Carol W.”Bibe” (Winslow) Lawrence

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Carol W.”Bibe” (Winslow) Lawrence, 88, of Rochester, passed away on Dec. 31, 2022, in Nemasket Healthcare Center, Middleboro. She was the wife of the late Elmer H. Lawrence, Jr. and the daughter of the late Kenneth W. and Olive B. (Phipps) Winslow.

            She was born in Acushnet and lived in Rochester for many years.

            Mrs. Lawrence worked as a Certified Nurses Aide at several area nursing homes for many years before retiring.

            She enjoyed watching the Red Sox, deer and cardinals and spending time at Snow’s Pond. She also enjoyed taking golf cart rides.

            She was a member of the First Congregational Church, North Rochester and the Rochester Council on Aging.

            Survivors include her children, Gifford Lawrence and his wife Gayle of Rochester, David R. Lawrence and his wife Carol of Mattapoisett, Sheila L. Daniel and her husband Michael of Rochester, Teresa L. Stasiowski and her husband Michael of Athens, ME, Rosalie L. Silvia of Ashland, NH; 16 grandchildren; 15 great grandchildren.  She was the mother of the late Stephanie L. Meservey and sister of the late Shirley Zeller, K. Wes Winslow, Eunice Jenkins, and M. Gary “Fat Cat” Winslow.

            A graveside service will be held at 11:00 am on Saturday, January14, 2023 at Rochester Center Cemetery, Dexter Ln., Rochester.

            Arrangements are by Chapman Funerals & Cremations – Wareham, 2599 Cranberry Hwy., Wareham.

Books, Books, Books

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            I received four books this past Christmas. They are sitting on the table next to my recliner, next to the two unfinished ones I received the previous Christmas. Okay, so, I’m a slow reader.

            I like to read but after 20 minutes, I am sound asleep. Zonked. Out like a light.

            I prefer nonfiction. Not those how-to books or cookbooks or “Computers for Dummies,” though I did finish that one. I’m beginning to wonder if I should start reading action-adventure novels. I hate action-adventure novels.

            I have reread so many books I’ve lost count. By the time I pick up a book again, I have forgotten what it was about and have to start over from the beginning. That’s when I realized I didn’t like the book in the first place. When my bride and I retired and downsized to a smaller house, we gave away over 700 books. Probably about half were unfinished … by me. I’d like to know how they ended.

            I like the feel of a good book. I like turning the pages. I like the smell. I like to use the dust jacket folded over as a bookmark, but when I wake up it has slipped out, and I have no idea where I was. I must start over again, and it becomes a vicious circle of reading, dozing, reading … well, you know.

            I bought one of those e-book readers. I thought having a bright light shining in my face constantly might keep me awake. It worked for a while. I managed to stay awake long enough to actually finish a book or two, but I soon realized that it was much too easy to just slide my finger across the screen and within a few seconds a new one would magically appear, 20 bucks instantly vanishing into cyberspace (I learned that word in the “Computers for Dummies” book.) Borrowing a book from a library is better, but I can never seem to finish it by the time it has to be returned.

            Our son was a good reader when he was young. Still is. He taught himself how to read by about four years of age. By the time he was eight or nine, he had read all the classics, “Treasure Island,” “Last of the Mohegans,” “Tom Sawyer.” One time we peeked into his room after bedtime, and we could see the glow of a flashlight under his bedcovers. He was reading “Oliver Twist.” Books didn’t put him asleep. He even read “Moby Dick.” I fell asleep on that by the end of the first chapter.

            I misspent much of my youth in our town library pretending to do homework. Occasionally, though, I’d have to finger the card catalogue, searching for something for a school book report and run across an interesting title that looked worth reading. I’d end up finishing the book but not the book report. I must have picked up my love of books nestled amongst those stacks.

