To me, the word peep is interesting; mostly because, depending upon its context, it can elicit various feelings or emotional responses. For example, around Easter, a Peep is a marshmallow treat. Amongst large gatherings, wherein there is a need for silence, a peep is considered a noise that may disturb. Yet, the peep of a baby or even a baby bird, carries a softness and charm that endears. Finally, and perhaps my favorite use of the word peep, is its association with a ‘glimpse’. Typically, a peep at or into something considers having a look through a somewhat restrictive lens, such as a small hole or opening.
However, what makes this word so interesting to me is that I never consider having a peep at something as restrictive, but rather, as expansive. And to be even more specific, as a New Englander, never is this truer than in the fall when I become a Leaf Peeper.
As is always the case every year, the timing and coloring of the changing leaves is dependent upon the weather. Some years the Peeping begins early, while others, such as this one, the Peeping is a bit late. But, despite the variations to the peak of the Peeping, with certainty, the leaves can be guaranteed to perform their ritual of chlorophyll break down and give Autumn its colorful chemical panache. And when this starts to happen, I find that I not only open my eyes wide to take in the beauty of whatever Mother Nature provides, but I also feel that my heart and mind are more open to all that is (or could be) ahead…
As a writer, I could assimilate the lifecycle of a tree to multiple experiences, stages or things throughout our everyday lives. But I don’t really need to because Leaf Peeping accomplishes this on a much more personalized level. An October glimpse at my favorite tree, which once provided ample shade and cooling during the hot summer, reminds me that it may be time to knit a new scarf or light a pumpkin-scented candle. Or, perhaps, buy a new pair of winter boots. An October glimpse of the tree line view from the desk of where my computer rests, equally inspires me to consider trying a new recipe or writing a new story. Because, with the same reliability that I can count on that the seasons will change, Leaf Peeping in October brings about an inspiration that fills me with hope. Why else would so many others travel here to have a peek?
eyeFULL. eyeFULL.    
Kathy Naumann, possessor of NATURALLY curly hair and the understanding that you can’t control everything!

.

Halloween Trick or Treat
Saturday, October 28  ~  2 to 3:30 p.m.
Hey kids, put on your costumes and have your parents bring you to downtown Putnam
from Jade Garden & Riverfront Commons to Union Square for Trick or Treat STREET!
Participating merchants and local groups will have a treat for you.
Please follow these safety rules:
1. An adult must accompany you. 2. Look both ways before you cross the street.
3. Take candy from participating merchants and crossing guards only.

Trick or Treat STREET sponsors: Putnam Merchants, Town of Putnam, WINY Radio, Putnam Parks and
Recreation, Putnam Police Dept.

caption, page 1:
Christyan Garcia, 9, of Woodstock zips over to one side of a Boxcar scene he chalking in while his brother Gio Garcia, 5, watches. More photos on page 6. Expanded photo array Wed. night on our Facebook page: Putnam Town Crier & Northeast Ledger. Artists and helpers are trying for a November ribbon cutting on the 290-foot mural next to the Boxcar Museum on South Main Street. Linda Lemmon photo.

captions, page 6:
from left:
Benjamin Summa, 6, of Putnam
Kathy Borner, left, and Elaine Turner
290 feet of art
Nolan Lehto, 9, of Killingly


By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
PUTNAM — Yes, miracles are exciting — and so is hard work and community spirit.
The Boxcar Mural, running 290 feet along the sidewalk below the Gertrude Chandler Warner Boxcar Children Museum, is well underway with help from everyone from professional artists to school children.
Elaine Turner, community liaison of the Art Guild Northeast, said they hope to have the ribbon cutting for the community artwork in November.
It started, she said, when she heard Carly DeLuca, the town’s Community and Economic Development director, remark that it would be really nice to have a mural about Warner and the Boxcar children’s book series, along the wall.
Mayor Barney Seney agreed it was a great idea and jumped in enthusiastically. He said “Here’s what we’re going to do! Get your people together.”  Turner said “I love that he said this.”
“Her ‘people’,” she said, “is the entire community.”
Turner asked for help and first on the art train was The Complex Performing and Creative Arts Center’s Nichola Johnson and it blossomed from there. “The mayor asked how he could help and I said I was interested in students and he called the superintendent,” Turner said. Word of mouth helped more and more schools come aboard: Thompson, Putnam, Killingly, Brooklyn and more, plus Pomfret Community School, Woodstock Academy and Marianapolis.
Turner said there are a total of about 50 “point people” and when you count all the classrooms coming in, the number of participants comes to “maybe 500.”
Seney used the leftover money from the sidewalk project along South Main Street to have the retaining wall fixed and a skim coat of concrete applied.
The money for the project itself comes from fund-raising, Turner said. They called for sponsors for an art panel for $300 and have 19 sponsors plus a couple people who donated funds. No tax dollars are being used, she said.
The community created the “smooshing” layer first — blue and green as outdoor backgrounds for what follows. Turner said 23 book covers will be created first on “Polytab,” a material that is painted on separately and then attached to the mural wall. It’s made for the outdoors. Some of the artwork outside Bear Hands is done in Polytab. Sherwin Williams outdoor latex, Latitude, is the paint used for the entire project, Turner said.
Twenty-three Boxcar series book covers will be attached along the wall, interspersed with scenes recounted “benchmark” moments in the Boxcar children’s lives.
They’ve already “blocked in” a few scenes to get people excited, she said.
She said the mayor asked about drawing it all out, a plan. She told him let’s not. “Drawing it out doesn’t leave room for miracles.”

.