This photo of a Male Cardinal was taken by Tom Thomson at his tree farm in Orford, NH. Meanwhile our For The Birds columnist Chris Bosak took a trip outside of New Hampshire in search of his latest column (see below).
Mixing it Up
by Chris Bosak “For The Birds” Columnist
You have to mix it up every once in a while. This goes for most things in life, but certainly for birdwatching.
The other day, I pulled into the parking lot of the state park where I do the majority of my walking and birding. I never got out of the car this time. I had a rare several-hour block to myself, and, as I pondered my options, the siren song of water kept calling me.
While I love walking at my local patch, and I know just where to look and what I might find, I was craving something different on this day. My patch is mostly woods with a few fields, like much of New England. It does have a large pond, but it has been frozen solid since December.
I backed out of the parking lot and headed to a reservoir a relatively short distance away. I knew at least some of the water would be unfrozen and undoubtedly holding some ducks. Open
freshwater has been hard to come by this winter.
The reservoir, as it turned out, was mostly frozen as well. A small area near the dam was open, and that’s it. This oasis of unfrozen water was, however, a gathering place for a lot of waterfowl. Canada geese were, by far, the dominant species, along with mallards and mute swans. There were also a few buffleheads and ring-necked ducks, along with a lone male wood duck in
New England Colonial Trade Fair
On Saturday and Sunday, March 8th and 9th, come see some of New England’s finest Artisans and Traders Keeping Early American History Alive (17th, 18th And Early 19th Century) at the New England Colonial Trade Fair held at the Dover Lodge of Elks #184, 282 Durham Road, Dover NH. Hours are Saturday, March 8th from 9am to 5pm and Sunday, March 9th, 9am to 2pm. There is a $5.00 Admission and there will be a Daily Door Prize For more info Contact Jeff Wardwell at 603998-8134 or jsat3@comcast.net.
EVENTS & ACTIVITIES
Audubon Program On Wildlife Photography
On Thursday, February 20th at 7PM at the Loon Center in Moultonborough, the Lakes Region Chapter of the New Hampshire Audubon Society will present a program on Wildlife Photography Close to Home, presented by Matt Cohen.
Matt, a talented wildlife and nature photographer from New Hampshire, brings the beauty of the natural world to life through his stunning imagery. A proud NH native living in Moultonborough, Matt draws inspiration from the breathtaking landscapes and diverse wildlife that surround us. Join Matt as he shares captivating stories and photography tips from his local wildlife adventures, featuring encounters with owls, eagles, loons, wood ducks, and even moose in their natural local habitats. Matt is a member of the NH Audubon Society and the Loon Preservation Committee, helping to track and monitor eagle nests in NH and protect our beloved eagles and loons.
Much of his extraordinary work is captured from the unique vantage point of his kayak, as he navigates the serene waterways of the region. Experience the wonder of nature through Matt’s lens and discover how his passion for photography fosters deeper connections with the world around us.
The Loon Center is located on Lee’s Mill Road; follow the signs on Blake Road from Route 25 near the Moultonborough Central School, or from Rte. 109 turn on to Lee Road and turn left on Lee’s Mill Road.
Beginner Bee School In Ashland
The amazing world of the honey bee will be explored this spring at the 2025 Pemi-Baker Beginner Bee School in the Ashland Booster Club at 99 Main Street in Ashland.
Classes will be held on Saturdays, March 15, 22, 29 and April 5 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Participants will learn how to keep a colony of bees, promote their health and extract their honey. Also explored will be the bee’s essential role in pollinating plants from flowers to vegetable gardens to commercial crops.
To be discussed at the school are bee biology, equipment and supplies, hive components, how to buy and install honeybees, hive management, products from the hive, pests and diseases and protecting hives from bears and other potential intruders.
The course is designed to allow a beginner to be able to successfully keep a hive. Mentors are available to provide ongoing assistance as needed.
Gerard Godville, with more than 20 years of experience in keeping bees, will teach the class with the help of club members and guest speakers. He and his wife, Mary-Ellen, have been coordinating the school since it began in 2010.Those who take the course become members of the Pemi-Baker Beekeepers Association, a club with monthly meetings.
The non-profit organization has 100 plus members from the Lakes Region, the North Country and throughout the Northeast. Registration forms and other details at https://www.pemibakerba.org/bee-school-2025-registration
This newspaper was first published in 1883 by Mathew H. Calvert as Calvert’s Weirs Times and Tourists’ Gazette and continued until Mr. Calvert’s death in 1902. The new Weirs Times was reestablished in 1992 and strives to maintain the patriotic spirit of its predecessor as well as his devotion to the interests of Lake Winnipesaukee. Our newspaper’s masthead and the map of Lake Winnipesaukee in the center spread are elements in today’s paper which are taken from Calvert’s historic publication.
Locally owned for 33 years, this publication is devoted to printing the stories of the people
and places that make New Hampshire the best place in the world to live. No, none of the daily grind news will be found in these pages, just the good stuff.
Published year round on Thursdays, we distribute 24,000 copies of the Weirs Times every week to the Lakes Region/Concord/ Seacoast area and the mountains and have an estimated 60,000 people reading this newspaper.
To find out how your business or service can benefit from advertising with us please call 603-366-8463.
Not So LoNg Ago ...
Exploring ThE lEgEnd & lorE of our graniTE STaTE
new HaM and a
ODDNEWS
by Robert Hanaford Smith, Sr. Contributing Writer
(NYT) — For such a tiny fish, the snail darter has haunted Tennessee. It was the endangered species that swam its way to the Supreme Court in a vitriolic battle during the 1970s that temporarily blocked the construction of a dam.
On Friday, a team of researchers argued that the fish was a phantom all along.
“There is, technically, no snail darter,” said Thomas Near, curator of ichthyology at the Yale Peabody
see DARTER page 28
The Civil War was not fought on New Hampshire soil, nor were Granite State citizens owner of slaves, but the State was very much involved in the Civil War and the issues involving the treatment of African Americans.
