8/25/25

Unfortunately the rain on Sunday evening and Monday morning did not amount to much, so it looks like I will need to water. Wonderful wildlife continues to travel through my yard. A large collection of turkey feathers littered my backyard recently. I have only seen my little bear on Dublin Rd, twice on Saturday. He lingers for a few minutes, looking rather thin and lonely before scampering into the woods.

I often have newts and spotted lizards in the entrance to my basement, plus frogs & toads that don’t freak me out. This morning I was letting in the gal who came to service my furnace and as I opened the door from the outside, a snake fell on my head! It was small, pencil thin, about a foot long. Certainly not a huge fellow, but we startled each other & it wriggled into my laundry room.

Now to the many events taking place in Plymouth Labor Day Weekend. There will be fun activities at the Historic Site, including: 8/30 at noon Shakespeare Alive! at the Union Christian Church; and 8/30 and 8/31 from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m, the Plymouth Folk and Blues Festival.

School is back in session this week. Congratulations to Schuyler Hagge who recently won the girls category A bike race at the VT cycling competition at Ascutney Outdoors. I hope to hear more about our students and their activities to share with you.

I enjoyed meeting Richard and Catherine Esty at the Fletcher Memorial Library Book Sale. His poem about the event is noted here.

Used Books Sale

At the Library named Fletcher Free

who might be distant ancestors of me

Saturday morning in mid-August

patient friendly volunteers fussed

not so we’d cower but helpfully hover

so it was easy to view spine and cover

offered chairs in the purple maple’s shade

to rest between browsing forays we made

Procured at a small town library sale

two bags of books heavy—for we are frail

A pleasant pause from our regular trek

time to relax and our findings inspect

Library book sales are often a bargain

so next summer we’ll plan the trip again

All this transpired in little Ludlow town where

high school grad Coolidge wore cap and gown

Not that I feel at all connected to my

paternal grandparents’ high school too

Black River Academy— its full name

all graduates live on in silent fame

After all that for myself one small book

of poetry at which I will soon look