SCORES & OUTDOORS: Faked out again by similar looking insects

/0 Comments/in , /by

Roland D. HalleeSCORES & OUTDOORS

by Roland D. Hallee

From time to time, it happens. You see something unusual, don’t know what it is, so you go to your research material to find the answer. You use multiple sources, do your homework, then, when you think you have found the answer, it ends up being wrong.

Well, it happened again last weekend for me. While working in my garden at camp, I noticed this unusual looking dragonfly. It wasn’t your run-of-the-mill, old brown ugly dragonfly. It was extremely colorful and just seemed out of place.

Graphic Flutterer Internet photo

My research pointed to it being a Graphic Flutterer, rhyothemis graphiptera, The photo looked remarkably similar to the photo I had taken, but there was one thing that didn’t add up. The Graphic Flutterer can only be found in Australia, the Moluccas, New Guinea and New Caledonia. That’s half way around the world from here.

So, like I have done many times before, I turned to my contact, a wildlife biologist at the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, emailed the photo to him, and he responded in short order.

“This is a Halloween Pennant,” (no, not a little flag you would wave on October 31), “Celithemis eponina. This is a native dragonfly in Maine, an uncommon, but not rare, species that breeds in slow streams, ponds, and lakes with abundant aquatic vegetation.”

Well, it sure fits. If you have been to Webber Pond, in Vassalboro, in recent years you will see that the lake is abundant with aquatic vegetation.

The Halloween pennant can be found across the eastern United States, ranging from the east coast to the states just east of the Rocky Mountains. They can also be found on some Caribbean islands and in Ontario province, in Canada. Seen mostly during June and July during the summer, they are actually active year round.

The Halloween pennant gets its name from its orange-colored wings, which have dark brown bands. They are often found on tips of vegetation near the edges of waterways. Mine was just hanging around on a Tiki torch near my garden.

It is a medium-sized dragonfly but also considered large for its species. They can range from 1-1/2 to 1-3/4 inches in length.

Halloween Pennant
Photo by Roland D. Hallee

The adults fly around above freshwater habitat and the surrounding vegetation, and feed on smaller insects they capture in flight. They are considered very strong flyers, and can fly during rain and strong winds.

And, listen to this, they have some positive impact: They help control the mosquito population and have no negative effect on humans. I can only hope I see more of them, considering the healthy mosquito population we have at camp. We feed them well.

They are also secure in numbers and currently have no conservation concerns, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

In case you’re interested, dragonflies have been in existence since the Permian period (299 – 251 million years ago).

In the end, I was not too far off when I identified it as a Graphic Flutterer. According to the Animal Diversity Web, at the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, the male Halloween Pennant closely resembles the Graphic Flutterer (take a look at the accompanying photos).

Legal Notices, Week of July 20, 2017

/0 Comments/in /by

STATE OF MAINE
PROBATE COURT
COURT ST.,
SKOWHEGAN, ME
SOMERSET, ss
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
18-A MRSA sec. 3-801

The following Personal Representatives have been appointed in the estates noted. The first publication date of this notice is July 13, 2017.

If you are a creditor of an estate listed below, you must present your claim within four months of the first publication date of this Notice to Creditors by filing a written statement of your claim on a proper form with the Register of Probate of this Court or by delivering or mailing to the Personal Representative listed below at the address published by his name, a written statement of the claim indicating the basis therefore, the name and address of the claimant and the amount claimed or in such other manner as the law may provide. See 18-A MRSA 3-804.

2017-114 – Estate of EUGENE E. LAGASSE, late of Solon, Me deceased. Patricia Ann Lagasse, 1356 River Road, Solon, Me 04979 appointed Personal Representative.

2017-169 – Estate of ANN S. LABIN, late of Madison, Me deceased. David Labin, 8 Perkins Street, Madison, Me 04950 appointed Personal Representative.

2017-171 – Estate of EDWARD FRANCIS GILBLAIR, late of Skowhegan, Me deceased. Christie Foster, 81 Robin Court, Skowhegan, Me 04976 appointed Personal Representative.

