VETERANS CORNER: Don’t think you qualify for VA benefits? Check again

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by Gary Kennedy

I become more and more surprised at how many Veterans in their 80’ and 90s who believe they aren’t qualified to use the V.A. system. I have hooked up with two such vets recently and many over time. The two veterans that I refer to were convinced by the system more than 50 years ago that they were not qualified for V.A. benefits. One I have worked with for a few months and not only was able to get him into the system but he is now in receipt of 90 percent disability. I am sure that will be a hundred soon. The other veteran I am just beginning with. However, I am sure he will do OK as well. When I am referred to veterans such as these I am heartbroken. Think of all the time they gave and when they gave it. They have gone all their lives struggling to get by and all the time this wasn’t necessary.

First contact with the V.A. system is where this life affecting belief has its origin. This is/has been mostly because of lack of training of the employees, “especially those of first contact”. This in my opinion is the first most important person a veteran will make contact with. This could be a front desk clerk to a Veteran Service Officer (VSO). They should not be addressing veteran issues they are not familiar with. This can and does affect the remainder of this veteran’s life. If he or she relies upon what they have been told at this point, then people like me will end up assisting a veteran in need 50 years later. That is sad as there is no way to get that time back, even if I am successful. The veteran may receive medical aid and even lots of money, but what is the quality of life at this point. It only takes a five minute conversation to effectively destroy one of America’s finest. I have seen, many heart breakers.

So, all that being said what do we do? A vet has a couple of choices. 1) He or she can visit a service officer; there are Veterans of Foreign Wars (V.F.W.), Disabled American Veterans (D.A.V.), American Legion (A.L.) and other state and federal government agencies dealing with specialty disabilities located at Togus. Also, you can visit my personal favorite, V.B.A. which has career trained specialists who can help with any situation. In my opinion they are the best of the best. I don’t say this to demean the other service organizations but they are career Veterans Service Officers (V.S.O’s) who are forever in training to keep up with all the current legislation which they impart to the other service agencies. They are infact the in-house advocates for all veterans and programs. For the first four that I mentioned you would dial 623-8411 and when you get the computer generated person, push “0” and you will get a live person. When you do, just ask to be connected to whichever agency you are interested in. For V.B.A.’s direct line, you will dial 207-621-6938, state your purpose here and you will be directed accordingly. If you are a walk-in the outside door continues to remain locked. You will need to take the long walk.

By following this instruction you will receive all the information and help you seek and someone like me will not be waiting to correct the path you have been mislead to follow. You were here for your country so your country should always be here for you.

In closing I should mention a couple of things. The first is it appears that construction may have begun in earnest as Williams Construction Co. seems to have some iron workers laying rerod for columns and footings for the Community Living Center. Perhaps they will be pouring concrete for the new building soon. We are all anxiously awaiting.

The other issue I get asked about a lot is; can any veteran gain access to dental care? The answer is no; you need to be a 100 percent disabled veteran for access to this benefit, or you need to have a service connected disability. Currently 92 percent of veterans are not eligible for dental care. However, like everything at V.A. there are exceptions to most rules. So, that being said, call and ask if you might be on exception. I wish I could say all vets are eligible as Dr. Jeff Walawender and crew are second to none when it comes to knowledge and care of our vets at V.A. It’s a friendly professional atmosphere staffed by the crafts finest. Dr. Walawender, DDS, graduated from University at Buffalo, New York, and completed his residency at the Togus VA. After years of experience he has become the Dental Chief of Staff. He also sits on several boards, community dental and also North East Delta Dental. We are/fortunate to have such talent at Togus.

See you next time. Stay safe, God bless and have a great summer.

OPINIONS: No more property tax stabilization program

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COMMUNITY COMMENTARY

by Katrina Smith
State Represenative
District #62
China, Palermo, Somerville & Windsor

What can our Seniors do now?

The popular state tax assistance for seniors entitled the “Property Tax Stabilization Program”, which allowed those over the age of 65 to freeze their property taxes, has been eliminated during this past legislative session. (A vote for the budget was a vote for this program to be eliminated. Personally, I voted against the budget for this and other reasons.) Many seniors are asking, “What now?” The good news is that several State of Maine programs have been expanded that will hopefully assist our Seniors with their finances.