            My son gave me a book this Christmas that is so big and heavy, 827 pages and 5 pounds. The type is so tiny that I will need a magnifying glass. I’ll be sure to put one on next year’s Christmas list. I think I’ll put that book at the bottom of the pile. By the time I get to read it, I’ll be so old and unable to see the type I’ll have an excuse not to read it. If my son asks if I read it, I’ll say “It was heavy reading, man.” (Is that too ’70s?)

            My New Year’s resolution is to finish all of these books on the table next to my recliner and the dozens of others on the shelves in the den.

            I read somewhere that if you read before you fall asleep you wake up smarter. Boy, I must be really smart. George R.R. Martin the novelist said, “Sleep is good … books are better.” I’ll let you know if that’s true if I can ever finish one.

            Editor’s note: Mattapoisett resident Dick Morgado is an artist and retired newspaper columnist whose musings are, after some years, back in The Wanderer under the subtitle “Thoughts on ….” Morgado’s opinions have also appeared for many years in daily newspapers around Boston.

By Dick Morgado

Town: Heron Cove and MVE ‘Apples and Oranges’

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Ken Steen’s request earlier this year that the Marion Zoning Board of Appeals officially consider his plan to install meters for all 60 units at Marion Village Estates to be unsubstantial was met with advice from Marion Town Counsel Jon Witten that the ZBA consider the additions a substantial change, to which attorney Mark Bobrowski appealed to the state Housing Appeals Committee.

            One of the waivers recently approved by the ZBA for Steen’s Heron Cove Estates project was that he does not have to tier-meter water at the new development.

            ZBA Chairperson Cynthia Callow informed the ZBA that Bobrowski has since filed a second appeal with the state HAC office, stating that the ZBA’s decision to consider Marion Village Estates a substantial change should be nullified because the ZBA later waived the requirement that Steen tier-meter water at Heron Cove.

            Callow participated with Interim Town Administrator Judy Mooney (and Town Counsel Jon Witten via remote connection) during the Select Board’s executive session on December 20th, where it was decided Witten would file an opposing motion.

            “His argument was it’s apples and oranges: Heron Cove was a ‘friendly 40B,’ Marion Village Estates was not,” said Callow, noting that while Heron Cove was approved by the Select Board, Marion Village Estates was never approved by any Marion board.

            According to Callow, the ZBA approved Heron Cove, but the state leveraged all the waivers necessary for Steen to build Marion Village Estates.

            “Further and foremost,” she stressed to the ZBA members, “Marion Village Estates does not improve the town at all. Heron Cove, with the sewer going in and the enhancements to that pumping station, Heron Cove will add improvement to the town.”

            Callow summarized Witten’s argument that the waivers granted Heron Cove were based on what the project would positively yield to the Town of Marion, while no such argument could be made on behalf of Marion Village Estates, so the decision to grant waivers to Heron Cove should not apply to any decision regarding Marion Village Estates.

            Because Witten’s opposing appeal was filed that morning, Callow said both filings became public record on December 22nd, allowing her to share the information at the public meeting of the ZBA. She cautioned the members not to “reply all” with any comments to her email.

            “That’s all I know so far,” said Callow, who anticipates the matter will go to the state Housing Appeals Committee.

            Callow said the Marion Village Estates disagreement will not jeopardize the Heron Cove project; Steen still has a year to break ground per the agreement with the town.

            Earlier in the meeting, ZBA member Will Tifft brought to members’ attention his concerns regarding the recent first draft produced by the town’s Codification Committee (a subcommittee of the Planning Board).

            “A couple of things popped out to me … first of all it allows things that would go to Town Meeting … superseded by the Planning Board,” said Tifft. “If there is a buildable lot above 2 acres, you can tear down the house and you can put eight houses on that property under this proposed law, as it’s understood by me and some other people.

            “I think what it comes down to is that the goal is to create a village environment to manage the village, and you take into account other housing and all the things that are worth considering, right? … But it’s very vague, and there’s some big loopholes in it. There are things that would ultimately come to us, and I think we should at least have some idea of what we’d consider here and with the idea that we may want to consider representing our opinion.”

