Chester Chatter: Fall cleaning is for memories

By Ruthie Douglas
©2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC

Fall has arrived. And it means I am doing my fall house cleaning. Somehow I skipped over spring cleaning and am going slow due to the fact that I am bumping into memories such as notes, photos, newspaper clippings and of course some pure junk.

Here is my original birth certificate with my tiny, little footprints on it, Don and my marriage certificate and other important papers.

I am very lucky to have these important documents because so much was lost in our house fire. But these were in the drawer of the desk near the front door and the firefighters were able to wrestle the entire desk outside. But other keepsakes were not so lucky.

Some things I pause to look at, such as items my girls in school art classes made for me, such as lumps of clay made into ash trays. I can see their little fingerprints within the forms.

I even started to clean out my kitchen cupboard a little bit. That project has a ways to go before I finish it. So far I have found outdated cans of food, old pasta and flour with bugs jumping around. Some of my pots and pans were wedding gifts. Let’s not even think about the contents of my junk drawer!

I started using one drawer for the flotsam and jetsam. But now it has grown into three. I could tell more tales of my fall cleaning, but I would rather relax and enjoy life.

Scene and heard

Longtime Green Mountain school teacher Gert Bennett, who was once a teacher of the year as well as a school board member, has died. She will be remembered by many. Our thoughts are with her two sons George and Everett.

Happy anniversary to my classmates Dennis and Dottie Richardson, celebrating their 65th wedding anniversary.  The 1959 Class of Springfield High School  gathered for lunch at Bobby Rorison’s home, where his wife hosted us.  Although cloudy, it was nice and warm in the comfy space she decorated for us. And we had a special cake made for the Richardsons’ anniversary.

It is sad to learn of the death of Sally Bratton. Sally was a playground guard at Chester-Andover Elementary and was later a janitor there. The students thought much of her.

Chester residents brought back the Chester Festival on the Green this past Saturday and Sunday, after a hiatus due to Covid-19. It was a wonderful weekend of craftspeople, artists of all media, food, music and family events.