Features
Down the Road
Down the Road a Piece: Spiders -- Tiny House Guests, Till They Have Babies
As has happened before, I've asked Ken Anderson, the editor of Magic City News if I could use in "Down the Road a Piece" a really interesting piece he e-mailed me. He has agreed for me to share with you this buggy tale of a mother and her many, many -- even more than that -- kiddos...a tale which makes me wonder when being kind is being too kind, or unkind to we who are being kind. But give Ken credit for trying to be kind to his tenants, who failed to reciprocate... not because they were being mean, but just doing what came naturally.
Jul 2, 2009 - 3:07:43 PM
M Stevens-David
Potatoes
It was now the end of May and winter still had not shown any inclination of relinquishing her hold on the county. Oh, sure, there had been the odd couple of days, here and there, when the ever-present wind had died a little and the inhabitants of our small Aroostook County, Maine town had dared to hope that there had been a reprieve, but it didn't happen.
Jun 26, 2009 - 12:23:53 PM
Laura on Life
Gypsy Cleaning Fairies
You know what my house needs? It needs a team of gypsy cleaning fairies. Not just your ordinary run-of-the-mill gypsy cleaning fairies, but the sort that can see invisible stuff.
Jun 24, 2009 - 1:43:39 PM
Laura on Life
A Ticking Time Bomb
My Mom was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. It was a tiny lump and it hadn't had a chance to spread, so she's fine now. People say she was lucky, but I say she was smart.
Jun 20, 2009 - 12:37:05 PM
M Stevens-David
Tha Trash Nazi
Jake kicked the living room door shut with the heel of his scuffed sneaker and threw his jacket into his father's old recliner. His mother, hearing the sound of the old oak door being so harshly treated, stuck her head around the corner of the living room wall and looked intently at her youngest son.
Jun 18, 2009 - 12:26:17 PM
M Stevens-David
Stolen Apples
Up over the hill behind our house, on land owned by our nearest neighbor, Les Page, was an old apple orchard that had been planted by his great grandfather. No one had bothered with the orchard for a long time and by the time we were growing up a lot of the trees were already dead or dying. During apple season, us Stevens' kids used to pull commando raids on that apple orchard every chance we got.
Jun 17, 2009 - 11:07:01 AM
Laura on Life
The Pit Stop
My seven-year old finally earned enough money to buy himself a toy he's been eyeing at Wal-Mart. It's a race car that comes with all the accessories needed for a Pit Stop. There were extra tires, an oil can, a fuel pump, and tools for washing windows and checking the engine.
Jun 16, 2009 - 12:09:07 PM
Down the Road
Down the Road a Piece: Birds of a Feather - Bump Softly and Entertain
The other day while I was working in the shed, I felt a soft bump on the side of my head.
Jun 16, 2009 - 11:45:10 AM
Laura on Life
Defying The Odds
Life is so much simpler when you are a child. Anything is possible. Well, to be honest, anything is still possible, but when you are an adult, if it's not probable, we don't even try. As adults, we measure the odds.
Jun 12, 2009 - 1:30:53 PM
Words of Mind
Freedom of the Mind
As our nation moves into its 233rd year of independence from Great Britain, we find ourselves, in many ways, more enslaved than ever before. Exterior forces such as more government regulation and requirements, an adherence to a world standard which, by its own accord negates our Declaration of Independence, and most importantly the abdication of our own inner personal freedoms carve a path of confinement rather than liberty.
Jun 11, 2009 - 11:57:49 AM
Laura on Life
Frogs, Jell-o and Character
There are many times I've considered homeschooling my kids. The public school systems are such a mess right now and are run counter-intuitively. They spend less money and time on those children who really want to learn and more on those who couldn't care less.
Jun 9, 2009 - 2:03:01 PM
Down the Road
Down the Road a Piece: Property Lines Are So Much Fun
We've been dreaming of a little getaway camp on a lake, kind of like the one in On Golden Pond.