Portsmouth was a
four hundred dollars each, be transported to Africa, and, assuming that family groups averaged five people Joseph Gilmore- Governor in New Hampshire during the Civil War
ing a financial burden upon the state. Though most New Hampshire residents seemed to support the cause of the Union Army, as we noted in last week’s ar-
So the talk in the year 1864 involved some familiar phrases such as accusing supporters
Biden blocks takeover of US Steel
By AlAn RAppepoRt THE NEW YORK TIMES
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden blocked the $14 billion takeover of U.S. Steel by Nippon Steel of Japan in an announcement Friday based on grounds that the sale posed a threat to national security. The decision was an extraordinary use of executive power, particularly for a president who is just weeks from leaving office. It is also a departure from
Brenda Allen stopped to photograph an ice fisher on Newfound Lake and captured the moment he pulled a fish though the hole. If you have a great local photo you’ve taken recently, send it to readerpics@laconiadailysun.com for consideration. You can check out previous Reader Pics –and bonus pics not chosen for print – by going to our website, following The Laconia Daily Sun’s Instagram page and liking our Facebook page. What’s a hope you have for our community for 2025? To share your answer, visit laconiadailysun.com/ questionoftheweek
see STEEL page 28
son continues to add to his current savings that can easily secure a comfortable homestead. He has long conveyed his desire to marry a kindhearted and hardworking woman of similar values for the purpose of raising a family and mutual, lifelong devotion, adoration and happiness. His presence is always enjoyed and his character admired by those who come to know him, but he is not fluent at fostering these eventualities. Social enterprises and watering holes are not compatible with his reserved personality. Sound like your warm heart? Only if your true,
by Brendan Smith Weirs Times Editor
OOL
NEW HAMPSHIRE
JUst a pet peeve
I know I have written about other similar incidents in previous columns, but it it is time to do it again.
It’s one of my pet peeves.
I’m not one hundred percent sure, but I believe certain things are called pet peeves because often the people involved are so inconsiderate that even pets, the most non-judgmental of creatures, would become annoyed. I could be wrong. Anyway.
Needing to pick up a handful of essential items, I stopped at the local supermarket on the way home from work. I picked up a can of tomato sauce, some pasta and some mozzarella cheese.
My second grade math lessons kicked in and as I approached the various checkouts, I knew that I was far below the maximum allowed than to legally approach the fourteen items or less aisle. (Maybe it was twenty or less, but as you will see, it mattered not.)
It was a reasonably busy Friday, being the day before the start of the School Vacation week in a state south of New Hampshire that I will not name here so as to keep my prejudices to a minimum. Folks, tourists and local residents alike, were stocking up on supplies for the long weekend as well as an expected snowstorm.
Having only three items put me at an advantage, or so I thought. Most shoppers would be well over the maximum allowed by supermarket law threshold and have to wait on line at the other more populous checkouts. How many items we purchase while shopping is decision that we all consciously make and
have to live with.
Seeing that the fourteen (or twenty) items or less line was thin, I approached with a smile. My time on the fifteen items or more would come, but this day I would revel in the glow of a quick checkout.
My state of reverie was quickly shattered, for as I was about to turn into the checkout aisle designed specifically for shoppers like myself, whose burden of cleverly packaged items was light, a small woman with a large shopping cart, cut me off into the line.
She was dressed as though not a year-round resident, but more like one of our winter visitors. Still, I am not one to profile, so I will leave my observations on her appearance alone. It was her actions that I am here to tell about. (It was quite an expensive looking winter coat.)
Wielding the shopping cart like a World War II tank, her movements were not graceful, but rather clunky, but I wasn’t about to get in the way of this fast moving supermarket weapon.
Stopping at the conveyor belt, she quickly collected herself and reached down into the shopping cart and started heaving the goods onto the belt. After about ten were quickly placed she looked at the cashier, and sheepishly said in her best Scarlett O’Hara voice: “I have about twenty items” and then, not waiting for approval or lack thereof, continued to heave items. Cereal, hot dogs, ice cream, cheese doodles, etc etc,, were now fighting for space on the conveyor belt.
The cashier, young and obviously inexperienced at such spectacles of human hubris, began to scan.
The women, still not done unloading her shopping cart, looked back at me with my meager handful, now feeling heavier in my hands as the minutes went by, and said with a practiced smile: “Oh, you don’t have many
items, would you like to go ahead of me?”
Of course, it was too late, but even if it wasn’t I knew I would have refused. I needed to witness so as to chronicle this moment of humankind for future generations to see where we as a race had come to in the year 2025.
I shook my head and then began to count in my head the actual number of items she had with her.
Over thirty. A bit more than her claim of twenty. Still, always ready to give a benefit of the doubt, I assumed that any person that could do this in the first place was also the kind of person who would count four bags of Cheez Doodles as one item. Or maybe it was just she was taught different math than me in second grade.
When her order was rung up, it was time to begin to look through her purse for her payment. Possibly she thought she would be the millionth customer of the store and all would be free.
When she had finished and clanged her way through the automatic doors, and out to the parking lot, I approached the cashier with my legal load.
He looked a bit shell shocked, so I didn’t bring up the matter with him.
I left the supermarket and headed to my car, making my way through the plethora of abandoned shopping carts that weary shoppers no longer had the energy to place in the corrals (another pet peeve of mine).
Years ago, I learned not to pass judgment without proof, but I would bet my paycheck that one of those carts was hers. It’s called circumstantial evidence.
Just a warning, she is still out there somewhere, so use caution.
• Deliveries take approximately 3 – 3 /12 hours
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• Both Store & Home deliveries
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This series of Letters From God is an attempt to put the thoughts of God as revealed in the Scriptures as they relate to individuals and the nation of the USA.
Letters From God Letters From God
QUESTION What Do You Think About President Trump’s First Few Weeks In Office?
