Decluttering and Manners

Thank you for all the very lovely comments and congratulations on our book awards. I think all of us involved are looking forward to being able to dive into the holiday season without a heap of "book work" on our minds. Last year it was a frenzy working to get the manuscript to the printer and out before Christmas, which we accomplished, thanks to the supreme efforts of Leahy Press in Montpelier, and the rest of the year Patty and I tried to be at every possible venue - fairs, libraries, and any group large or small that would have us - to talk about our book. Now, we are hoping to take a break and enjoy the holidays! The photo on the left is from the video KATV did of the presentation. The video will be available soon. Shown, left to right are: Authors Jane Brown and Patty Conly; Executive Director of Vermont Historical Society Stephen Perkins; Patty's husband, Doug; a member of the DHS Board  (sorry, I don't know his name); the late Dot Larrabee's daughter, Liz; JPA President Joe Hebert and his wife, Pam. The photo is a little fuzzy because it was taken from a video. It would not have passed muster to be in the book!

I am busy neatening my office today. Prompted by the thought of approaching tax season, I've filed a bunch of papers, sorted through piles and scraps of paper with penciled notes I can barely make out, tossed a fair amount into a recycling pile and have the inevitable stack of stuff I'm not sure what to do with. I'm learning that I need to "leave things be," as my Grandfather Bolton would say. During these cleaning-up sprees I'm inclined to relocate items to places that are "more logical" or "more convenient," and then, when I want somethin again, I invariably go to where it was originally and, naturally, don't remember where I moved it to. In the process of sorting things out, I came across a poem, "A Little Mixed Up," that my mom kept in a letter box that I found after she died. I may have shown it here before, but sometimes I get "a little mixed up," too!

I had an interesting comment come in about wolf whistles. The writer mentioned that these days the whistles are usually accompanied by lewd remarks. She is right, and I'm reminded that while basic human instincts, anger, fear, pleasure, lust, etc. probably haven't changed much over the past decades, what has changed are social mores and manners. Old-fashioned etiquette is not always being taught at home, and busy teachers would no doubt be charged with harassment if they tried to insist on manners at school. There are still many people who practice social graces, but I find it troubling when public meetings are disrupted by someone shouting and raising a rumpus. I like what Teddy Roosevelt said, "Speak softly and carry a big stick," but I don't believe he meant the "big stick" to be a loud, aggressive, bullying voice. They actually  might get further with their agenda if they remember that "honey catches more flies than vinegar." And it's sad that a formerly playful wolf whistle has now become sexual harassment.

Have a fine weekend - skiing, boarding, hiking, or just sitting looking out at our beautiful landscape and aren't we glad we don't live in Buffalo, New York!