GNJ 07-02-11 Pgs. 1-4 - Great Northwoods Journal

Saturday, July 2, 2011
For advertising information call: 603-788-2660 or
check our website: www.greatnorthwoodsjournal.net
VOL. VI, No. 42
Emergency Conservation Program
LANCASTER — Severe
flooding in April and May has
caused severe damage in Coös
and Carroll Counties. Farms
suffering severe land damage
may be eligible for assistance
under the Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) adminis-
tered by the Coös-Carroll Farm
Emergency program -----(Continued on Page 19)
Lunenburg Farmers’ Market’s first story hour, was held last
week. It will be held weekly at 3:30 on Wednesday’s and chil dren from any town and of any age are welcome to join us.
(Photo by Chris Lingley)
Auto Hail
Damage Repair
Paintless Dent Removal
NO Bondo • NO Grinding • NO Painting
Jud Christiansen, Owner/Tech
1005 Lancaster Road, Groveton
Call shop: (603) 636-9900
Cell: (603) 996-1658
Certified Hail Damage Repair Specialist
We donʼt fix your dents, we REMOVE them
AND you keep your ORIGINAL factory finish!
We will return your car to pre-storm condition with
ABSOLUTELY NO diminished value to your car.
12 yrs. experience repairing “hail damaged vehicles”
57 Bridge Street
Lancaster, NH 03584
(603) 788-4443
Schurman Motor Co. … Promises Delivered!
2009 FORD F-350
Dually
flatbed
2009 BUICK LaCROSSE
2008 CHEVROLET AVEO
31K
$19,900
$22,900
2004 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX
GT
$10,500
$9,900
2004 JEEP WRANGLER X
$14,500
$11,900
2007 FORD FUSION AWD
ONLY
17K miles
2006 HARLEY DAVIDSON
ONLY
3K miles
$10,900
$16,900
2006 HONDA ACCORD
2005 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER
CONVERTIBLE
$8,200
REMEMBER: We buy good used cars and trucks for CA$H!
Stop in and see: John, AJ and Kelly
Hours: 9-5 Monday thru Friday; 9-2 Saturday; Sunday by appointment
Thank you for shopping local!
website: www.schurmanmotorcompany.com
Great Northwoods Journal
Page 2
Obituaries
John A. Knapp
NORTHUMBERLAND —
John A. Knapp, 49, passed away
Sunday evening June 26, 2011,
at his home with his loving wife
by his side.
John was born in New
Haven, Conn., on October 10,
1961, the son of Robert Knapp II
and Sandra (Davis) Knapp.
On September 14, 1985 he
married his sweetheart Mary
Shea, and a year later they
moved to New Hampshire
where John started working for
Riley Tire in Lancaster. Several
years later he became the owner
and operator of an auto repair
shop on Route 3 in Groveton
known as “The Garage”. For the
past several years he has also
worked for D&S Auto in
Groveton. Automobiles were
John’s passion in both his personal and working life. He will
be remembered as being a lov-
ing, caring husband and father,
a hard-working man and for
always being there for friends,
family, and his customers.
Family members include his
wife
Mary
Knapp
of
Northumberland; his daughter
Crystal Santy and her husband
Scott of Landaff; his father
Robert Knapp II of Branford,
Conn.; his mother Sandra
Knapp of Niantic, Conn.; a
brother, Robert Knapp III of
Lowell, Mass.; three sisters,
Kim Nemeth-Hardy of Old
Lyme, Conn., Robyn Oswald of
Branford, Conn., and Kathy
Wisting of North Branford,
Conn. His first grandchild is
expected in the next few weeks.
There are no visiting hours.
A memorial service was held
Knapp obit------------------(Continued on Page 15)
Janice Aileen Haley Ronish
LANCASTER — Janice A.
Ronish, 64, died peacefully, on
June 27, 2011, surrounded by
her family.
She was born in Lancaster on
October 10, 1946, a daughter of
Francis J. and Carrie (Remick)
Haley.
