by Roland D. Hallee During the blizzard that swept through our area a little while back, I was standing at my kitchen window, watching the bird feeders. To my surprise, even during the peak of the storm, with heavy snowfall and howling winds, the birds kept coming to the feeding stations. “Tough little buggers,” I […]
by Roland D. Hallee RATS! No, it’s not something you say when things don’t go your way. Instead, it describes, profoundly, what people think of this rodent that is perceived as a member of the underworld of the animal kingdom. They are scorned, feared and totally misunderstood. They are portrayed as evil and filthy little […]
First Erskine freshman to accomplish feat by Roland D. Hallee Wynn Pooler, a freshman at Erskine Academy, in South China, won a state title in wrestling over last weekend. According to head coach Tyler Bradbury, he’s the first freshman in Erskine Academy history to do so. Apparently he’s only the second wrestler in Erskine Academy […]
by Roland D. Hallee This week, I’m going to give up my space to one of our regular contributors, Gary Kennedy, who has a heart-warming story to tell about he and his wife’s encounter with an injured male cardinal: “Everyone knows that February has evolved from the fourteenth being Valentine’s Day to a week of […]
by Roland D. Hallee A black cat crossing your path; walking under a ladder; breaking a mirror: take your pick of long-standing superstitions. Most of us have some kind of superstition, although some don’t want to admit it. But I’m getting ahead of myself. My wife leaves for work before I do, and one morning […]
by Roland D. Hallee Last summer we experienced a season of discomfort with multiple rashes brought on by the browntail moth caterpillar. Personally, I suffered through it no fewer than six times. Yes, it is only January, but the old saying goes, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” It’s not too […]
by Roland D. Hallee Don’t ask why or how, but last week, while gathered with friends, I was asked a question about ferrets. Not knowing that much about them, I decided to look into it. What I discovered about the little furry animals was most interesting. Although I know a few people who have had […]
by Roland D. Hallee Recently, a family member moved into a rented house in a central Maine town that will remain nameless. Within weeks after occupying the house, they encountered a severe infestation of fruit flies. They called in an exterminator who assured them they were not the cause of the infestation, but that it […]
by Roland D. Hallee Roland has taken an early vacation. This is reprinted from the December 24, 2015, issue. When 10-year-old Gayla Peevey sang her 1953 Christmas song, I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas, did she really know what she was wishing for? When the song was released nationally, it shot to the top of […]
by Roland D. Hallee My two recent columns on squirrels, black, and gray with white-tipped tails, have brought some local reaction. Over the last 30 years I have seen no more than three black squirrels, and one gray squirrel with a white-tipped tail. A faithful reader and supporter in Vassalboro wrote: “You mentioned black squirrels […]