Agility: Are manners and obedience necessary?

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Training Your Performance Dog

by Carolyn Fuhrer

YES, YES, YES! I can’t tell you how many times we receive a call from a frustrated pet owner who says, “My dog is out of control and has a lot of energy. I think agility would be good for him.” Wrong! In order for the dog and handler to enjoy doing agility, the dog and handler need to have a connection that they have established through basic pet training.

Dogs must understand how to work for what they want, pay attention to the handler and understand the basic commands of come, sit and wait, come along with me and know when they can go (a release).  If a dog has basic good pet manners (which all dogs should have whether they do agility or not) and understand how to get “paid” by their owners, then they are on their way to becoming excellent agility candidates. Dogs must understand how to work for what they want, pay attention to the handler and understand the basic commands of come, sit and wait, come along with me and know when they can go (a release).  If a dog has basic good pet manners (which all dogs should have whether they do agility or not) and understand how to get “paid” by their owners, then they are on their way to becoming excellent agility candidates.

Many people see agility as simply an outlet for energy when actually it is a fast-paced journey through many obstacles in which the dog is cued and instructed by the handler in how to negotiate the course.  It is a fast-paced teamwork sport that needs to done safely.

Sometimes in learning agility you may need to hold your dog by the collar for motivation, perhaps to steady him, or to define a position. Your dog should have no aversion to you taking his collar. You should be able to hold your dog by the collar without him being upset or frightened. Sometimes you might also need this for safety. This can be taught as a “touch” game with a clicker so that the dog will willingly “give” his collar to your out-stretched hand. Your dog should not be afraid of your space nor should he be attempting to control the space.

Any dog that will have the privilege of being free needs to understand and respond when his handler says “come”. Anything less than this is really unsafe. Perhaps “come” is one of the best things we can teach our dogs. Name recognition (which should be taught in puppy class) should bring your dog’s attention to you and the word “come” should physically bring the dog to you. These two skills name recognition and “come” — should be reinforced through– out your dog’s life. Someday they may even save his life.

Sitting and waiting to be released is a necessary skill to start the course so you can give your dog proper direction and help him safely negotiate the course. Running alongside you and taking direction without tripping you, biting you or running away to visit or jump the ring boundaries because of distraction is also a necessary skill. While it is nowhere near as precise as heeling in obedience, the agility dog needs to go with you and respond to your movement without interfering with you.

Taking the time to teach basic manners and basic obedience skills will give you a dog that is ready to explore and enjoy the challenges of agility. As an added bonus, you also get a well behaved pet to live with.

Carolyn Fuhrer has earned over 90 AKC titles with her Golden Retrievers, including 2 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.

SCORES & OUTDOORS: It takes many generations of Monarchs to complete migration

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Roland D. HalleeSCORES & OUTDOORS

by Roland D. Hallee

A little while ago, while watching the National Geographic’s channel on television, I saw an episode of a series called Great Migrations, and became very interested in the Monarch butterflies, who are among the most intriguing of the migrating species.

The monarch, Danaus plexippus, is probably the best known of all North American butterflies. Its wings feature an easily recognizable orange and black pattern, with a wingspan of 3-1/2 – 4 inches.

It takes four generations of Monarch butterflies to complete southern and northern migrations.

The monarch is most famous for its southward migration and northward return in summer in the Americas which spans the lifetime of three to four generations of the butterfly.

The upper side of the wings is tawny-orange, the veins and margins are black, and in the margins are two series of small white spots. The fore wings also have a few orange spots near the tip. The underside is similar but the tip of the fore wing and hind wing are yellow-brown instead of tawny-orange and the white spots are larger.

In North America, the monarch ranges from southern Canada to northern South America.

Monarchs are especially noted for their lengthy annual migration. In North America they make massive southward migrations starting in August until the first frost. A northward migration takes place in the spring. The monarch is the only butterfly that migrates both north and south as the birds do on a regular basis. But no single individual makes the entire round trip. Female monarchs deposit eggs for the next generation during these migrations.

