REVIEW POTPOURRI: Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler & Oklahoma Round-Up!

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Jacques Offenbach

Peter Catesby Peter Cates

Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler

Offenbach: Tales of Hoffmann; Barcarolle, “Oh, Night of Love.” Side 2
Arthur Pryor’s Band – Suppe: Fanitza Selection. Victor. 16827. Ten-inch acoustically recorded 78 rpm. Offenbach from November 22, 1909; Suppe, from June 7, 1910.

Jacques Offenbach (1819-1880) and Franz von Suppe (1819-1895) are each represented by three minute selections on this old 78 released more than 100 years ago. The Barcarolle comes from Offen­bach’s one opera, Tales of Hoffmann, although he composed about 80 operettas. He was born in Cologne, Germany, the son of a cantor for a synagogue in the city but lived and worked most of his life in Paris, France, where his satirical operettas had great popularity with the Court of Napoleon the 3rd and the Parisian audiences.

The composer also had good instincts for survival and spirited himself, wife and family out of France during the bloody 1848 Revolution and the 1870 Franco-Prussian War.

The Barcarolle is sweetly sung by the husband-and-wife team of William (1875-1966) and Elizabeth Wheeler (1875-1972). They participated in dozens of acoustic records for Victor and, in later years, taught voice at colleges.

Franz von Suppe

Suppe’s comic operetta, Fanitza, deals with a young Russian lieutenant involved in an escapade in which he’s disguised as a woman and is encountered by a superior officer, a hot-tempered elderly General who believes that he’s actually of the feminine gender and is attracted to him/her. Meanwhile, the young lieutenant is in love with the General’s niece. Being a comedy, the story ends on a happy note.

Trombonist Arthur Pryor (1869-1942) and his band left a huge catalog of 78s on the Victor record label where he also served as one of the staff arrangers and conductors. The Fanitza Selection medley is given a spunky performance.

For interested listeners, the Wheelers’ Barcarolle can be heard on the Google link for the ucsb recorded sound collection, entitled the Discography of American Historical Recordings, while the Fanitza is on YouTube.

As for anybody unacquainted with any music by either composer, I suggest the arguably most recognizable piece for each composer; Offenbach’s Can-Can and Von Suppe’s Light Cavalry Overture. Both selections can be heard in a number of different performances on YouTube.

Oklahoma Round-Up!

selections from a Southwest radio stage show. Apollo, A-5, three 10 inch 78s. Recorded January, 1947.

Oklahoma Round-Up was broadcast from the Oklahoma City radio station, KOMA, but heard on the CBS radio network nationally during the mid-to-late 1940s. This 78 album features performers from the show – the Gruesome Twosome of banjo and harmonica players, Lem Hawkins and Hiram Higsbee; and the Cimarron Kids, Mary Lou, Dick and Ann who sing and yodel. The selections are two musical categories, hillbilly and western swing, with such titles as I’m Brandin’ My Darlin’ With My Heart, Rock Me to Sleep in My Saddle, the Sons of the Pioneers hit Cool Water, and My Blue Ridge Mountain Home. Old-fashioned, charming, hokey 78s of country music.

FOR YOUR HEALTH: You Could Be Part Of The 33 Percent

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One in three American adults are at risk of life-threatening kidney disease, and most don’t know it—but that can be remedied. One in three American adults are at risk of life-threatening kidney disease, and most don’t know it—but that can be remedied.

(NAPSI)—Look around the next time you’re in a crowd. One-third of everyone in there with you is at risk of developing dangerous kidney disease.

Kidney Disease Facts

In the United States, 37 million adults are estimated to have chronic kidney disease—and more than 90% aren’t aware of it. Often there are no symptoms; they won’t find out until their kidney’s fail. Kidneys are vital organs—as important as your heart, liver or lungs—that work 24/7 to clean toxins from your body. No one can live without functioning kidneys. When kidneys fail, only immediate dialysis or a transplant can save you.

A Solution

The National Kidney Foundation (NKF)—the largest, most comprehensive, and longstanding patient-centric organization dedicated to the awareness, prevention, and treatment of kidney disease in the U.S.—wants to change the odds. Every adult in the United States needs to know the risk and can find out with a simple, one-minute online quiz rolled out for National Kidney Month in March that can let you know if you’re in the 33 percent—and what to do about it.

“We have a public health crisis that needs to be addressed by all Americans,” said NKF CEO and kidney transplant recipient Kevin Longino. “We will never give up trying to find ways to reach people, slow or stop the progression of this disease and lessen the burden for patients. Early testing and interventions are the key.”

What To Watch For

Risk factors for kidney disease are:

  • High blood pressure
  • Heart disease
  • Diabetes
  • Obesity
  • A family history of kidney disease.

What To Do

If you have one or more of these factors, you should to go to MinuteForYourKidneys.org to find out what to do next and how to talk to your doctor about it.

Life-threatening kidney disease can strike anyone, young or old, and has many causes, but early intervention can make a difference. Lifestyle changes and a healthy diet can sometimes slow the progression of the disease when caught in the early stages, and sometimes can stop kidney failure.

The first step to preventing kidney failure is knowing your risk, then getting tested. Two simple tests, one blood and one urine, can let your doctor know how your kidneys are doing. It’s easy to get tested yet the results can save your life.

Learn More

For further information about NKF, visit www.kidney.org.

THE MONEY MINUTE: Ever felt financially naked?

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by Jac M. Arbour CFP®, ChFC®
President, J.M. Arbour Wealth Management

As financial advisors, we look at the income, expenses, balance sheets, profit and loss statements, and many other documents, for both corporations and individuals, and we do it every day. It seems so normal, so routine.

I recently had a phone call with a friend and she was asking for our help to create a debt elimination plan. I gave her a list of things we would need from her and rattled them off without much thought or hesitation.

A few days later, she asked if other people ever confess to feeling “financially naked” or embarrassed about their finances. She went on to state, “I bet some people would rather stand naked in front of others than expose their financial picture to those same people.” Is this true, I wondered? I don’t know, but it surely got me thinking.

How do you feel about the idea of exposing your financial situation to a financial advisor? What do you have for concerns, if any at all, about revealing your personal financial information to another person? Feel free to share your answers with me in an email (jac@jmarbour.com).

Over the years, many people have told me they are uncertain as to whether or not they need a financial advisor. Other people have told me that if they did meet with a financial advisor, they wouldn’t know what to ask, or what to say, or where to start. Others have told me they don’t believe they have enough assets to warrant hiring an advisor. Others have told me they can’t afford one, but often times are unaware of how advisors charge.

I am here to root you on and assure you that if you hire the right advisor or firm, you will not feel naked, you will learn how an advisor can assist you, he or she will help you identify the areas that need more of your attention, he or she will not tell you that you “don’t have enough to work with,” and overall, you will find that the cost is worth the received value.

We all have things we can improve and sometimes placing ourselves outside our comfort zones is the first step toward true empowerment. I hope you find the right advisor who makes you feel comfortable sharing your information and who in turn, points you in the right direction.

Here is what I promise: Having the right people on your team makes all the difference.

See you all next month.

Jac Arbour CFP®, ChFC®

Jac Arbour is the President of J.M. Arbour Wealth Management and can be reached at 207-248-6767.
Investment advisory services are offered through Foundations Investment Advisors, LLC, an SEC registered investment adviser.

SCORES & OUTDOORS: Don’t look now; what’s the difference between an emu and an ostrich?

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Emu, left, and ostrich, right.

Roland D. Halleeby Roland D. Hallee

I’m going to try to spare you from having to listen to old people talk about their aches and pains. But, I have to explain something first.

While in the early stages of my seventh decade, like everyone else of my generation, we have aches and pains that appear from time to time. I happen to have one in my neck (no, not my wife).

