Happy New Year to all and a prayer for a better year than 2021. The sentiment may be old hat by the time you read this, but I’m writing it on New Year’s Day and it’s warm and raining. Not anything most of us want. Snow would be much better as long as it doesn’t inconvenience me. The mushy skating rink on the common is disappointing in so many ways. By the way, if you haven’t seen the common lit up at night, you have until Jan. 9 to do so. Scenes there include two different families of deer, two snowmen, and the water fountain and gazebo are decked out. All this, thanks to a group of community-minded people who decided we needed a little cheering up this year.

Informational tidbits from the town office: Remember to license your dog by the end of January in order to avoid a hefty fine. Bring proof of spaying or neutering with you, as well as a certificate of rabies vaccination — even our dogs have to get vaccinated, and if they can stand it, surely we humans ought to be able and willing to protect ourselves and others. The selectmen are still meeting on Tuesday evening at 5 p.m. in the town hall. There are town employment opportunities. The town is in need of a transfer station attendant and a code enforcement officer. Applications for both positions are available at the town office.

Trish Mills is in the process of reconfiguring the layout of Mills’ Market in order to maximize the space for products. It’s a work in progress but promises to be more convenient for customers as well as the clerks.

New Year’s reminds us of resolutions and the passing of time. I once read a poem that referred to the new year as a clean page. It advised the reader to write a new story on this clean page. It also reminds us that we have an opportunity to change and to do things better than we have in the past. So often we forget that and then stay stuck, sometimes in places we don’t want to be.

To write a new page requires courage, so I wish for all of you to have the courage to write a new page and make 2022 the best year of your life.

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