CMYHA Tier III Peewee travel hockey team

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Members of the Central Maine Youth Hockey Association PeeWee Tier III travel team include, front, left to right, Mason Capeless and Hunter Hallee. Second row, Hunter Hart Guertin, Blake Small, Dusty Bearce, Denny Martin, Cameron Dostie, Garret Card and Austin Gould. Third row, Will Bourgeois, Tatum Doucette, Grant Walther, Ben Foster, Kaylyn Bourque and Alexa Caccamo. Back, coaches Dan Bourgeois, Dennis Martin and Ryan Hallee. (Photo by Central Maine Photography staff)

FOR YOUR HEALTH: Four Retirement Readiness Fixes For Baby Boomers

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(NAPSI)—The Stanford Center on Longevity’s 2018 “Sightlines Report” found that baby boomers have accumulated less household wealth and carry more debt in comparison to previous generations of American retirees.

The report found that overall household asset balances—and retirement savings in particular—are lower for boomers than for the elderly Americans born before them. In addition, baby boomers are carrying more debt compared to older generations, with one in three holding a debt burden exceeding 50 percent of their total wealth.

With approximately 10,000 Americans turning 65 each day, the news that baby boomers are less ready to retire than those generations who have come before them is disconcerting by itself, but it is especially worrisome in light of rising retirement expenses they will face.

“Given that boomers will likely live longer and rack up higher lifetime medical costs than prior generations, the inevitable conclusion is that boomers will face some tough challenges during their retirement years,” according to CBS MoneyWatch.

Financial planning experts offer a few possible retirement readiness fixes to help baby boomers address a shortfall in available cash:

  • Pay down debt—For those boomers in the pre-retirement or early-retirement stage, do what you can to reduce your debt load. Every penny not going to debt is a penny going toward funding your retirement lifestyle.
  • Consider returning to the workforce—If you are physically able, think about options for working a little later in your life or perhaps returning to the workforce in a part-time job. A few years of additional income can make a huge difference down the line.
  • Adjust your standard of living—Be prepared to make some modifications to your lifestyle in order to reduce your monthly expense budget. You may be surprised how much minor purchases, such as a daily gourmet coffee, can add up to on an annual basis.
  • Be smart about your available resources—Can you afford to defer Social Security for a bit longer in order to maximize the cash benefit? Do you own a home that has equity you can put to work for you with a reverse mortgage? Are there other financial resources you can draw down, such as an old savings account or a life insurance policy you may have socked away?

“Many seniors are surprised to learn that one potential asset for generating immediate cash is a life insurance policy,” said Darwin M. Bayston, CFA, president and chief executive officer of the Life Insurance Settlement Association (LISA), a nonprofit organization that educates seniors about alternatives to lapsing or surrendering a life insurance policy. “A life insurance policy is considered your personal property and—as such—you have the right to sell that policy anytime you like.”

When a consumer sells a policy in a “life settlement” transaction, the policy owner receives a cash payment and the purchaser of the policy assumes all future premium payments—then receives the death benefit upon the death of the insured. Candidates for life settlements are typically aged 70 years or older, with a life insurance policy that has a death benefit of at least $100,000.

To learn more about life settlements and whether you could be eligible for a free review of your life insurance policy, visit www.LISA.org or call the LISA office at 888-902-6639.

SCORES & OUTDOORS: Red fox population growing in our area

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Photos on this page by Jayne Winters of South China

Roland D. Halleeby Roland D. Hallee

A week ago, Jayne Winters, of South China, sent along some excellent photos of a red fox that has been visiting her property recently.

The photos were remarkable and deserved some attention. It’s been a while since we visited with red foxes in our area, of which there are an abundance.

The red fox is the largest of the true foxes and one of the most widely distributed members of the order Carnivora. They are present across the entire Northern Hemisphere from the Arctic Circle to North Africa, North America and Eurasia. It is listed of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Since its introduction to Australia, it has been found to be a nuisance to native mammals and bird populations. Thus, it has been listed as among the top 100 worst invasive species in the world.

Red foxes are usually together in pairs or small groups consisting of families, such as a mated pair and their young, or a male with several females having kinship ties.

They are somewhat shy and don’t like human interaction. Therefore, they will generally leave an area of increased activity. Two years ago, at camp, a family of red foxes had made its home under an outbuilding during the winter. Once humans moved in for the summer, the red foxes vacated their den and moved on elsewhere.

