Sometimes, as I am driving to and from work, I find the inspiration for my next article. Sometimes I nearly run into it. Some of the ideas, great as they are, just will not work as a full-length column. Crafting hundreds of words together can be a challenge and believe me I see the emails where people claim I am somewhat challenged. Anyway, as we enter the lazy days of summer, here are a few of my musings.

Rabid animals. This story has been the talk of the summer in Brunswick and in the surrounding area. Just the other night I was at a friend’s house out near where the latest run in with a sketchy fox took place and we all joked about what was lurking beyond the tree line. Of course, having to be treated for rabies is no laughing matter and the concern that we have all showed is tremendous.

However, it seems that some have become irrational about the whole thing. I was reading the comment section of a local news story about the rabid animals and someone suggested that we vaccinate all of the wildlife in town. Yes, you read that correctly. The person advocates a mass vaccination program for Rocky and Bullwinkle.

Talk about a job that will never go away. Imagine walking into your boss’s office at the end of a long day tracking down a rascally raccoon or a frenetic fox. The response when the boss asks if you got them all could be, “No, but I am sure that it won’t take me more than another year or two to get it done.” You would have guaranteed employment.

The Harpswell water Tower. This issue has had more volleys than the final set at Wimbledon. Keep it up, take it down, keep it up. Never has a group fought so rigidly for something that no longer does the job that it was intended to do.

I am now firmly convinced that I will be receiving a Social Security check before the tower is torn down.

The group that is trying to save the tower, a tower that has not functioned in its role since before the dawning of the internet, says that they only seek a, “compromise,” but a lawsuit could be forthcoming to keep the tower standing tall. Apparently “compromise” means, that only one side gets what they want.

Maybe, eventually the tower will just succumb on its own and fall to the ground. If it did a new group could emerge. The Friends of Mitchell Field Ground Monuments will step in and declare that the fallen structure has intrinsic value as a sculpture, thereby saving it for generations to come as a lump of steel.

Bicycles and “sharrows.” More than three years ago we all came to know what the term “sharrow” meant. Cars and bicycles living as one on our roadways. Most of the time I never think twice about a bicycle as I approach them and give them the required three feet or space as I put them in my rearview mirror. However, a moment a week or so ago got me to thinking.

I was driving down Federal Street as a rider was making their way in front of me. As I was nearly even with the bike, the rider decides to make a hard-left turn to head onto Bank Street. No signal, no arm wave, just a dart to the left and away they went.

Fearing a ticket and the inevitable smearing of a spandex clad rider upon my hood, I stood my trusty Korean steed on her nose as I smashed down upon the brakes. As I came rocking back to Earth my thoughts wandered to the “sharrow.”

Why is it that I, as an automobile driver have to be licensed by the State of Maine to drive my car? I have to register the automobile with the state and pay an excise tax to the state and have to have an inspection for the privilege of being able to drive on the roads. I also have to have, as a condition of legality to drive on these roads, insurance that covers the vehicle if there was some sort of crash. I have to pay for all of these things before being able to drive my first mile on the roads. And once I am on the roads I must follow hundreds of traffic laws lest I run afoul of the man and get ticketed where I will continue to pay for the infraction for years to come in higher insurance bills.

Thousands of dollars in bills just to be able to use the roads.

So, what does the person riding the bicycle who cut me off and nearly caused a traffic accident have to pay before sitting atop the Schwinn? Nothing. The bicyclist is on the “sharrow,” sharing the road but they do not have to share in the responsibilities of the road. The bicycle is not registered with the state. There is no tax, besides a one time sales tax, on the bike. There is no license for the rider. There is no insurance that is required. At what point do we “share” the responsibilities of the road?

Hope you are having a great summer so far, rabies-free of course.

That’s my two cents…

Jonathan Crimmins can be reached at j_ [email protected]