By the end of October, the population east of the Rocky Mountains migrates to the sanctuaries of the Mariposa Monarca Biosphere Reserve within the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt pine-oak forests in the Mexican states of Michoacán and México. The western population overwinters in various sites in central coastal and southern California, United States, notably in Pacific Grove and Santa Cruz.

The length of these journeys exceeds the normal lifespan of most monarchs, which is less than two months for butterflies born in early summer. The last generation — also known as the super generation — of the summer enters into a non-reproductive phase and may live seven months or more. These butterflies fly to one of many overwintering sites. The generation that overwinters generally does not reproduce until it leaves the overwintering site sometime in February and March.

It is the second, third and fourth generations that return to their northern locations in the United States and Canada in the spring. How the species manages to return to the same overwintering spots over a gap of several generations is still a subject of research; the flight patterns appear to be inherited, based on a combination of the position of the sun in the sky and a time-compensated sun compass that depends upon a circadian (repeating in a 24-hour cycle) clock that is based in their antennae.

Monarch butterflies are one of the few insects capable of making trans-Atlantic crossings. They are becoming more common in Bermuda due to increased usage of milkweed as an ornamental plant in flower gardens.

Because they feed mainly on milkweed, monarch butterflies are poisonous or distasteful to birds and mammals because of the presence of cardiac glycosides that are contained in milkweed consumed by the larva. It is thought that the bright colors of larva and adults function as warning colors. During hibernation monarch butterflies sometimes suffer losses because hungry birds pick through them looking for the butterflies with the least amount of poison, but in the process killing those that they reject. Some birds, such as orioles and jays have learned to eat only the thoracic muscles and abdominal contents because they contain less poison. In Mexico, about 14 percent of the overwintering monarchs are eaten by birds and mice.

Many people like to attract monarchs by growing a butterfly garden with a specific milkweed species. Many schools also enjoy growing and attending to monarch butterflies, starting with the caterpillar form. When the butterflies reach adulthood they are released into the wild.

A problem in North America is the black swallow-wort plant. Monarchs lay their eggs on these plants since they produce stimuli similar to milkweed. Once the eggs hatch, the caterpillars are poisoned by the toxicity of this invasive plant.

The common name “Monarch” was first published in 1874 by Samuel H. Scudder because “it is one of the largest of our butterflies, and rules a vast domain.”

Monarchs are beautiful to watch during the summer, but the next time you see one, think of what that particular butterfly may have gone through to be with us.

I’m Just Curious: Wedding Boxes, etc.

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by Debbie Walker

“Wedding Box” brings different thoughts to each person who might see the words. I originally thought it was some sort of a goody box wedding present.. Nope, that is not what it is. I did some looking but all I could find was that the author is “unknown,” I don’t know who wrote it and the first time I saw it was on the internet being passed around. I printed it off because I thought it was rather special. So I hope you enjoy it too.

Marriage Box

Most people get married believing a myth that marriage is a beautiful box full of all the things they have longed for; companionship, intimacy, friendship etc. The truth is that marriage at the start is an empty box. You must put something in before you can take anything out. There is no love in marriage. Love is in people. And people put love in marriage. There is no romance in marriage. You have to infuse it into your marriage. A couple must learn the art and form the habit of giving, loving, serving, praising, of keeping the box full. If you take out more than you put in, the box will be empty.

I am hoping all of you who are married or in a committed relationship will take this all quite serious. How wonderful it would be if we could bring up our children with two loving parents. You will have to excuse me; I put my rose-colored glasses on for a few minutes!

Okay, now I have room for one of my questions. I have soooo many questions! This one involves underwear. Why can bras and panties be advertised on models on TV and pictures in catalogs but if anyone went into a store dressed like that they would be arrested for indecent exposure!

Now that would be rather foolish, because bathing suits with less fabric than most underwear can be worn in public. I just don’t understand.