For two years in letters I have sent, I have tried to awaken your country to the radical woke agenda foisted upon you by the Democratic Party and its president, Biden! In virtually every aspect of that agenda, your new president Trump is reversing the attempt at the hostile takeover of your American culture and of me, my values and my will. The response of the Democratic Party, namely, that your new president is a monster, trying to destroy the country, shows how radicalized they are to the overthrow of your country. Instead of applauding these revisions, which made your country the greatest the world has ever known, they demonize the president. At the same time, they double down on the woke agenda that cost them the election and nearly cost your country its soul and sovereignty. It is interesting to note as well, that what they want to do is projected on your president. That is, to destroy your country as you have known it. At the same time your new president is trying to restore your country to its constitution, laws, morality, excellence in the workforce, safety
and security, racial unity not division, borders that protect your sovereignty and ensure immigrants who come are vetted and desire to become Americans who build up not destroy you country, science about everything, especially my creation of male and female, and even me, God.
Believe me, your president, like all of you, is flawed. But as he spoke at the recent national prayer breakfast, after nearly dying from an assassin’s bullet, he embraces a new vision that includes me. Listen to some of his words. “But it changed something in me. I feel, I feel even stronger. I believe in God, but I feel much more strongly about it. Something happened.” “We have to bring religion back. We have to bring it back much stronger. It’s one of the biggest problems that we have had over the last fairly long period of time. We have to bring it back.” “At every stage of the American story, our country has drawn hope and courage and inspiration from our trust in the almighty. Deep in the soul of every patriot is the knowledge that God has a special plan and a glorious mission for America. And that plan is going to happen. It’s going to happen. I hope it happens sooner rather than later; it’s going to happen. And it’s his hand that guides us every single step of the way. And all of you and the things we have to do is to see the defining role that faith and prayer have played in the life of our nation.”
The past period of hostile takeover, with the strong-arming of godless values, coincides with “the last fairly long period of time,” spoken of by the president. As the saying goes, “if you stand for nothing, you’ll fall for anything.” As I said in my book, the Bible, “Where there is no revelation the people cast off restraint but blessed is he who keeps the law.” (Proverbs 29:18).
“Revelation” is my word and will to mankind, recorded in my book, the Bible. By not making me your God, as the priority of your life, you inevitably neglect my revelation. Like previous administrations, you “cast off restraint” of my will and create your own. Woke culture is just that. To do so is a prescription for disaster, for the woke behavior, which contradicts my will, inevitably leads to death and I, myself, will fight against you. But for those who exalt me, my revelation and keep it, as is being done by your president, I will return my blessing and prosper you once again. Your president is doing some great things but unless you return to me in my revelation you will never prosper.
I would point you back to a time in history, recorded in my book, the Bible, when in the midst of national calamity due to wicked leadership, a young boy changed the nation of Israel. His father Amon and grandfather Manasseh we’re wicked in their leadership. During this period my “revelation” had been rejected and neglected. These times
coincided with crisis for my chosen people that threatened them with judgment. Young king Josiah, who began his reign at the ripe old age of eight, discovered my revelation in a dusty bin of the temple, that was being renovated. He instructed it to be read and followed, as an essential for his kingly rule. As a result, I began to bless him, and national disaster was averted, and revival ensued (2 Kings 22-23).
What was true then is true today. “For I the LORD do not change.” (Malachi 3:6). You must follow the admonition that I gave to Zechariah the prophet and which is recorded in my “revelation.” “Therefore tell the people: This is what the LORD almighty says: ‘Returned to me,’ declares the LORD Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the LORD Almighty (Zechariah 1:3).
Pray and seek, that along with cultural, moral, economic, educational, international restoration, the spiritual restoration to me and my “revelations” will exceed them all. So, I challenge you to MAGA. M ake A merica Godly Again and enjoy my blessings. I love you, God
These letters are written by Rev. Dr. Sam Hollo of Alton, NH
tHe power of self interest
by John Stossel
Politicians bash businesses.
“Stop the greed!” shouts Sen. Bernie Sanders. Many Republicans are equally ignorant.
When some Florida businesses raised prices in response to sudden demand during a crisis (a useful signaling device in a free market), Attorney General Pam Bondi called that “sickening ... disgusting ... unacceptable!” Now she’s U.S. attorney general.
Sen. Josh Hawley attacks airline CEOs for charging different people different prices. “You make it clear,” he sneered. “Money is your bottom line ... “
Well, yes, Senator. That’s the CEO’s job.
by John J. Metzler Syndicated
Sadly, bigshots trained as lawyers rarely understand the principles that make capitalism work so well.
“The only way you can make money in business is by providing customers with value!” Yaron Brook, head of the Ayn Rand Institute, says in my new video.
“The biggest problem we have in our culture is this perception that when you pursue your own selfinterest, you are somehow a villain ... it’s why socialism is still viewed as morally noble, capitalism as evil and bad.”
Ayn Rand was a philosopher who understood that others get richer because entrepreneurs pursue profit. Intellectuals hate her for saying that.
Rands’ books sold millions of copies, but the media trash her. HBO’s John Oliver show joked, “Ayn Rand
politiCs is UpstreaM of CUltUre, too
Politics, my mentor Andrew Breitbart famously stated, is downstream of culture. By that, Andrew meant that culture shapes and embodies our values as a society; we then vote based on those values. From church to music, from movies to television, we are affected by the things we see and hear -- and we then enshrine our culture in the instruments of government.
In truth, however, there is another side to the coin: Culture is upstream of politics, but politics shapes culture as well. The relation-
ship between culture and politics is more cyclical than linear: Culture affects for whom we vote; those for whom we vote then shape our culture; culture then defines for whom we vote, and so on.
This is something that President Donald Trump and his team innately understand. And it is one of the biggest reasons that Democrats are in a state of panic.
For decades, Democrats understood the cycle. A culture of racial tolerance, for example, led to the election of Barack Obama; Obama then used his public approval to push forward controversial issues like gay marriage using the levers of government; culture accepted the governmental mandate. Obama was a cultural figure as much as a
Ukraine’s fate in tHe BalanCe
Three years into Russia’s war against Ukraine, there seems to be a chance for peace. But this political intermezzo may be as fleeting as the approaching Spring weather to soon sweep the steppes yet at the same time remains a worthwhile window of opportunity for all parties to reach a ceasefire and then begin the long and perilous quest for peace. Three events over the past week highlighted the opportunity; President Donald Trump spoke with Russian leader Vladimir Putin about ending the Ukraine war. Trump conversed with Zelensky shortly thereafter.
