SOLON & BEYOND: Solon Elementary announces honor roll, discusses attendance matters

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Marilyn Rogers-Bull & Percyby Marilyn Rogers-Bull & Percy
grams29@tds.net
Solon, Maine 04979

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

The First Quarter Honor Roll at Solon Elementary School is as follows: High Honors All A’s is Amelia Cooper, Katelyn DeLeonardsis, Kaitlyn Dellarma, William Rogers and Aaron Soosman. Honors – All A’s & B’s: Isabella Atwood, Karen Baker, Kaylynn Clark, Paul Craig, David Dixon, Gavyn Easler, Lane Frost, Cody James, Aiden McLaughlin, Joseph McLaughlin, Nevaeh Palmer, Gavyn Perigo, Riley Pelkey, Macie Plourde, Jordynn Rishardson, Jillian Robinson, Annabell Roderick, Mylee Roderick, Kaitlyn Soucle and Fisher Tewksbury.

This year Solon Elementary School is implementing a Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports (PBIS) program. You will see posters with the behavioral expectations hanging all around the school. You will also see a large jar of pom-pons behind Mrs. Weese’s desk. Students receive pom-pons from staff members when they do a good job following the expectations. Our goal is to fill the jar and then enjoy a schoolwide reward.

On October 11, the Solon Fire department visited the school to do presentations about fire safety in conjunction with Fire Safety Week. Firemen Todd Dixon and Richard Kelly, of the Solon Fire department, talked to the students about how to keep safe in the event of a fire. The firefighters brought goodie bags for the students.

One of the things mentioned in this news letter was Attendance Matters! Do you consider letting your children stay home from school on Early Release Days? It’s only half a day. They won’t miss much learning time. Please think again! Early Release Days are four and a half hours long. A lot of learning happens in four and a half hours. If students miss school on one of these days, it will take a lot of time to make up the work they missed, either during recess time or at home. And they miss the advantage of their teacher’s instruction.

Please send your children to school every day, even on those shorter days. Attendance Matters!

And now for more news about our young people in this area. The Solon Pine Tree 4-H Club met on Saturday, November 10, with president, Cooper Dellarma presiding.

The club received the outstanding club award at County Achievement night. Laci Dickey received the outstanding secretary award; Autumn Ladd, the dog; Matt, the poultry; and Devyn Deleadis, the photograph awards. These awards were all county awards.

Several of the members attended the Swag workshop on Saturday afternoon.

The members voted to adopt a family at Christmas with a nice dinner. They also voted to have a Christmas Party at the next meeting.

Officers elected for next year were president, Cooper Dellarma; vice president, Hunter Soucer; secretary, Laci Dickey; assistant secretary, Desmond Robinson; treasurer, Devyn Delanardis, assistant treasurer, Jillian Robinson; reporter, Sarah Craig, flag bearers, Matt Ladd and Isabella Atwood; assistant flag bearers, Katilyn Delanardis and Kaitlin Dellarma.

The next meeting will be on Saturday, December 8, at 9:30 at the Solon Fire Station.

Hope you enjoyed reading about our young people, and all they are doing as much as I did….and thanks so very much to those who shared it with us.

Received the following e-mail, and again thanks so much for sharing! “Home Alone on Thanksgiving Day? Veterans? Just need a good, hearty meal? Join the Community United Methodist Church for Thankgiving dinner! No charge. Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 22, at the North Anson Community United Methodist Church Community Room (disabled accessible) Doors open at 10a.m., with refreshments, games and conversation. Full Thanksgiving dinner served at 2 p.m. Sponsored by the Community United Methodist Church of North Anson/Madison Congregation.”

And now for Percy’s memoir: “The courage of working for something you believe in, day in and day out, year after year, can be difficult but holds the greatest rewards. Find your ideal… and follow it.” (words by V. Sukomlin.)

I’M JUST CURIOUS: Sharing the fairies of Apple Tree Notch

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by Debbie Walker

I have had some requests for an example of my fairy family of stories. This one I had some help with, my niece Haliegh, stepped up to the imagination challenge. She has an amazing mind. I hope you enjoy the little trip into your imagination with Haliegh and me.

Oscar the Eagle

by Debbie Walker & Haliegh

Apple Tree Notch is an ever growing, friendly community. As news travels about it being such a nice place to live, animal families are moving in.

One of the latest to move in is the animal family of Hooty Owls with their two owlets, Oscar and Charlene. No one has met them yet because they are night folks. They travel and hunt after dark. When the rest of Apple Tree Notch is just getting up in the morning, the Hooty Owls are settling in for their sleep. Everyone except …. Oscar.

