MOVING OUT: Tina Richard, of Clinton, caught this fledged eaglet on the ground near her favorite walking trail, in Winslow.
NIGHT OWL: Jean and Bill Roseman snapped this owl near a camp on Sheepscot Lake.
SIGHTSEEING: This blue heron was photographed by Michael Bilinsky, in China Village.
Southwestern Pennsylvania World War II Memorial
by Debbie WalkerWhen the Wandering Nanas were in Pennsylvania, in June, we were treated to an evening in Pittsburgh. We had gone to a casino and were then taken to dinner at Jerome Bettis’ Grille 36 on the riverfront. (He was an important player for the Pittsburgh Steelers.)
When we were leaving the restaurant, we took time to look around and walk off some dinner before we got back in the car. We found a small World War II memorial in the nearby park on the banks of the river.
This is the South Western Pennsylvania World War II Memorial. It is made up of glass enclosed images, framed in steel and granite, of dozens of the region’s residents engaged in their war time activities, rather it was military or civilian.
“The images of the history of World War ll is seen through the eyes of veterans who lived it, their families and the people of Southwest Pennsylvania.”
The memorial is said to be “both an outdoor museum and a significant public art installation along Pittsburgh’s North Shore’. It was done in collaboration with over thirteen design consultants.
If you have a computer available to you look up the site: www.worldwar2pgh.org. You will find pictures and explanations about that period of our history.
BUT – no where on the computer will you find the feeling of walking through the memorial.
It was evening; the weather was perfect for a leisurely stroll across the park to view this … whatever it was. There was no admission fee, no one standing guard over it to supervise anyone’s behavior. People were talking however; their words were soft spoken. No “outside” voices (think children), just softly.
Nana Dee’s husband having been career Air Force, doing several tours of duty in war torn countries and my dad’s love and respect of the Navy, the memories they shared with us were suddenly remembered by us that evening.
Walking in this peaceful place brought one word to my mind: reverent. It seemed like everyone was as reverent as in a beautiful spellbinding cathedral, maybe even more so. Most people, I imagine, have some family memories involved with WW ll. I believe most everyone leaving the memorial had a renewed respect for all involved. I know we did.
The beginning of the end of World War ll came on August 14, 1945 (known as VJ Day), the day the Japanese surrendered, formal signing came on Sept. 2, 1945.
If you feel like celebrating on whichever day you can find this information on the internet at www.worldwar2pgh.org.
I am not just curious today; I am hoping you’ll forgive me with any of this information I may have made a mistake on. As always please contact me via dwdaffy@yahoo.com and thanks for reading!
P.S. If you have questions about rather a family member or friend was in World War ll, you may want to visit this sight: www.genealogy.com. You need to provide first, middle and last name, birth year and birth location. Let me know how you made out. Good luck in your search!
Lorimer Chapel at Colby College.
by Peter CatesPresented annually at Colby College
Since 2008, our local, world-renowned Colby College has been hosting the Atlantic Music Festival for the month of July. The festival brings composers, instrumentalists and vocalists together to make music and perform concerts free of charge to the public.
Because of my abysmal laziness and stupidity, even though I knew about the AMF, I had not attended any of its previous concerts until the season’s final two this past Friday and Saturday at the College’s Lorimer Chapel. I now stand duly admonished because of what I had been missing the last 11 years.
Friday’s program consisted of chamber music that involved the four groups in most every orchestra – strings, woodwinds, brass and percussion. Complete pieces and select movements from works of Karel Husa, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Gabriel Faure, Maurice Ravel, Claude Debussy, Charles Gounod, Sigurd Berge, Johan Halvorsen, Mikhail Glinka, and composers in the festival received splendid renditions.
Ones that stood out were Faure’s 1st Violin Sonata, Ravel’s Trio for Violin, Cello and Piano, and Violin and Cello Sonata, Debussy’s Sonata for Harp, Viola and Flute, Gounod’s Petite Symphonie for 2 Oboes, Clarinets, Bassoons, and French Horns and 1 Flute, Mozart’s K.493 Piano Quartet, and one major discovery, Glinka’s Grande Sextet.
The Festival Symphony concert on Saturday was led by the very gifted Dean Whiteside, a conductor to reckon with later, along with other participants, and we heard riveting performances of Verdi’s Nabucco Overture, the Dvorak 8th Symphony and an extraordinary Violin Concerto composed by the festival’s director, Solbong Kim, in its world premiere. The soloist was Sojin Kim, no relation.
Attendance at future July festivals couldn’t be more highly recommended!
by Marilyn Rogers-Bull & PercyGood morning, my friends. Don’t worry, be happy!
