country.
My friend lives in one of these hotels turned home. Apparently it burned and part of the place is gone, but her house is still quite large and very unique looking.

These people care about the environment too and have formed and association for taking care of the lake by teaching the members about invasive plant life that can kill the lake by taking over. So those of us who are out canoeing, boating or kayaking can identify what we see and have it removed before it spreads. The Lake Host project is another way of informing boaters to watch out for weeds, such as Milfoil, that might be attached to their boats and be transported from one lake to another.
A monthly paper is sent out and the “Limerick” is full of great stories about the area written by long time residents. I’ve recently discovered that one family raises dogs for dog sled racing!
I love small town life.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

With all rain and no sun??? If you live in the northeast you know what I am saying. I don’t remember ever in my life having so many rainy days in a row. To be truthful the sun did pop out for about 4 minutes the other day. So bright that I ran outside and stood there just soaking it up.

Then it was gone.

I’ve been working at the computer with my fleece sweater on as it is 64° inside and not even that outside.

Between showers I have been out checking on the vegetable garden and it doesn’t look too bad considering the lack of sunshine. I believe everything might be twice the size if only the clouds would part.

I pity the vacationers who wanted to spend time at the beaches and the beach side vendors have lost more money than they can probably make up…if the sun shines again.

I like a rainy day…even a few…but a rainy month is not good and we New Englanders are all wondering if summer will ever come to the northeast.

Personal Fireworks

I’m not much for going out to see the fireworks displays around the area, although Peterborough usually has a good show at Conval high school. We have gone there a couple of times. In New Hampshire there are some good fireworks for sale and my firefighter son loves to go nuts with them when he comes to visit…no matter what time of year it is.

This is what he spent his money on last year and we set them off over the course of the week. My favorites are the fountains. I don’t trust the ones that fly off (hopefully) into the air.

My son is not here for the fourth this year, so I might go down to the lake and see if anyone is having a display there. If not, it will be a quiet 4th.

Appreciating America

My best friend once told me that she believed that every young person should have to do mission work or volunteer work in another country at some point in their lives because they would get the chance to see how good they have it here in America.

For the most part we all take for granted our freedoms and fortune to be living in a well run and prosperous country. There is no place I’d rather live than the USA. Our young people especially are usually clueless about the prosperity and opportunities that abound. I have recently been trying to impart a sense of appreciation to my son, who like most kids, does not know how lucky he is to be able to go to school. He hates school and says he wishes he could live where there is none. The talk of an 11 year old.

We passed a school bus on the road the other day and my son dramatically ducked in the seat and said “Ahhh…get it away”. Now that summer vacation is here all school related things should be banished from sight. I can’t blame him for that. He is just a kid who would rather ride bikes and swim at the lake with his friends than read a book. So how do I get him to realize that some kids long to have a book to read. And a comfy chair to sit in while they read it. And imagine if that chair was inside a safe home.

We live near a girl scout camp and the family that recently moved in to be the caretakers of the grounds and manage the place, have some boys my sons age. During a recent visit to our house the boys mentioned that some of the counselors at the camp are from other counties and that they were so excited when they saw a school bus for the first time in their lives!

But talk is easily dismissed by kids, and I agree with my friend that a hands on environment would certainly bring about appreciation for the USA.

Have a great 4th of July and remember the sacrifices made by many, because they are the reason we are so fortunate. I say thank you to all members of the military and their families for their sacrifice and bravery.