SMALL SPACE GARDENING: Garden longer with less muscle strain and fatigue

/0 Comments/in /by

photo by Emily Cates

by Melinda Myers

Keep gardening longer with less muscle strain and fatigue with these pain-free gardening techniques. You’ll not only keep your garden looking its best but also make it a more enjoyable experience.

Keep tools handy to reduce the number of trips from the garden back to your garage or shed. A garden tool bag or bucket with a wrap-around tool organizer works well for small hand tools. Purchase a mobile garden tool caddy or convert a discarded wheeled golf bag, shopping cart, or wheeled trash bin into a tool caddy for long-handled tools. These make it easier to keep them handy as you move from garden to garden.

Store small tools right in the garden. Install an old mailbox in your garden filled with your favorite small hand tools and gloves. Then add a little paint or cover it with a mailbox planter or vine to make it an attractive and functional part of your landscape.

Keep tools clean and sharp. Regular maintenance will extend their life and improve their efficiency. It can also help reduce the risk of spreading disease.

Invest in ergonomic tools when replacement or new tools are needed. They have larger and softer handles for easier, less stressful gripping. Many are designed for the proper positioning of your body to reduce joint stress and fatigue. Longer handles extend your reach and help you retain good posture. Consider purchasing ratchet-type pruners designed to give you more cutting power with less effort.

Use wagons, carts, or old snow saucer-type sleds for moving heavy items to the garden. You’ll need to make fewer trips, reduce muscle strain, and save energy when moving mulch, potted plants, and other items.

Divide heavy loads into smaller increments. You may need to make more trips, but it will be easier on your back and knees.

When shoveling, be sure to stand upright and take small scoops. Remember to pivot your body rather than twisting when emptying the load. Switch sides and take frequent breaks to reduce the risk of muscle strain, and fatigue.

Protect your knees with kneelers or wrap-around kneepads. No matter your age or physical ability you will benefit now and in the future by protecting your joints when gardening. These gardening accessories also reduce the pain and pressure on your joints. Kneelers with built-in handles make moving up and down easier, allowing you to garden longer.

Include a pair of safety glasses in your tool caddy. It is too easy to end up with a stick in the eye when pruning and working around trees and shrubs.

Take time to warm up before digging in. Gentle backbends and lunges are great ways to engage your muscles. Adjust your gardening activities to the weather. If it’s cold, try waiting for the weather to warm. If you are stiff in the morning, try gardening a bit later in the day.

Garden for shorter periods and try to take breaks every 15 to 20 minutes. Consider adding a few benches to the landscape to encourage you to sit, relax and enjoy your handiwork.

Wear gloves to protect your hands from cuts and bruises. Gloves also keep your hands warm and provide support as you dig, pluck and prune. Find a good-looking comfortable pair that you are likely to wear.

Protect your eyes and skin from sun damage. Wear a hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen. You’ll avoid sunburns and protect your skin from long-term damage. Keep yourself hydrated by drinking plenty of water as you garden.

Including these strategies in your gardening efforts can make gardening even more beneficial and enjoyable.

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.MelindaMyers.com.

SCORES & OUTDOORS: It’s time for our annual visit with Woodrow Charles

/0 Comments/in /by
Roland D. Halleeby Roland D. Hallee

Well, we’ve turned the calendar and it is now February. Time for me to go visit my furry, rodent friend, Woodrow Charles, the weather prognosticating groundhog. Folklore has it that if he sees his shadow, we are in for six more weeks of winter. If he does not see it, we can expect an early spring.

With the mild winter we had seen so far, it looked like the trek to his abode would be an easy one. However, with the snow, rain and ice we have received over the past couple of weeks, that hike could be a difficult one. It was!

After an hour and a half of trudging through the snow and ice, I finally came to the residence he occupied last year, only to find large “marshmallows,” massive hay bails wrapped in white plastic. Now, where did he go?

I took out my cell phone and dialed his number:

“Hello,” came the response from the other end.

“Woody?” I asked.

“Yeah, who wants to know?” was his reply.

“This is your friend from The Town Line,” I said.

“Oh, yeah,” he responded.

“Where the heck are you?”

