Jan. 10, 2021 — Jan. 16, 2021

BY THE DAWN’S LIGHT

As I look out my office window, I see our flag waving in

the brisk winter wind. It is glowing and illuminated by the

morning sun, rising on its predictable trajectory from the

east to the west. I am reminded of the song many of us

sing on July 4th- Francis Scott Key’s “Star Spangled Ban-

ner.”

Keys wrote this poem, later set to music, when he looked

out at Fort McHenry in Baltimore in the aftermath of the

British invasion of 1812, when the white house, capital

and library of congress were burned in retaliation for America’s declaration of war on England.

Wednesday, we witnessed an unspeakable, unfathomable travesty and tragedy that unfolded at

the Capitol building in D.C. In that moment, I felt like the very heart of our democracy, what distin-

guishes America and its citizens from other nations, was under attack. I felt a full range of emotions,

as I am sure you did as well, and was left with a deep, gnawing sense of sorrow. I listened to the

news on my ride home and within minutes of the events unfolding, I heard the resolute voices of our

elected officials declaring that the people’s work would be finished before dawn. It was. It is fin-

ished. It is time to move forward.

Now, as always, our country needs to elevate that which we all have in common, the ties that bind

us and the freedom that fosters respectful exchange in the marketplace of ideas. That’s how we

come to the best solutions; the most creative and brightest ideas and ideals, can shine.

So, take heart. Lift one another up.

Remain hopeful.

Be the light.

~ Thom

COMMUNITY LIFE

ANOTHER LOOK AT

COVID-19

SHOULD I PREPARE A COVID-19 ADVANCED MEDICAL DIRECTIVE? While we are relatively safe here at Lathrop, we know that our “bubble” is not entirely se-cure. Infection is still possible and new strains are even more communicable. On Tuesday, January 12 at 11:00am, join a special ZOOM presentation with Mark Peterson in which he will:

1. Address some aspects of what has been learned in the past six months since my presentation in April.

2. Describe a scenario that illustrates the need to have a Covid-19 Directive, 3. Provide suggestions for preparing a Covid-19 Directive to enable hospitals and families

help you have your voice. Join Zoom Meeting - Jan 12 @ 11:00AM https://kendal-org.zoom.us/j/99215642729?pwd=MktwblNmRUZ3N3dWVlpYb0lheStlUT09 Meeting ID: 992 1564 2729; Passcode: 223033 One tap mobile +16465588656,,99215642729# Dial by your location +1 646 558 8656

MUSIC ON YOUTUBE (AND THE LATHROP CHANNEL)! “Great Women Pianists in Concert” will be featured on the Lathrop Channel this coming Sunday at 3:45. You can also view the assembly of videos by visiting the following YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLD9LfXVYgsgSau_VU9EdxRg57VMtpKg6d

Also, in case you’ve missed previous Lathrop YouTube assembly concerts, here is a list of the links:

• Pianists:https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLD9LfXVYgsgSygZRJ38apKYLMXYkBP1JR

• Big Bands: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLD9LfXVYgsgTC5i-z79-

QcoeARw7Ma0UL

• 60’s Folk: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLD9LfXVYgsgQ6aBKHH-IorMqps9gHuzh9

• Dance: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLD9LfXVYgsgRmv2aQGo8ixRrvgFL2XvcS

• Overtures https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLD9LfXVYgsgQ8yKLCABYmigI6vukdJp_S

NORTH EAST BOOK CLUB The next meeting of the North East Book Club will be on Tuesday, January 12 at 1:30pm via Zoom. The Group will be discussing Searching for Stars on an Island in Maine by Alan Lightman. From the ac-claimed author of Einstein's Dreams, here is an inspiring, lyrical meditation on religion

and science that explores the tension between our yearning for permanence and certainty, and the mod-ern scientific discoveries that demonstrate the imperma-nent and uncertain nature of the world. Join the discussion!

COMMUNITY LIFE

Congratulations to Helen

Balcanoff who completed

250+ Pandemic Miles by her

96th birthday on December 29.

WHO COOKS FOR YOU?

By Barbara Walvoord

Barred owls in Lathrop’s woods can often be heard asking,

“Who cooks for you?”—the human equivalent of their call.

Barred owl calls can be heard for half a mile.

