SOLON & BEYOND, Week of April 6, 2017

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Marilyn Rogers-Bull & Percyby Marilyn Rogers-Bull & Percy
Solon, Maine 04979

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

The Solon Congregational Church will be having their annual Spring Inside Yard and Craft Sale on Saturday, April 29, from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m., at the Solon Elementary School. They are still looking for yard salers and vendors to take part in this popular event featuring many crafters, vendors and second hand tables! New this year is a plant sale, 50/50 Raffle and Spring Themed Guess the Amount Baskets. The kitchen will be open for breakfast and lunch with homemade items. Homemade baked goods table. Spring is here, Don’t Miss Out!!

Much to my horror, when last week’s paper came out, I had failed to put in the date of the very ‘Important Dinner to benefit the Timdall Family! Of course I started to worry that my failure to write the day would keep people away from such an important endeavor! But…when Lief and I arrived for the meal, it was almost impossible to find a place to park, there were so many vehicles! ( Someday, my prayer is that I will stop worrying! Wish me luck!). There had been lots of posters posted around also and there was a huge crowd enjoying the fellowship and wonderful food in abundance. We left before the auction but I hope to find out more about the whole affair before I write this column next week.

Every year when I turn the page on a calendar to April, I start thinking about age. In my dictionary it describes ‘aging’ as “to grow old, to show signs of age. 2 to become mature, heavy wines age slowly. 3 to cause to become old, worry aged him rapidly, 4 to allow to mature. Act your age, behave more sensibly. ( I’ve been told that I don’t act my age, and I totally agree, and I continue to work on that problem!)

But as I get older every year, it impresses me more and more when I find out what other people are still doing in their lives. I can’t say enough about the great job the person who delivers our daily paper does, especially in the winter, (with all the snow storms and blizzards we’ve had this winter!)

Her name is Mary Reed and when I found out last week that she had just had her 80th birthday, my admiration at all she still does was beyond measure. She has been delivering the Morning Sentinel for 37 years. She also delivers the Bangor paper Monday through Saturday and the Portland Sunday paper as well! She said she worked at a shoe shop before starting to deliver papers.

She and her mother found a place to live on Fire Road 15 on the lake, she loved it there, but after her mother died she had to sell the place because the taxes went up. She then bought the place where she now lives in East Madison. She said she made it into a nice house, it was going to be a place to fix cars. She has lived there for 37 years and at one time did do some wood working projects and sold them.

She said she had cancer a couple of years back but was cured. She spends most of her time planting roses, her mother loved them. She wrote on a note to me that, “I love your roses, I watch them grow.”

But again I can’t say enough about how much we appreciate the great job she does in delivering our paper right to our door. (Our driveway curves up a hill and unless there is an ice storm or a blizzard it is there, but if not, it is a tube on South Solon Road. Thanks Mary for a job well done!

I’m sure Percy probably watched Mary’s lights coming up the driveway around 3:30 or 4 a.m. on many a morning, his memoir is to Keep Going: There’s no skill in easy sailing When the skies are clear and blue. There’s no joy in merely doing Things that anyone can do. But there is great satisfaction, That is mighty sweet to take When you reach a destination That you said you couldn’t make.

TECH TALK: 7 killer Ways to Get the Most Out of Our website

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ERIC’S TECH TALK

by Eric W. Austin
Computer Technical Advisor

*** THIS ARTICLE IS UP TO DATE AS OF APRIL 6, 2017. It may not reflect site changes after that date! ***

The Town Line launched its website back in 2016 and it’s been a huge success.

But for those of you who still haven’t made the digital leap, I’d like to point out a few reasons you should log on and give it a gander.

1. Get it first! The website is usually updated before the print edition is available. Generally, townline.org publishes the new edition by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, whereas you’ll have to wait until Thursday morning for the paper version!

2. Join the Conversation! Got a grievous grumble caught in your gullet? Unlike the paper, the website allows you to post your comments on every story! Just remember that we at The Town Line follow the BNBR (Be Nice, Be Respectful) policy, and any comments that breach this will not be approved!

3. Clickable links! Every link you see in the paper — including on the Our Town’s Report and Calendar pages! — is clickable on the website. No more squinting at the paper while typing a link into your browser. Just locate the article on townline.org and click the link to have it open in a new page!

