01/16/2025 Weirs Times by The Weirs Publishing Company

Cherry CheeseCake Pie & some CheeseCake history

by Eric N Gibson

Simple Feast Columnist

We may never know who it was exactly that decided to combine cream cheese with sugar, eggs, extract, and a host of other ingredients, pour it into a sweet crumb

crust, bake it, cool it, and then top it off with a fruit of choice, but I am glad they did!

Cheesecake has got to be one of my most favorite of my favorite desserts. While grammatically flawed, those who share my enthusiasm for dessert (and cheesecake) will

completely understand and agree with that statement. And, while I am not too fussy as to the flavor profile of the cheesecake I, like many others, do have my preferences, Cherry Cheesecake topping the list.

At this point some out there

reading this are asking themselves, “Didn’t he already write about cheesecake?” and that answer is “Yes!”. But since when has writing about something, especially something with such a wide acceptability, ever been a

Monthly Community Dinner In Meredith

The Meredith Altrusa Club is offering their next free Community Dinner at the Meredith Community Center on Wednesday, January 22. Dinner is served at 5:30 p.m. and guests may start to come in at 5 p.m.

On the menu are meatloaf, baked potato, french green beans, salad, rolls, applesauce cake.

The meal is free, although donations are gratefully accepted and will be used to help fund future monthly dinners.

If Inter-Lakes School District has a morning delay, dinner will be served as scheduled.

If school is canceled or is dismissed early due to inclement weather, the dinner will be canceled.

A cancellation will also be listed on WMUR.

Questions on the dinner can be emailed to: altrusadinner@gmail. com

We Need NATO

To The Editor:

President Trump casually and unintentionally threatened the security of the world, including the United States, when he talked about NATO countries not meeting the guideline of 2% of GDP for defense.

On February 12,2024 a leader of a NATO country said to Trump “Well sir, if we don’t pay, and we’re attacked by Russia - will you protect us?” Trump said: “You didn’t pay? You’re delinquent? No, I would not protect you. In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want. You gotta pay.”

Although this remark is probably a negotiating ploy by President Trump it might encourage Russia to continue the war in Ukraine, and if it defeats Ukraine, continue on and attack NATO countries. We should continue to provide military equipment and supplies to Ukraine.

The United States is a member of NATO, and by a treaty strengthened by Congress, required to come to the aid of any NATO country attacked by Russia. This would precipitate WWIII.

We need all of our leaders to understand the geopolitical status of the world. President Trump should stick with his sound policies, which are essentially quite good, and refrain from making provocative statements about international matters.

Donald Moskowitz Londonderry

NH.

Open Letter To Moultonborough Residents

Tired of home assessment and property tax increases. I think we all are. It started during Covid when home prices took off and so did the Town spending. Prior to 2020 the Town spending was about $24m per year and our taxes were stable for about a decade. Last year (2024/2025) the spending was $34M - about a 30% increase very similar to our tax increases. The Town Selectmen over the past five years decided to authorize yearly property reassessments, which was a process that compared yearly property sale prices to current assessed values and then applied that difference to all town properties. So only a few sales affected everyone’s assessments and has resulted in almost doubling them in just 4 years and increasing the overall town’s value from $3.6B to over $6B! The State’s requirement for assessments is that they be done at least every 5 years. The overall town value is used to calculate the Town’s yearly obligation to State and County warrants.

The school district the town’s largest obligation in the overall budget has grown from about $14M in 2020 to over $18 M in the current budget. The average cost per student in NH is about $18K per student and our cost is about $33K, with our students scoring about average on standardized testing. The 2024 $8M Gross Budget Warrant for energy efficient facility upgrades

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

mainly to the central school, that was approved in May, required funding be provided thru the sale of Bonds. These Bonds were executed last Summer and carry a total obligation to the taxpayer of $10.3M, when you include the interest, over the fifteen-year repayment period. The school has decided to Sole Source this work to a Management Company using a Lump-Sum Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) type contract, which means the Board doesn’t review any of the subcontractor bids and does not require the contractor to share any of its cost data. Basically, let me know when your done and any under runs you keep. Not bad if you’re the contractor and not good if you’re the bill payer.

The Town and School Board are currently developing their 2025/2026 budgets, and each will hold meetings in January and February, that are open to the public, to review and then approve the budgets that will be voted on at the Town meeting in March. All indications are there will be more increases.

