Good day:
“Sometimes, simply by sitting, the soul collects wisdom” …………………………………………………………………………………………………. Zen Proverb
“I would drive to West of Fargo just to see you once again” ……………………………………………………………………………………………. Ferlin’ Norris
“No seed ever sees the flower” …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Ram Dass
Well it’s been a strange mix of a week here on The Mount. Fall surrounds us with cool days and chilly nights, the leaves are tumbling, though not filled with color and the leaf-peepers are abounding. We continued our barrage for Jenn’s six decades of birthday experiences with The Queen following up the last extravaganza at the Homestyle Hotel with a lovely dinner at the home of music friends the Capeists (not Papists), then a romantic dinner for two in the five seats only per night- Downtown Grocery in Ludlow, a top five Vermont chic eatery, where the menu in Sanskrit is only scribbled on the board, the price of one entree is more than a meal for two at most places we frequent and the hostess/front of the house keeper/sommelier brought out five bottles for tasting so TQ could decide for having one glass of wine….and then proceeded to taste each one first to make sure they are still vintage-worthy….and then did this at every table…how trashed is she by nights end?
Thursday night’s dinner got cancelled due to most recent Covid scare but Friday we went to an impromptu family comforts gathering (more later) and just got back from a delightful weekend getaway to our newest fave place- Troy, NY, where we stayed on the banks of the mighty Hudson next to row houses from the 1600s and wandered the streets of this wonderfully rejuvenated old industrial city that is the home of the very real Uncle Sam! Wandered into a great Thai lunch, a cozy Eye-talian bistro dinner and a way off the path breakfast from Manna at a 4 by 4 neighborhood joint (Mumu’s) serving Mediterranean breakfast waffles- really!!!!. Who knew the culture mecca of Troy? All of this surrounded a concert at the Carnegie lite Troy Music Hall featuring the Weight Band reincarnating the sounds of THE Band to perfection. Stopped on way home to prepare for two sets of overnight guests for the beginning of our fall infusion, and picking up carloads of mums for the TQ Jones along the way.
After our guests leave this week we resume our barrage with a trip to the Adirondacks and weekend visits from childhood friends-and the beat goes on……all good for us…in a time of plenty.
But, there has been another side to this week and to the last month. One of our oldest and dearest friends, Penny, decided four weeks ago to quit medically fighting the ovarian cancer of 12 years. She has done the most courageous things-; eschewing traditional treatments for wild diets, herbs, trips to Mexican clinics and done well for a decade, before it returned a few years ago. After a round of chemo and a remission, it came back, and she decided enough was enough-taking advantage of Vermont’s constitutionally provided Act 39- which allows for death with dignity via self-medication. For the last three weeks we have surrounded Penny, and the family, from up close, gone through a mountain of goodbyes’, self-realizations, remembrances and resolutions. To be honest, I have never experienced anything like it- the courage, resolve, the level of self-responsibility, the outpourings of love to someone who has been the most beloved teacher in the history of this town, teaching four generations of elementary students with zest, extraordinary dedication and constant aplomb. Jenn I have had the enormous privilege of being part of the inner circle up to this past Tuesday when we said a tentative goodbye; Penny decided that Wednesday was time for her to leave. To say that this has affected and permeated the psyches of almost everyone in this community, is an understatement. It is a new experience to imagine how one should pass from this world and what the options are and what we should have the individual right to do at that decision time- being able to be surrounded by expressions of love, on your own terms and at a time of your own choosing. There is a lot to say about this, but I’ll leave it as a profound experience that is worth learning more about. We are left with a gaping hole of grief, but nothing was left unspoken. We love you, Penny!
Penny Coldwell 1952- 2023
…and the rest of the photos from the week that was:
