I’M JUST CURIOIUS: Are you a lefty?

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by Debbie Walker

If you have answered the question, “Are you a lefty?” more than once or twice in your life you probably are left-handed. I imagine you have also heard some interesting comments. Well, here comes a few more. I just had to share them.

This info I found in a book titled The Natural Superiority of The Left-Hander, by James T. de Kay. The info follows:

“One person in ten is left-handed. And every last one of them thinks he’s sort of special.” The author’s words, not mine! It is said that left-handedness is something of a rarity. There are even some plants and sea critters that are said to be lefties. Lobsters are sometimes left-handed. (If you were very hungry you wouldn’t pick that one from the case in the restaurant or store!)

It is believed the very first members of the humans were left-handed. I am not sure who they found to ask about that item. Things were said to be fine for us lefties up through the Stone Age. With the Bronze Age of manufacturing, most work was done by right-handers, so the tools were designed for right-handers. Go figure! By the Middle Ages left-handers were left out in the cold, even suits of armors were made for the right-handers.

If we gave it much thought those of us who are left-handed could feel a little paranoid. Yes, paranoid when you consider many of us can tell the stories about the teachers who tried to change us over to be right- handed. Could have gotten the feeling of failure by first grade!

Today the only thing that actually favors us is the toll booths! AND even those are being put out of business by the Sun-Passes! But that is okay because Ben Franklin favored us with his writings about the left- handed with his left hand, I guess.

There have been five left-handed presidents; Garfield, Truman, Ford, Bush, and Clinton. Swimming also favors left-handers. Left-handers make fantastic tennis players, even though they are not clear why, forty percent of top pros are left-handed.

There are more left-handed boys than girls. Some experts claim you can tell about a baby being left-handed by the swirl of the hair on top of their head. It is said you can tell if your left-handed if the base of your thumb is wider and squarer than the right.

Right-handers adapt comfortably to abstractions. But left-handers tend to translate everything into visual imagery. Right-handers tend to think lineally. One out of every four Apollo astronauts turned out to be left-handed.

We now know why left-handers have always believed they were special. In their hearts, they know they are right!

So, are you a lefty? I am happy that my dad fought the “battle of the teacher” wanting to change my dominating hand. I have not felt my left handwriting holding me back much, if at all. They tell me I even hold my pen the right way.

I am just curious if you are a lefty. We are special, as are we all. We each bring something special to this old world. Contact me at Debbiewalker@townline.org. Have a great week and thanks for reading.

REVIEW POTPOURRI: Baritone Oscar Seagle, Soprano Marie Tiffany

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Oscar Seagle

Peter Catesby Peter Cates

Baritone Oscar Seagle, Soprano Marie Tiffany

Baritone Oscar Seagle (1877-1945) was one of the best selling recording stars for Columbia records during the post World War I years of the acoustic era. He recorded two hymns for the label on a 10-inch shellac in 1921 – I Love to Tell the Story and Nearer My God to Thee (the one being played by musicians on the Titanic as it was sinking).

Seagle was accompanied by four men described as the Columbia Quartette, with an accompanying orchestra. He sang both hymns beautifully and with conviction.

In later years, he started a music school in New York’s Adirondacks.

Columbia A3354.

Soprano Marie Tiffany (1881-1948) and contralto Elizabeth Lennox (1894-1992) recorded Barcarolle, translated as Oh, Night of Love, from the opera, Tales of Hoffmann, by French composer Jacques Offenbach (1819-1880), also on a ten inch acoustic shellac, in 1921; side two contained Miss Tiffany’s rendition of Jules Massenet’s (1842-1912) Elegie. Both have been commonly recorded staples since those years and I thought I could care less about ever hearing them again until I played this record. Both sides were sung with a vibrant beauty and freshness as though they had just been composed.

A number of recordings by both ladies can be heard on YouTube but not these, unfortunately.

Brunswick 5040.

Continuing with Robert PT Coffin’s Kennebec Crystals:

“Then the workers went to the shores and ate their cold ham and bread and broke the crystals in the top of their jugs and drank the sluggish milk. They built fires to toast their thick soles and sat on the leeward side chewing their quids of tobacco in the heat and haze of the smoke that made the tears run from their eyes. Fathers and sons broke into cakes and frosty doughnuts the wives and mothers had made. Apple pie with splinters of ice.”