Early discussions on Ukraine will take place in Saudi Arabia and will include high level U.S. and Kremlin delegations. Speaking to reporters at the White House, President Trump stated, “I think we’re on the way to getting peace. I think President Putin wants peace, President Zelensky wants peace and I want peace. I just want to see people stop getting killed.” The controversy with the peace discussions rests with the Europeans feeling they have been politically sidelined by the fast-moving events leading to fast-track diplomacy. “A few days ago, President Trump told me about his conversation with Putin. Not once did he mention that America needs Europe at that table. That says a lot,” Zelensky commented in a candid address at the recent Munich Security Conference.
Second, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth visited American troops stationed in Poland, the true frontline to both Ukraine and Putin’s wider ambitions for Europe to offer solidarity and support for Poland’s decisiveness. But days earlier at a Brussels meeting, Secretary Hegseth conceded it was “unrealistic” to think Ukraine could win back its sovereign territory already occupied by Russia, as well as its demand to join NATO. He stressed it was the responsibility of the Europeans and not American troops to keep the peace. His observations obviously did not play well in Kyiv nor European capitals. Yet, keep in mind the Secretary of Defense does not make foreign policy. Thus Hegseth’s apparent freewheeling political rhetoric may actually be “sounding out” allies and confusing the Russians.
Third, Vice President J.D. Vance, addressing at the prestigious Munich Security Conference, shocked his European audience by not speaking about Ukraine as expected, but rather the domestic weaknesses affecting many European countries, among them Germany, the U.K. and Sweden. JD Vance warned, “the threat that I worry the most about vis-à-vis Europe is not Russia, it’s not China… What I worry about is the threat from within. The retreat of Europe from some of its most fundamental values: values shared with the United States of America.” Mind you he was addressing startled status quo European elites!
The Vice President blasted Euro leaders for often slack policies on il-
See METZLER on 20
Columnist
by Ben Shapiro Syndicated Columnist
Syndicated Columnist
by Tim Moore Contributing Writer
A system is a series of steps that work together to complete a task. In this year’s Ice Annual Magazine, I wrote about some techniques to give you an edge while ice fishing. I talked about how that edge doesn’t always come in the form of a new lure, although it might, but often comes in by way of several more subtle things that anglers don’t always attribute directly to their ice fishing success. Another
Systems come in various shapes and sizes, but should be malleable to incorporate newer tools and technologies, such as the Clam Outdoors Predator tip up/hook setting device pictured.
way to find success is sometimes as simple as a different perspective. How do businesses, like manufacturing facilities, find their success? One way they speed up productivity is to develop a system. You can’t catch fish if you’re not actually fishing, so anything that helps you keep your line in the water more will most definitely result in more fish on the ice.
You hear a lot about efficiency in ice fishing circles. Efficiency and system are somewhat synonymous with one another. My system starts off the ice in how I store my rods, tackle and other gear. I use a double-sided rod locker to store the bulk of my rods. I keep it in my snowmobile trailer. This allows me to grab as few or as many as I want for
the day. When I’m traveling on the ice, I use a single-sided rod locker. The single-sided case takes up less space, but still protects my rods. Regardless of the case, every one of my rods has a rod slick on it. Nothing will cost me time like untangling rods that don’t have slicks on them, and I know exactly when they will be tangled the worst…when I need them the most. At least that’s how it feels when a huge school of feeding fish shows up under me. Time without my line in the water feels like slow motion.
Tackle storage is equally as important to me, especially with the evolution of tungsten. Tungsten is more expensive than lead. Loose jigs bouncing around the inside of a
standard tackle box are likely to have the paint chip off or fall out, only to become stuck in other places and cost you time, or worse, lost and gone forever. Clam Outdoors makes it easier than ever to store tackle. They have a several different sizes of both jig and spoon boxes. You can do what I do and use a large jig box and the Deluxe Spoon Box to house the bulk of my tackle. I have a small jig box loaded with my most commonly-used jigs and space for a few substitutes as needed. I do the same with my spoons. Leech Flutter Spoons and Blade Spoons are a staple for me. I keep the majority of my spoons in a Deluxe Spoon Box and when I’m not guiding, I take a small spoon box with my favorites for the day. Staying organized means less time searching for tackle and more tie fishing.
I don’t appreciate organization as much as I do when I get to my fishing spot, but my system doesn’t end there. For years I had a habit of setting everything I thought I would use where it would be easily accessible. I thought that by having everything ready, it would save me time if I needed it. It wasn’t until after I met Dave Genz that I began to look at efficiency from a different perspective. I realized I almost never needed many of the object I
The Simple Feast
tHe sinCerest forM of flattery
The Simple Feast Simple
by Eric N Gibson Contributing Writer
Oscar Wilde is credited with stating “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery…”.
The Simple
As I was thumbing through a recent edition of Homestead Magazine I found a recipe for a “dry stew”. Now that right there would stop many in their tracks, causing them to flip the page. However, I continued reading, intrigued with the concept. And the accompanying photograph, an envious composition that nearly jumped from the page, was truly eye catching. Fresh from the garden (or root cellar) perfectly round yellowish-white potatoes and vibrant orange carrots with lively green stems all neatly arranged on a dark wood table top. The colors just popped!
The author’s “dry stew”, with just five ingredients, in essence, is a gastronomical ode to frugal simplicity. I decided then and there that I had to try it. Or, at the very least, I would use it for inspiration: a starting point. If you have not figured it out by now, I just cannot help but doctor a recipe to make it my own. But, I still wanted to stick to the basic tenets of
“cheap eats” and ease of preparation which the original recipe has all the hallmarks of. And, as you will see, the words “dry” and “stew” do not go together in my book.
As some of you may recall in my article last week I extolled the virtues of the economy of chicken and with a few extra groceries (carrots, potatoes, celery, and onions) you would have vegetables left for subsequent meals. Well, here is where that economy of purchase pays further dividends because you are about to put some of those vegetables from “last week” to good use. Using the vegetables on hand, this recipe will probably cost about $7.00, the price of a pound of burger and a gravy packet.
