NEWS FROM THE VA: It seems the negatives outweigh the positives

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Veterans Affairs Regional Benefit Office Togus, ME

by Gary Kennedy

Well, here we are again and I wish I had a lot of great news to share with you but these are trying times and, unfortunately, it seems the negatives out-weigh the positives. It seems even some of the positives are masking negative intent. I have received much anxious correspondence lately, it causes me some very deep thought; I never thought I’d see what appears a good thing masking as something else. It is so negative to be searching for an ulterior motive for what would normally be taken on its face as a good thing.

Recently, VA’s center Director and Regional Director made rapid decisions with a very large amount of money lying in its coffers. There are some of us who have a great deal of knowledge regarding V.A. and its history and needs. We have watched this Covid epidemic used in what some believe to be a distorted way. It has been authorized to build roads, sidewalks, two very large buildings while at the same time take advantage of the Covid epidemic and shutdown and/or eliminate some very essential path-ways to well being.

During this time of calamity, while there are those who think no one is watching, veteran services are being undermined, even destroyed. Some examples would be the veteran outreach program which is doomed to self destruct. Originally, the politicians sought a way to service all veterans in a like manner. Some veterans live in remote areas. Two things come into play here and they are the distance veterans still have to travel for care, but most importantly it should be quality care.

Vietnam era vets such as myself are now reaching the end of the line, so in order to grab those last few years, we need quality help. Reducing distance is only good for the menial of medical problems. Those of us who have suffered through cancer and many other trying medical problems need a large medical facility with MDs, specialists to help us achieve the edge we need. Instead we find life and death decisions and treatment are being handled by nurse practitioners, PAs and other such medical people, who are great to a point but that point should and must have its limits.

We are even importing medical people from India, Pakistan and the Philippines to name only a few. Don’t take me wrong, some of these medical people are specialists who will work for less money and the ability to become American citizens. Although this is unfair immigration, realizing there are paid waiting applicants, who are waiting their turn, it does give us quality needed people.

Until this past year we were paying outside practitioners exactly what they billed for their service. Well, in less than a year that came to a screaming halt. I spoke with medical representatives who now refuse to take veterans because the VA had cut the fees to between 35-51 percent of the bill they submitted. I had one office manager in Portland say, “we are a specialty operation and we have to pay our people a top salary as they are all professionals. We can’t do that on what the VA has limited us to now. We just can’t take veterans anymore.” That is something that is going to become more frequent. VA knew what they were doing and it is coming back to bite them.

What started out as a potential good thing is rapidly turning sour. Look at the wait times now. I personally was given a clinic appointment which I kept and was told I would be seen in a couple of weeks to finish it up. That was just the paperwork, information and partial exam. I received a call last week stating my wait to finish just the interview part would be three more months. My condition was/is serious and service connected. I used to be treated for this with weekly injections, or as needed. As you know I also work with veterans and help them with their cases to get medical help as well as claim resolution. Even though I have near death situations on my desk I will still have to wait.

Recently the Veterans Administration hired V.A. Advocates. When that program first started I offered to volunteer and that was considered great. That was the last conversation we had. Oh yes, there is money to hire. There are signs everywhere but still our men and women vets are being farmed out to strange facilities. Some vets have been going to Togus VA for many years and feel comfortable there. Another point I’d like to make is given the average age of Togus patients, Neurology is a very important department. Recently, the most knowledgeable neurologist who had worked there for many years decided to retire. I had a private conversation with her about what was going on and that we would miss her. She said, “Why? I really can’t do much for you.” She explained she could do some basic stuff but the rest would have to be done somewhere else. I asked, “Why?” she said, “we talked about this before”. We have no EMG equipment; it’s all broken and VA chooses not to replace it. What good is a carpenter without his hammer? I finally remembered I had addressed this before and had written a short letter as well as paid a visit to the director’s office. I received no response from either.

The last thing I will mention today and only because I hear about this a lot, and that is physical therapy. The therapy room itself is empty on most days. The most important and least expensive is the gym and pool. We are one of the only V.A.s with such a great set up in which therapy with caregivers can be accomplished without paying all but one person and yet the benefits it gives we older veterans are immeasurable. There is need for a lifeguard but the benefits to those of us with limb problems are great.

