Wild Strawberries!

For Susan Bair

Susan had a good and generous heart.  When she herself was not well, and physically suffering, she helped to serve meals to homeless people in Kingston.

Susan would, as they say, "give you the shirt off her back."  And, speaking of her shirt, and her other clothes as well -- what a sense of style she had!  She dressed with simple elegance.  When she would go to the grocery store, she would look like a tall, handsome model that just needed to pop in and pick up something after a photo shoot!

Susan's sense of style extended to her surroundings.  She could bring home found furniture, add some Library Fair offerings, and with these make a really groovy-looking room!

Susan worked in the Woodstock Library for many, many years.  For a short time I worked there near her.  Libraries can be a haven for people who are socially fragile and sometimes difficult to get along with.  Where some of the staff lost patience with these people, Susan never did.  She ws completely non-judgmental and embraced everyone as her equal.  She was especially fond of, and uncritical of, our free-spirited, noisy little Woodstock child library users!

I believe she got along so well with children, because she herself never lost touch with her own inner child.

She loved to be a bit outrageous and enjoy the effect on others.  I remember when she and Lowell lived on the mountain, and Susan and I were chatting int he yard -- susan sitting on a stump.  I realized that several hundred newly-hatched spiderlings were attempting to cross over Susan's sandaled foot.  "Susan!" I shouted, "lots of spiders are climbing over your foot!"  She stared me down steely-eyed, and said, "So?  I like spiders!"

Susan would swoop down the mountain in her yellow Jeep, pick me up, and show me Woodstock's magical places:  hidden ponds, waterfalls, and where the wild strawberries grew in such profusion amidst silvery lichens on sun-exposed rocks at the old Gilmore property -- a person could pick jars and jars of them -- enough to make jam or even pies!

Susan was so bright, and so knowledgeable regarding music, art, politics, history and religion.  For many years she worked on a special project of cataloguing all the music books and holdings for the Woodstock Library.

Susan was always very strong, athletic, and a terrific swimmer.  She was always seeking out exciting new places to swim around Woodstock.  One of her more unique concepts was to obtain a fishing license for the Ashokan Reservoir, park, go down to a secluded cove, disrobe and jump right in!  And so she did!

Susan had a wonderful sense of humor.  If you were to tell her you were agitated, or feeling blue, before you knew it she'd have you laughing at the absurdity of the situation, and you'd be feeling very much better.  What a gift she gave!  I will miss her forever.

-- Miriam Sanders

February 2010