THE BEST VIEW: Safe and sound

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

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!

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

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

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

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

LAKE LIFE TODAY: part 8

Screenshot taken from the China Lake watershed presentation.

by Elaine Philbrook

Lake Life Today is a series of articles that are hoped will inspire you to see how, by taking just a few steps, you can make a difference and help preserve the quality of water in our lakes for future generations.

These articles have been collected and organized by LakeSmart Director Elaine Philbrook, a member of China Region Lake Alliance (aka “the Alliance”) serving China Lake, Webber Pond, Three Mile Pond, and Three-Cornered Pond. The Alliance would like to thank our partners at Maine Lakes and Lakes Environmental Association (LEA) for information to support this article.

Infiltration Steps

The previous article provided information on how to properly design pathways to benefit the lake. Pathways designed properly will slow the flow of stormwater, giving runoff time to be absorbed into the soil which prevents pollutants from entering our lakes and ponds.

Infiltration Steps is yet another way to slow the flow of stormwater from entering our waterbodies. Infiltration steps can be used where foot traffic is causing erosion to take place, and are used where there is a moderate slope, usually less than 45 degrees. These infiltration steps minimize the potential for erosion and runoff from a footpath that is often used. As a result, infiltration steps prevent excess nutrients, sediments, and other pollutants from entering the lake. Rainwater falling on the infiltration steps ultimately soaks into the ground and is filtered by the soil, trapping unwanted pollutants, and helping improve the overall health of our waterbodies.

Infiltration Steps are built with timbers. Geotextile fabric is anchored into the “bottom” of the step, and then backfilled with crushed stone to slow runoff and allow water to soak into the ground. Existing steps may be retrofitted into infiltration steps in some instances.

Installation:

  • Remove several inches of soil from the location of each step. Dispose of excavated soil in a place where it will not wash into the lake or other resource.
  • Line the bottom and sides of the excavated area with geotextile fabric. This fabric allows water to infiltrate through it and will separate the stone from the underlying soil.
  • Backfill the hole with washed 3⁄4-inch crushed stone (or pea stone) so the tread is level, or it just slightly slopes up to meet the step above. Paving stones can also be set into crushed stone to provide a smooth surface for bare feet-as long as ample crushed stone is exposed to allow infiltration, but there must be adequate spacing between the pavers to allow for the infiltration of stormwater.
  • To firmly secure the wooden framework, drill 1⁄2-inch diameter holes 6 inches from the ends of each timber. Then drive 1⁄2-inch diameter, 18-inch long steel rebar through the holes with a sledgehammer. For gentle slopes, wooden stakes or large rocks can also secure the timbers.

FOR YOUR HEALTH: Which Dental Floss is Right for You?

No matter what your age, schedule or dental condition, it’s important to floss your teeth.

(NAPSI) — What simple action serves as a one-stop shop for protecting your oral health while helping prevent gum disease and tooth decay? Flossing, and at least once a day at that. While brushing is a great place to start, there are many small crevices your toothbrush can’t reach on its own.

“While it only takes a couple minutes, flossing is integral to your dental health,” said Kyle Dosch, DDS, a licensed dentist who serves as Delta Dental of Washington’s dental director. “Taking the time for that extra step will have you thanking yourself later on.”

Flossing may seem like a chore but adding it to your household’s daily routine could save you hassle and expense of dental treatments down the road. The good news is that there are a variety of flosses made to fit your needs and preferences.

Easiest-to-Use Floss: An electric air or water flosser is a great option if you struggle to floss regularly. Although it can be an upfront investment, an electric flosser requires very little effort, spraying water or air in pulses to effectively remove debris from between your teeth.  

Smoothest Floss: Look for floss which has a light coating of wax if you prefer a smooth touch while flossing. Waxed floss often has a silky texture and comes in many flavors.  

Toughest Floss: If you want floss that won’t break or shred when you clean your teeth, go for polytetrafluorethylene floss (PTFE). It’s made from the same material used in waterproof sportswear, so it’s extremely strong and durable.  

Most Natural Floss: Rather than containing PTFE or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), all-natural types of flosses use biodegradable materials such as natural silk instead of nylon with a beeswax coating.  

Most Affordable Floss: Unwaxed dental floss is the most affordable option available. Made from nylon like most flosses, unwaxed dental floss simply doesn’t have a slick waxed coating.  

Best Floss for Kids: It can be hard enough to get kids to reach for floss, but an ergonomic dental floss pick with a long handle can help ease the struggle. Selecting one made especially for children so little hands can grip it is even better.  

