REVIEWS: Record Album – Atlantic Rhythm and Blues 1947 – ‘74; Conductor – Ernst Schrader

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Peter CatesREVIEW POTPOURRI

by Peter Cates

How I Started Collecting Records, Part 5.

I began receiving Golden Records as early as my fourth year, more often than not in the six-inch yellow record format. Many of the selections were from the Great American Kiddie Songbook – such captivators as Pony Boy, Pony Boy; Skip to My Lou; Get On Board Little Children; I‘m Getting Nothin’ for Christmas. There were tie-ins from TV shows – Maverick, Wyatt Earp, Leave It to Beaver. Finally Bing Crosby told stories and occasionally sang, always illustrated with hat, pipe in mouth and Golden book in hand.

My first encounter with Mitch Miller’s name occurred via these little discs. I would be caught up, at the age of 8, in the rousing Sing Along LPs when my Aunt Margaret played her copy of the Folk Songs album – I fell in love with the sounds of his male chorus and guitar/banjo rhythm section lifting my spirits with Listen to the Mockingbird, Aunt Rhody and Goodnight Irene, and, within three years, would own all of the Sing Alongs. Part 6 next week.

Atlantic Rhythm and Blues 1947-1974

Atlantic, A1 81620,
14 LPs, released 1985.

Before I encountered this admittedly very bulky set, I don’t believe I had ever seen a better one in all of my years of listening and collecting. It has assembled almost 70 singers and instrumentalists- Wilson Pickett, the Coasters, Aretha, Clyde McPhatter and the Drifters, Ben E. King, Otis Redding, La Vern Baker, Roberta Flack, Tiny Grimes, Brook Benton as well as lesser knowns, Eddie Floyd, Joe Morris, Don Covay, Tommy Ridgley, Chris Kenner, Doris Troy- oh well, the list goes on and on. And each is represented by one or more tracks, every one of them at the very least ranging from quite good to beyond superb.

The annotations, photos, art work and biographical details are wonderfully spread out on seven sets of 2 lps each and stored in a slipcase covered with the red and black Atlantic label trademark. I found my vinyl copy reasonably priced at a local outlet. But it could prove elusive and pricey, whether in used outlets or on the Internet. But interested listeners will find this true treasury of so much great music well worth the search!

Dvorak

Symphony No. 2
Ernst Schrader conducting the Berlin Philharmonic; Avon, AVS 13015, 12-inch LP, originated from late ‘40s German radio broadcast tape and Urania LP.

There is nothing else to be known about conductor Ernst Schrader other than he is, or more likely, considering the time frame of this recording, was a real person – a legit label has stamped his name on one or two releases nobody has stepped forward to stamp him as a pseudonym. And the Berlin Philharmonic is most definitely for real.

Although the mono radio sound of this record is adequate, the performance is spontaneous, and expressive, reserving all out drama until the last of the four movements.

Dvorak actually composed nine Symphonies but his first four were unnumbered until the 1960’s, when they became 1 through 4, the old 3 became 5, 1 then 6, 2 7, 4 8 and the New World 5 then 9. The re-numbered 7th was greeted enthusiastically at its London world premiere on April 22, 1885, with the composer conducting while his publisher paid him $1500, a huge sum in those days.

I own a batch of very good recordings and, elsewhere, have not heard a single dud. The ones on my shelves- Anguelov, Mata, Valek, Bernstein, two Giulinis, Kubelik, Leitner, Colin Davis, Sejna, Talich, Ancerl, Kertesz, Dorati, Monteux, Neumann, possibly a few others, in addition to the above Schrader.

SOLON & BEYOND, Week of November 23, 2017

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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!

More Solon School News: The Solon Kids CARE (character, actions, respect, empathy) Club has begun its work in the Solon School again this fall. An affiliate of the Maine Civil Rights Team Project, it is dedicating its efforts to encouraging in the students the ideas of random acts of kindness, positive attitudes and caring for the small community.

