REMINDER
Lost
Bicycle at the
Carpenter Library
Are you
missing a bicycle? If yes, call the library at 435-8406!
A lovely blue adult cruiser has been outside the library since about
October 29th. The Pittsfield Police Department does not have any
reports of a missing bike. If unclaimed, the library will work to
find the bicycle a good home.
REMINDER
Wanted
By The Pittsfield Historical Society
A
reasonably new computer. Our main computer has crashed and we are
looking for one to replace it. If anyone can help, please call Larry
Berkson at 798-3984 or e-mail him at
[email protected].
REMINDER
Pittsfield High School Class of 1979 Reunion
A
motivated group from Pittsfield High School's Class of 1979 are
creating plans for the 40th-year reunion. The event is planned
for the evening of August 3rd of next year in Concord, NH, and is
planned to include a buffet dinner, live music, and a cash bar.
The
reunion planners would like to ask members of the Class of 1979 to:
(1)
save the date;
(2)
contact Randy Severance through e-mail at
[email protected] for
details;
(3)
request access to the "Pittsfield High School (NH) Class of 1979
40th Reunion" group page (if you have access to Facebook) where the
most current updates will be posted;
(4)
please help us locate class members for whom we currently do not
have contact information (there are about 20 in the "missing"
category).
The
Merrimack County Stamp Collectors will hold its monthly meeting at
the Bow Mills United Methodist Church, 505 South St., Bow, on
December 18, beginning at 1 pm. We invite all who are
interested in stamp collecting to attend, share their interest, buy,
sell and trade. Meet other collectors and learn more about
their hobby and enjoy the fellowship of others with varied interests
in Philatelic resources and issues. Gain new insight and
knowledge, sharing news articles and stories about stamp collecting.
For more information call Dan Day at 603-228-1154.
REMINDER
Decorated Wreath Contest At The Pittsfield Christmas Tree Lighting
We will
be having a DECORATED WREATH CONTEST again this year. Everyone
is invited to bring a decorated (anyway you'd like) wreath to Dustin
Park. The winner will be announced at 6pm after the Tree
Lighting and will receive a $50 CASH PRIZE.
Please
drop your wreath off by 3:45pm at Dustin Park (PYW) and please pick
up your wreath by 6:15pm. Any wreaths that are not picked up
will be donated to local groups.
For
more information, contact Andi Riel at 435-6346 or email at
[email protected].
REMINDER
You are
invited to participate in Pittsfield’s Farm to School Team Community
Meeting! Wednesday November 28th from 6- 8 pm at Media
Center/Library at the Pittsfield Middle High School. Join to
learn about the Pittsfield, NH Farm to School initiative, review a
proposed action plan, and share your ideas to inform next steps so
we can grow this work over the next year. Please RSVP at
pittsfieldlistens.org/events. Dinner and onsite childcare
provided. Transportation available upon request.
Winter
Grazing Buffalo-Style
Submitted By Carole Soule
A snow
covered cow is a warm cow.
The
Miles Smith Farm Highlander herd at St. Paul's pasture, next to
Audubon Concord Headquarters.
Mocha
forages through the snow for morsels of green grass.
The
pasture water system includes three tanks holding up to 6,000
gallons of water that gravity feed the drinking trough through a
hose. The flow is controlled by a stopper and ball similar to that
used in toilets.
The
cattle watched as I trudged through 6 inches of snow into their
pasture. Husband Bruce and I had driven the pickup truck into the
field next to Audubon headquarters near Concord to check on the 40
head of cattle that have been there for three weeks. Yes, this is
November when most traditionally-fed cows are eating hay. To a
farmer like me, who doesn't raise hay, they might as well be eating
money. That's why this herd is dining on affordable, wholesome and
tasty “stockpiled forage.”
We
lease these twenty acres from St.Paul’s School and this year let the
grass grow tall and green all summer - the very definition of
stockpiled forage.
To
maximize utilization of this forage, we practice "rotational
grazing." We divide the pasture into six paddocks of about 3 acres
each. The herd spends nearly a week grazing in each paddock before
we open up a new paddock for them. This system mimics the grazing
patterns of wild buffalo when they roamed the great plains. They
would eat down the grass from one area, then move on to the next,
returning weeks later after the grass grew back. Buffalo had no one
to feed them hay, they had to find grass under the snow. They did,
and they thrived.
