Over Coffee with Ellen: North country seasons are filled with beauty | Columns

I was concentrating on the road ahead of me and the thought of a rainy drive. As I approached Bear’s Den, there was the most beautiful sight in the morning sky just behind this establishment: a double rainbow. The first rainbow appeared to end in the water tower nearby with the second rainbow just behind it on McGee Road.

I smiled and was filled with the joy of the morning beauty. I pulled into a parking lot to record this amazing image on my phone. How grateful I was for a double rainbow on a Sunday morning.

I can honestly say that until this past week, I don’t ever remember actually hearing the sound of the furnace running in our home. The north country evenings have been a bit cooler, and honestly there was a chill in our home. It was time for the furnace to be turned on.

The Gardener had become a Repairman and cleaned the furnace in preparation for this day. The gentleman from Gray’s Fuels had come and filled the waiting tank. We were in readiness.

When the furnace was turned on, though, the house was silent — and chilly. Thankfully, we have a fireplace, which kept us warm for a few days while The Gardener/Repairman worked to find the problem. The issue was discovered and adjustments made with the furnace once again turned on for warmth.

We both heard it — the furnace was on, and the house was warm in short order. As the evening progressed, the furnace would begin again as the thermostat dropped. We both smiled, listening to the sound of the working furnace.

“Did you hear that?” The Gardener asked.

I did indeed — and on a chilly north country evening, the sound of a working furnace was the most beautiful sound!

Listen in your home this week. And if you as well can hear your furnace working, keeping you warm, be grateful — for some aren’t that fortunate to have fuel or a working furnace.

In a book I was reading this week, the author suggests we look out for the good, telling the reader there is goodness everywhere. I agree completely with the assessment there is goodness everywhere. Goodness is found in the most amazing places: coffee shared on a Saturday morning on St. Regis Road, a birthday party planned and celebrated, cards sent, in a gift of flowers, English muffins toasted and prepared complete with homemade jam and a gift of caring left on a car seat on a Sunday morning.

Look for the goodness this week — goodness shared by a young man in the deli, the gentleman behind the Price Chopper seafood counter, kind words as a greeting on Bayley Road or coffee shared by a friend on a Saturday or Sunday morning. Isn’t the north country a marvelous place to live where there is definitely goodness all around? I certainly think so.

Over the years, there have been numerous guests at our dining room table. When our sons were home and attending high school, friends would stop for meals with some even spending a night or two or more.

One young man, a high school student at the time, would stop and ask what I was making for dinner. He would then call several other friends who lived on the route he would take as he traveled to his home and his mother before making the decision where he would have dinner.

Our feline friend, Tigger, knows exactly how to have dinner served. He sits in front of me and meows almost frantically, walking toward the kitchen to his dish waiting nearby.

This year, the birds who dine all winter at the feeders in our backyard tried the same tactics as do others at our door. We feed the birds all winter. But during the summer months, the suet is taken away and the feeders are empty.

A few days ago, the birds had returned, flying in and out of the feeders, making their presence known. The Gardener filled the feeders on Monday and placed suet in the hanging cages.

Within minutes, a woodpecker was enjoying the suet with birds flying to the feeder to enjoy the seeds placed there. What fun to know the birds near our home remember the feeders and knew exactly how to have them filled for dining.

I know I have mentioned the number of coffee mugs I have — most are displayed on coffee mug racks throughout our kitchen and counter. Each one holds a special meaning. I enjoy drinking coffee in each one, especially those mugs dear friends have given me.

This week, I brought out my fall mugs (yes, I even have seasonal coffee mugs!). As I put new ones out, I selected a mug for coffee and smiled.

What fond remembrances it brought. When the Massena Observer office was on Main Street downtown, there were many days lunch was shared at Tiffany’s Restaurant a few doors down from the office.

Tiffany’s had a fun mug displaying the advertisements of many downtown businesses. One day when my dear friend Ruth and I stopped for lunch, I asked about purchasing a mug. The waitress went to the back and returned with two mugs — a gift.

How thoughtful and what fun this week to remember laughter and sharing at Tiffany’s. As I held the mug, I could read the advertisers names: Paquette Jewelry and A-1 TV and Appliance Store, C&M Ford, Paul Post Realty, White Adams Insurance and Massena Chrysler Plymouth!

“The capacity to care is the thing which gives life its deepest significance.”