Onto my next subject: Some of you know that I am involved with the Foster Grandparent Program. I just love it! If you volunteer in a school or day care now it would be to your benefit to check this out. You would call Maria Staples at 973-3611. If you are just one person or are involved in a group have Maria come and speak. This is part of Penquis. It is interesting and the kids are wonderful! They can use your attention.

And as usual I Am Just Curious, hoping you will be a little curious about the Foster Grandparent Program. I am looking for any questions or comments, send to dwdaffy@yahoo.com, sub: Marriage, Underwear, or FGP. Have you checked us out on-line yet?

REVIEWS: Music director: Archie Bleyer; Film: The Big Sleep

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Peter CatesREVIEW POTPOURRI

by Peter Cates

Archie Bleyer

Music from the Pajama Game
Cadence, EP 4054/5, two ep 45s, recorded 1954.

Archie Bleyer

After serving seven years as Arthur Godfrey’s music director, Archie Bleyer (1909-1989) was unceremoniously fired almost the same day in 1953 as Julius LaRosa. Meanwhile, Bleyer had founded Cadence records where he would be developing a catalog that would eventually include LaRosa, the Chordettes, Andy Williams, the Everly Brothers, Link Wray and, in 1962, the megahit First Family album, featuring one North Vassalboro native, the late Vaughan Meader, whose day in the limelight ended, of course, on November 22, 1963.

The 45 rpm set under consideration this week features Bleyer, with his orchestra; the Ray Charles Singers, who backed up Perry Como on his own RCA records and TV shows for ten or more years; and singers Stephen Douglass, Dorothy Evans and Arthur Malvin, performing eight songs from the 1954 musical, Pajama Game, later even better known as a 1957 film with Doris Day and John Raitt. Two songs from the musical were hit records on their own – Hernando’s Hideaway for Bleyer and Hey There for Rosemary Clooney.

The renditions here of these superb songs were spirited in the best sense of the word. Some of them can also be heard on YouTube.

A P.S.- Bleyer got married to one of the Chordettes, Janet Extel, while both parties were still working for Godfrey, thus violating the boss’ rule about dating fellow employees – a factor most likely contributing to Bleyer’s dismissal!

The Big Sleep

starring Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Martha Vickers, Elisha Cook Jr., Bob Steele, John Ridgeley, Dorothy Malone, etc.; directed by Howard Hawks; Warner Brothers, released August 23, 1946, 114 minutes.

Humphrey Bogart

In terms of the number of times I have watched this film since my first viewing at the Cambridge, Massachusetts, Brattle Street Theater in May 1974, the Big Sleep is my favorite from the peak film noir period from the mid-’40s through the ‘50s, when the detective movies and TV shows had a combination of quantity and quality that would remain unmatched to this day.

Humphrey Bogart may have given his best performance as the cynical, ever chain-smoking, always reparteeing detective Philip Marlowe. When he visits the very rich, but ailing General Sternwood (portrayed most movingly by the veteran stage and screen actor, Charles D. Waldron, just two years before his own death at 71), and is asked by the gentleman how he likes his brandy, he replies, “In a glass!”

Within ten minutes of the visit, Marlowe meets the general’s two daughters – the eldest, Vivian, (Lauren Bacall,) who , as described by her father, is “spoiled, exacting, ruthless”; and the youngest, Carmen, (Martha Vickers,) a quite promiscuous, addicted-to-dope loose cannon who wreaks much havoc on a regular basis.

The plot initially centers around Marlowe being hired by Sternwood to get a blackmailer to leave Carmen alone, the second such situation she has gotten herself into. And this problem is the most minor of a Pandora’s Box of nastiness involving pornography, deceit, grifters, hit men and at least five murders. And one fun movie!

The acting is masterful throughout all major and minor roles. Max Steiner’s lush soundtrack enhanced the melodramatic scenes in a most riveting manner right up to a truly cathartic climax.

