Just back from a little road trip of 1200 kms over to Fredericton, New Brunswick, by way of Maine. It gave me ample chance to mull over our mailbox woes, and survey all the ingenious mailbox installations alongside the country roads. You'll recognize the general styles. Beyond the one-legged box, there's the box on a crosspiece that slants up high, with a hanging rope to pull it down to car-window height. There's the box on a long arm that swings right and left. And there's the box that hangs on little chains from a parallel bar atop the post. These can take many forms - a finely crafted metal support, an elaborate cross-shaped wooden sculpture, or a long bar extending from a telephone pole. Well, every creative solution begins with a problem, and here is the problem: How to protect your box from being snowplowed into the ditch or hit by a passing car, while still being within reach of the mail delivery driver? Therein lie our woes. Our crosspiece was ingeniously constructed of a wooden oar that would swing up and down - but, alas, not up far enough. Our box has been battered again and again by cars, trucks and snowplows. It's been repeatedly repaired, sort of. The oar has been broken twice, and bandaged up. It no longer swings. You can understand our apprehension when we got a notice that Canada Post would be reviewing our rural mailbox to see if it meets safety criteria. So far, we've received no notice - so it must have passed muster. But now we're bracing for winter. What to do? On our travels, we think we spotted the perfect solution. It was a bright and fearsome 10-foot-high arm that slanted out aggressively toward the road, covered head-to-toe with reflectors, from which dangled a humble box. The strategy, it seems, is to scare the drivers off. Now that just might do the trick!
WINTER HITS EATON CORNER The Eaton Corner Museum has closed its doors for the winter, but is inaugurating the season with good food, good music, and good holiday shopping, too. The event is an Autumn Lunch at the Sawyerville Hotel on Saturday, November 5, from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Music will feature Janice Graham on the piano, with a special performance by Carole Vincelette in the afternoon. And for very reasonable prices, guests can buy jewelry specially delivered from Bali by Richard Faubert. A donation of $10 is asked for lunch. Proceeds are for the benefit of the Eaton Corner Museum's operating expenses.
FAMILY PHOTOS The Community Learning Center proposes a "Family/Group Picture Day" fundraiser on Saturday, November 12, if enough people are interested. The sitting at the Pope Memorial School in Bury would cost $10 per group, and the photo packages (optional) would range from $9 to $30. If interested, please contact Lise Dougherty or Rosemary Lowe right away at 819-872-3771 or email doughertyl@ped.etsb.qc.ca.
CONCERT Music by Jim Robinson is planned for Sunday, October 30, at 2 p.m. at the Trinity United Church in Cookshire. REMEMBRANCE DAY CEREMONIES - SAWYERVILLE, EAST CLIFTON, COOKSHIRE, ISLAND BROOK
The Sawyerville Legion plans a series of bilingual Remembrance Day services on Friday, November 11. A ceremony and veterans' parade are planned for 11 a.m. at the Sawyerville cenotaph at 6 Principale North in Sawyerville, and at 11:45 a.m. in East Clifton at the cenotaph in front of the United Church, located on Route 253, between Clifton Road and Store Road. After a lunch at noon at the Sawyerville Hotel, a ceremony and veteran's parade are at 2 p.m. at the cenotaph in front of the Cookshire Elementary School, and finally at 2:45 p.m. in Island Brook, at the cenotaph in front of the Town Hall. For information, contact the Legion president, Burton McConnell, at 819-569-3306, or the vice-president, Jack Garneau, at 819-889-2989.
CHURCH SERVICES Anglican: On October 30, all the Anglican churches in the area will gather at St. George's church in Lennoxville at 10 a.m. for Holy Eucharist, followed by a potluck lunch. On November 6, Holy Eucharist will be in Bury at 9:30 a.m., and in Cookshire at 11 a.m. (819-875-1568 or 819-239-6902).
Baptist: Sunday school is at 10 a.m. (English and French), and worship service is at 9 a.m. in French, and 11 a.m. in English, in Sawyerville (819-239-8818).
United: On October 30 at 10:30 a.m., a special worship service in Birchton will mark the closing of the Birchton United Church. All are welcome. On November 6, a worship service is planned for Cookshire at 9:30 a.m., and Sawyerville at 11 a.m. They include Sunday school and nursery (leave message at 819-889-2838).
Do you have news to share? Call 819-889-2520 or email ra.writes@gmail.com by October 31 for publication November 9, and by November 14 for November 23.
