Oysterponds news: Look what’s happening at the library

A friend told me that in numerology, 2017 (numbers adding up to 10, thus 1), means the year will be all things positive, with 2016, added up to 9, being the end. It’s interesting; Google it. So I was in an upbeat mode until this first week brought multiple deaths, a horrific event at the Fort Lauderdale airport and a foot of snow, accompanied by icy roads and auto accidents. I guess the long and short of it is, one day at a time and what will be will be. I hope that doesn’t sound too clichéd. Happy 2017. (The days are getting longer.)

If cabin fever is starting to creep in, Floyd Memorial Library has a solution. The winter film festival starts tonight, Jan. 12, at 6 p.m. with “Captain Fantastic.” Next week’s show is “Life Animated,” a documentary directed by Roger Williams. This film program is free and a super way to meet neighbors and stimulate your brain.
Folks gather at Floyd Memorial each Tuesday at 11 a.m. for French conversation. So if you yearn to hear your native language or just brush up on an acquired skill, why not drop in to parle Français?

Another fun and brain-stimulating activity at the library occurs Wednesdays from 1 to 4 p.m., when folks gather to play Scrabble. Call the library at 631-477-0660 to clarify any of this.

A memorial and celebration of life for Don Boerum will take place Saturday, Jan. 21, at 11 a.m. at Orient Methodist Church. Of course, in keeping with Don’s life, there will be a special program of music.

As I typed Orient Methodist Church my heart did a flip-flop flutter, since although the building stands, there isn’t, or soon won’t be, a Methodist church in Orient. However, things take a long time to change here, so I suspect it will always be called the Methodist church, unless the purchaser turns it into a disco!

Speaking of churches, the Three Wise Men couldn’t make it to Orient Congregational Church Sunday, so they’ll celebrate Epiphany this Sunday, Jan. 15, at the 10:30 a.m. service. As always, all are welcome.

A request from our friends at OCC. As you take down your Christmas decorations, if you find some that you really don’t want anymore, OCC would love to have them for their Christmas sale in December. Call 631-323-2665 to arrange a dropoff time.

Don’t you just hate having to dial the 631? When I came to Orient it was just four digits, followed by everybody being 323 exchange. I guess it is progress.

By the way, in case you didn’t know, there will not be an OCC fair this August as they will be in the throes of their big anniversary celebration.

As older folks started dropping like flies in December, the world was putting up walls of protection around Betty White, Dick Van Dyke, Angela Lansbury and Tony Bennett. Sadly, they forgot “our own” centenarian, Doris Morgan, who died Dec. 20 at age 100 at an assisted living home in Pennsylvania. I know I’ll never drive past her former home on Halyoake without thinking of the smart, kind lady with a twinkle in her eye. There will be a memorial April 29, when she will be interred at Orient Central Cemetery. The connection was never lost, since Doris and my daughter Sarah shared the same birthday and greetings were exchanged with her “birthday twin” her whole life. RIP, Doris. You were special.

Contact Oysterponds columnist Carol Gillooly at [email protected] or 631-323-3899.