I’ve tried various things, but my oldest brother put me on to a product called Blue Emu. I’ve seen it advertised on TV with baseball Hall of Famer Johnny Bench as the pitchman. Why should I doubt Johnny Bench? My brother swears it works. I decided to try it, since everything else seemed to be an exercise in futility.

The salve is made from emu oil. Whatever that is.

I have also seen commercials on TV featuring Limu Emu, an insurance selling emu for Liberty Mutual Insurance. I especially identify with the one where his caretaker is making a speech, with his wife, and what I would guess is the emu’s wife in the audience.

Looks like an ostrich to me. So what are the differences between an emu and an ostrich?

Well, for starters, the two largest birds in the world are the emu and the ostrich. Both are flightless birds but they compensate by being extraordinarily fast runners. Emus and ostriches somewhat resemble each other as they are both big, feathery birds with long necks and legs. So how, then, can we tell these two birds apart? Read on and we’ll discuss the differences between them.

The emu is the second largest bird in the world. This bird is native to Australia. Both male and female emu have deep brown feathers. They have long necks, very strong legs and have three toes. Emus are fast runners and can run up to 30 mph. These birds live up to 10 to 20 years. When mating, a male and female emu pair up. The females lay greenish-blue eggs weighing around one pound each. After laying the eggs, the female passes on the responsibility to the males. The male emu is the one in charge of incubating the eggs and taking care of the chicks.

Emus are known for the oil they produce, which is taken from their fat. This oil is noted to be effective in reducing inflammation and healing wounds and muscle aches. (Now we have discovered the healing properties of emu oil.) Emus are also farmed for their meat and leather.

The emu has a prominent place in Australian Aboriginal mythology, who say the sun was made by throwing an emu’s egg into the sky.

The ostrich is the largest bird in the world and is native to Africa. The male ostrich has black feathers with white wing tips. The females have grayish-brown feathers. They have long necks, extremely strong legs, and two toes. Ostriches can run up to 40 mph. They also have very large eyes. Ostriches are the ratite (meaning large, flightless birds) relatives of the emu. An ostrich can live up to 40 to 50 years. When mating, a male ostrich forms a group and mates with six to seven females. Female ostriches lay large white eggs weighing around three pounds each. The most dominant female and the male take turns in the incubation of the eggs. The female is in charge during the day since its feathers adapt to the environment at daytime. The male, on the other hand, is on duty at night using its black feathers as an effective camouflage.

Ostriches are farmed mainly for their feathers. These are used as dusters and for decorative purposes. Ostriches are also raised for their meat and leather.

During mating season, only a pair of male and female emus bond together. The male emu is the one in charge of the incubation and caring for the chicks. The ostriches, on the other hand, have shared responsibilities between the male and the most dominant female. The female’s duty is at daytime and the male sits on the eggs at night.

Oh, by the way, contrary to common myths, ostriches don’t bury their heads in the sand – they wouldn’t be able to breathe! But they do dig holes in the dirt to use as nests for their eggs. Several times a day, a female puts her head in the hole and turns the eggs. So, it really does look like the birds are burying their heads in the sand! The myth goes on to say that an ostrich does that to make itself think it is not visible when its head is in the sand.

Now, when I see Limu Emu in that insurance commercial, I will know the difference between the two. When you come right down to it, there really isn’t much of a resemblance at all.

Have you heard the one about a male ostrich who comes upon a group of ostriches that have their heads buried in the sand, and proclaims, “Where did everybody go?”

I guess you had to be there.

Roland’s trivia question of the week:

Which NASCAR driver has won the most Daytona 500s.

Answer can be found here.

GARDEN WORKS – Seeds of your dreams: Digging for garden gems, Part 4 (O-P)

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Read part 1 here: Seeds from your dreams, Part 1 (A-thru-E)
Read part 2 here: Seeds of your dreams, Part 2 (G-H)
Read part 3 here: Seeds of your dreams: Find joy in a seed catalog, Part 3 (H-N)

Emily Catesby Emily Cates

When I’ve come in from a cold late winter’s day after hauling sap, I like to sit down and settle in with a seed catalog. If you’ve been following this whimsical series on seeds that stand out in the pages of their catalogs, then this article might give you a few more ideas. This time we’ll travel alphabetically from ‘O’ to ‘P’. As always, feel free to share your suggestions on our website or Facebook, or email me at EmilyCates@townline.org. I’m looking forward to hearing from you!

