In my experience, the week after a long weekend is a particularly quiet one around here. City folk have departed. They are busy settling kids into school. Sullivan locals are looking for the best fresh (and scarce) tomatoes and enjoying taking in a long, deep breath. We, Sullivan, did it, AGAIN! No doubt about it: even without our wanted tomatoes it’s a delicious time. Self-congratulation is definitely in order. 

I love to follow the heavens. In these early days of September in these latitudes we are losing about three minutes of light PER DAY—translating into the loss of about twenty minutes of daylight each week. Nights are appreciably longer and cooler. This week Devin & Brett of Liberty Chimney came over to my place to clean out my woodburning stove and chimney. Give Devin a call—845-707-3450—he and his crew are always so positive and peppy. What a delight to deal with such an upright, hardworking company doing such necessary work for those of us heating our homes this fall and winter with woodfired stoves.

This August I solicited input from friends and customers about who best to call for good firewood. In the past few years here I have met firewood dealers with whom I would never deal again, people even recommended by friends. Two years ago a doughty fellow sold me three cord of pretty hard-to-burn “fully seasoned” green wood; last year, another told me he was selling me 18” quoits only to pull up one day in October with a huge truck heaped full of 14” pieces of wood. Behold the human: words, not deeds. The coming winter in the Northeast, based on multiple scientific prognoses, is going to be a doozer—a snow-rich and quite ‘arctic-vortex’ centric four or five months.

Having called around: prices for firewood: $240/cord for two year seasoned wood, large chunks, 18” quoits. $225/cord wood brought in from Pennsylvania, the seller is totally trustworthy. A few sellers quote $300/cord or $850/for four cord 16” quoits. Just be skeptical: deeds, not words.

After an amazing BLAZING summer of activities the Smallwood Civic Association (SWCA) is about to rest. This summer has telescoped a veritable twelve-month of activities into three small months, and we must acknowledge this. The present Board of the Association has been exemplary in putting forward a panoply of activities and necessary constitutional changes the likes of which have not been seen in Smallwood since around 1950. Everyone will have their opinion and has their opinion about SWCA actions this year. Maybe next year those most wordy will stand for election to the Board. Time—and deeds—will tell.

Going into overtime, the SWCA announces its annual Hallowe’en Walk around Smallwood’s beautiful Mountain Lake. This event is open to SWCA Member families and children and to the children and families of all Bethel residents as well. To host a Hallowe’en table around the lakeshore as a community member or sponsor a table as local business, please contact SWCA social maven Jose Nunez at smwcavolunteer@gmail.com. More events are on the horizon: the Thanksgiving Day TURKEY TROT and the 2024 New Year’s Day Forest Reserve Hike. Thank you everybody, and see you soon!