Twig, Daisy and Fern, the fairy children have just been allowed outside after their breakfast. This morning Mom and Dad wanted them to do some tidying up of their area of Apple Tree Notch. There had been a storm that left things scattered about a bit.

As they were picking up they began to feel like they were being watched. They each decided to look around to see why they felt watched.

They found a little bird in a corner under the big boulder. They were excited to meet a new friend. The little bird was unsure of what he was seeing.

The little bird saw a twig, a flower and a fern but they were moving and talking to each other. Daisy spoke up first to introduce themselves as fairies and explain that Momma dressed them to fit into their area, looking like nature. This way they could blend into their surroundings for their safety.

As Daisy is explaining all this, Oscar’s big eyes are blinking, blinking as he looks from one to the other of the fairy children. The sun he is not used to is also causing some blinking. He finally speaks. He says, “my name is Oscar and I am an Eagle.”

An eagle, they know he is a bird because of his feathers and the only other bird they knew was the Momma blue bird that lived in Twig and Chippy’s cabin till her babies were ready to fly. So…an eagle is a great addition to their little community.

They continued to talk and get to know each other. The fairy children were having fun learning about Oscar’s family although they were a little confused. It seems Oscar was supposed to be sleeping like his family, but he so wanted to see and be a part of what this sunshine living was about. His family did all their activities at night and slept through the day.

This morning he stayed awake so he could see all this for himself but he had to admit that it was getting rather hard to stay awake. As his eyes closed he became the Eagle he knew he was in his sleep.

Fern, Daisy and Twig kept an eye on Oscar to make sure the sleeping Eagle wasn’t bothered.

REVIEW POTPOURRI – Novelist: Jim Thompson

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Peter Catesby Peter Cates

Jim Thompson

Pop. 1280, 1964 crime novel, roughly 217 pages.

Jim Thompson

Vastly underrated during his lifetime, Jim Thompson (1906-1977) wrote over 30 novels mainly set in the “golden triangle” of Louisiana, Texas, and Oklahoma during the 1930s, ‘40s and ‘50s. Most of his characters were clueless misfits, self-serving blowhards and nihilistic villains.

Pop. 1280 features a sheriff of one small town in the 1950’s Deep South, being used as the first person narrator of the entire novel. He conveys his questionable integrity best himself via the story’s opening paragraph. “Well, sir, I should have been sitting pretty, just about as pretty as a man could sit. Here I was, the high sheriff of Potts County, and I was drawing almost two thousand dollars a year – not to mention what I could pick up on the side. On top of that, I had free living quarters on the second floor of the courthouse, just as nice a place as a man could ask for; and it even had a bathroom so that I didn’t have to bathe in a washtub or tramp outside to a privy, like most folks in town did. I guess you could say that Kingdom Come was really here as far as I was concerned. I had it made, and it looked like I could go on having it made – being high sheriff of Potts County – as long as I minded my own business and didn’t arrest no one unless I just couldn’t get out of it and they didn’t amount to nothin’.”

This excerpt is one example of how Thompson’s characters were extremely funny yet quite creepy.

An admirer, Stephen King wrote the following accolade:

“The guy was over the top. The guy was absolutely over the top. Big Jim didn’t know the meaning of the word stop. There are three brave lets inherent in the foregoing – he let himself see everything, he let himself write it down, then he let himself publish it.”

FOR YOUR HEALTH – Kitchen Contamination: How To Keep Your Family Safe

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(NAPSI)—The next time you need to wipe up a spill, health expert Dr. Charles Gerba, Professor of Environmental Microbiology, University of Arizona, aka “Dr. Germ,” warns: don’t always reach for a sponge or dishcloth.

Instead, use a paper towel. That’s because kitchen sponges, which he calls “bacteria cafeterias,” are the No. 1 source of germs in the house. The average sponge carries nearly 5.5 trillion microscopic bugs.

