by Debbie Walker

We live in Maine. We know we are going to have to deal with snow, ice and inconvenient road construction. I believe the most difficult of Maine life is the Black Flies and the Mosquitoes and “Oh My” is saying it lightly!

I tend to believe critters are each here for a purpose. So….. of course, I had to do some reading. This is what I found out about these critters

It is the female black flies we are upset with. The males feed on nectar. The females feed on mammals including us.

We know that mosquitoes need standing water to prosper, however, the black flies prefer running water. How do you folks who fish the streams stand it?! We know that from April to July the little nuisances make gardening, boating, camping and any other outdoor activity a nightmare. The one good thing is they don’t follow us into the house or tent, etc. Mosquitoes want us wherever we are!

There is even a song written by Wade Homsworth titled The Black Fly Song. I found the song on YouTube. It was written about Canada but I believe it applies to us as well. It tells about the Black Flies “picking our bones clean”.

I’ll bet woodsman didn’t have to worry about walking into the woods I’ll bet the black flies were more than willing to gang up and carry them in!

In reading various things on the internet I learned (and remember) the only state that doesn’t have black flies is Florida. Don’t get all carried away about how lucky they are in Florida because they have their curses too. They have the dreadful no see ums. You might not see them but you will certainly feel them and their after effects for days. They have fire ants. Horrible little suckers! They have Love Bugs; they don’t bite but will plaster your entire windshield if you do much traveling in May or September. Oh, and they will pit the paint on your vehicle!

Okay enough of that.

Mosquitoes: I probably can’t tell you much about those little suckers! There are several songs about them. Mosquito Song says “Swallow and chew, Eat you alive, All of us food that hasn’t died.” Truthful little song, I am surprised we didn’t learn it as kids!

Body odors entice the critters to you. Sweat, perfume, scents and the higher the body temperature the more likely the critters will find you.

Their only purpose, as I read, is to make more mosquitoes!

My friend, Otis, from Florida, when I was complaining about them, said “What are you complaining about, don’t you people saddle and ride your mosquitoes?” Oh yeah, he is a funny man!!

I read that camping is nature’s way of feeding mosquitoes. I haven’t been camping yet but I have fed a few anyway. But I will tell you that I got Ken to experiment for me. I gave him a couple of dryer sheets and said wear these and see if it works to ward off the bugs. According to Ken they seem to work. I haven’t tried them yet.

I am just curious but not about those critters and I don’t care what their purpose is anymore. I don’t want to deal with them! Contact me at dwdaffy@yahoo.com with questions or comments and thank you for reading!

by Debbie Walker

Have you ever wondered how long kitchen ingrediantz are useful? I found an article written by Charlez Kelsey in a magazine; COOK’S Illustrated and and it has the answerz.

I picked up the magazine intending to send it on to my granddaughter, Tristin, because of some of the really interesting articlez and this one caught my eye: “Keeping Kitchen Staples Fresher Longer.” Loved it, of course, I knew mine were far from fresh but….

Spices & Dried Herbz: Whole Spicez: Two year shelf life. Ground Spicez and Dried Herbz: One year. Whenever possible possible buy whole and grind before using. Don’t store on counter close to stove.

Vinegarz: shelf life: Long lasting – indefinitely. Sediment in vinegar is harmless and doesn’t affect taste. You can alwayz strain if you would rather.(coffee filter would probably work).

Olive Oil: Unopened: One year (goes rancid after). Open: three monthz. Keep in dark cabinet.

Other Oils: for optimal flavor, replace after opened for six months. Store in pantry: Canola, Corn, Peanut, and vegetable. Store in refrigerator: Sesame and Walnut.

Beyond Pantry:

Butter: kept in refrigerator no more than a month. Any longer, in freezer in a baggie for up to four monthz. Eggs: Never put eggz in the egg tray on the fridge door. – too warm. Keep in carton. Store in fridge for 3 – 5 weeks.

Soy Sauce: Shelf life: one year in pantry. If unpasteurized store in fridge.

Sweetenerz: Shelf Life: Sugar, honey and molasses = long lasting. Maple Syrup – two yearz unopened, one year open. Granulated sugar in airtight container. Molasses and honey in pantry. Opened maple syrup in refrigerator.

