No pie sale, no Christmas Fair
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we deeply regret that the Sharon United Methodist Church will not be sponsoring our annual Thanksgiving pie sale, which is always held on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, nor our Christmas Fair, which would have been on Saturday, Dec. 5.
Our church family is getting older, and needless to say, hesitant to work close together in our church basement in order to provide these events. We will truly miss seeing and visiting with everyone! Hopefully, we will be back in business in 2021.
These two events are not only major fundraisers for our church, but are also socially enjoyable for everyone. We work hard to make sure your holidays are less hectic by providing delicious homemade pies for Thanksgiving and baked goodies at our Christmas Fair, along with our luncheon and a nice variety of gifts to give — making shopping locally a pleasant experience.
Again we are very sorry to disappoint our loyal customers, because we have enjoyed these labors of love.
God bless us all during this unpredictable year.
Judy M. Loucks
Sharon
Thanks and gratitude to Sharon’s postal workers
On behalf of the Sharon Town Clerk’s Office, I want to give a huge shout-out and thanks to Sharon’s postal employees who helped so much during this election. We know that many postal employees around the country are being harangued for the slow delivery of the mail — most especially the ballots. In Sharon, our postal workers got it done! They worked with us to deliver the ballots to and from our residents quickly and efficiently.
On election night, Rick double-checked to assure that any ballots that may have arrived prior to 8 p.m. would be delivered to the Town Clerk’s Office. He was determined to make sure that all and every vote got counted on time.
Yes, we can say that Sharon’s postal employees did everything in their power to be sure that our residents’ votes were counted. We should be proud of them. If you see one, please give a shout-out of thanks for all they did during these very stressful times. They understand that every vote counts.
Our gratitude is tenfold.
Linda Amerighi and
Marlene Woodman
Sharon
Thanks for the support
To all of the voters of the 64th District, I thank you for re-electing me as your state representative. This election was historic, on many levels, including local and national turnout that hit record highs, with the backdrop of a global pandemic that continues to take a toll on our lives. Despite the tremendous pressure that created, our system for electing political leaders worked: our town clerks, registrars, poll workers, ballot counters, moderators and other volunteers brought diligence and integrity to their work, which gave voters confidence in the results. To all who worked at the polls, I extend my grateful thanks.
There are many in our communities who celebrated the local and national election results this past weekend, and there are many who are disappointed. We all know what it feels like when the candidate you support loses an election: the closer the connection, the more personal the loss feels. Let’s all keep that in mind as we knit back the bonds that connect us to one another. Our community is fortunate to have many people in it who are committed to its success, and my opponent Brian Ohler is one of those people, as I told him when he called me after the election results were reported.
I thank you all for the trust you have placed in me, and I look forward to working with all of you as I continue to represent you and our communities in Hartford.
Maria Horn
State Representative, 64th District
Lakeville
Normal
Normal times are now returning
For so long, we have been yearning
The churlish Trump and his tweets
Ensures our sanity depletes
Once he’s out we can rejoice
No longer having to hear his voice
Biden will have an even hand
His message to all will stand
So as COVID rages
No more kids in cages
We can now search for a cure
As we don’t have to Trump endure
When he’s out prosecution will start
His life they will take apart
Eventually prison will await
Making America again great.
Michael Kahler
Lakeville
Alternative view of it all
Kumbaya, my progressive brothers and sisters. It’s funny what a long way a little empathy will go. Now, I too, am flummoxed as to how the American voter can turn to a complete moron for president. If you look up “swamp creature” in the dictionary, you-know-who’s picture is there. He’s been lurking around DC since 1973. And by lurking, I mean just ask Tara Reade. Just poking a little fun. After all, Joe’s gonna unite us.
On the upside, maybe we’ve almost heard the last of the dramaqueenery concerning “norms” and “our democracy”. Probably not. Y’all will be screaming for Trump’s head forever. And with the legal challenges Trump’s mounting, he isn’t making any new friends. Speaking of legal issues, where’s Jeffrey Toobin when you need him? All in good, clean fun, my good friends.
And speaking of Toobin, did the legacy media cover themselves in glory these past four years, or what?! You can’t say the press didn’t treat Trump in a fair, even-handed manner. Oh sure, there’s been a few rabid, right-wing newshounds like Glenn Greenwald and Matt Taibbi who’ve whined about the Dem-media axis of evil, but they’re hardly objective observers. Let’s hope, together, united, that Biden gets the same honeymoon Trump did.
And what can you say about Kamala? From Willie Brown’s protege to a heartbeat away from the presidency in a few short years. You go, girl! And be ready Kam, ’cuz by “heartbeat” I mean a heartbeat. Joe’s just barely held together with hair-plugs and facelifts and masks. Talk about the 25th Amendment! I wonder if when the going gets tough, he’ll call it an early day and retreat to his basement. Just joking, my fellow Americans.
Kumbaya, everyone. And by kumbaya, I mean.......
