I will start by saying some kind words about a former FB friend, Comrade Ellen McDowell Ruggles. She’s a friendly older woman that I’ve crossed paths with in social circles of mutual interest, particularly hiking and paddling. Sadly, I found it in my best interest to cut ties with most of my fellow paddlers and hikers during COVID and/or following The Great Heist in November of that year, including Ellen.
She and her significant other, Brian Wood, are outspoken Trump haters and were zealous supporters of Mask Madness, but let’s say some more nice things first. Ellen is a cat person and had 2 teenage cats, Ralph and Owl, at the time she inherited Katie, her late mother’s cat. After the passing of Ralph and Owl, she adopted a grey cat, Dimitri. Then Juno was acquired shortly after Dimitri. My first encounter with Ellen was on an internet bulletin board(where she used cat pictures on her profile) for hiking, in which she commented, “I don’t like looking at yellow snow,” and went on to urge men to tidy up the side of the trail after relieving themselves.
Think of how cats are expected to bury their stool. Unbeknownst of Ellen’s appalling political views, her comment inspired me to say “I second that!” It’s part of the whole etiquette of leaving the place at least equally as pleasant for the next person. Maybe some people disagree, but it’s not something to go to war over, like COVID policy or other contentious issues in Concord or Washington.
Another thing Ellen was(and presumably still is) outspoken about is painted rocks. She didn’t put a lot of energy into condemning ones placed in urban settings, but ones found in the woods were another story, especially in more restricted areas. Baxter State Park, the Pemi Wilderness, and even town or state forests were at the top of her list of disapproved of places. I happen to share that disapproval, but might not go so far as to pick up a heavy rock that’s been painted and carry it several miles to relocate it, but she would. Good for her! I mean that. About 6 years ago at this time, around the time I purged Ellen with many other far-left FB friends, I found one such rock at Library Hill during a Friday night NRCC sign wave.
Ellen also despises the building of new cairns or even the mere stacking of 3 rocks, snowman-style, so much so that she will go out of her way to kick it over and possibly scatter the rocks. I agree with her frowning on adding cairns to public hiking places, but I personally find it a bit neurotic and extreme to make a point of knocking over 3 stones stacked together. To each his or her own, I suppose. Again, it’s something I won’t do battle over.
This morning, Beth Scaer called attention to an enemy camp event called “Painting, Politics and Pizza” on August 25. It’s in Merrimack, which isn’t too far away from Ellen’s home in New Boston, considering the miles on the odometer that active hikers and paddlers accrue in any ordinary outing.
New Boston is a nice red town, a real “Trump country,” as I observed in many trips to it and through it. That must make Ellen’s blood boil, but I’m calling on readers, New Bostonians or not, if they have contact with Ellen. Their assignment, should they choose to accept, is to say (preferably in person, but electronically is also ok) “hey Ellen, I see there’s an event that might interest you,” and observe her response.
What will she do first? Praise the Dems just for having their warped views? Condemn the painting of rocks? Both? If both, which would she say first? It reminds me of the time when I saw a certain car in the Market Basket parking lot and sent this picture to the late great John Diefenbach for feedback.
There are certain topics where it’s nearly impossible to have a civilized, rational discussion with the Dems. It’s sadly the same situation for some things among Republicans. I think there’s a robust bipartisan disapproval out there for placing painted rocks in the woods, but I’m genuinely interested in what Ellen has to say about the Merrimack Dems having a rock painting party. Would she say something, say “no comment” (which is technically something), or remain silent?
