Gilead

Even though the weather was nice this past weekend, we know that it cannot last for too much longer. The month of November is half gone now and soon Thanksgiving will be here. The Election is over and things can quiet down now.

My brother, Steve McLain, is still being plagued with red squirrels. When he had the dogs out the other day, the squirrel got down off the feeder and waited on the steps for one of the dogs to notice him. As soon as he was spotted, he went up the side of the house and on to the roof. I think the squirrel just enjoys a challenge and likes to torment the dogs.

We are still doing battle with both the red and gray squirrels. The gray squirrels seem to have gone away for now, but the red squirrel is hanging in there. He was hanging off the bird feeder and scaring away the little birds the other day. We decided that enough is enough. Hugh put up a couple of pieces of Plexiglas on the pole that the feeder hangs off from. That helped for a short while, but then the squirrel decided to jump up to the feeder from the porch railing. There were some very disappointed squirrels when Hugh removed the railing! After a couple of days of trying, the squirrels seem to have given up for now. The red squirrel is quite unhappy, but sits under the feeder waiting for any seeds that the birds drop.

Hugh said that he saw several Cedar Waxwings and a Red-Winged Blackbird the other day. Mary Tyler called to say that she had seen the Red-Winged Blackbird at her house. There seems to be only one at a time, so maybe it is the same bird. There was also a Grackle at the house last Saturday. The Blackbird and Grackle are not usually around this time of year. The Mourning Doves and Blue Jays are back in full force and besides the Chickadees and Goldfinches, there have been some sparrows at the feeder.

Mary Tyler attended a Grange meeting in Whitefield, N.H., last week. The members gathered to honor Ellen Dorr on her 101st Birthday. There was plenty of food to eat and a delicious birthday cake to add to the festivities. Mary also reminded me that she will be set up at the craft fair at the American Legion building in Gorham, N.H., this Saturday, Nov. 17. There is also a craft fair at the Ed Fenn School in Gorham on the same day.

Lise McLain went to a craft fair last Saturday, Nov. 3^rd, at the town hall in Shelburne, N.H., and bought some items for the grandchildren. She also went to two craft fairs in Augusta on Nov. 10th – one at the Civic Center and one at the local Armory. She bought a maroon blanket that had pictures of horses on it, and also bought some small pewter horses which are glued to various stones. She is a horse-racing fan.

Happy Birthday wishes go out to Gerard Dupont, who celebrated his 87th birthday on Nov. 11.

It is certainly nice to have the election over with. As Town Clerk, I have to organize all the paperwork that goes with an election. There are piles of reports that need to be sent to the State before the election and then afterward. The Election Bureau needs results of the election within three days and then all of the information has to be entered into the Central Voter Registration System within a couple of weeks. Lots to do! Election Day went smoothly with the help of the Ballot Clerks, (Luella Cole, Sharon Leighton, Steve McLain, Linda Taylor) and the Warden, Hugh Chapman. Many thanks to all them.

Got any news? Call 836-2987 or e-mail chapmal@hotmail.com.