I’M JUST CURIOUS: Thought for the new year

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by Debbie Walker

Shared by Debbie Walker

This week I came across a little article my mother had saved. After reading the little article that was authorized by “Voice for Health Odd Fellow Tape Pals”, I decided to share it with you all. It’s about the time of January that folks begin to give up on their new resolutions. I thought I might try this one:

There are two days in every week about which we should not worry, two days which should be kept free from fear and apprehension.

One of these days is yesterday with its mistakes and cares, its faults and blunders, its aches and pains. Yesterday has passed forever beyond our control.

All the money in the world cannot bring back yesterday. We cannot undo a single act we performed; we cannot erase a single word we said. Yesterday is gone.

The other day we should not worry about is tomorrow, with its possible adversaries, its burdens, its large promise and poor performance. Tomorrow is also beyond our immediate control.

Tomorrow’s sun will rise, whether in splendor or behind a mask of clouds – but it will rise. Until it does, we have no stake in tomorrow, for it is yet unborn.

This leaves only one day – today. Any man can fight the battles of just one day. It is only when you and I add the burdens of these two awful eternities – yesterday and tomorrow – that we break down.

It is not the experience of today that drives men mad – it is remorse or bitterness for something which happened yesterday, and the dread of what tomorrow may bring.

Let us therefore live but one day at a time. (the end of what I found printed)

Here is something I wrote when I lived in Wells and would go to the beach:

Haze Over the Water

Haze over the water today
Tides out again
Water is green, very light
Then blue, then black
Under the haze over the water.
A dog running on the beach
He runs out into the small waves
Then runs back and back again
The he follows his friend on the beach
Under the haze over the water.
These little girls walk out to touch
Two little blondes and on brunette
Hand in hand they walk out till
They all giggle and run back
Under the haze over the water.
There’s a small boat out there
Working hard to cut the waves
White water spraying back as it cuts the blue
You can actually see it bounce
Under the haze over the water.
I come here to see the rocks
Today they’re out of the waves
Tomorrow as things change, the
Water will be hitting the rocks
And spraying over making
It’s own natural wonder
Tomorrow there may be
No haze over the water.

Okay, so that’s enough of that. I am just curious what you think of these. How about some comments? Let me know what you collect for sayings or do you write? Contact me at dwdaffy@yahoo.com. Thanks for reading!! Don’t forget, we do have a website!

REVIEW POTPOURRI: Farther Down the Road series contains over 60 volumes

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The album, Farther Down the Road

Peter Catesby Peter Cates

Farther Down the Road, Volume 2

CBS Special Products, cassette, recorded 1972-1985.

The above was one of a cassette/CD series under the same title of more than 60 volumes, sponsored by Rotella, a line of lubricating products for the heavy duty engines inside extremely large trucks. As with the entire series, this week’s second volume was an anthology of country/western recordings, distributed only through gas stations and truck stops and given to any customer purchasing a minimum of three gallons of the Rotella lubricating oil. Its selections were:

Johnny Cash – One Piece at a Time
Janie Fricke – He’s a Headache
The Gatlin Brothers – Houston
Barbara Mandrell – Midnight Oil
Charlie Daniels Band – Devil Went Down to Georgia
Willie Nelson – Midnight Rider
Tammy Wynette – Another Chance
Ronnie McDowell – Watchin’ Girls Go By
Charly McClain – Men
Merle Haggard – Are the Good Times Really Over ?

My favorites are those by Cash, Nelson and Wynette, the anthology itself being a good one.

A quote from Graham Greene’s essay on Saki, but referring to the novelist who wrote Tale of Two Cities and other such books – “Dickens developed a style so easy and natural that it seems capable of including the whole human race in its understanding.”

SOLON & BEYOND: More Solon school news

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

Good morning my friends.

Didn’t have room for all the Solon Elementary School news last week, so I’m finishing the Solon School News email I received. This fall students have received a colored pom-pon each time they did a good job meeting school expectations, displaying positive behaviors, or being helpful and/or cooperative as part of the new Positive Behavioral Intervention Interventions and Supports (PBIS) program. Students put these pom-pons in a jar on the counter behind Mrs. Weese’s desk. The students were told that there would be a schoolwide celebration when the jar was full.

