VETERANS CORNER: Every issue seems to end up as a two-sided debate

/0 Comments/in /by
by Gary Kennedy

A new week begins and summer is for the most part gone. Even so, this has always been my favorite time if the year. The temperatures are comfortable during the day and the nights are cool and very comfortable for sleeping. It’s also a great time for vacationing. The bug population is down and allows for a leisurely time at the side of a brook with a fishing rod. I love the thought of it. My advice has always been if you want a close to perfect time to vacation it would be the last two weeks of August and the first two weeks of September. My birthday is in there somewhere and it’s a perfect time of year to hide.

Anyway, my last couple of articles have met with copious amounts of attention, some good and some not so good. So I guess the best thing to do is to try to quell the pending storm. It seems that a veteran issue always leads to a two-sided debate instead of the simple exchange of information, often time these issues end up in partisan debates and I am a non-partisan writer. Although I must admit that of late I have tended to lean in one direction. I hope that direction is always on the side of truth; at least that is what I try to achieve. I know sometimes that is hard to swallow but nonetheless, that is my attempt at justice and clarity on the subjects I share with you.

One of our readers was a little indifferent to my article mentioning the once again shutdown of construction on the Community Living Center Care Building. That building will end up to be one of the most expensive ventures undertaken by the V.A. I find it to be a great project gone awry. This isn’t the first time this writer has attacked this particular project. It’s completion meant a lot to many who will not be here to see its completion.

However, this is not a partisan issue for me; it’s a misappropriation issue on the part of V.A., somewhere down the line. This is at least the second time this has happened to the same project. Not everyone remains silent at V.A. You should notice that the problem is not shared with us. Why is that? Perhaps they don’t want to stir things up by sharing the problem with the people who are supposed to be the beneficiaries. You know it’s about time the powers that be should realize they actually work for us. These things that service our honored veterans should not be subjected to graft and corruption. The reader that I am referring to has not searched out the entire picture as it hasn’t reached fruition as of yet. Did you notice that Williams Construction pulled all their trailers and equipment out? I think we are going to hear more about this soon.

As for now the reasons given for the stoppage of multiple construction sites has been because of mismanagement and cost overruns on major projects, court rulings affecting contract rules, and budget-related cancellations of non-critical contracts. All this has led to stoppage, lengthy delays and massive budget increases. A better example than Togus would be Aurora, Colorado, which carried an initial budget of $600 million which turned out to be over $1.7 billion. Our V.A. is not that bad but there are problems. The V.A.’s flip flopping on policy has caused confusion and uncertainty for contractors.

In March of this year VA cancelled 585 “non-mission-critical or duplicative contracts worth approximately $1.8 billion, to redirect funds toward direct veteran care and services. The VA does not want to push its veterans into community based care; that should only exist for necessity purposes. The consequences of all of this is to make things right. I don’t know how that can be done at this point but I am confident that a solution will be found. D.O.G.E. is no longer with us but Mr. Musk’s impact has been surely felt. Remember however, it was Secretary Collins who signed off on all of this. I am confident that he is the kind of person who would certainly do what’s right for the veterans. He is one himself. He is also a religious man and that gives me a good feeling inside. I have given almost a half a century aiding veterans like myself and would never allow something to happen to them without a fight. Next week we will talk more. God bless you and yours and remember, you are a part of this. If you see any kind of veteran abuse, please let someone know. If it’s VA, let me know and I will get to the bottom of it.

AARP NEWS YOU CAN USE: Social Security created a system of earned retirement income

/0 Comments/in /by
by Joyce Bucciantini

On August 14,1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act into law stating, “…we have tried to frame a law which will give some measure of protection to the average citizen and to his family against the loss of a job and against poverty-ridden old age.”  Social Security created a system of earned retirement income for American workers to avoid the dire poverty experienced during the Great Depression.

I remember getting my first real paycheck and seeing the Social Security deduction. My father explained that paying into Social Security now creates an income benefit paid to us later. Being 17, later seemed a long way away. Like me, Social Security has seen a few changes over the years. Social Security has changed from just supporting retired employees to also providing benefits to eligible spouses, children, people with disabilities and their families.

According to AARP, over 69 million Americans are receiving some type of Social Security. In Maine, 95 percent of people over age 65 receive Social Security benefits and rely on them to pay their everyday bills. Social Security benefits are not gifts; they are our own hard-earned money being paid back to us.

