GRINDSTONE ISLAND NEWS - July 2, 2000

 

All along the road there are great swaths of daisies, more of them that I have seen for several years. I remember the fun of gathering them for children’s day celebrations when I was a child.  Margaret Taylor gathered a huge bouquet, wreaths and wreaths of petals, and sunspots galore, and brought the spray to church this morning in one of her huge vases.  The flowers smiled at us all through the hymns and sermon and benediction.

 

It has been a very quiet Fourth of July weekend at our house, and all up the road. There have been several dogs barking, but a raccoon came very quietly onto the porch to say hello, the deer has come, very ladylike, to nibble on our hosta, and the armada of geese glided in quite early in the morning to sun on our rock…I discouraged them! On Friday, Bobby Cummings with his family, came, very slowly and with no noise at all, into their dock, and Richard and Beverly, his parents, making no more fuss, were right behind him. The Leanas didn’t arrive until late Sunday afternoon, but they come as serenely to the now-crowded dock. The Marsh family left on Saturday.  It is a quiet bay, even over at Weezie Ford’s dock.  I like it this way. Even on the open river, we’ve had only two really loud boats go by this weekend. Maybe everyone for miles around has gotten news of the temperature of the river!

 

Next Saturday night, island life will liven up. Andy Davis and the Midnight Sun will play for the first dance of the season in The Dodge Memorial Hall.  In spite of enjoying the quiet, we missed the usual Fourth of July partying this weekend. Last night, there was not even a dance.  Someone called on Friday to ask if there was going to be one, and thinking I had the word from Robbie Bazinet, I said “Yes”.  I hope he didn’t make the trip over.  The leader of the group Bubby had tried to get called him at 2;30 AM! on Friday night (or Saturday morning) to tell him they couldn’t come because they had just been booked elsewhere for New Year’s Eve prices. So the Hall was quiet.

 

“Doc” Schwartz said this morning that he and Phyllis were at the Posh Picnic at the boat museum, so probably lots of other people were making merry noise there.

 

Church this morning, however, was a good, loud Fourth of July service. I turned down my hearing aids to come into the sanctuary where everyone was greeting everyone else with as much hugging and kissing as at the first service.  We began with the Presentation of the Colors, two flags donated to the church by Ken Larson and Caroline. The two Davison boys carried them in and put them in their stands, the Christian flag on the north side of the church, and the Stars and Stripes on the south side of the church. We pledged allegiance to both.  Then Alvin Taylor from the Cape Vincent Road sang acapella, “God Bless America”, a song he said he heard for the first time in Radio City Music Hall just after he had been inducted as a  Marine early in the World War II.  It was sung by Kate Smith, and if you are my age or his, you know he never has forgotten hearing it sung by her.. Later, he sang, “Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord"” with the congregation joining in the chorus. It was a wonderful musical morning, all quite by surprise.  A pick-up choir arrived at ten o’clock, and John was delighted because he had been playing ,  wishing all week he could find someone to sing “Lift every voice and sing”. And there he was, unexpectedly, with a choir of good vocalists full of enthusiasm. They all knew the tune and sang lustily. It was a good patriotic morning.  We don’t have any parades over here, and not much of a display of fireworks.  So we were all glad to be able to say in our own ways on Sunday morning, “It’s a good country.” We are grateful for its spacious skies, and pray that its every flaw be mended.

 

Last Sunday Rachel Bazinet graduated from Rome Free Academy. Rachel is the daughter of Bubby Bazinet and Nancy Schmidt, and granddaughter of Ada and Bob Bazinet, and Pat and Alvin Taylor. The whole family went to Rome for her graduation and a pool party afterwards.  Congratulations, Rachel.  Rachel, one of our Grindstone Island children, plans to attend JCC next year.

 

I asked Rex Ennis this morning about Janet’s tests, and he reported that they came out clear and that Janet is fine.

 

Phil Marra is spending his first weekend as a retired merchant.  Phil has worked in the family market in Watertown for 50 years.  He is having trouble sleeping as late in the morning as he dreamed he’d enjoy, but that’s because Erma’s early morning coffee is so inviting.  She said she had twelve people up there before church this morning. There are a lot of regulars!

 

Aminta Marks, is talking at the village museum on July 19th at twelve noon, about the history of the Grindstone Island Methodist Church. It is part of a weekly program of local history held every Wednesday at noon. Watch the T.I. Sun for details.

 

Kitty Paxton invited everyone in church to come to a party on July 29th to celebrate Michael Paxton’s graduation from his first stint in the navy.  He will be home, then, and ready to celebrate with us all.

 

Hear ye! Hear ye! On Tuesday, July 11th, we will celebrate Annie Couch’s 90th birthday with a pot luck supper in Dodge Memorial Hall. Come, everybody!  If you have a meeting afterwards, Norma will understand, but you will miss a lot of good talk.

 

Next week will be busier I can already see by the announcements I have been given:

 

1.  There will be a potluck picnic lunch at the island schoolhouse immediately after church (12:00 or 12:30 o’clock) on Sunday, July 23. Transportation will be available from the Antique Boat Museum at 9:30 a.m. for those who would like to attend church, and, again, at 12:00 o’clock noon. Boats will be met by island transportation. A boat will be ready to take people back to the museum at 3:00 pm.  To reserve space on a boat, please call 686-4093 leaving your name, the number in your party, the boat you wish to come over on, and the telephone number at which you can be reached.

 

2. The Annual Turkey Dinner and auction will be held in the Grindstone Church Carriage House on Saturday, July 15th, beginning at 5:00 pm.  Dinner is $6.00 for adults, and $3.00 for children (10 and under).

 

3. There will be a joint meeting of the Dodge Hall Task Force and the Church Council in the carriage house on Sunday, July 9th, right after church.

 

4. Children’s choir rehearsal will be at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday evening. 

 

5. Adult choir rehearsal will meet at 10:00 am on Sunday morning.

 

6. There will be a Church Council meeting at the parsonage on July 11th at 7:00 p.m.                                                                            

So It Is,

Aminta Marks