They either establish stable home ranges within particular areas or are itinerant with no fixed housing. They use their urine to mark their territory. Outside the breeding season, most red foxes favor living in the open, in densely vegetated areas, though they may enter burrows to escape bad weather. They often dig their dens on hill or mountain slopes, ravines, bluffs, steep banks of water bodies, ditches, depressions, gutters, in rock clefts and neglected human environments.

The red fox primarily feed on small rodents, though it may also target rabbits, game birds, reptiles and invertebrates. Fruit and vegetable matter is also sometimes eaten. Although the red fox tends to kill smaller predators, they are vulnerable to attack from larger predators, such as wolves, coyotes, and medium-sized felines.

They prefer to hunt in the early morning hours before sunrise and late evening. Although they typically forage alone, they may aggregate in resource-rich environments. Losses of poultry and penned game birds can be substantial if you have red foxes foraging in the area.

Their winter fur is dense, soft, silky and relatively long. For the northern foxes, the fur is very long, dense and fluffy, but is shorter.

Red foxes have binocular vision, but their sight reacts mainly to movement. Their auditory perception is acute, being able to hear black grouse changing roosts at 600 paces, the flight of crows at three-tenths of a mile and squeaking mice about 330 feet. Their sense of smell is good, but weaker than that of dogs.

In recent years, I have noticed an increase in the sightings of red foxes in the area, particularly in the Cross Hill area of Vassalboro, near our camp. They have been heard howling during the late night hours. Their cries can be associated with that of an injured small dog.

Like any other wild animal, they should not be approached if spotted. They have been known to carry rabies. Cute and cuddly looking, leave them alone.

Roland’s trivia question of the week:

Name the six NFL teams to win the Super Bowl as a wild card team.

Answer can be found here.

Roland’s Trivia Question for Thursday, January 10, 2019

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Name the six NFL teams to win the Super Bowl as a wild card team.

Answer:

Oakland Raiders, 1980; Denver Broncos, 1997; Baltimore Ravens, 2000; Pittburgh Steelers, 2005; New York Giants, 2007; Green Bay Packers, 2010.

Legal Notices, Week of January 10, 2019

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STATE OF MAINE
PROBATE COURT
COURT ST.,
SKOWHEGAN, ME
SOMERSET, ss
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
18-A MRSA sec. 3-801

The following Personal Representatives have been appointed in the estates noted. The first publication date of this notice January 10, 2019.

If you are a creditor of an estate listed below, you must present your claim within four months of the first publication date of this Notice to Creditors by filing a written statement of your claim on a proper form with the Register of Probate of this Court or by delivering or mailing to the Personal Representative listed below at the address published by his name, a written statement of the claim indicating the basis therefore, the name and address of the claimant and the amount claimed or in such other manner as the law may provide. See 18-A MRSA 3-804.

2018-339 – Estate of JOAN CHARLENE RICE, late of Skowhegan, Me deceased. Catherine E. Schmitz, 200 W Maberry Drive, #101, Lynden, WA 98264 appointed Personal Representative.

2018-340 – Estate of CRYSTAL DAWN TUFTS, late of Madison, Me deceased. Michael N. Tufts, 334 Ward Hill Road, Madison, Me 04950 appointed Personal Representative.

2018-341 – Estate of VERNON H. KEENE, late of Skowhegan, Me deceased. Mark W. Keene, 54 Stewart Hill Road, Skowhegan, Me 04976 appointed Personal Representative.

2018-342 – Estate of GREGORY ALAN GRIFFETH, late of Cornville, Me deceased. Michael Alan Griffeth, 46 Big Bird Street, Skowhegan, Me 04976 appointed Personal Representative.

2018-346 – Estate of STEPHEN J. POULIN, late of Detroit, Me deceased. Mary Marshall, 151 Malbons Mill Road, Skowhegan, Me 04976 appointed Personal Representative.

2018-349 – Estate of DENNIS B. WRIGHT, late of Madison, Me deceased. Taylor Mae Wright, 15 Lowe Street, Madison, Me 04950 appointed Personal Representative.

2018- 350 – Estate of LILLIAN MAE McKENNEY, late of Jensen Beach, FL deceased. James Foreman, 70 High Street, Dayton, OH 45403 appointed Personal Representative.