The first program to be expanded is the Property Tax Fairness Credit. The property tax fairness credit provides that Eligible Maine taxpayers may receive a portion of the property tax or rent paid during the tax year on the Maine individual income tax return whether they owe Maine income tax or not. If the credit exceeds the amount of your individual income tax due for the tax year, the excess amount of credit will be refunded to you. The program increased the credit from $1,500 to $2,000 for individuals 65 or older. To take advantage of this program you need to file a ME1040 and a Property Tax Fairness tax form.

The second program is the Deferred Collection of Homestead Property Taxes. The State Property Tax Deferral Program is a loan program that can cover the annual property tax bills of Maine people who are ages 65 and older or are permanently disabled and who cannot afford to pay them on their own. The loan program allows Maine’s most vulnerable community members to age in place and ensures that property taxes are still delivered to municipalities, requiring repayment of the loan once the property is sold or becomes part of an estate. The program was updated to double the income threshold to $80,000 a year and also the liquid asset threshold limit to $100,000 for individuals and $200,000 for couples. There are a few other guidelines for this program, but to see if you qualify you must file an application with your local municipal assessor between January 1 and April 1.

I hope this information is useful to our Seniors and helps them to afford to live out their golden years by relieving some of the stress involved with property taxes. I am happy to help direct anyone to other resources and can be reached at katrina.smith@legislature.maine.gov.

SCORES & OUTDOORS: Call in the night turns out to be red fox

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Roland D. Halleeby Roland D. Hallee

One evening, earlier this summer, we heard something mysterious. It was after dark, and from a distance, we heard a wailing, lamenting siren-like shriek. Everyone around was wondering what was making that noise. At first we thought it was a small, yiping dog. But it continued almost uninterrupted.

Then, someone mentioned they had seen some red foxes around.

That was it. The sound we heard was that of a red fox. It is common to hear those kinds of cry during the foxes’ breeding season, and thought to be emitted by a vixen’s (female fox) summoning males. Foxes generally greet each other with high pitched whines, particularly submissive animals. During an aggressive encounter they will emit a throaty, rattling sound.

An adult red fox has been identified with 12 different sounds while kits may produce eight.

The red fox, Vulpes vulpes, is the largest of the true foxes and the most abundant wild member of the species. It is listed as least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Besides its large size, red foxes are different from other species because of their ability to adapt quickly to new environments. There are 45 different subspecies of foxes.

The red foxes have a long history of interacting with humans, having been extensively hunted as a pest and furbearer for many centuries. Because of its widespread range and large population, the red fox is one of the most important furbearing animals harvested for the fur trade. Too small to pose a threat to humans, it has successfully colonized many suburban areas.

Urban red foxes are most active at dusk and dawn, doing most of their hunting and scavenging at these times. Despite their search for usable food, foxes tend to eat anything humans eat.

These foxes can cause problems for local folks. Foxes have been known to steal chickens, invade rubbish cans and raise havoc in gardens. In our case, we heard that a nearby neighbor, who kept chickens, had many disappear in a relatively short period of time. They will also prey on domestic rabbits and guinea pigs if they are allowed to run in the open. Urban foxes have been known to encounter cats and may feed alongside of them. In confrontations, cats usually have the upper hand, although foxes have been known to attack cats, not so much for food but rather as a competitor for food.

Red foxes are not readily prone to be infested with fleas.

Red foxes live in family groups, sharing a common territory. They may leave their families once they reach adulthood if the chances of winning a territory of their own are high. Otherwise, they will stay with their parents, postponing their own reproduction.

Red foxes have binocular vision, but their sight reacts mainly to movement. Their hearing though, is their strength, being able to hear a squeaking mouse at about 330 feet. Their sense of smell is good, but weaker than that of a domestic dog.

Being the largest of the Vulpes genus, on average, an adult male will measure 14-20 inches high at the shoulders, 18-35 inches in body length, and the tails measuring 12-22 inches. Their weight range is 5 – 31 pounds, with vixens weighing 15 – 20 percent less.

Red foxes are often mentioned in folklore and mythology of human cultures. In Greek mythology, the Teumessian fox or Cadmean vixen, was a gigantic fox that was destined to never be caught. According to Celtic mythology, witches were thought to take the shape of foxes to steal butter from their neighbors. In later European folklore, the figure of Reynard the Fox symbolizes trickery and deceit.