The great Southern novelist, William Faulkner, was one of the three scriptwriters.

IF WALLS COULD TALK, Week of October 5, 2017

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Katie Ouilette Wallsby Katie Ouilette

WALLS, you have a lot to talk about today, for sure. Yes, you have the program that has been featured about the Vietnam War and we’ll soon have November 11 and all that must be told about it and those brave souls who have laid down their lives for our United States and all that our flag’s flying has stood for.

Y’know what? I’ve been reading Smithsonian magazine and, as with every issue, I learn what I’ve never learned in my school days. Well, maybe our faithful readers and you, WALLS, have learned such, but I do feel compelled, WALLS, to write about what I have learned. O.K., faithful readers, I’ll begin with Smithsonian magazine’s teaching of World War I. The magazine has an article entitled Save by the Bell. Yup, WALLS, you guessed it! The bell is our Liberty Bell.

It seems that in April 1917, our USA was in trouble. You are so right, faithful readers, the trouble was “no money.” Our country’s treasury department undertook raising $2 billion through the sale of War Bonds (that would be $4 billion today). You and I weren’t even born in 1917, but it was decided that important people would gather around our cracked Liberty Bell, ring it and all people, upon hearing a bell ring in their community, would flock to a bank to buy a bond! Oh, do you know what the final day of the champagne was? You guessed! Yes, it was June 14, 1917! Flag Day! There’s more for you faithful readers to know, aka what a newspaper editor did to save our bell, but word count doesn’t permit such at the moment.

Yes, I want to tell about our being involved in the Vietnam War. Frankly, many, many people of our Armed Forces died, as Ken Burns, a great story teller, depicted throughout the weeks of programming that he produced for TV. Yes, with all the wars that our United States has been involved in, we have lost our true Americans who were willing to fight for our freedom….and we must be thankful for those in our military who have given their way of life, whether during war-times or times of peace.

Tomorrow, we Ouilettes will have Lew’s family here. Yes, there are heroes who have gone to a better place, but from World War II to those who have graduated from Maine Maritime Academy, we offer our thanks. And over dessert on a Sunday afternoon, surely we will all remember days gone by.

SOLON & BEYOND, Week of October 5, 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!

I haven’t come back to earth yet after again reaching my goals from writing these many columns for papers for over 50 years! It is such amazing news, in my mind, anyway, for this wonderful little paper, but especially its editor Roland Hallee.

Now I will back-track a little, I know I have shared with you how I first met Roland back when I was writing for the Somerset Gazette, in Skowhegan. Then, when that paper closed and he called and asked me if I would like to write for The Town Line. He wasn’t the editor of the paper at that time, but I was hired to write a column and I did under a couple different editors for awhile but couldn’t seem to get along with one of them, and started my own paper for awhile. Then Roland became the editor, and again I was writing for The Town Line. When I went to South China and met with Roland as the editor, I asked him point blank, “How much mushy stuff will you let me get away with?” And I don’t remember his exact words, but in essence, he said to write from my heart! That was what I was waiting to hear, and he has always kept his word!

Now for the reason I haven’t come back to earth yet is because one day last week when Lief and I happened to be at Griswold’s having lunch, two men stopped at our table,and one of them started saying, “Oh you’re just the person I wanted to see!” It was Bob Therrien, who I had done a column a few months ago about him and his Cuckoo clocks that he builds. He was very excited and he grabbed my hand and started thanking me and the article that I had written for this paper about him because it had made it possible for his long lost brother to find him.

It seems that someone in the many towns this little paper covers, had seen the article and cut it out and sent it to Bob’s brother, Donald Therrien, and that morning that we saw them at Griswold’s he had come to Bob’s home on North Maine Street, in Solon, and surprised him. Very seldom have I seen anyone so excited and grateful as Bob was, and he said, “What a good thing you did for me!” His brother was very appreciative and pleased about finding his brother also and thanked me over and over.

