Here in Maine, July is never too soon to think about winter. The thought arrived with the two cords of cut and split firewood dumped next to my driveway. It was still July, but we live in the climate zone called temperate, where it seems the cold is never too far away, waiting patiently for […]
Forecaster Opinion
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Here’s Something: Rise from your foxholes, teachers
There are three kinds of employees in these pandemic times: essential workers, nonessential workers and those stuck in between. Workers considered essential by the government include nurses, grocery store employees, delivery drivers, first responders and others who are needed onsite for the operation of life-sustaining sectors of the economy. They have been going to work […]
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Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
The Universal Notebook: Being and nothingness
The recent hot spell may partly explain why I find myself in such a listless state of mind lately. I was going to write about some pressing issue of the day, such as whether the United States can recover from another four years of Donald Trump (A: Not in my lifetime.), but that will have […]
Posted inForecaster Opinion
Life Unwound: It’s hard to live in a body
It’s hard to live in a body. Even the healthiest among us face-plant on stairs, get sore throats, trip over shoelaces, scrape elbows, skin knees. Even “normal” bodies beg for pit stops on long car rides. There’s morning bedhead, bad hair days or full going bald. We all get sore feet with stinky toes every […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
The Universal Notebook: Closed until further notice
Schools all over the state are wrestling with the question of whether and how to reopen this fall. Let me make it simple for them. Don’t. Maine public school systems have been working on contingency plans geared to the state’s designating communities as green (OK to return to in-person instruction), yellow (best to try hybrid […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Here’s Something: All that, without the bag of chips
Have you noticed the price of everything, especially food, has been increasing quite a bit lately? I recently ordered a cinnamon doughnut and iced coffee at my local coffee shop and left with eight fewer dollars in my pocket. A trip to the grocery store costs a lot more than it used to, too. Somehow, I […]
Posted inForecaster Opinion
Mainewhile: It’s time to settle tribal sovereignty
Holy smokes. Turn on the news right now and it’s enough to make you want to hide. Our nation is facing some pretty crazy circumstances, both those beyond our control, and those entirely of our own making. Some are a bit of both. Recently, we’ve seen yet more violence, a growing awareness of systemic oppression, […]
Posted inForecaster Opinion
Over Easy: How to rebuild life as we knew it
An open letter to sons, daughters and grandchildren: Boy, did we screw up. We are leaving you with a mess, but even those words don’t seem adequate to express our own sense of helplessness. I’m talking about those of us who lived through what are generally labeled the ’60s, but the time period ran from […]
Posted inForecaster Opinion
Letter: Reader invites Balentine to perform an experiment
According to John Balentine’s most recent column (“Follow the science and reopen schools,” July 24), “… kids (are) resistant to COVID-19 …” If Mr. Balentine believes this statement and, therefore, schools should reopen in the midst of the pandemic, I should like to suggest we employ a simple experiment to prove or disprove his thesis. […]
Posted inForecaster Opinion
Letter: Falmouth residents deserve recognition for heart project
In response to the article written in The Forecaster on July 2 (“Local group conducts heartfelt fundraiser for Falmouth Food Pantry”), we were saddened to see that some key members in the project were omitted. Longtime Falmouth residents Kathryn and Tim Tolford have both worked tirelessly in conjunction with us to make this project come […]