“If you’re at my old place, just keep going straight through the field and down the path. I’m about 100 yards down on the right.”

“I’ll be right there.”

Down the path I went and found a small tree stump with a green door. I knocked.

“Come on in,” was the answer from the other side.

“Boy, this place is a dump,” I exclaimed.

“Hey, do you know how hard it is to find good, affordable housing these days?” he snapped. “At least I was able to install a heat pump. No place for a wood burning stove.”

He whipped up some tea, and we began to chat.

“Any plans for the Super Bowl?, I inquired.

“No, it’s between Philadelphia and Kansas City, two teams I have no interest in,” he said unapologetic. “As a matter of fact, two teams I have no love for.”

“What about Frank, Butch and Slim, your buddies?”

“Oh, they wimped out and went to Florida for the winter, but they’re in the process of finding a new place down there. Got flooded out from Hurricane Ian.”

“So,” I said, “no prediction on the game this year?”

“Well,” he replied, “you know me. I’ve got to put some money down on someone.”

Following a long pause, and look of concentration on his face, he finally said, “Philadelphia by two over Kansas City.”

“That’s a bold prediction,” I answered.

“Well, like I said, I don’t really care who wins!”

So, I tried to change the subject.

“Do you think you’ll be here for a while, or try to find a more suitable place so you can put back your big screen, smart TV, Alexa, your Keurig, and heated recliner?”

“I’m still looking,” he sighed. “But, it probably won’t be until the weather breaks. I’ll make do with this until then.”

“Speaking of the weather, what do you have for our readers this year?”

“Well, I still can’t use my electronic equipment. No internet, don’t you know. But I have done some calculations on my cell phone and this is what I have–”

I interrupted, “Not going out to see whether your shadow is here or not?”

“That’s old fashioned,” he said with a grit in his voice. “That’s for that fraud, wanna be, in Pennsylvania.”

“OK, I’m sorry.”

He rubbed his chin, and proclaimed, “The winter started out mild and it will end mild. Look for an early spring!”

“That was an even bolder prediction than the Super Bowl,” was my response.

“You can take it to the bank!” he shot back.

So, I bid my farewell for this year, exited the door, and on my way home wondered, “With those two predictions, was he actually starting to lose his mind?”

Roland’s trivia question of the week:

Who has won more Super Bowls, Philadelphia or Kansas City?

Answer can be found here.

FOR YOUR HEALTH: How You Can Resolve To Be Smokefree In 2023

/0 Comments/in /by
by Laura Corbin, Bureau Chief,
Tobacco Free Florida

(NAPSI)—The ball, the confetti and the 2022 wall calendars have all come down, and our attention turns to the annual tradition of making New Year’s resolutions. This can include health goals, such as deciding to have 2023 be the year to finally quit tobacco successfully. Most adult smokers in our state tried to do so at least once in the past year, reports the Florida Department of Health.

Quitting for good may take several attempts. With the resolution to quit, every year more and more people succeed on their own. But it may help to know some tips, and to know that you don’t have to do it alone.

Are you resolving to quit tobacco? If so…

Remember your reason.

What’s your biggest personal motivator to quit? If what keeps you going is a desire to be healthy and be there for your kids for years to come, strategically position photos of those smiling faces in the places you used to take your smoke breaks.

Maybe you’re quitting because you like the idea of putting thousands of dollars back in your pocket? Add to your wallet or purse a note keeping track of how much you’re saving every day, and set a goal to save for a specific treat, reward or trip with those savings.

Tell your friends and family about your quit date and plan.

Thank your personal network in advance for their patience and support as you start your quit journey. This might include switching up your plans to include new routines to meet up in different places from where you used to go if tobacco was part of that experience. And, of course, they can cheer you on along your path to success.

Learn about the options in the community for free help and think about which ones seem best to help you “quit your way.”

Support can be what makes this quit resolution stick. That can come in many forms. Tobacco Free Florida’s Quit Your Way program offers free Phone Quit, Group Quit and Web Quit services across the state, text-based support, a Quit Guide and more. Group Quit classes are also free, either in person in any of the 67 counties across Florida or even virtually, right from where you are.

Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) such as gum, patches or lozenges could double your chances of quitting for good, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statistics show. Free 2-week starter kits are available when medically appropriate.