4. Browse past issues! Did you miss last week’s issue? No problem! While our Homepage will always display the current edition of The Town Line, we’ve made it easy to find a past issue. Just hover your mouse over the first menu item at the top of the page that begins “Week of…”. A menu will pop open with a list of previous issues. It’s like traveling back in time, only without the math. Eat your heart out Einstein!

5. Save yourself a stamp! Have some local news to share, or want to send a Letter to the Editor? Do it straight from our website! Hover your mouse over the “About Us” menu item at the top of the page for an option to “Contact Us.” Just fill out the contact form (even attach a photo if you want) and click submit! There, you saved 49 cents! You’re welcome!

6. Share the Love! On townline.org, we’ve made it easy to share articles with your friends. At the bottom of every article, you’ll find share buttons for Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and other popular social media sites. Simply click the appropriate button, type some witty commentary and share it with the world!

7. Support your local businesses! All of the ads you see on townline.org are local businesses. The Town Line has always been a locally-supported newspaper. Clicking on one of our ads will take you to that business’ website. If you use an ad-blocker extension in your browser, consider turning it off when visiting townline.org. Our ads are not obtrusive and without their support we would not be able to provide you with free community news and information!

And in the coming weeks we’ll be adding a new “Local Business Directory” to make it easier for you to find services and support your local merchants!

If you’re a business and would like to advertise on townline.org or want to be included in our new Local Business Directory, send us an email through the contact form on the website or call our resident ad-lady, Kathy Duhnoski, at 691-2332 or kduhnoski@myfairpoint.net.

Next time we’ll return to our topic of online privacy with a look at two essential technologies that you really can’t afford to live without!

Eric W. Austin is a marketing and technology consultant specializing in small business. He can be reached by email at ericwaustin@gmail.com.

IF WALLS COULD TALK, Week of April 6, 2017

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Katie Ouilette Wallsby Katie Ouilette

WALLS, I looked out the lakeside window and saw the book he had written about Lakewood on the small table there. Then, I turned to the obituaries in the Morning Sentinel and, lo and behold, there was the photo and write-up of his life, which included his involvement with our own Maine Lakewood Theatre. Yes, it was one and the same John Oblak that had visited his family in Little Falls, New York. Wow! We really had walked in each-others moccasins, as Lew and I had just moved into our house in Little Falls. Needless to say, I called John’s family immediately, but he and his wife had just left after their visit.

Now, our faithful readers may want to ‘fast forward’ to today and learn that Lakewood was a mere drop in John Oblak’s theatrical life. Yes, he was technical director at Lakewood from 1965-1967, he pursued his theatrical education and, even in retirement, he continued to work with theatrical presentations as recently as 2016.

Yes, I have the book that he wrote entitled Bringing Broadway to Maine and the listings of presentations and performers bring wonderful memories every time I thumb through it. Oh, yes, I have a copy of the first play ever performed at Lakewood in 1901 entitled Private Secretary, thanks to an actor who told me he would find it so that we, who owned the theater would be able to produce it for the centennial year of 1975. Yes, and Grandma Zelia Valliere is listed among the performers as Celia Vallier. How many times she told me about her experience of acting at the Lakewood Theatre after getting excused from school and taking the trolley to Lakewood for rehearsals. Yes, she was a sailor-boy in the 1901 play, but grew up for another part in 1903. Oh, WALLS, the ‘we’ I spoke of was Joe Denis and I who owned all of Lakewood from ‘1971 through 1975’.

Yes, WALLS, those who have had Lakewood in their lives over the years will get surprised by the changes there, but a bit ago there was a notice that auditions are being planned for the 2017 season of the theater.

Well, WALLS, you’ve told folks a little bit about Lakewood on Lake Wesserunsett, but surely there will be more as summer gets in full bloom. You will surely tell more about Lakewood’s growth from an Abnaki Indian Reservation to what has become known as one of the oldest summer theaters in our USA. Surely, there are changes that, frankly, happened when Herbert Swett would visit his Bowdoin classmates in New York City and they would all sit at the Lakewood table at the hotel where they met and reminisced and, yes, planned for a dreamed-of theater season. With a trolley line that had just been introduced, of course, the theater would become an attraction for folks far and near.