Full retirement age for Social Security depends on your age. For people born before 1958 the age is 65. For those youngsters born between 1958 and 1960, full retirement age is between 66 and 67. AARP and Social Security websites have information about Social Security eligibility. Anyone can create an account at mysocialsecurity.gov to monitor their Social Security benefits.

Part of our Social Security benefit is taxed based on our overall income. However, the newest federal budget bill allows eligible seniors over 65 who earn less than $75,000 ($150,000 for joint filers) to deduct $6,000 per individual ($12,000/couple) from their overall taxable income. This tax deduction could reduce overall taxes for many older Americans. A qualified tax preparer can explain how this deduction impacts individual taxpayers.

Social Security is a promise between workers and our government; employees pay into Social Security during their working years and receive an income based upon their earnings after retirement. For 90 years, Social Security has kept that promise providing a crucial income source for retirees. AARP is committed to making sure our government keeps that promise whatever changes the next decades may bring. Happy Birthday to Social Security!

As always, check out the AARP Maine website for an AARP event near you. I hope to see you there!

Joyce Bucciantini is a retired middle school educator. She currently coordinates Delta Kappa Gamma’s Read to Me program, is a tutor with Literacy Volunteers-Androscoggin, and is an active AARP Maine volunteer. She enjoys her gardens, being outdoors and traveling.

MAINE-LY GARDENING: What’s in the garden? Winter squash

/0 Comments/in /by
by Jude Hsiang

Winter squashes, like the butternut and acorn varieties are members of the cucurbit, or gourd family, like cucumbers and zucchini. The family has almost one thousand species including edible plants like melons. Ornamental gourds and loofah “sponges” sponges are some of the others. Humans have been cultivating and developing new types for thousands of years all over the world’s temperate and tropical regions.

We harvest summer squashes and zucchini when they are young and tender, but the winter squashes are allowed to mature on the vine and can be stored for months. From Thanksgiving through the winter months, squash dishes are a regular part of our diet.

Squash is among the easiest plants to grow with big seeds that the littlest fingers can handle. Seeds of many quashes can be roasted or can be saved to plant next year,

There are so many winter squashes to choose from – various sizes, shapes, and colors – and new ones seem to pop up in seed catalogs or the grocery shelves every year. This is because they cross-pollinate very easily. If you’ve grown different varieties close to each other, you’ve probably gotten some unexpected oddities in your garden.

Horticulturists note the seeds from cross-pollinated squash can contain a toxin that could make you sick, so it’s wise to save seeds only from the squash that look like the ones you expected to see when you planted them.

Although squashes are easy to plant, they do have a couple of common pests. One of the most frustrating for the gardener is the squash vine borer which is the larva of a moth. These insects bore into the base of the plant and eat through the stem for several weeks before crawling out and burrowing in the soil to pupate. Suddenly a beautiful, productive plant will shrivel and die as it can no longer get water from the roots. Another pest insect is the squash bug which feeds on the upper parts of the plants.

Help with these pests is part of Integrated Pest Management, a system of low impact measures used to fight pests and diseases with few or now pesticides. Trap cropping is a way of protecting desirable plants by introducing another plant that is more attractive to the pest. The method works especially well with squash and cucumber, too.

The large Blue Hubbard squash has been found to be the favorite of squash pests. Farmers start these plants early in the green house and plant them outside when they plant the seeds of their main cash crop. As the Blue Hubbard plants grow, the insects arrive to feed on them, leaving the other squashes alone. The insects can be picked off or killed with a limited amount of pesticide, leaving the other squashes for harvest. Only six ro eight Blue Hubbards will protect one hundred main crop squash plants. While farmers generally use this technique, it would be interesting to plant a couple of Blue Hubbard squash in a backyard garden, keeping in mind they have to be started a couple weeks earlier in order to be mature enough to trap the bad guys.

Trap cropping is one of the ways to reduce the use of pesticides and labor in agriculture. There are a number of other methods of Integrated Pest Management that have been discovered by scientists and other observant gardeners. Something to think about as we watch our squash grow.

© Judith Chute Hsiang
Jude Hsiang is a retired Extension Master Gardener instructor and member of the China Community Garden.

SCORES & OUTDOORS: Bees gathering coolant for hives

/0 Comments/in /by
Roland D. Halleeby Roland D. Hallee

OK, we’ve been going through quite a dry spell since July, with hardly any rain. Plants and flowers are starving for the liquid and so are the bees.