Okra — The mucilaginous yet tasty pods of this plant are adored in gumbo soup and similar dishes where a thickener is desired. It likes heat, fertile soil, and a weed-free plot. The cultivar Cajun Jewel is better adapted to our climate here in Maine, and Red Burgundy produces a beautiful plant with ornamental flowers and pods.

Onions — Onions grown from sets or plants are relatively easy to grow. While they can be started from seed — affording the gardener more choice of varieties — I prefer just to buy some good sets and plants at seed sales in the springtime and plant away. Give them full sun and choice soil, showering them with amendments such as FEDCO’s “Tears of Joy Onion Kit.”

Pac Choi — Probably my favorite veggie in a stir fry, I’m especially enamored with the beautiful and delicious cultivar, Purple. Last year, I grew a few plants in a big container full of compost and they were amazing, even though I’d harvested them a little late and they were frozen. What a treat!

Potato — If this versatile tuber is on your menu, how about trying something new and exciting? My favorite potatoes, many with names that hint of their uniqueness, are: All Blue, All Red, Banana, German Butterball, Kennebec, Magic Molly, Purple Viking, and Yukon Gold. Of course, with such variety — red, rose, pink, beige, yellow, gold, white, blue, purple, marbled, russet, fingerling — comes great temptation to try them all. Give the funky ones a chance and have fun. And have even more fun by saving any mature seed balls that mature on the top of the plant. Extract the seeds enclosed in a seed ball, dry them, and sow them next year in flats like tomato seedlings. Each potato seedling that sprouts is a whole new cultivar! In a couple of years you’ll have full-sized plants and potatoes. Save the best ones and enjoy your signature cultivar.

Pumpkin — Most of us are familiar with ornamental and pie pumpkins, but they are so much more than insipid orange orbs. Have you ever thought of pickling a pumpkin? Grow the cultivar Jaune Gros de Paris (Large Yellow of Paris) and I’ll send you a sweet family recipe. How about nutritious and delicious pepitas like at the store, but better? Grow the “naked seed” cultivars such as Good Egg Godiva, Kakai, and Naked Bear. Want something fun and interesting to look at? You’ll want to check out Cheese, Chioggia, Galeux d’Eysines, Jarrahdale, Musquee de Provence, Rouge Vif d’Etampes, or Turban. For the ultimate pumpkin pie experience try the curiously elongated Long Pie, or silky-textured Winter Luxury. And if you’re in it to break records, consider Dill’s Atlantic Giant, or Big Max for a good runner up.

Parsnip — This root is delicious when matchstick sliced, drizzled with oil, roasted, and seasoned to taste. It needs a long season, deep, rich, weed-free soil, and fresh seed. I always leave some plants in the ground to overwinter, promptly harvesting in early Spring before they regrow. They are much sweeter this way and after an autumn frost. Also, since the seeds are short-lived, I make sure to leave a few more plants to go to seed, replant, and also let them self-sow.

Purslane — Perhaps you’ve encountered the wild form of this plant as a weed in your garden — lucky you! The creeping, succulent, mild-but-pleasantly-tart stems and paddle-shaped leaves are considered a nutritious delicacy. I, for one, adore this plant. Though the weed form rarely shows up in my garden, I always make sure to plant the cultivated variety Golden and it does quite well.

Looks like that’s all for this time, but there’s plenty more for next. Stay tuned and keep in touch. Oh, and let me know if you’re tapping maples this year and how it’s going!

SOLON & BEYOND: Chili & chowder at East Madison

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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!