2018-351 – Estate of WILLIAM E. LYBROOK, late of Fairfield, Me deceased. William E. Lybrook, II., 436 Center Road, Fairfield, Maine 04937 appointed Personal Representative.

2018-352 – Estate of DANA L. JONES, late of Fairfield, Me deceased. Jodi McGlashing, 510 Beech Hill Road, Norridgewock, Me 04957 appointed Personal Representative.

2018-353 – Estate of VIRGINIA L. WEEMS, late of Skowhegan, Me deceased. Amber M. Wing, 1099 Thurston Hill Road, Madison, Maine 04950 appointed Personal Representative.

2018-354 – Estate of TERI-LEE MUNN, late of Hartland, Me deceased. Peter S. Heartquist, 189 Coboro Road, Stetson, Me 04488 and Steven Munn, 542 Munns Flat Road, Hartland, ME 04943 appointed Personal Representative.

2018-355 – Estate of ANDREW J. DENALSKY, late of Embden, Me deceased. Kimberly A. Leigland, PO Box 770, Redding, CT 06896 appointed Personal Representative.

2018-358 – Estate of JUDITH W. PELLETIER, late of Embden, Me deceased. John Pelletier, 211 Main Street, Gorham, Me 04038 appointed Personal Representative.

2018-361 – Estate of MARION G. CURRIER, late of Madison, Me deceased. Ronald Currier, 306 Beech Hill Road, Norridgewock, Me 04957 appointed Personal Representative.

2019-003 – Estate of DENNIS M. ARSENAULT, late of Skowhegan, Me deceased. Darcy A. Arsenault, 306 West Front Street, Skowhegan, Me 04976 appointed Personal Representative.

To be published on January 10 & January 17, 2019.
Dated: January 7, 2019 /s/ Victoria Hatch,
Register of Probate
(1/17)

I’M JUST CURIOUS: Poems shared

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by Debbie Walker

Shared with you by Debbie Walker

Poems

Tonight I am going to share a poem that I wrote and one that I found years ago. I find it and I lose it, I find it and I lose it. While it is in the ‘found’ mode I would like to share it with you.

Not Yet

Author unknown

Winter, don’t descend on me;
I am not ready yet.
The mittens, boots and woolen socks
Are placed where I forget.
The sleds are piled behind the bikes
The runners’ red with rust.
The shovel’s somewhere in the garage
Buried deep in dust.
Winter, don’t descend on me;
Your cold and blowing snow
Keeps whipping through my
Muddled mind –
Where did the summer go?

That is how I feel every winter! I have noticed most folks aren’t saying where did summer go. They want to know where did this past year go! I agree.

So, my attempt at a poem is next. It was written the first winter I came back to Maine from Florida.

Maine March

by Debbie Walker

The dog is so anxious to go out
I’m putting on my coat
Dreading the very cold
There are little patches of snow left in the yard
Left over grass crunching under our feet
The dog is eagerly sniffing the
new smells of the day.
And I’m not really noticing the cold.
Instead I was noticing the crunching grass
The trees groaning as they sway to the wind
And I’m enjoying breathing
the sharp, cold air of a Maine March.

The following material is from an email about Mother’s:

Moms Now vs. Moms Then

by I Might Be Funny

Now: That word is inappropriate.
Then: Say that again and I’ll wash your mouth out with soap.
Now: Good job trying one bite of the dinner I made. Now you can have mac & cheese.
Then: You’ll eat what I make, whether you like it or not. There are starving children in the world.
Now: I can see you’re upset. Take a deep breath and use your words.
Then: You better stop crying or I’ll really give you something to cry about.
Now: You can’t walk around the block by yourself. I’ll drive you. Text me when you need a ride .
Then: You want to go out? Take your bike. Be home before dark.
Now: I packed your bento box with almond butter on whole grain, kale chips and org. smoothie.
Then: Take a brown bag with a bologna sandwich on Wonder bread, a Twinkie and a Hawaiian Punch, too.

My Mom Taught Me

Religion – You better pray that comes out of the carpet!
Logic – Because I said so, that’s why!
Wisdom – When you get to my age you’ll understand.
Justice – One day you’ll have kids. I hope they turn out just like you!