Right before Christmas the pom-pon jar was filled. Fifth grader Fisher Tewksbury suggested that for the pupils reward they all play a winter version of the Hearts game they play every Valentine’s Day. So they did! K-5 students were divided into multiage teams to play this game, which is similar to Yahtzee, on December 19.

They also had a contest to see which male student, female student, and staff member could come closest to guessing the number of pom-pons in the jar. There were 709 pom-pons, each one representing a positive action by one of the students. winners were Stuart Hamblen, Katelyn DeLeonardis, and Mrs. Campbell.

Winners of the Hearts Drawing was Hunter Pouliot and Kaitlyn Soucle.

Superintendent of schools, Mike Tracy, joined the kindergarten class for Thanksgiving dinner on November 15. The class enjoyed his visit!

My many thanks for sending me this information to share.

Received the following e-mail from Angie Stockwell from the Margaret Chase Smith Library, in Skowhegan.

Dear Readers,

It’s difficult to imagine that a new year has begun and the first of our newsletters is ready for your reading enjoyment. Our front cover news is the election of Maine’s first woman governor and her connection to Senator Smith. A new exhibit on the 19th Amendment is near completion. Interestingly, the California fires bring back memories of Maine’s forest fires in 1947. National History Day in Maine is always in the works, as is our annual essay contest for high school seniors. The passing of President George H. W. Bush recalls the friendship of the Bush family. And our heartfelt thanks to all our donors who responded to our annual fund drive. It promises to be busy year and we’re grateful for our continued support. Best wishes for 2019.

The following email is from Happyknits. We’re thumbing our noses at winter with another Wine and Twine. Come join us at the Miller’s Table (just downstairs from Happyknits) on Saturday, January 19, from 4 – 6 p.m. Bring your project and a friend while we laugh, sip and nosh. Don’t feel like “wining”? Don’t feel like “twining?” That’s ok – just come anyway! We promise you’ll have a good time!

Do you know about Knit Night at Happyknits? It’s held every Tuesday night from 5 – 8 p.m. It’s free and open to everyone. Does that not work into your schedule? Happyknits has open knitting/crocheting every day of the week, so bring your project, a friend ( or two or three) and sit by our cozy fire. We have set aside Thursday afternoons (anytime) and Friday afternoons, from 2 – 4 p.m., if you want to gather with a group, but you are welcome to relax in our shop anytime we’re here. It’s cheaper than psychotherapy, and a whole lot more fun!

And now for Percy’s memoir: Hold fast your dreams! Within your heart Keep one still, secret spot Where dreams may go, And, sheltered so, May thrive and grow Where doubt and fear are not. O keep a place apart, Within your heart, For little dreams to grow! We see so many ugly things – Deceits and wrongs and quarrelings: We know alas! we know How quickly fade The color in the west, The bloom upon the flower. The bloom upon the breast And youth’s blind hour. Yet keep within your heart A place apart Where little dreams may go, May thrive and grow. Hold fast— hold fast your dreams! (words by Louise Driscoll.)

Give Us Your Best Shot! Week of January 10, 2019

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To submit a photo for The Town Line’s “Give Us Your Best Shot!” section, please visit our contact page or email us at townline@fairpoint.net!

ODD COUPLE: Pat Clark, of Palermo, captured this photo of a blue jay and downy woodpecker at a feeding station.

 

LOOKS GOOD: Michael Bilinsky, of China Village, photographed this red-bellied woodpecker at a feeder.

 

WORKING ON A TAN?: Rick and Cindy Denico, of Vassalboro, snapped these ducks sunning themselves last summer.

FOR YOUR HEALTH: Four Retirement Readiness Fixes For Baby Boomers

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(NAPSI)—The Stanford Center on Longevity’s 2018 “Sightlines Report” found that baby boomers have accumulated less household wealth and carry more debt in comparison to previous generations of American retirees.

