A few of the items at the Friends of Elders Shop
at the Town Hall. They're open Thursdays
through Saturdays from 9:30 to 12:30.

    Neighboring town pictures for December.
    A G&U Railroad train going through
    Grafton, heading for Upton. The photos
    were taken as the train was stopped
    behind Cumberland Farms and the new
    fire station on Route 140. And yes, you're
    right. The one below isn't the G&U. It's the
    train at the Ecotarium in Worcester, taken
    on the same day as the others.

    And more railroad pictures. Tom
    Beder sent the one above on
    December 4. It's near the crossing
    at Freedom Street. My son
    identified the yellow gizmo as a
    derail. Its purpose is to derail
    runaway cars, such as happened
    to the G&U in Upton in August, and
    prevent it from causing an accident
    at a crossing. I took the picture of
    the label on the derail the day after
    Tom sent his photo.

Christmas tree on the Community House lawn.

A little tree work near Jones Road.

    And a tree that came down by itself.
    It could have been worse, Arnold.

The former South Hopedale School on Plain Street.

    Now that's a neat little item. It's a
    Draper shuttle and bobbin tie clip.

    The Unitarian Church Christmas tree,
    with the Town Hall behind it, to the left.

    There was a skim of ice on the pond all day today - December 12. I
    didn't see it yesterday, but I was told it was covered in the morning. It all
    melted a couple of days later, then came back, and then melted again.

    These are the binders I've made as part of the Hopedale
    senior tax credit program. They're in the reading room at the
    Bancroft Library. I expect to finish at least one more this year.

    Ties recently delivered for G&U track work, near the Parklands
    Freedom Street entrance. Thanks for mentioning that, Howsie.
    I hadn't been by there for a week or so.

Not a creature was stirring...

Venus and the moon, sitting in a tree - December 26.