According to author Georgia Varozza, this dry stew is called “Stonaflesch” and is featured in her article titled “Cook Like A Homesteader” in the aforementioned magazine. The recipe was actually reprinted from a cookbook Varozza authored (The Homestead to Table Cookbook) and calls for burger, carrots, potatoes, salt, pepper, and paprika. That’s it! The main ingredients, burger and veggies, are layered starting with raw burger. Subsequent layers alternate with sliced carrots and sliced potatoes until you get to the top of the casserole dish. Finish with a top layer of raw burger and season with the salt, pepper, and paprika. Covering the casserole with a tight fitting lid,
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The finished Pot Roast Casserole served with Toast and Green Beans.
Almagra Barn At Waukewan Golf Club
Located in the heart of the Lakes Region, this 1800’s farm offers everything you are looking for in a charming New England setting. The Property had operated as the Almagra Farm before it became a golf club. “Almagra” translates to “Red” in native languages.
The function facility is an elegant post & beam barn, with a beautiful fieldstone fireplace and large dance floor. We are surrounded by majestic mountain views. It is a perfect place for weddings, receptions, rehearsal dinners, business meetings and conferences or special occasions.
Please contact Kim Hale at 603-677-2649 or email: khwaukewan@metrocast.net for more information.
Please contact Kathy Baker at 603-677-2513 khwaukewan@metrocast.net for more information.
166 Waukewan Road v Center Harbor, NH v 603-279-6661 v www.waukewangolfclub.com
sUrviving yoUr wedding: stress-free tips
Planning a wedding is a lot of work, which is why many brides rely on their planner, family, and friends to offer helpful, stress-free wedding tips during the entire process. Surviving wedding stress and preventing potential problems can be achieved with enough time and the right plan of action. Continue reading to discover five ways to combat stressful wedding situations.
It’s down to the wire, and you find yourself pulling out your hair because the florist is slow at returning your calls, the tailor is taking too long to alter your gown, and you can’t decide which dish to serve at the reception. It’s enough to make anyone go crazy, but surviv-
ing wedding stress is possible.
Even if you have a wedding planner, you’re still facing hurdles of your own when it comes to surviving the wedding stress, trying to make sure that everything flows smoothly on the big day. But what do you do when unexpected issues arise?
Have you considered your plan of action and which stress-free wedding tips you’ll rely on if something goes wrong?
In these instances, a hands-on approach to the problems you’ll encounter will solve everything right then and there.
So, with all the potential problems that can happen before and during your wedding day, how do you han-
dle, manage, and overcome wedding planning stress? Here are a few of the best stress-free wedding tips that brides swear by to get them through the wedding planning stages. Stay in Control with These Stress-Free Wedding Tips!
1. Surviving wedding stress involves giving yourself enough time to plan. Your wedding is what you make of it. If you allot no more than six or seven months for an extravagant affair, chances are it may look like it was rushed. With extra time, you can plan, make changes, hire the right vendors the first time around, and choose the best venues that match your budget (because you can shop
around). And if you’re in a rush to get married, opt for a simpler ceremony and receptionone that’s affordable but doesn’t cause you stress in the long run.
2. Remember that a holiday wedding, while beautiful, is more stressful. Not only do you have a wedding to plan, but you have to worry about the added stress from the holidays. At Thanksgiving, for instance, you’ll have guests coming in from out of town, and you’ll worry about a big dinner, while at Christmas, you’re focused on buying gifts and decorating--all at the same time. This is not to say that surviving the wedding stress (and holiday stress) can’t be done; holiday winter weddings are some of the most elegant, joyous events. But you need to keep in mind that you will have added stress to deal with. Make sure you have a dependable wedding planner who can offer valuable stress-free wedding tips as well as many helpful friends who have the time to help you plan your big day.
3. Hire the right wedding planner - and get knowledgeable stressfree wedding tips. This is a given when it comes to surviving wedding stress. Of course, some brides do not hire a wedding planner, and that’s fine. Planners simply provide a sort of stress buffer for you and your family so that you can concentrate on other elements of the wedding. You’ll have the opportunity beforehand to
interview wedding planners in your area to see if they can accurately align with your wishes and carry them out as
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with on a regular basis. 4. Surviving wedding stress when one of your vendors goes MIA. Yikes! This is a tricky situation. You’ve planned for months that your vendor will show up at the time agreed upon. But it’s the day of the wedding -- what can you do now? If at all possible, try to find a replacement; this may not be feasible since it’s truly last minute. A missing vendor does not spell immediate doom however. Here’s your chance to save the day - if the florist doesn’t show up, make a pit stop at the
local grocery store and buy all the flowers you can. If the DJ cancels, enlist a friend to bring along an MP3 player with music everyone
all your Bridal, Bridesmaid, Mothers, Special Occasion, Prom & Tuxedo needs.
can have an eloquent guest perform the ceremony. After all, once you have that license in hand, you’re officially married regardless.
5. One of the best stress-free wedding tips for you (and your family) is to avoid being a ‘bridezilla.’ Stress can bring out the worst in anyone, and tackling and surviving wedding stress is the most difficult. And no one knows it better than the friends and family of the bride, who may witness a change in her demeanor over time. There’s no need to subject your loved ones to your emotional outbursts. Always give yourself time to reflect and relax. You don’t have to spend every waking moment making plans. Trust your friends to help you when it comes to planning the wedding and surviving the wedding stress; don’t go it alone. Managing and surviving wedding stress is not easy. There are so many things that might make you want to call the planning off. Just remember that one of the most helpful stress-free wedding tips out there is to make sure that you allow yourself enough time to plan and make the day right. This is, after all, your wedding day, and while everything will not go the way you planned, keep a smile on your face and appreciate the many people who made the time to celebrate with you.
PHOTO COURTESY ROB CLIFFORD CLIFFORDPHOTOGRAPHYNH.COM
political one: There is a reason that Obama ended up with a Netflix deal after leaving office, rather than merely starting a nonprofit think tank.
nesses; that politics ought to reside in the realm of the pragmatic, with defined boundaries and specifically delegated powers.
