SOLON & BEYOND: Somerset Wood Trustees to celebrate Earth Day

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

Good morning, dear friends. Don’t worry, be happy!

Received an e-mail from the Somerset Woods Trustees with an invitation: “Will you join Somerset Woods Trustees to celebrate Mother Earth on Earth Day?”

One way to celebrate Earth Day is to spruce up the Kennebec Banks Rest Area for spring. The trustees own and operate the rest area, an attractive, welcoming gateway to Skowhegan on the banks of the Kennebec River.

Many friends and visitors enjoy the covered picnic tables while enjoying the view of the mighty Kennebec. It’s the same view that Benedict Arnold’s soldiers saw on their way to Quebec City on a cold October autumn of 1775 as they prepared to portage over the falls.

They supply contractor bags to pick up trash, stain for the kiosk, and tools to attack invasive plants. All you need is to bring gloves. They’ll supply the doughnuts and hot chocolate. The date is April 22, 1 – 3 p.m.

For more information, please contact Nancy at somersetwoodstrustees@gmail.com with any questions.

The Solon Pine Tree 4-H Club met on March 10 for their fifth meeting with Cooper Delarma presiding. The members voted to donate a theme basket to the Somerset County Leaders Association Luck of the Draw Auction, to be held on May 5 at the American Legion Hall on Route 201, in Skowhegan.

Several members did their demonstrations. The rest of the members will give theirs at the April meeting.

The next meeting will be on Saturday, April 14, at 9:30 a.m., at the Solon Fire Station.

Because of the big storm last week, we were unable to pick up and deliver The Town Line papers until Saturday…. and speaking of all the snow… I’m not going to tell you what year it was, because perhaps Peter would not like you to know how old he is! Anyway, when Flagstaff was flooded out, many of us in the Rogers families moved to Solon, and Frank and I had purchased the Barney Wooster farm on the Solon River Road. Our first son Mark was born in Flagstaff, and David was born in April after we moved to Solon.

Then two years later Peter was due on March 7, and along came that BIG blizzard…. we were snowed in and they were not able to plow the River Road for awhile, but then, knowing there was a pregnant woman about to give birth on that road, they were able to plow as far as our house, and I was never so happy to see anyone in my life! But……the story continues: We had an old 1925 Studebaker car that was tired on the night I needed to get to Farmington Hospital, and Frank had to stay with Mark and Dave so we had a problem! But, one of those miracles happened, the doctor that I had was in North Anson, and he said he would be over to pick me up.

It was in the dark of night and the roads weren’t the best, and I really needed to get to the hospital, and I did feel better that at least I had a doctor in the car! It was a very cold night also, and over on the Anson Valley Road we came upon a very drunk man who definitely needed a ride, and so we picked him up and continued on our way!

It wasn’t too long after we got to the hospital when Peter entered the world, all nine-plus pounds of him and I welcomed him with open arms!

It seems to me that quite often we get a big storm around March 7 and it always brings back memories of days gone by, my apologies if I bored you with one of my stories.

And now for Percy’s memoir entitled, The Joy of Unselfish Giving:

Time is not measured by the years that you live
But by the deeds that you do and the joy that you give–
And each day as it comes brings a chance to each one
To love to the fullest, leaving nothing undone
That would brighten the life or lighten the load
Of some weary traveler lost on Life’s Road —
So what does it matter how long we may live
If as long as we live we unselfishly give.

(words by Helen Steiner Rice) She is my favorite poetry writer.