When is it time?

I am sitting here tonight, surrounded by my precious animals, two Maine coon cats, Bogey and Gabriel and our wonderful yellow lab, Lady Calloway. Unfortunately, Cally who is 13 and 1/2 years old, is not doing that well. She has arthritis, dementia, is going blind, is deaf, incontinent and barks at the moon, but is still as sweet as the day we got her and does not seem to be in any obvious pain.

This is about parents of pets who do not know or cannot know when the right time is to make the decision that all of us must make at some point. When has this loving pet kissed and licked you for the last time? When are you keeping them alive for you and not for them? My husband and I are struggling with this question right now and do not agree with each other at all.

We have been working with our veterinarians, but none of them seems to have an answer. Have any of you out there had to deal with this and if so, how did you make a decision? I will keep you posted.

Ahoy

Project Graduation has just received a very generous donation to help with its fundraising efforts. The committee will be selling a 1988 Chris Craft Cabin 245 Limited Sport model with a 2003 Sealion trailer. For anyone looking for a new boat, this could be the opportunity to be on the water by spring and help a very worthy cause at the same time.

The asking price is $5,000 or best offer and all proceeds go directly to Project Graduation. For more information, to make an offer, or to see the boat, please contact Julie Tenczar at jtenczar@homesteadme.com, or call her at 893-2900.

Join the fun

The Muddy River Sno Seekers are gearing up for its annual Winter Carnival with the radar runs and poker rally. The club is joining forces with Hannaford Brothers, which will be sponsoring a fishing derby the same weekend. Any other group that wants to participate to join in the planning for the festivities is also welcome.

This is shaping up to a great weekend event, so I hope many of you can mobilize your civic groups, church groups or any nonprofit group to participate. The first meeting will be Wednesday, Nov. 10, at 7p.m. at the Tiki Bar on the Causeway. If you would like to attend, please contact Bernadette Flood at bmflood@roadrunner.com.

The new Cross Walk Community Outreach program is a group that was started with just a few individuals with the goal of helping neighbors in need in the Lakes Region. Although just in its infancy, it has already come a long way.

Wednesday, Nov. 3, will kick off the bi-weekly food pantry at the Naples Town Gym, where people may pick up food items and receive a hot meal at the same time. The pantry will be open from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. every other Monday.

On Election Day, there will be boxes outside of the gym where voters can drop off any non-perishable foods and personal care items for the Outreach food pantry. The group will also be holding fundraisers for fuel assistance and clothing drives and has many plans for other programs, so if you are interested in participating with this group to provide some of these much needed services, or have any questions please contact Mark and Lindsay Clement at [mailto:mlclement@roadrunner.com].

Put down the candy

Although you may be tired after any Halloween parties, do not forget about the 18th holiday open house and craft show at the Inn at Long Lake. The fair is Saturday, Nov. 1, from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 2, from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m.

The annual Holly Berry Christmas craft show will also be held Nov. 1 from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. at Lake Region High School. In addition to the craft items, there will be chili and sandwiches in the cafeteria. This sounds like a perfect light meal for a cold day. Buy local and start your holiday shopping without a long car ride to the mall.

After all of that shopping, get some rest and attend the Edes Falls Sewing Circle bean supper at the Edes Falls Community Center. Dinner will be served from 4:30 p.m. until 6 p.m. The community center is located on River Road. These dinners are always great and provide a very inexpensive way to eat out and meet and greet some of your friends and neighbors.

Well, I for one am thankful that Election Day is only a few days away. I will be so happy not to hear and see these campaign ads for a few years. However, whomever you favor in this election, please make sure you get out and vote. Our Naples polling booths will be open from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. at the Town Hall.

Have a safe and enjoyable Halloween. If you have any great costume pictures you would like to share, please feel free to forward them to me. Have a great week.