The red fox originated from smaller-sized ancestors from Eurasia shortly after the Wisconsin glaciation, which took place approximately 85,000 to 11,000 years ago. It was the most recent major advance of the North American ice sheet complex.

At camp, the red foxes have been sighted many times, but they tend to keep their distance, and have not been seen in close proximity of our shelters. Perhaps it’s because there are so many dogs present.

Roland’s trivia question of the week:

Who was the last major league pitcher to win 30 or more games in one season?

Answer
Denny McLain, of the Detroit Tigers, in 1968, went 31-6, with a 1.96 ERA.

FOR YOUR HEALTH: An Rx Label That Speaks for Itself

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People who have trouble reading prescription bottle labels can get an app that will recite the information for them.

(NAPSI)—There is good news for many in the visually impaired community, and for anyone who has trouble reading standard print labels. 

Prescription management and medication adherence can be particularly difficult when it’s difficult to see the label. 

However, there’s CVS Pharmacy’s Spoken Rx®, a digital solution that makes managing prescriptions easier and more accessible by reading important prescription information aloud. It also serves as an important tool for people experiencing literacy or language difficulties, or dyslexia.

With Spoken Rx, patients can hear their prescription information read aloud by scanning an RFID (radio frequency identification) sticker on the bottom of their prescription bottle or package. It is available for free to all patients at CVS Pharmacy locations nationwide. As the first in-app prescription reader application developed by a national retail pharmacy, Spoken Rx is an extension of other helpful tools offered by CVS Pharmacy like large-print accessible prescription labels.

“I lost the majority of my vision at 14 due to Retinitis Pigmentosa and I can tell you, when you’re blind, every bit of independence matters. I know first-hand how much of a difference it makes being able to manage my prescriptions on my own without having to ask for help,” said Molly Burke, social media influencer and advocate. “Spoken Rx has been a game-changer for me and others in my community. It’s so easy to use and allows me to keep my own medical information private, which is so important. I appreciate that CVS Pharmacy is prioritizing innovations that help all its customers, including people like me, and I’m looking forward to seeing the ways in which CVS continues to grow its accessibility and digital offerings.” 

How Spoken Rx works

To use Spoken Rx, patients or companions must download the CVS Pharmacy app from the iOS App Store or Google Play, then:

• Open the CVS Pharmacy app using Siri or Google Assistant, select the “Pharmacy” tile on the homepage. 

• Navigate to the “tools & settings” section and select “Spoken Rx”. 

• The device prompts users to scan the bottle, bring the RFID tag on the bottom of the prescription vial near the device’s camera. 

• If the RFID tag is read correctly, the prescription information will display on the screen and the app will speak prescription information out loud. 

What prescription information can be read aloud? 

Information that can be read aloud by Spoken Rx in either English or Spanish includes: 

• Patient name 

• Medication name 

• Dosage and directions

• Pharmacy address

• Pharmacy phone number

• Prescription number

• Dispensed quantity

• Refills remaining

• Prescriber name

• Fill date

• Discard after date

 The development and continued enhancement of Spoken Rx illustrates CVS Pharmacy’s role in serving people’s unique needs by delivering them innovative solutions no matter where they are on their health journey. 

How to Sign up

You can enroll for free either over-the-phone or in-store, where a pharmacist can ensure the patient’s app is appropriately set up for the service. To find a CVS Pharmacy near you or to learn more about Spoken Rx, please visit www.CVS.com/SpokenRx. 

THE BEST VIEW: Safe and sound

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by Norma Best Boucher

I sat in my car in the parking lot eating a candy bar enjoying the pounding rain both assailing and cleaning my car.

I had not planned this scenario. My plan was to buy my favorite sandwich, go to the beach, relax and enjoy the sound of the waves.

My trip to the beach had begun well enough, but before I could even open the paper bag to get out my sandwich, I heard screaming from the beachgoers down the shoreline south of me.

I was concentrating so hard on the reaction of the people that I did not notice what was actually happening.

Then I saw the phenomenon that was scaring them.

Although I was sitting in sunshine, coming up from the south was a fast-moving wall of rain. The other beachgoers scrambled unsuccessfully to outrun the downpour, and by the time I realized that I had to run if I were to escape, I was in the middle of the deluge.