I would be remiss in my reporting and responding to the veteran’s questions if I didn’t mention the clever way that security stations have been placed at all entrances. Veterans use to be free to visit their home away from home but now they don’t feel comfortable. Also, there are many phones not being answered, thus causing walk-ins. The security booths were originally set up temporarily but now they are obviously permanent paid positions. All clubs and gyms with pools are open but are not user friendly to our vets.

I hear much about this and I believe action is being taken on behalf of the vets. If you have been harmed in anyway by this unnecessary act please share it with us so we can address it. We don’t want the VA being treated politically.

Stay calm and safe my fellow brother/sister veterans. You are not alone during these trying times. Just because the Service Organization doors are closed doesn’t mean there isn’t help. Call your organization for help and Senator Collins and King’s office are still working. I go there and you can as well. Like I told you in my last column, don’t let the news stations get you down. There is more reality in the cartoon stations these days and they won’t depress you.

God bless you all, stay strong and help one another.

SCORES & OUTDOORS: What’s the difference between a crow and a raven?

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Crow on the left, raven on the right.

Roland D. Halleeby Roland D. Hallee

A couple of weeks ago I noticed a lot of different birds coming to our feeders, and I compared the situation with the Alfred Hitchcock thriller film, The Birds. Well, I have another chapter in that episode. I have noticed recently the high number of crows, or ravens, that have been hanging around my house. Just the other day, I saw seven of them sitting in my pine trees in the backyard. They are huge birds.

Just to draw a comparison, there was a grey squirrel – either Martha or Stewart, my resident squirrels, are pretty good sized squirrels – on one of the other branches, and these birds made it look like a field mouse. The squirrel was dwarfed by these birds. They were also licking their chops. However, the crows’ stout bill is not strong enough to break through the skin.

Later that day, while driving by the park that is located at the end of my street, there were about two dozen of these birds feeding on the banking that was bare of snow.

Where are they coming from. And are they crows, or ravens like some people are calling them?

Well, to cut to the chase, crows have a fan-shaped tail, while ravens’ tails are wedge-shaped. The birds I’m looking at have a fan-shaped tail. Obviously, there are a few differences between the two species. Most of the differences are noticeable when the two are together. However, crows will assemble in large flocks, while ravens tend to be solitary, until the fall migration.

When you see one of the black birds, identifying it can present a real challenge. But their slight differences in size, anatomy, voice and behavior can help you tell them apart.

Common ravens are noticeably bigger; their wingspans can be 46 inches in total length while the distance between their beak tips and tail tips can reach 27 inches. Compare that with American crows, who’ve got 36-inch wingspans and grow to be just 20 inches long from end to end.

The wings themselves look different, too. At the tips you’ll see the finger-like primary feathers that birds use to propel themselves through the air. Because ravens soar more often than crows do, they’ve got longer primaries. Crow tail feathers are arranged in the shape of a gently-curved, handheld fan. On the other hand, a raven’s tail ends in a point, giving it a diamond-like appearance. Ravens also have shaggy feathers under their throats, which crows lack.

Bill shape is yet another point of difference: Unlike the straight-beaked American crow, the common raven has a curved, somewhat knife-like beak.

When it comes to sociability, the two birds are light years apart. Crows amass themselves in large flocks — or “murders” — and may roost together at night in huge clusters of several hundred birds. Ravens are less gregarious, preferring to fly in pairs or in tight-knit family units. Their habitat preferences vary, as well. American crows generally favor wide open spaces while common ravens tend to hang out in forests.

Both the crows and the ravens are highly intelligent birds. Perhaps the most intelligent. The two can learn to imitate a variety of sounds, including the human voice. Recent research has found crows not only use tools, but also tool construction. Their intelligence quotient is equal to that of many non-human primates.

Also, American crows can learn to recognize the faces of people who’ve tried to attack them while common ravens have shown both impulse control and active planning in lab experiments.

There is a story that indicates crows know how to count. The story has not been substantiated, but it goes like this: Three hunters enter a hunters’ blind. They wait, the crows know they are in there. The crows don’t move. Two hunters leave the blind, and the crows still don’t move. Once the third hunter leaves, the crows know they are gone and resume their normal activity.