Republicans, by contrast, have always seen culture and politics as separate. They correctly perceive that the nexus between culture and politics is dangerous: They believe that culture should be shaped primarily by the intermediate institutions of our society, the informal ties that bind us together, from churches to schools to busi-
But no matter how Republicans wish the world were, it isn’t that way. This is a truly Trumpian realization. Trump, like Obama, is a cultural figure. In fact, he is perhaps the most ubiquitous cultural figure of the last half-century in the United States. He utilized his fame and notoriety to propel himself into the presidency; now, he is using the power of imagery in
order to shape American culture. Trump was once mocked for his use of television as a recruitment tool -- but just as television shapes culture, so, too, do members of the government. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is increasing recruitment rates to the military because he is projecting a culture of warrior strength; from working out with the troops to declaring DEI dead in the military, the very image of the military has shifted. Vice President JD Vance has been traveling internationally with his family -- in
the process, normalizing children in public spaces. Elon Musk has been bursting through government barriers with the help of brilliant young technologists -- in the process, making nerdiness and meritocracy ! cool again.
Yes, as it turns out, image matters. And governmental actors can help shape the images that define us. That’s why Trump was at the Super Bowl; it’s why he signed an executive order protecting women’s sports while flanked by young women and girls, all celebrating the new measure; it’s why Team Trump makes itself nearly omnipresent in the media. Taking up cultural space is an effective way of remaking culture. And Trump isn’t just remaking government. He’s showing that politics can be upstream of culture, too. Ben Shapiro’s new collection, “Facts and Furious: The Facts About America and Why They Make Leftists Furious,” is available now. Shapiro is a graduate of UCLA and Harvard Law School, host of “The Ben Shapiro Show,” and co-founder of Daily Wire+. He is a three-time New York Times bestselling author. To find out more about Ben Shapiro and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www. creators.com.
SHAPIRO from 7
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each, each family could be set up on a farm worth two thousand dollars, and the total cost would equal the amount of money spent on the war up to that point in the year 1864.
New Hampshire’s governor, Mr. Gilmore, called the state Senate and House of Representatives into a special session in August of 1864 to deal with some unfinished items related to the Civil War and the Granite State’s involvement in that conflict. The Governor told the legislature that he was opposed to some of the laws that they passed, but was calling a special session because of the things they had not done in their general sessions. “But I do call upon you,” he said, “in the name of the people of New Hampshire, in the name of the country and of God, to give us in place of the crude, incomprehensible and unsatisfactory ‘ military bill ‘ .....some act which can be certainly understood...”
He furthermore called upon the legislatures to “replenish the Treasury.”
Gov. Gilmore drew the attention of the legislators to the fact that they had passed a law, which he said, was “ more stringent in its provisions than that of any other state.” That law prevented him, the governor, from spending any money, including most salaries, from the state treasury without the examination and approval of an “Auditor of Accounts.” The problem thus created was that the State of New Hampshire had no “Auditor of Accounts,” and the legislature made no provision for such a position. Gov. Gilmore further explained that
he had the men of three full military companies ready to leave to serve in the military for a three year enlistment, but he couldn’t pay them the bounties that the legislature had voted to give them because there was no “ Auditor of Accounts.”
He overcame that problem by receiving the permission of the New Hampshire Supreme Court to allow himself the authority to appoint Mr. Edwin S. Barrett to be the Auditor of Accounts.
So why did he call the legislature into session?
“But now that I have access to the Treasury I find it empty and likely to be so, without further and more generous legislation,” he said, before going into more detail as to what he wanted the legislature to do. The legislature responded by voting favorably on a joint resolution to borrow two million dollars.
The Union Democrat newspaper from Manchester, New Hampshire printed an article in 1864 under the
headline “The Slave Trade In New Hampshire.” It was about an army officer from a Rhode Island regiment who came to Concord, New Hampshire where he deceived a black man he had taken control of as a slave. The account did not reveal all of the details, but this particular officer was said to have been on duty in Culpepper, Virginia when he somehow managed to take a slave belonging to one of the “rebels” and made him his own. On returning to Concord with his slave the officer learned that there were abolitionists in the state who were paying a bounty of $1,000 to African Americans to be substitutes for themselves. It was a common practice during the war for those who could afford to do so to pay someone else to serve in the war in their place - a practice that was accepted by the authorities. As the supposed owner of the slave the officer thought he had found a clever way to make some money.
The officer and his slave for some unknown reason were in Concord, New Hampshire when the officer informed his “slave” that because of ‘military necessity’ they had to go back to Virginia to be examined by army officers there. He gave him instructions on how to answer the enlisting officer’s questions along with $300, the amount often paid by towns to recruit soldiers for the war, to show that everything was all right. The black man did as he was instructed, including returning the $300 to his owner after he found himself enlisted in the Union Army. He was delighted with his nice bright new uniform and the thought of showing it to his companions. Meanwhile, his ‘owner’ received his $1,000 and left town without saying good-by, while the ex-slave was left asking where his master was, only to be grief-stricken to learn that he had signed up for three years in the army. He did not want to fight, and he had no money, but he was taken off to be part of the Army of the Potomac.
With the war expected by some to continue for years ahead both men and horses for the cavalry were sought by the Union army. A Captain McKim requested that people bring horses to the Eagle Hotel in Manchester on Fridays and Saturdays to be bought by the Army for $157 each. The horses, in order to meet the standards to be part of the cavalry , had to be at least 14 and 1/2 hands high. At this point in the war there seemed to be numerous reports of soldiers not having been paid for months, of captured soldiers, and of prisoner exchanges, and
the involvement of colored regiments in the Union Army. Though the struggle to officially end slavery in the United States was near its end, there were those who predicted many
more years of war. Today the war of words continues about what our children should be taught about history.
Corporal Wilbur F. Warren F. Warren - 1st New Hampshire Cavalry.