Jun 8, 2009 - 12:06:37 AM
D. R. Crews
The 65th Anniversary of D-Day
June 6, 2009 is the 65th Anniversary of the day in 1944 when our allied
troops hit the beaches and went-to-wackin' nasty Nazi's -- all front
and center and left and right -- out of the way on the way to free a
big chunk of Europe. The battles of D-Day lasted for days; let our
remembrances of those vicious fights last forever. Nazis, all Fascists, Imperialists, Commies, Taliban, Al Qaeda,
etceteras, if they can't be convinced of the natural benefits of many
freedoms for one and all...
Jun 6, 2009 - 4:24:27 PM
Laura on Life
Dad's Day
This Father's Day, like every other Father's Day, my thoughts go careening back to the time I was a mouthy teenager. My father was often upset with me for some smart-aleck comment I would make. I guess, even then, I was in training to be a humor columnist, but with remarkable hindsight, I can see now that practicing my sassiness on my Dad wasn't the smartest thing I could've done.
Jun 5, 2009 - 8:21:50 AM
Laura on Life
What Else Is Down There?
A clean house was never one of my priorities. Maybe a far-off dream like granite countertops and a professionally landscaped yard, but not a priority.
Jun 2, 2009 - 12:19:55 PM
Down the Road
Down the Road a Piece: Technology -- Gotcha, and Me
The other day when I was looking at CD photos from the film developing company we have been using, I noticed that the photos were no longer high resolution. The quality had been reduced but the price had not.
Jun 2, 2009 - 11:22:50 AM
Laura on Life
The Stages of Beading
My daughter and I share a love of beads and beading. However, we shop for beads a little differently. I usually decide what I want to make and then go into a craft store and buy the right beads for my project. When I'm finished with my project, I throw the leftover beads into a bin.
May 29, 2009 - 2:58:42 PM
Words of Mind
Heated and Covered in Butter
My friend Ann and I walk two miles to the nearby gourmet grocery store. Contained within the store, resides a most decadent Boulangerie. The bakery also sells pastries and sweets, making it a Patisserie as well. One day, we decided to satisfy our craving for sweets, so Ann ordered a large cinnamon roll. The clerk asked, "Would you like that heated and covered in butter?" Ann and I both looked at one another and in unison responded, "Of course! Isn't everything better heated and covered in butter?" Laughing at the excessive indulgence, I realized that we taste life as plain little necessities, instead of indulging in everyday experiences more warmly and engulfed in goodness!
May 29, 2009 - 2:43:10 PM
Down the Road
Down the Road a Piece: Memorial Day -- Not Pleasant Memories
I've only known a few veterans, including a couple from World War II and one from the Vietnam conflict. None wanted to talk about their memories.
May 24, 2009 - 12:28:12 PM
Laura on Life
A Hot-Rod For Geeks
My son needed a new laptop for college. The one he uses now has developed a case of whatever the opposite of arthritis is. Its joints do not stiffen up (that would be preferable), but the screen seems to take perverse pleasure in loosening up and dropping over at the most inopportune moments.
May 22, 2009 - 12:08:16 PM
Down the Road
Down the Road a Piece: True Tales That Could Be True
A man, whose name I won't share except that it may rhyme with Ted, Ned, or Red, was stationed in the West while in the Army.
May 20, 2009 - 10:26:42 AM
Laura on Life
Shopping Cart Protocol
Life is busy, isn't it? Most days I wander around my little piece of the planet, oblivious to certain protocols, political correctness, or unspoken rules. Sometimes, I don't even so much as make eye contact with the people around me.
May 19, 2009 - 12:25:55 PM
Laura on Life
Beam Me Up Scotty!
It's happening. The event of the year. Something every male in my family has been awaiting with barely-controlled excitement. Yes, the new Star Trek movie is out.
May 15, 2009 - 10:25:28 AM
Laura on Life
The Look
When I was a kid, my mom had a secret weapon for getting her children to behave. The weapon was silent. It was invisible. And... it got results.
May 12, 2009 - 12:11:59 PM
Down the Road
Down the Road a Piece: Surprised by Christianity and "The Ministry"
I was raised with religion as a kind of side issue to everyday life -- a Sunday thing.
May 10, 2009 - 3:30:41 PM
Laura on Life
Nobody Looks That Good!