Crows also have a good memory, remembering where there is danger, and where their cache of food is for later consumption.

Predators include owls and hawks. Crows will gather together to move an offending or intruding owl or hawk. However, West Nile disease has been taking its toll on crow populations.

A couple of years ago, while fishing on Webber Pond, my wife and I noticed a large flock of crows headed for a tree that sat on a point. Apparently, a bald eagle was intruding on a nest. The crows mobbed the eagle and drove it off. That was interesting to watch.

So, taking all these things into consideration, the large black birds hanging around my house are most likely crows. But the question as to where they come from and why they are hanging around, has not been answered. In the past, I have seen extremely large numbers of crows fly overhead in late fall. They seem to be coming from the river and continue in a northwesterly direction, darkening the sky as they passed. This year, they are making themselves right at home around my house.

Myths and folktales about these birds are almost too numerous to count. The Norse god Odin was said to have talking ravens who’d fly around the world gathering news for their divine master. And a story of Lakota-Sioux origin says that the forefather of all crows was once tossed into a fire as punishment for his misdeeds, hence the dark feathers of his progeny.

I will continue to investigate.

Roland’s trivia question of the week:

What do you call it when a player makes three consecutive strikes in bowling?

Answer can be found here.

I’M JUST CURIOUS: A few hints

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by Debbie Walker

Tonight, I am going to share some suggestions for the home mostly but there may just be some general information, too. Of course, I will have to tell you what my baby great-granddaughter has been up to recently as this morning.

At 18 months old, Addison Grace can now tell you, her name. She is building quite a vocabulary. Maybe it’s part of the aging process but I swear I think that child is growing faster and is very smart. Addi doesn’t have to go to daycare or a sitter and her mother and she do some amazing communicating. It is fascinating for me to watch the process.

Today I was thumbing through my First magazine, November issue, I found some things I found interesting. One page titled “life smarts” had some common sense help I decided to share with you. A lady suggested using vinegar for cleaning. Mix 2 tablespoons of vinegar into a gallon of water for wiping down bathroom surfaces. They even suggested using a drop or two of essential oil to the inside of the toilet paper tube, each time used it will throw out a little bit of scent. (You can also stuff the toilet paper tube with a dryer sheet for scent.)

There was a paragraph about dryer sheets. They can be used to clean wood furniture and floors. You can also attach a dryer sheet to a broom with a rubber band.

Some time ago I read about birds’ needs for the winter and water is one of them. You cover the bottom of your bird bath with a black plastic bag, pour in some water, and then add 2 or3 tennis balls. The wind will blow the balls around to keep ice from forming.

Butter uses:

Calm a cat with butter. You put it on his/her feet. Licking it off will keep Kitty distracted when upset or nervous. Also, the butter will help out with hair balls.

Ring stuck on? Rub the butter on your finger around the ring. It will slide off easily.

Crafting, using white glue. The bottle of glue falls over and it leaks on table without notice and hardens. To remove pour a bit of vinegar on a cloth. Rub over the spot. It will dissolve.

Itchy scalp: Mix 1/2 cup of mashed pumpkin and 2 tablespoon of brown sugar together and rub onto damp scalp for 2 minutes, then rinse. (I kind of wonder what happens if you have white hair or very blonde. Do you wind up with orange hair?)

To pot new plants, use 1/2 non-clumping kitty litter and half potting soil. The kitty litter will hold some of the moisture and releases when needed.

If you don’t have static guard, you can use hair spray. Spray your clothing on the inside. I have done this one and it does work. I would check some where it won’t be visible. Better safe than sorry.

Got a sticky spot where a sales ticket was, hairspray to the rescue! Just spray the ticket, leave for 10 minutes and lift.

I am just curious if you know any new tricks you’d like to share with me. Contact me at DebbieWalker@townline.com. Thank you for reading and have a wonderful week.

REVIEW POTPOURRI: E. B. White & A Star is Born

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Peter Catesby Peter Cates

Scott Elledge

Scott Elledge

Scott Elledge’s 1984 E. B. White: A Biography, was published when White was still living (he died in 1985) and is well worth dipping into for those, like myself, intrigued by the man who contributed to the success of the New Yorker magazine, wrote unsurpassed prose and raised ducks and geese on his Brooklin, Maine, farm.