More next week.

SCORES & OUTDOORS: Banded longhorn beetles common in central Maine

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Banded longhorn beetle

Roland D. Halleeby Roland D. Hallee

A little while back, while we were sitting with neighbors at camp, we noticed a bug walking along the floor of the porch. Strange looking thing…really ugly! They asked what it was. That was easy.

It was a longhorn beetle.

Although you don’t see them often, they are pretty common around the world, including Maine. Oh, I forgot. They are called banded longhorn beetles. There are over 20,000 species worldwide, 1,200 of which occur in North America.

Adult longhorn beetles, Typocerus velutinus, vary greatly in shape, size and color. In general, they are cylindrical and rather long-bodied. Some of the larger ones can reach six inches in length, but most species measure around two to three inches long. Some are dull brown, while others have bright colors or intricate patterns on their wing covers.

But the dominant part of their bodies are their antennae. They can reach at least two-thirds as long as the body, and in some species the antennae are longer than the body. Males have longer antennae than females. Some are slow moving, while others can run quickly or are strong fliers. Depending on the species, adults may be observed feeding on flower parts, leaves or bark.

Banded Longhorn Beetles have extremely long antennae (horns) like their other relatives. Their bodies are colored in alternating bands of red and yellow. The head and pronotum are black. A thin band of yellow separates the pronotum from the head and abdomen. They are wider at the ‘shoulders’ and taper at the tip of the abdomen. Antennae are black and segmented. Legs are yellow with black ‘feet’.

They are often found on flowers, eating the pollen of a variety of species though they seem to favor parsley, carrot and celery flowers. Look for them in herb, vegetable, and flower gardens. Adult beetles can also be found on hardwood trees. Eggs are laid on dead or decaying trees where larvae hatch and begin boring into the wood. Look for larval frass, a mix of feces and sawdust, on the trunk or near the base of the tree. It is produced as a larva digs and is expelled as the tunneling deepens. This species’ larvae seem to prefer birch, sumac and goldenrod. Examine fallen trees and rotting logs in mixed wood forests for signs of the Banded Longhorn Beetle.

Longhorn beetles have many natural enemies, especially parasitic wasps and the larvae of certain other beetles. Many birds feed on adults and woodpeckers are fond of the larvae. Lizards sometimes lie in wait and capture adults when the beetles land on bark to mate or lay eggs.

Adults can be found on hardwood trees. Eggs are laid on the dead or decaying trees where lavae hatch, boring into the wood. Look for larval frass, a mix of feces and sawdust created when the larva tunnels deeper. This species seems to prefer birch, sumac and goldenrod, of which there are plenty in central Maine. They can be found in 38 states, seven Canadian provinces, mostly in eastern Canada, and Mexico.

Partly because of their relatively slow rate of reproduction, the survival of some species of longhorn beetles is endangered. For example, the valley elderberry longhorn beetle is threatened with extinction in California. Development and farming along river banks have destroyed much of this beetle’s natural habitat.

And then, you have the Asian longhorn beetle, which have become a serious threat to some of North America’s most beautiful and popular trees. Native to parts of Asia, the beetle is believed to have arrived in North America in the wooden packing material used in cargo shipments from China. Isolated Asian Longhorn Beetle infestations have been discovered in Brooklyn and Amityville, New York, and in Chicago, Illinois. In all instances where Asian longhorn beetles have been found, authorities have reacted quickly to stop the infestation from spreading.

Trees favored by the Asian longhorn beetle are predominantly maples, but infestations have also been discovered in horse chestnuts, poplars, willows, elms, mulberries and black locusts. Currently, there are no known chemical or biological defense against the Asian longhorn beetle and, in North America, they have few natural predators. In all cases of infestation, the affected trees are cut down and the wood destroyed.

In concluding, if you see a banded longhorn beetle, they are scary looking, but quite harmless to humans.

Roland’s trivia question of the week:

Who holds the record for hitting the most home runs in Red Sox history?

Answer can be found here.

SOLON & BEYOND: The day I was “raked over the coals”

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

In last week’s paper I mentioned that I had upset some people with my way of writing the truth. One of the many papers that I have written for was The Carney Brook Chronicle, out of Bingham, back in 1997. I came across the paper that I had written for and on October 24, 1997, on the front page it states: Solon Selectmen Subject Chronicle Reporter To Third Degree At Town Hall. (Editor’s Note: The following is a first person account by Chronicle reporter Marilyn Rogers on a meeting she was invited to by Solon Board of Selectmen.)