When to Reach for a Paper Towel

  1. According to a recent study on cleaning habits, the majority of millennials reach for sponges or cloth dishtowels when cleaning surfaces that have raw meat or poultry. Dr. Gerba recommends using paper towels, especially when prepping and cleaning up raw meat and eggs. Sponges and dishtowels can instantly become contaminated after handling these foods, which may contain bacteria such as E. coli and salmonella, Dr. Gerba explains.
  2. Paper towels should also be used to help contain spills and prevent them (and subsequent germs) from spreading around the kitchen. Whether soaking up bacon grease or cleaning up oil splatters, paper towels pick up spills quickly and efficiently. For larger oil spills, cover with baking soda or salt for about 15 minutes, then pick it up with a paper towel and throw it out.
  3. When cleaning the refrigerator, dampen a paper towel with warm water and dish washing liquid and wipe down all trays, drawers, shelves and walls at least once a week. Using a sponge increases the risk of bacteria spreading around the various surfaces and shelves.
  4. When kids are in the kitchen, use paper towels to clean-up everything from spills on high chair tables to sippy cups and bibs. “This ensures germ-ridden messes get tossed right into the trash and don’t linger on kids’ items,” adds Dr. Gerba.

When People Actually Reach for a Paper Towel

While there’s been an increasing amount of studies and data showcasing the high bacterial risks associated with kitchen sponges and cloth dishtowels, a recent study on cleaning habits showed that a over half of millennials (59 percent) and nearly half of baby boomers (49 percent) reach for a sponge or cloth dishtowel when cleaning kitchen counter tops.

Even more surprising, less than half of millennials think they run a risk of possible illness or food poisoning by not cleaning these kitchen durables.

The truth is, sponges and cloth dishtowels become germ-infested as soon as they’re first used in the kitchen.

As for baby boomers, most clean their cloth dishtowels once a week, which is still not as frequent as it should be (ideally, everyday). Also, how to clean is just as important as when to clean.

“Cold water washes are awful for eliminating bacteria from fabrics,” says Dr. Gerba. “Washing sponges in warm water does not get rid of the bacteria unless you add bleach,” he adds.

So when it comes to helping keep your kitchen clean and germ-free, let a paper towel be your shield.

Legal notices, Week of November 15, 2018

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STATE OF MAINE
SOMERSET, ss.

STEPHEN A. STAPLES, Plaintiff,
V.
CHRISTOPHER B. JOHNSON, Defendant.

DISTRICT COURT
LOCATION: SKOWHEGAN
CIVIL ACTION
DOCKET NO: RE-2018-065

ORDER PERMITTING SERVICE BY PUBLICATION M.R. CIV. P. 4(g)

TITLE TO REAL ESTATE IS INVOLVED

TAX MAP S03, PLAN 2, LOT 32
CARRYING PLACE TOWNSHIP
BOOK 793, PAGE 361

A Complaint has been filed with the Court against Defendant CHRISTOPHER B. JOHNSON, which requires personal service in accordance with Rule 4(d) of the Maine Rules of Civil Procedure.

Upon motion, the Court hereby ORDERS:

That service cannot be made upon CHRISTOPHER B. JOHNSON in any of the usual manners prescribed by Rule 4 despite the due diligence of the Plaintiff. Service shall therefore be made upon CHRISTOPHER B. JOHNSON and all those who claim or may claim by, through, or under CHRISTOPHER B. JOHNSON by publishing this Order once a week for three (3) successive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in the County of Somerset, the county in which the property at issue in the Complaint is located.

The first publication shall be made within twenty (20) days after this order is issued. Service by publication shall be complete on the twenty-first (21st) day after the first publication.

The publication shall read:

Plaintiff seeks a judgment in Skowhegan District Court against CHRISTOPHER B. JOHNSON to quiet the title of certain property now owned by Stephen A. Staples as a result of adverse possession, said property being located at TAX MAP S03, PLAN 2, LOT 32, CARRYING PLACE TOWNSHIP

The property at issue in the Complaint consists of the property described in the deed recorded at Book 793, Page 361 at the Somerset County Registry of Deeds.

A copy of the complaint to quiet title may be obtained from Plaintiff’s attorney at the address and number below.

If you wish to oppose this lawsuit, you or your attorney MUST PREPARE AND SERVE A WRITTEN ANSWER to the complaint WITHIN TWENTY (20) DAYS after service is completed by the foregoing method.

You or your attorney must serve your answer by delivering a copy of it in person or by mail to the Plaintiff’s attorney, Bryan B. Ward, of the firm of O’Donnell Lee, 112 Silver Street, Waterville, Maine. You or your attorney must also file the original of your answer with the Court by mailing it to the following address: Skowhegan District Court, 47 Court Street, Skowhegan, Maine, before or within a reasonable time after it is served.

