New England

SURVEY

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I visited town hall the other day. I needed to renew Snug’s dog license and to check in with the Planning Commission to see if our building project was even viable.

Snug’s dog license was a quick matter. He just had a rabies shot in the fall, so he is good through next year. After the town clerk’s office I stopped over to see Nicole Roberts at the planning commission and I spent about twenty minutes telling her about our plans.

The Vicarage sits on two pieces of property which my father acquired at different times in the 1970’s. The property we are planning on building the cottage on has plenty of frontage and set back so the building project is a go, but on further inspection it was discovered that the main house of the Vicarage, while grandfathered in, is not actually a buildable lot any longer. It is short by three feet of being buildable.

The advice is to have the lots surveyed so we can build on the empty lot and then give some frontage to the main lot so that also become buildable so we can add a garage or something in the future.

COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS FEBRUARY 2026

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On Saturday February 28, the Beals Memorial Library, in Winchendon Massachusetts, began to host a series of conversations around community and what that looks like. We call it Bridging Ideas and Building Futures

From 10-12 last Saturday thirty eight people gathered around tables to share what community is to them. This was an intergenerational / cross community gathering. We had middle schoolers represented and senior citizens; people of faith and atheists; factory workers, truck drivers pastors, consultants and even a nuclear physicist.

Thirty eight people doing small group work at tables. Thirty eight people sharing thoughts and findings in a community circle.

We began by sharing what the word community means. We continued by asking what makes a community vibrant. Our third question was How do individuals thrive with a community.

Now those findings are being compiled into a report that will lead to our next conversation on March 28…What kind of a community do we want to be?

the executive committee met afterwards and based on the comments of attendees we are moving the next conversation to a larger venue. I am excited to see what comes of these conversations. In a world so filled with division it is so hope inducing to see diverse individuals coming together to converse in a healthy and cooperative way.

WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO BUILD COMMUNITY WHERE YOU LIVE?

AND THE TREE LIT!

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Last night was Winchendon’s annual tree lighting sponsored by our town’s Parks& Rec department.

Santa came. And the tree was lit!

Santa led Christmas songs with the kids.

And lots of our church folk came out.

Trinity and Genesis.

Melanie and Daniella and Abigail.

Tracy and Adam and David

Ben and Lydia and Naomi.

Gabe and Andrew and Aaliyah.

Then me!

I missed pictures with Savannah and her family and Shaina and her family. All told it was a great event.

WHAT’S GOING ON IN YOUR CHRISTMAS NEIGHBORHOOD THIS WEEKEND?

The Forest Garden Sept. 2025

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As always happens at this time of year, I look back and think of all the projects I wanted to accomplish in the forest garden over the summer.

I usually look back with a regret. This year not so much. It’s not that I accomplished all those projects, but I did accomplish some and I did a lot of gardening in comparison to previous years.

I think a part of my satisfaction this year, comes from the fact that we have actually used a lot of the produce from the forest garden. We have been making iced tea from this mint all summer in place of Kool-Aid.

The chickens have been keeping us in eggs as well.

For the first time ever, I had success with potatoes.

And the flowers this year, have been amazing.