While
my shaggy Highland cattle may look like buffalo, they aren't. They
are spoiled cows who expect hay served to them twice a day. Was I
asking too much for them to rely on their foraging instincts and dig
down through the snow?
Apparently not. As I watched, Mocha hoofed the snow aside like a pro
and came up with bright green strands of deliciousness. Others
followed her lead.
I don't
know why, but a hard freeze sweetens grass, making it even tastier.
At least that's what my cows tell me.
Of
course, water supplies can also freeze. Fortunately, with all the
recent rain, there are pools of water in the field. The cows have
been drinking from these pools and haven't touched their water
trough in days. The trough is fed by three tanks that should
collectively hold 6,000 gallons of water. But the cattle opened the
valve on one tank, emptying it. Another tank drained out when the
float valve broke (it's always something!), so we are down to one
1,300-gallon tank. Given all the rain we've had, should last until
we bring them home.
The
cattle have food and water, but what about heat? Won't they freeze?
Nope, the amazing cow has perfected natural insulation. Her winter
coat insulates her, plus it contains nature's own “hair
product”...oily lanolin, which makes it water-proof. When snow piles
up, unmelted, on a cow's back, that's proof her insulation is
working. Just like snow on the roof of a well-insulated house, it
will accumulate and eventually slide off. A snow-covered cow is a
warm cow. As long as they have protection from bitter wind, cows do
just fine in the winter.
There
are two more paddocks of stockpiled grass at the Audubon field,
which should keep them fed until early December unless their water
supply freezes. Then we'd have to bring them back to the farm to
dine on costly hay. But for now, they are happy wandering and
foraging...maybe dreaming of their thrifty humpbacked cousins out
West.
Letter
To The Editor
Dear
Editor:
The
fall and winter can be a busy time full of fun activities and
travel, but the same activities that bring joy can also negatively
impact patients in need of lifesaving transfusions.
In
fact, right now, the American Red Cross is facing a severe blood
shortage and has issued an urgent call for eligible donors of all
blood types to give now and avoid delays in medical care for
patients. Right now, blood donations are being distributed to
hospitals faster than donations are coming in.
Volunteer blood drive sponsors are also critically needed to host
drives in December, January and February to prevent the shortage
from continuing throughout the winter. Fewer groups signing up to
host blood drives in September and October coupled with the
widespread cancellation of scheduled drives as a result of
hurricanes Michael and Florence were key factors that contributed to
the current shortage. Winter blood drive hosts can also play a key
role in helping to end it.
There’s
a chance you may know someone who has been helped by a blood
transfusion. Blood and platelet donations are often used in the
treatment of those being treated for cancer or sickle cell disease,
heart surgery and organ transplant recipients, and accident and burn
victims
On
behalf of the Red Cross, I’m inviting you to roll up a sleeve and
give the perfect gift – the gift of life. Your gift could lead to a
lifetime of holiday memories for patients in need. To make an
appointment to donate and sign up to host a blood drive, I urge you
to visit RedCrossBlood.org.
Sincerely,
Maria
Devlin
Chief
Executive Officer
American Red Cross New Hampshire and Vermont
Josiah
Carpenter Library Digital Library
Do you
need an internet connection? Do you have a device that can
connect to a wireless network? Come to the library and borrow
a Sprint network wireless hot spot! The hot spots have an
unlimited data plan supported through the corporate donations of
Mobile Beacon and Sprint. In addition, remember you can browse
and borrow eBooks, audio books, comics, movies and movies through
the free aps Hoopla and Libby. Pittsfield’s digital library is
made possible through the generous support of Globe Manufacturing
Company and the Sanderson Fund.
Pittsfield Youth Workshop Volunteer Of The Year 2018
The
staff, Board of Directors and youth at PYW would like to give
a big thanks to the 2018 Volunteer of the Year – Mark Thomas!
Mark
has been volunteering at PYW since October 2017. Mark has retired
after 39 years as a middle school teacher and coach but still wants
to give back! He is full of energy, a get-up-and-go personality, and
will try just about anything the youth try. He loves hiking, biking,
running, disc golf and making movies –he has made a few for PYW
...you can watch them on our Face Book page! Mark spends about one
day a week at PYW during drop-in hours. He is always willing to help
out any other day of the week when he is available. He chaperones
trips and is very supportive during any of our community events! The
amount of time and energy he has given to PYW is amazing and we
truly appreciate everything he has done for us and the youth in
town.
