It Was the Best of Times, It Was the Worst of Times

Thank you, Charles Dickens.

Yes, it was sad to say goodbye to Aunt Lorraine in Fall River. (She was 94 years young.) But the services were uplifting, celebrating Lorraine's life. When her husband passed away in his early 50s, she was left with 4 children and a clothing factory to run. She took on all challenges with humor and grace. Her volunteering and good deeds were enumerated and we realized that many people loved her, not just us. Rest in peace.

And it was "Hats Off to Lorraine," which was a sweet remembrance of her.




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Last Thursday I went to hear the a cappella singing by a UMass group called Wicked Pitch. I managed to get a video of a few seconds of their singing -- but the picture is upside down! And I don't think it will let me post it here.

Afterward, there was a program on The Black Cats which was a World War I group of ambulance drivers. A little over half of them were "Amherst College Boys."  They were sent on a ship to France and when they got there, they had to assemble the Model T Ford ambulances that they brought with them (in pieces). Jim Hamilton (also a graduate of Amherst College) gave a very engaging presentation. His grandfather, Hugh Hamilton, had been a Black Cat. Mr. Hamilton has written a book on The Black Cats after doing extensive research.

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And we had Halloween!

Brownie (above) was not at all happy with his costume, but he greeted me with his usual exuberance. The Ameen-McCabes were nice enough to let me 'help' give out candy so I only had to answer the door half of the time. Jon was supposed to be playing creepy music on their electric piano (it sounded like an organ), but the kids weren't impressed at all. We had a lot fewer kids than usual and I was surprised.

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And now for the joyous part of our reporting:

Matron of Honor, Big Sister Julie

Flower Girl, Vera, daughter of Julie and David

Here Comes the Bride!

Tomi (MOB) and David (FOB)

I was so thrilled that Tomi invited me! I had a great time. The service was at Grace Church (where the girls and I attended for many years) and the dinner was at the Lord Jeffery Amherst Inn. Although I think they recently changed the name to the Inn at Boltwood. 

Some of the residents have become squeamish because it's rumored that Lord Jeffery Amherst tried to eradicate the local Native Americans by giving them smallpox infected blankets. He was the British commanding general during the French and Indian war, and there was a smallpox epidemic among the Indians. But it's not known if he personally handed out blankets, condoned the practice, or the epidemic was started by a sick soldier. At any rate, some current people want to drop the name of Amherst altogether. 

"The town of Amherst, Massachusetts, was named for Lord Jeff even before he became a Lord. Amherst College was later named after the town. It is said the local inhabitants who formed the town preferred another name, Norwottuck, after the Indians whose land it had been; the colonial governor substituted his choice for theirs. Frank Prentice Rand, in his book, The Village of Amherst: A Landmark of Light[Amherst, MA: Amherst Historical Society, 1958], says that at the time of the naming, Amherst was "the most glamorous military hero in the New World. ... ...the name was so obvious in 1759 as to be almost inevitable." [p. 15]" From Wikipedia

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We finally got some sun today after what seemed like many days of rain. It's currently 33.3 F. at 9:12 p.m. Yes, Mom, I have a sweater on.  I even put the heat up to 66, lol. 

Well, I have to put batteries in the bedroom universal remote. I sure hope that works! I couldn't shut the TV off at all. I had to use the TV remote. Oh, the angst!

Cheers! Have a great week.