Teens should know interactive, text-based quit support is available by texting VAPEFREE to 873373 to join the state’s Live Vape Free program to help quit e-cigarettes. As a state, we are making progress against e-cigarettes: youth use of electronic vapor products has dropped each of the last five years, including going down by more than 17% last year, according to the Florida Youth Tobacco Survey. Working together, that number can continue to drop for 2023.

Make 2023 your year to be smokefree. Stay focused, share your awesome plan and get help in the way that works best for you, and you can do it. Thousands across Florida already have.

Check out TobaccoFreeFlorida.com for more tips, ideas and support.

LIFE ON THE PLAINS: Remembering snow days in the ‘60s

/0 Comments/in , , /by

188 Water St.

by Roland D. Hallee

The winter storm that blew through our area on Monday, and a story I read in the daily newspaper about eliminating snow days in lieu of remote learning, it reminded me of the days back in the 1950s and ‘60s when we would, on rare occasions, experience a snow day from school.

I have to preface this with explaining how things were done back then.

The Waterville Fire Station, which still stands at the head of downtown, was used for other things besides storing fire trucks. One of the routines was when the fire trucks were ready to leave the station, a horn would blow in a certain pattern. Let’s just say you would get two blasts, followed by three blasts, followed by one blast, people would go to the chart provided by the fire department, and the series of blasts would indicate where the fire was in the city.

Also, back in those days, every day, at 9 p.m., the fire horn would sound telling all children under a certain age – the exact age escapes me – would have to be off the streets and at home.

It would also be used to signal no school on storm days with three long blasts.

So, when the weather forecasters predicted a major storm, we would rise the following morning with the anticipation of hearing the fire horn, usually around 7 a.m. It didn’t happen often, but when it did, we all rejoiced – for a moment.

You see, we didn’t get the day off to sit in front of television, or play on our nonexistent, at the time, cell phones or other electronic devices. It was put on your flannel pants, flannel shirt, boots, and warm jacket, to go outside to shovel the driveway. As mentioned in the past, my dad didn’t believe in paying someone to plow when he had four strapping boys at home. Also, back then, no snow throwers.

Following the tedious work, which took several hours, considering our driveway was over 100 feet long, we would be allowed to do whatever was left to the day. It could mean going sledding, tobogganing, or for some of us, pick up a shovel and scourer the neighborhood in search of elderly folks who needed help shoveling, and maybe earn a couple of dollars along the way. Oh, yeah, there was also the backyard skating rink to shovel clear.

With most of the kids living within walking distance of school, we seldom had a snow day off if we had flurries or light snow, like what happens today.

I remember my grandfather saying – and he grew up in Canada – “I used to walk to and from school in bad weather, and it was uphill both ways.” A saying that is kind of worn out today.

So, as you can see, snow days off really weren’t days off.

REVIEW POTPOURRI – Jazz trumpeter: Woody Shaw; Actress: Inger Stevens

/0 Comments/in /by

Woody Shaw

Peter Catesby Peter Cates

Woody Shaw

Jazz trumpeter Woody Shaw (1944-1989) recorded a very fine LP, United, in 1981 for Columbia records which can also be heard via YouTube. It consists of six tracks, of which three are original compositions by Shaw and one is an imaginative reworking of the Cole Porter classic What is this Thing Called Love.

Shaw was joined by trombonist Steve Turre, pianist Mulgrew Miller, double bassist Stafford James, drummer Tony Reedus and also saxophonist Gary Bartz, each of them outstanding as soloists and as ensemble team players.

For me, some of the five or more minute jazz improvisations can get quite tiresome, Ornette Coleman being an example. Shaw’s gifts are such that the music making held my interest. Some of the most beautiful blends, dynamics and sonorities are to be heard here.

Shaw wrote that his first three choices for instruments to study in school were the violin, trombone and saxophone but they were already taken; hence, he got stuck with the trumpet. When he griped to the music teacher, the latter told him to be patient and that the older man had a good feeling about Shaw’s destiny, which proved to be true.

His major influences included Harry James, Louis Armstrong and Dizzy Gillespie.

