[So much has been written about Laurey and her life projects, but of course the best spokesman is Laurey herself. In this column we present archival reprints of her messages.]
December 3, 2005
And now, just like that, it is December. My neighbor's Christmas light extravaganza is up and lit, filling the night sky just like Rockefeller Center. Have I mentioned this place? There, on a side road, the hillside is crammed full of bobbing Santas, nodding Reindeer, swaying singers. You sign the guest book and then drive through the displays. The holiday season, for me, must include a visit to these folks. It's on my list.
In other news, my sister in Kentucky just announced that she is going to run for Family Court Judge there. I have not seen her this fired up since, well, I can't even remember when. She's been a lawyer for a long time, and, in the past few years, has transformed her practice to include a lot of mediation. She recently decided it was time to head in a new direction. My father (her father too) was a lawyer, and, once he moved to Vermont, he became a representative to the Vermont legislature, standing up for the 30 registered voters who then lived in Goshen. He was the one who got the Rutland Railroad running again. And, I am proud to say, he is the one who introduced the legislation to ban billboards in Vermont. Vermont, by the way, still has no billboards!
My middle sister, the one who still lives in Vermont, is one of the folks who runs her town, serving on the Select board in Rochester. The three "select men" there act like a city council, listening, moderating, enacting, running the place. Next year I will become the board chair for the Chamber of Commerce, here in Asheville. (It's not really an elected position, but, well, it's still in that category in a way.)
It occurred to me, when Lucinda told me that she was running for office, how much we three have been influenced by our father. Our mother was a force of nature, to be sure. She was a cook, an artist, an author, and the full partner of my father, whose ski area dream became a lovely and successful country Inn. But our father was certainly no slouch. He was a thinker, a dreamer, and, not incidentally, a doer. I often think of my mother as I cook and write and create. But my father's influence was very strong too. Just look at these three daughters.
I'm sure Lucinda will win. I know that Rochester is better off now that Heather is helping run her town. And I hope to do a good job with our Chamber too. The three of us become, more and more each year, the result of these two strong influences. Even though our parents are no longer physically present in our lives I feel certain that, if they were, they'd be very pleased. Congratulations Lucinda!
[Heather's note: Lucinda won that 8-year term as Family Court Judge; she was unopposed for her second term which begins this January, a great testimony to her record.]
[source: Laurey's newsletter, December 3, 2005 ]
- Heather Masterton
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We know you'll be thinking of parties and gatherings - maybe you'd like to bring a little something for the host? 
Monday, December 8
Martha’s Rugelach