WARM WEEKENDS (continued)

We were also lucky enough to go to a Red Sox game and see another act of kindness: People with tickets in seats left early and handed their tickets to people who had purchased standing only tickets. This way they could legitimately sit and watch the rest of the game without worrying about being moved out when the rightful owners returned from a beer run. It was a simple, unexpected gesture, probably unnoticed by most that had their eyes on the game. But my eyes were paying attention to this other kind of warmth, having just been the recipient of extreme kindness from friends and neighbors around Strafford. Earlier in the weekend we had to move out of our current cottage and couldn’t do it alone. A few calls and emails and 19 people showed up to help. We thought it would be quick work because we have a very small place. But it took all of us an embarrassing long 4 hours to pack up and carry our possessions either to storage, the dumpster, or other destinations. It is shocking what can accumulate in 15 years of children, guests, and countless meals! What family hasn’t owned that old sofa that needs a slipcover because it is so worn, but everyone likes it best? What to do with the handmade but totally unsafe table saw?? And how to part with the inside wall that the children decorated as a bakery shelf when we first moved in? It was a difficult time made easier by people who cared. One neighbor volunteered to make sandwiches but arrived with a full picnic, including not only three kinds of scrumptious sandwiches, but potato chips and homemade brownies as well. Another neighbor couldn’t help with the move but sent muffins plus blueberry jam in a lovely basket. Her husband had actually assisted us the previous evening in the dark and the rain. Upon hearing that story, the people packing boxes said of him, “He always seems to appear out of nowhere, just when you need someone”. One couple took some of our things to another neighbor’s yard sale. It really felt good that some of our things would help another cause. Our many helpers are not unusual given the people we know in Strafford and the surrounding community.

In fact, it is well known that the morning after the Chicken BBQ put on by the Bow Lake Camp Owners Association (BLCOA) that there is a lot of cleaning up to do (grills, etc). Official clean-up time is usually Sunday at 8am, but if you arrive at 8, it will be almost finished. Volunteers arrive early and work quickly. Just like the whole affair of preparation and serving, clean-up is speedily accomplished by a group effort. This year the BBQ will be held Saturday, July 12 (5-7pm), with cleanup you know when. We are hoping you and your family will join the camaraderie at the BBQ and maybe even the clean-up. We wish you both kinds of warmth all summer long.