By the late 1980s, Woody Shaw was suffering from severe kidney ailments and a degenerative eye disease, and, due to being struck by a subway car in Brooklyn, his left arm had to be amputated. He had also been a heroin addict. When he died on May 10, 1989, he had been on a respirator for more than a month due to kidney failure.

In his essay Maine Speech, E.B. White writes the following:

“If you have enough wood for winter but not enough to carry you beyond that, you need wood ‘to spring out on.’ “

Inger Stevens

Highly recommended viewing recently was the gifted actress Inger Stevens (1934-1970) in the 1960 Twi­light Zone episode, The Hitchhiker and the 1967 made for TV movie The Borgia Stick, in which she and actor Don Murray (still living at 95) portray a suburban couple in New York’s Weschester County who funnel millions of dollars from a shadowy outfit known as the “Company” into legitimate businesses.

It can also be viewed on YouTube, although the quality of the video on the site I accessed was a bit below par. One hopes that a better print will be made available soon. Even so, it remains well worth watching.

CRITTER CHATTER: It’s typical to have 35 – 50 flying rodents at wildlife care center – Part 1

/0 Comments/in /by

Flying squirrel

by Jayne Winters

When I stopped by the other day to deliver some muffins to Don Cote at the Wildlife Care Center, I was interested in a recent admission: a flying squirrel that had probably been hit by a car. I was hoping to get a close-up peek at it, but flyers are nocturnal animals, so it remained hidden under the bedding while I was there. Don said the squirrel was eating and drinking well, however, and was quite active during evening hours.

Although Duck Pond typically gets 35-50 flying squirrel admissions annually, Don stated he only had two the previous year, which he released in the spring. He suspects others may have been taken to other rehabbers or injuries aren’t being reported/treated. I wonder if climate change and/or loss of habitat is impacting their populations?

I found an article Carleen Cote had written and share some of her information: “Flying squirrels are nocturnal and seldom seen. Their eyes protrude, much like the eyes of a bat, an asset as they move about at night, gliding through the trees, from the highest limb to lowest. Although they are called flying squirrels, they actually glide by means of four covered folds of skin that extend from wrists to ankles, which provide a broad surface when the limbs are extended sideways. They have a flattened tail, are relatively lightweight and have extremely soft fur, much softer than velvet, which provides little friction resistance to air. Flyers are basically vegetarians but are not seed eaters, and they will consume insects and meat if it is available. They live in old woodpecker holes; several may occupy the same hole. Active all winter, they apparently do not store food.”

Carleen wrote a second column in 2012: “Flying squirrels are not chewers or destructive as are reds and grays. They gather together in the winter for warmth…So far this year we have 51 flyers in residence. Flying squirrels usually move into a building when cold weather arrives. If they become a problem and are trapped, they should never be released outside because they would probably freeze to death. Call the nearest rehabilitator to ask if they will hold them for the winter. We are always available to take any in need of a warm place to stay during the cold months.”

Next month, I’ll provide information from my research regarding habitat, diet, family structure, and characteristics of the flying squirrel. Did you know there are two species in Maine?

Although admissions typically slow down at this time of year, Don will get calls from folks worried about young animals now on their own, adjusting to life in the wild without their mothers’ care. Some are simply learning how to be independent, but others may indeed be orphaned or injured, struggling to survive. While Don continues to take them in, he does transfer rescues to other rehabbers who are generously providing assistance to help keep critter care at Duck Pond manageable. Please check the following web sites to see if there is a rehabber near you: https://www.mainevetmed.org/wildlife-rehabilitation or https://www.maine.gov/ifw/fish-wildlife/wildlife/living-with-wildlife/orphaned-injured-wildlife/index.html.

Donald Cote operates Duck Pond Wildlife Care Center on Rte. 3 in Vassalboro. It is a non-profit state permitted rehab facility supported by his own resources & outside donations. Mailing address: 1787 North Belfast Ave., Vassalboro ME 04989 TEL: (207) 445-4326. PLEASE NOTE THE PRIOR wildlifecarecenter EMAIL ADDRESS IS NOT BEING MONITORED AT THIS TIME.