The answer? Nobody cooks. Dinner is eaten raw, and it’s

not vegetarian, even on Thursdays. It’s whatever these

fierce, silent hunters can catch as they fly from perch to

perch, looking for prey and then swooping down on the

hapless vole, mouse, rabbit, bird, or anything else unwise

enough to move and small enough to catch. Don’t think

you’re protected just because you live in a stream; barred

owls occasionally go wading to catch fish and amphibians in

the water.

Nobody cooks, so what the various calls of a barred owl,

including mumbles, twitters, and hisses, can really mean is,

“Where are you, sweetheart? Want to get it on?” or “My

territory!” or “Danger!” or, for youngsters still on the meal

plan, “Please feed me.”

This barred owl that Lucy photographed recently on the east campus might be on the lookout for

food, or else just resting, as they often do during the day, getting ready for a night-time hunt.

Those big eyes will catch light. Those wings feathers have a special shape that allows silent flight.

Barred owls are solitary during most of the year, but they mate for life, and soon our barred owl

will be looking for its mate, even though it’s still cold. The pair will establish a nest in a hollow

tree. Once the eggs are laid, Mom will sit on them for 28 long, boring days, while Dad brings

food. Then they’ll both feed the youngsters for up to six months, as the blind, helpless babies

gradually grow feathers, start climbing around, often fall to the ground and have to climb back up

into the nest, flapping their little wings all the way, and then, even when fledged, still need to be

on food assistance until they can learn all the skills needed to catch a mouse by swooping down

with their beaks and talons, at night.

Pesticides are a significant threat to barred owls, as is development and habitat destruction.

We’ll be destroying some of their habitat as we build at Lathrop, but we can help our barred owls

by protecting what’s left, removing the invasive alien plants that reduce wildlife, and eliminating

pesticides and herbicides.

LATHROP LAND

Riddle: Why is a selfish friend like the letter "P"?

VISIT THE LATHROP

EASTHAMPTON BEAVER

HOMESTEAD

We are presently uncertain exactly how many beaver dams and beaver ponds are present in the

Lathrop Easthampton Beaver Homestead. There are at least 10 dams, impounding 10 ponds and 3

beaver lodges. Several of these are of recent construction. What I describe here are a few of the

easiest of these to visit. Arm yourself with a current copy of the Lathrop Easthampton trails map, ob-

tained from the outside mail room of The Inn. And bring your binoculars. Follow the Beaver Marsh

Trail to its northwestern end, where you find a teak bench, the “Margie Bench”. You are at an ele-

vated perch overlooking Beaver Pond #3, the Overlook Pond. To find the dam impounding the

pond, use the pointed, white snag on the opposite shore as a landmark. The eastern end of the

Overlook Dam is in the sightline that extends from the Margie Bench to that snag. The dam curves

round to the right, ending on the opposite bank. The Overlook Beaver Lodge is directly out from the

Overlook, embedded in a tangle of bushes. It is more easily seen in the winter when the bushes are

leafless. There are two dams upstream of the Overlook Dam. These are not visible from the Over-

look and their observation requires a bushwhacking walk to the northern margin of Beaver Marsh.

The next dam that is easy to view is the Boone Dam, named after Robert and Susan Boone. Follow

the Beaver Marsh Trail south from the Overlook until the trail bends sharply to the east. Walk off-

trail through the woods toward the south-west to find the Boone Dam. On the east shore of the

Boone Pond one can see the results of considerable beaver activity in the form of tree stumps and

beaver-felled trees trunks not yet removed by the beavers. The Boone Dam extends to the west

eventually to end at the far shore. There are two other beaver dams close together just a little

downstream of the Boone Dam, an unnamed short dam, and the Hunters’ Bridge Dam, named for an

abandoned bridge left by hunters that is now beached on the near shore of Bassett Brook. There

are three additional dams further downstream.

The beavers themselves are not easy to see. Last spring, you could usually catch glimpses of bea-

vers between sunset and darkness swimming in the far part of the Overlook Pond. My best sighting

was on May 23 when my daughter Lisa and granddaughter Rosa walked out to the Overlook, arriv-

ing at 6:45 PM. There was a beaver in the water close to shore who swam away, but without evi-

dent signs of alarm. It soon returned and came out of water for our inspection. Then a second bea-

ver appeared and swam to about 10 yards from shore. Finally, both beavers came together and

nuzzled each

other to the

abiding de-

light of Rosa.

