IF WALLS COULD TALK, Week of March 16, 2017

by Katie Ouilette

Y’know, WALLS, it’s for sure the season for many things. I did write about having Spring Fever a bit ago, and spring has so much for us to be thankful for. First of all, we got the news of a flock of robins flying over Skowhegan’s famous and ‘historic’ lumber business a few days ago. Then, there was a father-daughter dance held in one town and Big Brother-Big Sister celebrations held for many. You are so right, WALLS, the reason I didn’t know about it all is because I, Katie, have been a ‘one and only’ Kathleen Valliere. Thank goodness I had lots of great kids to play with in our Chestnut Street neighborhood and great friends throughout those ‘growing’ days. Yes, WALLS, the Skowhegan High School Class of ‘48 has decided to meet at the new KelMat Café on the first Monday of each month, so our friendship lingers on, as well as our memories.

Now, speaking of memories, WALLS, you must be ‘number three’ in thanking Milt Huntington for making our minds turn to yesterdays. WALLS say many thanks, Milt. Yes, your writing for PAGES IN TIME might have been ‘mushy,’ but every word brought back memories to those of us over 65 years of age but, frankly, PAGES IN TIME surely gave our youngsters a glimpse of what we used to do with our spare time. Yup, no computers and Facebook in our growing years.

Oh, my, WALLS, now antiquity has really come to your fore. Yes, you often have thought about the ancient buildings that have existed in other countries on our Earth. Milt awakened our thoughts about our own Augusta, our State Capitol City and what it used to be like. Yup, we Americans want everything new. In fact, we tear buildings down when they aren’t even ancient! Just this week, WALLS, you witnessed the ancient coliseum in Italy that, admittedly, has walls broken, but remains. You also saw archaeologists digging in foreign lands to find remnants of villages that existed or caves that led to some of the history that we never had to study, because, in yesteryear, none of us knew about them. This is where we must thank scientists for their curiosity and their search for knowledge for us.

WALLS, thank you so much for bringing our history alive through our newspapers, magazines and television. What’s more, even now, modern folks about whom we read or see, are bringing the past to us. Yes, our USA is changing, as we hear of the repairs and rebuilding that is needed for our infrastructure. Let us hope that those rebuilding jobs or repairs are made available to those who need employment and are not left to robots. Yes, even robots and air service are being done for people. What a world awaits our future! But, we know that Maine is as life should be…….even shoveling snow!