The report found that overall household asset balances—and retirement savings in particular—are lower for boomers than for the elderly Americans born before them. In addition, baby boomers are carrying more debt compared to older generations, with one in three holding a debt burden exceeding 50 percent of their total wealth.

With approximately 10,000 Americans turning 65 each day, the news that baby boomers are less ready to retire than those generations who have come before them is disconcerting by itself, but it is especially worrisome in light of rising retirement expenses they will face.

“Given that boomers will likely live longer and rack up higher lifetime medical costs than prior generations, the inevitable conclusion is that boomers will face some tough challenges during their retirement years,” according to CBS MoneyWatch.

Financial planning experts offer a few possible retirement readiness fixes to help baby boomers address a shortfall in available cash:

  • Pay down debt—For those boomers in the pre-retirement or early-retirement stage, do what you can to reduce your debt load. Every penny not going to debt is a penny going toward funding your retirement lifestyle.
  • Consider returning to the workforce—If you are physically able, think about options for working a little later in your life or perhaps returning to the workforce in a part-time job. A few years of additional income can make a huge difference down the line.
  • Adjust your standard of living—Be prepared to make some modifications to your lifestyle in order to reduce your monthly expense budget. You may be surprised how much minor purchases, such as a daily gourmet coffee, can add up to on an annual basis.
  • Be smart about your available resources—Can you afford to defer Social Security for a bit longer in order to maximize the cash benefit? Do you own a home that has equity you can put to work for you with a reverse mortgage? Are there other financial resources you can draw down, such as an old savings account or a life insurance policy you may have socked away?

“Many seniors are surprised to learn that one potential asset for generating immediate cash is a life insurance policy,” said Darwin M. Bayston, CFA, president and chief executive officer of the Life Insurance Settlement Association (LISA), a nonprofit organization that educates seniors about alternatives to lapsing or surrendering a life insurance policy. “A life insurance policy is considered your personal property and—as such—you have the right to sell that policy anytime you like.”

When a consumer sells a policy in a “life settlement” transaction, the policy owner receives a cash payment and the purchaser of the policy assumes all future premium payments—then receives the death benefit upon the death of the insured. Candidates for life settlements are typically aged 70 years or older, with a life insurance policy that has a death benefit of at least $100,000.

To learn more about life settlements and whether you could be eligible for a free review of your life insurance policy, visit www.LISA.org or call the LISA office at 888-902-6639.

SCORES & OUTDOORS: Red fox population growing in our area

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Photos on this page by Jayne Winters of South China

Roland D. Halleeby Roland D. Hallee

A week ago, Jayne Winters, of South China, sent along some excellent photos of a red fox that has been visiting her property recently.

The photos were remarkable and deserved some attention. It’s been a while since we visited with red foxes in our area, of which there are an abundance.

The red fox is the largest of the true foxes and one of the most widely distributed members of the order Carnivora. They are present across the entire Northern Hemisphere from the Arctic Circle to North Africa, North America and Eurasia. It is listed of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Since its introduction to Australia, it has been found to be a nuisance to native mammals and bird populations. Thus, it has been listed as among the top 100 worst invasive species in the world.

Red foxes are usually together in pairs or small groups consisting of families, such as a mated pair and their young, or a male with several females having kinship ties.

They are somewhat shy and don’t like human interaction. Therefore, they will generally leave an area of increased activity. Two years ago, at camp, a family of red foxes had made its home under an outbuilding during the winter. Once humans moved in for the summer, the red foxes vacated their den and moved on elsewhere.

They either establish stable home ranges within particular areas or are itinerant with no fixed housing. They use their urine to mark their territory. Outside the breeding season, most red foxes favor living in the open, in densely vegetated areas, though they may enter burrows to escape bad weather. They often dig their dens on hill or mountain slopes, ravines, bluffs, steep banks of water bodies, ditches, depressions, gutters, in rock clefts and neglected human environments.