Bob said, “This is the best thing that has happened to me in 50 years!” (They hadn’t seen each other in that many years.)

My goals in writing all these years have been to bring, peace, love, happiness, and laughter, along with the facts of happenings going on in this area all these years. When I learned what happiness one of my columns had meant to Bob Therrien and his brother Donald, it made me very happy indeed! And I’m hoping they can get together for many more happy moments in the years to come.

October 8 will be Country Sunday/Open Mic from 1 – 4 p.m., at the Embden Community Center. The October 14 supper at the Embden Community Center will be held at 5 p.m.

Dan Schall Ministries preached and sang at the North Anson Congregational Church on Sunday to a very attentive audience. He and his wife Linda have compiled a little book of Stories & Anecdotes which is very interesting. In the introduction it says, “Our stories come from church bulletins and writings that people have sent us. I am going to use one of them this week for Percy’s Memoir: Young Construction Worker: A strong, broad shouldered young man at the construction site was bragging that he could outdo anyone in a feat of strength. He especially made fun of one of the older workmen.

After several minutes, the older worker had had enough. “Why don’t you put your money where your mouth is,” he said. “I will bet a week’s wages that I can haul something in a wheelbarrow over to that building that you won’t be able to wheel back.” “You’re on, old man,” the braggart replied. “Let’s see what you got.” The old man reached out and gabbed the wheelbarrow by the handles. Then, nodding to the young man, he said, “All right, get in.”

PALERMO: Our little piece of the world: Sheepscot Pond

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COMMUNITY COMMENTARY

by Pamela McKenney, Palermo resident

A bill has been proposed by a Maine representative to open the fishway at the outlet of Sheepscot Pond and to grant management of the fishway to the Department of Marine Resources. I have lived on the river since 1989 near the bridge on Route Three. Being a water person, I know the river and the lake and have a perspective to share regarding the controversy as well as the names of representatives you should contact if you share my concerns.

Living by the water, every season has its treasures. In the winter, I have a frozen, silver-white path that leads up river and around the bends to the lake. Whether walking, skiing, or snowmobiling, this access to the woods and the sky and the air out on the water is a pleasure that is difficult to express. After ice out, a new trove of pleasures opens up. I boat often, and I love to swim—even taught swimming lessons at the Fish and Game Club for several years—so I understand the unique resource of Palermo’s lake and what it has to offer its inhabitants—human and otherwise. I also fish the Sheepscot, each season; when the flag is up, I still run to the holes; or when reeling in a keeper at the mouth of the river, feel my heart beat faster, hoping. This wealth of experience enjoyed by me and many others may be attributed to careful lake management. Could it be better? Yes, but it could be much, much worse, as we may soon see— if LD 922 passes in January.

People, like me, have been accused of “having our hackles up” and needing a little time to get over our “hysteria.” These comments convey a disregard for those who enjoy or live by the lake and have expressed concern about the proposed changes. l am quite familiar with the birds and species of fish, reptiles, amphibians and other wildlife that depend on the watershed. I know that if I pull a perch or pickerel out of the lake in winter or see a snapping turtle lay eggs in a sandy embankment in spring, then I’ll be swimming with those creatures in the summer. People who live by and recreate on or in a Maine lake, accept and respect that other living beings exist near or in the water, as do my children and now grandchildren who know the gift of life on water.

Every summer we salt the leg of a swimmer to get a leech to detach. From my kayak I have watched with horrified fascination as a snake, on the bank of the river, slowly consumed a frog. Out off the point of Bear Island, years ago, I investigated a line, tied to a float, and pulled up a trap that was teeming with American eel. I quickly dropped the trap and paddled away knowing that regardless of how far or how fast I move my boat, the eel, the snake, snapping turtles and leeches will be there. This is life on the lake. My protestations over this bill is not about an hysterical fear of sea lamprey. The idea of swimming with a lamprey does not appeal to me but I wish it no harm. I now know more about these creatures than I ever expected, and I have learned that denying lamprey access to Sheepscot Pond will not harm them, nor will denial harm the alewife, but opening access may do a great deal of harm to other lake inhabitants.