The team advisers are Mrs. LaChance and Mrs. Stevens. Mrs. LaChance organizes activities for all of the K-2 students. Mrs. Stevens works with a team of students in grades 4-5 who will organize activities for the school. These are the members this year: Desmond Robinson, Ciara Myers-Sleeper, Ciarrah Whittemore, Cailan Priest, Allison Pinkam, Karen Baker, Ella McKinnon, Macie Plourde, William Rogers, Madyson McKenney and Alden LcLaughlin.

The Kids Care Club is already hard at work! They ran a Halloween Dime Raffle in which they raised money to be used for T-shirts and for other team activities. On November 28, some members of the group will attend the annual Civil Rights Team Conference at the University of Maine at Farmington.

Dime Raffle Winners: Sponsored by the Solon Kids Care Club were Caden Fitton for the boy’s prize, Paige Reichert for the girl’s prize, and the fifth grade for the class prize (won by Paige Reichert).

On October 20, the Solon Fire Department visited the Solon School to do presentations about fire safety in conjunction with Fire Safety Month. Firemen Todd Dixon and Richard Kelly, of the Solon Fire Department, talked to students about how to keep safe in the event of a fire. The firefighters took the students outside to show them their new fire truck and to demonstrate how fire hoses work. The firefighters brought goodie bags for the students.

Home Alone on Thanksgiving Day? Veterans? Just need a good, hearty meal? Come join us at the Community United Methodist Church for Thanksgiving dinner! No charge. Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 23, at the North Anson Community United Church Community Room (disabled accessible) Doors open at 10 a.m., with refresments, games and conversation. Full Thanksgiving dinner served at 2 p.m.

Limited transportation is available to the North Anson, Embden, Madison, New Portland and Solon communities. Call Betsy at 431-5860 by Tuesday, November 21, for pick up reservations, dependent on weather conditions. Sponsored by the Community United Methodist Church of north Anson/Madison Congregation.

Jen Hibbard is hosting a craft fair on November 25, from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. This event will be held at the Embden Community Center, with a bake sale, raffles, hot foods, with over 30 tables of crafters, vendors and artisans.

Skowhegan-area merchants will be celebrating Small Business Saturday on November 25. The downtown will be hopping with all sorts of discounts and specials. Pick up your Shop Small passport at any participating merchant, have it stamped everywhere you shop, and then drop it off for a chance to win the grand prize! It’s another way for us to say “Thank You” to all you that help support locally-owned businesses.

And now for Percy’s words of wisdom in his weekly memoir: If you approach each new person you meet in a spirit of adventure, you will find yourself endlessly fascinated by the new channels of thought and experience and personality that you encounter. I do not mean simply the famous people of the world, but people from every walk and condition of life. (words by Eleanor Roosevelt)

A very Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!

TECH TALK: Life & Death of the Microchip

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Examples of early vacuum tubes. (Image credit: Wikimedia Commons)

ERIC’S TECH TALK

by Eric Austin
Computer Technical Advisor

The pace of technological advancement has a speed limit and we’re about to slam right into it.

The first electronic, programmable, digital computer was designed in 1944 by British telephone engineer Tommy Flowers, while working in London at the Post Office Research Station. Named the Colossus, it was built as part of the Allies’ wartime code-breaking efforts.

The Colossus didn’t get its name from being easy to carry around. Computers communicate using binary code, with each 0 or 1 represented by a switch that is either open or closed, on or off. In 1944, before the invention of the silicon chip that powers most computers today, this was accomplished using vacuum-tube technology. A vacuum tube is a small, vacuum-sealed, glass chamber which serves as a switch to control the flow of electrons through it. Looking much like a complicated light-bulb, vacuum tubes were difficult to manufacture, bulky and highly fragile.

Engineers were immediately presented with a major problem. The more switches a computer has, the faster it is and the larger the calculations it can handle. But each switch is an individual glass tube, and each must be wired to every other switch on the switchboard. This means that a computer with 2,400 switches, like the Colossus, would need 2,400 individual wires connecting each switch to every other, or a total of almost six million wires. As additional switches are added, the complexity of the connections between components increases exponentially.