I grabbed my bottle of water and the paper bag holding my sandwich and ran.

Why I ran, I don’t know. Running? Walking? Neither mattered – I was already drenched.

I reached my car and unlocked the driver’s side door. I tossed in my water bottle, but when I checked out the paper bag holding my sandwich, I realized that all there was left was the top of the bag that I had been holding in my hand. The bottom part of the bag was gone along with my favorite sandwich.

I grabbed a beach towel I kept in the back seat, wrapped my body and sank dishearteningly in the driver’s seat.

Meanwhile, other cars drove into the parking lot to wait out the storm.

I sat in my car sulking. I had planned this day off from work, this day at the beach, for what seemed like forever.

I leaned my head against the headrest and closed my eyes. The towel warmed my body, and, gradually, the battering rain became soothing music. I remembered a candy bar that I had in my backpack. The seagulls would enjoy my sandwich, but I would enjoy my candy bar.

I heard loud thunder and watched staccato lightning. This was another world – God’s world – threatening but enlivening.

I was out in the elements, but I was not afraid. I was in the cocoon of my car – safe and sound.

REVIEW POTPOURRI: The President’s favorite music

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Dwight D.Eisenhower

Peter Catesby Peter Cates

The President’s favorite music

RCA Victor released a one lp anthology during the mid-1950s entitled The President’s Favorite Music; I purchased a copy of it for $2 at a record store in Amherst, Massachusetts, in 1966, when Lyndon Johnson was president. Of course, the center of attraction on that record was the 34th former President Dwight David Eisenhower (1890-1969), not the 36th one.

The cover photo featured the smiling likable Ike and his lovable First Lady Mamie (1896-1979), while the back contained a paragraph of the president stating a batch of cliches about the importance of music in American life.

The contents of the album (which would not have been released without Eisenhower’s approval relayed through his friend, the CEO of RCA Victor, General David Sarnoff (1891-1971)), consisted of two Bach pieces, Beethoven’s Coriolan Overture, an aria from Verdi’s La Traviata, selections from Porgy and Bess, Mendelssohn’s Fingal’s Cave Overture, the Johann Strauss Die Fledermaus Overture and Marian Anderson singing He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands – all of them beautifully performed. It was a record I played many times back when my record collection numbered at 200 discs.

The album listed other favorite pieces of the president but the only one that sticks out in my mind is the Brahms 4th Sym­phony, one of my top ten favorites.

Eisenhower was also a huge fan of Fred Waring’s Pennsylvanians, a very fine singing group, and he and Mamie watched their TV show every Sunday night.

When it came to books, Eisenhower was an omnivorous reader of Zane Grey westerns and military history, particularly the Civil War. Back in the 1960s, historian Stephen Ambrose was teaching at an obscure community college in rural Louisiana.

One evening, he received a long distance phone call from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. On the other end was Eisenhower who was phoning from the farmhouse where he and Mamie had retired. He told Ambrose that he had just finished that author’s book on an obscure Civil War General.

Eisenhower then invited Ambrose up to visit for a few days, to be his official biographer and to grant exclusive access to all of his papers.

Many books have been written about Eisenhower’s World War II leadership as a general and of his presidency from 1953 to 1961. One of the best is Michael Korda’s 2007 biography Ike: An American Hero which is one of the most balanced bios ever written and filled with fascinating anecdotes.

GROWING YOUR BUSINESS: More salsa, please!

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by Dan Beaulieu
Business consultant

I love Mexican food. I love Mexican restaurants and I have been in many of them from El Paso, Texas, to Tucson, Arizona, to San Jose, California, to Bangor, Maine, to Portland, Maine, to Waterville, Maine, to Augusta, Maine. And get this, my favorite part of being in a Mexican restaurant is not necessarily the food. I like what I like (Carnitas Fajitas) but I am certainly no connoisseur of the food. Nope my favorite part of being in a Mexican restaurant is at the start of the experience (not even the meal yet) when we all sit there and have a drink ( and get this, I don’t even like Margaritas! But I do like a cold beer) and I like best of all the camaraderie. The sheer joy of being there.

And consider this, if you own one of these establishments. Most of your money is made with the beginning of the meal. That experience before the meal even starts is when you really make your money.