2017-180 – Estate of DAVID WARREN HEALD, late of Fairfield, Me deceased. Katrina Lynn Heald-Richards, 7 Back Road, Fairfield, Me 04937 appointed Personal Representative.

2017-181 – Estate of GERALD E. MARTIN, late of Hartland, Me deceased. Patricia A. Martin, PO Box 318, Hartland, Me 04943 appointed Personal Representative.

2017-183 – Estate of DOROTHY T. BROOKS, late of St. Albans, Me deceased. Cynthia M. Perrault, 120 Glade Path, Hampton, NH 03842 appointed Personal Representative.

2017-185 – Estate of DAVID E. HOWE, lat of Palmyra, Me deceased. Richard Howe, 571 Detroit Road, Troy, Me 04987 appointed Personal Representative.

2017-186 – Estate of RAYMOND R. WINEGARDNER, late of Smithfield, Me deceased. Melanie Winegardner, 871 Village Road, Smithfield, me 04978 appointed Personal Representative.

2017-189 – Estate of EDISON E. EDELL, late of Bingham, Me deceased. Rachel Wentworth, 116 Easy Street, Canaan, Me 04924 and David Edell, 1421 Stage Road, Etna, Me 04434 appointed Co-Personal Representatives.

2017-196 – Estate of MARY C. WEST, late of Pittsfield, Me deceased. Madelon W. Dyki, 55 West End Ave., New Britain, CT 06052-1220 appointed Personal Representative.

2017- 198 – Estate of GREGG M. WILKINSON, late of Madison, Me deceased. Scott Wilkerson, 129 Madison Avenue, Madison, Me 04950 appointed Personal Representative.

To be published on July 13 & July 20, 2017.
Dated: July 13, 2017
/s/ Victoria Hatch,
Register of Probate
(7/20)

I’m Just Curious: Southern remedies

/0 Comments/in , /by
by Debbie Walker

You know by now that I have a love for odd, not the normal (?) books. I can’t help it, some of them are just so amusing and some have amazing information.

This past trip to the south (two weeks ago) offered me some very good pickins’ for books. One book I had to have is titled Thangs YANKEES Don’t Know, by Bil Dwyer. By the title you can tell the south is still blistered by the fact they lost THE war.

In this very southern book I found the section of “Rustic Remedies.” The author does give a note of warning and does suggest you should talk to your medical professional before trying any such remedies. Here are a few for you to contemplate:

Arthritis – Drink a mixture of honey, vinegar and moonshine. (Any wonder how this one works!)

Athlete’s Foot – Step in fresh cow dung (sure I’ll get right over to the neighbor’s pasture!)

Burns – Scrapings from a raw potato will draw out the fire. (I’ll bet that one works.)

Colds – Drink whiskey and honey mixed or a mixture of honey and vinegar. (Throw in some moonshine and fix your arthritis and the cold!)

Pneumonia – Give patient two teaspoonful of oil rendered from skunk fat. (Sure and they would have this at our nearest pharmacy?)

Sores – Put a little lard around the sore and let the dog lick it. The dog’s saliva will cure it.

Stop bleeding – Use chimney soot or spider webs. (A friend’s mom actually did that spider web thing on him and it worked. She also used black pepper to stop bleeding.)

Warts – Rub a clove of garlic on it every day or rub the wart with a rock and put the rock in a box. The person who opens the box will get the wart (!!!!). (Another friend of mine used clear nail polish. That one actually worked!)

Chicken pox – Can be relieved by letting a rooster fly over their head. (!!!)

Corn – To remove corn, rub it with a grain of corn, then feed the corn to a black chicken.

Cramps – If your toes cramp put your shoes upside down under your bed. (I have to tell Ken that one!)

Earache – Fried onion juice poured in the ear or persimmon sap. (Oh yuck!!)

Whooping cough – Get rid of this malady by getting a stick as long as you are and throwing it into the attic. (???)

Dizzy spells – Mixture of blackberry juice and moonshine (how do they think they got dizzy? That moonshine would be my guess!)