SCORES & OUTDOORS: An uninvited and unwelcomed guest crashes party

/0 Comments/in /by

Brown rat (left), Black rat (right)

Roland D. Halleeby Roland D. Hallee

Last Saturday night, my wife and I hosted our annual after holiday party with our camping friends. Everyone invited attended, however, unfortunately one couple had to bow out due to illness.

During the evening, we had a party crasher in the form of an uninvited, unwelcomed guest. One of our guests calmly informed us that she had seen a “mouse” run across the kitchen floor. My wife and I have been living in this house for 46 years, and over that time, have encountered one mouse, which I inadvertently brought home from camp in some laundry.

My sighting revealed something different. This time, however, unbeknown to my wife and I, we seem to have an unwanted rat living in our basement, that decided to make an appearance at the height of festivities.

RATS! No, it’s not something you say when things don’t go your way. Instead, it describes, profoundly, what people think of this rodent that is perceived as a member of the underworld of the animal kingdom. They are scorned, feared and totally misunderstood. They are portrayed as evil and filthy little creatures that spread disease as they scamper through the sewers of major cities. Among unions, “rat” is a term for nonunion employers or breakers of union contracts.

Few animals elicit such strong and contradictory reactions as rats.

The Black Death is traditionally believed to have been caused by the micro-organism Yersinia pestis, carried by the tropical rat flea which preyed on black rats living in European cities during the epidemic outbreaks of the Middle Ages. These rats were used as transport hosts. Another disease linked to rats is the foot-and-mouth disease.

The reason I bring this up is because of something I saw recently. My wife showed a video to me on Facebook – I don’t do Facebook – showing this woman who had two pet rats she had trained to do some amazing things. That piqued my curiosity because I had heard rats are fairly intelligent.

The best known rat species are the black rat, which is considered to be one of the world’s worst invasive species, and the brown rat, which is what I saw that night. Male rats are known as bucks, females are does, and infant rats are called kittens or pups. A group of rats is referred to as a “mischief.”

The woman on the video had her rats trained to bring her a tissue when she sneezed, respond to flashcard commands, and even come when called, just to name a few that I remember.

Those who keep rats as pets know them as highly intelligent and social animals who clean themselves regularly and thrive on regular interaction.

Specifically-bred rats have been kept as pets at least since the late 19th century. Pet rats are typically variants of the species brown rat, but black rats and giant pouched rats are also known to be kept. Pet rats behave differently from their wild counterparts depending on how many generations they have been kept as pets. The more generations, the more domesticated it will be. Pet rats do not pose any more of a health risk than pets such as dogs and cats. Tamed rats are generally friendly and can be taught to perform selected behaviors.

Because of evident displays of their ability to learn, rats were investigated early to see whether they exhibit general intelligence, as expressed by the definition of a g factor as observed in larger, more complex animals. Early studies around 1930 found evidence both for and against such a g factor in rats.

A 2011 controlled study found that rats are actively prosocial. They demonstrate apparent behavior to other rats in experiments, including freeing them from cages. When presented with readily available chocolate chips, test rats would first free the caged rat, and then share the food. All female rats displayed this behavior, while only 30 percent of males did not.

Rat meat has become a dietary staple in some cultures. Among others, I personally observed rats being consumed in Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand.

Back to the pet rat. While most people cringe at the thought of having a rat for a pet, believe it or not, domestic rats make great pets. They are not aggressive, diseased and dirty animals, but in fact are very clean, fun-loving, sensitive, very social and affectionate. They genuinely enjoy interacting with people and should be handled daily. Rats are very intelligent and can be taught simple tricks, and will often learn their names. They can be litter box trained.

Whatever you do, don’t go down to the river to select a pet rat, but rather visit your local pet shop. When choosing your rat, choose one that does not appear skittish or does not squeal when picked up. Males tend to be calmer than females. Males usually enjoy being held for longer periods of time, especially when they get older.

If you get a pet rat, it is best if they are kept indoors rather than in a shed or garage, where they would get less attention. As mentioned before, rats are extremely clean animals and will constantly groom themselves – similar to cats. If you have more than one rat, they will groom each other.

The rat we saw that night was brown, and looked fairly well groomed. I’m wondering if it was a neighbor’s pet that got away?