~ Peter

Armstrong

LATHROP LAND

MOVIES WITH DAVE MOVES TO SUNDAYS

Sunday, January 10, 2:00: The Lady Eve It's no accident when wealthy Charles (Henry Fonda) falls for Jean (Barbara Stanwyck). Jean is a con artist with her sights set on Charles' fortune. Matters complicate when Jean starts falling for her mark. When Charles suspects Jean is a gold digger, he dumps her. Jean, fixated on revenge and still pining for the millionaire, devises a plan to get back in Charles' life. With love and payback on her mind, she re-introduces her-self to Charles, this time as an aristocrat named Lady Eve Sidwich.

Doors will open at 1:45 for screening in. Limit of 10 participants.

MEETING HOUSE NEWS AND UPDATES The Fitness Center, Art Room and Library are all open Mon-day, Wednesday and Friday from 9:30am to 2:00pm. Reser-vations for use of these areas must be made by calling the Front Desk at the Inn, 413-586-0006 between the hours of 8am and 4pm, 7 days a week. (Artists can continue per usual)

The Mailroom has undergone a few minor changes: The re-cycling bins have been removed and there is now a large recycling bin just outside the Meeting House entry for residents wishing to dispose of their unwanted mail or other papers. A fan has been placed in the window to exhaust air at all times. When it is extremely cold (below-freezing), the fan will be removed. There is also an air purifier running at all times. The refrig-erator has been moved to just inside the main entry for easier access to meals. All of these changes have been made to try to make the mailroom air safer and to encourage residents not to linger inside the mailroom, but to come in, retrieve mail and leave so the next person can en-ter.

During these cold-weather months, if a resident would like to wait inside the meeting house until they can enter the mail area, they may do so (when staff is present, M-F, 9-3).

All areas of the Meeting House are cleaned thoroughly on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Intermit-tent cleaning is done as necessary (after room use) and mailboxes will be sprayed down daily as well.

Reminder to ALL residents to use hand sanitizer pri-or to entering the meeting house for the safety of all. And lastly, don’t for-get your facemask!

NORTH HAPPENINGS

A number of residents on the Northampton campus recently participated in communal story writing. Last week's Lamp Post published one such story, and here is another. Sev-en residents participated. One person wrote an opening section, then passed it to a second person who wrote a succeeding section, and so on, with a total of seven writers. The points where one writer

stopped and the next writer began are indicated with three asterisks, thus: *** . Enjoy!

Lathrop Northampton Communal Story Writing Group 2

It was a dark and stormy night, and Julie and Howard slept badly. After a couple of hours of tossing and turning and worrying, Julie got up and turned on the light and re-read the letter re-ceived the day before from their daughter, Penny. Her professional aspirations were clear and laudable, but her personal life seemed to have an echo in the tempest of that night. In the letter, Penny had written *** “Dearest Parents, What a surprise! Do you remember Syd? Well, I’d had another long day in the lab and was walking out last evening – and there was Syd, on a bench waiting for me! Hank had told her where I was. We talked until it got too cold and windy. And – guess what? – she has an exciting new adventure in mind and wants me to join her. I’m definitely interested. It would mean a lot of changes ….” Julie put down the letter and closed her eyes. Now this, she thought, and on top of every-thing else I’m dealing with … *** Julie knew there would be no more sleeping that night. Waking Howard was not the an-swer. Penny was the favorite of the three, the baby he had always indulged. He didn’t say any-thing after reading the letter, just folded it carefully and slipped it back in the envelope. Julie knew better than to ask what he thought. She also knew she could not bring up her news, that she had been fired at the end of the day, simply told to get her things and not return. They had final-ly paid off the last of their debts, looking forward to saving money for a change. *** Howard poured a second cup of coffee and slid into his seat at the breakfast table. Julie, halfway through her eggs and toast, noticed the envelope on the edge of the table. Julie ventured, “How did you sleep?” Howard replied, “Terrible.” “You?” “Same.” Glancing at the envelope, Julie could not help asking, “What do you think she means by ‘an exciting new adventure’?” Howard sipped his coffee and did not reply. “Syd”, Julie said. “I remember her. She’s the one who was always skipping school and wanting what she could not have.” Howard rose from the table and walked into his study. *** Penny put down her tea cup and grinned at Syd. “My parents would have a fit. Especially my dad. He thinks our ion catcher is going to be a big money maker.” “Oh yeah?” said Syd, “when did physicists make a lot of money?” “Some companies have been sniffing around.”

