Historical society
I had a nice email from the folks at the Jefferson Historical Society this week. There are 2018 calendars available for $10 each. The theme is “People at Work” and there are photographs of many different jobs and chores that people in this area had over the years. The calendars are a great resource for illustrated local history buffs and have value long after the year has passed.
There are also still a few 2017 calendars available for $8 each, in case you didn’t get one for your home or camp. Call 549-5592 if you want to order calendars.
Last week, a group of historical society members from Jefferson visited the Washington Historical Society’s museum. They enjoyed seeing the items on display. There were materials from kitchens, parlors, the washroom, and so on available. The Washington Historical Society has done a marvelous job presenting its items.
The next Jefferson Historical Society event will be Friday, July 14 at 7 p.m. The Rusty Hinges band will be there, along with a new group called 32 North. It should be a rousing concert and a very lively evening. The musicians do this on a volunteer basis for us – amazing! Gather your clan and come by the Town House at the corner of Route 213 and Route 126 in Jefferson.
Last week
Some of my faith readers were asking why there was no Jefferson News in the paper last week. My computer froze for about 24 hours. It was a stressful event in our house as I am in the midst of preparing sermons as well as having this column on track. Fortunately, all worked out for this week and we (my computer and I) are here to greet you with a word or two from Jefferson.
Summer flowers
The meadows are superb here in this area right now, don’t you think? I know I talk a great deal about the foliage, yet the colors and scents of many of the plants are at their height right now. Here is a list (clearly not all-inclusive) of the wildflowers I noted this past week as I drove the roads of Jefferson: buttercups galore; daisies nodding their bright faces to the sun; purple, pink, and white lupine in their stately elegance; the wild azaleas — a plant we always called mountain laurel — shedding a lovely magenta blush out in the wetlands; the fragrant honeysuckle bushes in pale pink and creamy splendor offering their blessed aroma to the new summer air — all these and more.
What gifts we have from the earth, naturally presenting themselves to enjoy. Then there are the cultivated plants that bloom at this time, and they are fragrant as well: the white and purple lilacs – so beloved, the quince and dogwood offering bright beauty to our world, the late tulips, and the return of the iris in our flower gardens. I welcome them all with delight, don’t you?
We’ve moved our indoor plants about the house, too, these past few weeks. There is the angel wing begonia that I inherited from my dear mother-in-law, Teresa Goodspeed. Numerous cuttings have come from this plant. It is currently in my dining area reaching for the light and recently started to blossom for the first time in two years.
The begonia’s delicate blush-pink flowers drop their petals each day. I am loathe to cut the blossoms, though, for I sense the communicative spirit of this plant as it lives in my home. As the plant blooms, I feel a connection to Teresa in a new way — though she passed from this life into heaven in 2001. Like the angel wing begonia, my husband’s mother brought beauty into all our lives. Like many of our mothers, Teresa Spalding Goodspeed had that unique blend of elegance and strength that keeps us appreciating her legacy from now on.
I moved the peace lily that we have from one spot to a new location. Her flowers had withered and I wondered if it simply wasn’t receiving the ideal amount of filtered light. Within a week, the plant began to send forth stems with buds that are now unfurling. I am thrilled, indeed.
Today the peace lily is in a window that receives a soft northern light. On this particular day, I have the window open. A tender summer breeze wafts into the room through the screen. The dark and glossy leaves of the peace lily move with this gentle wind. For this moment and in this time and place, I believe the peace lily is at peace. I breathe in this lovely air of summer and let that peace flow into me. May it flow out to you, dear reader. For these gifts – for the peace lily at peace, and the peace I am experiencing, and the peace that Teresa Goodspeed continues to bring to my life – I am grateful. May you also receive some measure of this beautiful peace.