A good Margarita in a good restaurant will cost from $11 to $13 (which I think is a fair price value for what you are getting.) And if you have four people at the table, chances are they have already paid 50 bucks before they even order the meal.

And then they might order special queso and chips for another $10, and, or some special Guac for another $10 and before you know it the tab is now at $75 and no food yet. Man if I own that restaurant I am in 7th Heaven. And the best part for that owner or manager is that chances are the folks are going to order another round to go with the meal! Man you are getting into the five figure neighborhood already! Ole!

Now, let’s get to the dilemma, the thing I just cannot understand and that’s the salsa, the quality, the taste, and the amount. Look anyway you cut it salsa has to be pretty cheap to make. And it is probably even cheaper to buy. Heck, I have seen salsa, pretty good tasting national brand salsa in gallon jugs for ten bucks or so. I think that it can be said that salsa is a pretty cheap but very important part of any meal in any Mexican restaurant.

So, here’s my beef, and please remember I have been nice so far. I have been to two very good, in fact, outstanding Mexican restaurants in the past two months that serve salsa in those little plastic take out cups. You know the ones where you might get mayo or ketchup on the side in a takeout bag! All I ask is, why? Why would you possibly do that? It’s as though you are tacitly saying “okay, this is all the salsa you’re going to get so drink your drink, order your food, eat and get out, someone else wants this table!” Which, of course, is the exact opposite message you want to convey in any restaurant. Especially a Mexican restaurant where the bill/ tab is so front loaded.

If you serve great salsa and plenty of it, like a soup bowl full of it at a time, people are going to love it, they are going to eat it up and yes, the more important part they are going to extend this chip and salsa eating,

Margarita buying and drinking part of that entire meal experience! Without a doubt great chips and salsa and plenty of it will increase your drink sales by at least 50 percent and for little or no extra money! The least expensive part of this pre-meal experience (for you the restaurant owner) is the salsa.

So please, please, please, more salsa please. And that is a fantastic way to grow your business.

VETERANS CORNER: Veterans express concern at not talking to physician

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Veterans Administration facility at Togus. (Internet photo)

by Gary Kennedy

I mentioned in last week’s issue veterans concern with availability of direct contact with their physician’s service desk. You have to go through a call center, which is located in someone’s home and give your information, some of which you prefer not to, in order to get through to your doctor. The response can take days. I am sure this will die a natural death but Covid has caused a lot of misery in more ways than one. This in my opinion is not very professional and is also a disservice to our veterans. Some do not handle this very well and become angry with the party on the other end. This can end up very badly for the veteran as the call center employee will just hang up. I personally have checked this procedure out and have experienced the veteran’s problems.

The last time I made one of these calls myself the young lady on the other end was very nice but obviously hadn’t been trained very well in how to handle various situations, especially in the area of urgency and even location. I ended directing her as to what would be the pathway. She admitted she was new at her job. Also there was a baby crying and a dog barking in the background. I said to her, “I bet it can be difficult working from home?” She responded, “You got that right.”

I know several work at home employees both at VA as well as at the state level. My opinion is the same as locked doors, they had their day and now it is time to open up and get back to work in a professional manner. Veterans deserve far better than what they are receiving.

Vets are still very angry about their loss of the gym and swimming pool. VA claims the pool is broken in some way and yet they have rented out the “veterans gym”. They don’t have the right to do that but they are still getting away with it. We are writing letters to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and getting nowhere. We are close to a political year so we will see if things will change. In the mean time it’s up to we vets to keep the pressure on and try to change this administration to a more veteran friendly and professional one.

It is popular opinion that veterans should be considered for some positions available at all V.A. service centers. They have experience and know how to deal with other veterans. Of course, there are many positions that require the best candidate irrespective of whether or not they were in the military. Another thing that I am familiar with is there are so many foreigners that have served in our military that have filed paperwork and paid the hundreds of dollars to begin the process yet they have been waiting in their countries for months and even years to get here. Also, there are those who have arrived here legally and have been refused employment even though they may be highly qualified. Why you say? The reason is they are not citizens as of yet, even though they very much desire to be so. The hypocrisy is very evident when you see Middle East professionals being employed without this requirement. This occurs when our government deems their MOS necessary or critical. State level positions allow you to be employed if you have obtained a Green Card. Also, our vets are certainly not stupid; they always mention those allowed to cross into this country via our southern border. We have added this argument in our correspondence with Washington D.C.

