SOLON & BEYOND: It’s always great to spend Thanksgiving with family
by Marilyn Rogers-Bull & Percy
grams29@tds.net
Solon, Maine 04979
Good morning, my friends. Don’t worry, be happy!
Many thanks go out for the Embden Historical Society 2019 Program which Carol Dolan sent to me, (plus a note of appreciation for putting their news in this paper!) It means a lot.
The Embden Historical Society, Inc. 2018-2019 officers are president, Carol Dolan; vice president, Larry Witham; secretary, Mary Frear; treasurer, Bob Donovan. executive committee members are one-year term, Jim Lightbody, Sr., two-year term, Lois Erickson; and three-year term, Andy Davis.
There won’t be any meetings of the Embden Historical Society during January and February.
Received the following e-mail from Angie Stockwell with the subject being the Margaret Chase Smith Library Newsletter, November 2018:
Dear Readers, It’s difficult to believe the holiday season is upon us! Here’s to good food, good friends, and great family fun. And perhaps you can enjoy an interesting read about all that we’ve been up to. Admiral Nora Tyson spoke about leadership at the MCS Lecture at UMaine; National History Day was featured; a new MCS Scholar has been named; the Leeke Lecture addressed the relationship between Russia and the U.S.; nine high school students competed for the Senate Youth program scholarship; and Dr. Richards spoke to a group of “Loose Ladies.” Thought that might spark your interest!
The only news I have from Solon this week, is that Lief and I enjoyed, not one, but several Thanksgivings with our families. Peter and Sherry held their annual family Thanksgiving celebration the Sunday before Thanksgiving day, with 28 of us gathered together. And Mark and Karen had driven up from Florida, as they do every year, to attend this wonderful event filled with love and great food! (Every year, it seems to me, it is better than the year before!) They decorate their garage, (which I think Peter built large enough, looking forward to these Thanksgiving family get-togethers!) I can’t begin to describe what the theme was this year, but getting together with family members makes this mother, grandmother, great -grandmother’s heart sing.
On the actual Thanksgiving Day, Lief and I had been invited to go to his daughter and son-in-law, Cindy and Allen Fitzmaurice’s home for Thanksgiving dinner. But after a little while we got a call saying they had lost power, so we made plans to eat at a restaurant. Later in the afternoon, we went to their house and had dessert.
Lief’s son and daughter-in-law, Dean and Cheryl Bull had come up from Georgia and stayed with us on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. The next morning we all got up and met Lief’s family at a restaurant for breakfast.
On the Saturday after Thanksgiving my daughter, Mary invited Lief and I over for a Thanksgiving supper, which was very good also. Lief has been on a diet, but with all that good food, he put on a few pounds!
In doing research, I have come across some, what I think are interesting facts about Solon…..and since I don’t have much recent news, I’m going to print them. The first rural mail route was started April 1, 1899. Mr. Dudley Healey was the carrier.
Mr. Will Soper owned the first automobile about 1905. It was a two cylinder Cadillac.
Solon-Embden bridge first opened to teams April 19, 1911. Ansel Stevens was the first to cross from Embden. Lifelet Cooley first to cross over to Embden about one o’clock.
And now for Percy’s memoir: (It is a saying that he used when he was alive, but for some reason I didn’t put the date down.) How To Live A Hundred Years Happily. 1. Do not be on the outlook for ill health. 2. Keep usefully at work. 3. Have a hobby. 4. Learn to be satisfied. 5. Keep on liking people. 6. Meet adversity valiantly. 7. Meet the little problems of life with decision. 8. Above all, maintain a good sense of humor, best done by saying something pleasant every time you get a chance. 9. Live and make the present hour pleasant and cheerful. Keep your mind out of the past, and keep it out of the future.
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I love the article. What caught my eye was the story about Thanksgiving and family. There is nothing finer, and we all have our own stories for sure.
I have fond memories of Thanksgiving with family in Solon, Maine. I was very young then as my great grampa William Soper died when I was 2. My grandparents Clarence and Evelyn would bring us up at Thanksgiving time but I do not recall with whom we stayed with.
Please keep these stories alive. After 40 years in police work I just retired Feb 5, 2019. I plan on finding out more about my roots now that I have the time.