I know you probably have a few of these ingredients on your grocery list right now so you can be prepared! All the credit for collecting this information goes to the author Bil Dwyer and I have enjoyed sharing all this with you. Hope it gave you a chuckle or two!

And I will always be curious! Contact me at dwdaffy@yahoo.com sub line: southern remedies.

Thanks for reading!

REVIEWS: Crumb, Beethoven & Carl T. Fischer

/0 Comments/in , /by

Peter CatesREVIEW POTPOURRI

by Peter Cates

Crumb

documentary film produced and directed by Terry Zwigoff, Sony Films 1994, 120 minutes.

Terry Zwigoff

Terry Zwigoff initially ran into fierce resistance from his otherwise very good friend Robert Crumb, when he proposed the idea of this film. In reply, Zwigoff threatened to commit suicide, thus convincing the artist of the documentary’s viability. During the nine years of production, Zwigoff was living on $200 a month and suffering from pulverizing back pain.

Robert Crumb

Crumb, of course, has been well known since the ‘60s as an underground comic book artist with his own uniquely dark, yet often quite funny vision. He satirizes much of contemporary culture; his own difficult childhood and dysfunctional family; and certain icons of movies and TV. His obsession with the varieties of sexuality have brought both fame and notoriety . No further details needed in a family newspaper .

Throughout the documentary, Crumb’s two brothers, the older Charles and younger Max, are often featured, both of them showing formidable sketching talent. In fact, Zwigoff insisted on the title, Crumb, as a tribute to all three brothers.

Unfortunately, Charles committed suicide two months after the film was completed but Max stopped his pan-handling.

Among other subjects that obsess Crumb is the rural nostalgic American past. This animates his record collecting of old 78s from before about 1935; he owns approximately 6,000 disks of old jazz, blues, hillbilly, gospel, etc. Audio and video offerings on youtube abound that showcase this passion.
A very interesting documentary on an important figure in American art !

Beethoven

Symphony No. 6, Pastoral
Weber/Berlioz Invitation to the Dance- Franz Konwitschny conducting the Leipzig Gewandhaus; Weitblick SSS0016-2, CD, released 2001 and consisting of broadcasts from December 10, 1961 (Weber), and October 30, 1958.

Franz Konwitschny

Franz Konwitschny (1901-1962) was one of the great conductors from a past that included such titans as Arturo Toscanini, Fritz Reiner, Otto Klemperer and George Szell, each of whom commanded an infrastructure of fans, critics, the media and record labels, that often blocked out more modest figures of equal talent, such as FK.

This pair of well-known classical masterworks are given performances that engage, captivate and inspire any listener with an open mind and heart. They will also appeal to the possibly jaded, experienced types of listeners/collectors who think there is little left to discover after hearing both pieces ad nauseam numbers of times via concerts and recordings but they couldn’t be more wrong. Konwitschny conveyed a newly minted freshness, almost as if he were discovering them for the first time. His phrasing, tempos, high-lighted details, drawing of sheer sound, etc., add up to a first class CD.

He was also quite the character. He loved the proverbial bottle and was nicknamed Konwhiskey. Once he consumed six bottles of champagne before conducting a highly-successful performance of Richard Wagner’s five-hour opera, Tristan and Isolde.

He would wave to family and friends with a handkerchief right in the middle of conducting a concert. He hated rehearsals but quickly got the orchestra back on track if playing became sloppy.

When he died on July 28, 1962, just short of his 61st birthday, of a heart attack, while on tour with the Leipzig, in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, he was given a grand state funeral from the East German government, with massive crowds, ten deep, lining five miles of streets. However, because he was a devout, practicing Catholic, his request for a funeral Mass in his will was honored, much to the chagrin of the Communist leadership.

The Weitblick CDs originated from Japan, are mostly deleted, and tend to be prohibitively expensive on various websites (with a few exceptions). However, the mail order Berkshire Record Outlet has kept a number of Weitblicks, including this week’s post, available for very reasonable prices. For those whose interest in acquiring more Konwitschny recordings is increased after buying and hearing the above Pastoral, they will find not only Weitblicks, but also offerings from such other labels as Memories, Regis, Scribendum, Berlin Classics, etc.

