FOR YOUR HEALTH – Your backyard isn’t cancelled: six tips to celebrate Earth Day right at home

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Making your the planet greener can start on your side of the fence.

(NAPSI)—The 50th anniversary of Earth Day on April 22 can be a good time for everyone to take some time to get outside, even if current conditions mean a community event to celebrate isn’t available. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to honor the Earth in your own backyard.

“You don’t need to leave home to celebrate Earth Day. Remember, nature starts at your back door,” explains Kris Kiser, President of the TurfMutt Foundation, an organization that encourages outdoor learning experiences, stewardship of green spaces, and care for living landscapes for the benefit of all.

“Get outside, mow your lawn, trim bushes, plant a butterfly bush. By becoming a steward of your yard, you are helping the planet. At the same time, you’re supporting your health and well-being, which is increasingly important as families spend more time at home.”

What You Can Do

 Here are six tips to celebrate Earth Day without ever leaving home:

1.Get outside. Your backyard is an outdoor living room and safe place for pets and kids to play. Science proves spending time in your family’s yard is good for your health and well-being, and so important today as everyone looks for creative ways to stay well while being confined to the home. Researchers have found that people living in neighborhoods with more birds, shrubs and trees are less likely to suffer from depression, anxiety and stress.

2.Make the outdoors a family project. Take your loved ones outside to assess your space. What’s working well? What could be improved? What can you plan to do together in your backyard? Anything needing to be cleaned up? Make a plan to expand or spruce up your yard.

3.Connect kids to nature. Free, online, do-at-home lesson plans are available from the TurfMutt.com. The environmental education program resources and activities, based on STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) principles, give kids the prompts they need to have fun learning about and exploring the nature and science in their own backyards.

4.Know your climate zone. Learn about climate-zone-appropriate plants, the importance of pollinators, and how backyards can support local wildlife. Conduct a plant inventory to determine what’s currently thriving in your backyard. Match that up against the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map to determine the best types of turf, trees, shrubs, and plants for the climate zone.

5.Keep pollinators in mind. Your yard is an important part of the connected ecosystem providing much- needed food and shelter for pollinators, such as birds, bees, butterflies, bats, and other creatures. Select a variety of plants that will bloom all year long. The Audubon Society’s database can help determine which birds will be attracted to which plants for unique regions so you can make good choices about what to plant.

6.Plant, prune or mow. Staying confined to home base doesn’t mean gardening and yard work have to stop. Order garden supplies online or have them delivered from a nearby nursery. Mow the lawn and trim bushes.

Research shows people who gardened for at least 30 minutes a week had lower body mass indexes (BMIs)—a measure of body fat—as well as higher levels of self-esteem and better moods overall. They also reported lower levels of tension and stress.

Learn More

 For further facts and tips on saving the planet one yard at a time, go to www.turfmutt.com.

GROWING YOUR BUSINESS: Delighting your customers

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Growing your businessby Dan Beaulieu
Business consultant

Delighting your customers is the surefire way to make your company successful. No matter what your company is, no matter what your services or products are, your job is to delight your customers. If you are serious, truly serious about your company being outstanding then you have to deliver outstanding services, services that will truly delight your customer, keep them coming back and most importantly telling others about you.

Here are five ways to make sure your customers are delighted:

  • Ask them: Once you have performed the service on their car, or finished that landscaping job, or built them that new gazebo, call them up and ask if they are happy with your work. If they are not then it’s a great opportunity for you to remedy the situation, if they are then ask them for a reference or testimonial.
  • Super Service: A friend of mine gets his Lexus serviced in Bellevue, Washington, where he lives. If the car is going to be in the shop for any length of time, they loan him a brand new Lexus, which is a great way to get him to try out the new model. And when he gets his car back it is washed and cleaned in and out. He tells everyone he meets about this service. And best of all he would never dream of buying anything but a Lexus the next time he needs a car.
  • “No Policies:” The only policy you should have no matter what your business is to make your customers happy. If you’re company is full of policies (which are usually rules that are good for you but not for the customer) get rid of them.
  • Make them love the wait: If your business is so successful that people have to wait, make it a delightful wait. If you own a restaurant, and your customers have to wait, make sure the waiting area is comfortable with plenty of seating. Pass around free samples of your excellent food. Think about it, no one is going to complain about the wait if they are being fed hot buttered rolls while they wait.
  • Deliver something extra: If you’re a landscaper, do something special that the customer did not request. Offer her to plant an extra plant. Sweep his driveway when you’re done. Take a photo of that special flower bed you just worked on and send them a framed copy of it.

