With the time change now behind us, days in Mongaup Valley and Smallwood seem shorter than ever. There’s the usual number of tasks to complete each livelong day, but so few hours of daylight in which to complete them!

Last month I ordered two truckloads of seasoned firewood for my cast iron and I enjoyed stacking it until almost dinnertime by the wan light of each October dusk. Now I am stacking it in the morning and early afternoon when it is warmer and brighter.

The coming week may bring first snow. By then—or so my goal—four cord of wood must be stacked in neat multiple rows, close to the front door for quick and easy access in the snowy days and nights ahead.

I spoke this week with Jonathan Hyman, President of the Smallwood Civic Association, and asked about happenings at the SWCA. Hyman reported that the traffic detour on Lakeshore Drive (instituted to bypass the Ida-damaged Pine Grove culvert) is still causing headaches. The newly-instituted speed limit reduction to 20 mph which the Association requested may be having some effect on driving speeds, but heavy trucks are now using the road and damaging it. It’s the next big municipal bill waiting to happen.

Hyman also mentioned that the SWCA Board of Directors is quite busy reviewing the unregulated rental situation in Smallwood and discussing the possibility of an increase in Association membership dues, currently pegged at only $150 per year.

This weekend, on Saturday, November 13th, at 3:00 PM, the SWCA is holding what promises to be a final and charming late-season get together at the Association Beach on Mountain Lake. Organizers have coined a term for the event: “S’moreswood.” Members are invited to gather around the gorgeous firepit on the beach for some end-of-year cheer; if coming, do please bring your own beverages, snacks, and chairs, along with any musical instruments you may be adept at.

The get together will conclude whenever the participants decide to end it. An Association email assures readers that the Beach will be open and the fire tended to until at least 5:30 PM. Sounds just great, a truly memorable way to end a year of joy and progress on the shores of Mountain Lake.

On another happy note. The many friends and neighbors of Eleanore Kessler, long-time resident of Smallwood, are requesting everyone’s help in making Eleanore’s upcoming 100th birthday truly memorable. Eleanore’s centenary birthday will fall on December 10, 2021 and her friends are hoping that she will receive 100 birthday cards to celebrate her big day.

In her long life, Eleanore has done a lot. In 2015 she was Town of Bethel Senior of the Year. She is a member of the Bethel-Smallwood Senior Club and a member of the Smallwood-Mongaup Valley Fire Company Ladies Auxiliary as well as the Kauneonga Lake Methodist Church and Sullivan County RSVP. Kind Reader! Hop to it! Birthday cards can be sent to Eleanore at the following address:

Mrs. Eleanore Kessler

P.O. Box 300

Smallwood, NY 12778-0300