Madley Hadley

Remember -- Livin' in the Belch isn't blogging anymore.  You can catch up with us at
Madley Hadley.

Fall Festivals & Fairs & Other Events

See the post for autumn activities at the new blog: Fall Festivals & Fairs & Other Events

Dear Belchertown

Dear Belchertown~

Nearly two months ago my husband and I signed the papers for our new house -- our new house that is not in Belchertown. After that evening, we were a frenzy of activity, and I have not yet had time to write this letter of farewell.  However, now I sit and wait for a dishwasher delivery and find I have the time.

So, thank you, Belchertown, for a fine year and a half.  We enjoyed our time there.  The location is wonderful, and so are the people.  We loved being so close to the Quabbin and convenient to Amherst.  The birds delighted me, and the Belchertown fair was always a good time.

Our time in Belchertown led us to finally settling in The Valley -- so I'm still here, and you can continue to follow local interest at the new blog: Madley Hadley.

Town Election Tomorrow!

I haven't posted in a while, and there is good reason for it. But before I get into explaining it all, there's an announcement to make -- there is a town election TOMORROW! Be sure to vote! Voting will be at the high school from 8am-8pm. For details, read this article in MassLive.

Dear Loyal Belch Readers~

You may have noticed that in recent months, posts have tapered off considerably. The cause for this is a good one -- these Belchertown residents have been working very hard to buy a house, and all of my energies lately have been going into that.
As hard as we tried to find a place to continue livin' in the Belch, as of the end of this week, we will be residents of the grand old town of Hadley. I'm not quite sure what that means for this blog, but keep your eyes on it and we'll see what happens.

In the meantime, I'd like to post a few shout-outs from things we've been doing these last few months:

The birds are back in force -- all those birds that left for the winter are back and happily eating all the food I've left in the bird feeders.
If you're looking for something fun to do, take a look at the Cultural Center at Eagle Hill -- they run concerts, theatre, dances, workshops, and just a great variety of interesting activities. It's a lovely center and there are always art exhibits up in the galleries and hallways. We went this last Saturday (for the second time) and enjoyed a live swing band, dinner, and dancing; met some lovely people. Such fun.
We have enjoyed eating at Amanouz (delectable baklava) and the Korean Restaurant. Rediscovered Amherst Chinese.
Have been enjoying the calls of the owls at night -- have you heard them?

There may be more yet to come -- depending on how much I feel the need to procrastinate my packing in the next few days....

And those of you with the week off -- enjoy!

Signs of Spring~

Cindy's Drive-in is open! It opened yesterday and I'm already excited to stop by for some ice cream. (And they have a new website.) Definitely worth a visit -- or two or three or four.... On Rt 202 in Granby.

PSA: The Deer are Here

This is a public service announcement to remind you that the deer are out and about, crossing roads and wreaking havoc to drivers. Out this morning, driving Rt 9 up into Amherst, one deer crossed the road ahead of me and at least two deer were at the side it had just crossed from. So keep your eyes open when on the road -- the deer are here!

Song for the Chickadee -- Guest Post

here's a song for the chickadee

my favorite bird on the deck

he's small and he's cute

in his formal black suit

in which he comes calling to peck

the cardinal is regal, the blackbird sublime

the finches are golden when in their prime

but the chickadee's faithful, handsome and plucky

those that receive him should count themselves lucky

he's here in the winter, here in the spring

yes a chickadee's truly a heart-lifting thing


(Written by today's guest-poster, the Velosopher.)