E. B. White

The book mentions White supervising renovations on the farmhouse, consisting of 12 rooms, which he and his wife Katherine purchased for $11,000 in 1933 and included a barn and other outbuildings, along with 40 acres of land that ran down to Allen Cove, not far from Blue Hill:

“On a day like this it is inconceivable we should live anywhere but here. The spring began yesterday afternoon: I was working down by the cow shed in the pasture (the turkey house I mean) and suddenly the frogs began. The wind dropped, the sun concentrated on my back; from the woods came a thrusts pure composition; and into the cove sailed a vessel and came to rest in the calm illuminated evening. Today was a continuation, with warmth, new green, NW breeze bluing the bay, and in the afternoon a sun shower and rainbow.”

The book recounts much information about his marriage to Katherine for over 40 years and his friendships with the irascible founder/editor of the New Yorker, Harold Ross, and the legendary James Thurber. It goes into absorbing detail on the process by which his most famous book, Charlotte’s Web, came into being between 1949 and its publication in 1952.

Judy Garland

A Star is Born

I have not seen the 1954 film classic A Star Is Born since I was a kid but recently listened to the CD transfer of the soundtrack (Columbia/Sony CK 65965) with the magnificent songs of Ira Gershwin and Harold Arlen and the top notch singing of Judy Garland who poured blood, sweat and tears into every single note.

 

 

FOR YOUR HEALTH: Three Ways To Keep Your Child Safe From COVID-19

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(NAPSI)—Children and teens are catching and spreading COVID-19 at an increasingly high rate. Even if your child or teen has not yet contracted COVID-19, they are at risk, especially with the low number of vaccinated residents in North Dakota.

“In the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, older people were most likely to get the virus. Now it is affecting everyone, and children and teens are also at risk of contracting the virus and experiencing long-lasting impacts,” said Dr. Avish Nagpal, Medical Director for Infection Prevention at Sanford Health and Clinical Associate Professor at the University of North Dakota. “We need to do everything we can to keep all our kids safe, and the best way to do that is to get more people vaccinated.”

Parents and other adults in a child or teen’s life can take steps to protect young people and themselves.

Get Your Child Vaccinated When Eligible

The best way to protect your children from COVID-19 and all the potential complications is to get them vaccinated as soon as they are eligible. The COVID-19 vaccine is free, widely available, and highly effective in preventing hospitalization and death from COVID-19. Like most vaccines, some minor side effects may occur, such as a sore arm or slight fatigue, but the symptoms and long-term impact of contracting COVID-19 are much more serious. Ultimately, it is much safer for children and teens to get a COVID-19 vaccine than getting the disease itself.

Practice Prevention

If your children are not eligible to be vaccinated, you can still keep them safe from COVID-19 by practicing recommended prevention methods such as physical distancing when possible and continuing to wear a mask, especially in crowds or while indoors. Even people who have been vaccinated should wear a mask in crowds and public indoor places. Most children can safely and effectively wear face masks, so it’s important to remind them that it keeps them safe and to set an example by wearing a mask, too.

Encourage Adults In Your Child’s Life To Get Vaccinated

Ensuring that those who spend time around your child are vaccinated helps keep an unvaccinated child from getting sick or spreading COVID-19 to other vulnerable people. Talk to the adults in your child’s life—grandparents, friends’ parents, and teachers—about getting vaccinated to protect themselves and your child.

Children and teens are just as susceptible to COVID-19 as adults, and they can spread the virus to others who are at even greater risk. A growing number of children and teens have been hospitalized with COVID-19. Getting all eligible children and teens vaccinated and following simple prevention measures will protect them, their families, and friends, and get everyone one step closer to getting this pandemic under control.

Learn More

For more information and to find a vaccine, visit www.vaccines.gov.

MY POINT OF VIEW: How Armistice Day became Veterans Day

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Soldiers celebrating after hearing of the Armistice in 1918. Internet photo

by Gary Kennedy

At 11:00 a.m., on November 11, 1918, the Allied Powers signed a cease fire agreement with Germany at Compiegne, France, which terminated the war known to us as World War I. Armistice Day, so called was commemorated by the U.S.A., France and Great Britain. This was a celebration as the war to end all wars. Interestingly it was signed on the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month of 1918.

