Maybe it was the low rumbling of the Town of Bethel’s sweeper and paving trucks bouncing down my street this week or maybe it was a result of having been seriously ill all winter: I’m not sure exactly why, but somehow the idea of a “to-the-bones” spring cleaning of my cozy home possessed me with vengeance this week. A mere dusting down or vacuuming of the premises would not do; I wanted this year’s spring cleaning to be massive, transformational, reductive and simplifying. Perhaps you feel the same with increasing age: I have so much stuff, so much STUFF from coveting, collecting, and hoarding of THINGS once regarded as useful but now just more junk and clutter. I’ve come out swinging this week, filling bag after 38 gallon bag full of hiking boots, threadbare jeans, and yellowed bedding. A couple of friends have helped me reconfigure the livingroom and another helped me empty the spare bedroom. Suddenly the home’s fung shui feels right. After years of feeling stuffed to the rafters, the house seems simple, understandable. You can walk right up to every window and drink in the light. Go to a chair and sit down. The damn cushions are gone! There’s nothing left in the way to block any intention. You can sweep through the house like a dervish if you want to, fly through it like a dancing dragonfly, unobstructed. Amazing! Bethel’s annual Clean-Up Day lies just ahead. Folks: hop to it and get out that broom and bags and dumpster. You’re going to feel lighter if you do.

This coming Saturday, April 27 from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM, the Bethel Local Development Corporation (BLDC) will be hosting its next indoor “Kauneonga Lake Farm and Makers Market.” This latest end-of-month marketplace in Bethel’s Duggan School (3460 Rt 55, White Lake 12786) is a fantastic venue where friends and neighbors can meet and greet to support local small businesses, many of which (as you’ll see) are run by your friends and acquaintances. A whole cross section of Bethel life and commerce will convene and commune this Saturday, with companies as diverse as the Be Kind Bakeshop, JR’s Farm Fresh Beef, Literacy Book Store, Honeybee Herbs, and Zan and Zoe Farms all present. Saturday is forecast to be on the cool side so it’s a perfect day for a visit to the Kauneonga Lake Market.

My company, too, Sticky Fingers Delectables, will have a stand at the Market this Saturday selling our fabulous frozen homemade soups and stews. However the most important news this week from Sticky Fingers Land is that we are partnering with Action Toward Independence (ATI), a group which provides veteran services in Orange and Sullivan Counties. Together with ATI we are hosting a “Vets with Dogs” event on Saturday, May 18th from 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM under the Sticky Fingers Pavilion (10 Horseshoe Lake Road, KL 12749). Two vets and two dogs will be present plus a local band playing and hopefully some local politicians. We are hoping you, dear Reader, will help us raise enough money on this occasion to purchase a vet a new service animal to help with his/her PTSD, TBI, or PTSD/MST. More to come on this exciting event, but mark your calendars now please and see you there!