I mentioned in previous articles that I would touch on some of the benefits disabled veterans might not be aware of. I will, as brief as I can explain one here as it is very important and I receive many calls and comments at meetings pertaining to the need that many aren’t aware exists. The one I will discuss in this article is “Caregiver” availability and requirements. Remember first, there is always an exception to some rules which we can discuss later.

Post all events brought about the New and Enhanced VA Benefits Program the Caregiver and Veteran Omnibus Health Services Act was established under President Barrack Obama in May 2010. It’s been 13 years and they are still trying to get it straight. However, even with it’s down sides it still offers many great benefits to families of need. (1)The veteran needs to be 70 percent or more disabled, (2) The veteran must need in-person personal care services for a minimum of six continuous months due to inability to perform an activity of daily living or need supervision, protection or instruction and (3) Personal care services will not be simultaneously and regularly provided by or through another person.

The basic eligibility criteria is, (1) a family caregiver must be at least 18 years old (2) be either the vets spouse, son, daughter, parent, step family or extended family member, someone who lives with the veteran, (3) be able to complete caregiver education and training, or the veteran isn’t able to perform activities of daily living, needs help each time to complete one of the following tasks: Dressing or Undressing, Bathing, Grooming, Adjusting Prosthetic/orthopedic appliances, toileting, feeding problems, mobility, etc.

There are two levels of stipend. The first depending on geography is 52.5 percent of the monthly stipend rate. (Maine this year is approximately $1,600, and second level is approximately $2,800 based on 100 percent, also for Maine. This is tax free and paid monthly by direct deposit. You will need to download or go to your local VA and get a form 10-10CG. You can bring the form to VA for processing or mail it to: Family Caregivers, Health Eligibility Center, 2957 Clairmont Road NE, Suite 200 Atlanta, GA 30329-1647.

My advice would be to speak to an advocate so that your filing would be correct and affective. It you make mistakes it’s easy to appeal. However, try to avoid mistakes by speaking to one of us. We are always happy to assist you. VA is 623-8411, press “0”, when you get the recording and ask a live person to transfer you to VBA. I can be reached at 207-458-2832.

In my next issue I will try to give all of you more in depth filings. Take care, God Bless and have a happy and safe weekend.

SMALL SPACE GARDENING: Tomato troubles in the backyard garden

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Blossom end rot on tomatoes is due to a calcium deficiency often caused by fluctuations in soil moisture. (photo courtesy of www.MelindaMyers.com)

by Melinda Myers

Extreme heat, drought, torrential rains, and hungry critters may be wreaking havoc on your garden. After weeding, watering, and waiting you may be finding less, diseased, or misshapen tomatoes. Don’t give up. Make a few adjustments in garden maintenance to boost the current and future tomato harvests.

Blossom end rot is a common problem on the first set of fruit. It’s due to a calcium deficiency often caused by fluctuations in soil moisture frequently seen on the first set of fruit and those grown in containers.

Always water thoroughly to encourage a deep robust root system. Adjust your watering as needed and mulch the soil to help keep it consistently moist. Have your soil tested before adding any calcium fertilizer. Further reduce the risk of blossom end rot by avoiding root damage when staking and cultivating your garden. Eliminating some of the roots limits the plant’s ability to absorb water and nutrients. Avoid overfertilization and don’t use ammonium-based nitrogen fertilizers on tomatoes.

Fortunately, it is safe to eat the firm red portion of the affected tomato. Since this is a physiological disorder, not a disease or insect problem you can cut off the black portion and toss it into the compost pile.

Cracked fruit is also common in the garden. Fluctuating temperatures, moisture stress, and improper fertilization result in irregular development of the fruit that results in cracking. You can’t change the weather, but you can reduce the risk of this problem with thorough, less frequent watering to encourage deep roots. And just like blossom end rot, mulch the soil to keep it evenly moist and be sure to avoid root damage.

Several fungal diseases, such as early and late blight, septoria leaf spot, and anthracnose, can cause spots on the leaves and fruit of tomatoes. Minimize the problem by rotating your plantings whenever possible. Move your tomatoes to an area of the garden where unrelated crops, such as beans, lettuce, or onions, had been growing the previous season.

