Ashland Speaks by Lula Anderson - 05 February 2026

Of course the big news this week is the much-anticipated snowfall.  Jewett had around 16", but it was nice and fluffy, so not too hard to shovel.  Thanks Johnny G for catching the front of the driveway so it was easier to get through.  Working outside brought back many fond memories of shoveling snow.  The driveways and walks had to be shoveled before sledding, so we worked hard to get our jobs done before the sand truck came through so we could go sledding.  Kids would gather and trudge up the hills to fly down the well-packed roads.  Bill Mead tells of how they had a bobsled that went from the Jewett Church to Jewett Center.  The problem was going back up the hills.  It was a one-shot deal.  High school students used to go night sledding on the "Letter S" .  Crews of kids would throw snow on the bands of sand that the men manually threw on the road so the sledding was fast.    The NYC school chancellor did the right thing in letting the schools have a real snow day without remote learning.  How often is it that the kids and their parents can play in the snow?  We complain that kids don't get outside enough and spend too much time on electronics.  A snow day should be a real "get out of the house" day.

There's not too much happening as people are really just hibernating.  The unrelenting cold is preventing many older folks from leaving the house.  Just one more week and it'll be February.  Please make sure and check up on your neighbors.  Maybe drop by with a container of soup or leftovers and a chance to sit and chat.  A bit of kindness goes a long way, and remember, someday you'll be in the same situation.  

Prayers for Tom Hoyt for a speedy recovery and Tom Drum.  Continued prayers for Greg Beckmann and Tricia LoPresti.

AS I REMEMBER IT (Judy)

Many of the memories I write about are a compilation of memories from both Lula and Judy.  Although they are 20 years apart in age, we both had a very similar upbringing.  Things on the Mountain Top really didn't change much in those years.  If you have any memories that you would like to add to our column, just let us know.

I was at the Post Office the other day when Gerry Whitcomb came in and we started telling Nyssa about our childhood.  Gerry's grandparents were Mildred and Harry Matthews and they were very instrumental in keeping the children of Jewett very well entertained.  Mildred was the Matron of the Jewett Juvenile Grange and made sure that the kids all got together on Friday nights.  Yes, it was a Grange meeting, but it was, most importantly, a chance to socialize after school.  We all had our positions in the ceremony, girls couldn't wait to be promoted from one of the Ceres to an office holder.  Boys got to be gatekeepers and they really enjoyed that because they got to hold a staff.  It sounds trite now, but it taught us order of business and ceremonies.  We always had refreshments afterwards, and a chance to dance and sing.  Jewett was bustling with children:  the Aubrey Thompson family, Clifford Thompson family, Wieningers, Whitcombs, Hudeceks, Hempsteads, and , when they were in town, the Davis boys and Hoffmans.  

I don't know how many remember Harry Matthews.  He was a bus driver for the school.  We all started out on bus 1, until the steering broke on the corner of Goshen St and Rt 17, then we got a new bus which I believe was bus 18.  Harry was best known in school for being the "ice cream man."  After we ate our sandwich, we got to spend a nickel for a fudgecicle or a dime for an ice cream sundae cone.  The Jewett kids felt that they were sharing him with the rest of the school, as he was really "our guy".  I can't imagine getting so many kids together now for something as regimented as Grange meetings.  Windham used to have a Cub Scout program plus Brownies and Girl Scouts.   Jewett had Boy Scouts.  Parents spent time with us teaching us skills that are vital to survival, but we just thought they were fun.  We learned how to cook without electricity, how to keep warm and how to take care of ourselves.  We learned how to take care of our animals and how to recognize when they needed help

I do appreciate modern conveniences.  The fact that I can write this and send it to the paper by pushing a button.  But I also think that we should keep up on manual skills just in case we need them.