This became known as the ‘tyranny of numbers’ problem, and because of it, for the first two decades after the Colossus was introduced, it looked as though computer technology would forever be out of reach of the average consumer.

Then two engineers, working separately in California and Texas, discovered a solution. In 1959, Jack Kilby, working at Texas Instruments, submitted his design for an integrated circuit to the US patent office. A few months later, Robert Noyce, founder of the influential Fairchild Semiconductor research center in Palo Alto, California, submitted his own patent. Although they each approached the problem differently, it was the combination of their ideas that resulted in the microchip we’re familiar with today.

The advantages of this new idea, to print microscopic transistors on a wafer of semi-conducting silicon, were immediately obvious. It was cheap, could be mass produced, and most importantly, it’s performance was scalable: as our miniaturization technology improved, we were able to pack more transistors (switches) onto the same chip of silicon. A chip with a higher number of transistors resulted in a more powerful computer, which allowed us to further refine our fabrication process. This self-fed cycle of progress is what has fueled our technological advancements for the last 60 years.

Gordon Moore, who, along with Robert Noyce, later founded the microchip company Intel, was the first to understand this predictable escalation in computer speed and performance. In a paper he published in 1965, Moore observed that the number of components we could print on an integrated circuit was doubling every year. Ten years later the pace had slowed somewhat and he revised his estimate to doubling every two years. Nicknamed “Moore’s Law,” it’s a prediction that has remained relatively accurate ever since.

This is why every new iphone is faster, smaller, and more powerful than the one from the year before. In 1944, the Colossus was built with 2,400 binary vacuum tubes. Today the chip in your smart phone possesses something in the neighborhood of seven billion transistors. That’s the power of the exponential growth we’ve experienced for more than half a century.

But this trend of rapid progress is about to come to an end. In order to squeeze seven billion components onto a tiny wafer of silicone, we’ve had to make everything really small. Like, incomprehensibly small. Components are only a few nanometers wide, with less than a dozen nanometers between them. For some comparison, a sheet of paper is about 100,000 nanometers thick. We are designing components so small that they will soon be only a few atoms across. At that point electrons begin to bleed from one transistor into another, because of a quantum effect called ‘quantum tunneling,’ and a switch that can’t be reliably turned off is no switch at all.

Experts differ on how soon the average consumer will begin to feel the effects of this limitation, but most predict we have less than a decade to find a solution or the technological progress we’ve been experiencing will grind to a stop.

What technology is likely to replace the silicon chip? That is exactly the question companies like IBM, Intel, and even NASA are racing to answer.

IBM is working on a project that aims to replace silicon transistors with ones made of carbon nanotubes. The change in materials would allow manufacturers to reduce the space between transistors from 14 nanometers to just three, allowing us to cram even more transistors onto a single chip before running into the electron-bleed effect we are hitting with silicon.

Another idea with enormous potential, the quantum computer, was first proposed back in 1968, but has only recently become a reality. Whereas the binary nature of our current digital technology only allows for a switch to be in two distinct positions, on or off, the status of switches in a quantum computer are determined by the superpositional states of a quantum particle, which, because of the weirdness of quantum mechanics, can be in the positions of on, off or both – simultaneously! The information contained in one quantum switch is called a ‘qubit,’ as opposed to the binary ‘bit’ of today’s digital computers.

At their Quantum Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (QuAIL) in Silicon Valley, NASA, in partnership with Google Research and a coalition of 105 colleges and universities, has built the D-Wave 2X, a second-generation, 1,097-qubit quantum computer. Although it’s difficult to do a direct qubit-to-bit comparison because they are so fundamentally different, Google Research has released some data on its performance. They timed how long it takes the D-Wave 2X to do certain high-level calculations and compared the timings with those of a modern, silicon-based computer doing the same calculations. According to their published results, the D-Wave 2X is 100 million times faster than the computer on which you are currently reading this.