SCORES & OUTDOORS: Eastern cottontail numbers affect lynx population

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Roland D. HalleeSCORES & OUTDOORS

by Roland D. Hallee

Walking through the woods following a snowfall can show evidence of many wildlife tracks. One that I saw recently was that of the Eastern Cottontail rabbit.

The Eastern Cottontail, Salvilagus floridanus, is actually a New World cottontail rabbit, a member of the family Leporidae. It is one of the most common rabbit species in North America.

Here in Maine, its numbers has a profound affect on the Canada lynx population. The survival rate of the lynx is dependent on a healthy cottontail population.

The Eastern Cottontail is chunky red-brown or gray-brown in appearance with large hind feet, long ears and a short fluffy white tail. Its underside fur is white. There is a rusty patch on the tail.

Eastern cottontail

Its appearance differs from that of a hare in that it has a brownish-gray coloring around the head and neck. The body is lighter color with a white underside on the tail. It has large brown eyes to see and large ears to listen for danger. In the winter, its coloring is more gray than brown. The kittens develop the same coloring after a few weeks, but they also have a white blaze that goes down their forehead. This marking eventually disappears. The average adult weighs between 2-4 pounds. However, the female tends to be heavier.

They can be found in the eastern and southwestern United States, southern Canada, eastern Mexico all the way down to South America. Originally, it was not found in New England, but it has been introduced here and now competes for habitat with the native New England cottontail.

The rabbits are active at night, and do not hibernate in winter. Predators include hawks, owls, coyotes, wolves and the aforementioned lynx. On farms and in gardens, they are considered pests and are often trapped or shot to protect plants.

Mating occurs from February to September. Males will mate with more than one female. Females have 2 to 4 large litters of up to nine young in a year. After the female has given birth to her offspring, she can mate again immediately thereafter. The kittens are weaned after three weeks and leave the nest after seven weeks. The kittens then reach mating age after three months.

The Eastern cottontail is a very territorial animal. When running, it can jump from 15 feet, which can aid in avoiding predators. When chased, it runs in a zigzag pattern so the animal chasing it will lose its scent, making the rabbit harder to follow. They can run up to 18 miles per hour. The cottontail prefers an area where it can hide quickly but be out in the open. Forests, swamps, thickets, bushes or open areas where it can dig a burrow are optimal habitation sites for this species.

I had one appear in my backyard a few years ago and seemed to have settled in very well. It apparently found a buffet of clover that grows wild around my garden area. It stayed around for about a week. Unfortunately, although it seemed content where it was, the constant attempt of neighborhood kids to capture it led it to run off in a desperate escape attempt on several occasions. I found it dead one Sunday morning, apparently the victim of a road kill collision with a car.

IF WALLS COULD TALK, Week of March 30, 2017

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IF WALLS COULD TALK

by Katie Ouilette

WALLS, o.k., no famous people today. You want to tell our faithful readers about animals. No, we won’t compete other columnists in this newspaper, because your trigger has been tripped about dogs, since our relative in Turner loaned us a best selling book entitled A Dog’s Purpose, by W. Bruce Cameron. Yes, I know you’ve not read much of the book at this point, but you know about pets that have surprised folks when we lived in Sudbury, Massachusetts.

O.K., WALLS start with that one-room schoolhouse at the end of Dutton Road. It really did happen, that Mary had a little lamb that followed her there. In fact, the story of that lamb is that it went to school with Mary every day, The children loved it and the lamb loved the love. That was probably in the 1800s, surely not today!

Now, WALLS, tell our faithful readers about the Denis’ Brittany Spaniel, Jock. Oh, he was a wonderful pet and the Denis children could do almost anything with him, such as his wearing a football helmet and riding up the turnpike to Maine with his head sticking out of the car window! People in the cars which we passed surely laughed at the site and Jock was happy that his head was out the window. Oh, and speaking of Jock, I went into a store in Sudbury and, because Jock always jumped into the driver’s seat when we were stopped, a woman ran into the store and announced, “that dog is driving the car!” Well, you know better, faithful readers, but that was Jock’s moment, for sure!