This will be a short column this week as I am recovering from surgery on my eyes. I am sure many of you have noticed my red eyelids for many months, but were kind, and didn’t mention it. Last week I had surgery to correct it, and have been quite miserable ever since!

But I do have a little bit of news to share that needs to be in so you can know about it. Chili and Chowder Supper: The East Madison Historical Association will be celebrating Maine Restaurant Week by hosting a Chill and Chowder supper on Saturday, March 7, from 4:30 – 6 p.m., at the East Madison fire station, 1108 East Madison. My many thanks to Sue Lahti for sharing this news.

Would also like to thank Donna Bishop from the bottom of my heart for delivering The Town Lines for me last week! It was very much appreciated.

And now for Percy’s memoir taken from the book, Don’t Worry be Happy. Slow down. Cheer up! Life gets pretty hectic and unbalanced these days. Who doesn’t want to call: time-out from this fast-paced world of ours? Maybe the answer isn’t so complicated. Maybe it’s simply “Don’t Worry be happy – a message that pieces our cynical hearts.”

This is one of the statements in this little book…”In every life we have some trouble. But when you worry you make it DOUBLE!”

FOR YOUR HEALTH: If You’re Feeling Down, You’re Not Alone. It’s That Time of Year

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You don’t have to let the dark days of winter get you down. Learn how to beat the blues and when to recognize it’s time to seek help.

(NAPSI)—You may have heard the terms—winter blues, Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), Depressive Disorder with a Seasonal Pattern. No matter what you call it, with approximately 17.3 million adults in the U.S. experiencing seasonal depression, according to the National Institute of Mental Health, feeling gloomy this time of year isn’t uncommon—but it can be overcome.

The Problem

Depressive Disorder with a Seasonal Pattern (formerly called SAD) can affect anyone of any age. Whether you’re a student returning to class, a busy working professional who’s always playing catch-up, or even newly retired with found time on your hands, the excitement of the holidays is long over and wintry dark days are here. While January and February are the typical peak months for the disorder, symptoms can persist through April, according to Mental Health America.

Doctor’s Advice

When that feeling of sadness persists for several weeks, it’s time to take action, according to Dr. Desreen Dudley, a licensed Clinical Psychologist and Behavioral Health Provider of Therapeutic Services for Teladoc Health. But, she points out, often the toughest thing for many is how to discern whether what they feel is temporary or something more serious.

“If someone has a few days of feeling low, that’s normal and typically nothing to worry about. It’s when the feeling lingers for weeks and people lose interest in daily activities and suffer persistent negative thoughts, that lend a stronger basis for Depressive Disorder with a Seasonal Affective Pattern diagnosis,” she says.

What To Watch For

Other symptoms she warns about are:

  • Change in appetite
  • Change in sleep pattern
  • Decreased energy
  • Decreased concentration
  • Feelings of worthlessness or guilt
  • An inability to think, concentrate, or finish tasks at work or school
  • Thinking about suicide, self-harm, or death

Dr. Dudley contends individuals already struggling with depressive disorders are susceptible to SAD patterns. For older Americans, a Vitamin D deficiency can exacerbate low moods. On the other end of the spectrum, she has worked with newly independent college students who find SAD a heavy burden and say their new responsibilities of classes, exams and jobs can compound their depression. For some, not rising as early for classes as they did in high school means sleeping in more and further limiting their exposure to sunlight.

What To Do

In addition to considering therapy, such as virtual care, which is available on your terms and from any location you choose, Dr. Dudley recommends:

  • Avoiding or cutting back on alcohol and other addictive substances
  • Eating healthfully—more lean proteins, fruits and vegetables, and eliminating sugar
  • Daily exercise at least 30 minute a day (walking counts)
  • Yoga or meditation
  • Learning about and trying light therapy
  • Regularly surrounding yourself with those you enjoy being around.

When To Seek Help

According to a recent global study conducted by Ipsos MORI for Teladoc Health, individuals often recognize when they’re struggling, but even so, over a third of the respondents who have had one mental health episode admitted to not seeking professional help. The reason? For many, it’s often the difficulty in finding mental health care.

