A close friend told me she would not be getting vaccinated against Covid-19, and had decided not to tell acquaintances whether or not she was vaccinated. “It’s my choice.”
What to say, what to do?
Mulling it over, I read an ethicist’s column on this very question in the New York Times Magazine. A reader reported her sister had told her parents she’d been vaccinated, but informed the reader that she had not been, and would not be.
The reader was afraid this deception would put their elderly parents at risk of contracting Covid-19, even if the parents themselves had been vaccinated. Neither “herd immunity” nor vaccinations are 100 percent effective. Our best defense is if all persons in contact with each other have been fully vaccinated.
What to say, what to do? Should she call her sister and ask her to come clean to their parents?
The ethicist’s response was short and pointed. “It sounds as if your sister… has neglected to consider how her decision affects others – unless, of course, she simply doesn’t care. Your parents, given their age, have an increased risk of ‘breakthrough infections,’ and they have let their guard down with your sister because she lied to them. Call your parents now. The only call you should consider making before you do is to your sister, telling her what you’re doing and why.”
We limit our personal freedoms everyday for the common good! We stop at red lights. We don’t drive when intoxicated. Please, let’s get vaccinated, too, and if we can’t, let’s be honest about it. For the common good.
FARMERS’ MARKETS
When we first moved to Maple Leaf in the 1990s, we could find no farmers’ markets in the area. As far as we knew, the nearest direct farm-to-consumer outlet was the Atwater Market in Montreal. But change has been a-comin’, and these days I count four such ongoing markets in the Haut-Saint-François, mostly outdoors, and offering organic, fresh and delectible produce.
In Dudswell, the Marché public at 167 Main Street is open Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 12 noon.
In Lingwick, the Marché de la petite école at 66 Route 108 is open Fridays, 4 to 7 p.m.
In Sawyerville, the Marché Villageois at 70 Randboro Road (Route 210) is on Saturdays at 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
In Westbury, the Marché public at 166 Route 112 is open Thursdays, 4 to 6:30 p.m.
Information about the markets and the producers who frequent them is available online at agroalimentairehsf.com, in English and French. The website comes to us from the SADC, and provides information about 9 local producers of cheese and eggs; 21 of maple products; 24 of meat, poultry and fish; 14 of prepared foods; and 30 of fruits and vegetables.
Yay, yay, and hooray!
CANTERBURY FLEA MARKET
The Canterbury Center at 1095 Route 214 is putting on its large annual flea market at the end of July. All sorts of things – antiques, collectibles and used household items – will be on sale, priced from 50 cents to $50. The sale will be set up inside the newly restored church building, while outside, a small farmers’ market will sell vegetables and crafts.
« We try to sell items that are in good shape, clean, and well organized, and also inexpensive, » said Tony De Melo, member of the Canterbury Center Committee of the Bury Historical and Heritage Society. « All Covid-19 protocols will be respected – hands, distance, masks. »
The proceeds of the sale will go « to maintain this historical building and help sponsor activities, » he said.
A Gothic Revival-style church, the Christ Church Canterbury opened in 1896, and served the Anglican community for 124 years. The Bury Historical and Heritage Society acquired it in 2015 to serve as a cultural center. Since then they have carried out some impressive restorations for the distinctive little building with flying buttresses.
They built a new foundation and made general repairs. They restored the building’s stained glass windows, gave the steeple a new roof, put louvred shutters in the bell tower, painted the exterior, re-wired the electrical system, and are now completing the landscaping.
« The building sparkles like a little jewel! » De Melo said. « Our next step is to make new frames for the small windows. »
The flea market is planned for two weekends, July 31 to August 1, and August 7 to 8. All four days, it is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Donations of items to the sale may be made in advance by contacting Tony De Melo at 819-872-3400.
HAPPY HOUR CONCERT
On Sunday, July 18, at 5 p.m., is an outdoor Concert in the Park entitled Airs d’été, with Myriam Genest-Denis playing flute and Valérie Milot on the harp. This is the second of four concerts offered this summer by the Cookshire-Eaton Art Gallery in the Parc des Braves, 18 Parc Ave., Cookshire.
CHURCHES
United. Home worship services are available Fridays after 2 p.m. at Sawyerville United Church (box on top of freezer), or at Trinity United Church (plastic bag at basement door). To receive services by mail or email, or for pastoral care, contact Rev Tami Spires at 819-452-3685 or spiresta@hotmail.com. Facebook info: United Eaton Valley Pastoral Charge.
Baptist. In-person Sunday services are with Covid-19 protocols in place (distancing; masks can be removed when sitting down; wear masks when singing, etc.). The service in French is at 9 a.m., and in English at 11 a.m. Persons with flu symptoms are asked not to attend services. The pastor’s message is also available on YouTube: For the link, contact Pastor Michel Houle at 819-239-8818.
Anglican. Bishop Bruce Myers continues to offer Home Prayers at 10:30 a.m. Sundays on Facebook, and at quebec.anglican.ca (Worship Videos). Info: 819-887-6802, or quebec.anglican.ca.
Do you have news to share? Call 819-300-2374 or email rawrites@gmail.com by July 12 for publication August 4 and by August 9 for August 18.