NORTH HAPPENINGS

“But that thing is just going to cause more trouble and this climate change work is something we really need.” “Believe me, I know. But I’ve worked hard to get here and my parents are so proud. They would be devastated if I left

the lab.” “Have you told them yet? What about Hank?” “I just hinted in a letter and Hank is cool. I sometimes think ...” Penny’s phone rang. She looked down. “Oh oh ...” *** “Hank, can we talk later? …. What? …. You said her idea was cool! …. I don’t know what it means for our wedding – I guess postponing it – again …. Why should there be a change in our relationship?” Penny angrily waved her phone at Syd shouting, “He hung up!” Sydney knowingly shook her head. “Penny, Hank is not cool with your plan.” “But I’ll still be a physicist. Just changing my focus. Hank has been supportive of everything I’ve done.” “Penny, you need to talk to Hank – and your parents. Now.” Penny contemplated Syd’s advice and nodded in agreement. As Penny shrugged into her coat her phone rang – again. *** “Hi, Dad! Did you talk with Mom?” Penny stood still on the sidewalk in front of the cafe. “But Daddy, we’ll only be in Alaska for three years, You and Mom could visit!” She paced. “In a tent. Remember, I was your best apprentice when you taught all three of us to camp.” She strained to hear what her father was saying. “Yes, Dad. We’ve thought about that. We can simulate everything except cold tempera-tures. We’ll get used to them.” “No, Daddy. They’d keep my job open. Even if they don’t, they’ll write a good reference.” Silence resounded on both ends. “Dad. You’re a super big fan of fighting climate change. In another year Syd and I will have our new machine built and debugged. Trial has to happen in Alaska.” “Oh wait.” She saw Syd beckoning through the window. “Sorry, Dad. Got to go. Talk to-night.” “Hank?” She swallowed. “He’s cool.” That’s not a lie, she told herself as she pushed Off on her phone. *** “Oh, Penny, I’m so glad you were able to make it for coffee,” said Syd. “I can’t stay very long – it turns out I have a second interview for that amazing job in San Diego! They said it was urgent to talk as soon as possible, so I think they really want me! Can you imagine! Doing exactly what I’ve always wanted to do – and in such a cool and beautiful place! I was so discouraged, and now it just might happen!” “Wow … that’s a big surprise – I mean, that’s great, Syd … I guess this puts the Alaska plan on ice. So to speak.” “Oh, that. This company in San Diego is really interested in the machine, so they’ll probably give me a team for development and then for the cold weather testing. It will be so much better than you and me trying to pull it off on our own! Anyway, gotta go. Wish me luck!” “Arctic Mudslide latte for Penny!” called the barista. Penny picked up her coffee, thought for a moment, and said, “Actually, can I have a shot of Old Crow with this?”

NORTH HAPPENINGS

JANUARY 9—JANUARY 16 Please continue to make reservations at the desk in

Easthampton 413-586-0006 to use the Fitness Room, Art

Studio and the library continue.

Sat. Jan. 9 2:00 Walk Around. Go Right

Sun. Jan. 10 2:00 Movie with Dave: The Lady Eve

Mon. Jan. 11 Trash pick up

9:30-2:00 Limited Access to the Fitness Center, Art Room and the Library

1:30-3:30 Frank Sansom Office Hours

2:00 Healthy Bones and Balance on ZOOM

Tues. Jan. 12 11:00 Yoga $$ contact Martha Cushman marthaedit123@gmail.com

11:00 Mark Peterson presentation on ZOOM

Wed. Jan. 13 9:30-2:00 Limited Access to the Fitness Center, Art Room and the Library

10:30 Caregiver’s Support Group on Zoom

1:00 Rob Olmsted Office Hours

2:00 Handicraft group on ZOOM. contact Carol Neubert cpneubert@gmail.com

3:30 Walk Around. Go Left!

Thurs. Jan. 14 10:00-1:00 Fitness with Jen Call her at 437-5893 to schedule a session.

1:00-3:00 Suzie Dickson-Moyer Office Hours

2:00 Healthy Bones and Balance on ZOOM

Fri. Jan. 15 9:30-2:00 Limited Access to the Fitness Center, Art Room and the Library

10:00 Guided Meditation w/Joe Kulin. Sign-up in advance

Sat. Jan. 16 Happy Birthday Martha Cushman!

2:00 Walk Around. Go Right

NORTH HAPPENINGS

Answer: Though first in "pity" he is the last in "help".

Meeting House Office Hours Week of 1/10

Monday to Thursday 9:00am—3:00pm Sarah

Friday 9:00am—3:00pm Marilyn