As we close out one year and look ahead to the next, it's a good time to remember the people we lost over the past 12 months who made a difference in our lives and our communities. Chatham was stunned last February when former Selectman Tom Roper passed away unexpectedly. Known for his attention to detail and penchant for humor, he'd entered town politics as a bit of an outlier and evolved into a voice of reas...

Rows and flows of angel hair And ice cream castles in the air And feathers canyons everywhere I’ve looked at clouds that way   But now they only block the sun They rain and snow on everyone So many things I would have done But clouds got in my way   Joni Mitchell wrote the song and Judy Collins sung it on her “Wildflowers” album released in 1967. It is a wonderful song and Judy Colli...

Too often, we look outward at the holidays, shopping, planning and attending parties, decorating. Coming as it does between the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year (or, if you prefer, the longest night) and the day our calendar tells us begins a new year, Christmas is also a time to look inward, to take stock of our lives and be thankful for family, friends and community. A glimpse at the pages of th...

The sun is barely up when I arrive at the overlook at Lighthouse Beach. It doesn’t even seem to glare like it did in the fall, back in September and October. That’s when the sun would blaze down on my forehead and into my eyes, seeming to make the pushing of the mower a more wretchedly hot ordeal than in the depths of July and August. But now our star is at its greatest distance from us, and even though it mig...

Help Along The Path To Eagle Editor: The people I would like to thank for helping in the completion of my Eagle Scout project are: My Mom and my Dad, Scoutmasters Alex Carlson, John Donlan and Jarrod West, the Scouts of Troop 77 Brewster, especially Daren Kapolis, Mike Lach and Colin Leonard of Harwich Conservation Trust, and Jason Gourdine of Mid Cape Home Centers. Carl Furner Harwich   Retain ...

Hunger, homelessness and despair often have a common trait: invisibility. So when firefighters and police officers camped out in public places over the weekend to collect food, toys and money for local social service agencies, it provided an important reminder of a hidden problem. Standing by the roadside or huddled around campfires, the first responders were taking part in the Homeless for the Holidays progra...

Winter Concert A Wonderland Editor: The annual Winter Concert was held Thursday, Dec. 7 at the Monomoy Regional High School in Harwich. Shame on you if you did not make the effort to attend. The program included selected holiday music, much in an upbeat, modern presentation. Music from the Jazz Band, 8-9 Band, Women’s A Capella, Combined Choirs, 10-12 Band and Select Choir highlighted the two-hour progra...

On Santa’s last practice run ‘round the world He lost his poor Rudolph as excitement swirled.   So back through the stars old Santa flew With reindeer and sleigh and the whole elf crew.   He headed toward Mass-a-chu-setts, they called it, For it was the last place his sled had hauled it.   He hoped the glow from his little friend’s nose Would guide him to its color of ...

AOC Helps With Bell-weather Recovery Editor: I have had the good fortune to lead one of the quirkiest clubs available in any high school for well over a decade. The Monomoy Ringers are a wonderful group of students who volunteer their time and talent to perform handbells throughout the community. Because we are not a regular part of the music department we rely on donations and grants to help us cover our e...

Last month I introduced the topic of the monuments that populate our town, promising to explore them in future Discovering Harwich columns, focusing on the people memorialized there, when and why their monuments were created, and what their message might be for Harwich today. In this second column I will share the information I have gleaned about the memorials that are somewhat inaccurately self-identified as ...

Anyone can rent a room in their home, but while its not unusual for seniors to do so as a way to supplement their income, provide in-home personal care or just companionship, it's not the ideal solution for most young people who want a place of their own. It's debatable whether separate apartments in single-family homes would be more ideal, but the idea of allowing additional units within existing houses as a way...

The “cabin in the woods” scenario is now a well-worn horror movie trope. An incredibly clueless group, usually college age or 20-somethings, decamps to an isolated, dilapidated cottage despite warnings of hauntings, deranged neighbors or ancient curses. Mayhem ensues. Plunking a new Chatham senior center in the middle of the woods probably won't have the same results – as far as we know, there are no ancient b...