Janice attended the Christ
United Methodist Church and
graduated from Lancaster
Academy in 1964. She graduated from MacMurray College in
Jacksonville with a Bachelor of
Arts in Elementary Education.
After teaching in Concord,
Janice worked for Stinehour
Press as a proofreader and quality control for academic journals
and museum exhibitions.
She was a devoted mother, a
kind and thoughtful woman,
with a deep loyalty to her family, friends and community.
Family members include her
sons, Cabot Ronish and his wife
April and their children Taima
and Ayanna of Whitefield,
Cedar Ronish of Jefferson and
his children Haley of Hill, N.H.,
and Summer of Lancaster; her
sister Marcia (Haley) Hammon
and her husband Art of
Whitefield; one niece, two
nephews and several cousins.
Memorial calling hours were
held Thursday evening June 30,
Obit Ronish ----------------(Continued on Page 15)
NOTICE OF MONTHLY MEETINGS
OF THE
LANCASTER PLANNING BOARD
Notice is hereby given that there will be a public meeting of the
Lancaster Planning Board upstairs in the Town Hall, Lancaster,
New Hampshire, on Wednesday, July 13, 2011 at 6:30 p.m.,
regarding the following cases:
Initial Business:
Roll Call
Review and approve minutes from June 8, 2011 meeting.
Public Hearings:
Major Site Plans:
Case #742 – John W. Weeks VFW Post 3041 – Applicant is
requesting to construct a new, 11,250 square foot (75ʼ X 150ʼ),
Post home with up to 50 parking spaces behind their current building on Main Street. Proposed building will be used as a Post meeting hall, banquet and function hall as well as an emergency shelter. Land Zoned Commercial. (Part of Tax Map P04 Lot 063 (4.85
acres), 259 Main Street). Review application for completeness.
Decide on Date for Public Hearing.
July 2, 2011
Reptile enthusiast shares knowledge of pythons
By Lyndall Demers
Although some people are a
little squeamish around snakes,
frogs, lizards and such, one local
man has no problem with them.
He has about 40 ball pythons at
his home in Lancaster.
Jeremy McFarland at Kilkenny Street in Lancaster, has
had in the past, various lizards,
iguanas, leopard geckos, tegus,
and bearded dragons. He wasn’t
really into snakes, until about
six years ago, he had a friend
who had a snake and the friend
got sick and couldn’t keep it. He
asked Jeremy if he could take
care of it, and then Jeremy was
hooked. He enjoyed the creature
so much that he has gotten more
since. He never thought he’d
want to have a snake, much
less, the 40 or so that he now
has.
Jeremy says ball pythons
grow to between four and five
feet long. Some live for up to 30
years.
I must admit that snakes are
not my favorite things in the
whole world, but I realized I
couldn’t do a story on the interesting “Disturbed Reptile” business, if I wasn’t going to be able
to look at them. So I made the
call and a visit to the Kilkenny
Street home.
The name “ball python”
comes from the fact that they
spend much of their time in a
ball. They curl up in a ball
around their head, especially
when frightened.
Ball pythons are of the same
family as boas and pythons,
making them one of the constrictor snakes. The constrictor
Jeremy McFarland and his blue-eyed Lucy
designation denotes how the
snake catches their prey. They
actually subdue their food
(small mammals, usually mice)
by suffocating them.
When asked if the snakes
bite, Jeremy said they do for
protection. They are non-venomous snakes. He has been bitten only a few times, and always
by a snake that is new to him,
INVITATION TO BID
Products for Food Service Program
The White Mountains Regional School District is
seeking bids for products for the districtʼs Food
Service Program for the 2011-2012 fiscal year.
Specifications are available at the SAU 36 office, 14
King Square, Whitefield, NH 03598 or by calling (603)
837-9363 or at sau36.org.
Bid proposals will be received at the SAU 36 office
until Tuesday, August 2, 2011, no later than 1:00 P.M.
and will be read aloud immediately after this hour.
