November, 2026

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​​The slate-colored juncos have returned ... an early sign of the coming of winter. The 
autumn leaves still look good despite the effect of recent strong winds on leaf drop. The 
leaves of my American larch (tamarack) have just begun to turn yellow. It is a curious plant 
in that it is a deciduous tree with needles that are shed every fall; it also bears very small 
woody cones (less than an inch in size). Over at UMass there are planted European larches that do the same thing but have much larger cones (1-2 inches).  
 

Property Maintenance. We have hired a local landscaper (AJC Lawn and Gardening) to do annual garden maintenance for all our gardens. Their work will begin in the spring and run through the year. The gardens are all set for the winter; we may need to rake a few leaves but 
when I checked on Sunday I didn’t see many leaves. Charlie Paulin and Barbara Tiner ordered new furniture for the living room in the Dixon House; the couch and loveseat should arrive by Thanksgiving. We’re looking into adding a side table and perhaps painting the kitchen walls. In the church we need to address chipped paint in a few pews; Barbara will be working with Erick Fuentes to get that done before Christmas.

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Choir Director. We are pleased to announce that our interim director Carrie Zinky has agreed to continue as the choir director. So, we’re working on setting up a contract with her. Thanks Carrie!  
Outside Music in the Church. A number of folks have suggested using the church as a venue for local music events. The Council is supportive of that and has asked the Music Committee to begin this initiative. This is one way for the church to have a bigger presence in the community. 
Stephen Dydo has approached the Council about using the Dixon House for music lessons and the church for recitals. We’ve had such recitals in the past. He’s having discussions with the Leverett Elementary School about setting up a music instruments program for students. Nothing is firm at this point, but the Council supports this activity. We feel it is another way to benefit our local community. Insurance issues must be addressed. 
 

Church giving during the holidays. Claudia Gere is handling this as in the past. We’ll likely be purchasing gift cards for distribution to needy families; see her piece  elsewhere in 
the Clarion for details. 

That’s it for now. Meanwhile if anyone has suggestions about ways we can help enrich our local community, please send a note to me at ralphtiner83@gmail.com. 

Respectfully for the Council, 

Ralph Tiner, Council Chair 
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