Yes, I do have to refer to a recent article on skunks. That reminded you of the Denis next door neighbor’s experience with one. The neighbors had a garbage can next to the house and that garbage can had a cover on it, since it was a buried can (a lot of them in Massachusetts). Well, the ‘lady of the house’ was wearing a new suit, but also fixing dinner for her family. When she went outside and lifted that cover to deposit the potato peels….you, faithful readers, guessed. She was sprayed by the skunk! Of course, she screamed and I ran to help her. O.K., dinner was late there, our next-door neighbor had to throw away her new suit and she had a bath with tomato juice and water!

Well, WALLS, there is another purpose for dogs that is not laughable, but heartwarming. When the Denis family moved to New Jersey, we lived a short distance from Morristown, where the Seeing Eye Institute was located. You faithful readers surely know that WALLS is about to tell you of ‘seeing dogs’ being trained to accompany their owners throughout downtown. Yes, those dogs are truly faithful, whether the blind owner is crossing a street or shopping in a store. Thosedogs know their purpose. In closing, WALLS will tell you about Ted Glazier. Ted was blind since 10 years old and he attended the Seeing Eye Institute as a teacher of veterans and also was a student at Dartmouth College, in New Hampshire. When Seeing Eye Institute was featured at Colby Sawyer College, in New London, New Hampshire, Ted attended and asked a question. Immediately, the blind speaker asked: “Is that you Ted Glazier?” Ted’s seeing eye dog was the first to respond and guided Ted to the stage and blind speaker. Quite a moment for sure!

I’m Just Curious: Fern and the New Flower

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I’m Just Curious

by Debbie Walker

I have had a few requests for another Fairy Story, so here it is. Enjoy!

Fern, the youngest of the Bailey fairy family spent most of her time with the wild flowers. Since Momma named her Fern and dressed her as a fern plant she blended in with the wild flowers quite well and loved her time with them.

She didn’t usually go near the house behind Apple Tree Notch, the one the people had bought recently. Her sister Daisy and brother Twig had already had some encounters with the people’s children. She had seen one, the girl, Tristin, but thankfully that day Tristin was only interested in Hoppy Toad and didn’t see her.

Fern just loved the flowers and she had a nose for finding them. There was a new flower smell that she kept sniffing and decided today was the day to check it out. It was in the direction of the house.

She slowly approached the house, hiding in the grass. Since she was the same color she blended in well. So she crept a little closer and there, right there, was where that beautiful smell was coming from. Up along the house someone had added a new flower. It was beautiful.

Fern tried to talk to the flower but she was not friendly. Fern finally asked her why she was so unfriendly. She told Fern that she was a special flower. “Well, of course,” Fern told her “I understand that because all flowers are special.” With that comment the new flower got all puffed up and threw out some more of her scent. She told Fern she was special because she was a Rose and needed a lot of special care. She was not a common wild flower. She even pointed out her thorns growing on her stalk explaining they were to protect her from animals or people who might harm her.

Fern just looked up at the rose and said “I’ll bet you’re lonely without friends.” Rose replied “I don’t need friends, I’m special.” So with that Fern walked away feeling sad for the Rose. Fern thought to herself, ‘everyone needs friends sometime.’

So Fern went back and visited her friends the wild flowers and Hoppy Toad even came by for a visit. That child, Tristin, was trying to find him again!

When Fern went home that afternoon she was still thinking about the Rose and started talking about the visit with her mother. Her mother knew what a Rose was, she had seen them before. Her mother told her not to hold it against the Rose because these were things she had been taught. She had never learned that we all are special in our own way. Momma said she might wait a few days and try again.

Fern went back to visiting the wild flowers and laughed because she saw Hoppy Toad just in time to get away from Tristin.

Fern was bothered because she smelled an odd odor and she knew it had something to do with the Rose. So she went to see. The smell was definitely from Rose and she was not happy.

When Fern asked her what the problem was the Rose told her that the people had sprayed her with something she didn’t like. They said she had some kind of bugs on her, trying to eat her leaves and it was painful.

Fern told Rose she could help her. Fern figured out how to use the thorns to help her climb up higher and she found the bugs and sprinkled them with fairy dust and they all flew away.

Rose was so grateful for Fern’s help. She said “how did you do that?” Fern just reminded her that everyone has something special about them and if we share all the special things it makes everyone happy.

From that day on Rose was never selfish with her beautiful smell. She was always pleased to see Fern and looked forward to meeting the others.

Thank you for reading. Hope you enjoyed. I love writing my Fairy stories and sharing with you and the kids. Contact me at dwdaffy@yahoo.com.