Without
help from volunteers like Mark, PYW would not be able to offer such
a wide variety of experiences to the youth of Pittsfield. We
are proud to have Mark as a volunteer at PYW and we hope to provide
the youth of Pittsfield with more positive role models like this
year’s Volunteer of the Year!
Congratulations and Thanks Mark!
Free
Christmas Concert
The
First Congregational Church, 24 Main St., Pittsfield, is pleased to
present a Christmas concert Friday, December 7, 7 p.m. This special
concert entitled, “How Great Our Joy,” will feature the church’s
Chancel Choir and the JuBellation Handbell Choir.
Be sure
to include this free delightful concert with many of your favorite
Christmas carols in your holiday plans. Parking and wheelchair
accessible entry located at rear of church on Chestnut Street. For
more information, call the church office at 435-7471.
PES PTO
Celebrates Selection As Hannaford Helps Reusable Bag Program
Beneficiary
Pittsfield Elementary School (PES) PTO, has been selected as a
beneficiary of the Hannaford Helps Reusable Bag Program for the
month of December. PES PTO, a non-profit committed to fostering a
close relationship between parents, staff and students by promoting
communication, encouraging involvement, and collaborating with
members and organizations within our community. It is our
commitment to hold events, provide services and educational
opportunities and provide funds to better enrich our children’s
school environment and experience all while having fun. PTO
has raised nearly $100 in direct donations through past sales of the
Hannaford Community Bag.
The
Hannaford Helps Reusable Bag Program launched in October 2015 and is
designed to support local non-profits through the sale of the
reusable Community Bag.
For
every reusable Community Bag purchased at the Hannaford store
located at 174 First NH Turnpike, Northwood NH during the month of
December, PES PTO will receive a $1 donation.
PES PTO
is proud to be a beneficiary recipient of the Hannaford Helps
Reusable Bag Program and has a goal of raising $50 by the end of
December, which is equivalent to 50 bags purchased.
Learn
more about PES PTO by following their Facebook Page.
For
more information on the Hannaford Helps Reusable Bag Program, visit
hannaford.bags4mycause.com
The
Royal FAMILY Dance At Pittsfield Elementary School
On
Saturday, November 16th, about 30 Pittsfield Elementary students and
their families attended The Family Dance at the Royal Palace (aka-
the PES Gymnasium). There were tables set up with royal blue
table cloths and gold balloons floating above each one. Castle
turrets even set the tone of royalty at the snack table. Guests were
dressed in all types of attire—from a Carhartt jacket to the full
queen of hearts get-up, and everything in between.
There
was lots of dancing to the music provided by two high school
students, Paige and Kianna. The kids especially loved dance lessons
from Kianna. Plenty of snacks were provided by PESPTO and
replenished throughout the afternoon by volunteer Heidi Darrah.
Professional Photos were taken by Erin Flanders of PortraiteFX in
Concord. Kids (and their family members) also had the
opportunity to visit three craft stations: build your own castle
paper craft (thanks to Minni Plante for her hand in preparation),
decorate your own plastic goblets with glitter foam shapes and
colorful gems, and decorate your own family crest sugar cookie with
tons of frosting and colorful sprinkles. Thank you, Sabrina Smith,
for making ALL of the cookie dough - they were delicious!
The
event was free to attend, but we encouraged guests to bring a food
donation. A whole box of snacks was collected for the PES Food4Kids
Program.
We
would like to thank everyone who came out to have fun, but
especially the MANY people who gave an extra hand to clean up—there
were so many people who cleared tables, packed up crafts, packed up
snacks and even swept the floor. Clean up went so quickly, we
didn’t even see all of the magic helpers who helped but we want to
thank them all! We appreciate all of the work and dedication
of the committee members and those who signed up to help out—Liz
Erickson, Jillian and Adam Gauthier, and Kelly Page.
Over
the past year or so, many people had requested a ‘Daddy/Daughter
Dance’ and/or a ‘Mother/Son Dance.’ After discussing such
events during a PTO meeting, it was decided to have a “Family Dance”
and this proved to be a wonderful event! A special THANK YOU
to Katie Nikas for putting the dream into reality and planning such
a perfect event for our PES families.
These
school-wide and community events are a lot of work but with the help
of so many hands, they have proven to be successful and lots of fun
for those who attend. We look forward to our next event coming
soon and are always looking for more hands to help out. Our
next PTO Meeting/Holiday Open House is December 12th from 4-6 in the
PES Learning Commons—we look forward to meeting you!
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