Carl T. Fischer

Reflections of an Indian Boy
Paul Weston conducting his Orchestra; Columbia, CL 788, mono LP, recorded 1954.

Carl T. Fischer

Carl T. Fischer worked for 15 years on this very exciting tone poem for full orchestra, all but completing it just before his death from cancer at age 42 in 1954. Born to Chero­kee parents who encouraged his budding talent, he wrote this piece out of his own experience, imagination and love of traditional rhythms.

The music is melodic and filled with the romantic sweep of such soundtrack composers as Max Steiner, Miklos Rosza and Bernard Herrmann. Examples of the titles include At the Pool, Maiden’s Prayer, Big Brave Song and Ceremonial War Dance. The LP is out of print but can be heard on YouTube in its entirety. Sometimes a copy of the album shows up at a garage sale or used record store, where I found mine.

Mark Serbent inducted into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi

/0 Comments/in , /by

Mark Serbent, of Waterville, was recently initiated into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation’s oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Serbent was initiated at United States Naval Academy, in Annapolis, Maryland.

Mid-Maine Chamber presents perfect attendance awards to Albert S. Hall students

/0 Comments/in /by

Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce presented students with awards who held perfect attendance at Albert S. Hall School through the 2016-2017 school year. This year there were 26 students in the fourth and fifth grades with perfect attendance. The assembly was held in the afternoon of June 16, 2017

To have perfect attendance each student must not be tardy, have no unexcused or excused absences, and not have early release. Of the 24 students 10 were in the fourth grade including Corbin Anderson, Briana Burton, Kaileigh Clowry, Jada Inman, Benjamin Kitchin, CJ Moss, Jennie Parkhill, Meadow Poulin, Allexandriea Small and Zoie Small.

The 14 in the fifth grade are Jacob Burton, Alyssa Curry, Ethan Dudley, Gabriela Garcia-Pollis, Dawson Harrison, Ezra Haviland, Samantha Hebert, Ilana Lizzotte, Kirk Mullen, Tristan Parkhill, Gillian Poulin, Evelyn Quaranto, Grace Wylie and Madison Yakimchick. All were given gifts donated by local businesses listed below plus a Kindle.

Alyssa Curry, Gabriela Garcia-Pollis, Kirk Mullen, Tristan Parkhill, Gillian Poulin, and Madison Yakimchick completed their second consecutive year with perfect attendance. Each of these 6 students were given a week at summer camp at the Alfond Youth Center.

A special most improved award was given to Alan Libby for only missing 2 days of school this year compared to 40 days from last year. The 2 students that got near perfect attendance for either going in a few minutes late or leaving a few minutes early are Garrett Gendreau and Joslyn Retamozzo.

Additional substantial financial contributions to support this program were provided by Bangor Savings Bank, Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce and Waterville Rotary Club. Items that were given to the kids were donated by A to Z Computing, Alfond Youth Center, Are You Ready to Party??, Benton Family Fun Park, Best Western Plus in Waterville, Cancun Mexican Restaurant, Caswell’s Liquidation Center, Children’s Book Cellar, Children’s Discovery Museum, Eric’s Restaurant, Inland Hospital, Johnny’s Selected Seeds, Kennebec Savings Bank, Kennebec Valley Community College, Key Bank, MaineGeneral Medical Center, Subway, Sweet Frog, Thomas College, Waterville Opera House, Waterville Parks & Recreation, and Waterville Public Library.

SOLON & BEYOND, Week of July 20, 2017

/0 Comments/in , , /by
Marilyn Rogers-Bull & Percyby Marilyn Rogers-Bull & Percy
grams29@tds.net
Solon, Maine 04979

Good morning, dear friends. Don’t worry, be happy!

Several people have said they missed my columns the last two weeks, I did write them but one got lost and the staff at the paper were on vacation one of the weeks. I apologize to everyone who failed to see their news in for the event they had told me about. I do try to put in all that is sent to me, if I get it in time.