A friend shared these two tidbits he heard on the radio:

A mother keeps her kids away from the ice cream truck by explaining if the music is playing they are all out of ice cream.

Another mother driving on the highway with unruly kids in the back seat, runs her tires over the rumble strip and tells them there is a helicopter with police flying above them watching their behavior!

I’m just curious what stories you have to share. Contact me at dwdaffy@yahoo.com with questions and comments.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

REVIEW POTPOURRI: Bach selections

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Peter Catesby Peter Cates

Bach selections

from The Joy of Great Music, Album 15, FW-515, LP, 1980 series of records usually peddled in supermarket chains.

Johan Bach

The above album contains the following examples of Johann Sebastian Bach, 1685-1750:

Side 1, Saint Matthew Passion excerpts. Soprano Laurence Dutoit, alto Maria Nussbaumer, bass Otto Weiner, with Ferdinand Grossmann conducting the Vienna Chamber Orchestra and Choir.

Side 2, Toccata and Fugue in D Minor; Prelude and Fugue in E-Flat Major. Organist Walter Kraft.

Both originally Vox releases from the 1950s.

Bach’s St. Matthew Passion is roughly three hours long but contains incomparable stretches of beauty in its arias, choruses and instrumental writing. The singers, especially bass Otto Wiener (1911-2000), are in peak form while Grossmann’s Viennese groups do good work. The performance is a large-scaled one, as opposed to smaller ones in recent years, yet a distinctive entry on its own terms and deeply moving.

Walter Kraft

Kraft’s performances of the Toccata, and the E-Flat Prelude and Fugue are solid.

Another LP from the Vox label’s exemplary catalog; the Bartok Bluebeard’s Castle, with Herbert Hafner conducting the Vienna Symphony Symphony, soprano Ilona Steingruber, and bass Otto Weiner again. Vox, OPX 100, 1962 release.

Based on a blood-curdling legend from the Middle Ages, the 1918 opera Bluebeard’s Castle is one roaringly exciting listening experience. This performance is a haunting atmospheric one, despite some critics taking issue with the singing in German instead of the original Hungarian. The 1910-20 World War 1 decade experienced a superb roll call of first performances – Prokofiev’s 2nd Piano Concerto, Janacek’s opera Jenufa, Debussy’s Martyrdom of St. Sebastian, Stravinsky’s Petrouchka, Rite of Spring and Soldier’s Tale and Puccini’s Trittico.

A Goethe quote pertinent to artistic creativity, “To be of all ages, be then of your own.”

Central Maine Squares to hold open house

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Bob Brown, of Newport, president; Becky Potter, of Fairfield, treasurer; Jeff Howes, of Pittsfield, vice president and Karen Cunningham, of Pittsfield, secretary (Contributed photo)

On Tuesday, January 15, the Central Maine Square Dance Club of Watervillle will host an open house at their weekly workshop for the purpose of attracting new students for their beginner lessons of square dancing.

The club looks forward to doing this at this time of year because they know that the holidays are over and people are now looking for something to do. It’s an opportunity to get out of the house for a couple hours a week, do something fun and rewarding, meet new people, and get a little exercise at the same time.

Club president Bob Brown, of Newport, says it’s all very casual and low key. An evening of learning to square dance with your spouse, partner, or best friend is just what the doctor ordered. Getting another couple or two to join you only adds to the fun.

This night along with the following Tuesday night will be free for beginners and after that the cost is $5 per person per lesson. Much less than the cost of going to the movies. Also, due to the season everything is weather permitting. So, for more info, call Bob @ 447-0094 or Cindy @ 631-8816.

Dinner and a movie returns to Palermo Community Center

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Palermo Community Center (Photo by Connie Bellet)

Over the last 10 years, the Living Communities Foundation has earnestly striven to bring people together to learn about various aspects of sustainability, food and health, climate change, and empowerment through the documentaries it’s presented at the Palermo Community Center. As a result, the feedback has ranged from: “It’s depressing,” to “We know all that.” Can you imagine how hard it is to find intentionally funny documentaries? Well, we found some.

On Friday, January 25, following the delicious potluck dinner at 6 p.m., the Community Center will show If You’re Not in the Obits EAT BREAKFAST, hosted by Carl Reiner and starring Mel Brooks, Norman Lear, Stan Lee, Jerry Seinfeld, and Betty White. These nonagenarians don’t retire. They inspire! Come and find out what their secret for enjoying every minute of life.