The red fox primarily feed on small rodents, though it may also target rabbits, game birds, reptiles and invertebrates. Fruit and vegetable matter is also sometimes eaten. Although the red fox tends to kill smaller predators, they are vulnerable to attack from larger predators, such as wolves, coyotes, and medium-sized felines.

They prefer to hunt in the early morning hours before sunrise and late evening. Although they typically forage alone, they may aggregate in resource-rich environments. Losses of poultry and penned game birds can be substantial if you have red foxes foraging in the area.

Their winter fur is dense, soft, silky and relatively long. For the northern foxes, the fur is very long, dense and fluffy, but is shorter.

Red foxes have binocular vision, but their sight reacts mainly to movement. Their auditory perception is acute, being able to hear black grouse changing roosts at 600 paces, the flight of crows at three-tenths of a mile and squeaking mice about 330 feet. Their sense of smell is good, but weaker than that of dogs.

In recent years, I have noticed an increase in the sightings of red foxes in the area, particularly in the Cross Hill area of Vassalboro, near our camp. They have been heard howling during the late night hours. Their cries can be associated with that of an injured small dog.

Like any other wild animal, they should not be approached if spotted. They have been known to carry rabies. Cute and cuddly looking, leave them alone.

Roland’s trivia question of the week:

Name the six NFL teams to win the Super Bowl as a wild card team.

Answer can be found here.

I’M JUST CURIOUS: Poems shared

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by Debbie Walker

Shared with you by Debbie Walker

Poems

Tonight I am going to share a poem that I wrote and one that I found years ago. I find it and I lose it, I find it and I lose it. While it is in the ‘found’ mode I would like to share it with you.

Not Yet

Author unknown

Winter, don’t descend on me;
I am not ready yet.
The mittens, boots and woolen socks
Are placed where I forget.
The sleds are piled behind the bikes
The runners’ red with rust.
The shovel’s somewhere in the garage
Buried deep in dust.
Winter, don’t descend on me;
Your cold and blowing snow
Keeps whipping through my
Muddled mind –
Where did the summer go?

That is how I feel every winter! I have noticed most folks aren’t saying where did summer go. They want to know where did this past year go! I agree.

So, my attempt at a poem is next. It was written the first winter I came back to Maine from Florida.

Maine March

by Debbie Walker

The dog is so anxious to go out
I’m putting on my coat
Dreading the very cold
There are little patches of snow left in the yard
Left over grass crunching under our feet
The dog is eagerly sniffing the
new smells of the day.
And I’m not really noticing the cold.
Instead I was noticing the crunching grass
The trees groaning as they sway to the wind
And I’m enjoying breathing
the sharp, cold air of a Maine March.

The following material is from an email about Mother’s:

Moms Now vs. Moms Then

by I Might Be Funny

Now: That word is inappropriate.
Then: Say that again and I’ll wash your mouth out with soap.
Now: Good job trying one bite of the dinner I made. Now you can have mac & cheese.
Then: You’ll eat what I make, whether you like it or not. There are starving children in the world.
Now: I can see you’re upset. Take a deep breath and use your words.
Then: You better stop crying or I’ll really give you something to cry about.
Now: You can’t walk around the block by yourself. I’ll drive you. Text me when you need a ride .
Then: You want to go out? Take your bike. Be home before dark.
Now: I packed your bento box with almond butter on whole grain, kale chips and org. smoothie.
Then: Take a brown bag with a bologna sandwich on Wonder bread, a Twinkie and a Hawaiian Punch, too.

My Mom Taught Me

Religion – You better pray that comes out of the carpet!
Logic – Because I said so, that’s why!
Wisdom – When you get to my age you’ll understand.
Justice – One day you’ll have kids. I hope they turn out just like you!

A friend shared these two tidbits he heard on the radio:

A mother keeps her kids away from the ice cream truck by explaining if the music is playing they are all out of ice cream.

Another mother driving on the highway with unruly kids in the back seat, runs her tires over the rumble strip and tells them there is a helicopter with police flying above them watching their behavior!