Television commercial are big fat lies. I used to believe them when I was a kid. I really thought that kids would like a certain cereal if "Mikey" liked it. The newest toy was always on my Christmas wish list because, well, the kids on TV looked so happy when they played with it. I believed those commercials… until I became a mom.
May 8, 2009 - 9:07:54 AM
Down the Road
Down the Road a Piece: The Walking Stick and the Pedometer
I learned this past week I can walk a half-mile on a quarter-mile path, a quarter-mile on a half-mile path, and take 1000 steps without even getting up.
May 6, 2009 - 10:47:10 AM
Laura on Life
Why He's My Guy
Twenty-eight years ago, I married my best friend. Throughout all of the changes in our lives, he is still my best friend.
May 5, 2009 - 10:14:01 AM
Laura on Life
Just In Case
My Mom was a German immigrant who came to the United States when she was ten years old. She and her family moved to Buffalo, NY which has a large Polish population. Then she married a man who lived in the city but would've proudly proclaimed himself a redneck at heart.
May 4, 2009 - 1:25:58 PM
Laura on Life
It's All In The Name
I once knew a dentist named Dr. Payne. It wasn't my dentist, of course. Dentists are scary enough without adding the mental anguish that would surely come with gambling on the last name of Payne. What was he thinking? Of all the careers he could have chosen, he chose the one that most defied his name.
Apr 28, 2009 - 10:59:58 AM
Down the Road
Down the Road a Piece: How to (or not to) Take Road Trips
Ken Anderson, our publisher, just returned home from a year in North Carolina,1 working on a project there. But now, unlike Lassie because he and his wife drove rather than galloped, they returned home and Ken has already written and published part of his trip.
Apr 27, 2009 - 10:51:41 AM
Down the Road
Down the Road a Piece: MATC Members Hear of Renewed Redington, Black Nubble Wind Power Plan
Neither the Maine Appalachian Trail Club nor the other major outdoor conservation groups in Maine are opposed to wind power as a "green" way to produce electricity and reduce our dependence on polluting sources of energy, such as oil, MATC Ad Hoc Committee on Wind Power Steve Clark told the nearly 100 MATC members attending the MATC annual meeting last Saturday.
Apr 22, 2009 - 10:56:20 AM
Laura on Life
Children Who Go Bump In The Night
I'm a pretty light sleeper. Most people who have children have taught themselves to sleep with one ear open. This is because when you have children, the "fun" doesn't stop when the lights go out.
Apr 22, 2009 - 10:39:36 AM
Laura on Life
Only Morning People Like Prehistoric Animals
A conversation with my twelve-year old at 6:30 in the morning...
Apr 17, 2009 - 9:30:40 AM
Laura on Life
How Do I Get Out of Here?
I walked into a Toys 'R Us the other day and promptly got lost. I stumbled through Seasonal, made a left at Hanna Montana and ended up somewhere between large plastic yard toys and Rock'em Sock'em Robots.
Apr 16, 2009 - 12:22:51 PM
Down the Road
Down the Road a Piece: Easter, Religious or Secular -- Maybe Both
As I was waiting in my bus Friday to start up from a "stop" sign, I noticed a movement at the edge of the woods across the road.
Apr 12, 2009 - 10:54:22 PM
Down the Road
Down the Road a Piece: Another Annual MATC Meeting -- Already
They say time flies when you're having fun. I say time flies.
Apr 8, 2009 - 10:46:56 AM
Laura on Life
A Boy's Career Path
With some kids, from the time they reach a certain age, you know exactly what profession they will choose when they grow up.
Apr 7, 2009 - 10:54:43 AM
Laura on Life
The Power of Flowers
Much as I like receiving a random gift of chocolate, it's not around long enough to really appreciate the giver of said chocolate.
Apr 4, 2009 - 9:04:20 PM
Down the Road
Down the Road a Piece: Answer to Prayer, Angelic Help, or Coincidence?
The teenager appeared very upset as she waded in to where we were, on the beach at a lake near Bangor.
Apr 1, 2009 - 10:51:34 PM
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