Humans will find a way to live with “the good, the bad, and the ugly” that inhabit the lake, but will the species of fish on which the lamprey feed withstand the parasitic interaction? Of specific concern is the lake trout (togue) and other game fish. Back in the late seventies, early eighties, when I fished the Sheepscot with friends, I remember the scars on the fish we caught left by the lamprey. I remember the comments of the real fishermen who said the lamprey did not leave the lake as they should in late summer. They stayed and fed on the game fish. Low water levels changed the habits of these sea creatures, making them landlocked. The sea lamprey overpopulation became such a problem that the Department Inland Fisheries and Wildlife blocked the fishway at the dam from May to June to prevent anadromous species, such as, alewife, American eel, and sea lamprey, from migrating into the lake.

Since alewife feed on zooplankton which contribute to algae blooms (alewife do not eat the algae) many are excited about their reintroduction, hoping for improved water quality for struggling Maine lakes, but overabundance of alewife (as has been experienced recently in Webber Pond) can degrade water quality and cause other complications. According to the Illinois Department of Conservation’s 1993 Biodiversity Report the presence of alewife could “restructure a lake’s food web, leaving less food for native species” like white perch and smelts, thus “limiting their availability to larger predators” such as lake trout and salmon. A.L. Houde, et al in the Journal of Great Lakes Research, reports that “consumption of alewife which contain high levels of thiaminase,” reduces absorption of thiamin in predators such as salmonids (like salmon, trout, whitefish) and can cause “reduced body condition, swim performance, and other potential impacts.” What will happen when thousands of alewife make their way into the Fish Cultural Station at the outlet? Imagine the challenges of mitigation and the need to prevent contamination. Who would test the delicate balance of a lake environment?

When I ask why would we take control of an inland lake from the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, which has managed it for 50 plus years, and give it to the Department of Marine Resources? The one answer I get is: “to return anadromous fish to their origins.” That is the politically correct answer. I see it as a special interest group lobbying to benefit their “special interest” without completely considering the impact on this individual lake. We all tend to see what we want to see and maybe those who support the bill see that they are attempting to take the watershed back to the way it may have been before the dam existed and before the Fish Cultural Station (hatchery) existed and before the lake was peppered with homes that reap tens of thousands of dollars in tax revenue which pays for those departments and the salaries of representatives that now want to restore the watershed even though the existing water quality of Sheepscot Pond is currently good. A vicious circle.

But the dam does exist, as does the hatchery and the homes. This is a complicated issue made more complicated by those who lobby representatives to create bills for monetary gain—in this case those that would harvest the alewife which will flourish with access to Branch Pond, China Lake, Webber Pond, Long Pond, and now—if the bill passes—Sheepscot Pond. It is no secret that the representative who proposed the bill is the president of the alewife association but is it a conflict of interest? He represents coastal communities which will benefit from an abundance of alewife for bait. Let’s hope the representatives of Palermo and neighboring towns will consider our “little piece of the world,” as well as the interests of a currently healthy lake.

Sheepscot Pond is not just any lake to me, what does that make me guilty of? Guilty of caring about the changes that others would haphazardly impose. And when I am accused of focusing on my “little piece of the world” and not seeing the “big world” I won’t apologize for that. If more of us paid attention to the little things—the things right in front of us that we can actually do something about, then maybe those little actions should be taken. The health and wealth of our lake may change irrevocably with the scribble of a pen or removal of a barrier. Change can be good, but too often it is wrought for the benefit of specialized interests and we fail to consider the little pieces of the big world.

