2024 Life Logs, Day 287: Falmouth’s 1st Indigenous Peoples Day Observance
Date: Monday, October 14, 2024
Weather: Overcast with Rain; High Temp 61, Low 31 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA
After a fabulous few days with Kevin and Claire visiting, they left this morning, and not long after they headed out, I headed downtown with Heather. Each year since 2021, Falmouth’s Select Board has proclaimed the second Monday in October to be Indigenous Peoples Day. Today, however, was the first official program. It was a wonderful reminder that here in Falmouth we live on the sacred homelands of the Wampanoags, the People of the First Light. Today’s program honored the culture and history of the people who lived in the Americas before Christopher Columbus’s arrival. Many Massachusetts cities and towns have changed the name of this holiday to Indigenous Peoples Day, but it is not yet a statewide mandate.
The rest of my day was spent focused on getting ready for Wednesday’s Encore general meeting. Then this evening Heather invited me over for dinner. Jed has been in Maine at his mother’s summer home in Boothbay since Friday and today he and his mother Marti drove here from Boothbay in separate cars. Tomorrow Jed will drive Marti home to Washington, DC, in her car and then fly back home on Thursday. It was great having the time to visit with Marti over dinner tonight.
The house feels so empty tonight as I sit here writing this log. For the past couple of evenings, as I sat here, Kevin and Claire were in the dining room practicing the songs for the upcoming sing along at a friend’s wedding. I should listen to music more often as it truly soothes the soul. I just heard from Claire that they made it safely to their next destination and had a wonderful Ethiopian vegan dinner with their friend in Brooklyn. Their staunch dedication to eating a vegan diet always inspires me when they visit. I don’t intend to become a vegan as I still eat fish. But each year when they visit, I rededicate my efforts at eating a diet that is good for me and good for the planet. They are definitely a good influence!
