GARDEN WORKS – Ready for Wintertime! Tips and tricks as the clock ticks

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Emily Catesby Emily Cates

Few times of the year are as satisfying to me as autumn. With crates full of goodies like garlic, onions, squash, carrots and potatoes- and canning jars brimming with the rewards of successful harvests, I feel surrounded with abundance, always thankful.

After planting the garlic and putting the garden to bed, the frost finally settles into the ground, bringing this season to an end. However, for the adventurous and practical minded gardener, there is still work to be done.

If you are especially motivated and would like to keep working, here are a few suggestions. Let’s look at moving perennials, shrubs, vines, and trees – and also tips for making the garden plot easy to work with come springtime.

There’s a good window of opportunity to take advantage of between the times where plants have gone dormant and when the ground freezes for good this year. Usually this happens for a few weeks in our area starting late October/early November. So, if you have a tree you’d like planted, a perennial divided, a shrub moved, a grapevine pruned, then get to it!

Unlike springtime plantings of trees – for example – which must be well-watered throughout their first season, fall plantings only need thorough waterings up until the freeze. A nice thick mulch extended to the drip line but pulled away several inches away from the trunk is beneficial. (My trees seem to enjoy being mulched with aged debris left over from processing firewood, and they look pretty, too.)

Speaking of mulch, here’s a little time saving trick to working the garden next spring: mulch the heck out of it! (Wondering what to use for mulch? Think cardboard covered with old hay, leaves, straw, or compost. Tarps, old blankets, rugs, garden fabric, and sheets of plastic can do the job too.) Then, in the springtime, the mulch is moved and the garden planted with ease.

What I like to do is clean the garden beds thoroughly from crop residues and weeds – making sure to get any roots and rhizomes – and till it up with a spading fork, adding soil amendments as desired. Then I pile on the mulch, imagining it to be a warm, fluffy comforter for the garden to snuggle. Depending on my mood, I might even sing it a lullaby.

At this point, depending on how badly I overworked in the growing season, I will either take a needed hiatus, or (foolishly) press on to other outdoor activities such as firewood. Most likely it’s the latter scenario, with all the work from the growing season being the prelude, conditioning and leading up to the hard work of the harvest of the woods.

For all the time and effort, though, it sure feels good to have food and a warm home — along with a free “gym membership.”

November is national caregivers month

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by Dr. Erica Magnus
AARP Maine Communications Volunteer

While November 11 is widely recognized as Veterans Day, many people may not know that the entire month of November is both National Veterans and National Family Caregivers Month. Both of my parents were veterans. My father served in the Army in World War II and my mother later on served in the US Coast Guard. I encourage everyone to honor and pay respect to those who served our country in uniform and the caregivers supporting our valiant veterans.

There are 5.5 million military and veteran caregivers in the U.S. providing care to approximately 15 million veterans. These hidden heroes support their veteran loved ones with their daily needs—ranging from bathing and dressing to paying bills and transportation and assisting with medical tasks, providing an estimated $14 billion annually in unpaid care.

Numerous organizations have dedicated time and resources to address the challenges veterans face today, including their care needs.

AARP supports our veterans and their family caregivers through both the RAISE Family Caregivers Act and a partnership with the Elizabeth Dole Foundation to create a Military Caregiving Guide. I encourage everyone to visit AARP.org/Veterans to learn more about how AARP is working for veterans. Here in Maine, AARP pushed for November to be designated as Maine Family Caregivers Month – a perfect opportunity to celebrate our veterans and the unsung heroes who care for them right here at home.

GROWING YOUR BUSINESS: Brick and mortar retail ain’t dead yet

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The new Apple Store at the Maine Mall.

by Dan Beaulieu
Business consultant

If you have ever been in an Apple Store, you will have seen the future of retail and it is here now. I was in the Apple Store at the Maine Mall a few Saturday nights ago and was amazed to see how busy it was. The place was packed corner to corner with people of all age groups and ethnicity. And this was the new Apple Store. When we walked into the mall and went to where the Apple Store used to be, we were surprised and at first disappointed to see that it was closed. But then we saw the sign on the window saying that they had moved to a bigger location around the corner to better service their growing customer base.

“Oh yeah, sure,” I thought, thinking that they were just saying that to act like their business was increasing when actually they had probably just got a better deal on the rent. Wrong, wrong, wrong. When we came upon the new store, we could see that they had been telling the truth. It was twice as large, and it was still full of people. And the best part, there seemed to be as many Apple employees as was needed to handle all of these people.