CHILL: These items stay fresh longer in freezer: Bay leavez , flourz with heavy germ content and cornmeal. Nutz and seed, and yeast.

Leavenerz: Shelf: Baking Powder and Baking Soda: Six monthz (Tested true despite manufacturer’z suggested datez). Instant or Active Dry Yeast: Four monthz in the freezer.

FLOUR: Shelf Life: All Purpose Flour: One year (in airtight container). Whole Wheat flour And Cornmeal: One year (in freezer in airtight container).

CHOCOLATE: Shelf Life: Unsweetened and Dark Chocolate: Two Yearz. Milk and White Chocolate: Six monthz.

VANILLA: Shelf life: Long lasting. (Testz proved it might last as long as 10 yearz and still be good).

Okay, enough of that for tonight! While thumbing through magazinez and bookz I came across this little saying and I think it fits us great! “It’z not the lionz and tigerz that’ll get you … It’z the MOSQUITOEZ!

We are nearing the end of the school year. The kidz I have been with this year have progressed so much, as all the other students. Everyone improvez their life with reading. For the children it couldn’t be more important. Please encourage the children in your life to read to you. If you are a grandparent, parent, aunt, uncle or a family friend allowing them to show you their skillz is sooooooo important. You be amazed at how this will make you feel, as well.

As usual I am just curiouz how your pantriez will do with the column information! Contact me at dwdaffy@yahoo.com with any questionz or commentz. (I was just playing with the s/z stuff, I saw it on a local business: CONE’Z and liked it).

by Debbie Walker

What were you doing Monday night at 5 p.m.? Well, Humpfree and I were getting our 2.8 minutes of fame on WABI.TV, 5 o’clock news; actually we were on at 5:08 p.m.

Humpfree, if I haven’t already told you, is a stuffed moose. We found him in a box at the thrift store. His head was sticking out. Since our theme for the classroom is Maine Animals, the stuffed moose Patsy found was perfect! Perfect, even better, when we noticed he is a bag. The rest is history, he became my pocketbook!

Humpfree has put smiles on an unbelievable number of faces, however, most important is the reactions of the kids at school. Sometimes they just run their hands over the soft fur. If they need to they can hug him. Sometimes Humpfree just makes the day go easier.

As I said we were at WABI. TV, what a treat. The people who run the news are just wonderful. Jim and Emily, and even the producer just wanted to help us be at ease.

Mary-Ann (my area supervisor) and I were being interviewed for the Foster Grandparent Program. It is through the Penquis office in Bangor. Mary-Ann is the project coordinator for the administrative office. Marsha and I (in our school) are “Professional Volunteers” (Sounds good, huh) And, no, we are not taking in foster children in our homes as a lot of folks believe when they see or hear this title Foster Grandparents Program.

Being a volunteer in a school is not something I saw myself doing at this point in my life. I too brought up my child and enjoyed my grandkids (still do!) but never thought I would willingly go into a classroom once my kids were out.

I can’t tell you how glad I am that I did. Yes, we are there to give attention to the children. I give them that extra reading time needed to increase their skill and confidence. I support whatever concept the teacher, Mrs. Cloonan, is teaching them.

Whatever attention you might think I give these children, you can’t imagine the love I get back. When I go in the mornings I volunteer I am greeted by an excitement for my just being there! It takes a little while for the excitement to quiet down a bit, but that’s okay because Mrs. Cloonan is glad to see me too!

We could talk about it but you would get the best information about becoming a FGP and the benefits (yes benefits!) by calling Mary Ann or Maria at Penquis, 1-800-215-4942 and ask for Foster Grandparent Program.

Recently a family friend passed away. He had all but lost his complete memory. I came across this saying that I would like to share with those who have lived a similar situation: “What the mind can’t remember the heart never forgets.” I thought it was beautiful.

As usual, I’M JUST CURIOUS if you might be a wonderful addition to any classroom. Contact me at dwdaffy@yahoo.com . Thank you for reading.

by Debbie Walker

Some weeks I could probably get into trouble if it wasn’t for the full crew of “Keepers” in my world. I’ll admit some of the things I have an interest in others just shake their heads; I enjoy living in a continued childhood even if it is only in my head. Books for children can be very interesting and I have found things in their books that I did not know. It’s all fun.