REVIEW POTPOURRI: Film: Cover Up; Singer: Henry Allen; Composer: Rachmaninoff

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Cover Up

starring Dennis O’Keefe, William Bendix, Barbara Britton, etc.; directed by Alfred E. Green; released by United Artists, 1949, 83 minutes.

William Bendix

As obvious from the title, Cover Up is from the film noir tradition of ‘40s and ‘50s black and white movies, imbued with suspense, evil, violence, etc. I have been wanting to see the film for over 15 years since reading about it in one of the Scheuer movie guides and trying unsuccessfully to order the videocassette, now out of print.

Dennis O’Keefe

Then I forgot about it during subsequent years until I spotted it on YouTube recently. It stars Dennis O’Keefe (1908-1968), William Bendix (1906-1964), and Barbara Britton (1919-1980), three stalwarts from this cinematic era with the most well known being Bendix.

An insurance investigator (O’Keefe) is investigating a suicide in a small midwestern town. Clues increasingly point towards murder, which would mean a huge double indemnity payout. However, what is even more disturbing is the lack of cooperation and hostility of the townspeople, including the sheriff, very powerfully portrayed by Bendix. There is also a most attractive single woman (Britton) who distracts the agent for reasons unrelated to the case until she, too, becomes a person of interest there.

Barbara Britton

The otherwise compelling plot is unfortunately marred by the tepid love story, but, all in all, is a good 83 minutes of entertainment.

Henry “Red” Allen

Ride, Red, Ride in Hi-Fi; RCA Victor EPA 2-1509, seven inch vinyl 45, recorded 1957.

Red Allen

Like Satchmo, Henry “Red” Allen (1908-1967) was born in New Orleans. He was praised by many as technically and musically Satch’s equal; some professional competition may have resulted, including a few tacky moments on the part of either of the two. They did work together and, more often, with the same sidemen.

The EP contains only two selections – Sweet Lorraine and Love Is Just Around the Corner — and features a few extraordinary sidemen — trombonist J.C. Higgin­botham, tenor saxist Coleman Hawkins, drummer Cozy Cole, pianist Marty Napoleon, and clarinettist Buster Bailey – delivering rambunctious, swinging renditions. Worth seeking out.

Red Allen died in 1967, at 59, of pancreatic cancer.

Rachmaninoff

Concerto No. 2; Tchaikovsky Concerto No. 1

Felicja Blumental, pianist; Michael Gielen conducting the Vienna Musikgesellschaft Orchestra- Allegro ACS 8020, cassette, 1980 reissue based on a 1959 release.

Rachmaninoff

The 2nd Piano Concerto of Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943) and the 1st Piano Concerto of Petr Ilyich Tchaikovsky are, arguably, the two most popular Piano Concertos of the last 150 years, each having generated enough recordings to fill a good-sized room – As I have stated in past columns, I love duplicates and own several of each, representing pianists of different styles.

Felicja Blumenthal (1908-1991), was a highly accomplished virtuoso with a spontaneous, sometimes splashly style of playing that suited both pieces, while Michael Gielen led his Vien­nese musicians in very enthusiastic orchestral accompaniments. For those beginning to know these Concertos, this cassette is a good starter and always cheap at most music outlets and thrift stores – it is also available in CD and priced similarly.

SOLON & BEYOND, Week of March 30, 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 piano concert at the Solon Congregational Church with Alexander Walz playing the piano was held on Saturday night. There was lots of clapping going on after each song. There was an intermission, and wonderful food was provided, and then more songs were enjoyed, it was a most enjoyable evening.

On Saturday, April 1, there will be a Whist Card Party at the North Anson Congregational Church at 4:30 p.m. These parties are a lot of fun, and it is always a mystery waiting to be solved, as to who wins the big prize! If you don’t know how to play whist come and learn, it’s really easy. This event is held in the Fellowship Hall.

On Sunday, April 16, at 6 a.m., there will be a Sunrise Service and Breakfast at the North Anson Congregational Church. Everyone is invited.

The North Anson Congregational Church’s Senior Companion Program has a new contact person, Rose Hendrix. If you would like to know more about the benefits of this important service contact Rose at 628-3322 or Gail Watson at 474-9622 for more information.