The idea is pretty simple. Put yourself in your customers’ shoes and imagine what would make you happy. These are only five ideas. There are hundreds of things you can do in your specific business to delight your customers. All you have to do is put your customers foremost in your mind.

How do you delight your customers? Think about it. feel free to steal some of these ideas…or think up your own, it’s a great way to grow your business.

CRITTER CHATTER: Does it need to be rescued?

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by Jayne Winters

We all know that April showers bring May flowers, but for wildlife rehabbers, April also brings desperate calls from well-meaning citizens who are concerned about young animals that appear to be alone. I’m sharing another post written by Carleen Cote regarding the issue of whether to rescue or not:

With the return of warmer, sunny days, our feathered friends are returning from their southern hiatus and the native wildlife are beginning to move around. This is an appropriate time for a reminder about whether or not young wildlife that appears to need rescuing really do need human intervention.
White-tail fawns probably are being rescued when they should have been left where they were found. A very young fawn will not move until given a signal from its mother. The doe does not remain with her fawn at all times; she leaves to feed herself and may not return to the fawn for several hours. A young fawn also has no odor, so if it is found by a dog, coyote or other potential predator, it’s only by accident, not from a scent.

If, when out walking in the fields and woods, you should spot a fawn, do not immediately assume that it needs to be rescued. Mark the spot where the fawn was spotted and leave. Return after a few hours or the next day. If the fawn is in the exact same spot, then it is probably safe to assume that something has happened to the doe. Contact a game warden and follow the advice given.

If you find a young bird on the ground and no nest can be found, make a substitute nest from a berry box or basket; be sure there are holes for drainage and hang it in a tree close to the spot where the bird was found. The adults will respond to the feeding calls of their youngsters.

If cats are prowling or stalking any birds, especially when there may be young birds in a nest that cannot survive without being fed, the cat should be confined rather than removing the birds. Fledglings – young birds that are feathered and out of the nest – need time to master the art of flying. Though they may spend time on the ground, this is not necessarily an indication they need human intervention. Observe whether there are adult birds flying around as they could be the parents, either bringing food to the young or coaxing them to take their first flight.

There are times when rescue is necessary such as when an adult female has died, but her young survive, or when young animals have been observed for some time, but no adult arrives to care for them and lead them to safety. If you do rescue wildlife, as cute as they may seem, bring them to someone who has the necessary permits and knowledge to give them a greater chance of survival. If you are in doubt about the need to rescue any bird or animal, or have any questions about the little critters we all enjoy and for which we are concerned, please call. We’re happy to answer any questions or advise you as to where you might get an answer.

Donald Cote operates the Duck Pond Wildlife Care Center on Rte 3 in Vassalboro. It is a non-profit federal and state permitted rehab facility which is supported by his own resources and outside donations. Mailing address: 1787 North Belfast Ave., Vassalboro ME 04989 TEL: (207) 445-4326. EMAIL: wildlifecarecenter@gmail.com.

SCORES & OUTDOORS: Putting up with the barnyard rooster; an annoyance and life threatening

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Roland D. Halleeby Roland D. Hallee

One of the more common sights around a barnyard is the good ol’ rooster. But, why is he there?

My granddaughter and her husband live in Belgrade on about seven acres of land that they have kind of turned into a mini farm. They have pigs, goats, and chickens. A little while back, they acquired a rooster to fill out their immediate roster.

However, the rooster has become a problem. While we were there a few weeks back, the rooster seemed to be crowing all afternoon. Well, truth be told, that was only the tip of the iceberg. It seems he likes to visit the neighbors, and goes into his routine, which I thought was only at sunrise. I always thought the rooster would crow at the rising of the sun on the farm to awaken everyone to chores of the day. I guess not.

So, with complete understanding, the neighbors were getting a little annoyed with the scene.

I, personally, have had an up close encounter with one of those little critters.

When I was around 10 years old, or so, the family used to drive to the Abitibi region of Canada, to spend a few days at our grandfather’s farm. While we were there, it was no vacation. My three brothers and I had chores to do along with their children. It was up at dawn – before breakfast – and off to the barn. The older boys would round up the cows for milking, while my younger brother and I had smaller chores.