I’m just curious what stories you have to share. Contact me at dwdaffy@yahoo.com with questions and comments.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

REVIEW POTPOURRI: Bach selections

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Peter Catesby Peter Cates

Bach selections

from The Joy of Great Music, Album 15, FW-515, LP, 1980 series of records usually peddled in supermarket chains.

Johan Bach

The above album contains the following examples of Johann Sebastian Bach, 1685-1750:

Side 1, Saint Matthew Passion excerpts. Soprano Laurence Dutoit, alto Maria Nussbaumer, bass Otto Weiner, with Ferdinand Grossmann conducting the Vienna Chamber Orchestra and Choir.

Side 2, Toccata and Fugue in D Minor; Prelude and Fugue in E-Flat Major. Organist Walter Kraft.

Both originally Vox releases from the 1950s.

Bach’s St. Matthew Passion is roughly three hours long but contains incomparable stretches of beauty in its arias, choruses and instrumental writing. The singers, especially bass Otto Wiener (1911-2000), are in peak form while Grossmann’s Viennese groups do good work. The performance is a large-scaled one, as opposed to smaller ones in recent years, yet a distinctive entry on its own terms and deeply moving.

Walter Kraft

Kraft’s performances of the Toccata, and the E-Flat Prelude and Fugue are solid.

Another LP from the Vox label’s exemplary catalog; the Bartok Bluebeard’s Castle, with Herbert Hafner conducting the Vienna Symphony Symphony, soprano Ilona Steingruber, and bass Otto Weiner again. Vox, OPX 100, 1962 release.

Based on a blood-curdling legend from the Middle Ages, the 1918 opera Bluebeard’s Castle is one roaringly exciting listening experience. This performance is a haunting atmospheric one, despite some critics taking issue with the singing in German instead of the original Hungarian. The 1910-20 World War 1 decade experienced a superb roll call of first performances – Prokofiev’s 2nd Piano Concerto, Janacek’s opera Jenufa, Debussy’s Martyrdom of St. Sebastian, Stravinsky’s Petrouchka, Rite of Spring and Soldier’s Tale and Puccini’s Trittico.

A Goethe quote pertinent to artistic creativity, “To be of all ages, be then of your own.”

SOLON & BEYOND: News from Solon Elementary School

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

Good morning dear friends.

Was so happy to receive the Solon School News, as always, and there was a lot of good information there.

Solon Elementary School held a Secret Santa activity again this Christmas. Students and staff members drew names and each one designed a tree ornament for the person whose name he/she selected. These ornaments looked great on the school Christmas tree in the lobby!

The Solon PTO sponsored a special Children’s Shopping Day on December 17. Students were able to shop for inexpensive gifts for their families at a “store” set up by the PTO. Thanks to parents who donated items for this activity and to the parents who helped at the store.

The Solon Christmas Program took place on December 18. Students from preschool through the fifth grade performed songs and skits for their families and friends. There was a standing room only crowd for this festive annual event.

The Solon Fire Department came to the school and and held a Christmas party for the K-5 students on December 20. They set up games and activities for the students, and they even brought Santa with them. We appreciate the support of the Fire Department all year long.

In Mrs. Waugh’s technology class, one of the activities in early December was for K-2 students to write and type letters to Santa Claus. At the school the fifth graders teamed up with the kindergartners to help them write their letters. And it is understood that Santa wrote back to the students.

Monthly Assemblies Scheduled at Solon Elementary: The school is holding monthly assemblies again this year, and parents and other family members and friends are welcome to join them for those. At each assembly one of the classes presents a topic they have been studying. At some assemblies, they give awards, the Civil Rights Team makes a presentation, and/or we do other activities.

This is the schedule of upcoming assemblies: January 9, Presentation by Grade 1. held at 1:45 p.m. February 6, Presentation by Civil Rights Team, Honor Roll & Attendance Awards; 1:45 p.m. March 6, Presentation by Grade 3, Bookmark Winners announced at 1:30 p.m. April 24, Presentation by Grade 2, Honor Roll and Attendance Awards, 1:45 p.m. And on May 8, Presentation by Grade 5 at 1:45 p.m.