Best Flavored Floss: Waxed floss comes in a variety of flavors to suit people of all ages. For children, that may mean fun, fruity flavors, while floss for adults is typically mint- or cinnamon-flavored.

Best Floss for Teeth with Spacing: If you have wide spacing between your teeth, traditional floss may not be best for you. Dental tape is slightly thicker and flatter than floss and can help clean around individually spaced teeth.  

Best Floss for Braces: Braces pose quite the obstacle for flossers. Some dentists recommend investing in Super Floss, made from materials which resemble yarn. Super Floss also contains stiff pieces on each end to help navigate the floss under braces and dental bridges for the most effective cleaning.

Best Floss for Gingivitis: Flossing plays an important role in preventing gum disease, which is treatable and reversible in its early stages. For sensitive gums, floss that is soft and free of potential irritants is best. A woven floss which expands slightly can be more efficient at grabbing plaque if you’re prone to debris buildup throughout the day.  

For more information about your oral health, visit Delta Dental of Washington’s blog at www.deltadentalwa.com.

LIFE ON THE PLAINS – Entertainment: radio and early TV

Roland D. Halleeby Roland D. Hallee

Back in the 1950s and ‘60s, entertainment was a little different from today. Television sets were few and far in between around The Plains.

So, what did we do?

In our household there was no television back in those late ‘40s and early ‘50s. But we had a great RCA radio, with attached record player. Our dad, who was an amateur finish carpenter by hobby, build this beautiful cabinet where all the “modern electronics” of the time were kept. During the week, we didn’t listen to much radio because after supper, it was homework and then bedtime. I was less than 10 years old.

But come the weekend, it was a different story. I have to preface this by saying our mother held all the cards in this situation. What we got to listen to, and for how long, was determine by how we had behaved during the week. I have to confess that raising four boys was not an easy task, especially when five to six years separated the two older from the two younger.

Saturday nights were the favorite. First, there was Gunsmoke. Yes, that show existed back then, but only on radio. I don’t remember who played whom, or any of the actual story lines. I just liked to hear when Marshal Dillon prevailed over the bad guys. When were they ever going to learn you couldn’t beat Marshal Dillon?

Then came the darker side. The show was called The Inner Sanctum. It was a kind of horror show, and again I don’t remember story lines. The parts that intrigued me were the beginning and end of the show, when you would hear the squeaking door open at the start of the program, and close at the conclusion. I guess I was too young to realize the horror that took place in between.

Other times, the radio was on and music was played. The “Victrola” was used a lot, playing 78 rpm LP records.

On Sunday mornings, after church, we would go to our grandfather’s place, which was next door because we shared a duplex, and listened to the radio. His favorite show was a French version where they only played Canadian songs. The show, hosted by Edgar Poulin, was called La Melodie Francais, which translate to “French Melodies”. However, my grandfather would jokingly call it La Maladie Francais, which translate to the “French Sickness.” My grandfather would sit in his chair next to the radio, and actually dance in place with his feet, without leaving his seat. Quite a show!

And finally one day – I remember the date – it was my birthday in October 1958 when I turned 11 years old, my Uncle Gil came to the house and installed an antenna on the roof. Those were starting to sprout like mushrooms around the city.

In the living room, stood a 21-inch, Sears Silvertone, black and white television floor console, with its assortment of electrical tubes to power it. How many remember when a TV repairman would actually come to the house to replace them when one burned out? On the front of the TV was the on/off switch, and the dial to select the channel – there were three available (there were only 12 numbers on the dial 2-13). Also on the front were horizontal hold and vertical hold knobs to prevent the picture from rolling up and down or side to side. On top of the television set was a box with a dial that controled the antenna on the roof, to point in the direction from which the signal was coming. Quite an ingenius marvel back in the day.

Back then, most TV stations signed off at midnight. The list of shows my parents never missed were The Milton Berle Show, The Jimmy Durante Show (“Good night, Mrs. Callabash, wherever you are.”), Lawrence Welk (my mother liked the champagne bubbles), The Honeymooners (“One of these days, Alice, pow, to the moon!”)

Later on, you would be able to watch the Red Sox doubleheaders every Sunday, with stars like Ted Williams, Jackie Jensen, Frank Malzone – my favorite player – Jim Piersall, my second favorite player who I had the opportunity to meet many years later. Some football with the New York Football Giants – they were so referred to because, at the time, the New York Giants baseball team played at the Polo Grounds before moving to San Francisco. I remember Sam Huff – my favorite player – Frank Gifford, Kyle Rote, Roosevelt Greer, Y.A.Tittle, etc., and remember watching the “greatest football game ever played” – when the Giants lost to the Baltimore Colts in the NFL championship game in 1958.