Bids must be submitted in a sealed envelope labeled
in the lower left-hand corner, “FY12 FOOD SERVICE
PRODUCTS BID”. Telephone and FAX proposals will
not be considered. Ample time should be allowed for
the transmittal of bids by mail. A postmark indicating
the date of mailing will not be considered as evidence
of intent to submit bids in proper time.
The White Mountains Regional School Board
reserves the exclusive right to selectively
accept/reject any or all bids or parts of bids received
as deemed in their best interest, and their decision
will be final.
and is stressed from the trip. He
says he has never had an
aggressive snake. Once they are
settled they are just fine.
There are different types of
ball pythons. They have different colored skins. There is the
spider, piebald (these have large
patches of white), lesser platinum, blue-eyed leucistic or
blue-eyed Lucy. There are many
“morphs” of the various breeds
of pythons. Based on the genetic
make-up of each snake, different pairs can produce several
types of offspring.
The diet for the snakes is
pretty simple—rodents and
water. Jeremy starts the little
ones on mice and later graduates to larger mice and rats. As
they get used to eating, he gets
rodents and freezes them, thawing them for use as needed.
Most of the snakes eat once a
week, some eat once every two
weeks. The food (mice and rats)
costs between $2.50 and $3
apiece.
The snakes shed their entire
skin several times a year. The
number of times depends on
how rapidly the snake is growing—around eight times a year,
for most. Their eyes get all
glossy and glazed over, and
their skins darken before they
lose them.
The snakes love to be in a
warm, humid climate. Jeremy
keeps his in plastic containers
Pythons --------------------(Continued on Page 3)
Case #743 – JDH Capital, LLC/Family Dollar Store Lancaster
3815 – Applicant is requesting to remove two existing structures on
abutting lots to construct a new, 9,180 square foot (90ʼ X 102ʼ),
retail store with up to 36 parking spaces on Main Street. Land
Zoned Commercial. (Tax Map P06 Lot 012 (1.13 acres), 181 Main
Street & Tax Map P06 Lot 013 (0.30 acres), 185 Main Street).
Review application for completeness. Decide on Date for
Public Hearing.
Other Business:
Appointment(s)
Voluntary Merger(s)
Commercial Building Permit(s)
Recent Zoning Decision(s)
Announcements/Correspondences
Other Business as may legally be brought before said meeting.
Lancaster Planning Board
Justin F. Carter, Chairman
Next issue is due out on July 9
Deadline is TUESDAY, July 5 at 4 p.m.
OUR OFFICE WILL BE CLOSED JULY 4
In this Journal:
Midge's column . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 4
Off Your Rocker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 4
Crossword & Games, Horoscopes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 6
Rumors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 7
Wildlife Along Israel’s River . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 10
Business Directory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pages 12 and 13
Dining and Having fun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pages 10 and 11
Upcoming Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pages 12, 13, 14 and 15
Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 18
Great Northwoods Journal
July 2, 2011
Page 3
Market last Saturday, but if you
did not attend, you missed such
Lancaster Farmers’ Market: Were you there?
Did you also have a wonderful morning visiting with many
friends, enjoying delightful cittern music, and consuming delicious, barbecued rib samples,
cooked on site? Undoubtedly
your major focus at the market
would have been the purchase of
the freshest or most carefully
prepared local foods available.
You surely would have found
the range of food selections to be
remarkable. For example, one of
our agriculture vendors sold 15
different food products, and
there were a total of about ten
agriculture vendors! Several
additional food vendors sold
delectable breads and other
baked goods. Perhaps, as we
did, you also considered shopping for a special gift. Whether
for a birthday, wedding, graduation or for a much loved granddaughter, there likely was a perfect, high-quality choice available. Breathtaking photographs, exquisite jewelry, beau-
tiful clothing, and magnificent,
handcrafted woodenware were
but four examples. I would be
kids 12 and under and those
over 80, will follow. Sign up for
the derby will be immediately
after the parade at the community pond across from the Old
Corner Store. More info: 603586-7002.