President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the First Armistice Day the following year, 1919, with these famous words: “To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations.”

Of course, the world didn’t learn much after hundreds of thousands of deaths. Actually, it wasn’t very long at all before we became caught up in World War II, another bloody four-year war. Then in 1954 the U.S.A. designated November 11 as Veteran’s Day to honor all those who gave their lives in U.S. wars. However, the British Commonwealth Countries decided on Remembrance Day, to honor their fallen. Then came the Korean War which was a conflict between North and South Korea. The North was communist in character and the South was capitalistic. I guess we Americans are fully aware of how that works. Unfortunately, most of the time the communists seem to maintain their ground. This battle was fought from June 1950 until July 1953. The causation and American involvement was mostly to do with the Cold War between the Soviet Union, China and the U.S. with some Japanese interplay. The main reason the U.S. got involved was its desire to avoid the spread of Communism. The Truman Doctrine was the name of this endeavor. American President, Harry S Truman firmly believed that communism needed to be contained at all cost.

On June 27, 1950, the U.S. officially entered the Korean War. President Truman ordered American forces to repel an invasion from North Korea. The Korean War was a proxy war for the cold war. The war ended in a virtual stalemate. The border remained the same.

War has been the norm for many centuries and for many reasons, most have not led to the solution of the cause. It seems we just don’t learn. Japan had some control of North Korea during this time, thus the communistic influence. For those of you who don’t understand the implication of a proxy war or the influence of such, Korea is a good example. The North of Korea began to lean toward communism because of Japanese occupation and Russian and Chinese influence while the Southern half of Korea tended to lean toward capitalism. So the short story would be the war was brought about/influenced by outside players. Once again the U.S. was morally involved. Once again the solution could only be dealt with violence and death. It always seemed the world was crying for freedom. The United States has always been a major player in the plea for freedom and peace.

From the American Revolution to the Iraq War, the U.S. has fought in 12 major wars. However, the list contains 93 wars in total. This figure is up for discussion, another figure being 143. In any case you can see why “Veterans Day” more apply applies when compared to Armistice or Remembrance Day. Our prayers should be for a lasting peace in which we need not search for titles to be given to the event of needless grief and death. That will require a humanitarian outlook on life and living without such life threatening conflict.

I have always been a firm believer in a peaceful, loving and even varied point of view. There is always more than one way to reach the same outcome or point of view. I am sure it can be achieved without the application of pain and suffering. I personally pray for the day that the word Veteran refers only to having done it before. All being said and done, happy Veterans Day. God bless all with hearts of peace and for now remember all those who have given so much of themselves in order that we may continue the journey to equality.

Also don’t forget that Memorial Day praises and honors those who have lost their lives in pursuit of peace and Veterans Day gives honor to those who served but survived in the same pursuit.

God Bless America.

SOLON & BEYOND: Quite a bit to tell you about this week

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Marilyn Rogers-Bull & Percyby Marilyn Rogers-Bull & Percy
grams29@tds.net
Solon, Maine 04979

This week I will start out with these few small words of cheer! Cheerfulness is contagious, but don’t wait to catch it from someone else. Be a carrier! Author Unknown.

It is taken from a December 5, 1997, Carney Brook Chronicle: It’s nice to share with you again.

Since I have quite a bit to tell you about , I’ll get right to it … Benjamin Safford was recently presented with the Boston Post Gold Cane by Solon Selectmen, as Solon’s oldest resident. The cane was presented to him at his home on York Street where he has lived for the last 25 years. Two of his daughters, Glennis Rogers and Gladys Rogers and his granddaughter , Linda French were present.

Ben was born in North New Portland on April 29, 1904 , the son of Russell and Emma Jackson Safford. He went to school in Dead River , then to Anson Academy for one and a half years, and Kingfield High School for one and a half years, He married Methyl Morris on September 30, 1922, and they had four daughters: Glennis Rogers and Gladys Rogers of Solon, Betty Wyman of Stratton, and Elsie Laughin of Raymond.