IMPORTANT WARNING: IF YOU FAIL TO SERVE AN ANSWER WITHIN THE TIME STATED ABOVE OR IF, AFTER YOU ANSWER, YOU FAIL TO APPEAR AT ANY TIME THE COURT NOTIFIES YOU TO DO SO, A JUDGMENT BY DEFAULT MAY BE ENTERED AGAINST YOU IN YOUR ABSENCE FOR THE RELIEF DEMANDED IN THE COMPLAINT. IF YOU INTEND TO OPPOSE THIS LAWSUIT, DO NOT FAIL TO ANSWER WITHIN THE REQUIRED TIME.

IF YOU BELIEVE THE PLAINTIFF IS NOT ENTITLED TO ALL OR PART OF THE CLAIM SET FORTH IN THE COMPLAINT OR IF YOU BELIEVE YOU HAVE A CLAIM OF YOUR OWN AGAINST THE PLAINTIFF, YOU SHOULD TALK TO A LAWYER. IF YOU FEEL YOU CANNOT AFFORD TO PAY A FEE TO A LAWYER, YOU MAY ASK THE COURT FOR INFORMATION AS TO PLACES WHERE YOU MAY SEEK LEGAL ASSISTANCE.

Dated: 10/26/2018
/s/ The Honorable Thomas Nale Judge, District Court

Plaintiff’s Attorney:
Bryan B. Ward
O’Donnell and Lee
112 Silver Street
Waterville, Maine 04901
Telephone: (207) 872-0112
(11/22)

STATE OF MAINE
PROBATE COURT
Court St., Skowhegan, ME
Somerset, ME
Location of Court

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 November 15, 2018

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.

2018-299 – Estate of GERALDINE L. CHAPIN, late of Skowhegan, Me deceased. Brian Chapin, 15565 Carob Circle, Parker, CO 80134 appointed Personal Representative.

2018-300 – Estate of MARY ZEIF, late of Mercer, Me deceased. Michelle Patten, 7 Rome Road, Mercer, Me 04957 appointed Personal Representative.

2018-302 – Estate of JAME L. TEWKSBURY, late of Solon, Me deceased. Deborah Tewksbury, PO Box 73, Solon, Me 04979 appointed Personal Representative.

2018-308 – Estate of BETTIEDEAN B. STONE, late of Madison, Me deceased. Marria Hoffman, 1011 North Palermo Road, Palermo, Me 04354 appointed Personal Representative.

2018-309 – Estate of JON GENE BOLDUC, late of Norridgewock, Me deceased. Lance Bolduc, 104 Middle Road, Skowhegan, Me 04976 appointed Personal Representative.

2018-315 – Estate of WARREN ALVAH LUCE, late of Skowhegan, Me deceased. Daniel A. Luce, 9 Kennebec Street, Skowhegan, Me 04976 appointed Personal Representative.

2018-319 – Estate of NATHAN M. MITCHELL, late of Norridgewock, Me deceased. Scott Mitchell, 510 River Road, Norridgewock, Me 04957 appointed Personal Representative.

2018-321 – Estate of DONALD RENE LaVERDIERE, late of Embden, Me deceased. Ann H. LaVerdiere, 2002 Embden Pond Road, Embden, Me 04958 appointed Personal Representative.

2018-323 – Estate of BARBARA MACKAY GREENLAW, late of Fairfield, Me deceased. Allan Jason W. Grenlaw, 27 Bunker Avenue, Fairfield, Maine 04937 appointed Personal Representative.

To be published on November 15 & 22, 2018.
Dated: November 12, 2018 /s/ Victoria Hatch,
Register of Probate
(11/22)

STATE OF MAINE
PROBATE COURT
41 Court St.,
Somerset, ss, Skowhegan, ME

PROBATE NOTICES

TO ALL PERSONS INTERESTED IN ANY OF THE ESTATES LISTED BELOW

Notice is hereby given by the respective petitioners that they have filed petitions for appointment of personal representatives in the following estates. These matters will be heard at 10 a.m. or as soon thereafter as they may be November 28, 2018. The requested appointments may be made on or after the hearing date if no sufficient objection be heard. This notice complies with the requirements of 18-A MRSA §3-403 and Probate Rule 4.

2018-318 – Estate of SALLY ANGELA LANDRY. Petition for Change of Name (Adult) filed by Sally Angela Landry, 155 Brighton Road, Athens, Me 04912 requesting her name be changed to Allie Angela Pelletier for reasons set forth therein.

Dated: November 12, 2018 /s/ Victoria Hatch,
Register of Probate
(11/22)

Grappling tourney held as veterans tribute

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Jacobi Peasley, 6, of Benton, and Jackson Jandreau-Hanson, 6, of Clinton. (Photo by Missy Brown, Central Maine Photography)

Huard’s Martial Arts Maine Skirmish grappling tourney was held on Nov. 11, as a tribute to veterans. Winners in the age 6 and under Sumo wrestling division were Jacobi Peasley, 6, of Benton, and Jackson Jandreau-Hanson, 6, of Clinton.

