By Lula Anderson
Summer has officially ended with the beginning of Autumn. This is the first time in many years that the leaves have started their change this early. Sunday was the perfect day to meander through the countryside. The bright blue sky, the colorful leaves. On Jewett Mountain there is a white birch that is offset by the leaves around it. A perfect setting to destress.
A large group of Senior Citizens met at Catskill Point last week for the annual Senior Citizen Day. It was a fun-filled day of meeting friends from other clubs, vendors handing out free samples (I have enough pens and stress balls for a while), and information from the Veterans, insurance groups, Rehab/nursing homes, NY Connects, and so on. It was put on by the Department of Aging. Many don't know how many resources are available to them through County and State agencies. Many are afraid, or maybe ashamed to reach out for help, so they suffer in silence. Sometimes it helps just to talk to someone and find out your options. There is always someone to talk to at 518-719-3555.
Although there is not an official burn ban, please DO NOT burn your leaves and brush while cleaning up. The grass is so dry from lack of water that just one spark can cause serious problems. The local fire departments have a lack of volunteers which makes it even harder for them if a fire starts. Generally a call goes directly to Mutual Aid if there is a fire, as to get the man-power needed. Be careful and use common sense.
Good news from the Beckmann household, Greg is home and finally starting to heal. Albin and Vicky thank everyone for their prayers as they feel that did so much good, but don't stop praying, Prayers for Eric Towse, and other friends and family who are going through clinical trials to combat cancer. So many families are affected in so many ways.
AS I REMEMBER IT
A friend, and member of the Sr club is having a garage built by the Amish this week which brings to mind stories from the area where families got together to help their neighbors in need. Bill Mead tells how his house burned down in the '40s. What to do? they were a family of 7 who had no place to go. The family next door offered their summer home to them so they would have shelter. It wasn't very well insulated, had no central heat, but it had running water. The men from the Presbyterian church got together, along with many able bodies to tear the house down, hand dig a cellar, cut the logs and with a borrowed sawmill, cut the boards and rebuild the house. The work was done after work, after chores and on weekends for those who had outside work. It was a community project and the house was built bigger and better, and still stands today.
Very seldom did anyone call in a paid plumber or carpenter as there was a neighbor who could help you out. The Jewett church had work bees to get enough wood together to heat both the church and the "Grange Hall" . Many farmers saved one or two trees to donate to the church even though they could use them to heat their own houses. Although it sounds like hard work, the men would have a great time challenging each other on who could cut and split the most wood, or the biggest logs. Who could pick up the heaviest logs, and probably the best one, who could work faster, the crew with axes, maul and wedge or the gas-powered splitter. Many hands make light work, and in a weekend, they had enough wood for the entire winter.
We no longer have that camaraderie and community spirit. Even trying to find paid professional help is nigh on impossible. There are very few handymen to help with simple fixes, and to find a plumber or electrician is difficult. My water heater went out a couple of years ago. I tried calling various plumbers, and finally got one to look at it. He said he'd price a replacement and get back to me shortly. After waiting for a month, I finally got a handyman who replaced it within a day. It wasn't just that the first plumber didn't fix it, he never called back, nor returned or acknowledged my calls. Guess I'm just too old to understand.
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