I’m sure everyone has noticed the presence of many, many more bees than normal. Just last week, on a particularly beautiful Saturday, I decided to go read my daily newspaper on the deck with a glass of wine.

Nope! Not happening. I was immediately swarmed with dozens of bees all fixated on that glass of wine. So, inside I went.

Last week, my granddaughter and two great-granddaughters came out for lunch. The little girls wanted to eat in the gazebo. So they went out with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and an apple, with some apple juice. Well, guess what happened. Inside they went because of the swarming bees, with the apple and apple juice seeming to be their targets.

Actually, I use the term “swarm” loosely. Do you know how many bees it takes before it is considered a swarm? Give up?

A bee swarm typically contains thousands to tens of thousands of bees, with average swarms around 10,000 to 30,000 bees. The number can vary significantly, though, from a few hundred to over 30,000 depending on the original colony’s size and whether it’s a primary or secondary swarm. Swarms are a natural form of honey bee reproduction, where a queen and a large group of worker bees leave their original hive to establish a new colony.

So, why all the bees?

During a dry spell, the increased bee activity is driven by the colony’s heightened need for water to cool the hive and a scarcity of natural food sources. You are more likely to see bees congregating in places where water is available, such as puddles, pet bowls, and swimming pools.

Bees require a lot of water to maintain their hives, particularly during a dry spell.

The hive needs to be cooled. Bees use a process called evaporative cooling to regulate the temperature inside the hive. Water-foraging bees collect water, spread it in thin layers, and fan their wings to create airflow and lower the hive’s temperature. This is crucial for keeping developing larvae and the wax comb from overheating.

Water is also necessary for feeding young bees and for diluting honey. With natural water sources drying up, bees will congregate around any available source they can find. Interestingly, they often prefer “dirty” water, like from puddles or damp soil, because of the minerals and scent, which they can detect more easily than clean water.

Droughts lead to a “nectar dearth,” a period where nectar-producing flowers are scarce or no longer in bloom. This lack of food changes bee behavior and makes them more visible to humans.

As food sources dwindle, foragers must travel farther and search more aggressively for nectar and pollen. Bees will seek out alternative sources of sugar and carbohydrates, which brings them into contact with human areas like picnic tables, garbage cans, and sugary drinks.

The combination of hunger and the need to protect their limited resources can make a colony more defensive. They may become irritable or aggressive, especially if they are a strong colony attempting to rob a weaker hive. The heightened activity during a dry spell is also influenced by the seasonal growth of bee colonies.

By the end of summer and beginning of fall, colonies typically reach their maximum population size. This means there are simply more individual bees out foraging and more individuals to notice around your home and garden.

My wife, who can’t stand bees, sets off on a mission to capture the bees by luring them to sweet liquids and then disposing of them. I tell her bees are necessary to pollinate the gardens. I explained to her the famous quote: “If the honey bee disappeared off the face of the Earth, man would only have four years left to live.” It is a misattribution to Albert Einstein. While the statement is not found in any of his writings, it originated with a Canadian beekeeper in the 1940s and was popularized by a French journalist in 1965, later circulating on pamphlets and in media to highlight the importance of bees as pollinators. We’ll see how that goes.

So, it’s a conundrum. We need the bees, but they can be pests, especially during dry conditions. I was stung a couple of weeks ago, and it wasn’t a picnic. I worry about my great-granddaughters.

Roland’s trivia question of the week:

Whose 240 hits in 1985 are the most in a single season in the Boston Red Sox team history?

Answer
Wade Boggs.

QUINN MINUTE: Goldilocks and the three bear

/0 Comments/in /by
by Rix Quinn

What’s the real meaning of the fairy tale about Goldilocks?

To be frank (although Frank is not my name), Goldilocks and the Three Bears is more confusing than a stop sign on a roller coaster track.

First, you gotta accept that a bear family owns a fancy two-story deep in the woods. These beasts wake one morning, choose porridge instead of other animals, then go for a walk while it cools.

Obviously, rich bears buy quality products like silver claw clips, and expensive fur shampoos. So, why would they leave an unlocked door to tempt intruders?

In walks Goldilocks, possibly a destructive truant with great curiosity, a huge appetite, and narcolepsy.

First, she samples some mismatched chairs. She finds one too hard, one too soft, and the third just right…so she breaks it. What is that about?

Next, she tastes the first porridge, and finds it too hot. The second bowl’s too cold. Why? Who cooked this stuff, anyway?