Soldiers in the Union Cavalry during the Civil War.
place this “casserole”(?) “stew”(?) into a hot oven for about 45 minutes or until the burger is cooked and the vegetables are tender. Presumably the burger, as it cooks, will “baste” the root vegetables and the tight fitting lid will hold in the moisture released from the burger and veggies to create steam heat. All are basic cooking principles that have been used for centuries. Easy peasy!
So why have I spent so much time giving Varozza credit? Well first and foremost, because it is her recipe that gave me the inspiration so giving credit where credit is due is the proper thing to do. This is particularly true since this is a noteworthy darn tasty yet simple concoction to come home to in the winter months. But secondly, as most of you know, I like to dig into the history or the backstory of things and this one has me stumped. With a limited reserve of cookbooks at my fingertips I usually begin
STEW CASSEROLE
YIELD: 4 Servings TIME: About 75 Minutes
INGREDIENTS
1 pound of ground beef
1 small onion diced
1 stalk of celery sliced
6-8 Mushrooms sliced / uncooked
2 Parsnips cut into thin coins
2-3 Carrots cut into thin coins
2 Potatoes cut into thin slices
3 Tbsp. Red Wine
1 Brown Gravy Packet
1.5 cups Water
TT Black Pepper
TT Old Bay Seasoning
— PREPARATION—
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Brown Ground beef in a skillet. Drain and reserve one to two teaspoons of fat. Arrange browned burger into the bottom of a medium size casserole dish.
- Saute diced onions in the reserved fat until the onions are caramelized (tips / edges are turning brown). Layer onto the browned burger.
- Saute celery, parsnips, and carrots in the frypan until just tender (about 5-7 minutes) and then layer onto the burger and onions.
- Layer the sliced mushrooms onto the previous layer (celery, parsnips, carrots).
- Using the red wine, deglaze the skillet (use the red wine and a spatula to remove the bits of “things” stuck to the bottom of the skillet). Pour in the water and the contents of the gravy packet to make a gravy over low heat. Stir occasionally as it thickens.
- Layer the top of the casserole with the sliced potatoes. Pour the gravy evenly over the potatoes then season to taste with black pepper and old bay seasoning.
- Cover with a lid and bake at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes.
Top layer of sliced potatoes with the gravy poured over and then lightly seasoned.
my search with that “all knowing, all seeing powerful Oz” known as the internet. But my search for “Stonaflesch” turned up nothing. In fact I ended up with suggestions for “did you mean stone flesh?” So, I broadened my search to word combinations including: “Layered”, “Casseroles”, “Burger” with some limited success and even tossed in the word “Amish” as that came up on a few “Layered Casserole”
searches.
However, I think what really raised my ire was found in the few results that did come up. A few cooking bloggers each had different names for their “Layered Casserole”, BUT! And this is a BIG BUT because it has to do with integrity, the ingredients and measures were nearly identical from one to another and the “Stonaflesch” recipe. Some adding or altering an ingredient or measurement in a pale attempt to hide their copycat recipe. Otherwise they were nearly identical word for word. Now, I don’t know about you but where I come from, to not make significant changes to information or an idea, or not cite the source, well I may be going out on a limb here, but that used to be called plagiarism. And that is why I try to provide source material when possible. Am I suggesting that authors and bloggers are doing something nefarious? No. But I do find it hard to believe that measurements and instructions would be
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his splendid breeding plumage. It had been a while since I had seen a wood duck, so that was the highlight of my visit to the reservoir.
Since I had gone that far already and still had time to spare, I figured I’d keep going and pay a visit to Long Island Sound. It wasn’t terribly far and, even though it’s almost always cold and windy in the winter, I knew a lot of ducks and other fowl would be there.
I arrived at the Connecticut state park, and Long Island Sound did not disappoint. I immediately spotted a huge raft of greater scaup and a few small groups of common goldeneye. The odd common loon popped up here and there as well. Common loons are a blend of dull whites and grays in their winter plumage, unlike their iconic black-and-white spotted summer plumage. Canada geese were there in large numbers, of course, but a massive flock of brant flew past as well. There were also smaller groups of brant hugging the shoreline.
The highlight for me was the long-tailed ducks. Formerly called
oldsquaw, long-tailed ducks are another species that look completely different in the winter than in the summer. Not that I’ve ever seen a long-tailed duck in the summer, as they breed well north of New England, but I’ve seen pictures. The male’s winter plumage is a mix of bright white, black and different shades of brown. The bill is dark with a pink patch in the middle. The female’s plumage is more modest with white and brown.
Many of the longtailed ducks were relatively close to the shore, offering decent photo opportunities. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a great day for photos as it was very gray. Of course, gray can be good for photography as it eliminates harsh shadows, but this was a dull, dark, color-robbing gray. I did my best with the long-tailed ducks nonetheless.
The inland part of the park was good too, with Savannah sparrows, a northern harrier, fox sparrows and a large group of American tree sparrows.
The next day, I was right back at my patch enjoying a walk in the woods. I guess I needed
a little change of pace, if only for one day.
The Atlantic coast is not terribly far for a day trip, and Long Island Sound is not that much farther. If the sea is calling your name and you have the time, pack up and go. Let me know what you see.
GILPATRIC METAL RECYCLING
BOSAK from 1
Long-tailed ducks swim in Long Island Sound earlier this winter.
STOSSEL from 7
became famous for her philosophy of objectivism, which is a nice way of saying, being a selfish a--hole.”
“Being selfish is not the same as being an a-hole,” responds Brook. It’s just following “your rational, long term, self-interest. ... Her philosophy is smeared because it goes against 2,000 years of philosophy that tells us that the purpose of life and morality is to suffer and sacrifice.”
I wish politicians understood that entrepreneurial greed is why we have iPhones, refrigerators, cars that usually work, supermarkets that stay open all night, and many of the things that make our lives better.
Governments sometimes try to build things, but they rou -
tinely fail. California promised high-speed commuter rail service. Seventeen years, and billions of tax dollars later, no trains.
But in just three years, a “selfish” private company, Brightline, built a train line the carries commuters and tourists from Miami to Orlando. At no cost to taxpayers.
The private sector routinely builds things that, over time, get better and cheaper. The price of TVs has fallen 97% since 1998.