Roland’s Trivia Question for the Week of November 15, 2018

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Name the seven NFL teams with the initials of their cities on the side of their helmets.

Answer:

Kansas City, San Francisco, Green Bay, Chicago, NY Jets, NY Giants, Tennessee.

SCORES & OUTDOORS: It’s too bad that today’s hunting is no longer a fair fight

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Roland D. Halleeby Roland D. Hallee

The resources available to today’s “great wild game hunters”

When I was having my usual morning coffee and Danish last week following Sunday church, I happened to look up at a wide-screen television mounted on the wall of a local restaurant to notice an outdoor show. It was your typical show, sponsored by outfitters, outdoor equipment companies and the opinions of various “expert” hunters.

The reason the show caught my attention was the way they were going about hunting. I remember the days when I was an avid hunter (my wife says I have since “lost the thrill of the hunt”), we used to have our favorite spots, get out early in the morning on a full stomach, brave the weather conditions and have great expectations for the outcome at the end of the hunt. It was the hunter vs. the hunted. A classic exercise in who could out think, out maneuver or outwit the other. It was wild game hunting at its best. You needed to possess the skills to pursue your prey in its own environment, both parties equipped with all the instincts Mother Nature provided.

I can remember a couple of those adventures when the animal actually out-smarted me – something my wife says is easy to do (her opinion). I once followed a deer through the snow for many hundreds of yards, never catching sight of him, but I could hear him snorting up ahead of me, and hearing his antlers rattling against tree limbs. I followed him until we crossed our original tracks, and he actually passed through two conifers without disturbing a snowflake on the boughs. That was when I knew I was outwitted.

But that was then.

Today, it just isn’t fair. Here, on this show, located somewhere in the Midwest, they had hunters gathering on game farms, splashed with deer urine scent like it was Aqua Velva, equipped with global positioning equipment, calling the deer with artificial devices. Once the deer was lured, they employed a computerized gauge to calculate the distance to the target, refer to another hand-held instrument to measure the direction and velocity of the wind before finally sighting in the prey. Mounted on top of their high powered rifle was a scope capable of seeing a gnat’s tonsils at 200 yards.

The deer didn’t stand a chance. The only thing the hunters didn’t have were laser guided ammunition or “smart” bullets. After they dispatched the animal, they would break into a wild celebration. What’s with that?

If, after the use of all that sophisticated equipment, you didn’t come home with a deer that was essentially caged, you should be embarrassed to the point of taking up bowling. The whole episode was like shooting fish in a barrel.

So, I’ve decided that a money-making venture would be to make available to deer: human motion sensors, rear view mirrors, bullet proof vests, space-aged unpenetrable deflector shields a-la Star Trek, and laser guided bullet defense systems. After all, it’s only fair.

Remember the old saying, “We believe in the right to arm bears?” Well, the same could be said about deer.

Roland’s trivia question of the week:

Name the seven NFL teams with the initials of their cities on the side of their helmets.

Answer can be found here.

2018 Winslow girls U13 travel soccer team

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Members of the Winslow Girls U13 travel soccer team include, front row, from left to right, Coach Sim Meak, Ava Kelso, Emily Nichols and coach Brenda Nichols. Second row, Quinn Crommett, Kyri Meak, Kaylyn Bourque, Whitney Churchill, Allyson Spencer, Olivia Cleaves and Kate Rice. Third row, Mya Williams, Olivia Varney, Tatiayana Gaud, Amber Fortin, Hannah Benner, Waverly O’Toole and Riley Grenier. Back, Coach Brian Bourque. Absent from photo, Ella Baker, Bella Morris and Brianna Hubbard. (Photo by Tawni Lively, Central Maine Photography staff)

Vassalboro’s Jobs for Maine Graduates (JMG Program) does it again!

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At left, JMG students take part in an ice cream social. (Contributed photo)

The JMG Program in Vassalboro, under the direction of Victor Esposito, continues to support the Vassalboro community. On October 27, the group worked with and supported the Vassalboro Grange to put on a very special Harvest Supper. Proceeds from the event cover the insurance costs for the Grange building.

The students set the tables, decorated the space with floral arrangements made by Fieldstone Gardens, coordinated the cooking of the roast beef (with help from Meredith Cain and Mr. E), professionally serve the meal, and assisted with clean up!