But the third bowl’s just right, so she devours it faster than a hyperactive cannibal gulps lady fingers at a tea party.

Bloated and sluggish, she wanders upstairs. She tries Mom’s and Pop’s twin beds, then passes out in Junior’s bunk.

About this time, the bears return. They find her asleep, shake her awake, and scare the heck out of her. She races out. The bears forget to get a name and address, so they can send a bill for the busted furniture.

This story is too scary for me, because I fear any beast that considers me part of a food group.

MAINE-LY GARDENING: What’s in the Garden? Potatoes – Part 2

/0 Comments/in /by
by Jude Hsiang

When Joseph Houlton arrived in Aroostook County in 1807, he brought along a variety of potato called Early Blue. Only a few decades later the potato had become an important crop with Maine producing 10 million bushels a year by the 1940s.

In addition to the potatoes, Aroostook land provided the cedar, elm, and ash used to make the barrels that were used to harvest the crop: 12-peck barrels held 165 pounds. For decades schoolchildren helped with the harvest. As a little girl in southwestern Maine, I was jealous of my “big boy” cousins in Presque Isle who started school early, then joined the three week “Harvest Break” to earn money on the potato harvest. This tradition remains despite the mechanization of the harvest that continues to advance.

Many of us remember the excitement and pride when traveling far beyond Maine and spotting one of the blue, white, and red Bangor and Aroostook Railway cars whose sides proudly proclaimed, “State of Maine Products.”

Even though Maine’s share of the worldwide potato market has decreased it is still an important art of the state’s economy. In addition to producing potatoes for our tables, Maine provides seed potatoes for the U.S. east coast. Potato starch has always been a key product, and the recent increase in interest in gluten-free foods has in turn increased its use for home cooks, restaurants and prepared food items. Almost one half of Maine’s potatoes are used for French fries and another 20 percent for potato chips.

It’s difficult to imagine what the diet of Europeans and later North Americans was like before the introduction of the potato. Bread was their everyday source of starch, and although they grew wheat, oats, rye, and barley, for many people those grains can’t compare to the wide array of recipes for potatoes. There are hundreds of dishes that use this staple food, and cooks continue to come up with more variations.

One more family story. After the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, my father enlisted in the U.S. Army along with many thousands of young men. He was part of a contingent sent from Maine to Mississippi for basic training. During that period the mess hall served grits for breakfast and rice for lunch and supper. Dad recalled the glum faces of “the Maine boys” when lining up for yet another meal with no potatoes.

Enjoy the freedom to choose your favorite potato dish, grown in your own central Maine garden, or upcountry.

(See part 1 here.)

© Judith Chute Hsiang
Jude Hsiang Is a retired Extension Master Gardener instructor and member of the China Community Garden.

SCORES & OUTDOORS: Red foxes seem to be making more appearances this summer

/0 Comments/in /by
Roland D. Halleeby Roland D. Hallee

When we first moved out to camp for the summer in mid-May, we heard something mysterious on our fourth day out there. It was after dark, and from a distance, we heard a wailing, lamenting siren-like shriek. Everyone around was wondering what was making that noise. At first we thought it was a small, yipping dog. But it continued almost uninterrupted.

Then, someone mentioned that a family of foxes had been residing under the main office during the winter, and had recently moved out.

That was it. The sound we heard was that of a red fox. It is common to hear those kinds of cry during the foxes’ breeding season, and thought to be emitted by a vixen’s (female fox) summoning males. Foxes generally greet each other with high pitched whines, particularly submissive animals. During an aggressive encounter they will emit a throaty, rattling sound.

An adult red fox has been identified with 12 different sounds while kits may produce eight.

The red fox, Vulpes vulpes, is the largest of the true foxes and the most abundant wild member of the species. It is listed as least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Besides its large size, red foxes are different from other species because of their ability to adapt quickly to new environments. There are 45 different subspecies of foxes.

The red foxes have a long history of interacting with humans, having been extensively hunted as a pest and furbearer for many centuries. Because of its widespread range and large population, the red fox is one of the most important furbearing animals harvested for the fur trade. Too small to pose a threat to humans, it has successfully colonized many suburban areas.

Urban red foxes are most active at dusk and dawn, doing most of their hunting and scavenging at these times. Despite their search for usable food, foxes tend to eat anything humans eat.

There have been more reported sightings this summer. We actually saw one cross the road while we were sitting at a camp fire.