We had not been in the store for more than a minute when a young man walked up to us and asked if he could help. And help he did. He spent over a half hour with us telling us all about the products we were interested in. Man, this guy was good.

He not only knew everything about the products, he even asked all the right questions so that he could get a better idea as to what our needs were and thus what the best product and model would be for us. We felt that we were not getting a sales pitch but rather an education about the Apple equipment, what they did and which ones we should look at that would best fit our needs.

We looked at the iPads, the Apple Watches and the iPhone. There was even a young woman with a microphone in front of a wall-to-wall screen teaching people how to best take photos with their iPhones.

And get this, nearly everyone was walking out with their smart white Apple bags, each holding Apple products costing hundreds if not thousands of dollars! Did you know that Apple retail stores yield more dollars per square foot than any other store in the world, yes, including Tiffany’s?

My point here is all about service, product knowledge, educational and informative sales. A little later, after my wife had spent $300 on a printer (and I feel I got off cheap), we walked down to the big electronics anchor store down the hall to look at a small refrigerator for her quilting studio. The place was deserted. When we looked around for help, we saw clusters of blue-shirted clerks talking and joking with each other. Once in a while one of them would turn and look at us but then go back to talking to the group of clerks he was with. Finally, one person did break away from the group and amble over to us to ask if we needed anything? When my wife asked him a question about one of the fridges she was interested in, he told her that this wasn’t his department and we would have to wait for him to find the right person in charge. And “oh, it might be a few minutes” because he was probably on break.

We don’t know if the small refrigerator expert ever came off his break, because we never bothered to stick around and wait until it was convenient for him to return. So, that big store will be out of business and they’ll be screaming to the heavens that the internet broke the brick and mortar retail business.

And to that I would say, just take a walk down the hall to the most successful brick and mortar store in the history of the world and take a page out of that book, or maybe a bite out of that apple, and you’ll see the right way to grow your business.

FOR YOUR HEALTH: How Americans Get Enough Protein While Eating Less Meat

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(NAPSI)—If you’re eating meat on a daily basis, it appears you may be in the minority—according to new research. A survey of 2,000 Americans examined respondents’ eating habits and found that less than half (47 percent) said meat is a major part of their diet.

Instead of chowing down on pork and beef for dinner, 71 percent of respondents are open to including more plant-based foods in their diet, with 25 percent choosing to follow a flexitarian diet—a semi-vegetarian diet that focuses on healthy plant proteins and other whole, plant-based foods but encourages meat and animal products in moderation—according to the survey commissioned by Herbalife Nutrition.

The change in diet isn’t a huge surprise, as beef and pork consumption has been steadily falling since 1975, according to the USDA.

What Are Americans Eating?

For those who don’t consume meat as a major part of their diet, they shared that they supplement their protein intake with shakes and protein bars (65 percent), as well as by eating food known to be a high source of protein (56 percent)—foods such as soy, peas, beans and rice.

Many dietitians agree that the USDA’s minimum recommended daily consumption of protein is just that, a minimum, and not enough for optimal performance. Instead, multiplying one’s weight by .7, will get individuals closer to their actual daily protein needs in grams. For example, a 100 pound person should consume 70 grams of protein a day.

“Protein is an important component of every cell in the body, helping to support healthy bones, muscles and organs,” says Susan Bowerman, registered dietitian and senior director of Nutrition Education and Training at Herbalife Nutrition. “So, whether you obtain your protein from shakes, bars, animals or plants, your focus should be on the quality of the source, to help ensure your body is receiving maximum benefit.”

In recent years, additional plant-based protein options, such as “meatless meat,” have been growing in popularity and have become mainstream. The trend, according to the study, is driven by Millennials and accepted equally all generations.

“For those who want to eat more plant foods but don’t want to give up the taste of meat, there are plenty of ‘meatless meat’ options,” continues Bowerman. “While bean and grain-based burgers have been around for some time, there are newer products made with plant protein powders that provide the taste and texture that meat eaters crave.”

Why Are People Changing Their Diet?

There are numerous reasons people make changes to their diet. According the study findings, those who identified as flexitarians stated that their food choices were a result of wanting to be healthier (52 percent), wanting to be environmentally-friendly (40 percent) and ethical (31 percent).

Youth are helping drive the change to more plant-based meals; as 36 percent of flexitarians said they follow the lifestyle because their child(ren) had requested the change.