Whatever technology eventually replaces the silicon chip, it will be orders of magnitude better, faster and more powerful than what we have today, and it will have an unimaginable impact on the fields of computing, space exploration and artificial intelligence – not to mention the ways in which it will transform our ordinary, everyday lives.

Welcome to the beginning of the computer age, all over again.

For Your Health: What You Should Know About Vaccines

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For Your Health

(NAPSI)—Sometimes, what you don’t know can hurt you. Consider this: Smallpox vaccines were used as far back as the Revolutionary War. This serious disease, which has killed more people than all the wars combined, has been wiped from the Earth by vaccines. It’s a shame that recently the safety of vaccines has been questioned. It’s time people focused on the facts.

Vaccines have long been one of the safest medical treatments. No credible study has proven otherwise. Just like other medicines, vaccines are approved by the FDA. By and large, the rewards of prevention are worth the small risk of any vaccine’s side effects.

Another fact is that vaccines for mature Americans can save lives. When seniors get pneumonia shots, they could lengthen their life expectancy by FOUR years. Flu shots will also protect seniors from a debilitating illness with life-threatening consequences. Vaccinations are generally affordable and they are SAFE.

What To Do

For your health’s sake, give vaccination a shot.

If you have questions about a vaccine, talk to your doctor. They can explain the safety of vaccines and their importance to your health. There are three easy steps you can take to get protected:

1. Find out which vaccines you need. You can go to the RetireSafe website, www.retiresafe.org, and click on the vaccine icon on the left side of the home page. It will take you to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention site that will ask you questions about you and your life. It will then give you a list of vaccines you may need.

2. Discuss the vaccines on the list with your doctor or health care professional.

3. Get the recommended vaccinations.

That’s it…that’s all you have to do to be healthier and possibly add years to your life.

SCORES & OUTDOORS: Proliferation of stink bugs

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Roland D. HalleeSCORES & OUTDOORS

by Roland D. Hallee

They seem to have invaded our environment and taken up permanent residence in the state of Maine. We are seeing more and more of them in and around our homes. More so this time of year when the critters are attempting to come indoors where its warm. They are commonly known as stink bugs.

The brown marmorated stink bugs are an invasive species and are considered a serious crop pest. They are notorious at attacking especially corn and potatoes. They were accidentally introduced in the United States from Asia. It is believed to have hitched a ride as a stow-away in packing crates or on various types of machinery. The first documented specimen was collected in Allentown, Pennsylvania, in 1996. It is now found in the eastern half of the U.S. as well as California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.

Since arriving from Asia, the stink bug spread quickly from state to state, and is now listed as a top invasive species of interest by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) since 2013. They spread quickly due to their ability to lay more than 100 eggs each spring and summer. The USDA now reports the stink bug can be found in 44 states.

marmorated stink bug

It is easily identifiable by its brown color, six legs, shield-like pattern on its shell, white segments on its antennas and the cilantro-like smell it emits when scared or crushed.

The stink bug gets its name because it releases an odor when disturbed or when crushed. They will emit a foul-smelling chemical when they are injured, startled or attacked.

Generally, adult stink bugs feed on fruits, while nymphs will dine on leaves, stems and fruit. Stink bugs eat peaches, apples, peppers, soybeans, tomatoes, grapes and others. According to USDA records, the stink bug caused farmers to lose $31 million in 2010, which is the most up-to-date figures available. Their ability to possibly spread throughout the country has the agricultural community nervous.

In the fall, they search for sites to avoid the winter weather. They re-emerge in early spring and become active. During the warmer summer months, they can be found congregating en masse on the sides of buildings. Stink bugs have a life expectancy of nine to 10 months.

They enter homes through windows, cracked foundations, dryer vents and door jambs. Once inside, they seek refuge in warm places, like insulated walls. It is not uncommon to find thousands of them inside a house.

Stink bugs are not poisonous to humans and do not normally bite. Although native stink bug species exist in the U.S., none have caused damage to crops and invaded homes in numbers like the brown marmorated stink bug. However, some people are allergic to the marmorated stink bug, with reactions that include eye watering, congestion and coughing.

