Columbus Day will be observed on Monday, Oct. 13. The Town Offices will be closed that day. And this reminds me, directly I toss this column down the pipeline, I must immediately prepare the next one, since Oct. 13 is a holiday for the newspapers as well. Call or e-mail me with your news items as soon as you read this! If you get my spouse or the message recorder, please give a brief digest of your news, and a phone number where I can reach you for clarification. Many thanks!

The Edgecomb Road Department's apologies, but work has started toward resurfacing the Shore Road. Travel will be difficult along the road for a while, but smoother once the work is finished.

The month of October is Maine Archaeology Month. To celebrate, the Friends of Colonial Pemaquid are holding an Artifact Identification Day on Saturday, Oct. 11, starting at 10 a.m., at the Fort House on the Colonial Pemaquid Historic Site in New Harbor. If you, like me, have mysterious bits of pottery or old bottles you've found while digging up your garden or shoring up your foundations, bring them to show Historical Archaeologist Tim Dinsmore at this event. He will help people identify their "pieces of history." At 2 p.m., Mr. Dinsmore will give a slide presentation of his excavations at the Walter Phillips homestead in 17th-century Damariscotta. Donations requested; light refreshments will be served. For more information, call 677-2504.

Kim and Richard Gray on Rte. 27 want to thank the wonderful woman on the Cross Point Road who took in their cat, missing since May, and took such good care of him! In Kim's words, "...something told me to stop in at the animal shelter to check again. When I went into the adult cat room, ...this one solid black cat started meowing and purring... As soon as I was close enough, he climbed onto my chest and shoulders, would not leave me alone." Unfortunately, the shelter people could not tell Kim the lady's name. The Grays would love to thank her in person. Perhaps she can call me, so I can put her in touch with Kim.

On Saturday, Oct. 11, The Rising Tide Food Co-Op in Damariscotta is holding a Community Festival in celebration of their 25th Anniversary! From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., their end of the Coastal Marketplace (Yellow Front) parking lot, and assorted sidewalks, will be a miniature Uncommon Grounds Fair (yes, organic fair-market coffee, reg. and decaf, will be available!). Yours truly will be at The Memory Well, to collect patrons' reminiscences of this area's early days of cooperative food buying and developing a store-front food co-op.

Remember these two deadlines:

1. Applicants for the State Tax Amnesty Program should file before November 30. Anyone who owes unpaid income taxes may apply and pay only the taxes owed and half the interest; all fines will be forgiven.
2. The Property Tax Circuit Breaker deadline for filing is December 31. This program returns money to people who pay more than 4% of their income on real estate taxes. There is an income limit for couples and singles, but for details about either of these programs, call the Tax Collector at 882-7018, or visit her during Town Office hours, Mondays 7 to 9 p.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays, 1 to 5 p.m..

The Stewards of the Sheepscot will be meeting Wednesday, Oct. 15 at 7 p.m. in the Wiscasset Municipal Building Hearing Room.

And in that connection, the Edgecomb Selectmen invite Edgecomb residents to express their concerns over the prospective purchase of FP&L's Mason Station by Thomaston's Dragon Cement Products. Please direct your letters to the Selectmen at Edgecomb Town Hall, POB 139, Edgecomb ME 04556.

Last Saturday afternoon around 3 p.m., the rain and the clammy chill got to us. We cracked the furnace, lit a fire in the fireplace, and made ourselves hot cocoa.. Stomping my feet and rubbing my hands before the leaping flamesat 234 River Road, 633-2978, bonesukl@midcoast.com This column appears in The Boothbay Register, The Lincoln County News, The Wiscasset Newspaper, and at www.Edgecomb.org.