Plant-Based Proteins: A Sustainable Alternative

According to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, raising livestock for meat, eggs and milk generates 14.5 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, the second highest source of emissions and greater than all transportation combined.

Furthermore, the American Society of Clinical Nutrition states that worldwide shortages of cropland, fresh water and energy resources already require most people to live on a plant-based diet.

Consuming plant-based protein is something that’s already widespread. More people now understand that plant-based diets are not devoid of protein—in fact, plant-based proteins, as opposed to animal protein, are naturally cholesterol-free and they are relatively low in saturated fats.

From a sustainability standpoint, plant-based proteins—especially soy—are the smart way to go because when comparing the amount of protein produced between soy crops and livestock, the soy uses less water than pork or beef, requires less land and produces less carbon pollution.

I’M JUST CURIOUS: Winter car hacks

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by Debbie Walker

You know I hate to do this to you, but I think it best I pass this information to you before you need it. Yes, winter is fast approaching for you. In Florida, about the only thing coming are more days the temperature is just about perfect. Our worst day here would be like one of your nice fall days.

Over the past year I have been picking up ideas to make your traveling mornings a bit easier to cope with. I wish I had known all these the past few Maine winters I was part of. I pulled most of this information from my computer when I typed in winter car hacks, just in case you want to look.

Winter car hacks:

Raise your wipers at night and cover them with socks. Prevents them from freezing to windshield.

Frozen lock (house or car). Use a straw, blow on the lock to melt ice. Or use hand sanitizer. Or use a lighter to heat the key and slide into lock.

A new one to me is using shaving cream to fog proof windows (even bathroom mirror). Spray a layer on the inside of window, wipe clean. Don’t leave open containers of liquid in your vehicle overnight. They will evaporate and turn into fog or frost.

You could also use a stocking filled with cat litter to prevent frost. Just leave in car all night.

Use cooking spray on rubber edges of your car doors, keeps them from freezing. This also will work on your shovel to prevent build up.

I don’t want to insult anyone but please do not use HOT water to melt the ice on your windshield. Think ‘shattered.’

Of course, you know the value of an ice scraper, you can also use a credit card to scrape a windshield. Here’s a new one: use a plastic spatula.

Put gallon sized freezer bag over your outside mirrors, use rubber band to secure.

Clean your headlights with toothpaste for extra brightness.

Keep a 20 lb. bag of kitty litter in the trunk. This can be used for added weight to the rear of vehicle and use it to help you get unstuck. You could use car mats or even cardboard as well.

Last year I used alcohol in a spray bottle. I would spray the windshield and then I would move around doing the other windows. By the time I got back to the windshield I was ready to go! I also saw in an article that three parts vinegar and one-part water work as a de-icer.

I have room here for a myth I thought you might be interested in:

Myths About Cold Weather

Is a cup of coffee or a sip of brandy a good way to warm up?

NO. Caffeine and alcohol hinder the body’s ability to produce heat. They can also cause your core temperature to drop.

Drink warm, sugared water to give your body fuel to make its own energy.

I am just curious what winter tips you might like to share. I’ll be waiting for any questions or comments at dwdaffy@yahoo.com. Thanks for reading and have a great week.

REVIEW POTPOURRI: Met Opera Links at WOH

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Peter Catesby Peter Cates

Met Opera Links at WOH

Philip Glass

Recently I mentioned the live Met Opera links being seen at the Waterville Opera House. This past Saturday, Puccini’s Madame Butterfly was scheduled there, starting at 12:55 p.m., as were October 12’s Turandot and October 26 Massenet Manon, both of which I attended.

Giacomo Puccini

Not googling its website before walking a mile there, I found all the doors locked and later found out it was postponed to be seen recorded Sunday afternoon, November 24, also starting then at 12:55 p.m., the reason being problems with its projector.

Meanwhile, the Met’s next live link, Philip Glass’s opera, Akhnaten, is scheduled Saturday afternoon, November 23. For further details, the House can be reached at 873-7000 or on Google. This column will be covering both operas in the November 28 issue and the links are still highly recommended. Also, anybody can call the number to be put on the broadcast notification list.

Carey Mulligan

Netflix has a four-episode BBC TV series, Collateral, starring actresses Carey Mulligan as detective Kip Glaspie, and Jeany Spark as British army captain Sandrine Shaw. The story concerns the murder of a pizza delivery driver in London and its quite ominous repercussions.