Laser Vision Correction For Life’s Major Milestones

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For Your Health

(NAPSI)—College graduation, a new job, getting married. These life milestones often lead to setting goals for achieving our best selves. For people dealing with nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism, big life transitions are also a good time for considering LASIK eye surgery. Unlike prescription eyeglasses or contact lenses, LASIK, which uses laser technology to reshape corneas, offers a permanent way to improve vision.

“LASIK helps remove the layer that glasses and contacts put between you, your life and the world around you,” said Dr. Kerry Solomon with the American Refractive Surgery Council. “This is why a lot of people consider LASIK when approaching a milestone. The improved quality of life that excellent vision provides can make the next phase even more appealing.”

Clear vision, without the need for glasses or contacts, offers many benefits during and after life milestones, such as:

College Graduation: Transitioning into life as an independent adult is made much easier with great vision. For many, laser vision correction is a terrific gift the graduate will appreciate for years. Some choose to use their cash gifts to go toward the cost of the procedure.

Career: For some careers—military, emergency responders and airplane pilots—excellent vision is a matter of life and death. Professional athletes rely heavily on vision to keep a competitive edge. Photographers depend on their vision to capture the moment. But, in any career, having excellent vision without worrying about glasses or contacts is important.

Wedding: Every couple wants to look and feel their best as they celebrate their wedding day. For those who are good candidates, LASIK allows couples to see every moment of their big day in clarity and comfort, and have great vision at the ready for years.

Travel: Whether sightseeing, hiking, camping or exploring, travelers want to focus on their adventures, not on their vision. Needing glasses or contacts can weigh down bags and put a barrier between the traveler and the experience. Laser vision correction can give people their visual freedom and open up the world in new and exciting ways.

If a milestone in your life has you thinking about laser vision correction, such as LASIK, visit the American Refractive Surgery Council blog to research the procedure, learn what to expect before and after surgery, find ways to pay for it, and much more at www.Americanrefractivesurgerycouncil.org/blog.

SCORES & OUTDOORS: Talk always turns to weather

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Roland D. HalleeSCORES & OUTDOORS

by Roland D. Hallee

Isn’t it amazing how when you begin a conversation with someone, inevitably, it always leads to the weather. What would we do if we didn’t have the weather to talk about. Maybe some of us would never speak.

Whether you’re at the supermarket, church, or just bumping into a friend on the street, the conversation always goes something like, “What a nice day” or “boy, it sure is hot enough.” Get the idea?

Well, the other day, a colleague and I started talking about whether this recent stretch of weather constituted an “Indian Summer.” Which prompted me to think, “what really is an Indian summer and what determines whether we have one or not?”

An Indian summer is unseasonably warm, dry and calm weather, usually following a period of colder weather or frost in the late autumn, in September, October or early November. The Old Farmers Almanac describes it as taking place between November 11 and 20. It states, “During true Indian summer, the atmosphere looks hazy or smokey, and the weather is calm and dry.”

Modern ideas on what an Indian summer constitutes vary, but the most widely accepted value for determining whether an Indian summer is occurring is that the weather must be above 70 degrees for seven days after the autumnal equinox. The autumn equinox occured last week, and we have had a stretch of seven days where we are experiencing unseasonally warm weather. We also had a period of cold weather earlier in September.

The term Indian summer has been used for more than two centuries. The origin of other “Indian”phrases are well-known as referring to North American Indians, who prefer to be called Native Americans, or, in Canada, First Nations. The term Indian summer reached England in the 19th century, during the heyday of the British Raj in India. This led to the mistaken belief that the term referred to the Indian subcontinent. In fact, the Indians in question were the Native Americans, and the term began use there in the late 18th century.

Indian summer is first recorded in Letters From an American Farmer, a 1778 work by the French-American soldier-turned-farmer J. H. St. John de Crevecoeur: “Then a severe frost succeeds which prepares it to receive the voluminous coat of snow which is soon to follow; though it is often preceded by a short interval of smoke and mildness, called the Indian Summer.”