Lancaster
Lancaster July 4th parade at
10 a.m. Parade forms at
Lancaster Elementary school at
8:30 a.m. Theme is “Heroes of
America”. To enter a float,
horse, etc., call Charity at 7883391 or stop at Lancaster Town
Hall, 25 Main Street.
Northumberland (Groveton)
On Saturday night, July 2
the annual “Fourth of July
Spectacular” sponsored by R &
R Fireworks and Mason
Enterprises will be held at
Riverside Speedway.
Weeks
Memorial
Library news
Teddy Bear sleepover at Weeks
Memorial Library
The Children’s Room at the
Weeks Memorial Library will be
kicking off the Summer Reading
Program with a Teddy Bear
Sleepover. On Wednesday, June
29, families were invited to a
special story hour at the Weeks
Memorial Library. Children
ages three and up came dressed
in pajamas and brought a teddy
bear or stuffed animal that
stayed overnight at the library.
The evening began with stories,
a bedtime snack and then the
animals were tucked into bed at
the LIBRARY. Children picked
up their teddy bear or stuffed
animal on Thursday morning.
Big Rig Day
As part of the summer reading program, the Weeks
Memorial Library will be hosting a Big Rig Day on Saturday,
July 2, from 9-12 noon in the
Coös County Court house parking lot. There will be a variety of
town trucks available to explore.
Families are encouraged to
come on down and check out
these big vehicles.
$1.00
/POT
PERENNIALS
Life Everlasting Farm, Rte. 135, 268 Elm Street
2-1/2 miles from downtown Lancaster • 603- 788-2034
Thank you for supporting family farms!
NOTICE
Williams Street in Lancaster, NH
will be closed to all through traffic
MAY 9, 2011-JULY 15, 2011
while drainage improvements are
completed on this street.
THANK-YOU for your patience!
A. B. Logging Inc.
First year Junior Girl Scout
Amie Weagle of Groveton led
the crowd at this year’s
GrayMist Fiddle Fest, in the
“Pledge of Allegiance”.
(Photo by Lyndall Demers)
(Continued from Page 2)
the fact that that particular
snake carries the gene for
piebald.
He has one that is a twoyear-old “lesser platinum” that
he says will produce blue-eyed
lucys (leucistic). The lesser platinum is similar to a Mojave ball
python, but lighter in appearance.
The snakes breed once a year
and lay between three and eight
eggs, depending on the size of
the female. October to April is
the usual breeding season.
Males need to weigh 500 grams
and be producing sperm.
Females need to be over 1500
grams. A breeding pair is put
into a large tub for three days
and then separated for three
days. This process is repeated
until mating takes place. Once
(Continued on Page 19)
SULLIVAN GREENHOUSES
Pythons ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------with covers with air holes
punched in them. He uses newspaper bedding and keeps a dish
of water in the container.
Many people think snakes
are slimy and wet, but actually
they are smooth and dry to
touch.
He has several different
kinds of ball pythons. There is
an albino one named Peaches.
She is four years old. He has spider snakes, pastel ball pythons
(one is a five-year-old male). He
has a large female het piebald,
that is four years old and will
produce piebalds. ‘Het’ denotes
Market ------------------------
Great selection + Prices: Perennials, Blueberry
Bushes, Raspberries, Apple Trees and much more!
9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Daily
Fourth of July events
Jefferson
On Sunday, July 3rd, there
will be food and a bouncy house
starting at 6 p.m. at the
Waumbek Golf Course. There
will be a fireworks display at
dusk, also at the Waumbek Golf
Course. This event is sponsored
by
Jefferson
Athletic
Association.
On the Fourth of July, the
Jefferson Festival Committee
will be putting on the annual
4th of July Parade and Fishing
Derby this year. The theme for
this year is “150 Years Since the
Civil War.” Parade starts at 10
a.m. Parade
participants
should report at 9 a.m. to the
cemetery parking lot behind the
Old Corner Store on Meadows
Road/Rt. 115A for judging and
line up. The fishing derby for
delighted to learn that you also
were at the Lancaster Farmers’
the female lays her eggs, they
are taken and weighed. Jeremy
candles them to be sure there is
something in them, and seals
them in an incubator. It takes
56-60 days for the eggs to hatch.
