More than 25 years ago, when I first came to live permanently on our island, in Langley, things were very quiet, very small and very easy going.

A local bit of humor going around was that it was often necessary to wake the town dog sleeping in the main intersection of “downtown” Langley if or when a car came through.

The Dog House was rickety and dark, with old Naugahyde (I think) booths lining the waterfront side of the building and pool tables filling the bar area. There was a large, fearsome broaster-fryer sort of apparatus which regularly turned out rather good chili and a lot of various fried items that could have raised your cholesterol level just by sitting near them at a table, but who knew or cared about cholesterol then? Often someone would play the old upright piano sitting against the wall in the back room and we’d have a singalong as we nursed our beers, and frequently the place would be packed, noisy and jumping on a Friday or Saturday night when a special group would be playing.

Virginia’s Antiques and Pipe Shop was up the street a bit; her two daughters had shops nearby. Josh and her books were there, along with Linds, which was approximately half the size it is now, and a handful of other small shops which are still in downtown Langley but which have changed both owner and contents several times over the years.

The movie theatre provided the main entertainment on the weekends for the South End of the island, but back then we always bundled up to go to the “show” because the heating was known to be unreliable.

The Star Store, small, dark and crowded, was our grocery shopping mainstay (no clothing, wine shop, etc. then), along with Casey’s out at Bayview. We could drive all the way to Freeland, of course, to PayLess, but usually didn’t because it was a bit rundown and seedy and offered little or nothing more than what we could get closer to home, and there was virtually no other reason to head to Freeland, then.

Mike’s Place, currently a restaurant/ice cream shop and hangout for the infamous group called “The Rollers” was non-existent. Rich Clyde’s gas station and auto shop occupied that corner, with Rich himself lurking somewhere in the back among the car parts, tires and whatever vehicles he was working on. In back of Rich’s, upstairs, was Grannie’s Attic, a fascinating conglomeration of “stuff” to buy.

As for Second Street, there was little or no reason to go there unless you had to see someone at city hall or meet a buddy at Skipper’s (restaurant), which is where those old Rollers I mentioned started their weekly meeting shenanigans.

In Clinton, the Cozy Roadhouse was a long-standing popular watering hole, and along with Jim’s Hardware and the Clinton Food Mart, that was about it as you drove up the island, until you came to the lumber store and turned right to go into Langley or left to make the long trip out to Sandy Hook or went on “up island.” Ken’s Korner was little more than a wide spot in the road, and along the road into Langley, the only memorable feature was Waterman’s Sawmill.

I could go on nattering about how much things changed during that quarter of a century, and there are many on this island who’ve been around much longer than I who could put my tale to shame as far as change goes, but there is a point to all of this.

Langley became a bustling, busy place, filled to overflowing in the summertime with visitors coming to tour our beautiful island. Many small businesses expanded, new shops popped up, Ken’s Korner became a mini-mall, ugly duckling Freeland transformed itself into a swan and traffic up and down the island became not only heavy but a real pain, depending on timing. And we won’t even mention the ferry lines or the fares.

The plain fact is, change is inevitable. Nothing in life remains static, although it may seem like it sometimes. And this past year, we’ve been hearing almost to the point of tedium about our need for change, and the president who has promised to change things.

Today, Linds is leaving Langley, Casey’s is leaving Bayview, Murphy’s has abandoned Ken’s Korner, and up and down the island shops and eateries are closing. Change; it’s going to happen whether we will or no, but change does not always mean for the better. We should be very careful what we ask for when we talk about change.

RECIPES

If there’s one place where change is evident, it’s in the kitchen.

The way we look at food, buy food, prepare and eat food and even talk about food has changed a great deal in the past 25 years, and for the most part it’s for the better.

But, there are some longtime favorite recipes that just shouldn’t be tampered with, and this classic meatloaf is one good example. You no doubt have your own perfect meatloaf recipe; this is one of mine (yes, I have two or three variations, all of which I love and won’t change.)

MEATLOAF CLASSIC

2 lbs. lean ground beef

½ lb. ground pork

1 cup minced onion

2-3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced (or use 1½ t. garlic powder)

½ cup catsup

½ cup seasoned dry bread crumbs

2 eggs

2 T. Worcestershire sauce

2 t. dried oregano

2 t. dried basil

1 t. salt (or to taste)

¼ t. ground pepper

Wash your hands well; use them to mix all ingredients thoroughly in a large bowl. Pack the mixture into a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven until the meatloaf is firm to touch in the center, golden brown on top and has pulled away from the sides of the pan, about 1 hr. 15 min. Transfer loaf to a platter, tent with foil and let it stand for a few minutes before cutting crosswise into slices. Serves 8 and is outstanding as a meatloaf sandwich.

But, let’s never get so set in our ways we can’t deal with a few small changes, such as in this lighter version of meatloaf, every bit as tasty, and also delicious in a sandwich.

LEAN MEAN MEATLOAF

¾ lb. ground lean sirloin

¼ lb. ground pork

½ lb. ground turkey

1 cup panko crumbs (or use fresh bread crumbs)

½ cup chopped parsley

¼ cup onion, grated

2-3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced (to taste)

2 egg whites

3 T. fat free milk (or 2 percent)

1-2 T. Worcestershire sauce (to taste)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For top of loaf: Stir together ⅓ cup catsup, 1 T. prepared mustard (yellow or Dijon) and 2 t. brown sugar in a small bowl.

Wash your hands well. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients thoroughly with your hands. Transfer mixture to a broiler pan coated with non-stick spray. Use your hands to shape the dough into an oblong 9×5-inch loaf.

Spoon the topping mixture onto the meatloaf and gently spread over the top. Bake meatloaf in a preheated 350-degree oven about 1 hr. or until meatloaf reaches

160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. Allow meatloaf to stand at least

5 min. before slicing. Serves 6-8, depending on thickness of slices.