“Thankfully, virtual care is becoming increasingly available as a source of convenient mental health care,” Dr. Dudley says. “It eliminates the traditional obstacles of in-person visits and has opened up access for anyone with a busy schedule, individuals who may have difficulty getting out of the house and students who may fear the stigma of walking into the campus mental health clinic.”

Learn More

For further information, visit www.Teladoc.com/therapy.

SOLON & BEYOND: The longest obituary ever written for a Maine community

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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!

This mixed up computer has given me a terrible headache this morning as I have been trying to get it to work so I can write my column! Hopefully, I will be able to save it after I get it written, so I can send it along to China.

Have been thinking more and more about getting driven out of our homes in Flagstaff when CMP built the dam, as I read the pros and cons of their proposed corridor through Maine. It made me wonder how many of you may have read the book, There Was A Land. I am going to turn 91 in April and I don’t think there are many people left who lived during that awful time! ….but, I have a clipping out of a newspaper back in 2002 that states it well. “Treasured memories of a place now covered in water.”.. and it goes on to say, On the face of it, 70 authors focusing on one subject, in one volume, does not suggest a good result. However, in the case of There Was A Land, a source book on life in the plantation of Flagstaff, Bigelow and Dead River before their destruction in 1949, we are given a treasure.

Anyone who has ever watched Elia Kazan’s film, Wild River (1960) will grasp the situation immediately. In the movie the Tennessee Valley Authority moved people off the bottomlands in order to build hydroelectric dams in the 1930s. Similarly Central Maine Power had long planned to dam Dead River at Long Falls and the Legislature granted the company rights of eminent domain in 1924. The Great Depression and Second World War delayed action, but in the end, 130 Maine citizens were uprooted and their homes moved or destroyed. Today it all lies beneath massive Flagstaff Lake.

There Was A Land might honestly be called the longest obituary ever written for a Maine community. Yet it is a story that proves as uplifting as it does wrenching. What we have in these pages is an unmatched community scrapbook – diaries, recollections, articles and photographs that describe a hardscrabble but fully functional community before the flood.

Readers will find a fair amount of repetition as they move through these short, sometimes humorous, sometimes gripping essays. Indeed, one starts to believe things are about to get too repetitive when the different views start to build to a critical mass. No two witnesses give exactly the same view though each confirms the story as a whole.

The paper had printed some of the things that different people from Flagstaff and Dead River had written, and then it goes on to say: “Though many residents of the plantations were distressed and depressed by the CMP dam project, there was no public outcry. In that era nobody challenged multi-million dollar projects. As one resident put it: ‘The water be much greater, the possibility of floods far less; a great service for many towns at the expense of only two small communities and the homes of very few people.'”

Though driven from their home, many of the citizens remain joined by continued friendships, kinship and shared memories. Flagstaff Memorial Chapel built by CMP in Eustis, serves as a headquarters for the publishers of this informative and fascinating book.

There have been several printings of the book, There Was A Land. The last time I talked with Kenny Wing he said there were just a few books left.

Now for Percy’s memoir entitled Winning Ways; We walk along life’s highway meet the bitter and the sweet. Rejoice with those who’ve made it… pit those who’ve met defeat. And as we journey down the road, see sadness, joy and pain, We wonder why some lose the race while others, goals attain. We know misfortune comes to all and problems we must weigh; The Lord will stand beside us every minute of each day. So walk the road with head held high, though life, at times, seems glum; But if you keep the faith you’ll find… your battles can be won. (words by Angie Monnens.)

Now I hold my breath as I attempt to send this!

I’M JUST CURIOUS: The $100 race

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by Debbie Walker

My son-in-law shared a four-minute video with me this past week. The title of it is Life of Privilege Explained in a $100.00 Race. In fact, if you would like to view it on computer just type in the title in your search bar.