When he buys his snakes
from a breeder, the young ones
are delivered to his home within
a week from birth. The new
babies arrive at Jeremy’s ready
for their first feeding. Before the
snakes are shipped to him, they
are treated for parasites, mites
and quarantined until given a
clean bill of health by a veterinarian.
The snakes have heat glands
on the bottom of their lips—
these help them to find food.
Snakes ----------------------(Continued on Page 20)
Frank’s Little
Barbershop
98 Main Street, Lancaster
is RENOVATING!
Shop will be closed from JULY 4 TO JULY 11
Will reopen on Tuesday, July 12 at 8 a.m.
Town House Apartments * 2 & 3 bdrms.
Newly renovated * Northern View
Family Housing — W. Stewartstown, NH
Heat, hot water and electric included
On-site Laundry
24-hour Maintenance
Federally subsidized—must meet income guidelines.
Please contact Foxfire Property Management for an application at
(603) 228-2151 ext. 302 or (TDD) 800-545-1833 ext. 102
www.foxfirenh.com
CARON’S
STOVE SHOP
484 Main Street
Lancaster, New Hampshire 03584
“Look for the Flaming Silo” next to the Lancaster Fairgrounds
Will be closed
starting July 17
for 2 weeks.
See you back on Aug. 1st!
Telephone: (603) 788-2299 Fax: (603) 788-2282
Annual
YARD SALE &
Lancaster Congregational Church
Main Street, Lancaster
Come and browse Saturday, July 9
Yard Sale starts at 8 a.m. Auction at 10 a.m.
THIS LARGE SALE HAS LOTS OF ITEMS, INCLUDING:
8 ft. trailer, antiques woodfired kitchen cookstove, really nice
bunkbed, a group of new kitchen cabinets (still in box), standup 7 ft. postal cubby, Yamaha electric organ, antique furniture, beds, dressers, tables, trunks and much more.
STILL COLLECTING ITEMS. ANYONE WISHING
TO DONATE MAY CALL TOM at 788-5566.
Great Northwoods Journal
Page 4
Letters to the Editor
What are entitlements;
Who is entitled?
To the Editor,
I am fed up with politicians
(and citizens, of late) who have
singled-out entitlements as the
great evil that is utterly responsible for the economic mess we
are in; those pesky old folks who
have the audacity to expect a
return on the monies forcibly
withheld from their paychecks
as they toiled for 50 years or
more. These are the old folks
whose votes were curried by
Republicans and Democrats, all
fat and happy at the public
trough, many making four to
five times what their constituents were earning. Where
are the politicos when the old
folks need a voice in congress—
a voice that says: please do not
take away our only source of
income, without which we will
starve or succumb to the cold of
winter!
These are many of the same
politicians who have squandered over a TRILLION dollars
from the Social Security fund,
on phony wars to satisfy the
greed of international corporations. Moreover, having spent
the retirement and Medicare
funds, they have further exacerbated our economic plight by
paying for phony wars with
money borrowed from China
and elsewhere.
There is grave concern
among the Washington elites
that we may default on the
interest or repayment on treasury bills that were issued to the
lenders. This beggars the question: why are China and others,
any more deserving of repayment than those American citizens from whom a trillion dollars has been stolen?
There is the issue of endless
war for peace, which we are told,
is costing us two billion dollars
per week in Afghanistan and
billions more in countries all
over the world. Until the issues
herein are resolved, the people’s
earned “entitlements” must not
be stopped. Please raise your
voice in support—contact Rep.
Charlie Bass and tell him to
keep hands off Social Security
and Medicare.