Ben worked as a watch on Mt. Bigelow from 1922 until 1930 and brought a truck and worked on the roads in Dead River. While working the roads in dead River. While as a watchman he took courses in drafting . blue print reading , and surveying from the international Correspondence School. He worked for Glen Viles building a cookroom, dining camp, and guide camp at West Carry Pond.. Ben also trapped and had a Maine Guide license. During World War 2 Ben and Methy moved to Scarborough where he worked at the South Portland Shipyard, on Portland Harbor defense, and a large seaplane hangar on Long Island .He worked for W,H. Hinman as a boss carpenter for over 26 years , worked on the Dead River Hatchery several bridges in Bath and Augusta , the Veterans Bridge in Portland and the Old OrchardSewage Treatment Plant , as well as working at both Brunswick Naval Air Station and Limestone Air Force Base. After he retired Ben wrote a book Some History of the Dead River Valley, which sold over 290 copies. He joined the Masons and OES at the age of 21 and has ben an active member ever since. My love and best wishes go out to Ben.

And now to end this weeks story with another one I had written about something totally different. (also in that same paper.) And so now I’m going to end this column with a wild story and possibly you skeptics won’t believe it! I have always heard the phrase, “gnashing “of teeth, “but had never actually heard the sound until last evening out under my clothes line. I was starting to take my clothes off the line when I heard the sound behind me. Turning , I looked eye ball to eye ball with one of my backyard wood chucks. It looked like rain and I wanted to get the clothes in so I threw a large object at it and hit creature but instead of running away like he was supposed to do he charged me. I took off running for the house as fast or faster than I did the time I tried to catch Clarence’s run away truck! I caught two of these critters last year in a Have- A- Heart trap but I,m not sure that I have that much heart where these pests are concerned this year.

* * * * * *

I would like to get the recent results of the voting at the polls on November 2 out to the people in Solon. The results were sent to me by Leslie A. Giroux, town clerk and tax collector, register of voters and deputy treasurer, townofsolon.clerk@yahoo.com, on Tuesday, November 2, 2021, at 8:33 p.m.

Question # 1 – Citizens – Initiative: Yes – 275, No – 95. Question # 2 – Bond – Issue: Yes – 221, No 144.

Question # 3 – Maine Constitutional Amendment: Yes – 246, No – 121.

Another piece of recent news was very much appreciated was about a Holiday Craft Fair at the New Portland Community Library, to be held on Saturday, December 4 from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. They will also be hosting a bake sale at this time in the library. Tables still available for $10. Contact the library for more information or reservation! Please note – they currently have lots of National Geographics for the taking. They are located in the entryway.

Contact information: Sheila Atwood, Librarian, New Portland Community Library, 899 River Road, New Portland, Maine 04961. 628-6561.

Many thanks go out to Carol Dolan, also, who sends me news quite often.

Now for something different, and I hope if you need some cheering up, that what I am going to write is from one of my favorite books, called Sunny Thoughts: Words to Keep You Smiling, Shining, and Looking on the Bright Side. It is written and edited by Suzanne Moore.

The following is called An Introduction: I hope it helps any of you who may be having a bad day. Everyone has those days when it feels the sun has forgotten to shine – days when nothing feels right. And so I’ll send these words out to those of you who may be feeling down. (I used it in an attempt to cheer someone up in an article I wrote back in October 14, 2010: “Real optimism is being aware of problems but recognizes the solutions, knows about difficulties but believe they can be overcome, sees the negative but accentuates the positive, is exposed to the worst but expects the best, has reason to complain but chooses to smile.” The above words were by William Arthur Ward.

Hope you are out enjoying the beautiful colors of Fall.

FOR YOUR HEALTH: A Change Of Heart On COVID-19 Vaccination

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Getting the COVID-19 vaccine can greatly reduce your risk of death from that disease.

(NAPSI)—Stephanie Bramlett of Winder, Georgia, is one of many in the Southeast region who has experienced the effects of COVID-19 firsthand. Earlier this year, when the entrepreneur and mother of three was told she could get vaccinated, she was hesitant. She eats well, exercises regularly and never gets sick with the flu, so she assumed she’d be fine even if she was exposed to the virus. “I didn’t want to be first,” Bramlett said. “It felt too new.”