Received the following information from Eleanor Pooler, the leader of the Solon Pine Tree 4-H Club for many, many years: The Solon Pine Tree 4-H Club sent 127 exhibits to the Bangor State Fair 4-H exhibition hall. (Eleanor said they will be sending more to several other upcoming fairs.) I admire Eleanor greatly, for all she does for our young people!
Janice Pooler, from Colorado, and her children AJ Giroux Jr., and Jessica Crocker and their families have been here visiting Rance and Eleanor Pooler. While here she welcomed a new grandson Josah Charles Giroux.
The monthly supper at the Embden Community Center will be on Saturday, August 10, at 5 p.m.
Regular events at the Embden Community Center are Neighbor to Neighbor Thrift Shop/Lending Library 10 a.m.- 12:30 p.m., Wed.;10:00-3:00 Fri. & Sat. Country Sunday: 1- 4 p.m./second and fourth Sunday. By donation. Sewing Class: 10 a.m. – noon/ Wednesdays; Weight Watchers: 5 – 6 p.m./Wednesdays. Come in an sign up–new members accepted. TOPS ( Take Off Pounds Sensibly) 10:30-11:30 a.m., Wednesdays. For more information you may call 566-7302.
My thanks go out to my son Peter, for getting my computer up and running again. It froze up on me from a scam and I couldn’t get it to do anything. It frustrates me some times but this was beyond that!
The above is all the recent news that I could gather up, and since you read this column now all know how old I am, I’m going to send out some great advice for older people…It is entitled Youth: Youth is not a time of life – it is a state of mind. It is not a matter of ripe cheeks, red lips and supple knees; It is a temper of the will, a quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions; It is a freshness of the deep springs of life. Youth means a temperamental predominance of courage over timidity, Of the appetite for adventure over love of ease. This often exists in a man of 50 more than a boy of 20. Nobody grows old by merely living a number of years; People grow old only by deserting their ideals. Years wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul. Worry, doubt, self-distrust, fear and despair – these are the long, long years that bow the head and turn the growing spirit back to dust.
Whether 70 or 16, there is in every being’s heart the love Of wonder; the sweet amazement at the stars and the star-like things and thoughts; the undaunted challenge of events; the unfailing, childlike appetite for what’s next; and you are as young as your faith, as old as your doubt; as young as your self-confidence, as old as your fear; as young as your hope, as old as your despair.
In the central place of your heart there is a wireless station; So long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, cheer, courage, grandeur and power from earth, from men, and from the Infinite – so long are your young.
When the wires are all down and all the central place of your heart is covered with the snows of pessimism and the ice of cynicism, then are you grown old? Indeed and may God have mercy on your soul.
Hope the above words inspire some of you to continue to live life to the fullest, no matter what your age. I used the same words in a column in The Town Line back on July 10, 2004. Hope you agree, and will start thinking younger.
And so for Percy’s memoir entitled, Have Faith: Have faith when others turn and run; Endure the night, there will be sun. Have faith when things are looking dim With head erect, your eyes on Him. Be not afraid to lose or fail; No ocean’s crossed until you sail… No victory’s won without a fight, No bird migrates without a flight. Faith overcomes the strongest foe and lights the path where we must go. Faith overcomes both doubt and fear; It paints a picture bright and clear, And faith is never far away…It grows each time we kneel to pray. (words by Clay Harrison.)
Veterans Affairs Regional Benefit Office Togus, ME
by Gary KennedyAs a Disabled American Veteran, Rotarian, and Knight of Rizal, I hear, see and speak about many things that address veteran issues but also people issues. It’s the information that folks like yourselves offer or query each day that brings about a formulated question for analysis. I personally believe that this is the greatest venue possible in searching for a common sense result. A situation always needs a result; even if the formation sought after is segmented.
So many of you have noticed in the media so much appreciation for the services of our military, police, fire department, etc.,however, from what I am hearing some if not most is just word of mouth. Some are asking, do our elected officials really care or is it just political lip service. I am 100 percent service connected disabled veteran and as many can tell you at VA, I do my best being part of the solutions to the woes of the VA’s short comings. I have a very deep affection for veterans mostly because I have been part of their trials and tribulations for some 40 plus years. One of the things I am trying to communicate is, nothing is too trivial to address and remedy. I hear reminiscence in so many of the conversations I have with my fellow veterans. Comments such as, “I remember when,” are a very common occurrence. Most of these are reflections of better times. Why is that I would like to ask our readers?