I have watched this program at least three times and find it a simply brilliant depiction of people caught between rocks and hard places and their evil antagonists. Mulligan and Spark become their characters as do the ensemble cast members. It was first shown on the BBC in February 2018, and became available as a DVD soon after. A word of caution – it does have a few nude scenes and curse words but still sustains its rocks and hard places.

Quote from Giacomo Puccini: “I lived for art, I lived for love.”

GROWING YOUR BUSINESS: The small family-owned hardware store

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Growing your businessby Dan Beaulieu
Business consultant

We’re talking about a small, possibly family-owned hardware store. Actually, it’s not that small compared to a store in the ‘50s when it was founded, but it is small compared to the big stores that we have around today. So, how do you fare against these big guys? How do you even survive against these giants with huge inventories, thousands if not hundreds of thousands of parts, and huge physical footprints, not to mention their on-line shopping offerings. This seems almost overwhelming doesn’t it?

A real David and Goliath situation if there ever was one. So, what is the local hardware store to do? What if this is your hardware store? One started by your grandfather, run successfully by your father, and now it is up to you to carry on the family business in this new world order. What are you going to do against these odds?

Well, fear not, there are a number of things you can do to not only survive but to thrive as well. First of all, you can leverage all the advantages you have going for you by being small. Small is beautiful. Small means you are spry and flexible with the ability to do anything you want and be as creative as you want with none of the encumbrances of a giant chain box store corporation.

You have full authority to do whatever you want whenever you want. This means that you can throw a sale anytime you want. This means you can focus on special seasonal promotion whenever you want. This means you can have a family day, and open house, a one hour super sale a co-sponsored event with other business. This means you can have a special deal with your local contractors that will keep them not only coming back but sending their own customers to you as well. Heck, you can even have a steady flow of good hot coffee and donuts for those contractors and other customers going at all times. It’s up to you.

But the biggest tool in your bag (pun intended) is that you can be local and personal. You can make a point of knowing all of your customers personally, be able to call them by name, talk to them about that special project they are working on. The big box guys can’t do that.

You can offer special services, personalized services like instructional classes, Special events for local contractors. By the way, one neat little secret is that local contractors as a rule hate the big box stores. Try to get your local plumbing company to fix that “delta faucet” you bought on the cheap at the big store and watch him sneer. I once bought a Lawnboy lawnmower at a big box store and took it to a local repair shop when it broke down, only to have him condescendingly declare that he knew I had bought it at a big chain store because it wasn’t a genuine Lawnboy. Oh, it was made by Lawnboy all right, but it was a special cheaper model made solely to be sold exclusively to the big guys so they can meet their cost expectations. You as an owner of a local hardware store can sell the real genuine products and make sure that your customers know that.

Customers like shopping locally, they like going to places, like they say in the Cheer’s song, “Where everyone knows your name.” Your only job is to make it as easy and pleasant as possible for your customers. Offer them personalized service, special promotions, and friendly service and you will keep them coming back.

One last thing…all business is personal, all business is human to human, keep your business and human and personal as possible, and the customers will keep coming back…and you will keep growing your business.

VETERANS CORNER: Will veterans receive COLA this year?

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Veterans Administration facility at Togus. (Internet photo)

by Gary Kennedy

I will pull myself away from partisan things and devote this article to veterans’ issues in tidbit fashion. The reason being there are many veterans issues in the fire currently. The upfront question that veterans seem to have as well as Social Security recipients is, “Will we receive the (COLA) Cost of Living Benefit this year and, if so, how much will we receive?”

For those of you who are unaware, this allocation of money comes once a year in December. It can be anywhere from 0 to 4 percent (historically speaking). With President Trump being under the gun from all sides, it’s hard to say. Where it is near an election year and veterans being extremely active at the polls you would summarize that a COLA would be given and is fairly substantial. However, not much has been said about this award as of yet. It is still a little early to predict. Usually Social Security is the first to hear. Some don’t know that the VA appropriation is the same as that which is awarded to Social Security. That is as far as that relationship goes.

There are thousands of veterans who spend their winters in Southeast Asia. There is news coming from that area, some which needs to be addressed. Examples are the following: VA in Manila will no longer process clothing allowance claims for those who damage clothing because of service connected disabilities. The same applies to durable medical equipment, glasses, hearing aids, etc. If the item or items are needed for VA rated Service Connected Conditions then they could be reimbursed through the Foreign Medical Program (FMP). If you need further help with these issues contact Daniel Gutkoski, VA medical clinic manager at Daniel.gutkoski2@va.gov. FYI: there is still an open door/walk-in relationship on Monday – Friday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m..