One of my favorite past times is trying to hear both sides of every story, so several months ago when I heard a story about our Solon Selectmen I went to the town office and asked them if it was true, and they admitted to it and said it was a big joke. I was put down big time when I said that I thought selectmen should be above such things. What they had done was sign the name of someone who complains a lot to a note they had written. My words were, “This is scary, I’m down here complaining a lot, what are you going to do to me?” Charlie Johnson, First Selectman, replied, “Oh, we wouldn’t do anything to you.” Not true!

Nearly every Monday morning I have either gone to the town office or called to see if there was any news to be printed. A week ago on Monday morning I was busy making cats for a craft fair when the phone rang and it was Robin Judd, Second Selectman, stating that they had some news for me and would I come down and get it. Not suspecting a thing I walked into one of the worst possible scenarios a taxpayer and reporter could be put through.

When I got to the town office I noticed several Chronicles and Somerset Gazettes, all highlighted, laying on a table, and was asked to go to the conference room with the three selectmen. Charlie, with the support of Robin and John (Smiley), Third Selectman, proceeded to rake me over the coals about what they called “negative reporting”. It was a lengthy session of ridicule of my ‘old-fashioned ideas and beliefs’… even an attack about news they themselves had given me the week before. But the statement that brought the worst verbal abuse was one I had made in this paper (Chronicle), I am a firm believer in democracy and I had gone on to say that I thought the people in Solon should have been allowed to vote on the new recently erected town signs. I then went on in my column, to state my opinion on why apathy abounds in America today.

Nobody should have been subjected to the treatment I received in the town office that Monday for stating a difference of opinion. Quite simply it was oppression, suppression, intimidation, and it was awful. I fought back tears for quite awhile but finally they flowed as I hurried out of that office, I do pay my taxes (thanks to GRAMS) and there is still freedom of the press, even in 1990s.

Back in 1765 John Adams made this statement about freedom: “Be not intimidated therefor, by any terrors from publishing with the utmost freedom whatever can be warranted by the laws of your liberty by any pretenses of politeness, delicacy, or decency. These as they are often used, are but three different names for hypocrisy, chicanery and cowardice.”

Give Us Your Best Shot! for Thursday, August 19, 2021

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

LUNCH BACKPACK: This toad appears to be carrying its lunch – a slug – on its back. Emily Poulin, of South China, took the photo.

FOR US? These two gold finches are enjoying the suet Joan Chaffee, of Clinton, left for them.

SURPRISE!: Tina Richard, of Clinton, caught this doe as it seemed surprised to be photographed as it moved along with its young.

GARDEN WORKS: Seven suggestions to enjoy food without fear

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Emily Catesby Emily Cates

With all the buzz about unsafe food, who isn’t sick of the risks? Let’s face it, we all have to eat! And no one wants to eat in a bubble. Life without good food is like a sky without birds. So what can we do to make sure what we eat is safe? How can we see to it that we make it from the dinner table to good health, yet enjoy the enchanting tastes and aromas of delicious food?

Here are 7 suggestions that I hope will inspire you to enjoy food without fear:

1. Grow your own! That way, you will know exactly where your food comes from and what went into it. This is the optimal way to enjoy food, since the freshness and nutrition of home-grown food is unsurpassed. It’s easier than you think- even city dwellers can grow veggies and all sorts of things in containers. Just make sure you grow things in good, rich, uncontaminated soil, and water with clean water free of harmful chemicals. Consult a trusted garden book or a knowledgeable person who can give you good growing tips. If you decide to raise your own meat, the same principles apply. Some city folks have even found ways of raising their own meat in urban areas! I’ve heard of them raising miniature chickens in cages on their patio.

I applaud this, but if you plan on attempting it, please make sure you understand the consequences of what you’re doing! (For example, roosters are out of the question if there will be a noise issue, but a few bantam hens might be quiet enough not to bother anyone. And think of what would happen if your landlord or the town found out!) Hunting game is another option if you’re willing to go through the killing-your-own ordeal. (Remember, it beats eating meat from a factory farm. Just make sure it wasn’t feeding from a toxic waste dump!) Again, there are many books and publications that will help you get started, some of which are on my blog. If these homegrown options won’t work for you right now, try the next suggestion.