There are many references to the term in American literature in the following hundred years or so. In the 1830s Indian summer began to be used figuratively, to refer to any late flowering following a period of decline. It was well enough established as a phrase by 1834 for John Greenleaf Whittier to use the term that way, when in his poem Memories,” he wrote of “The Indian Summer of the heart!.”

Or, Thomas DeQuincey, in a republishing of Bentley’s Works of Thomas DeQuincey, 1855, wrote: “An Indian summer crept stealthily over his closing days.”

Also, in his story The Guardian Angel, Oliver Wendell Holmes mentions “an Indian summer of serene widowhood.”

As a climatic event it is known throughout the world and is most frequently associated with the eastern and central states of the U.S., which have a suitable climate to generate the weather pattern. For example, a wide variation of temperature and wind strength from summer to winter.

Why Indian? Well, no one knows but, as is commonplace when no one knows, many people have guessed.

Some say it was from the prairie fires deliberately set by Indian tribes; from raids on European settlements by Indian war parties, which usually ended in autumn; or, in parallel with other Indian terms, it implied a belief in Indian falsity and untrustworthiness and that an Indian summer was a substitute copy of the real thing.

But my grandfather, who could spin a yarn with the best of them, had the best I’ve ever heard.

It seems an Indian chief was concerned about a hunting party that was delayed in returning from a late summer gathering of meat for the winter. The year had been an extremely difficult one and the tribe needed the buffalo, deer and turkey meat for their winter consumption, and the hides for clothing and shelters. Fearing the crops in the fields would go to waste before the braves returned to harvest, the chief sat at his campfire and began to feverishly smoke a pipe, until the air was filled with smokey, hot air. Once the hunting party made its return, the air was still warm enough to gather the crops that had not been damaged by frost, that the chief feared would be destroyed by the impending cold weather.

Makes sense to me.

I’m Just Curious: Learning a little about Halloween past

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by Debbie Walker

I almost feel bad for you all to be left to my mind for any of your reading material. But I doubt that many others have as much fun in their heads as I do. Yesterday, my head was busy dreaming up new pocketbooks. Once I get the kinks worked out I’ll let you know how they come out if you are interested. Today, I saw some clothes in a catalog that I think I may attempt to make one or two similar. This kind of stuff happens all the time!

Tonight I wanted to pass on some Halloween history. This was printed in The Country Register, written by Elizabeth Nix. I have pulled out bits and pieces of interest.

Trick or Treating started in the 1930s and early 1940s. In those years children were given homemade cookies and pieces of cake, fruit, nuts, even coins and toys. When I started Trick or Treating we were still given baked goods and store bought treats. That was in the ‘50s. Fudge made by mom was and always will be the best treat. That is my best Halloween memory!

In the 1950s candy manufacturers started to promote their products for Halloween. About 1970 or so the “boughten” candy became more important. There was and still is a problem with safety. Why in the world anyone would ever be cruel enough to try to harm children. I am afraid there is a sickness involved.

I like the idea of Trick A Trunk. My grandsons used to go to their church for Trick A Trunk. They had the fun of dressing up and to be able to holler Trick or Treat and be safe.

One of the things I enjoyed about Ms. Nix article was the history of some of our “today” candies:

1900 – Hershey’s Milk Chocolate bar invented
1907- Hershey’s Kisses
1923- Milky Way bars
1928- Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
1930- Snickers bar
1932- 3 Musketeers bar
193?- Mars bar
193?- Nestle Crunch bar
1937- Kit Kat bars
1941- M&Ms

The really neat one is the tri-color candy corn that was invented in the 1880s!

So, I don’t know about you but just from writing this I feel like I am on a chocolate rush and I haven’t had a bite! I do like chocolate especially the dark stuff. But when I start buying candy for Halloween I make sure I buy the stuff I don’t like! Keeps me out of it (pretty much!).

I’m just curious what your favorite memories of Halloween are? Let me know at dwdaffy@yahoo.com sub: Halloween. Don’t forget to try out our website!