So, now that we have seen a lighter side of rats, doesn’t it make you want to run right out to get one? Not me. This guy, or gal, decided to show itself on a night when there were over a dozen adults around. But it had better not get too comfortable. Its lease has an expiration date.

Now, as one of the guests noted, what will my wife and I do to top this year’s entertainment at next year’s party?

Roland’s trivia question of the week:

Of the four teams left in the NFL playoffs, which is the only one to never win a Super Bowl?

Answer can be found here.

Give Us Your Best Shot! for Thursday, January 26, 2023

/0 Comments/in /by

To submit a photo for this section, please visit our contact page or email us at townline@townline.org!

PURPLE SKY: Ashley Wills, of Palermo, photographed this purple sunset last summer.

HMM GOOD!: Lindy Sklover, of Vassalboro, snapped this bee feasting on nectar last summer.

KISSING COUSINS: Emily Poulin, of South China, captured these two gold finches at her feeders.

FOR YOUR HEALTH: Holiday Halitosis: Causes and Combatants of Bad Breath

/0 Comments/in /by

You can avoid bad breath during holiday gatherings.

(NAPSI)—Here’s a hint to help everyone breathe easier this holiday season: Before you head out the door to your next holiday function, make sure your breath is set for close conversation by knowing the culprits of bad breath and the simple solutions that keep you safe from catching an unwelcome whiff.

 “Bad breath can be from skipping healthy oral hygiene habits or it can be indicative of a deeper issue,” said Kyle Dosch, DDS, Delta Dental of Washington’s dental director and member dentist. “Combining good habits and consistent visits to the dentist will help keep halitosis away.” 

 Why Bad Breath

There are many causes of bad breath, and even those who are diligent about their oral hygiene can suffer from it. The most common are:

•Dehydration: Not consuming enough water can lead to a decrease in saliva production, causing bacteria in the mouth to grow. 

•Dry mouth: Saliva contains antimicrobial properties that help eliminate bad breath. When this saliva is not naturally produced, it can cause your breath to smell stale.

•Lack of denture cleanliness: If you have dentures, food particles can get stuck in them, and if left overnight, they can begin to break down and cause bad breath. Consistently removing dentures at night and regularly cleaning them is important. 

•Tonsil stones: Tonsil stones develop when food and bacteria get trapped and harden in the crevices surrounding the tonsils, resulting in little white spots at the back of your tonsils and, sometimes, a foul odor. 

•Mouth, nose and throat infections: Postnasal drip, which can be caused by a cold or sinusitis, is a sign that bad breath may be close behind. The bacteria from these infections feed on mucus your body produces when it begins an immune response, leading to bad breath.

•Acid reflux: Suffering from heartburn or GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease) can go hand in hand with bad breath. When food doesn’t move out of the body effectively, it can start to decay in the stomach and contribute to bad breath.

•Consuming certain food or beverages: Garlic and onions are delicious additions to dishes, but they are also rich in sulfur compounds. When cut, mashed or chewed, they release gasses which combine with bacteria in the mouth to form bad breath that can last hours after a meal. 

•Low-carb diets: Low-carb diets can result in bad breath from a release of chemicals which happens as the body burns fat. 

•Tobacco use: Smokers’ breath is a direct result of tobacco use. Tobacco products leave their own odor, and smoking can lead to dry mouth and gum disease, which contribute to many issues including halitosis. 

 What You Can Do

Try some of these bad breath remedies for a fresher scent:

•Brush and floss twice a day.

•Use antibacterial toothpaste to keep bacteria and plaque at bay.

•Scrape your tongue with a tongue scraper or your toothbrush in the morning and at night.

•Replace your toothbrush around once every two months.

•Drink plenty of fluoridated tap water to avoid dehydration and dry mouth.

•Eliminate unwanted bacteria with a warm saltwater rinse.

•Visit your dentist for bi-annual checkups and cleanings.

•Chew fresh mint, cilantro or parsley.

•Avoid eating garlic and onions.

•Stop smoking.

If none of these remedies work for you, schedule a checkup with your dentist for potential next steps to get bad breath under control. 

Learn More

For more information on dental health, visit Delta Dental of Washington’s blog at deltadentalwa.com/blog.