There will be a community dinner for Jim Tindall and family at the Embden Community Center from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Jim is the owner of Timdall’s Store and the Dam Diner, in North New Portland. He has recently been diagnosed with cancer. Will you join us to help relieve a portion of the monetary stress to his family. The menu for this event is very varied for this meal, so you will have lots to chouse from. There will be a Silent Auction starting at 6:15 p.m., and again, many different items. It is truly a worthy cause.

Lief and I have eaten at the Dam Diner on many occasions and we really like the good food we have partaken of there and the wonderful, friendly atmosphere in this place. We always stop there on our way up to camp, but for some reason on a stormy drizzling day last week, we decided to go to the Dam Diner for lunch. We hadn’t heard of Jim’s illness, but Annette told us about it and we were so sorry. Hope everything works out for them.

Since the above is the only real news I have this week, I turned to my old Old Farmer’s Almanac Sampler which has some words about the seasons. It says, “Our poet remembers spring and sings of it when his hot summers are on him or frosts and winter– and then he does so by true remembrance and in contrast to the world about him in other seasons at that time he finds the true meaning of cloud and clod and bud and freshet and just what the bird had sung to him. 1931 March is a boisterous fellow, And undetered by fear, With many pranks proclaims himself The tomboy of the year! (That has surely been true this March of 2017, wouldn’t you say?) Now we have April coming up… ‘Tis April still, but April wrapt in cloud – Month of sweet promise and of Nature’s bliss, When earth leaps up at heaven’s reviving kiss, And flouts at Winter lingering in her shroud. (It is dark and freezing rain and snow outside my window as I write these pleasing and happy thoughts of Spring, hope it cheered you up!)

And now for Percy’s memoir: Life without purpose is barren indeed – There can’t be a harvest unless you plant a seed, There can’t be attainment unless there is a goal, And man’s but a robot unless there’s a soul…. If we send no ships out, no ships will come in, And unless there’s a contest, nobody can win… For games can’t be won unless they are played, And prayers can’t be answered unless they are prayed… So what ever is wrong with your life today, You’ll find a solution if you kneel down and pray Not just for pleasure, enjoyment and health, Not just for honors and prestige and wealth… But pray for a purpose to make worth living.And pray for the joy of unselfish giving, For great is your gladness and rich your reward When you make your life’s purpose the choice of your Lord. (words by Helen Steiner Rice.)

TRAINING YOUR PERFORMANCE DOG: How important is the judge?

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TRAINING YOUR PERFORMANCE DOGTRAINING YOUR PERFORMANCE DOG

Carolyn Fuhrer, North Star Dog Training School

When you enter an event with your dog, you are actually asking the judge to evaluate your performance according to the standards of the venue. Some people would say if my dog can do everything, it really doesn’t matter who the judge is. This is not necessarily so. The less experienced you are, the more influence a judge may have on your performance.

An obedience judge is responsible for ring set ups – where the exercises will take place and the heeling pattern. Set ups close to the ring entrance, recalls towards the ring entrance, set ups with a lot of distractions behind the dog, can all complicate simple exercises. While you should practice with distractions before you show, a good judge will do their best to make the ring dog and handler friendly.

The efficiency and energy of the judge also sets a tone that you and your dog react to – basically, if you are comfortable, your dog will be comfortable. While judges should expect you to take your performance seriously and to know the rules and ring procedure, it is important to never lose your sense of humor. Things happen; and remember, there is always another show.

Good judges work hard to make the best of the situations they are given. Rally judges design the course using the signs and guidelines appropriate to the level. Some like courses with lots of sits and fronts. Other judges prefer flowing, open courses. Some look more at precision while others focus more on teamwork. Both courses can be legal, but reflect a different style.

In agility, the judge’s skill at design is also very important because they actually design the course. While, of course there are guidelines to designing a course, a judge’s influence in course design, i.e. angle of approach, tight turns, how the course flows – can all influence your dog’s performance. Some judges are influenced by the type of dog they are running and what kind of course they like, so sometimes you may get a course that is friendlier to big dogs or one that is friendlier to little dogs. Again, both can be legal courses but may favor one size dog over another. Some judges like lots of obstacle discrimination, some like pinwheels or serpentines. Some like a spiraling, tight course and others like a loopy, flowing course. Again, the more experienced your dog, the less this will concern you. Try and learn from the type of courses you have trouble running.

