So many of us in Addison County have spent much of our lives traveling up and down Route 7. Its landmarks are something that help define a world that reassures us that everything is in its place and all is as it should be. They anchor our reality and reassure us that life has some predictability. There are few times in our history when knowing what’s coming next has been so uncertain — all things familiar give us such comfort, especially in days like these. For so many years, the lovely pasture in front of Maple Meadow Farm in Salisbury has been home to a couple of beautiful steers, a Guernsey named Shy and a Holstein named Dribbles. Now, Dribbles is gone.

Our household companion animals or beasts of the field have a simple need to quietly share the earth with us, and to lose one, near and dear to us or just comfortably familiar, leaves us with the absence of their expression of the pure joy of being alive. Now, sadly, there’s a big space on Route 7 that used to be filled by Dribbles. Dribbles’ constant and reassuring presence will be terribly missed, most of all by his people and his buddy, Shy. Condolences to all who are sharing this enormous loss.

Dribbles, you will live on in our memories and our hearts.

Hilary Hatch

Leicester