These foxes can cause problems for local folks. Foxes have been known to steal chickens, invade rubbish cans and raise havoc in gardens. In our case, we heard that a nearby neighbor, who kept chickens, had many disappear in a relatively short period of time. They will also prey on domestic rabbits and guinea pigs if they are allowed to run in the open. Urban foxes have been known to encounter cats and may feed alongside of them. In confrontations, cats usually have the upper hand, although foxes have been known to attack cats, not so much for food but rather as a competitor for food.

Red foxes are not readily prone to be infested with fleas.

Red foxes live in family groups, sharing a common territory. They may leave their families once they reach adulthood if the chances of winning a territory of their own are high. Otherwise, they will stay with their parents, postponing their own reproduction.

Red foxes have binocular vision, but their sight reacts mainly to movement. Their hearing though, is their strength, being able to hear a squeaking mouse at about 330 feet. Their sense of smell is good, but weaker than that of a domestic dog.

Being the largest of the Vulpes genus, on average, an adult male will measure 14-20 inches high at the shoulders, 18-35 inches in body length, and the tails measuring 12-22 inches. Their weight range is 5 – 31 pounds, with vixens weighing 15 – 20 percent less.

Red Foxes are often mentioned in folklore and mythology of human cultures. In Greek mythology, the Teumessian fox or Cadmean vixen, was a gigantic fox that was destined to never be caught. According to Celtic mythology, witches were thought to take the shape of foxes to steal butter from their neighbors. In later European folklore, the figure of Reynard the Fox symbolizes trickery and deceit.

The red fox originated from smaller-sized ancestors from Eurasia shortly after the Wisconsin glaciation, which took place approximately 85,000 to 11,000 years ago. It was the most recent major advance of the North American ice sheet complex.

At camp, the red foxes have been sighted many times, and because of that, we can’t leave the sliding glass doors open while we are not there. With only the screen door between the outside and inside, our pet rabbit would have been fair game for a red fox roaming in the area. The temptation would have been too much to resist.

Roland’s trivia question of the week:

Who was the last major league pitcher to win 30 or more games in one season?

Answer
Denny McLain, of the Detroit Tigers, in 1968, went 31-6, with a 1.96 ERA.

REVIEW POTPOURRI: The Kids from Spain

/0 Comments/in /by
Peter Catesby Peter Cates

The Kids from Spain

Los Chavales de Espana (The Kids from Spain)- International Favorites; RCA Victor LPM-3119, ten-inch LP, recorded 1953.

Los Chavales de Espana

Los Chavales was a performing group of 11 very gifted men from Barcelona, Spain, each of whom sang and played four or five instruments. Originally formed in 1940, they spent their first five years performing in Spain and Portugal until the end of World War II. Later successful bookings in pre-Castro Cuba, Mexico, Peru and Venezuela would lead to extended engagements in 1952 at New York City’s Waldorf Astoria, Washington D.C., Chicago, St. Louis and Dallas, and appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show.

Their fluency in Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, Russian, Gypsy and other musical dialects, along with their staged dance routines, were skillfully executed with precision.

The eight musical selections on this ten-inch LP are vibrant examples of 1940s – ‘50s Hispanic night club music of a more graceful quality than those of the more rambunctious groups led by Desi Arnaz and Perez Prado from the same era and include such titles My Darling; You Are Meant for Me; and Whispering Serenade.

YouTube has examples of their work.

* * * * * *

A quote from the first page of Stephen King’s 2001 Dreamcatcher– “To say that Beaver’s marriage didn’t work would be like saying that the launch of the Challenger space shuttle went a little bit wrong.”

* * * * * *

James Cagney

James Cagney

Legendary actor James Cagney, like other Hollywood legends such as Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy and Bette Davis – who resided in Maine’s posh Cape Elizabeth for ten years – could be depended upon to deliver charismatic performances in any film with their name attached. One particularly outstanding classic was Cagney’s starring role as the psychopath gangster Cody Jarrett in 1949’s White Heat.

According to Cagney biographer John McCabe, the circumstances under which the film was made occurred when the actor struck a new deal with Warner Brothers after being away for several years – a requirement of just one film per year, the freedom to pursue other projects on the studio lot with the Cagney Productions that he owned with his brother William and a minimum of $250,000 per picture.

White Heat was an attractive script because of its commercial potential and its special challenges for Cagney. He had done gangster roles before during the 1930s with great success but he saw in Cody Jarrett’s character a truly despicable quality that intrigued him.