In tracking, the judges’ knowledge of scent theory and how dogs work and what will help the dog and what can hinder the dog along the way is extremely important.

In tracking, each new day is another experience depending upon terrain and weather conditions. Since tracking is an outdoor sport and subject to varying conditions, tracking judges must consider many factors when plotting a track. What looks good on paper may not transfer well to a field. Tracking judges must be willing to go that extra mile to make things work.

Judges, in my experience, on the whole are very dedicated and want to see dogs and handlers succeed. They work hard and put in a long day. But as in any other slice of life, some become complacent and settle in and don’t put forth much effort.

If, in your trialing experiences, you are not happy with a judge – be polite and chalk it up to experience. Seek out other experiences with other judges. You can enjoy showing and good judges are out there. Please make sure you tell the clubs when you really like a judge. Clubs work hard to put on shows and it means a lot to know they made good choices in choosing judges.

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: Redpoll comes calling to feeders

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Roland D. HalleeSCORES & OUTDOORS

by Roland D. Hallee

Like I do every Saturday morning during the winter, I stand at my kitchen window, while I’m waiting for the Keurig to brew my first cup of coffee, and watch the bird feeders. The usual cast of characters come and go. However, last Saturday, I caught a glimpse of what looked like a redpoll.

I’ve seen them at the feeders before, but it’s been a while. That, in itself, is not unusual because redpolls are Arctic birds and are members of a group known as northern finches. They are denizens of the taiga and tundra, but will move south every couple of years in what is called irruptions. Irruptions occur when these birds, who normally reside in high latitudes, move south in large numbers. It is generally agreed these irruptions are triggered by shortages of food in their normal ranges.

In North America, irruptions among seed eaters include Pine Siskin, Purple Finch, Pine Grosbeak, Evening Grosbeak, White-winged Crossbill and Redpolls. The Red-breasted Nuthatch will also come south during invasion years.

male redpoll

male redpoll

Redpolls, Carduelis flammea, are about 5 – 5-1/2 inches long with a wingspan of around 8-1/2 inches. They have a red cap, black chin, reddish wash on the breast, pink rump, somewhat forked tail, whitish under parts and overall brownish stripes. What is unusual about these birds is that they are relatively tame and show little or no fear for humans. It is believed that is because they live so far north away from human habitations. They can be confused with the house finch to the casual observer. I know I was when I first saw one.

Your next question would be, how do these little birds survive the winters of the tundra? Around the Arctic regions, winters last up to six months and temperatures plunge well below freezing. Research has shown that redpolls are able to survive temperatures down to -89 degrees F.

They have built-in heating systems. One of the most important anatomical adaptations is what is called their esophageal diverticulum, a partially bi-lobed pocket situated in the neck. They use the pocket to store seeds, especially before nightfall or before a storm. The extra seeds allow them to feed while sheltering from the cold. They also do like other species, by fluffing their feathers to trap layers of air to insulate their body to greatly reduce heat loss.

Redpolls will sometimes burrow into the snow to escape the cold weather. Under the snow, temperatures will remain at about -24° F even when air temperatures drop to -49° F.

Redpolls are attracted to backyard feeders, especially thistle seeds. In fact, the genus name Carduelis comes from the Latin Carduus, which means Thistle. Well-stocked feeders that attract finches will most likely attract Redpolls. One of our feeders is a fully stuffed sock of thistle seeds. Although I have not seen another redpoll to this date, I’m sure that is what attracted that one.

But, with redpolls, where there is one, there are many more. Outside the breeding season, they can form large flocks, which sometimes includes mixing with other finches. We have an unusually large number of American goldfinch at our feeders, so I’m wondering if the redpolls have intermingled.

Their main habitat consists of thickets and birches. In winter, they prefer semi-open country, including woodland edges and brushy or weedy fields. During the breeding season, they hang out in clearings of birch or spruce forest, thickets of willow, alder, or dwarf birch, bush areas on the tundra.

They are widespread and abundant, and are not listed as a bird of concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Between 1955 and 2000, 342,158 Common Redpolls were banded. Of these, 698 were encountered at locations away from where they were banded. Studies show redpolls live up to eight years in the wild.

If you have thistle in your feeders, be on the lookout for them.