And to you, Mr. Trump, you norm-violating, racist, orange, lying son of a b---- ...well done.
Peter Chiesa
Kent
On Trump’s presidency
I imagine that if one is director of the NSA or the CIA you don’t belong to a specific political party. I assume that former directors General Michael Hayden (CIA & NSA) and John Brennan (CIA) would tilt more toward the right than the left in terms of their inner politics. But in the past few weeks Brennan and Hayden have not been supporting Donald Trump.
General Hayden, quoted from a TV ad sponsored by Republican Veterans Against Trump, aired Oct. 6: “If there is another term for President Trump I don’t know what happens to America. Truth is very important, but especially in intelligence.
“President Trump doesn’t care about fact ... President Trump doesn’t care about Truth ... He doesn’t listen to the experts ... The FBI says white nationalism is a real problem, and the FBI wants to do something about it. But the president doesn’t want to talk about that ... He doesn’t keep the country safe. It’s unbelievable. I was 40 years in the military, okay? Alliances are wonderful, alliances are win-win. And now I don’t know what’s happening to our alliances. I mean it. If Trump gets another term, I think many alliances will be gone and America will be alone. And that’s a real problem.
“I absolutely disagree with some of Biden’s policies, but that’s not important. What is important is the United States, and I’m supporting Joe Biden. Biden is a good man. Donald Trump is not.”
John Brennan, quoted from an interview on HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, Oct. 9: “...I’m sure he [Trump] is going to challenge the outcome of the election. Once he is defeated what he does as a lame-duck president I think is also very dangerous. What he will do to try to protect himself will also make it very difficult for Joe Biden to address the problems we face here at home as well as internationally.
“Donald Trump is a very venal, vindictive narcissist and that’s a very dangerous combination...”.
Brennan also says: “I agree that Donald Trump is a real aberration and a danger to our country...”.
Bob Haiko
Lakeville
More info on invasive alien plants
Fritz Mueller’s excellent letter in last week’s Journal is a timely reminder to identify woody invasive plants in your backyard while invasive foliage remains visible after native plants have dropped their leaves. Indeed, alien green foliage stands out even through October, and again in early Spring when that foliage emerges well before native bud-break. Extended foliage period is one of several advantages that propel alien plants to out-compete native plants.
To facilitate invasive awareness and identification, the Connecticut Conservation Districts publish “Invasive Plants in Your Backyard,” which is searchable as a PDF. The Salisbury Association also has these booklets for sale. It describes when manual extraction can be successful and when chemical control methods are appropriate.
For the most part, simply cutting woody plants does not solve the problem but often stimulates multiple re-sprouting: it is important to kill the roots. Herbicide, carefully applied to freshly cut stems is the most highly targeted treatment method and is very effective in fall, when temperatures are above 45 F. “Buckthorn Blasters” are a convenient tool for applying glyphosate concentrate and are available online at Landscape-Restoration.com, and at the Salisbury Garden Center. Adding indicator blue dye or food coloring helps identify treated stems.
Walking your property and marking woody invasive plants with pink survey tape or a spot of day-glow paint can facilitate recognition and management the following year. A sketch map showing areas of particular species and noting the size of invasive patches can also help track progress in management areas. “Early Detection and Rapid Response” is always the best strategy. Containment and progressive reduction of patches does increase visual beauty of the landscape as well as property values; more importantly, these actions facilitate native plant reintroductions and enhance ecosystem function throughout the food web benefiting native insects, birds and wildlife in general.
Tom Zetterstrom
Invasive Initiative
North Canaan
Thanks for the support of the Gaga Pit at SCS
Two years ago my classmates and I came back from Nature’s Classroom where we played and learned a game called Gaga ball. We loved it so much that we were inspired to build a Gaga Pit at SCS. We felt this would be a great addition to our school community. After meeting with our school principal, our Student Leadership group started fundraising. We held bake sales and after school parties to raise the money we needed for the pit. We raised about $1,000, enough money to buy the metal brackets, a sign, and some balls.
We reached out to several local businesses asking if they would help by donating things like wood, landscaping equipment, and gravel. We would like to thank the following businesses for their generosity, hard work, and time: Allyndale Landscaping, Segalla Sand and Gravel, Herrington’s Lumber, Laurelbrook Natural Resources, and B. Allyn Trucking. We would also like to thank Pat Hackett for creating the engineering plan for the Gaga Pit, and Pete Leslie, Brian Shippa, and Bob Chase for helping to build the Gaga Pit.
Also, we are very grateful for the support of our Principal, Mrs. Magyar. While we have had to modify Gaga to play it safely during COVID-19 we are still having a great time and look forward to playing it normally in the future. We are grateful for everyone who made our vision a reality.
Tess Marks
8th Grade, Student Leadership President
Salisbury Central School
Salisbury
"Cow," by Joelle Sander.Cornwall Library
Lala TamarProvided