            ZBA member Tucker Burr, who is also a member of the Planning Board, called the document a “rough draft” authored by the Codification Committee.

            “It needs a lot of work. I don’t know how far it’s going to get quite frankly. … It’s current form I don’t think would pass in Town Meeting,” he said.

            Tifft clarified that he’s “not waving a gigantic red flag. This is going to be probably one of the biggest, most profound, potential changes to town bylaws and Town Meeting, and I just want to say, ‘Hey, this group who cares about these things, we should do that,'” he said.

            Callow, who attended the Planning Board meeting in which the document was initially rolled out, said it was her understanding that the new bylaws could usurp some of the ZBA’s authority.

            “It was setting it up so they could also basically play with the zoning laws,” said Burr. “So now we’re going to have two boards that you can apply to either one to get what you want and change zoning? It doesn’t make sense.”

            ZBA member Dana Nilson suggested the board submit to the Codification Committee and the Planning Board a request to review any approval voting process.

            “The devil’s in the details,” said ZBA member Dr. Ed Hoffer.

            “I wouldn’t be too worried about it right now,” said Burr. “I think the next step is for it to keep getting spun around by the Planning Board, and eventually they’ll call for a public hearing as a first step of putting it on the (Town Meeting) warrant.”

            Not knowing an exact timeline, Burr suggested the ZBA stay in the loop and, when the Planning Board gets closer to a final draft, to get its opinion out.

            Tifft also told the ZBA that the Select Board created a seven-member, Local Historic District Study Committee for the purpose of a state-outlined process for considering what would be appropriate for the town where it concerns a local historic district in the Marion village area. The committee would presumably make recommendations to the Select Board, those recommendations potentially going to voters at Town Meeting.

            “This is expected to be a two-year process that will involve surveys, open meetings, discussions, education …” said Tifft.

            In a lighter moment, Callow informed Tifft, who was not present at the Select Board meeting, that he was appointed chair of that committee.

            Martha Collins-Gray and Robert Gray, whose continued public hearing for two variances that would have allowed them to construct a detached, nonconforming garage to their 114 Front Street residence, withdrew their application.

            The board received some homework via paper handouts addressing four documents including: the change in voting standards for granting of special permits in certain projects; special permits and variances from the members courses with the Citizens Partnership; and site-plan review.

            The next meeting of the Marion ZBA is scheduled for Thursday, January 12th, at 6:00 pm at the Marion Police Station, also accessible via Zoom.

Marion Zoning Board of Appeals

By Mick Colageo

History of Marion’s Portuguese, Azorean and Cape Verdean Communities

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A talk on the history of Marion’s Portuguese, Azorean and Cape Verdean Communities will be presented on Wednesday, February 1, at 7:00 pm at the Marion Music Hall. This is the second of two presentations DaSilva is giving to the Marion community. The first one, held in October, 2022 was met with wide attendance and great enthusiasm. This event is sure to be equally interesting and informative.

            Rick DaSilva, board member of the Sippican Historical Society and former faculty member and history teacher at Tabor Academy, will present the second session on the findings of the recent research study prepared for the Marion Historical Commission. This talk will focus specifically on the history of the Point Road School and Post-WWII land development in the Point Road neighborhoods.

            The Marion Historical Commission and the Sippican Historical Society will cosponsor the event, the culmination of several years of work by consultant Claire Dempsey and funded by grants from the Massachusetts Historical Commission and the town’s Community Preservation Fund.

            Rick’s presentation will focus on the important impact this community has had in Marion and on the examination of neighborhoods, buildings and landscapes associated with it. He will address the context of early 20th century immigration to southeastern Massachusetts and specifically to Marion. The story of the Point Road School (1930-1967) reveals some of the racial tension that existed at the time and influenced local educational opportunities.