The premise behind this race appears to be someone invites (?) these college students to run a race for $100. There is a coach/facilitator who first has a few questions about their background. Before the actual race begins, he has them take a step or two forward depending on the answer about their backgrounds.

There are some who appear to get quite far ahead by stepping to: Take two steps forward if you grew up with both parents in the home. Take two steps if you didn’t get help getting financing school on a sport scholarship. As more questions are asked some stay where they are, and some get quite a head start. At the end of his questions he had the front runner participants turn around to view where the others are behind them. I quote the facilitator here: “We don’t want to recognize that we have….It’s only because you have this big of a head start that you’re possibly going to win this race called ‘Life’.”

As I am watching the video, I am thinking about my first impressions. The facilitator is asking question after question, the people who had what could also be called “advantages” are taking all the steps.

When he had the ‘forward’ steppers turn to look behind them, he also pointed out that the results at this point are only due to what their parents have been able to accomplish, nothing due to themselves.

He also made the comment that if this was a real foot race he believed,”some of those black guys in the back line could have still smoked you.” Also, the reference to a sports scholarship, I wasn’t crazy about either comment. I am not convinced it was necessary.

Giving credit to a past instructor I had in what was a class on critical thinking, there are a few questions I would have to ask. I would want to know who sponsored the race? How were the participants chosen? What were the ages and health of those that were chosen? I am not sure what was the reason for the ‘race’. I’m not nosey. I am just curious.

The short little video’s meaning can be just to point out the differences in students in a college program, to help them understand they are not there due to their own work of bringing in the grades needed to progress or to support some of the contestants in discovering their lack of parental support. I really don’t know for sure, but I know it certainly gave me things to think about and more questions.

Just because I like to point out that not all students are going to benefit in a college degree, I am adding this info that follows: Many people have begun to realize college isn’t for everyone. There are many careers that don’t require college but vocational school certificate. I believe there are still some careers that require apprenticeship training. Just saying….

I am just curious what your opinion of the video would be. Let me know. Contact me at DebbieWalker@townline.org with your comments. Thanks for reading.

REVIEW POTPOURRI: John Greenleaf Whittier

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Peter Catesby Peter Cates

John Greenleaf Whittier

After barely making ends meet for decades, Quaker poet/abolitionist John Greenleaf Whittier (1807-1892) hit paydirt in 1866 with the publication of Snowbound, an account of an 1800s family stuck inside the farmhouse during a beautiful blizzard and getting some quality time during its duration. I plan to write about him and other New Eng­land poets from his lifespan years in future columns, along with the sustaining of a commitment to Maine ones that has been on-going. The richness of the New England literary landscape in both its major and minor poets is beyond measure.

John Greenleaf Whittier

This week, I present several verses from another poem of Whittier’s, Amy Wentworth, in which he traces a heroine he modeled on those to be found in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, early colonial society of the 1600s, a group of people less Puritan than that of Boston, Massachusetts:

Her fingers shame the ivory keys
They dance so light along;
The bloom upon her parted lips
Is sweeter than the song.

O perfumed suitor, spare thy smiles!
Her thoughts are not of thee;
She better loves the salted wind,
The voices of the sea.

Her heart is like an outbound ship
That at its anchor swings;
The murmur of the stranded shell
Is in the song she sings.

She sings, and smiling, hears her praise,
But dreams the while of one
Who watches from his sea-blown deck
The icebergs in the sun.

She questions all the winds that blow,
And every fog-wreath dim,
And bids the sea-birds flying north
Bear messages to him.

She speeds them with the thanks of men
He perilled life to save,
And grateful prayers like holy oil
To smooth for him the wave.

Notice Whittier’s gifts as a storyteller in these verses and a general theme of true love!

For what it’s worth, before Whittier’s success with Snowbound, with which he made $10,000, he was supposedly quite lacking in social graces and wasn’t attracting the interest of women at all. After success, he was bombarded with marriage proposals and one woman went so far to buy a house next to his farm in Haverhill, Massachusetts, to have him within easy reach of her tempting tentacles.