Stink bugs present no known danger of damaging the home, however, large amounts of dead stink bugs in the walls of the home can attract carpet beetles, which eat wool. That may explain why, all of a sudden, some of your clothes hanging in closets have developed holes.

To prevent stink bugs from entering homes and buildings, seal cracks around windows, doors, siding, utility pipes, behind chimneys and underneath the wood fascia and other openings. Use a good quality silicone or silicone-latex caulk. If you need to remove stink bugs already established in the home, a vacuum cleaner can aid in the removal. However, make sure to empty the vacuum cleaner outdoors after using to avoid the odor that will probably permeate throughout the house from disturbing the bugs.

Although studies are being conducted on how to handle the growing problem, farmers don’t currently have too many options. Pesticides that are used for other bugs can work, however, unless the pesticide hits the bug directly, it won’t make much of a difference in the stink bug population.

The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry asks anyone who finds a stink bug to take a picture and fill out an online survey. That could be a cumbersome project.

I have not seen any marmorated stink bugs in my home, but I have seen many around homes of family and friends, especially those residing in rural areas. Most merely dismiss it as nothing more than a nuisance and simply deal with them one at a time, as they appear.

What else can you do?

I’m Just Curious: Mother’s sayings

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by Debbie Walker

As usual I am just curious. I am going to share these “Hilarious Things My Mother Taught Me…”. I am sure it was e-mailed to me quite some time ago and I printed it off for a future reference. And, yes Mom, I did recognize a couple of these and I think I have used a few myself!

1. My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE. “If you are going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning.”
2. My mother taught me RELIGION. “You better pray that will come out of the carpet.”
3. My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL. “If you don’t straighten up, I’m going to knock you into the middle of next week!”
4. My mother taught me LOGIC. “Because I said so, that’s why.” Yes Mom, I remember hearing that and I remember using it myself!
5. My mother taught me MORE LOGIC. “If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you’re not going to the store with me.” (I love that one!)
6. My mother taught me FORESIGHT. “Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you’re in an accident.” I would love to know if anyone was left out on that one!
7. My mother taught me about IRONY. “Keep crying, and I’ll give you something to cry about.” Oh yes Mom, I remember that one. Ranks right up there with “I want to change my name, even just a day!”
8. My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS. “Shut your mouth and eat your supper.”
9. My mother taught me about CONTORTIONISM. “Will you look at that dirt on the back of your neck?”
10. My mother taught me about STAMINA. You’ll sit there until all that spinach is gone.”

I’m not giving this one a number but poor Mom. If she did it once she did it a hundred times. It seems that all tops for anyone big busted have always been very low cut. Mom found more safety pins to fix any tops I had!

Since our weather has really been the pits for a few days I want to share a poem I saw in the Kids version of The Old Farmer’s Almanac:

“When pigs carry sticks, The clouds will play tricks; When they lie in the mud, No fears of a flood.”

“If bees stay at home, rain will soon come; If they fly away, Fine will be the day.”

I had to add this: When having to paint trim (mirror, around windows, etc.) you can keep paint off the glass. You can dip a Q-tip in petroleum jelly and apply to the glass where it meets the frame. When paint is dry just wash the glass.

As usual I am just curious what your memories are. It’s time to share! Thank you for reading. Contact me at dwdaffy@yahoo.com with questions or comments. Check out our web page!

REVIEWS: Singer: Pat Boone; Guitarist: Jim Hall; Book: Roosevelt and Hopkins

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Peter CatesREVIEW POTPOURRI

by Peter Cates

How I Started Collecting Records, Part 4.

Pat Boone

Around 1957, I discovered the resounding voice of the then 23-year-old Pat Boone and the beginning of a spurt of hit 45 singles that sustained him until 1960. The first one that I heard from off the radio was the riveting Don’t Forbid Me (although I would not own a copy of this record for at least another 30 years).

