Last week we spent a couple of hours at Windham Senior Dining Center among many others, in celebration of Older Americans Month, which is the month of May. The meal was delicious and the workshop on how to prevent memory loss was enlightening. Many folks I grew up with are now victims of Alzheimer’s and other age-related dementia issues. This brief presentation informed us that all the basics we learned 60 years ago still apply: keep active, enjoy the company of others, eat a healthy diet and get regular check-ups.

I was very encouraged to learn that it’s okay to keep lists – in fact, it’s a good idea. I feel better already, because I have lists of my lists!

Several readers have commented on how ‘busy’ I am, with my many interests including historical society, alumni association, and working part time at the Lakes Region Suburban Weekly. Yes, it’s a busy schedule, but it is more fun than you could imagine, because I get to see so many people I enjoy talking with and from whom I learn so much. The biggest difference between working full-time at the newspaper and semi-retirement, is that of responsibility. When I was editor of the paper, it meant at least 60 hours a week plus a tremendous amount of responsibility. It was a challenge to try and satisfy everyone – an impossibility, to be sure. I applaud our editor, John Balentine, for maintaining his objectivity and good humor throughout a sometimes stress-full week.

The time is drawing nigh to town meeting, and with that June 14 date burned into my memory circuit, I’m working on formatting the annual town report which is to be ready prior to that date. For all of my fellow citizens who question what happens in various departments, and have a craving to know who does what, I encourage them to read the reports of the department heads and find out what’s going on.

Since I take the minutes for the town’s Planning Board (it’s another of those fun jobs – one I can do in front of the television set), I was flabbergasted to see no one show up for the Public Hearing on the proposed zoning change to allow the redevelopment of the Keddy Mill site in South Windham. This will, if all goes well, probably be the biggest development project the town has seen and will provide much-needed apartments/condominiums as well as affordable elderly housing. And as a bonus, the developer will take down the crumbling, centuries-old structure, at their expense, not the town’s.

This area is the site of the one of the town’s first industrial centers, and where a cotton mill, wood pulp mill and, before that, one of the first sawmills was located. The water power of the Presumpscot River also provided power for a grist mill and many other manufacturing operations.

People who worry about the possible impact on traffic don’t remember when 300 people worked at L. C. Andrew, which also had dozens of delivery trucks traveling that compact area. That was a short 30 years ago and the roads were more narrow in those days. It didn’t help that there were numerous freight trains roaring through the village daily.

Well, there’s a lot going on in my hometown, for sure. Take a look around, as we move forward, always appreciating what we’ve learned from history.

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