One of them was to feed the chickens and the pig. Well, I don’t have to tell you the encounters with the rooster weren’t always pleasant. He would defend the roost to no end. So, one day, I thought I would outfox the little devil. Since we had to enter the chicken coop, I looked around to see if I could locate him. Not seeing him in the field, I checked the inside of the coop by peering through the window. Still no rooster.

At that point I figured he was out and about, and had no interest in me today. Slowly, I opened the door to the pen and glanced around one last time. The coast was clear. I entered the coop and closed the door behind me. Well, the little dickens was hiding behind the door, and now had me trapped because he was between me and the door.

He then went into full attack mode, snipping at my Achilles with relentless ferocity. As a 10-year-old, I wasn’t sure I would survive. (That’s even more so now, since I read where a 76-year-old woman in Australia was killed by her rooster while she was picking up eggs from the barnyard.) I managed to push him aside – actually, it was more like kicking him – with my foot, and made my escape. Needless to say I have since not had fond feelings towards roosters. I don’t trust them.

So, what exactly is the function of the rooster.

The rooster is polygamous, but cannot guard several nests of eggs at once. He guards the general area where his hens are nesting, and attacks other roosters that enter his territory. During the daytime, a rooster often sits on a high perch to serve as a lookout for his group (hence the term “rooster”). He sounds a distinctive alarm call if predators are nearby and will frequently crow to assert his territory.

The term “rooster” actually originated in the United States as a puritan euphemism to avoid the sexual connotation of the original English name of a “cock.” Since a rooster roosts, it was only natural to give it that name.

Roosters almost always start crowing before four months of age. Although it is possible for a hen to crow as well, crowing, together with hackles development, is one of the clearest signs of being a rooster.

The rooster is often portrayed as crowing at the break of dawn. However, while many roosters crow shortly after waking up, this idea is not exactly true. A rooster can and will crow at any time of the day. Some roosters are especially vociferous, crowing almost constantly, while others only crow a few times a day. These differences are dependent both upon the rooster’s breed and it’s individual personality. A rooster can often be seen sitting on fence posts or other objects, where he crows to proclaim his territory.

But, I do have to say I felt bad when my granddaughter told me they had to get rid of the rooster in order to maintain good relations with the neighbors. He was only doing his job.

Roland’s trivia question of the week:

Who was the Red Sox MVP following their 2018 World Series victory?

Answer on can be found here.

SOLON & BEYOND: RSU#74 students get learning packets

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

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

My many, many thanks for the Solon School news, I didn’t think I would be getting any more of them for quite awhile.

RSU #74 Schools deal with Coronavirus pandemic: Due to the coronavirus pandemic sweeping through the state and nation, Solon Elementary School and the other schools of RSU #74 closed on March 16. We miss our students and hope we can be together with them again soon.

During this closure, teachers and staff have prepared learning packets to be delivered to students’ homes once a week to keep students in the routines of school. We thank parents and guardians for working with students at home to do the work. Remember that you can e-mail your child’s teacher or call him/her at the district’s Call Center at (207) 635-3278 Monday through Friday from 8 -11 a.m., for help or answers to any questions you may have.

In addition to sending home learning packets, the district has provided take-home breakfasts and lunches available at the school and other hubs around the district from 11- noon, on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

Teachers are calling or e-mailing their students’ families once a week to touch base and see how they are doing. That is a good time to ask questions about the learning packet work or to let us know of any needs that you have that we could help with.

We thank the families, the students, and the staff for working together to get through this unprecedented and challenging time for all of us. We’re all in this together and we will make it through!

PTO Fundraiser Changes:

The Solon PTO ran a calendar raffle fundraiser during the month of March. Students were in the process of selling tickets when the school shut down on March 16th. The drawing for winners was scheduled to take place in April.

The fundraiser will still take place when we return to school, when ever that happens to be. The tickets that have already been turned in will be held, and students can bring in additional tickets and money when we return to school. Details about how we will conduct this raffle will go home with students at that time.

The PTO thanks you for your support of this fundraiser to enable them to provide special activities for our students.