During the next six years, I would assemble a batch of 45 singles and extended plays; and LPs, featuring both the top 40 moneymakers and selections that didn’t sell as well. Among the hits were There’s a Goldmine in the Sky; April Love, which is arguably one of his three finest; A Wonderful Time Up There; With the Wind and Rain in Your Hair; For My Good Fortune; I’m Walking the Floor Over You; Speedy Gonzalez; Dear John; etc.

There were also two LPs that perhaps weren’t mega sellers but, for me, are still worthy of the occasional spin – Star Dust, which is devoted to the classic Great American Songbook and has such standbys as Deep Purple; Ebb Tide; St. Louis Blues; Autumn Leaves, and the title song; and Hymns We Love, an album easily equal to the sacred music ones of George Beverly Shea and Tennessee Ernie Ford. Finally, Boone had the arrangements of the gifted Billy Vaughn.

The black label with the rainbow colored letters was also an attractive feature and a reason why I have gathered an array of 45s, LPs and one 78 by Dot artists from various rummage sales over the years, as well as specimens of the earlier maroon label. Part 5 next week!

Jim Hall

Concierto
CTI- ZK 65132, cd, recorded April 16 and 23, 1975.

Jim Hall

The very superb jazz guitarist, Jim Hall (1930-2013), brought together a who’s who of jazz talent to create one of a handful of truly beautiful, mellow and, most importantly, musically substantial albums to be heard anywhere. The standouts are trumpeter Chet Baker, who had almost a decade left of concerts and recordings before he self-destructed from his drug addictions at an Amsterdam hotel in 1988; alto saxist Paul Desmond, who died in 1977 from lung cancer but would especially be remembered for his over 15 years with the Dave Brubeck Quartet; and bassist Ron Carter, still alive and well at 80.

The gem in this program is the 20 minute Don Sebesky arrangement of Rodrigo’s already exquisite Guitar Concerto, one in which everyone in the group plays their heart out. Totally recommended and available for listening on youtube !!!

Roosevelt and Hopkins

An Intimate History
by Robert Sherwood; Harper and Brothers, 1948, 934 pages.

I am in the process of reading this magnum opus on Franklin Roosevelt’s closest personal advisor, Harry Hopkins (1890-1946 , who was pulled out of the New Deal bureaucracy to serve at the President’s beck and call for most of World War II. Whatever Hopkins lacked in any real background in the diplomatic or military spheres, which his boss supplied on a personal level, he made up in the intuition department- truly knowing when to speak and when not to, skills FDR prized above everything else. The President so valued Hopkins that he moved him and his family into a suite in the White House so as to have instant access.

The fascination of this relationship is written with storytelling prowess by Robert Sherwood, a playwright who served on Hopkins’s team and was a close friend. The inevitable panorama of five to six very tumultuous years in the White House, ones not matched since, are presented in a comprehensive manner. Many famous players such as Churchill, Stalin, and others; the endless intrigues; the horrific decisions and their context – are all served up in such a compulsively readable manner that may lead to at least a month of all-nighters!

MESSING ABOUT: Survival is an interesting concept

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MESSING ABOUT IN THE MAINE WOODS

by Ron Maxwell

Survival is an interesting concept for me. I have always enjoyed the idea of being able to solve problems in the field. It means my pockets are always full of lighters and knives and more pocket emergency kits than any one person has a right to own. Each of my family’s cars has extra water, food, flashlights, emergency blankets and other supplies. The house has supplies squirreled away in corners for emergencies. Survival has always been on my mind even though I have not yet been in a position to need the information.

But ‘survival’ has always had a clawing, tearing sort of feel: something forced on one from the outside. Survival has always seemed to be a ‘bug eating, puddle drinking, dirt pit sleeping’ sort of experience. I’d rather be careful, thanks. I have always thought ‘thriving’ instead of ‘surviving’. I was on a hiking trip and soaked my shirt with the days exertion. It was simple to thrive in camp afterward with the clean, dry, night-clothes I had packed, while rinsing and drying my day things by the fire. For me, survival will always be what would happen when my plans and my prepared equipment both fail. I haven’t done it yet, but when I do need to, I have some backup skills ready. Skills that began by watching You-Tube, but were practiced and perfected in the field.