Today veterans are being given so much respect as are our police and firefighters. So many people are saying, “thank you for your service.” This definitely gives one a sometimes much needed morale boost; most people really mean it. This is also a great advertising tool. Many young men and women are being noticed to join the military. There are many positives for joining our armed forces, such as medical benefits, education, maturity and even self worth. For some it’s a way to achieve dreams through giving service. I have many issues with military as well as the VA system, however, I wouldn’t trade what the military and the VA system has given me. I am just an X soldier who likes to write and address issues that I and others feel need to be addressed. I will continue to do this until I cease to exist or the negatives are corrected.
Don’t pay me lip service unless your lips are moving towards a solution. Togus Veterans Administration was built in 1866, if my memory serves me well. It was the first and has the greatest history. We have historical cemeteries which even have “Buffalo Soldiers” buried there. We have art work and old buildings. Every inch of Togus VA has a story to tell. However, this narration is supposed to be about what we don’t have or don’t do. I have just waited until now to mention a few of the negatives that have been mentioned to me. I firmly believe that the leadership of the past has been very delusive in the way they describe the conditions of our veteran’s safe haven.
Now some veterans are being farmed/transferred out to the private sector as an escape from the responsibilities of the largest and oldest facility in our nation. Do you really think that it is cheaper or more efficient to farm out responsibility? Where does the money go that is allocated for the care of veterans? Why are we waiting months to be seen? Why are we not able to acquire more doctors and other professionals? There are some situations where farming is necessary but serious conditions need a home base. Severe medical problems require an advanced medical facility.
The regional director brags about all the money the local director will have at her discretion. It is strongly believed there is enough money but it is being used by unskilled hands. Look at the potholes in the roads and sidewalks. Look at the lack of treatment rooms for orthopedic, for example. How about the holes and broken slabs in the sidewalk. Which several veterans have had accidents; another great example is Neurology. This is a department badly, sorely needed right now as many of our veterans are from the Vietnam era. Most of these veterans are in their 70s. This is a time in life when bone, muscle and nerve conduction studies are very much in demand. Well, I hate to tell you, but we have some good doctors although not near enough. But they don’t have the equipment for their specialty. Equipment to perform EEG (Electroencephalogram) also EMG (Electromyography). We have the doctors but haven’t had the equipment for a very long time. So, farm it out at great cost. That is certainly the easy way for a 500-acre medical facility to be run. (Examine here, execute there).
I personally had a bad experience not too long ago in which I had a torn retina. The doctor at VA was more than capable to do the surgery necessary and gave it his best shot, however, at the very end of the surgery the doctor discovered that he didn’t have the tool to complete the last phase of the surgery. So, I was sent to Portland to repeat the surgery. Don’t take me wrong, out sourcing is not necessarily a bad thing in many cases and situations but certainly is not the least expensive and efficient way to doing things when you have an existing facility that could be second to none if we just put our leadership and money where they should be. Our system and the welfare of our veterans need to be looked at in a different way. It’s not what we see, it’s what we do.
God Bless all men and women in uniform, military and civilian. God Bless our wonderful country.
by Jac M. Arbour CFP®, ChFC®Markets crashed from October of 2007 to March of 2009. Since then, it has been a great ride to record highs. The Dow has skyrocketed and the S&P 500 recently crossed 3,000. The big question is, how long can this thrill ride last?
Bull markets are fun, especially when they last ten years or more like this current one. Such markets build public confidence and increase account values. However, everyone knows that markets are cyclical—our world is governed by certain rules, such as “what goes up, must come down.” So, the question that remains is not if, but when it will drop?
If I knew that answer, I might not be writing this little missive, but rather floating in the Mediterranean somewhere or maybe fly-fishing in a remote and untouched paradise.
I can tell you there are a few things that make me nervous about today’s financial landscape, and the events that surround these things started a long time ago. To be brief, the dollar has not been tied to the gold standard (or any official standard at all) since 1971, financial derivatives are in full swing and mask the extreme over-leveraging of dollars, the Fed has printed trillions of dollars since 2008, and we haven’t yet seen the type of inflation one would expect after this type of increase in the money supply. There is also Brexit and the shaky ground on which numerous world currencies kneel, as well as geopolitical unrest, inverted yield curves, the Fed’s fear of deflation, the roll up of debt to Central Banks and the IMF, and the list goes on.
What’s my point? As basic as it sounds, I believe this is a great time to review your asset allocation models and the diversification within your portfolios. This doesn’t mean diversifying just amongst sectors, but amongst the types of assets you own such as hard assets and physical gold and silver. I believe they could serve as strong hedges in the years to come.