When Virginia Merrill got done writing for the Somerset Reporter many years ago and I started writing for it, she stressed very clearly that it is a community service and I have tried to follow her words.

I get rather disturbed when important news is not shared with me so I can let the people know what is going on, which happened recently. If it hadn’t been for a good friend, I wouldn’t have known about the special Solon budget committee meeting held at the Solon Town Office on July 12. Those present for this meeting were selectmen Mary Lou Ridley and Sarah Davis, budget committee members Mike Golden, Eleanor Pooler, Albert Starbird, Sherry Rogers, Frank Ridley, Jeff Pomelow, George Williams and Ann Padham and myself.

The meeting was held for permission to use Municipal Building Maintenance Reserve Funds to do repairs and seal the exterior bricks on the Coolidge Library. The estimate for materials to do the job is $485 and labor is $1,040 for a total of $1,525. This estimate is for work on the library. Work to include, cleaning moss off lower section of building; removing excess mortar from entry steps; repairing missing mortar joints and sealing all masonry surfaces including chimney, with ChimneySaver Water Seal. The company which will do the job is River’s Edge Masonry & More; 1133 River Road, Solon, Maine 04979.

The Fourth of July celebration in Solon started with a parade through town which was watched by many people along the street. Young and old seemed to be enjoying it, with much visiting going on. Long before the evening fire works were set off a huge crowd started gathering around the Solon Elementary School to watch the show.

Lief and I were invited to a July 4 barbecue at the home of our neighbor, Ronnie Brown on the Padham Road. There were 33 friends and family in attendance on that perfect summer day, with lots of great food. Ronnie had bought 80 chicken legs and barbecued them to perfection, and those attending had brought lots of tasty food.

When Lief and I were returning home one day this week after having breakfast at Griswold’s, we couldn’t believe our eyes when we saw a bear walking across the road ahead of us. It was a very large animal and not something you see very often. Awhile back we had something steal some of our bird feeders ( and break others) and some people thought it might have been a bear, guess it’s quite likely that might have been the case.

The Solon Pine Tree 4-H Club met on Saturday, July 8, with Hunter Soucer presiding. The members made plans to do the dinner for the Solon High School Alumni on Saturday, July 15, at the Solon School.

Plans were also made to go camping at the Evergreen Campground July 21, 22, and 23. On that weekend members went on a rafting trip from Solon to North Anson boat landing, along with a water safety meeting for the members being done by Cliff Stevens from Moxie Outdoors.

The members did sand art as a craft project. Colored sand was donated by Gary York, of York Signs, in Skowhegan.

The members are planning to exhibit at Bangor Fair and Skowhegan Fair in July and August. At Skowhegan Fair they will be taking part in the 4-H Day Parade on Sunday, August 13.

The next meeting will be on Monday, August 21 at 5:30 p.m., at the Solon Fire Station.

Summer hours at Stewart Public Library for July and August are Wednesday 2 – 5 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. – noon.

Have been continuing to go through papers, etc., and came across these words which were in Percy’s and my column one time when he was still with us. There isn’t any date on it, but hopefully you won’t remember it, but I think it is worth repeating in honor of Percy, I still miss him! “In spite of whatever may happen in your day, it’s going to be okay. You’ve made it through difficult things before, right? And you always land on your feet. Maybe not dancing; maybe not always sure about what to do next. But you always manage to figure things out. Especially when you’re able to keep your sense of humor and not lose your smile. If you really think about it, you’ll realize that you are a very strong individual. Someone who may not have all the answers, but who – at least – is willing to hope and try and believe. You can see your way through just about anything; it all depends on how you look at it.”

How I Love that Cat! (The above words were by Douglas Pagels.)

Volunteer from Augusta brings water to Palermo gardens

/0 Comments/in , /by

Orin Anderson with the water crate he built and installed in his pickup truck. The crate holds about 100 gallons of water, and has a hose fitting.

After learning that the Palermo Community Garden and the Frizzell residence had been cut off from their water supply, Orin Anderson, of Augusta, built a plywood box to haul 100 gallons of water from his house to Palermo. Anderson has been a long time friend of Connie Bellet and Phillip Frizzell, who care for the Community Garden. “We help each other out,” said Anderson. “That’s what friends are for.”