2. Shop at a farmer’s market. Now that local foods are in demand, the farmer’s market is in style! It is amazing what one can find there. Not only can you buy fresh, delicious veggies, but there might be some unexpected delights to be found. Look for freshly baked breads, artisan cheeses, free-range meats and sausages, homemade goodies, crafts, and more. Most of the money you spend at a farmer’s market goes directly towards the growers and helps promote a healthy, sustainable lifestyle. This is food with real value, and it has a “face and a place”. And, most importantly, it is safer than supermarket food because it got personal attention every step of the way. Food raised and processed on a small farm with more human care has a drastically smaller chance of posing a health threat than that which is grown on a factory farm and processed exclusively by machines. In fact, many people believe that it’s the human touch that gives food it’s most value when it has been cared for and appreciated. Sort of like with ourselves…

3. Buy in bulk. In most cases, the more you buy the better deal you get. This might be harder to do if you’re short on space. But if you can purchase a significant supply of a safe, wholesome food item, why not? Dry goods are easier to stash than meat, due to the chill requirements. A good local butcher shop might be able to offer a whole beef cow or other meat and package it for you however you like. A deep-bed freezer in your home could be tremendously helpful, or it might be possible to rent a cold locker in a local store for your bulk meats and frozen foods.

The secret to using bulk foods is to promptly repackage them into smaller quantities. This should make them much less vulnerable to insects and pathogens, since you are not opening or thawing the whole amount each time you use it. Instead, you are using an individually packaged portion so that the rest remains fresh in it’s own sealed package. After the initial effort of packing, it is very convenient and saves time later on. And you get to personally supervise this step.

4. Cook from scratch. Not only do foods made from scratch taste better, they are less expensive and have more food value than pre-made and processed foods from the supermarket. In addition, you will know how the food was prepared and what went into it. If you are pressed for time, try using timesavers in the kitchen. My favorite example is the slow cooker. I can turn on the crock pot at night and while I’m sleeping the meal is cooked! In the morning when I wake up I am greeted by the delicious aroma. This is especially a great choice for meats, since it cooks them thoroughly and tenderizes them to a mouthwatering texture.

The meat broth from the slow-cooker is an added useful bonus and can be used along with other foods as a seasoning for veggies, noodles, etc. In a hurry for breakfast? No problem, just cook some oatmeal in the crock pot overnight on the low setting, and when you wake up, there’s your warm breakfast! Try this with whole grains or experiment using whatever you have on hand.

5. Maintain safe and hygienic culinary activities. Perhaps this tip is obvious, but it’s worth mentioning. ALWAYS wash hands before handling food! Keep all surfaces that will come in contact with food scrupulously clean, and be sure to wash all dishes and implements afterward. Always wash and dry any surface that came in contact with raw meat before using that surface for anything else.

Keep pets, animals, bugs, and other critters away from the food preparation and dining areas. Encourage anyone with a contagious illness to forgo being chef and cook for them instead. Quickly chill leftovers, and heat them thoroughly before eating again. Throw out or compost suspect food. Make sure that you wash all fruits and veggies, and discard areas that are past their prime. Use common sense at all times. Consult reliable instructions for further information.

6. Learn to preserve. When done properly, home-canned and preserved foods are without peer for taste, economy, and safety. This is a subject worth researching, especially if one lives in a cooler climate. If you are new to the rewarding art of food preservation, then surf the net or stroll on down to your local library. Check out my blog for some great books to read. Or talk with someone who knows how to can the modern way, or an old-timer who is known for food preservation. A food dehydrator is a great investment and the results take up little space. If you’re the adventurous sort, learn how to lacto-ferment. Just make sure whatever you are doing is safe and contributes to a healthy, self-sufficient food supply!

7. Cut out junk food. It makes us unhealthy and lowers our resistance to germs and toxins. The worst offenders are processed foods and food with refined sugars, white flours, and artificial ingredients. Read the ingredients, and avoid ones you cannot pronounce. Just because it’s at the store doesn’t mean it’s safe to eat! The empty calories and additives can be as harmful to one’s health as eating spoiled food. In fact, many times processed food is rancid anyways, but the chemicals are added to mask that fact. And who needs to eat chemicals that Mother Nature never meant to exist?