This week I was looking at the National Geographic KIDS Almanac 2014. There was a caption on the front, “Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Everything!”

Animal Myths Busted:

Adult opossums do not hang by their tails. (I haven’t seen any up here but I did in Florida.)

Porcupines do not shoot their quills. (but they sure can put a hurt on a dog!)

How about “Elephants are afraid of mice.” Myth!

I read that the elephant’s eyesight is so bad they would never even see a mouse!

Another myth, one I hadn’t heard was that goldfish only have a three second memory. (imagine that test!!) I can tell you from experience they can remember who will feed them and when they expect it. I saw it in person as grandson’s fish knows son-in-law is the feeder. The fish swims to whichever direction son-in-law is walking in the kitchen.

And yet another myth:

“Bulls charge when they see red.” (They prefer VISA!) Sorry, I couldn’t resist! It was never the color of the bull fighter’s cape, it was actually the motion.

How about the myth “eating carrots improves your eyesight.” That was a hoax in World War II. British soldiers claimed to have excellent night vision because they consumed carrots. The carrot bit was used to confuse Germans. It was to take their attention away from British radar.

Okay, so much for all that stuff.

Last week I printed “A TEST for OLD KIDS” and I promised the answers would be here this week. I am sure you are anxiously awaiting the answers! (If you missed The Test you can find it online here.) For all others the answers follow:

ANSWERS:

01. The Lone Ranger left behind a silver bullet.
02. The Ed Sullivan Show
03. On Route 66
04. To protect the innocent.
05. The Lion Sleeps Tonight
06. The limbo
07. Chocolate
08. Louis Armstrong
09. The Timex watch
10. Freddy, The Freeloader and ‘Good Night and God Bless.’
11. Draft cards (Bras were also burned. Not flags, as some have guessed)
12. Beetle or Bug
13 Buddy Holly
14. Sputnik
15. Hoola-hoop

I am, as usual, just curious! I would love to hear how you made out!! Contact me with questions or comments at dwdaffy@yahoo.com. Thanks for taking the time out of your day to look over The Town Line.

by Debbie Walker

The kid’s books and magazines give me some different things to write about! Some of this column is from a World Magazine. I believe it is an off shoot of National Geographic World.

So we are going to start out with information about shoes:

Sneakers:

A few years ago there was a ship carrying about 40,000 pairs of sneakers in the Pacific Ocean, headed for the United States. A storm struck and the sneakers went overboard. Sometime later beach-goers from British Columbia to Oregon saw hundreds of sneakers had washed up on the shores – “they were the ‘sole’ survivors”!

Symbols:

Shoes were symbols of ownership years ago. At European weddings, the bride’s parents threw shoes to ‘say’ they didn’t own the bride any longer. Shoes became a symbol of good luck. Sometimes all the wedding guests threw shoes at the happy couple. “Maybe throwing shoes helped a marriage start out on the right foot”.

Right or Wrong

Eighteenth century people didn’t have to worry about right or left shoe. Both shoes were exactly alike. Both shoes in a pair were identical!

Someone Else’s

Napoleon I didn’t have to get blisters. His servants wore his boots to break them in for him. “They spared his imperial tootsies a royal pain.”

Fashion

About 500 years ago in Europe men wore shoes with extremely long pointy toes. Some were so long that the wearer had to fasten them to his knees – or he’d trip.

“Walks of Life”

People give shoes a real workout. Each day most people take about 9,000 steps. And over our entire lifetime we may walk far enough to circle the Earth three and a half times. That’s enough to make your feet sore!”

Altitude Footwear

Platform shoes are not new to fashion. Years and years ago in Europe decorated platform shoes were a status symbol for wealthy women. The style “peak” was called the chopine (shah-PEEN). Sometimes rising more than two feet high, this was a shoe with a view!

Okay, I guess that is enough shoe business for one day. Although I could add that my Dad used to tell Mom to take me shoes shopping. He said they would throw away the shoes and I could wear the boxes. I have big flat feet with bunions! Used to have bunions but those were taken off, yehaw! Me and shoes still don’t get along really well. And, NO, it was not my mother’s fault. She always made sure our shoes fit well.

As usual I am just curious if you have any great “shoe” stories. For questions or comments you can contact me at dwdaffy@yahoo.com . Thanks for reading!