Cagney rose to the occasion with a performance that not only conveyed Cody’s depths of savagery but also creating sympathy for him. The gangster has a sense of humor, he is loyal to the members of his gang as they are loyal to him and he is very close to his domineering mother.

The supporting cast of British actress Margaret Wycherley as Cody’s mother, Virginia Mayo as his girlfriend, Fred Clark and Steve Cochran as two of Cody’s partners in crime, and Edmund O’Brien as an undercover detective contributed superlative work.

Cagney himself was gratified by the commercial and critical success of White Heat but refused to watch it in later years.

FOR YOUR HEALTH: Hints To Help You Take Control Of Your Well-Being

/0 Comments/in /by

Health care can be confusing, especially for older adults managing chronic conditions such as diabetes and heart disease­ – but you can make it easier on yourself.

(NAPSI)—Many older adults find health care hard to access and difficult to understand. In fact, a Harris Poll survey on older Americans’ experiences with the health care system found that 56 percent of respondents find it difficult and stressful to navigate. The good news is you don’t have to be among them.

It’s natural for health needs to change as you age, especially if you are managing complex chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and cognitive health. Nearly 93 percent of older adults have at least one chronic condition and almost 80 percent have two or more, which can be difficult to manage.

According to the survey, almost 52 percent of Medicare beneficiaries see more than three different physicians a year, and half of them recognize the need for help coordinating care with multiple physicians.

What Is Needed

The good news is that managing your health care doesn’t have to be overwhelming. There are a few steps you can take to simplify your health care journey and to have more control of your well-being. For example, I often recommend a few tips to the older adults I see as a physician and Signify Health’s chief medical officer:

• Establish a Trusted Primary Care Provider (PCP) Relationship: This isn’t just about having a doctor when you’re sick; it’s about building a trusted relationship with a provider you can openly talk with about physical and mental health concerns or changes. Seeing a primary care provider on a regular basis, even if you feel well, can make identifying and managing new or existing conditions easier.

To make the most of your appointments and to help ensure you leave with an understanding of your key actions, try using these three questions with your PCP:

1. What is my main problem?
2. What do I need to do?
3. Why is it important for me to do this?

These questions from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement can be a helpful starting point for a conversation about your medical history, lifestyle and individual needs as well as next steps.

Having a good relationship with your PCP is invaluable for your care – they can help coordinate your care, refer you to specialists when necessary, and provide preventative guidance.

• Know Your Numbers: Many chronic conditions don’t show symptoms right away, so if you wait until something feels wrong, it might already be serious. Routine testing can help catch issues early and make a big difference in how well you can manage them.

One of the best ways to take control of your health is to “know your numbers.” That means staying up to date with screenings for blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol and cognitive health.

• Develop a Personal Health Management Plan: Every older adult should have a clear health management plan. Not just “see the doctor once a year,” but a real plan – developed with your PCP – that includes medication schedules, nutrition, diet and exercise goals and what to do if symptoms change.

Having that roadmap enables a more proactive care approach and gives you and your family a clear path to follow.

Where To Get Help

Signify Health can help make these steps easier through In-Home Health Evaluations (IHEs). IHEs are available to eligible health plan members at no additional cost to them.

Experienced Signify Health clinicians­ – nurse practitioners, physicians and physician assistants­ – can visit you, in your home, at a time that is convenient for you.

These visits start with a simple conversation about your health. You can be screened for chronic diseases, learn important information about managing your health and discuss health concerns you may have. After the visit, the clinician will share information with you and your PCP (along with your health plan), empowering you to make more informed health decisions.

Additional resources and support may also be provided if needed to help you on your health journey.

What You Can Do

Taking control of your health doesn’t have to be overwhelming. You can go to HelloSignify.com to see if you’re eligible for a no-cost, in-home visit and book an appointment. It’s one of the simplest things you can do to manage your health.

Sponsored by Signify Health, part of CVS Health.

Give Us Your Best Shot! for Thursday, September 4, 2025

/0 Comments/in /by

To submit a photo for this section, please visit our contact page or email us at townline@townline.org!

IT’S A WHAT? Joan Chaffee, of Clinton, snapped this golden-winged kinglet.

BLACK & WHITE: Emily Poulin, of China, photographed this black squirrel last winter.

FIELD OF LUPINES: Lindy Sklover, of Vassalboro, captured these lupines in China.