Anderson has a woodworking shop in his home, so he built a crate and sealed it up, and then installed a hose fitting so the water could be fed into Frizzell’s garden hose and drained out by gravity feed from the back of Anderson’s pickup.

Phil Frizzell watering the raised beds in the Palermo Community Garden using gravity feed from Orin’s pickup truck.
Contributed photos

“It takes about an hour or so to water the raised beds in the back garden,” said Frizzell. With the help of frequent rains, the garden beds seem to be thriving. Another friend, who was doing some work for Frizzell, brought over two large rain barrels, which store rooftop runoff in between rainstorms. These are used for flushing the toilets at the Community Center as well as the Frizzell home. The Living Communities Foundation, which runs the Community Center, is presently asking for funds to drill a well on Foundation property. Costs are estimated to be around $10,000, as other wells nearby have been over 400 feet deep. The LCF is a registered nonprofit and donations are tax-deductible.

Tracking: Tracking with a purpose

/0 Comments/in , /by

TRAINING YOUR PERFORMANCE DOG

by Carolyn Fuhrer

A tracking dog needs to understand their job. We as trainers need to define the job. In other words, we need to really give a good detailed job description. What is it you want your dog to do?

A tracking dog must follow the basic path the tracklayer walked. A tracking dog cannot cut out entire “legs” of the track and get to the end as a Search and Rescue dog might do. They must follow track scent, not air scent in order to be successful. We as handlers must understand and teach the task. Tracking is not nose work and nose work is not tracking. Yes, both require scenting skills, but applied in a different way.

If a dog is successful at nose work by air scenting, they may resort to this technique if the “track” scent is difficult to find or contaminated, or the environmental conditions are difficult. Air scenting has paid off in the past, so they may default to this “successful” behavior when confronted with a problem. This is where training must be clear to the tracking dog. We do not want them to follow air scent. We want them to follow track scent. This is why letting a tracking dog fringe and wander on the track is not giving a clear job description of what the dog needs to do. A successful tracking dog must focus and then maintain their focus on the track scent. At the beginner level they must do this for 450-500 yards and make 3 to 5 turns (corners) along the way. So, our purpose in beginning tracking is to keep the dog on the actual track, discourage fringing and air scenting and make track scent valuable. Tracks should be designed so dogs are successful and are motivated to keep their heads down. In other words, following track scent pays very well.

Another common problem is distractions or “crittering” along the track. Dogs must be taught to ignore distractions and to follow the track. A “leave it” command is very necessary for a tracking dog. Sometimes it is even a safety issue. Teach “leave it” away from the track so you have this command on hand when you need it. There are many positive ways to teach “leave it” and it should be understood by all dogs. Telling your dog you must leave something is not a bad thing; it could even save their life. So teach “leave it.”

Another very important concept we must incorporate into our training program is reducing the help we give our dog on the track and creating a confident dog who will make correct decisions on the track. In the beginning stages we help a lot to get the dog to understand the job and be well rewarded for doing the job. We must gradually reduce our help and let the dog take over. This many times requires a great deal of patience and being quiet so as not to verbally push the dog. A relaxed body posture will help the dog realize there is no pressure, and it will allow the dog to work.

Make your training sessions meaningful. Before you go out and just lay a track, think about the purpose of the track and what aspect of tracking you are trying to teach.

Happy tracking!

Carolyn Fuhrer has earned over 90 AKC titles with her Golden Retrievers, including 2 Champion Tracker titles. Carolyn is the owner of North Star Dog Training School in Somerville, Maine. She has been teaching people to understand their dogs for over 25 years. You can contact her with questions, suggestions and ideas for her column by e-mailing carolyn@dogsatnorthstar.com.

Lacrosse camps completed

/0 Comments/in , /by

The 2017 New England Lacrosse Camp was held last week at Mini Fenway Park, in Oakland. Above, the boys group, and girls below.

Photos by Missy Brown, Central Maine Photography staff