Then her son attended church camp, and, unknowingly, brought the virus home. Bramlett woke up one morning with a throbbing headache, 103-degree fever and fatigue. She also discovered she had lost her sense of smell and taste, telltale symptoms of the coronavirus. Eleven days later, she couldn’t get out of bed. Her head was hurting so badly that her husband took her to the hospital where they checked her for a brain bleed.

“I was terrified because I had never had head pain like this before,” said Bramlett. She was diagnosed with inflammation of her brain vessels and myocarditis, a heart condition that made her heart feel like she was constantly running on a treadmill. Her body swelled as her kidney functions failed. Her recovery ultimately took 72 days.

“It was really, really scary and I don’t wish that on anybody,” Bramlett says of the experience.

While Bramlett was ill, she asked her doctor if she could get vaccinated, but her medical team advised that she had to wait until she was feeling better. The moment she was cleared, Bramlett went right to the drug store for her vaccine.

“The hardest part was that people were dying all around me the entire time I was sick—healthy people, young people,” Bramlett reflects. “I just felt so stupid. Here’s this vaccine available and I just assumed that it wouldn’t happen to me.”

In fact, COVID-19 remains a serious threat across the U.S. as we head into the pandemic’s second winter. The Delta variant, which now makes up virtually all cases in the country, spreads more easily than the common cold and has led to a dramatic increase in hospitalizations nationwide. This rise in serious cases and deaths was most pronounced in the Southern U.S., where vaccination rates are lower.

What The CDC Says

According to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, people who have not yet been vaccinated are 29 times more likely to be hospitalized and 11 times more likely to die from COVID-19 complications, compared to those who have already received their vaccine.

Other CDC data reveals people ages 18 to 49 are the largest demographic hospitalized for COVID-19 as of September 25. Studies also show that even for individuals who have a mild case of COVID-19 and avoid hospitalization, they remain at risk of post-COVID symptoms, often called long COVID, that may last for weeks, months or longer. Symptoms of long COVID appear to affect as many as one in three people infected with the virus.

Bramlett now shares her experience with her friends and family to encourage them to consider being vaccinated. She urges everyone to talk to their doctor and learn about how they can keep themselves healthy and safe, so they can be present for their own children and families. To those still hesitant, Stephanie Bramlett says: “I understand. I understand that people are scared. I respect whatever decision you make or how you feel about the COVID-19 vaccine, but I would encourage people to do what they have to do to find the truth and do what you need to do to keep yourself healthy and safe.”

Learn More

COVID-19 vaccines are safe, effective, widely available and free to everyone in the U.S. age twelve and older. Additionally, the FDA has formally approved Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine in the U.S. for those sixteen and older.

If you have questions about the COVID-19 vaccines, talk to a doctor or pharmacist, and visit www.GetVaccineAnswers.org for the latest information.

I’M JUST CURIOUS: Sharing thoughts

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by Debbie Walker

This week I came across something I am curious about. I read a page in a local advertising paper. It was written under something called “Gus’s Animal Gossips” and “Citrus Animal Services”. They were writing about something called “Community Cat”. We have several in this campground and they are well cared for. One of them adopted me upon my moving in.

According to this article a community cat is any cat that lives outdoors and who does not have a “home with an owner”. Some are a little leery of us. Tabby, my adopted cat, was one of those. However, I am happy to say she has become quite the love bug.

The “Community Cat Diversion” use humane methods of trapping, neuter, vaccinate, and return to where they were picked up originally. They are returned to the community cat population. It reduces community related nuisances and cuts way back on the number of litters each year. That’s no where near all the ways it helps.

The cats aren’t so likely to be involved in a cat fight, vocalizing and urinating behaviors. Community cats serve as an organic pest control solution.

All this talk about Community Cat and I just realized there is no mention of the practice in the winter months because here it isn’t quite the issue you would have up there.

Tabby splits up her nights between my neighbor, Glen and myself. Tonight it looks like I have been chosen. Cold winter nights she now knows she will be taken in by one of us.

I do want to mention one thing about your Maine winter. I am sure you are in the process of preparing for your cold winter. Please remember your pets will be experiencing it along with you. Pay special attention to our animals needs as well.