Respectfully submitted,
Richard Emmons
Lancaster
River Day/WINGZILLA
very successful
The 2011 River Day/WINGZILLA was very well attended
and successful!! Thank you to
the volunteers that made this
possible. Without you there is no
way Northern Forest Heritage
Park (NFHP) could have held
such a flourishing event! The
people that helped include Jean
Boucher, Joan Merrill, Alice
Gagnon, Eric Grenier, Christine
Lamirande, Bob and Rachel
Moody, Barbara Couture, Cody
and Carter Thompson, Jan
Moreau, Janet Aubut, Paula,
Ally, Brad, Linda, Kimmy and
Don Huot, Paula Kinney, Peter
Roy, Mark Belanger and Bill
Maddalena. You took time away
from your schedule to help and
for that NFHP is truly grateful!
Successful -----------------(Continued on Page 19)
Great Northwoods Journal
Established August 11, 2005
“A solid advertising tool for area businesses”
Postage Paid at Lancaster, NH and at additional mailing offices.
98-B Main Street, Lancaster, NH 03584
TELEPHONE: 603-788-2660
FAX: 603-788-4470
Lyndall Demers, Editor
Al Demers, Driver
Tracy Rexford, Webmaster
Website: www.greatnorthwoodsjournal.net
Email: [email protected]
Recipient of Northern Gateway Regional Chamberʼs
2011 Director’s Award !
All advertising accepted with the understanding that
responsibility for errors extends only to correction of
the portion in which error occurs.
Printed weekly at
Upper Valley Press, Inc., North Haverhill, NH
We reserve the right to reject or cancel any advertising at any time.
Subscriptions outside our regular mailing area are:
$42.00 for 26 weeks; $83.00 for one year.
July 2, 2011
Say, did you hear
about the time…
By Ed “Midge” Rosebrook, Jr.
…milk was the perfect food?
Nobody back in my time, ever
considered milk or products
derived from milk, bad for you.
This dairy product was so
important to our diets, it was
delivered to all doorsteps each
morning, come hell or high
water! Since my cream story, I
have received a nice letter from
Tammy and Allan Forbes with
accompanied articles about how
milk has been given a bad rap of
late, concerning fat in our diets
that contribute to obesity, heart
disease and high cholesterol,
etc.
Being farmers and owners of
the largest dairy farm in the
state, one could say, well sure, of
course they’re going to defend
dairy products. It’s what they do
for a living. Maybe, but let me
take you back to a time when a
“meat and potato” diet rich in
saturated fat kept us healthy,
happy and in my family—a good
long life.
The reason is simple. Those
folks were physically active,
burning off any excess fat that
nowadays appears as an overwhelming problem for many
people. We’ve become a sedentary society. That is only part of
it, however. During my grand-
mother’s time all food was prepared from scratch using lard,
real butter, cream, flour from
bulk, fresh fruits and vegetables
when in season. If fruits and
vegetables were not in season,
they were canned.
You ate what was put in front
of you and liked it. There were
no processed foods containing
trans fats, no microwave heat
and eat dinners loaded with
sodium, and no fast food restaurant serving super-sized meals
at the drive thru. Us kids were
not allowed to hang around the
house watching TV (or now
playing video games) because
there were always chores to do.
When there wasn’t, you still
were not allowed to hang
around the house.
In fact, they usually had a
tough time getting us to come in
at night during the summer,
much before nine or ten o’clock.
We were having too much fun
playing. We were a physically
fit, rosy-cheeked bunch of happy
kids. We enjoyed each other’s
company “face to face” only
using our thumbs to complete
the circle of fingers around a
baseball bat or bicycle handlebars.
Now you’re probably thinking “is Midge going back to
cream on his cereal?”
No, not yet anyway. I figure
it will only be a matter of time
before the same medical science
professionals that 40 years ago
told us coffee caused cancer, to a
few years later telling us that
it’s good for us as it contains the
most antioxidants of any drink.
You know, the same medical
pros that informed us that “all
alcohol was bad for you”, and
then “a little red win now and
then, is great for the heart.”