            Meg Steinberg, Chair of the Marion Historical Commission, will also explain the results of the recent Historical Survey of properties and areas associated with this history. Property owners of buildings that were individually surveyed have received copies of the historical research on their properties. This information becomes part of the Historical Commission’s record, in accordance with its mission to document, understand and protect the Town’s important cultural resources.

            Copies of the consultant’s report “A History of Marion’s Portuguese, Azorean and Cape Verdean Community” will be available for purchase/order.

            A question/answer/discussion opportunity will follow the presentation so that residents may share their personal recollections on the subject.

            Mark your calendar now for February 1, 7:00 pm at the Marion Music Hall.

George Pierce “Porgie” Randall

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George Pierce “Porgie” Randall, 93, of Mattapoisett died December 31, 2022 at Tobey Hospital.

            He was the husband of the late Joan N. (Lewis) Randall.

            Born in New Bedford, son of the late Jeremiah L. and Lillian I. (Ingalls) Randall, he lived in Mattapoisett most of his life.

            Through the years, Porgie was employed as a farmer on the Randall Farm, a logger while living in Oregon, a long distance truck driver and heavy equipment operator for the town of Mattapoisett until his retirement.

            Porgie loved Mattapoisett! He was elected Selectman of Mattapoisett at the young age of 80 with his campaign slogan “Common man, common cause, common sense.” He helped with the restoration of the Center School Clock and was a founding member of Mattapoisett Agricultural Commission.

            He served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War. He was lifetime member and Past Commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #2982 in Fairhaven, American Legion Florence Eastman Post #280 and Fairhaven Post #166, John Day Elks Lodge#1824, and the Fraternal Order of Eagles in Lakeville. He was also a leader in the Agricultural Grange of Mattapoisett.

            The family would like to thank Community Nurse of Fairhaven, Southcoast Hospice, Tobey Hospital Staff, Millie’s Girls especially Christine and Linda, and the Mattapoisett Diner for their caring support.

            Survivors include his 3 daughters, Cheryl Randall-Mach and her husband Steven of Mattapoisett, Marcia Randall-Thorne and her husband Joseph of Egg Harbor, NJ and Cristal Medeiros and her husband Steven of Dartmouth; a sister, Eunice Stoleki of Sturbridge; 2 grandsons, Pierce Randall and Jack Medeiros; his Godchild, Valerie Nichols; and many nieces and nephews.

            He was the companion of the late Elaine Vandament and the brother of the late Lewis (Pat) Randall, Leonard Randall, and Geraldine Stewart.

            His visiting hours will be held on Wednesday, January 4th from 3-7 PM in the Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett Home for Funerals, 50 County Rd. (Rt. 6), Mattapoisett. His Graveside Service will be held on Thursday, January 5th at 11 AM in Ellis Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Florence Eastman Post or the charity of your choice. For directions and guestbook, visit www.saundersdwyer.com.

Eugenia “Jenny” Pina

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Eugenia “Jenny” Pina, 99, of Marion passed away peacefully December 23, 2022 at Our Lady’s Haven.

            Eugenia grew up in Marion, a town she loved and never left. She graduated from Wareham High School and worked for many families in Marion.

            She was one of Jehovah’s Witnesses and attended many conventions around the world such as Poland, Greece, England, Philippines, Tokyo, Germany, Italy, Brazil, Rome, and many more.

            She also enjoyed visiting her family in the Cape Verde Islands and California.

            Eugenia was an avid reader, enjoyed house and dog sitting and working in her yard. Eugenia loved being around her family and her friends at the Kingdom Hall and at the gatherings. She will be deeply missed and loved.

            Eugenia is predeceased by her father, Joaquim “Jack” Pina and her mother Elvira.

            Her Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, January 28th at 2 pm at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses 692 County Rd., West Wareham. Burial will be private. Arrangements are with the Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett Home for Funerals, 50 County Rd. (Rt. 6), Mattapoisett. For online guestbook, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com

BYC Tidies up Dock Expansion

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            An existing, bottom-anchored float section measuring 31 feet by 12.2 feet that was added to an existing, northern float system at the Beverly Yacht Club was voted a Negative Box 2 Determination of Applicability by the Marion Conservation Commission during its December 14 public meeting.

