Reminder and Remembering

 I hadn't really thought about snow removal from roofs this winter. The snow has been so light and fluffy it didn't occur to me that shoveling the roof might be needed. However, Jamie had some roofs shoveled - at camp and at his house, and I had him ask Gene, who has worked for me other winters, to stop by and look at mine. He agreed that the snow is light, but said it is on top of a really thick layer of frozen ice and slush created from the rain/snow/ice storms we had just before the temperature got so darned cold. That makes a huge difference. Combined with a couple feet of snow, no matter how light it is, is a lot of weight. Gene is coming on Friday to take care of my roof.  It will be good to get that taken care of. I took this picture from a bedroom window this morning - there is about 2 ft. of snow on the roof, and that isn't the one that has drifts on it!

If you haven't had someone check your roofs here at Joe's Pond, maybe you should think about doing that. If our weather turns warmer any time soon - and it will, we just don't know how soon - that mass of snow and ice could mean trouble.The snow acts like a sponge collecting moisture, getting really heavy, and can put a lot of stress on roofs, especially older buildings and those without much pitch to them.

I saw in the Caledonian Record that a classmate of mine from schooldays at Cabot Plains School died. Theresa Maynard Remick. The Maynard family was large and boisterous. I was in school with some of the younger ones - Frederick and Martin were in 8th grade when I was in 1st, I think. Then there was Kenneth, Theresa, Virginia, and Darcy, all there when I was. Ernest, the oldest son, and three or four older sisters were out of school by the time I was in 1st grade. Ernest went into the Air Force and was the first soldier from Cabot to be killed in WWII. Martin joined the U. S. Marines and later lived in Danville. 

I was surprised that Theresa was the last of that generation. Not mentioned in the obituary is Shirley Maynard, her sister-in-law, who is my neighbor. Theresa was always called "Tressa" when we were in school. I think later she may have preferred being called "Terry." The Maynards, Fred and Julia, lived across the road and beyond a large hayfield from our house. Back in the day it was a picturesque spot. A large porch was on the south side of the house, and a woodshed, chicken coop, and outhouse was on the north or back side of the house.They had an indoor bathroom installed perhaps in the 1940s. A sturdy barn stood a little apart from the house. I used to go to their house sometimes when we were all kids. I remember their large dining room table set with tin plates and cups -  china and glass were too fragile for all those youngsters. I'm sure Julia had nice things that were kept for "company."

Fred and Julia, with the help of some of the older children, took care of the school for as long as I can remember. They saw to it that there was a supply of wood for the furnace, paths were shoveled through the snow, and the inside was kept clean and tidy. Fred was tall and skinny, Julia was sturdy and rounded. They were hard workers and good neighbors. Their children were smart and all good people. 

"Tressa" held onto the family farm as long as she possibly could. It finally fell into severe disrepair - the buildings literally caved in - and she eventually sold the property. The old farmhouse and other structures were removed. By then, the Plains neighborhood was completely changed - no farms, the school was a seasonal home, and any neighbors left were strangers. I'm sure it mad her very sad as she watched her childhood home slip away, with all the memories she cherished.

I remember they had an old gas powered washing machine and every week on wash day, we could hear that put-put, put-put-put, and over it all, Julia shouting directions to the kids and sometimes cursing. She didn't hold back, and we understood. Her life was hard. Fred always seemed to be a very mild-mannered man and I never knew him to lose his temper. Julia, on the other hand, seemed perpetually cross. In later years, after I had moved away, I got to know her differently, and she was kind and jolly, always anxious to know how my family was and where everyone was living. She and my grandmother Bolton had been good friends and both worked to keep the Plains community together for as long as possible. My grandfather had some agreement so that Fred could use some of the Bolton land to pasture his cattle. As far as I know it was that Fred or his sons would help on our farm when needed; however I don't recall that happening often. Perhaps during corn harvesting. But the families were always good friends, and I'm sure my grandfather didn't need to use that pasture.

Here is a photo of "Tressa" and me when we were in some school event in 1938 - dressed in costumes from my dance class. Clara Harrington is in the background - she would have probably been in 8th grade, we were probably in 2nd. I'm sure "Tressa"was overwhelmed by it all - and I was probably pretty bossy. But we remained friends through our grade school years.

Every time I go over the Plain, I have a wave of nostalgia. Growing up there was wonderful. There was still a solid community of farmers throughout most of my school years there, and it wasn't until my parents moved "off the hill" and built the house where I now live, that everything began to change quickly. The school closed in 1948, four years after I graduated from 8th grade there. After that, nothing was quite the same

As the years pass, the ache in my heart lessens a bit as I drive over the Plain. Those were good years, but other good ones followed, and I am happy to remember - and write about those memories. It's sad to realize that there is no one left in that generation of the Maynard family. But gone also are the Stones, the Desmaraises, the Gambles, Barnetts, Harringtons, Fosters, and Shatneys, to name just a few of the families that once made their way through the doors of the school on Cabot Plain. So many good times, so many stories, so many years ago.

Stay warm, safe, and healthy. Remember the "good old days," but enjoy the present. It goes by quickly.