Know your body and know what health foods are good for YOU. Yes, I realize that avoiding junk food takes effort, but it’s worth it! If we stick to fresh fruits in season and homemade goodies (in moderation!) from local ingredients, then we will be rewarded with healthier minds and bodies and a safer food supply. And lots of times we are surprised at how delicious homemade goodies taste.. Mmmm! Much better than from the supermarket! And what a great way to involve our children or friends, making goodies together! Let’s get together, experiment, and have fun!

FOR YOUR HEALTH: Treating “Untreatable” Cancers: Functional Profiling Comes of Age

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Treating “Untreatable” Cancers: Functional Profiling Comes of Age

An oncologist has developed a way to determine what drugs work best for each individual with cancer.

(NAPSI)—Over 1.8 million Americans are diagnosed with cancer every year according to the American Cancer Society. If you or someone you care about is diagnosed with cancer you may be relieved to know there are techniques available that can improve your likelihood of response and survival by using your cancer cells to select the most effective drugs before you receive them.

What Can Help

The process is called functional profiling, which analyzes living cancer cells from a patient to find out the drugs, combinations and sequences that are the most effective and least toxic for each individual. It’s particularly helpful in treating cancers that have been considered “untreatable,” such as pancreatic cancers, advanced lung and recurrent breast cancers.

Why It Works

Cancers arise from cells that have learned certain tricks to enhance their survival. In so doing they outlive their normal counterparts. These transformed cells interact directly with their micro-environment. Cancer cells “talk” to each other and to all the surrounding immune cells, blood vessels and structural elements using chemical signals such as growth fac- tors and metabolic byproducts. Blood vessels, immune cells and connective tissues all participate and promote the cancer process.

Each human cancer reflects all of its genes, both mutated and normal, acting together to create what we recognize as a malignant tumor. But gene changes are only the starting point and not the final product of cancer development. The practice of just analyzing genes is incapable of capturing the complexity of human tumor biology. Only Functional analyses can interrogate each patient’s tumor in real time to provide insights that can inform drug selection and treatment decisions.

Because each cancer patient is unique and very different from one person to the next, drugs that work for one person may not for another, even with exactly the same diagnosis. Standard trial-and-error approaches cannot meet each patient’s needs.

Who Developed the Idea

The pioneer behind this is Los Angeles-based oncologist Dr. Robert Nagourney, author of Outliving Cancer and known as the father of precision cancer medicine. His testing of cancer cells against potential drugs offers patients the opportunity to take charge of their cancers and the treatments most likely to work.

Dr. Nagourney recognized the short comings of modern trial and error cancer medicine and decided to do something about it. Over the past two decades he has amassed data on over 10,000 patients, providing individualized therapies that have been shown to double response rates and improve survival. While major centers continue to offer gene profiles that examine DNA mutations hoping to find a “magic bullet,” those result have been extremely disappointing with a minority of patient’s revealing actionable findings.

Get Help

The Nagourney Institute receives samples from all over the world. If you think functional profiling would be good for you, you can arrange to have your sample collected and shipped overnight to the laboratory. The Institute will even assist you with a specimen transportation kit and specific handling instructions.

Learn More

For additional facts and to arrange for tests, visit https://www.nagourneycancerinstitute.com.

MAINE MEMORIES – It’s all in a name: The bearer of good news

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Sarah Wyman Whitman (1842-1904), artist, binding designer. (Uploaded on Flickr by Boston Public Library), CC BY 2.0

by Evangeline T.

Hello and welcome to Maine Memories, little snippets of life from our home state.

This week, I want to tell you about my name.

When my mother was in grade school, she was required to read the story of Evangeline. Then and there, she decided that if she ever had a daughter, Evangeline would be her name.

Well, guess what! I’m her daughter, not so young or little anymore. But it’s me.

I’ve been asked about my name, so I’d like to share with you what I found.

In 1847, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote a story about a woman named Evangeline Bellefontaine and her love, Gabriel. They were from Acadia, Canada.

The book title was Evangeline, subtitled A Tale of Acadia. It involved Britain, and Acadia’s expulsion. The story goes that the two lovers were involved in a forced separation. She spent the rest of her life searching for him. At one time, they were literally only feet apart but unable to see one another because of a forest. They never even realized it.

