It is amazing how this region pulls together for those in need, the most recent helping those affected by the government shutdown and the hold on SNAP benefits. Hannaford gift cards from the Community Resource Council, meals put on by organizations (Legion and YMCA breakfast held on Sunday), free dinners provided by restaurants (Whale’s Tale), free breakfasts (Boothbay Harbor Memorial Library), donations to the Food Closet and Food Pantry, businesses collecting food (First National Bank), and those donations we don’t know about. And that’s just recently. Suppers and/or raffle drawings have been held this year to help people with medical bills, loss of a home due to a fire, and more. We should all be proud of these volunteer efforts.

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Congratulations to area veterans who were able to gather for Veterans Day events. Many of our local veterans are aging (aren’t we all) and it is nice to see that festivities to honor our veterans are still held.

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As my assistant editor Susan Johns has pointed out in her editorial this week, the forecast of snow has come too early and I concur with her on not liking the white stuff. I have been waiting for most of the oak leaves to fall before clearing my property of leaves and hopefully I can get to it this weekend and beyond. My usual November vacation for this duty begins Nov. 20 and I will be ready to attack with my new (new late last fall) gas-powered blower. Too many years of using an electric blower and raking the leaves onto tarps and dumping them into the woods.