They’re still right about cigarettes though. But, patience is
the key. I’ll do what I’m told
until the memo, “cream has
been found to increase everything from brain power to the
length of one’s—well, memories”
is published.
P.S. Milk, it’s still the perfect
food, and always was!
— Comments may be shared
by writing to Midge Rosebrook
at 25 Hill Street, Lancaster, NH
03584 or c/o Great Northwoods
Journal, 98-B Main Street,
Lancaster, NH 03584 or by
email to greatnorthwoodsjour [email protected]
The Off Your Rocker Club
By Corinne Comeau
Meeting number 91
Huff, puff…I just did some
walking (for healthy exercise)
and now I am relaxing with a
“cuppa” (coffee) and you, my fellow Off Your Rocker “peeps.” I
am
ready
to
conduct
meeting/column #91 (wow).
I am one of those kooks who
loves aphorisms (short sayings
that state a general truth,
according to the dictionary),
maxims or proverbial sayings. I
like funny and uplifting and
comical stuff. On my fridge and
bulletin board over the computer, there is a mess of paperwork,
little notes and scribbles that
say such as, “Inside every older
person is a younger person wondering what the h—- happened”
(pay attention younger folks,
maturity cannot be avoided, so
use it wisely), and (I really like
this one) “Happiness has a bad
rap. People say it should not be
your goal in life. Oh, yes, it
should.” Personally, I think we
all should try to be happy and
make it a goal to spread happiness to others. We should make
happiness and joy contagious.
Then, there is the hunk of
paper that says, “You have the
face God gave you until you are
in your mid-20’s and then you
begin to get the face you earn
and deserve.” True beauty
comes from the inside (goodness, kindness, strength of character) and you begin to look on
the outside just the way you
think on the inside (think mean
and jealous and spiteful
thoughts and your face will
squinch and look mean, jealous,
etc., not attractive at all).
I know people who have forgotten to smile, poor babies (I do
not mean those who suffer illness or sadness…they are
blessed with a look of sweetness
and gentleness)! I bet you know
“non-smilers” too…right? Think
about it. Look around and then
make it a point, make it a plan,
make it a resolution to SMILE.
Of course, you do have to be a
little bit careful about throwing
smiles all over the place. You do
not want to give some overly
amorous wacko stranger the
wrong impression. Anyway, I
think it’s really, really important to LIKE people; to look for
all the likeable qualities in your
friends, neighbors and loved
ones. Oh, sure, each of us has
one or two (or, oh my gosh, three
or more) annoying little quirks
or habits, but I find more reasons to like and smile than to
pout and spout about. I have a
friend who gets exasperated
with me and says my name in a
tone of voice that clearly says
“stupid” even though she pronounces it “Corinne.” It used to
bother me, until one day I heard
her speak her husband’s name
in exactly the same tone of
voice, and I realized that she
only does that with those of us
with whom she is clearly comfortable. So, I still allow her, at
times, to pronounce “Corinne”
as she would “stupid,” or “klutz”
or something similar, and have
never told her that I feel I am in
a special “stupid” category set
up by her for just friends and
family. I like her.
I know another person who
has always ignored the “beauty
comes from within” maxim, and
I saw a tot run screaming in fear
from her when she turned suddenly and scowled at the little
guy. I don’t know about you, but
I think it’s better to develop a
look that little guys like…don’t
want to scare babies as we get
more “mature,” do we? So, off
those rockers and SMILE, darn
ya, SMILE. Later gators, and
please, God, bless us all.
Comments may be shared by
writing to Corinne Comeau at
191 Portland Street, Lancaster,
NH 03584 or c/ o Great
Northwoods Journal, 98-B Main
Street, Lancaster, NH 03584 or
by email to greatnorthwood [email protected]
W A N T ED
Funny
childhood
stories.
You have one right?
If youʼd like to share it,
weʼd like to print it.
Send to:
Great Northwoods
Journal
98-B Main Street
Lancaster, NH 03584
or email to:
greatnorthwoodsjournal
@myfairpoint.net