            In a new public hearing, the BYC filed a Request for Determination of Applicability for the recently constructed float section to increase dinghy storage and access to navigate waters at the club’s 99 Water Street location.

            Michael Count from Foth Infrastructure and Environment, LLC explained that the BYC also requested an amendment through the Chapter 91 license to add on the float system.

            The BYC, explained Count, goes back to the late 1800s and early 1900s with its seawall and boat ramp. The pier, originally constructed in 1928, was rebuilt under an Order of Conditions in 2007 and 2008. “That’s basically what we have out there today,” said Count, noting that the 2007 OOC was never “closed out.”

            The mission 15 years later, he said, is to get everything squared away with authorizations.

            Conservation Commission Chairman Jeff Doubrava clarified that the application is an “after the fact filing.” Count acknowledged that to be the case.

            “I believe that bottom-anchored floats are a locally permitted issue, so it’s the harbormaster who permits floats,” said Doubrava. “I don’t think since I’ve been on the commission that we’ve ever done a change in float as a permit, unless it’s gone from bottom-anchor to pile-supported.”

            That would require changing the Chapter 91 (state-issued) license. Count said the Chapter 91 license is being amended to account for the increase in square footage, so he believed the Conservation Commission needed to sign off to establish documentation.

            Chapter 91, the Massachusetts Public Waterfront Act, regulates activities in keeping with its role as the state’s waterways licensing program.

            “The difference here is, because this is a fix to a licensed structure, like all of the other timber floats here, it becomes subject to Chapter 91,” explained commissioner Shaun Walsh. “It’s not a 10A (Marion-issued) permit. If it was just a float that you put out in the harbor and it had a bottom anchor, then it would be a 10A permit, but they are seeking either a modification or a whole new license … to add this, the regulations under Chapter 91 require either a final order of conditions or, in lieu thereof, a negative determination of applicability.”

            Doubrava pointed out that none of the commissioners were members when the pre-existing Order of Conditions was issued.

            Walsh said entities such as yacht clubs typically have a “reconfiguration zone” that limits the scope of potential expansion and also allows for layout changes. An increase in size, he says, requires modification of the license.

            Count said BYC is not seeking to alter its reconfiguration zone but is seeking approval of the added dock space via Chapter 91. Locally, the Conservation Commission adjudicates cases to which the law applies.

            The commissioners considered the addition of a single float within the reconfiguration zone to be a simple request and voted to close the public hearing.

            With Count sitting before the commission, Doubrava moved back to action items on the agenda and addressed the matter of the BYC’s request for a Certificate of Compliance relative to a Notice of Intent application filed to add floats and rebuild the gazebo and pier. The Order of Conditions was amended in 2009 to widen the concrete float with wood framing. In September, Count said, an as-built survey was conducted.

            Commissioner Emil Assing asked Count if any other elements were included in the Order of Conditions. Count did not believe so.

            The commissioners voted to issue a full Certificate of Compliance.

            Earlier in the meeting, the commission voted to issue the Marion Lands Trust LLC an Amended Order of Conditions at 369/371 Wareham Street, allowing modification of a driveway that will connect at a stream-crossing culvert to an approved, common-driveway easement on the property.

            Dave Davignon of Schneider, Davignon & Leone Inc., representing the applicant, explained the change in the driveway path that would result from 261 to 117 linear feet, a 56% percent reduction in space taken by the driveway.

            The amendment would allow the driveway to run east of the buildings in its entirety. The driveway will consist of gravel over its full length. Davignon also told the commission that there was a glitch in abutter notification.

            Noting several previous site visits, Doubrava asked if this amendment had been requested before. Davignon clarified that the proposed scenario is in some aspects the same as the initial proposal. The project has seen multiple iterations.

