Chester Chatter: Friendship takes wings

By Ruthie Douglas
©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC

My sister Marie and I became the best of friends with Willy, who I wrote about last week.   When school began in late summer, Marie and I went off to school and Willy was left behind to wait for us to come home.

Soon, our playtime changed. We made the best of it, playing softball and kick the can. During the spring we went around the neighborhood finding dead birds, sometimes the victims of cats or windows. We buried them along the side of my house. And it was Willy’s job to crank the church music out from his old tin chapel. We said our prayers and buried the birds. It was all the wooden crosses that displeased my father, who put a stop to our bird cemetery as it had grown too large.

So we switched to weddings, finding old curtains in the rubbish to turn into a veil. Thus, a bride was born. So much fun we had. And it was a wonderful friendship. As we grew older, the friendship with Willy faded, taken over by new friends and new interests. But I think of those times often. A good friend is forever.

Scene and heard

A delightful day on Sunday last week when my daughter Jeanie and I traveled down to Greenfield, Mass., to visit Grandson Alex and his girlfriend Kathyrn. Riding around Greenfield, we spotted five Christmas wreaths still on front doors. What’s up?

It’s Girl Scout Cookie season.

Tom and Jeanie Petraska celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary recently with a family dinner at the Fullerton Inn.

Boy Scout Troop 206 is now sponsored by the American Legion Post 67. We members are proud to have them!

Coming over Hilltop Road in Andover, we spotted 51 turkeys. Wow. We had to stop and let them cross the road.

This week’s trivia question: When did cable TV come to Chester?

Last week’s trivia: The land for Green Mountain High School was donated by Fletcher Manley.

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Street Talk

What woman would you like the recognize for International Woman’s Day, which was March 8?