Perhaps you will find an obituary in this week’s paper for Joyce Duncan, who died peacefully this past Friday. A vibrant, friendly woman of many talents, Joyce lived a long and fruitful life as a twin sister, wife, mother, math teacher and volunteer. We will miss her. A service is being planned for 11 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 9 at the Boothbay Harbor Congregational Church.

Our little Decker Cove bridge is disappearing, one trestle at a time. Not being an engineer, I cannot imagine how the workers adjust to high and low tides, work in the cold water in this cold weather, and do whatever they need to do to complete this bridge replacement. They are busy with the heavy equipment lifting, and hauling and dumping. I think we should organize a brigade of hot coffee and cookies to keep them happy.

Please look elsewhere in the paper for the article, complete with pictures, of the Southport School children hosting about eight veterans for breakfast last Friday morning and then entertaining them with song and stories. Kit and I enjoyed this program so much last year, but were not able to muster enough energy to attend this year. Kit is recovering from his pneumonia, but needs more time to gain back his energy. Thanks for all those prayers and good thoughts.

I need to write this article on Sunday, before the Veterans Day celebration on Monday at the Southport Memorial Library. Perhaps someone else will be writing about that event, but if not, I will try to tell the tale next week.

I do know that, in addition, several people will be ringing the bells at All Saints by-the-Sea at 11 a.m. on Monday in honor of our veterans. I think Byran Atwood is out of town, but I remember he has told me as a young boy he rang those bells when news arrived that World War II had ended. I need to check with him to learn if he rang both when the end of the war in Europe was announced as well as when the Japanese surrendered.

We do not seem to be able to end wars these days. If my memory is correct, even the Korean War has not officially ended, but rather an armistice ending hostilities is in place. Nor have any of our following military engagements ended in a formal peace treaty.

The closest experience we have in this country to the devastation of war is the devastation of nature. The fires in California, the winds and perhaps snow here, the floods in the south, with, if science is correct, much more to come. By all means let us celebrate the women and men who have served our country and those who currently do so. But let’s each one of us work and pray for peace and pay attention to the climate discussions.

Thinking ahead, please note that any news for the Thanksgiving week column must be in to me by Friday, Nov. 22 before noon. The Register staff also need to prepare and eat their Thanksgiving turkey.