PTO meeting is scheduled for Thursday, January 10, at 6 p.m.

Each year Solon Elementary School holds a contest to see which student can guess the date of the first Snow Day when school will be canceled due to stormy weather. This year’s winner, who accurately predicted that the first Snow Day would be November 16, were first grader Emma Pooler and fourth grader Kaitlin Dellarma. Each of them won a bag of snow-related gifts.

The District Band and Chorus Winter Concert will be held on January 15, at 6 p.m., at Carrabec Community School. Directed by Dan Gilbert.

One thing about our schools in this modern world that had been bothering me terribly, is the fact that cursive writing was not being taught in our schools now.

I had kept thinking I would write a letter to the editor in the paper, {daily paper}, but since it had taken lots of phone calls, and just about a month to get my last letter printed, I gave up on that! But it made my day last week when I read the headline, “Cursive coming back to schools. Writing by hand provides skills in communication. ” ( I would have thought they would have figured that out long before now.)

And now for Percy’s memoir: “You have powers you never dreamed of. You can do things you never thought you could do. There are no limitations in what you can do except the limitations in your own mind as to what you cannot do. Don’t think you cannot. Think you can.” (words by Darwin P. Kingsley.)

I had a very wonderful gift given to me recently. It was a very special pin that this friend had made for me of a cat and he said, “It is in memory of Percy,” and I love it!

VETERAN’S CORNER: PTSD is common; does not carry a stigma

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Left photo, local service organization leaders pose at the veterans memorial in South China. From left to right, Mike Vashon, Jeff Zimmerman and Neil Farrington. (Contritured photo)

Gary Kennedyby Gary Kennedy

I have received many replies to recent articles regarding VA and VA benefits. Some inquires relate to the specific disabilities and their compensability. The most common inquiries are related to such problems as hearing loss and what is referred to as ringing in the ears (Tinnitus). These are very common occurrences in the military as well as all soldiers learning to use weapons of one sort or another, or work around loud noises such as jobs requiring being near aircraft and testing areas.

The other possible disabling condition that I hear a lot about either from the veteran or someone who is close to him/her, is PTSD. This sort of disorder is usually associated with being in close proximity to conflict. Some veterans don’t want to address this disorder as they feel it carries with it a negative connotation. For those who feel this way I would suggest it is not necessary to use that term because nervous disorder carries the same degree of compensable ability as PTSD does. PTSD, or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, today is more apt to be associated with combat stressors; where as plain nervous disorder could apply to many traumatic issues other than ones relating to combat.

Both are given the same degree of award and compensation. Neither should carry a stigma with them. They are both human responses to different kinds of stress. There are several very good service organizations located at Togus VA. Also, if you have had a bad experience then you can discuss it with a totally impartial veterans advocate located in building 200 at Togus VA Medical Center. If this doesn’t work for you take it directly to Veteran’s Affairs in building 248 on the second floor.

There are some very knowledgeable people there that can help you find your way and show you how to put your case together. The records that you already have should accompany you. It is always wise to have your case together when you go there. If you don’t have a primary care provider then you need to apply for one. When you have acquired a PCP then you will explain all the things that are bothering you and he/she will refer you to the appropriate department for an examination. When this is done you will have what you need to file a case with the Bureau of Veterans Affairs (BVA).

I should add if you have seen doctors outside of the VA system you should get copies of those documents. Then you are ready to go and file a well-grounded claim. These are only a couple of issue we have heard you speak about and we are aware there are many more. Veterans have given us so much and all of us who can contribute to their well-being should do so in any way possible. If you have any questions please feel free to share them with us here at The Town Line email address, townline@fairpoint.net. If it’s a personal nature you can speak with Gary at 458-2832. One way or the other we will give you the answers.

If you have an article you would like to have published, please feel free to send it to The Town Line for review. All writing must be proper in content. I would like to wish all a belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. God Bless us all.