LIFE ON THE PLAINS: The cuisine on The Plains

/0 Comments/in , , /by

Water St. looking north. Notice the row of tenement buildings on the right. Those were built on the river bank, and were supported by stilts. They were removed in the 1960s and 1970s. (photo courtesy of
E. Roger Hallee)

by Roland D. Hallee

This week, I’ll let Peg Pellerin tell her story about the cuisine on The Plains.

Cuisine down on The Plains

by Peg Pellerin

I have found Roland Hallee’s articles about The Plains (La Plaine) in Waterville so interesting, especially since I grew up there from 1952 to 1972. His renderings have brought back so many memories and some of those memories involved the foods we ate.

Most residing in that area were mill working families. Since most of the laborers were the men of the families, the mothers did their best to make paychecks stretch, especially when it came to groceries and meals.

The majority of the people living in that part of town were of French Canadian descent, which meant French Canadian cuisine. I can still remember the aromas coming from the homes in the area, giving away what my friends were having for “souper” (pronounced soo-pey), the French terminology for supper.

A lot depended on what day it was even to what time of the year it was. The largest meal of the week was made on Sunday. What was left over was eaten during the week. I remeber my mother baking or boiling jambon (ham) (pronounced jean-bon) with carrots and potatoes. She would use the ham bone with some of the meat still on the bone and make “soupe aux pois” (pea soup). It was not a favorite of mine but I ate it because it was what my mother put in front of me. The choices of meals back then was take it or leave it, or go without. We never went without because we ate it.

Crèpes weren’t just eaten for breakfast. In fact it was more of a supper for my family than a morning meal. For those who aren’t familiar with this yummy food, it is a very thin pancake. We’d put loads of butter and
maple syrup on it. (Roland’s two cents: my mother would make them for breakfast. We’d put a line of brown sugar, roll them into a cigar-like shape, and put maple syrup on top.)

Another stretch of Sunday meal was taking leftovers of roasted chicken or turkey and making “ragout” (pronounced rag-goo). Some folks call it chicken and dumplings but it was mostly the poultry in a thick gravy with dumplings. We’d scoop it over mashed potatoes or bread.

Mom would make a roast of both beef and pork with potatoes and carrots. She’d purposely include more potatoes than she knew we’d eat because she intended to take the meat and grind it, then mash the potatoes and combine all with onions and place in a pie crust and, voila, tourtière. (Roland’s two cents: Our mother would grind the meat with the potatoes and onions and make a hash. I liked to put ketchup on mine.)

Most, including myself, usually make it around Christmas time, but mom made it often during the year. She would also take leftover pork and make creton, which is like having a pork paté, which was usually spread onto bread for a sandwich or spread over crackers.

Whatever my mother made, we’d never know that it was an inexpensive meal. It was a treat. Besides having beans and franks (Roland’s two cents: Don’t forget the pickled beets) on Saturday nights, which was primarily a Yankee tradition since the Civil War, (we also ate many non-French Canadian meals, too). Mom would cut potatoes in thick strips, fry them and pour gravy over it. Yup, that in itself was supper. Many now know it as “poutine”. We never had the curds put on it and to this day, I won’t eat it with curds. My most favorite inexpensive meal was “gallettes”, a/k/a fried dough. We would walk to Veteran Court, which was several streets away from ours and go to Bolduc’s Bakery, where anyone could go in to purchase baked bread or, in my mother’s case, uncooked dough. She’d fry pieces of it and while still warm pour maple syrup over it. YUMMY! (Roland’s two cents: One of our favorite desserts was a slice of bread dipped in molasses. Of course, mother’s “ice box cake”, for special occasions, was the best of all. Graham crackers which were placed standing, with a chocolate whipped cream filling between the crackers, then covered with the cream. Everyone fought for the end pieces because they were the best. It was to die for.)

I will end this article with a mouthwatering treat; at least it was for us back in the ‘50s and early ‘60s. “Tire d’erable”, a/k/a maple taffy, but mainly it is thick maple syrup poured over fresh clean snow. It’s difficult to find clean snow, even when it’s fresh. I guess if you want something similar, make snow cones and pour maple syrup over it. It’ll be good but not as good as we had “back in the day”.