Her search took her from Acadia to southern Louisiana. In her old age, she worked with the sisters of Mercy, in Pennsylvania, a house for the poor where on his death bed, she found Gabriel. He died in her arms.

The name Evangeline became popular throughout the 1940s and ‘50s. There was an Evangeline newspaper published from 1949-1982. A minor baseball team in the ‘30s and ‘50s. A train that ran from Halifax to Yarmouth, operating until 1990, and even a Maine-based evaporated canned milk labelled Evangeline.

There are two statues of Evangeline, one in Nova Scotia, where her search began, and one in St. Martinsville, Louisiana, where she gave up searching.

Louisiana has parishes instead of counties, so they have an Evangeline parish. There is also a large mall and a hot sauce with that name.

As a child, I didn’t like Evangeline, as everyone seemed to stumble over how to pronounce it. They still do, but now I just grin and tell them the proper pronunciation.

A dentist once told me Evangeline was a beautiful name, it has angel right in the middle. As a young teenager, that changed my way of thinking. Evangeline means the “bearer of good news,” which I try to live up to.

So, where did your parents get your name? What does it mean? Have fun learning about your own name. The results just might surprise you.

NOTE: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was born in Portland, Maine, in 1807. It was part of Massachusetts at that time.

I’M JUST CURIOUS: “Bless your heart”

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by Debbie Walker

I decided to have some fun tonight. I get curious about “sayings”. I am going to share some southern sayings. When I moved to Florida one of my treats was hearing these sayings. How about:

My favorite is: In the south you can say anything about anybody as long as you follow it with “bless his heart”. “That is the ugliest baby I’ve ever seen, bless his heart.” “She needs to do something with that hair, bless her heart.” Following an elder on the highway driving 30 miles an hour you can cuss and then just cover it with “Bless his/her heart.

“Do you know the difference between a conniption fit and a hissy fit?” None. Just pray you are not the one who caused it!

“I brought you into this world and I can take you out and make another one just like you!”

“Over yonder a piece” is not very far but “Way over yonder” is a far piece.

“A truth comes naked, a lie has to wear it’s pants.”

Southern babies know that “Gimme some sugar” is not a request for the white granulated sweet substance on the table.

A southerner knows that “fixin” is used instead of “getting ready to” any particular thing. A southerner is “fixin’ to do something.”

When a southern mama says, “Don’t ugly your sister” it has nothing to do with physical appearance.

Southern mamas are good at “slap” threatening. “I’ll slap your face off”. Or “I’ll slap you so far down in your shoes you can’t see daylight” or “I’ll slap a knot on your head.”

“If his lips are movin’, he’s lyin!” One lady I know used to say about her brother, “If he has a choice between standing flat footed on the ground or climbing that big pine tree and lying, he’ll climb that tree every time!”

“If that boy had an idea, it would die of loneliness”.

“He’s so dumb; he could throw himself on the ground and miss”!

“Well, butter my butt and call me a biscuit”!

“Keep it up and I’ll cancel your birth certificate!”

“He fell out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down”.

“I’m so hungry my belly thinks my throats been cut.”

“Well, aren’t you precious”.

Oh yeah, this is a favorite of mine. I found out when I moved south that the south was still fighting the Civil War! I had never heard the term YANKEE as much as when I moved down here. They let me know that there was a Yankee and a damn Yankee. A Yankee was a northerner visiting the south. I was a Damn Yankee because I moved here!

I’m just curious if there are Northern “sayins” to compete with these. Contact me at DebbieWalker@townline.org and “Bless your heart” for reading once again.

REVIEW POTPOURRI: Soundmaps Extended Realities

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Valeria Zorina

Peter Catesby Peter Cates

Soundmaps Extended Realities

Valeria Zorina, violin and Evgeny Sinaiski, piano
Oehms Classics OC 492, CD, recorded May 1-5, 2019, in Madrid, Spain.

Although she has not yet set foot in the United States, Moldavian violinist Valeria Zorina has concertized extensively in England and Europe to tremendous and deserved acclaim. The late violinist Sir Yehudi Menuhin (1916-1999) mentored Valeria during her earlier years while Sir Colin Davis (1927-2013) and Mstislav Rostropovich (1927-2007) are among the conductors who have collaborated with her in concert. Since 2015, she has taught at a conservatory in Madrid, Spain.