I have lighted fires on the ice, while skating on a cold afternoon – using a bow drill and tinder set I made myself. I have slept on an automotive sunscreen under an emergency blanket when a night turned too cold. I have used the knife I carry in my pocket to make a burner and cookset from the cans the dinner ingredients came in. A burner and cookset fueled with a common automotive fuel additive I bought at the same convenience store where I bought the dinner ingredients. I have made my own string from cedar bark to tie together a debris shelter for sleeping. I have the ability to survive if I need, but my purpose in being in the outdoors will always be to thrive.

See how the process doesn’t happen just in the outdoors? There is a joy in preparing yourself mentally or taking in someone else’s experience when you can’t get outside. There is an excitement to testing out your new equipment with the kids in the backyard, where you can see the potential of all your gear. And nothing beats actually getting out on the trail and waking up surrounded by nature enjoying the comfort of a situation you put together. And that is how we thrive in the Maine Outdoors.

SOLON & BEYOND, Week of November 16, 2017

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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!

The Solon Pine Tree 4-H Club met on November 11 for their second meeting of the new year. The members voted to adopt a family for Christmas. They also voted to bring items for the Skowhegan Animal Shelter to the December meeting. These would be community projects for next year.

Officers elected were; Cooper Dellarma, president; Hunter Souce, vice president; Laci Dickey, secretary; Desmond Robinson, assistant secretary; Devyn Deleonardis, treasurer; Jillian Robinson, assistant treasurer; Brooks Souce and Sarah Craig, flag bearers; and Macy Plourde and Autumn Ladd, assistant flag bearers.

The members are planning to have a Christmas Party at their December meeting

Leaders Lois Miller and Hallie Dellarma worked with the members making holiday wreaths.

Several members are planning to attend a Swag making workshop in Skowhegan on November 18.

The next meeting will be on Saturday, December 9, at 9:30 a.m., at the Solon Fire Station.

Recently, the annual Solon Pine Tree 4-H Club Family Supper was held at the Masonic Hall, in Solon, with many parents and members present, Lief and I were invited as honored guests. There were many wonderful choices at the buffet table and Lief and I were invited to start the line. It was such a warm and welcoming feeling to be included in this family affair.

Leader Eleanor Pooler passed out awards. The Solon Pine Tree Club received the Outstanding Club Award again this year.

Leaders who have been with this club the longest are Eleanor Pooler with 56 years, Rance Pooler for 46 years and Doris Dean for 35 years. My congratulations go out to them! And, my many thanks for always including me for the Family Supper.

Was very pleased to receive an e-mail from the Solon Municipal Clerk and Tax Collector’s Office with news to share about the recent voting on November 7. There was a total of 267 voters who got out that day. Question #1…45 Yes, 220 No and 2 Blank. Question #2…135 Yes, 130 No and 2 blank; Question #3, 169 Yes, 96 No and 2 blank and Question #4…135 Yes, 125 No and 7 blank.

Another great craft fair coming up this week is at the Redington-Fairview General Hospital Main and MOB lobbies, at 46 Fairview Avenue, in Skowhegan on Friday, November 17, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Homemade crafts & goodies sponsored by the RFGH Auxiliary .

On October 18, Heidi Coffin from the Cromwell Center for Disabilities Awareness visited the Solon Elementary School to offer free programs for students in grades 1-5.

The Cromwell Center is a Maine nonprofit agency who offers disabilities awareness programs to build sensitivity and understanding, reduce bullying, and help create more inclusive schools and communities. The students learned that we all have strengths and challenges, that having a disability doesn’t define a person, and that they can help put an end to bullying of those with special needs.

The Solon School is having a Thanksgiving Food Drive November 6-17. Please send in donations of nonperishable food items to help the students in this community service project. Food will be donated to the Solon Thrift Shop Food Cupboard. This is sponsored by the Solon Kids Care Club.

On September 19 and October 4, Solon students and staff participated in the Walking School Bus Program. This activity is part of the school wellness plan.