As the years went on, we got our first color TV in 1964. Television had improved a lot by then, and the selection of channels grew to five.

Not much time was spent in front of the TV, as we were highly encouraged to play outdoors with our friends. The television was a treat, not an electronic babysitter.

Those were good years, something that will never be seen again, on The Plains.

REVIEW POTPOURRI: Sopranos Rosa Ponselle & Barbara Maurel; Composer Serge Prokofiev; Conductor Eugene Ormandy; Singer Gene Pitney; Remington

Rosa Ponselle (left), Barbara Maurel (right)

Peter Catesby Peter Cates

Rosa Ponselle
Barbara Maurel

A 1919 Columbia ten inch acoustic 78 rpm shellac has a very lovely duet of sopranos Rosa Ponselle (1897-1981) and Barbara Maurel (1889-?) performing the very well-known funeral hymn Abide With Me, which was often sung as a special number on non-funeral church Sundays by my father and three of his brothers during the GOLDEN DAYS of my little boy years growing up on China Lake’s non-swimming East Vassalboro side.

This and two other recordings of it, the megahit Victor Red Seal 1915 shellac by soprano Alma Gluck (1884-1938) and contralto Louise Homer (1871-1947); and a 1997 YouTube by Leslie Garrett with a magnificently huge choir and orchestra can be heard via YouTube.

Serge Prokofiev

Serge Prokofiev

Russian composer Serge Prokofiev (1891-1953) struggled for well over 20 years with his opera War and Peace and subjected it to frequent revisions, especially when cordially requested to do so by the Central Committee of the Stalinist Soviet Union; portions of it were performed a few times in both small and large halls but a full-scale production was delayed until six years after Prokofiev’s death when a 1959 Bolshoi Opera premiere occurred.

A friend, cellist Mstislav Rostropovich (1927-2007), premiered the Cello Sonata and a couple of other pieces. By 1970, Rostropovich had also taken up conducting and, during the mid-1970s after he and his family had been forced to leave the Soviet Union because of his friendship with the exiled novelist Alexander Solzhenitsyn, he was appointed music director of the National Symphony Orchestra of Washington DC.

In 1986, Rostropovich recorded the complete War and Peace in Paris with a cast that included his wife, soprano Galina Vishnevskaya, in one of the lead roles on an Erato set of four compact discs. The music is wide-ranging in its emotions with a massive orchestra augmented by extra brass, percussion and simulated artillery fire sound effects in its depiction of Napoleon’s early 1800s invasion of Russia. There are grand marches, choral numbers, moments of sublime beauty, and the colorfully abrasive rhythms and sonorities that exemplify Prokofiev’s compositional genius.

Eugene Ormandy

Eugene Ormandy

A 1957 Columbia Masterworks monaural LP, ML 5261, features the consistently great Eugene Ormandy (1899-1985) conducting the Philadel­phia Or­chestra in a group of colorful show pieces of classical music- Smetana’s Moldau, Liszt’s Mephisto Waltz, Weber’s Invitation to the Dance, and three excerpts from Berlioz’s Damnation of Faust. The record has been out of print for decades but its contents can also be heard on YouTube.

Gene Pitney

Gene Pitney

Singer Gene Pitney (1940-2006) achieved much success among adolescents with such early ‘60s rock and roll hits Town Without Pity, and Only Love Can Break A Heart. His 1966 LP Blue Gene (Musicor MM 2006) has his rough-edged but riveting renditions of Burt Bacharach’s 24 Hours From Tulsa – for me, the best item on the album with Bacharach doing the arrangement; the very high quality title song; and covers of I’ll Be Seeing You, Autumn Leaves, Answer Me My Love, Maybe You’ll Be There (a hit for Gordon Jenkins in 1948 on a Decca 78) etc.

Remington

Remington was the first inexpensive classical record label and started issuing its $2 releases in 1951. A 1952 three record set of Verdi’s opera Rigoletto was taped in Florence by names known only to opera buffs but ones who were very good – baritone Ivan Petroff as the hunch-backed, vindictive title character, soprano Orlandina Orlandini as Rigoletto’s daughter Gilda, and tenor Gino Sarri as the Duke who comes courting Gilda on the sly because he is detested by her father.

It is also an opera breathing with phenomenally beautiful arias and other set pieces and choruses and its story line gets on with it.

Erasmo Ghiglia conducted the ensemble of soloists, choristers and orchestral musicians in Florence more than 70 years ago and it too is available for listening on YouTube.