Just for fun I am sharing something I read on my computer:

Golden Rules for Living

1. If you open it, close it.
2. If you turn it on, turn it off.
3. If you unlock it, lock it up.
4. If you break it, admit it.
5. If you can’t fix it, call in someone who can.
6. If you borrow it, return it.
7. If you value it, take care of it.
8. If you make a mess, clean it up.
9. If you move it, put it back.
10. If it belongs to someone else, get permission to use it.
11. If you don’t know how to operate it, leave it alone.
12. If it’s none of your business, don’t ask questions. (Don’t ask questions, that’s like telling me not to breathe!

BONUS point.:

If you lift the toilet seat, put it down!

Holidays are upon us again. We are hoping you will be happy and healthy throughout. As you promise yourself every year, make your holidays as relaxed and stress proof as you can.

I’m just curious what plans you have made this year. Contact me at DebbieWalker@townline.org. Have a wonderful happy and healthy week. Thanks for reading!

REVIEW POTPOURRI – Movie: Lansky; Pianist: Emil von Sauer; Playwright: Henrik Ibsen

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Peter Catesby Peter Cates

Lansky

Harvey Keitel

Last night on Amazon prime, I watched the 2021 film Lansky and was quite impressed by one particular quality, the performance of 82-year-old actor Harvey Keitel as the mobster accountant and major Godfather for way too many decades, Meyer Lansky (1902-1983). The story does rehash a lot of info from the many previous depictions of Lansky abounding on films and television and in novels but the script, direction and other production details sustained the interest well also.

The opening begins with Lansky as an old man dying of cancer after smoking four packs of cigarettes a day for 60 years; he is meeting with a journalist, David, in a Miami diner and telling his life story , with the understanding that everything he recounts is to be off the record and not to be published until after the gangster dies.

The movie spans from his boyhood and his rise to power as the figure with a genius level understanding of mathematical odds and his general business sense. It is of course frequently violent; however, one scene stood out in a positive way. During the 1930s, Nazi sympathizers are holding an indoor hate rally in the upper New York City 80s neighborhood of Yorkville. The speaker is screaming antisemitic venom when Lansky and several of his associates show up, and beat the speaker and his cohorts to a bloody pulp.

During World War II, Lansky and the Mob protected the ship-building industry from Nazi spies and saboteurs, using infiltration and enforcement methods that might be considered illegal , and they worked.

The re-enactments of historic events were quite effective. The very good supporting cast included Sam Worthington as the journalist David and John Magardo as the young Meyer Lansky.

Other recommended films with Harvey Keitel are Pulp Fiction, Copland and Taking Sides (dealing with the de-Nazifying investigation of the great German conductor Wilhelm Furtwangler (1886-1954) just after WWII.

Emil von Sauer

Emil von Sauer

In 1938, German pianist Emil von Sauer (1862-1942) collaborated in a recording of the two Piano Concertos of von Sauer’s teacher Franz Liszt (1811-1886) with the Paris Conser­vatory Orchestra led by the Austrian conductor Felix Weingartner (1863-1942) that I have on a reissued LP (Turnabout THS 65098). Critics at the time and since then cared that von Sauer’s nimble fingers at the keyboard had gotten arthritic and sloppy. I can see a few points in these misgivings but, compared to the other brilliant knuckle busters who have recorded these masterpieces, the old pianist played with a poetry, delicacy and inspired musicality matched by the conductor and orchestral players.

These recordings have been reissued on cd and should be accessible on YouTube.

Maestro Weingartner died on May 7, 1942, and what would have been the 109th birthday anniversary of composer Johannes Brahms and the 102nd one of Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Von Sauer died 10 days earlier on April 27.

Henrik Ibsen

Henrik Ibsen

Some of the most intensely eloquent reading and theatrical experiences are to be found in the plays of the Norwegian Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906), including Enemy of the People (which the late actor Steve McQueen starred in on Broad­way), Ghosts, Rosmer­sholm, and The Doll’s House. One play that stands out vividly is The Wild Duck which depicts how a lethal combination of honesty, arrogance and self-righteousness leads to the death of a young woman.