Here is what I promise: The tides will turn and when they do, you will want to know where you stand. You will want to be able to wade it out.
See you all next month.
Jac Arbour, CFP®, ChFC®
Jac Arbour is the President of J.M. Arbour Wealth Management. He can be reached at 207-248-6767.
Investment advisory services are offered through Foundations Investment Advisors, LLC, an SEC registered investment adviser.
According to government estimates, Medicare lost $52 billion to fraud, abuse and improper billing in FY2017. Medicare fraud typically involves rogue health care providers or medical suppliers who bill the program for services, equipment or medication that they don’t actually provide, or else inflate the cost of those items. Some will even falsify patients’ diagnoses to justify unnecessary tests, surgeries and other procedures or write prescriptions for patients they’ve never examined. Others use genuine patient information, sometimes obtained through identity theft, to create fake claims.
One of the most effective ways to combat against Medicare fraud is to review your Medicare statements and make sure the dates and services listed are correct. If something doesn’t look right, call your medical provider’s office.
Be a fraud fighter! If you can spot a scam, you can stop a scam.
Visit the AARP Fraud Watch Network at www.aarp.org/fraudwatchnetwork or call the AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline at 1-877-908-3360 to report a scam or get help if you’ve fallen victim.
(NAPSI)—When Laura set a goal of becoming a certified orthotist and prosthetist to help people who, like her, experienced limb loss, she was concerned that earning the income she would need to afford the necessary training and education would affect her Supplemental Security Income (SSI) from Social Security. But working with Social Security’s Ticket to Work (Ticket) program and using other Social Security Work Incentives helped her create a path to success.
The Ticket program supports career development for people age 18 through 64 who receive Social Security disability benefits, either SSI or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), and want to work. Through this free and voluntary program, participants select a service provider to help them prepare for and find a job.
If you, like Laura, have a career goal and receive Social Security disability benefits, whether it’s SSI or SSDI, you might have questions about how work will affect your benefits. The Ticket program can help you find the answers.
Free, monthly Work Incentives Seminar Event (WISE) webinars offer you the opportunity to learn from the comfort of your home. Each month, the Ticket program team discusses the supports and services that are available through the program and shares resources that can help you on the path to financial independence through work.
You will learn about Work Incentives and discover how you can transition to the workplace without immediately losing your Medicare and/or Medicaid and, in some cases, your cash payments from Social Security. Each month, presenters also explain how you can access free supports and services such as career planning, job placement assistance and ongoing employment support. You can also find information and ask questions about different types of work goals, including starting your own business, working for the federal government or planning for financial independence once you start earning income.
WISE webinars are held on the fourth Wednesday of each month. You can learn about this month’s topic and register online at https://choosework.ssa.gov/wise. Or call the Ticket to Work Help Line at 1 (866) 968-7842 or 1 (866) 833-2967 (TTY) Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET.
Learn more about Laura and others who have used the Ticket program to succeed by visiting https://choosework.ssa.gov/success-stories.
Left, an emerald ash borer; right, six-spotted green tiger beetle
by Roland D. HalleeOf all the animal species on earth, approximately 40 percent of them are beetles. Many of them look alike. That is probably why a friend of mine related to me that he had seen an emerald ash borer in Vassalboro and killed it, because, as a fairly knowledgeable woodsman, he knew how destructive they can be to the forest.
According to Allison Kanoti, state entomologist with the Maine Forest Service, Forest and Health Monitoring, and entomologist Colleen Teerling, there are no known emerald ash borers (EAB) in central Maine.
They do exist in Maine, but have been isolated to northern Aroostook County and western York County towns. I guess the logical question is, how can this invasive beetle be found in northern and southern Maine, but nowhere in between.
Anyway, they are being contained in those two counties because the transportation of untreated firewood into Maine from other states and provinces of Canada have been prohibited, as is movement of untreated firewood out of those quarantined areas. Firewood provides a free ride to a staggering host of insect and disease-carrying organisms that pose a threat to our forests. That is why it is encouraged for people to use local firewood.
So, what did my friend see?
Apparently it is a very common insect in our area called the six-spotted tiger beetle, also known as the six-spotted green tiger beetle, Cinindela sexguttata, which is common in North America.
They are commonly found in deciduous forests from Minnesota, east to Rhode Island, and north to Ontario. They are also found as far south as Kentucky.
They are easily recognizable, if you know what you’re looking for, by their large, white, overlapping mandibles and six yellowish spots on their bodies. They are also a brilliant green, which resembles to EAB. However, don’t let the spots fool you. Some of the species will have more spots, fewer spots or none at all, again possibly leading to a misidentification.