On October 6, 2019, VA Manila has a new phone number. The new main VA phone number is 632-8550-3888. This will connect you to the VA switchboard.

On a local level, the Fisher House is basically completed and should advertise an open house soon. As far as the house itself is concerned most of my followers and others know my personal feeling regarding that project. The building, which will house guests, in my opinion was built in the wrong place. It is lovely building but is situated in front of building 200 which houses handicapped parking which has always been “an accident looking for a place to happen.” Emergency is just around the corner from said facility and its parking abuts the handicap parking. So, there will be disabled vets backing into guests. There were many solutions Mr. Lilly could have entertained but like always, he didn’t give the project any thought. I checked with the state land use people regarding wet zones and permits necessary to build on such, but no such authorization was given.

We all enjoy the pond that abuts this building. Canada Geese, Coots and other wildlife enjoy that habitat as well as veterans and their families. Director Ryan Lilly, recently promoted to regional director, could have used many other venues for this much wanted and needed facility. One that comes to mind is a drive which would have the occupants of the Fisher House parking in the rear of the house, thus avoiding congestion, and hazardous possibilities, which could result in lawsuits as well as being cosmetically more pleasing. When I questioned the thought that went into this project the answer I received was a grant with walking distance stipulations. In my opinion anything within 50 yards would be considered walking distance. If they had backed the building up 50 feet it wouldn’t have a problem as long as wet land zoning was respected.

We now have beautiful signs giving directions but the roads are full of dangerous pot holes. Also the sidewalks have many hazards for wheelchair and crutch burdened veterans. Some of the doorways are not wheelchair friendly/compliant, even by state and federal guidelines. Having grants given to the VA is a wonderful thing but they should not have personal stipulations attached which are not negotiable, or are they? The drop off point at Building 200 has become a serious problem at times where people are allowed to park on both sides of the entryway thus causing a bottle neck which even the police don’t seem to be able to control.

The shortage of medical personnel is unacceptable. There are hundreds of thousands of trained medical professionals trying to get into this country on working visas but we are too tied up in politics and border wars. The politicians are saying that the veterans are in a great position at this time because if they have to wait more than 30 days they can request to go outside. Some of that is good but it is a temporary political fix. An example that I would give from positive information is dental teeth trays, VA cost is less than $100, but the cost at an outside dentist is $620. Another is spinal surgery, say L4-5 with implants, performed by VA, three to four hours of time and a possible cost of less than $20,000, where the same surgery done outside, with no complications runs nearly $100,000. How far does a budget go?

All this while we add a few new floors to the VA facility. We need all this but it must be intelligently proportioned and managed. VA needs so much equipment which really needs to go to non-functioning departments or at least minimally functioning departments, such as Neurology, a department in high demand now that baby boomers are here by the thousands.

Regarding people who can’t sign: I am personally against the stamp application. Working with disabled vets I find almost none who can’t pen their name in one way or another. If they can’t they most likely haven’t the ability to do so anymore and should not be voting any way. In the remote chance that a person can’t make their mark then the poles should have “volunteers” to help and the person should be known.

Keep the information coming and we will do our best to answer and get it out to those who are suppose to care about we veterans.

God be with you during the upcoming holiday seasons. Be careful and do your part for your countrymen and women. The future of our children and grand children depends on educated decisions. God Bless.

SCORES & OUTDOORS: The unfair resources of today’s “great game hunter”

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Roland D. Halleeby Roland D. Hallee

When I was having my usual morning coffee and Danish at a local coffee shop last week following Sunday Mass, I happened to look up at a wide-screen television mounted on the wall to notice an outdoor show. It was your typical show, sponsored by outfitters, outdoor equipment companies and the opinions of various “expert” hunters.

The reason the show caught my attention was the way they were going about hunting. I remember the days when I was an avid hunter (my wife says I have since “lost the thrill of the hunt”), we used to have our favorite spots, get out early in the morning on a full stomach, brave the weather conditions and have great expectations for the outcome at the end of the hunt. It was the hunter vs the hunted. A classic exercise in who could out think, out maneuver or outwit the other. It was wild game hunting at its best. You needed to possess the skills to pursue your prey in its own environment, both parties equipped with all the instincts Mother Nature provided.