Mulching the soil also helps keep soil-borne fungal spores off the plant. Water early in the day and if possible, apply the water directly to the soil with a soaker hose, drip irrigation, or a watering wand to reduce the risk of disease.

Properly space and stake or tower your tomato plants to promote healthier growth and reduce the risk of disease. Remove any volunteer tomatoes that sprout and crowd out the current season’s planting.

Remove weeds as they appear. Many serve as hosts for insect pests and diseases and compete with tomato plants for water and nutrients. Removing them before they flower and set seed eliminates hundreds of weeds you would need to pull next year.

Always clean up and dispose of disease-infected plant material in the fall. Cultural practices and growing the most disease-resistant varieties available are often enough to keep these diseases under control.

If you choose to use a fungicide, select one labeled for food crops and apply it at the first sign of the disease. Repeat applications are usually needed. Be sure to read and follow all label directions carefully whether using organic, natural, or synthetic fungicides.

Enjoy this year’s harvest and continue to make any needed changes now and in the future to boost your gardening success. And as a gardener you know there is always next year.

Melinda Myers has written more than 20 gardening books, including the recently released Midwest Gardener’s Handbook, 2nd Edition, and Small Space Gardening. She hosts The Great Courses “How to Grow Anything” instant video and DVD series and the nationally syndicated Melinda’s Garden Moment TV & radio program. Myers is a columnist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine and her website is www.Melinda Myers.com.

SCORES & OUTDOORS: A case of mistaken identity

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Halloween Pennant (left), Graphic Flutterer (right)

Roland D. Halleeby Roland D. Hallee

From time to time, it happens. You see something unusual, don’t know what it is, so you go to your research material to find the answer. You use multiple sources, do your homework, then, when you think you have found the answer, it ends up being wrong.

Well, it happened again last weekend for me. While working in my garden at camp, I noticed this unusual looking dragonfly. It wasn’t your run-of-the-mill, old brown ugly dragonfly. It was extremely colorful and just seemed out of place.

My research pointed to it being a Graphic Flutterer, rhyothemis graphiptera, The illustration looked remarkably similar to the photo I had taken, but there was one thing that didn’t add up. The Graphic Flutterer can only be found in Australia, the Moluccas, New Guinea and New Caledonia. That’s half way around the world from here.

So, like I have done many times before, I turned to my contact, a wildlife biologist at the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, emailed the photo to him, and he responded in short order.

“This is a Halloween Pennant,” (no, not a little flag you would wave on October 31), Celithemis eponina. This is a native dragonfly in Maine, an uncommon, but not rare, species that breeds in slow streams, ponds, and lakes with abundant aquatic vegetation.”

Well, it sure fits. If you have been to Webber Pond, in Vassalboro, in recent years you will see that the lake is abundant with aquatic vegetation.

The Halloween Pennant can be found across the eastern United States, ranging from the east coast to the states just east of the Rocky Mountains. They can also be found on some Caribbean islands and in Ontario province, in Canada. Seen mostly during June and July during the summer, they are actually active year round.

The Halloween Pennant gets its name from its orange-colored wings, which have dark brown bands. They are often found on tips of vegetation near the edges of waterways. Mine was just hanging around on a Tiki torch near my garden.

It is a medium-sized dragonfly but also considered large for its species. They can range from 1-1/2 to 1-3/4 inches in length.

The adults fly around above freshwater habitat and the surrounding vegetation, and feed on smaller insects they capture in flight. They are considered very strong flyers, and can fly during rain and strong winds.

And, listen to this, they have some positive impact: They help control the mosquito population and have no negative affect on humans. I can only hope I see more of them, considering the healthy mosquito population we have at camp.

They are also secure in numbers and currently have no conservation concerns, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

In case you’re interested, dragonflies have been in existence since the Permian period (299 – 251 million years ago).

In the end, I was not too far off when I identified it as a Graphic Flutterer. According to the Animal Diversity Web, at the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, the male Halloween Pennant closely resembles the Graphic Flutterer.

Roland’s trivia question of the week:

This New England Patriots QB holds the record for most passing yards in a season. Who is he?

Answer
Drew Bledsoe, 4,555 in 1994