The mandibles give this insect a menacing appearance, but they are only predators of small anthropods. They do not bite humans unless handled or feel threatened.
This species is associated with wooded areas and they are often found in sunlit patches clear of undergrowth such as dirt paths and fallen logs where they hunt caterpillars, ants, spiders and many other kinds of anthropods. Although they are not gregarious, many beetles may sometimes be seen in one suitable hunting area.
The letter D-shaped holes in a tree produced by the emerald ash borer.
Like as many as 147 types of tiger beetles in the United States, this species has a two-year life cycle. During this time it goes through a complete metamorphosis. This means they have four separate stages during their lifetime. The first is the egg stage. The female lays eggs in individual holes in the ground during June or early July. The egg hatches and the second stage, known as the larval stage, begins. The larva resembles a caterpillar, but with two unique characteristics. The first is the two sickle-shaped jaws protruding from its abnormally large head, which it uses to catch prey. The other is a hooked hump on its back, which prevents it from being pulled out of the ground. The entirety of the larval stage happens underground. It then reaches the third stage, the pupa a year later. The pupa begins to make its way out of the ground by digging toward the surface diagonally. The adult form of the beetle emerges within a month. The beetle is sexually mature in the spring, mates, and dies during the summer months.
The tiger beetle, not more than a half inch long, is a ferocious predator in the insect world. It is carnivorous throughout the span of its life. The six-spotted green tiger beetle is an active creature with the ability to run and fly at great speeds; this is not the case for most beetles.
Now, getting back to the emerald ash borer. Should you find holes in trees in the shape of the letter D, please contact the Maine Forest Service, so an entomologist can be dispatched to investigate and possibly confirm or discount the existence of the insect in our area.
Hopefully, for the sake of our forest, you never come across one.
To be politically correct, which NFL team would you be describing in the following manner:
A – Six royal male rulers; B – Juvenile bovines; C – Crimson Epidermis; D – Military insects?
by Debbie WalkerLast month I told you I had discovered there are weeks to honor the holidays as well as individual days. August weeks are:
July 3 to August 11 are the Dog Days of summer: the hottest and steamiest days of summer.
Peach Month, you can tell here in Florida because there are vendors alongside the roads selling Georgia peaches. They are great!
The first week of August is National Simplify your Life Week. Keep things simple, relieves stress.
August is also National Picnic Month. Get those picnics in while you have the weather for it.
August 2: International Beer Day – Gather with friends and enjoy beer.
August 3: International Hangover Day – Directly following International Beer Day. Explanation is probably not necessary for this one.
August 4: Sister’s Day – Celebrate being or having a sister.
August 6: Wiggle Your Toes Day – This day is to encourage you to give your little piggy toes some exercise.
August 9: Book Lovers Day – To encourage you to find a place in the shade to relax with a good book. Please encourage any young ones in your life to read.
August 10: Lazy Day – Your chance to goof off and definitely not work.
August 13: Left Hander’s Day – Right handed people operate from the left side of the brain. Left handed people use the right side. Only left handed people are in their right mind! (I’m left handed).
August 14: V-J (Victory in Japan) Day – The end of World War ll, the end of the fighting with Japan.
August 15: Relaxation Day – Another day to kick back and do nothing!
August 17: National Thriftshop Day – Never heard of it before but I celebrate this day as often as I can!
August 18: Bad Poetry Day – I am hoping you will try this out. Just use your imagination and enjoy writing your own poetry.
August 19: National Potato Day – celebrate and enjoy a few Maine potatoes.
August 20: World Mosquito Day – I believe this occurs in Maine for more than one day!
August 21: National Senior Citizens Day – to honor and recognize and show appreciation for the value and contribution of elderly people.
August 23: Ride the Wind Day – Relax and let the wind carry you away in whatever direction it is blowing.
August 25: Kiss and Make Up Day – Today is a day to end the fight, kiss and make up. Make it fun.
August 27: Just Because Day – Is there something you’d like to do, but there isn’t a reason for doing it? Do it today.
August 31: International Bacon Day – This is a day to celebrate crispy strips of bacon at every meal. Have a party!
These pieces of info can be found on a website called Holidayinsights.com. There are a few days that I skipped to save on words, but you can find them. Computer has some neat stuff when you start looking. I enjoy it.
Enjoy the rest of your summer. Have fun with some of these days. Let me know how you do. I’ll be waiting.
I’m just curious who I will hear from. Contact me at dwdaffy@yahoo.com with your stories, comments and questions. Thanks for reading!