I can remember a couple of those adventures when the animal actually out-smarted me – something my wife says is easy to do (her opinion). I once followed a deer through the snow for many hundreds of yards, never catching sight of him, but I could hear him snorting up ahead of me, and hearing his antlers rattling against tree limbs. I followed him until we crossed our original tracks, and he actually passed through two conifers without disturbing a snowflake on the boughs. That was when I knew I was outwitted.

And that’s not to mention, probably, how many times I may have walked right past a deer and not noticed it was even there. They don’t have the nickname “swamp ghost” for nothing. They have this uncanny ability to disappear once they hit the tree line. Have you ever noticed while driving, when you may see a deer either in the road or on the shoulder, and it turns into the woods. As you pass by, try to locate it. They do seem to disappear.

On one day in particular, after having worked the night shift, I headed into the woods at sun up. I found a nice tree and sat down on the ground facing east, and soaked in the warmth of the sun. I fell asleep. I don’t know for how long, but my hunting partner eventually came along and told me a herd of deer could have walked right past me and I wouldn’t have noticed. Those are the stories you don’t forget.

Oh, by the way, I went home without a deer that day.

But that was then.

Today, it just isn’t fair. Here, on this show, they had hunters gathering on game farms, splashed with deer urine scent like it was Aqua Velva, equipped with global positioning equipment, calling the deer with artificial devices. Once the deer was lured, they employed a computerized gauge to calculate the distance to the target, refer to another hand-held instrument to measure the direction and velocity of the wind before finally sighting in the prey. Mounted on top of their high powered rifle was a scope capable of seeing a gnat’s tonsils at 200 yards.

The deer didn’t stand a chance. The only thing the hunters didn’t have were laser guided ammunition or “smart” bullets. After they dispatched the animal, they would break into a wild celebration. What’s with that?

If, after the use of all that sophisticated equipment, you didn’t come home with a deer that was essentially caged, you should be embarrassed to the point of taking up bowling. The whole episode was like shooting fish in a barrel.

So, I’ve decided that a money-making venture would be to make available to deer: human motion sensors, rear view mirrors, bullet proof vests, space-aged unpenetrable deflector shields a-la Star Trek, and laser guided bullet defense systems. After all, it’s only fair.

Remember the old saying, “We believe in the right to arm bears?” Well, the same could be said about deer.

HAS ANYONE NOTICED?

As of this writing, the Boston Bruins, Boston Celtics and New England Patriots are all in first place in their respective league divisions. Let’s keep track and see how long it lasts.

Roland’s trivia question of the week:

Name the seven NFL teams with the initials of their cities on the side of their helmets.

Answer can be found here.

SOLON & BEYOND – Gallagher resigns: no special election planned

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

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

Selectman Keith Galla­gher is resigning effective November 28, 2019. He and his family are moving out of state in December. The selectmen are sad to see him leave. He has been a real asset to the town and brought new knowledge and insight to the Board of Selectmen.

The selectmen will not hold a special election to fill his seat. Instead at the March 2020 annual town meeting there will be two selectmen positions on the ballot, one a three-year term and one a one-year term. Selectman Sarah Davis will be running again for a three-year term.

Nomination papers will be available for the two selectmen positions and the road commissioner position on Friday, November 29, and due back by Tuesday, January 7. The nomination papers will be available from the town clerk and are required to have the signatures of at least 25 registered Solon voters when they are turned in.

For those considering the selectman position, remember the selectmen meet every Wednesday from 7:45 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., and 6 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. Also in the spring they do property tax assessing several other days. Most of the work is done on computers using Word and Excel so familiarity with those programs is very helpful.

For those considering road commissioner a Class A or B driver license is needed along with knowledge of plowing, road maintenance, and equipment maintenance. It is a full time job with overtime when weather and/or road conditions demand it. The roadcommissioner is in charge of the road crew employees.

Elaine Aloes, selectman, town of Solon, PO Box 214, 121 South Main Street, Solon., Maine 04979, 207-643-2541- 2864, Fax. Office Hours Mon-Wed.Fri . 8 a.m. to noon and 1- 4 p.m., Wed., 6 to 7:45 p.m. Please visit the web site: solon.maine.gov.

Somerset County recently held its annual County Achievement Night at the Kennebec Valley Grange Hall, in Madison. The Solon Pine Tree 4H Club was the outstanding club in Somerset County. Several members received county awards in their projects. Kaitelyn De Leanardis in arts and crafts, Cooper Dellarmar, in forestry, for his maple syrup, Autumn Ladd, in dog, and Matthew Ladd, in poutlry.