A perfect laundry day! Bright sun, low humidity, little wind, a good time to retire the summer blankets and bedspread and bring back the eider puff for us to snuggle under on the cooler nights. Yet the beach this morning beckoned swimmers as the tide was high, the water smooth, the soft sand visible underneath, and sun warming the air. A perfect day for most anything except sitting inside at my computer.

But Southport news is important. Perhaps you read in our two papers the article that noted what percentage of staff in individual Maine schools were vaccinated. The list cited the Southport Central School as having only 53.8 percent of the staff vaccinated. When I asked Lisa Clarke, the principal, about this number, she explained that the survey, done this summer, counted any person not responding as unvaccinated. Thus the figure was lower than the actual percentage of staff vaccinated, which is 93 percent. Much as we might like to see 100 percent of staff vaccinated, at least 93 percent is much better.

Mark your calendars for Oct. 3, which is when the Southport museum will have its annual closing party. Between 2 and 4 p.m. you can gather at the museum, enjoy the exhibits, while you visit with friends and sip cider, nibble on donuts, and this year spoon up some applesauce made from the fruit of a “volunteer” tree, not one the volunteers planted, but one that just appeared and grew on its own. Having just finished reading “Braiding Sweetgrass” by Robin Wall Kimmerer, an indigenous person as well as a university professor teaching environmental biology, I have learned that we should thank the tree and leave some of the apples for others, whether human, animal, or mineral.

The Messmers will have fun during the next few days as their son, Will, and his wife, Erica, drive up from Jersey City for a visit. Since in Jersey City they run a butcher shop and a sandwich shop perhaps they will take over some of the cooking during their visit. On the other hand I read that this week is Lobster Week, so perhaps fish will be on the agenda most nights.

Pam Baldwin had a wonderful time this past weekend in Killingly, Vermont, with her two daughters, two sisters, and four nieces, a truly “girly” weekend. The occasion was the celebration of four birthdays, each one marking a decade. One person has turned 70, a daughter and niece turned 40, and another member of the party turned 50, not all this weekend, but close enough that they could celebrate together, staying at the Grand Resort Hotel. No meals to cook and lots of opportunities for play such as a zipline, a gondola to ride up the mountain and bikes to ride down, as well as a pool, hot tub, and massage opportunities. A great get-away, especially for the younger set.

Not quite ready for the activity described above, but 11-month-old Katherine Murphy Hutchins, was a lively participant in her baptism, perhaps the last liturgical activity at All Saints by-the-Sea for the season. Parents, Anna and David Hutchins, were married on Southport four years ago, so were delighted to return for this special event. Murph, as they call her, will have a sibling some time after the new year, so perhaps another such celebration will be in the future. All Saints Sunday worship has ended for the season, but the chapel is open for prayer and meditation.