Why would capitalists, greedy people looking to make more money, lower prices?
Because they have to. Unlike government, capitalists have competitors. Those selfish people want our business, too.
Pursuit of profit even fought racial discrimina-
tion
When some Southern states’ Jim Crow laws imposed segregation, some greedy companies resisted the rules. One bus company even sued to end Jim Crow.
Economist Thomas Sowell noted, “Only whites could vote, but whites and blacks could both supply money.”
“There’s enormous profit-motive,” Brook points out, “In you being the one that allows everybody into your restaurant. ... In a true marketplace, discrimination can exist, but it doesn’t exist for long.”
Ayn Rand said that selfishness even makes us love our families.
“Imagine,” says Brook, “going to the woman you’re going to marry and saying, ‘I’m not doing this for me. This is a massive sacrifice.’ She would
slap you in the face, as she should. I love my wife for self-interested reasons.”
Corporate greed, regulated by competition, is the main reason world poverty has dropped. For thousands of years, most people tried to survive on the equivalent of less than $2 a day.
Fifty years ago, thanks to capitalism, just 35% did. Now it’s just 9%.
Some rich people got absurdly rich. So what?
The poor got richer, too.
Quietly, capitalism, harnessing individuals’ greed, makes the world a better place.
Every Tuesday at JohnStossel.com, Stossel posts a new video about the battle between government and freedom.
legal immigration and threats to free speech. Immediate diplomatic fallout followed.
Nonetheless the statements by the President, Vice President and Defense Secretary are setting out the negotiating parameters not specific policy goals and certainly not outcomes. These are rhetorical probes not political solutions.
Still can serious negotiations with Russia begin without joint Ukrainian/European Union negotiations? Ukraine has been suffering and bleeding throughout the conflict and Russia’s earlier territorial dismemberment since the 2014 seizure of Crimea.
The Kyiv government boldly stated that it deserves to partake in the diplomatic discussions.
Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy
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Yatsenyuk has told Germany’s DW that “there is no chance to have a fair and just deal over Ukraine’s future without Ukraine,” he said on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference adding, “Well, look, how can you guys negotiate the future of Ukraine without Ukrainians?” Point well taken.
U.S. officials have held intense meetings with their Ukrainian counterparts in Munich as yet another step in moving the ball closer towards negotiations.
Again keep in mind these are preliminary discussions which may or may not lead to further talks and only then move to serious peace treaty negotiations.
While the whirlwind blows through the halls of European Foreign Ministries and the media, communist China is carefully placing itself into the equation. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also speaking in Munich, presented a more accommodating and reconciliatory tone to address Europeans. He said that China sees Europe as a partner, not a rival, and offered to play a “constructive role” in the UkraineRussia peace talks. But keep in mind Beijing is a close Russian ally. In the wider Ukraine context, will U.S. diplomatic decisiveness outlast EU political muddle?
As Winston Churchill stated in another similar age, “There is only one thing worse than fighting with allies, and that is fighting without them.”
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John J. Metzler is a United Nations correspondent covering diplomatic and defense issues. He is the author of Divided Dynamism The Diplomacy of Separated Nations; Germany, Korea, China.
nearly word for word identical with only recipe titles changed. Perhaps I am old school, raised in a different time? Perhaps some would say I am being a bit too critical? Others may say I am being too honest? (And there are even those who would say that once again I am straying far off topic.) The only thing I can tell you for sure is that the old adage is true, “When in doubt, err on the side of caution”, and caution in this case is giving citation, being honest, and maintaining one’s integrity. While the original recipe is a simple, easy, frugal, tasty, concept, I confess that I could not leave it alone. I just had to play with it and make it my own. Rather than raw burger, I
started out with browning the ground beef and lining the bottom of a small casserole dish. Then I caramelized diced onions in some of the beef fat. Following this layer I piled in celery, sliced mushrooms, and thinly sliced parsnips to give this casserole more body, then layered in sliced carrots, and finally topped it with thin sliced potatoes. While layering the veggies into the dish I was also deglazing the skillet with a little red wine, and added a gravy packet and water to create a delicious gravy. Bringing this to a simmer to thicken, I then poured it over the potatoes and finished it with a light sprinkle of seasonings over the top of the casserole. Put the cover on the dish and bake it in the oven for about
45 minutes and the results were a delicious casserole reminiscent of pot roast. The entire process takes just over an hour.
Can you use stew beef or similar rather than burger? Yes. The key is making sure the beef “chunks” are small enough to cook tender within the time allowed and this is the primary reason why ground beef and thinly sliced vegetables are used. I am really looking forward to trying this recipe with small beef stew pieces seasoned with flour, salt and pepper then seared in a skillet before placing into the casserole dish, but that’s another Simple Feast.
Enjoy!
was getting ready. By taking most of my gear out I was costing myself time and essentially anchoring myself to an area in order to avoid having to put everything away. News flash Tim, you have to put it away at some point. Today, when I arrive at a fishing spot, I put anything I’m not actually using at that moment back where it belongs. If a school if fish moves on and I want to go with it, or they never appear in the first place and I need to quickly change locations, I can do so much easier and faster if the majority of my gear is put away. There are many ways to make yourself more productive. Having a system is by no means the end-all key to suc-
cess, but it makes a great foundation to build other skills off. Have fun creating your own system based on tips from others and steps you create yourself. Then put your stamp on it and own it. Having an effective system makes ice fishing more productive and easier, and therefore more fun, with the latter being the most important.
Tim Moore is a full-time licensed professional fishing guide on Lake Winnipesaukee. He owns and operates Tim Moore Outdoors, LLC. He is a member of the New England Outdoors Writers Association, and the producer of TMO Fishing on YouTube and the Hooked with TMO Fishing Podcast. Visit www.TimMooreOutdoors.com for more information or email info@TimMooreOutdoors. com with questions or comments.
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PUZZLE CLUE: TYKES IN THE SADDLE
MAGIC
THEME THIS WEEK: ---NUTS
Answers on Page 21
The Winklman Aeffect by John Whitlock