Here’s a “blast from the past” that will have you howling with laughter, horror, and disbelief: The Atomic Cafe is a compendium of re-colored government propaganda clips from the ’50s, when we were all blissfully ignorant and thought “Duck and Cover” would save our lives. Fake news is not a new phenomenon, and it’s a good thing we can look back on it and laugh. This film will be shown on Friday, February 22, following the lovely potluck meal at 6 p.m. at the Palermo Community Center.

The Kids Menu isn’t as funny as the previous two, but it does have a happy ending. Filmmaker Joe Cross, who brought us Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead, discovered that childhood obesity is only the symptom of a much larger issue that affects all of us. This film will help you keep your New Year’s Resolutions when we all need a bit of a boost. The Kids Menu will be presented on Friday, March 29, following a healthy and delicious potluck meal at 6 p.m.

All presentations are free and open to the public. Bring a favorite dish to share and join the discussion and laughter. For more info, please call Connie at 993-2294.

SOLON & BEYOND: News from Solon Elementary School

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

Good morning dear friends.

Was so happy to receive the Solon School News, as always, and there was a lot of good information there.

Solon Elementary School held a Secret Santa activity again this Christmas. Students and staff members drew names and each one designed a tree ornament for the person whose name he/she selected. These ornaments looked great on the school Christmas tree in the lobby!

The Solon PTO sponsored a special Children’s Shopping Day on December 17. Students were able to shop for inexpensive gifts for their families at a “store” set up by the PTO. Thanks to parents who donated items for this activity and to the parents who helped at the store.

The Solon Christmas Program took place on December 18. Students from preschool through the fifth grade performed songs and skits for their families and friends. There was a standing room only crowd for this festive annual event.

The Solon Fire Department came to the school and and held a Christmas party for the K-5 students on December 20. They set up games and activities for the students, and they even brought Santa with them. We appreciate the support of the Fire Department all year long.

In Mrs. Waugh’s technology class, one of the activities in early December was for K-2 students to write and type letters to Santa Claus. At the school the fifth graders teamed up with the kindergartners to help them write their letters. And it is understood that Santa wrote back to the students.

Monthly Assemblies Scheduled at Solon Elementary: The school is holding monthly assemblies again this year, and parents and other family members and friends are welcome to join them for those. At each assembly one of the classes presents a topic they have been studying. At some assemblies, they give awards, the Civil Rights Team makes a presentation, and/or we do other activities.

This is the schedule of upcoming assemblies: January 9, Presentation by Grade 1. held at 1:45 p.m. February 6, Presentation by Civil Rights Team, Honor Roll & Attendance Awards; 1:45 p.m. March 6, Presentation by Grade 3, Bookmark Winners announced at 1:30 p.m. April 24, Presentation by Grade 2, Honor Roll and Attendance Awards, 1:45 p.m. And on May 8, Presentation by Grade 5 at 1:45 p.m.

PTO meeting is scheduled for Thursday, January 10, at 6 p.m.

Each year Solon Elementary School holds a contest to see which student can guess the date of the first Snow Day when school will be canceled due to stormy weather. This year’s winner, who accurately predicted that the first Snow Day would be November 16, were first grader Emma Pooler and fourth grader Kaitlin Dellarma. Each of them won a bag of snow-related gifts.

The District Band and Chorus Winter Concert will be held on January 15, at 6 p.m., at Carrabec Community School. Directed by Dan Gilbert.

One thing about our schools in this modern world that had been bothering me terribly, is the fact that cursive writing was not being taught in our schools now.

I had kept thinking I would write a letter to the editor in the paper, {daily paper}, but since it had taken lots of phone calls, and just about a month to get my last letter printed, I gave up on that! But it made my day last week when I read the headline, “Cursive coming back to schools. Writing by hand provides skills in communication. ” ( I would have thought they would have figured that out long before now.)

And now for Percy’s memoir: “You have powers you never dreamed of. You can do things you never thought you could do. There are no limitations in what you can do except the limitations in your own mind as to what you cannot do. Don’t think you cannot. Think you can.” (words by Darwin P. Kingsley.)

I had a very wonderful gift given to me recently. It was a very special pin that this friend had made for me of a cat and he said, “It is in memory of Percy,” and I love it!