By the time you read this, January will be about half over, and Groundhog Day will be just a little over two weeks away. We’ve gained 25 minutes of daylight at the end of the day and three whole minutes in the morning. Sunset is at 4:29 p.m. on January 15, and sunrise is at 7:16 a.m. By the end of the month, the sun will be rising at 7:03 a.m. and setting at 4:50 p.m.
I always feel encouraged when the days grow noticeably longer. Since I can dress for the weather, it’s really not the cold temperatures, snow, and ice that I find hardest about winter (well, maybe the ice), it’s the lack of daylight. It’s much easier now that I work part-time and have generally flexible hours so I can take advantage of what light there is on the shortest days. I remember many years when I drove to and from work in the near-dark, and winter seemed so long!
Tony and I enjoyed a visit from our Colorado girls, Annie and Cait, last weekend. They arrived on Thursday, left on Sunday, and managed to pack a lot into a long weekend—a delayed celebration of Christmas, visits with family and friends, walks with Eli the Wonder Pup, and Cait even joined Katie and Lila at Mt. Abram on Saturday afternoon for Lila’s first ski lesson of the year. She and Katie skied during the lesson, then had time enough afterward for a couple of runs with Lila.
The Greenwood selectmen joined with selectmen and town managers from Bethel, Newry, and Woodstock on Monday for a meeting (and delicious meal) hosted at the Woodstock town office. We have had several of these joint meetings, facilitated by the Northern Forest Center, to discuss regional issues that affect all of our towns. Agenda items this time included an update from First Light on the progress of the broadband project, information from Campbell Environmental Group on grants to assess possible hazardous waste sites, and steps for updating municipal Comprehensive Plans.
Greenwood plans to begin the process of updating our Comprehensive Plan and will soon be seeking members to serve on a Comprehensive Planning Committee. Please let Town Manager Kim Sparks know if you are interested—call 875-2773 or stop by the town office.
Wednesday, January 21, at 2 p.m. in the Reading Room of the Museums of the Bethel Historical Society: The Bethel Library Book Club will discuss Mad Honey, co-written by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan. (I just finished reading this book in four days; I couldn’t put it down, and probably would have read it in a day or two if only I could have put everything else in my life on hold.) The Reading Room is located in the back of the building, with access through the rear door on the driveway side, and plenty of parking behind the building or on Broad Street.
Saturday, January 31, at 2 p.m. at the Bethel Library on Broad Street: Book discussion of American Scripture: Making the Declaration of Independence, by Pauline Maier. This is the first of several book discussions relating to the Declaration of Independence and the American Revolution to be held during 2026 as part of the celebration of America’s 250th birthday. Copies of American Scripture are available for purchase at cost from both the library and the Museums of the Bethel Historical Society.
The Yarn Hub Drop-In knitting group at the Bethel Library meets on Tuesday mornings from 10-noon.
The Village Makers meet year-round on Tuesdays from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Whitman Library in Bryant Pond to enjoy crafting and community. Organizer Liz Hatch calls herself “an obsessed knitter,” but crafters of all kinds are welcome.
Age-Friendly Community Initiative sponsors a drop-in indoor walking program at the Gould Academy Fieldhouse on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1-2 p.m. through April.
AFCI also creates a monthly calendar to let people know what other opportunities and services are available for older citizens in our area. Here’s the schedule for January. Although we’re halfway through the month, and some of these events have already taken place, this should give you an idea of how many great programs are taking place throughout our communities.
I’m overdue for an eye exam, and my cat Carl would agree that it’s time. The other morning I dropped a pair of black shorts on the floor at the top of the stairs so I’d remember to take them down to add to the laundry, and before I got around to going downstairs, I had walked by, glanced at them, and said, “Hi, Carl!” to them…not once, but twice.
This online newsletter is intended to keep our communities informed, so if you have news, events, or photos you’d like to have included here, I hope you’ll share them with me! You can reach me by email at amy.w.chapman@gmail.com or by phone or text at 207-890-4812.
“Don’t stress about your eyesight failing as you get older. It’s nature’s way of protecting you from shock as you walk past the mirror.” -- Anonymous
