Locke's Mills

Things have been very quiet within Greenwood government since the election. Selectmen held a public hearing on the renewal of the liquor license for Mt. Abram, and that went well and the permits were renewed. The Planning Board has been working with the Bartletts who hope to reopen Round Pond Store. Between the national election and the holidays, there probably won't be much happening between now and Jan. 1. That is likely a good thing with all the animosity of presidential election. Time we all lightened up for a while.

Suzanne and Brian Dunham, owners of Dunham Farm, have expanded the availability of their gluten-free products. The Good Food Store in Bethel is selling their frozen pizza crusts and loaf bread as well as some of their baked goods. Pat's Pizza in Bethel is offering gluten-free wraps, and they are the ones the Dunhams make.

The annual crafts and wares fair will be held at the Bethel Inn Conference Center this Friday, Nov. 23, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. It seems there is always a new local vendor who shows up each year and has something I need. A good example is the deer-horn door knobs made by Jerrold Mason in West Paris. I bought one there and then went to his shop to acquire a few more. Of course, that ended up with a long chat about all kinds of things. Check out this craft fair. You never know where it will take you.

The end of the day this Saturday marks the end of deer hunting season. Guess we can put away that high-fashion fluorescent orange garb for another year.

There will be an after-Thanksgving public supper here in town at the Legion Hall on the Gore Road Saturday, Nov. 24, 5 p.m., beans, chop suey, and the works. Proceeds will go to benefit the Greenwood Fire Department and Legion Auxilary.

The stillness of winter is creeping in with ice on the pond. The skim of ice that was forming every night has now become a constant. It remains throughout the day and thickens each night. It is creeping out from the coves and into the main part of Round Pond. It will be quite a while yet before it thickens to safety but the waters are quieting.

Every year I collect winterberries for a greens display on the porch, and it is always a race between myself and the birds as to who gets the easily accessible ones first. This year the birds won. A flock of late-season robins flew in and stripped the berries of the bushes in no time flat. I found others but not right out the front door.

Winterberries, Ilex verticillata, are a shrub that grows in wet areas and along our ponds. Our generally acid soil is what they like. Winterberries grow from a few feet tall to 15 feet high and can form dense stands. They shed their leaves in the fall and that makes the bright red berries stand out. I see them, the birds see them, and the race is on. While I like them for my greens display on the porch, if push came to shove, I'd rather the birds had the berries for food. Of course, the mice and squirrels have eaten the berries in my display before winter is half over.

And, speaking of winter, I notice that NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association) has modified its extended outlook for this winter. A few months back, they were predicting a below-average snowfall for New England. Now they have revised it to “an equal chance of below, above, or normal precipitation” for us. As a wise friend of mine translated this, “That means they don't know any better than the rest of us what will happen.” Yup. Wait and see.

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