Our fifth grade teacher Mr. Corson ran his annual Kitty Kats basketball program at the Solon School this winter. Most students in grades K-5 participated in this program in which they learned basketball skills and drills while practicing sportsmanship and team work. On February 12, students demonstrated their ball handling skills to music for their families and friends at a Kitty Kats Basketball Fun Night.

Because Mr. Corson is retiring from teaching at the end of the school year, this was the last Kitty Kats Program. Corson started the program at the school in 1983 and has run it every year since then (except for the two years he worked at CCS). To recognize and thank Mr. Corson for his many years as the coach of the Kitty Cats Program at Solon Elementary School, the staff and students presented him with a basketball signed by all the players and staff and a banner to hang in the gym to commemorate his 35 years of service. Thank You Mr. Corson!

Give Us Your Best Shot! Thursday, April 16, 2020

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

DUELING ROBINS: Michael Bilinsky, of China Village, snapped these robins that seem to be quarreling over space.

MAJESTIC: Joan Chaffee, of Clinton, photographed this majestic-looking bald eagle.

STANDING ROOM ONLY: Rick Lawrence captured these gold finches at a feeder.

I’M JUST CURIOUS: Fun with words

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by Debbie Walker

I saw a small article about words that are fun to say, according to the writers in the January issue of “First.” On the list are words like indubitably, kumquat, brouhaha, flabbergasted, discombobulated, and flummoxed. I did not think some of them would be in the dictionary. Guess again! I looked them up and found out there was nothing new about these words.

Foofaraw: a disturbance or to-do over a trifle. First use known 1934.

Ballyhoo: noisy, flamboyant, exaggerated. First use known 1901.

Hurly burly: very active or confused state. First used 1539.

Williwaw: Sudden, violent gust of cold land air. First use 1842.

Indubitably: Certainly true, not to be doubted. First use 15th century.

Brouhaha: great excitement or concern. First use: original, French, 1890.

Flabbergasted: shock or surprise some one very much. 1772.

Discombobulated: upset, confuse. First use 1916.

Kerfuffle: disturbance, fuss. Scottish Gaelic 1946.

Hubbub: noise, uproar, confusion, turmoil. Irish 1555.

Flummoxed: confused. 1837.

Skedaddle: to leave a place very quickly, flee in a panic. British 1860.

Whatchamacallit: something whose name you have forgotten. 1928.

(My Aunt used to call things she had forgotten the names of ‘jigger’.)

Thingamabobs: thingamajig, whatchamacallit, whatsit, doohickey. 1750.

Mooncalf: Foolish or absentminded, 1614.

Lollapalooza: Extraordinary, impressive, outstanding. 1896.

Ripsnorter: something extra ordinary. 1840.

Sockdolager: something that settles a matter, a decisive blow. 1830.

Okay, as I said, I was so surprised that all these words were really in the dictionary. That got me curious as to how they choose the new words to add every year. I looked that up. You are encouraged to get a lot of people to use your new word.

The more often it is used the more likely it will be noticed by the dictionary editors and the rest is up to them.

Wandering Nana Dee uses the word ‘smartassery’, has for years. She says it is the adult version of smarty pants, and wise guy. Probably started using it about 1940s. Feel free to use it to help us get it added to the dictionary!

I have a few words left and I would like to use them to talk about our teachers in this time of medical emergency everywhere.

Teaching on a good day is difficult, but these days is a whole new experience. None of this group has any kind of experience with this process.

A regular day is difficult enough to teach a roomful of children but at least they can be taught by skill level in small groups. Now with trying to get everyone on computer or having to deliver actual paperwork, you can imagine the overload on all involved.

Tonight I was part of a conversation about attitude being a big part of preventing illness and aiding in healing. There are tests to prove that attitude goes a long way in health. Positive attitude helps with building your immune system.

These are uncharted days and weeks ahead of all, our patience will be tried more than once I am sure. Try to put yourself in the other person’s place. Pass on positive thoughts, pass on helpfulness.

I’m just curious what word your family may have made up! Contact me at DebbieWalker@townline.org. Have a wonderful week. Thanks again for reading!

FOR YOUR HEALTH: Ignite immunity, clean naturally with lemons

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When life gives you lemons, use them to boost your immune system and clean and disinfect your home.