Thanksgiving break at Solon Elementary will b November 22-26.

On November 18, from 5 – 7 p.m., Huntah’s Suppah at the Wellington VFW, 9 Parkman Rd., in Wellington. All you can eat! By donation To benefit the Wellington Church and Wellington Fire Department.

And now for Percy’s memoir, entitled The Way: A loving word, A cheerful smile, A kindly thought or two… A helping hand, A ready step, They help, my friend, they do. A patient heart, A thoughtful deed, A willingness to cheer… An endless day Of service, friend, These things make life most dear. Be kind, do good, Have loving thoughts Throughout the livelong day, Think right, serve God, Be friend to all, And you have found The Way! (words by Esther Nilsson).

PERFORMANCE DOG: Tracking opportunities in Maine

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TRAINING YOUR PERFORMANCE DOGTRAINING YOUR PERFORMANCE DOG

by Carolyn Fuhrer

While indoor scent work is popular with many people and fun for dogs, if you have never had the opportunity to track in a real situation with your dog, you don’t know how much you are missing.

Just a few weeks ago at the end of October the Mid Coast Kennel Club of Maine put on a wonderful two-day tracking event. On Saturday, there were four TDU (Tracking Dog Urban) tests in Augusta and five TD (Tracking Dog) tests in the Somerville area. On Sunday, there were three TDX (Tracking Dog Excellent) tests in Somerville. Six dogs earned titles right here in Maine – three TD and three TDX.

Tracking is an excellent sport to watch and Mid Coast Kennel Club makes spectator participation a high priority. The spectators – called the “gallery” in tracking tests – are allowed to follow along the entire track and watch the action. There is a person in charge of the gallery and this person takes cues from the judges as to when the gallery can advance so as not to distract the dog. It is exciting to watch the dog solve various scent problems along the track and also an excellent way to learn more about tracking.

The TD (Tracking Dog) test takes place in a big field with basically uniform cover; the terrain can be hilly. The TDX (Tracking Dog Excellent) test takes place in a rural area. It can involve changes in cover, corn fields, woods, road crossing, small streams and rugged terrain. But this is not all tracking has to offer. The TDU (Tracking Dog Urban) test takes place in business parks, schools and college campuses. The test must be designed so any handler and dog can negotiate the test. The test can involve stairs. In this test, the handler must be 10 feet behind the dog on lead. The track starts on a vegetated surface. A small flag indicates the start with a scent article left by the tracklayer and a 30-yard flag indicates direction of the track. The team of dog and handler must follow the path the tracklayer walked and find an intermediate article dropped by the person and an article at the end of the track. The track must be 400 – 450 yards long and 10 percent – 30 percent of the track must cross non-vegetated surfaces such as sidewalks, small parking lots, roads, etc. It can go up ramps or stairs, along buildings, and must have three to five turns. The dog and handler work as a team. You may talk to your dog, rescent your dog, take a break and water your dog – the dog must follow the track and find the articles that were dropped. The handler must understand the dog’s indication of track or loss of track and encourage and help accordingly.

TDU is considered an entry level test. If you obtain a TDU, you are eligible for a much more difficult test – a VST. Here, dogs track again in an urban setting, but must negotiate turns on pavement, find three articles on the track and go a distance of 600-800 yards with four to seven turns. This track is three to five hours old (a TDU is 30 minutes to two hours old). Dogs in both these urban tests work in real life situations where they must negotiate traffic, parking lots, construction, people, children, playgrounds, and other real distractions that may occur in an urban setting. These tests are real, exciting and challenging and take place in actual real life environment – they require an excellent relationship based on teamwork, understanding and patience. Get real – get tracking!

Carolyn Fuhrer has earned over 100 AKC titles with her Golden Retrievers, including 10 TDX Titles and two Champion Tracker titles. Carolyn is the owner of North Star Dog Training School in Somerville, Maine. She has been teaching people to understand their dogs for over 25 years. You can contact her with questions, suggestions and ideas for her column by e-mailing carolyn@dogsatnorthstar.com.