SOLON & BEYOND, Week of July 20, 2017

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

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

Several people have said they missed my columns the last two weeks, I did write them but one got lost and the staff at the paper were on vacation one of the weeks. I apologize to everyone who failed to see their news in for the event they had told me about. I do try to put in all that is sent to me, if I get it in time.

When Virginia Merrill got done writing for the Somerset Reporter many years ago and I started writing for it, she stressed very clearly that it is a community service and I have tried to follow her words.

I get rather disturbed when important news is not shared with me so I can let the people know what is going on, which happened recently. If it hadn’t been for a good friend, I wouldn’t have known about the special Solon budget committee meeting held at the Solon Town Office on July 12. Those present for this meeting were selectmen Mary Lou Ridley and Sarah Davis, budget committee members Mike Golden, Eleanor Pooler, Albert Starbird, Sherry Rogers, Frank Ridley, Jeff Pomelow, George Williams and Ann Padham and myself.

The meeting was held for permission to use Municipal Building Maintenance Reserve Funds to do repairs and seal the exterior bricks on the Coolidge Library. The estimate for materials to do the job is $485 and labor is $1,040 for a total of $1,525. This estimate is for work on the library. Work to include, cleaning moss off lower section of building; removing excess mortar from entry steps; repairing missing mortar joints and sealing all masonry surfaces including chimney, with ChimneySaver Water Seal. The company which will do the job is River’s Edge Masonry & More; 1133 River Road, Solon, Maine 04979.

The Fourth of July celebration in Solon started with a parade through town which was watched by many people along the street. Young and old seemed to be enjoying it, with much visiting going on. Long before the evening fire works were set off a huge crowd started gathering around the Solon Elementary School to watch the show.

Lief and I were invited to a July 4 barbecue at the home of our neighbor, Ronnie Brown on the Padham Road. There were 33 friends and family in attendance on that perfect summer day, with lots of great food. Ronnie had bought 80 chicken legs and barbecued them to perfection, and those attending had brought lots of tasty food.

When Lief and I were returning home one day this week after having breakfast at Griswold’s, we couldn’t believe our eyes when we saw a bear walking across the road ahead of us. It was a very large animal and not something you see very often. Awhile back we had something steal some of our bird feeders ( and break others) and some people thought it might have been a bear, guess it’s quite likely that might have been the case.

The Solon Pine Tree 4-H Club met on Saturday, July 8, with Hunter Soucer presiding. The members made plans to do the dinner for the Solon High School Alumni on Saturday, July 15, at the Solon School.

Plans were also made to go camping at the Evergreen Campground July 21, 22, and 23. On that weekend members went on a rafting trip from Solon to North Anson boat landing, along with a water safety meeting for the members being done by Cliff Stevens from Moxie Outdoors.

The members did sand art as a craft project. Colored sand was donated by Gary York, of York Signs, in Skowhegan.

The members are planning to exhibit at Bangor Fair and Skowhegan Fair in July and August. At Skowhegan Fair they will be taking part in the 4-H Day Parade on Sunday, August 13.

The next meeting will be on Monday, August 21 at 5:30 p.m., at the Solon Fire Station.

Summer hours at Stewart Public Library for July and August are Wednesday 2 – 5 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. – noon.

Have been continuing to go through papers, etc., and came across these words which were in Percy’s and my column one time when he was still with us. There isn’t any date on it, but hopefully you won’t remember it, but I think it is worth repeating in honor of Percy, I still miss him! “In spite of whatever may happen in your day, it’s going to be okay. You’ve made it through difficult things before, right? And you always land on your feet. Maybe not dancing; maybe not always sure about what to do next. But you always manage to figure things out. Especially when you’re able to keep your sense of humor and not lose your smile. If you really think about it, you’ll realize that you are a very strong individual. Someone who may not have all the answers, but who – at least – is willing to hope and try and believe. You can see your way through just about anything; it all depends on how you look at it.”

How I Love that Cat! (The above words were by Douglas Pagels.)