This has been an eventful week! Halloween is over, and so is Election Day, and so is Daylight Saving Time. As I write this on Wednesday evening, I’m experiencing either a lingering Halloween candy sugar high, or a post-election high, or maybe both, and, meanwhile, I’m completely confused about what time it is and why it’s getting dark so early.
This morning a friend reminded me of how I started my day two years ago, the morning after Election Day 2024, something I had somehow managed to put completely out of my mind. She sent along a photo of part of the column I had written for the Bethel Citizen after that experience, and of course I had to look it up on my computer and read the rest of it. In case you missed it back then, here’s my description of that particular misadventure:
On Wednesday morning, in what seemed like a fitting start to the day after the election, I went out to get the paper (and to take a photo of the sun rising, because honestly, I was kind of surprised that it did) and locked myself out of the house. Tony, who had stayed up hours later than I had to watch election returns, was still asleep, without either his hearing aids or his phone, so I knew there wasn’t any point in trying to rouse him, although I did toss a few pebbles from the driveway at the upstairs bedroom window before I gave up.
After checking all of the larger, lower windows and finding them all securely locked, I discovered one rather small window on the back of the house that was unlocked. Fortunately, Tony has been in the middle of a project involving another window, and happened to have left a stepladder right outside the door.
It wasn’t exactly pretty, but I was able to remove the screen, climb up the stepladder, and, in spite of bad knees that don’t bend the way they’re supposed to, kind of slither headfirst through the window and onto the top of the dresser that was conveniently located right beneath it. Television crime dramas always make this sort of thing look a lot easier than it is in practice. Suffice it to say that I do not have a bright future as a catburglar.
I won’t hijack my own column and turn it into a political forum, because there are certainly plenty of those available already, but I will say that the fact that I no longer have bad knees is far from the only thing that makes me feel completely different on this post-election Wednesday, two years later.
In spite of the unseasonably warm weather today, turning the calendar page to November always means pitching headlong into the holiday season, ready or not.
On that note, the First Universalist Church of West Paris is holding its annual Thanksgiving Dessert Pie Fundraiser. Place your order for an apple, pumpkin, or blueberry pie ($18 per pie) by November 19 by contacting Marta Clements at 207-674-2143, or email mclements96894@roadrunner.com. Pie pickup will be on Wednesday, November 25, from 9 – 11 a.m. at the church.
Here are some other upcoming November events:
Thursday, November 5, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. in the Telstar Library: Mary Morton Cowan will give a presentation on the history of logging in New England. She is the author of Timberrr! A History of Logging in New England, written for middle-grade readers. Spanning four centuries, the book explores the true story of how logging shaped the economy, culture, and forests of New England—from colonial mast cutting to the rise of sawmills and modern sustainable forestry. This program is presented by the Western Mountains Senior College, and is free and open to the public.
Friday, November 6, at 5 p.m. at the West Parish Congregational Church, 32 Church Street, Bethel: Potluck supper and presentation on “Rails to Trails.” What becomes of old railroad lines? They become trails. Cindi Wight recently biked some of Northern Maine’s converted rail beds and brings the photos and the stories to share, along with other rail trails she has biked on. Potluck supper at 5 p.m. (bring a dish to share), illustrated talk at 6 p.m.
Friday, November 13, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at the West Bethel Makerspace, 10 Ferry Road, Bethel: Community Mending Group meeting. The group will be celebrating a year since its formation! From the organizers: “Because this is our first anniversary, the Feature Focus will be US! We’ll take a look back at ideas that were captured at those first meetings in 2025, celebrate our progress, and talk about where we go from here. First timer? We’d love to have you with us! This group is what we make it. That’s the ‘community’ in our name. So, as always, rally up a friend, and pick something from your repair pile (if you have one). Plus, donation dollars help our group continue to thrive.”
Wednesday, November 18, 4:30 – 6:30 p.m. at the Locke Mills Union Church: Harvest Supper. This will be the church’s last supper of the year. Donations of prepared food, paper plates, and napkins will be gladly accepted.
Saturday, November 21, 2:00 p.m. at the Museums of the Bethel Historical Society: Independence 250 Finale Party and book discussion of The Founding Foodies: American Meals that Wouldn’t Exist Today If Not for Washington, Jefferson, and Franklin by Dave DeWitt. From MBHS Executive Director Will Chapman: “Thank you to everyone who has joined us in celebration during our year-long commemoration of the 250th anniversary of American Independence. We hope that you all will join us on Saturday, November 21, at 2:00 p.m., as we gather in the Howe Exhibit Hall (in the red barn) at the Mason House (14 Broad Street) to discuss this fascinating book and sample a few of the flavors of the day. This book contains numerous recipes, and we invite you to make and bring something to share, if you like. This is also our finale party for the Independence 250 series, and we would love to see as many folks as possible! You do not have to read the book or bring anything to attend!” Copies of Founding Foodies are now available at the MBHS Museum Shop (currently open by appointment - call 207-824-2908 or email info@bethelhistorical.org) and the Bethel Library. We hope to see you there!
Friday, November 27 (storm date Saturday, November 28), from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Holiday Wonderland and Crafting Open House at the old Town Hall on Main Street, Locke’s Mills. See the flyer below for details. The Holiday Wonderland room will be open anytime the Town Hall is open, which is generally on Farmers’ Market Fridays from 4 to 6 p.m.
The Swap Shop at the Greenwood-Woodstock Transfer Station is now closed for the season, but organizers say they still have a few bikes left that they couldn’t bring themselves to get rid of just yet. Grab one (or more) while you still can. Please do not leave items. If you have holiday items to donate for the Holiday Wonderland, contact the Greenwood Town Office or message Lynn Cobb.
Lena’s hiking adventures this week have included Maggie’s Nature Park, Overset Pond, Peabody Mountain, the McCoy-Gray Birch Trail, and a ramble on the old Duane’s Retreat trails at Mt. Abram. The dry beech and oak leaves on many of the trails have made them a bit treacherous this fall!
Unfortunately, an upcoming surgery (no big deal, no worries!) is about to take me off the trails for a few weeks, so Will and Tony will be stepping in to get our girl the exercise she really, really needs. I hope they remember to take some photos! And I wonder if I’ll be trying not to slip on dry leaves, or if that challenge will be replaced by snow and ice when I get back out there. You never know when winter is going to set in, so get out and enjoy fall while it lasts!
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.