            Conservation Agent Doug Guey-Lee asked about accommodations for drainage. “We definitely want to do the bend,” said Davignon. “Not sure you can do that project without a bend in the driveway,” said Walsh.

            After Doubrava’s invitation for public comment went unanswered, the continued public hearing was voted closed.

            Per their request, applicants Michael Popitz and Timothy Milbert were granted a continuance of their Notice of Intent filing for the treatment and removal of nonnative, invasive plant species located throughout portions of the site and within wetland resource areas at 64 and 72 Indian Cove Road. The public hearing was continued to January 11 at 7:00 pm.

            The commission discussed its 2023 public-meeting format and schedule. Doubrava told the commissioners he would like to continue meeting remotely until the state’s exemption allowing remote meetings expires.

            Without any scheduled hearings, the commission canceled its December 28 public meeting. The next meeting of the Marion Conservation Commission will be held on Wednesday, January 11, at 7:00 pm via Zoom.

Marion Conservation Commission

By Mick Colageo

Peter B. Hodges Memorial Scholarship

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The Mattapoisett Lions Club, a member of Lions International, the world’s largest service club organization consisting of 45,000 clubs and more than 1.3 million members worldwide, is pleased to announce that two (2) $ 2,500 scholarships will be awarded this year to a graduating high school senior or home-schooled student residing in Mattapoisett, Marion or Rochester or a school-choice student attending Old Rochester Regional High School.

            Peter B. Hodges Memorial Scholarships are funded through events held by the Mattapoisett Lions Club throughout the year, including Harbor Days, an annual arts and crafts festival held in Shipyard Park, Mattapoisett the third weekend of July.

            The Lion’s Club’s motto is “WE SERVE.” One of the largest charitable causes of Lions International includes raising funds for eye research in an effort to end preventable blindness throughout the world. Other issues of concern are eradicating measles worldwide in partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and also serving those in need in our own communities.

            To obtain an application, learn more about this award or to learn how to become a member of the Mattapoisett Lions Club, visit our website, www.mattapoisettlionsclub.org Award. Applications are also available through the guidance department at your high

school. Applications must be received by March 25.

Making Memories in between Old, New

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            Between Christmas and New Year’s Day is a week I once eagerly awaited. More than December 25, more than January 1, the days in the middle were gifts onto themselves. When I look at the photographs from that period of time, I can remember whole days spent in the pursuit of nothing more than fun with my kid during those in-between days.

            As a working, single mother, every day allotted to me as a day off from the 9-to-5 office routine was spent enjoying my child and our tiny home. Not to be forgotten was our faithful Labrador retriever, Zeb. That dog was the best friend a boy could have, ever ready for action.

            I can hear Zeb’s name being called from the voices of a group of neighborhood children, and in that chorus, my son’s voice soared.

            It’s winter, there is snow on the ground, perfect for sledding. But without a hill, the children aren’t sure what to do. My boy produces a rope, ties it to the dog’s collar and the other end to the sled, and off they go at full speed. The dog seems to be laughing as he gallops down the street with several small bodies hanging onto the sled for dear life. I call out the door cautioning them not to hurt the dog, but the dog seems to say with his eyes, “I got this!”

            After a while, the boy and his dog come into the house, frozen but blissfully exhausted. I kiss my boy’s cheeks. They are red and cold; it creates a delicious sensation against my lips. To remember such a simple moment to this very day is really all the Christmas I need now at my advancing age.

            On another of the in-between days, we awakened to find fresh snow had fallen overnight, sledding snow. Time for some real sledding down hills. We head to the bluffs in Onset, surprised to find we have them all to ourselves.

            Of course, we had our pal Zeb in the back seat, where he waited quietly for the games to begin.

            The bluffs are spectacular to us. My son uses a plastic sled that doesn’t allow for much in the way of steering capability. But he tosses his body left and right tearing down the hill with Zeb in hot pursuit. To stop, he simply bails out laughing and grabbing on to Zeb for support.

            The first two days of the in-between time fly by.