Just released in early July, Valeria’s CD, Soundmaps Extended Realities, is a collaboration with Russian pianist Evgeny Sinaiski in which she takes a different approach from the usual recital.

Valeria Zorina has chosen six composers whose pieces have gone beyond the usual tuning of a violin at E, A, D, and G to achieve what is called scordatura, itself defined in the Harvard Dictionary of Music as “Abnormal tuning of a stringed instrument in order to obtain unusual chords, facilitate difficult passages, or change the tone color.” Having an unusually brilliant level of technique and musicality, she has tuned her instrument to the specific dimensions of each work and achieved very inspired results.

The six composers are Eugene Ysaye (1858-1931), Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber (1644-1704), Louis Franz Aguirre (born 1968), Franz von Vecsey (1893-1935), Giacomo Platini (born 1967), and Camille Saint-Saens (1835-1921).

Belgian violinist/ composer/ conductor Ysaye is represented by his Poeme Elegiaque, a very passionate 14 minute piece for violin and piano that has a certain sadness in keeping with its elegiac quality of remembrance of a departed loved one.

Ysaye was taught by the violinist/composers Henri Vieuxtemps (1820-1881) and Henryk Wienawski (1835-1880) whose own Concertos personify the 19th century romantic virtuoso tradition, both of them tremendously captivated by Ysaye’s ability to draw sounds out of the violin that nobody else could.

Ysaye recorded several discs during the acoustic era as a violinist and as Music Director of the Cincinatti Symphony and several can be heard on youtube.

The German baroque composer Biber is represented by the 9th Rosary Sonata known as the Carrying of the Cross and a piece combining sublime spiritual beauty with fascinating sororities in its tunings.

The Cuban composer/conductor Aguirre’s Four Nocturnes With Masks, from 2017, are four minutes in duration. They consist of Winter, Dies Irae, Adoration and Dust of Snow and each Nocturne is a tribute to another composer – Gyorgy Kurtag, Manuel de Falla, Olivier Messiaen and Morton Feldman.

They powerfully and poetically evoke a stark middle of the night atmosphere of spooks going bump in the night and convey why Aguirre is not only a major figure in his native country but also in Europe.

Vecsey’s Nuit du Nord is a gem of extraordinarily poignant beauty and one I have shared often with several friends to the house. Vecsey studied with Joseph Joachim who was a very close friend of Johannes Brahms. Recordings of his playing can be heard on YouTube also.

The Italian composer Platini provided his Four Souvenirs, from 2018, and another example of the combination of bleakness and beauty in music of the 21st century, although with a quieter, more subtle range of dynamics than those of Aguirre .

Saint-Saens arguably most well-known piece Danse Macabre has the kind of tuning that tellingly contributed to its diabolical quality in which Death plays his fiddle at midnight on Halloween and calls all the skeletons from their graves to dance all night until the rooster gives his dawn cocka-doodle-doo wakeup call.

This CD has sustained several hearings and comes with an A-plus recommendation.

PT Coffin’s Kennebec Crystals continued…

Next paragraph from Robert PT Coffin’s Kennebec Crystals, an essay on the harvesting of ice from the Kennebec River:

“Then the field of the harvest was marked off for the game of wealth to be played there. Men walked with gougers tracing the line their narrow plows made straight as a die across the river. After them came the horse-drawn gougers cutting a deeper double furrow. Another army of men took up the game at right angles to the others, crisscrossing the wide fields. And then the sawyers came, slow with their loads of shoulder muscle and woolen shirts. They set in their saws and began the cutting of the gigantic checkers from the checkerboard on the hard Kennebec. The men stood to their work with both hands on the handles each side of their long tools, going down, coming back, fifty men keeping time as they ate into the stuff that meant their life, bed, and board, and fodder for their cattle. It was a sight to see the gates – ajar mustaches swinging like pendulums, gold and dark, and the breath in them changing to icicles as they worked. Every so often the picks spoke, and the sawed lines lengthened ahead of the sawyers. Noon saw a dozen checkerboards marked out on the river. One notable fact about the tools of the ice industry on the Kennebec is this: they were the only tools that were good enough to remain unchanged from the beginning of the industry to the end of it.”

To be continued…