NAPSI—If you’re among the increasing number of Americans keen on natural solutions to boost immunity these days, you may be glad to know the answer may be right in your refrigerator—or should be. Loaded with vitamin C and zinc, and with key antioxidant qualities, Limoneira Lemons can play a vital role in helping the immune system adapt to new threats and conditions.

Experts have cited lemons as a way to “reduce the risk of complications from a cold or flu, and reduce inflammation in the body.” Experiments have also found that lemon juice can destroy the bacteria of malaria, cholera, diphtheria, typhoid and other deadly diseases.

Lemons are also a boon to any kitchen or DIY beauty routine—plus, they’re a handy sustainability tool. Use them to make life simpler without investing in potentially toxic chemicals or overpriced solutions. In fact, beyond their immunity-boosting benefits, lemons provide natural antibacterial and antiseptic properties that let you clean and disinfect your home, naturally.

Here’s how to create a useful all-purpose cleaner for your kitchen and bathroom that can help your house smell spring fresh all year: Combine equal parts lemon juice and water in a spray bottle. You can use it nearly anywhere. For wood surfaces, create a polish by mixing one cup of olive oil and one-half cup of lemon juice. Test it first on a small spot.

For other “green cleaning” with lemon tips, visit www.Limoneira.com/cleaning.

Give Us Your Best Shot! for Thursday, April 9, 2020

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

FAMILY TIME (part 1): Michael Bilinsky, of China Village, was busy with his camera recently when he snapped three squirrels feeding together…

FAMILY TIME (part 2): …three chipmunks who look like they were trying to hide…

FAMILY TIME (part 3): …and a flock of Canada Geese cruising in the lake.

REVIEW POTPOURRI: Philharmonic

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Peter Catesby Peter Cates

Philharmonic

EMI, CDC 7474772, cd, recorded 1985-86.

Camille Saint-Saens (1835-1921) was displaying perfect pitch before he was three years old and would be a child prodigy on the piano by age five; however, his mother sensibly decided he was too young for any exposure to the rigors of public acclaim through an official debut but the boy was allowed to perform for family, friends and other small groups occasionally.

Camille Saint-Saens

From 7 to 13 years of age, Saint-Saens studied with the gifted pedagogue, Camille-Marie Stamaty (1811-1870), who had certain unorthodox teaching tools; for example, he would set a bar in front of the keyboard, and insist that his students rest their elbows and forearms on it, relying only on their fingers and hands to play . The composer felt this was good training.

He gave his first public concert in Paris at 10 years old, performing Concertos by Mozart and Beethoven.

At age 13, he was admitted to the Paris Conservatory but, despite being an outstanding pianist, was strongly encouraged to study organ because of the prevailing view that employment opportunities for organists were far greater in France than for pianists, especially with the large number of churches. He switched his focus to that instrument, got a job as organist at 18 for one of the oldest Parisian churches, itself with 26,000 parishioners and made very good wages. Composer Franz Liszt declared Saint-Saens to be the greatest organist he ever heard.

One of Saint-Saens’s teachers introduced him to the music of Bach, which was one of his greatest loves.

While at the Conservatory, he was also an outstanding student in many other subjects, including French literature, Greek and Latin, philosophy, math, theology, astonomy etc., and would have a lifelong passion for learning.

He premiered the Organ Symphony in London in 1886 where it met with immediate success. Ironically, after 20 years of being a church organist, he cared little for the instrument yet wrote what I feel is his most moving work. It is scored for full orchestra, organ and two pianos and is given a very nice recording by organist Philippe Lefebvre, in a collaboration with the French National Radio Orchestra, under Seiji Ozawa, who was music director of the Boston Symphony from 1973 to 2002. Ozawa also included two very elegant tone poems based on Greek mythology, Phaeton and Omphale’s Spinning Wheel, on this mid-1980s CD.

As a young man, Saint-Saens championed the music of Schumann, Liszt and Wagner but grew quite reactionary with age. He was the teacher and lifelong friend of composer Gabriel Faure but considered Debussy and Stravinsky to be dangerous lunatics who deserved to be institutionalized, after hearing their music.

He gave his last recital in November 1921, at the age of 86, and was reported as being in vigorous health. A month later, he died suddenly of a heart attack while vacationing in Algiers.

Saint-Saens was so precociously talented from his earliest years that Hector Berlioz (1803-1869) commented that this young man lacked one important quality – inexperience!