            Other days are spent playing with Christmas toys, reading new books, visiting with my parents, watching movies and a touch of just loafing around. We stay in PJ’s unless there is a need to go outdoors.

            When we lived in California, Christmas felt rather surreal with lights on the trunks of palm trees and winter boots that were accessories versus necessities. One year, we had what could only be called a Charlie Brown Christmas tree that the school librarian let us bring home. We put it in his red wagon and pulled it to the house as it shed needles all the way. We didn’t care. We made paper chains and other cutout shapes that we hung on the nearly bare branches with yarn.

            A transplanted, hometown friend came to visit one evening of an in-between day. Upon seeing our rustic little tree, she took us to a local dollar store where she bought two dozen ornaments. Back home amid the glow of Christmas lights, we placed the ornaments carefully on the tree’s sagging branches and declared it “perfection.” She’s been gone for a long time now, but the memory of her kindness is another gift that lives on and on.

            While in California, we were introduced to Mexican hot chocolate. When we returned from our California adventure, I brought back a box of those thick, solid slabs of chocolate. I kept them in the freezer so they wouldn’t spoil and only made the dense, warm sweetness on special occasions like an in-between day. Those cold winter days after tromping through the woods with child and dog in tow or sledding or ice skating on bogs were followed by mugs of hot chocolate that smelled of warm spices and ancient secrets.

            We always enjoyed going to beaches on mild, winter days, perhaps finding a very special stone or piece of driftwood. On an in-between day, we could spend an afternoon throwing sticks for the dog and running up and down the sand dunes at Sandy Neck Beach. When my son was around seven, his favorite superhero was Superman. With an old bath towel pinned to his coat, he was flying over the salty expanse where bad guys feared to tread.

            Our mode of transportation for about 10 years was a 1971 yellow, Super Beetle Volkswagen. It was better than an SUV for navigating through fallen snow. So, on some in-between days, I’d take my son into heavily-wooded bog roads when the snow wasn’t too high and let him practice shifting the car. Seems rather reckless now, but we had grand fun, and no child was hurt in the making of these memories.

            He would sit on my lap, place his hand on top of mine, and we’d slowly cruise along the deserted bog roads, transitioning through first, second and third gear. Much later on, we’d return to those dirt roads where he’d sit in the driver’s seat, nearly grown and master the clutch system. A forgotten skill.

            As the in-between days slowly came to an end, we’d prepare to take the tree down on New Year’s Day, a tradition I brought from my parental home. It was a sweeping out of the old year and beginning the new.

            I’m the type of person who tends to look forward, I’m so grateful my memories remain and are so vivid. They are gifts I can open anytime and relive, complete with cold cheeks, waiting for my warm kisses.

This Mattapoisett Life

By Marilou Newell

Upcoming Teen Events at the Mattapoisett Library

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The Mattapoisett Free Public Library is starting the New Year with the return and continuation of patron favorite programs.

            Starting on Tuesday, January 3 at 3 pm, Craft Tuesday returns. Craft Tuesday is a passive program that provides teens an opportunity to express themselves through a different simple craft each week. No registration required; recommended for ages 10 and up.

            Our Dungeons and Dragons campaign continues. Dungeons and Dragons meets on Saturday, January 7 and 21 at 1 pm. This program is recommended for ages 12 and up. Registration is required. New players are always welcome.

            The Teen Advisory Board meets the second Tuesday of the month and will be meeting this month on Tuesday, January 10 at 4 pm. They will be discussing upcoming programs. New members are always welcome.

            The Game Lounge has returned. On Wednesday, January 11 and 25 from 3:30 pm to 5 pm, all are welcome to play XBOX 360 & Nintendo Switch on the big screen as well as an assortment of board games. Bring your games or use ours. No registration is required.

            All programs are free and open to the public. If you have any questions or need special accommodations, please contact the library at 508-758-4171 or email the Adult Services/Reference Librarian, Michelle Skaar at mskaar@sailsinc.org.