Visit with Sammie

Ahhh summertime. I'm not going to say the living is easy - far from it in fact with a very headstrong, very mobile, two year old. But today it was a little easier because we went to visit with Sammie. Sammie is the swim instructor at the Nottingham town beach.

This beach is actually on the same road as we are but over the town line. So Sammie's been doing this for a few years now and has built up quite a rapport. We go down there occasionally to chum up the sister after her lessons are all over with. We had a great time swimming there today.

It's a twister! It's a twister!

Wow!!

So we had a tornado on Thursday. My family was safe, as were all of the kids on my bus (a couple of them live really, really close). I still haven't heard from my boss or the people at base, and I'll take a drive up there later today as they just opened the road. I know my boss is OK though, 'cause one of my co-workers who I spoke to saw her on TV, and I'm assuming the damage to the buses was minimal 'cause the news would have been all over it otherwise.

One of the little girls that came to Ali's Birthday party last night lost most of her house and her next door neighbor. Here's a picture of her Dad from the Boston Globe:

Interestingly, this is the fourth deadly tornado to touch down in Deerfield. Wow!

I'm glad it's over.

Swap Shop

The town of Deerfield has had a swap shop at the transfer station for many years, but recently it's become overridden with too much junk and not enough maintenance so the board of selectmen shut it down.

I see a swap shop as an essential tool in decluttering, recycling/reusing.

Several other people in town felt the same way and we petitioned the selectmen to re-open the swap shop. They agreed provided it was attended by volunteers every time it was open, and that we keep it clean and organized.

Our grand re-opening was June 28th, and today was my turn to be the attendant.

I had a great time. The lady I worked with was a treat, I met some new people and I scored some cool items too (as well as got to play with some neat toys I left there for someone else to take). Quinnie got a little toy car, a child sized recliner and a child sized adirondak chair. I got a metal thermal coffee cup a wicker laundry basket and the Stitch N Bitch book. All of these items were in supreme condition - very gently used, if at all.

I'm so glad I volunteered.