If you don’t like the current spending trends you need to get active in the budget process. First: attend the town selectmen meetings on the draft and final budget and vote no on any increases. You can email the Selectman at cterenzini@ moultonboroughnh.com and state your desire that there are no increases in next year’s budget and that the yearly home reassessments stop until required by law. Second: Attend See MAILBOAT on 20

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.

BIRDS For The

New England’s Wild Birds & Their Habitats

the Bird of Winter

by Chris Bosak Contributing Writer

The American robin has secured a spot as the frontrunner for the Bird of the Winter.

I usually announce my Bird of the Winter much later than the second week of January, but I could tell already that the robin is likely to be the winner. The Bird of the Winter recognition, of course, is a very unofficial designation made by yours truly. It goes to the bird, as the name suggests, that is seen in surprisingly high numbers throughout the winter.

Past winters have included snowy owl, barred owl, dark-eyed junco, and eastern bluebird. This year the robin is running away with it. It started on Christmas Day when I looked out of a window into the side yard and noticed a lot of activity in an eastern cedar tree. The activity, as you probably have guessed, was robins going in and out of the branches, gobbling up the berries in the tree. The robins came and went for hours upon end, and, all told, there had to be over 100 of them.

I took a video with my iPhone and posted the action on my website, birdsofnewengland.com. Because there were so many birds and it was an evergreen tree, it reminded me of a Christmas tree with live ornaments. I know that

The American robin has secured a spot as the frontrunner for the Bird of the Winter.

sounds a little corny, but imagine an evergreen tree covered in robins eating berries.

The next robin experience came a week or so later on my usual morning walk at a nearby park. I had the place to myself as it was about 13 degrees with a moderate wind making it seem even colder. I figured if the birds can handle the New England chill, then so could I.

I reached the same trail where I had previously seen an eastern coyote, and, at first, there was nothing to be seen or heard. A few hundred yards later, the bushes were bustling on both sides of me. There were what seemed like hundreds of birds eating border privet berries,

and the bushes were actually shaking from the activity.

The vast majority of the birds were robins with a few cedar waxwings mixed in here and there.

The bushes shook continuously for a stretch of at least 30 yards on either side. Then, suddenly, there was nothing again.

Later in the walk, I did come across a tree

with a few robins in it but nothing like the wave of activity I had witnessed previously. Typically, I take a different route back to the car to explore some different habitats, but I returned the same way to see if the robins were still around. They were not, and in fact, there was pretty much nothing to see along the entirety of the trail.

See BOSAK on 16

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Monique Burrell, 60

LACONIA - Monique Leighton Burrell, 60, passed away Tuesday, December 17, 2024 at Concord HospitalConcord.

She was born March 24, 1964, in Concord, Massachusetts to William L. Burrell and Tomiki (Cheek) Culbert. She was raised in New Ipswich, NH before relocating to Old Town, Maine where she graduated High School before returning to the Lakes Region of NH. Monique has resided for the past 10 years in Sanbornton with the Spooner family. Her favorite past time was international travel.

Family members include her eldest sister S. Adrienne Strickler, three brothers Marc Morgan Burrell, William L Burrell, Jr., Jason Culbert and two other sisters, Katherine Burrell, and Virginia Burrell.

At this time, there are no services scheduled.

Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home & Cremation Services/ 603Cremations.com, 164 Pleasant Street, Laconia, NH is assisting the family with the arrangements. For more information and to view an online memorial go to wilkinsonbeane.com

by Brendan Smith Weirs Times Editor

OOL

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Weather rePort

There hasn’t been much snow yet this winter, but we are reprinting this coulmn for 2013 as a reminder as not be too complacent (whatever that means.)

Every winter brings some new recruits into F.A.T.S.O. (Flatlanders Adjusting To Solitary Oblivion) a winter support group I started to help new transplants to New Hampshire survive their first winters here.

2012 was a pretty snowless winter and many of these new transplants were lulled into a false sense of security. I knew that sooner or later a really bad winter would catch them unprepared, so I have done what I can to help them get ready for the inevitable.

As anyone who has lived here for a significant amount of time knows, the worst part of a snowstorm is the buildup; the fear factor that is realized by watching the local television news long before the storm arrives.

Along with my friend, Vinnie, we have produced a mock production of a typical local newscast they will see when the threat of a snowstorm is upon us. Our hope is that if we desensitize new F.A.T.S.O members a little to the fake panic the TV stations like to promote before a storm, it might help ease their fears when they see the real thing.

Though you can’t see the video here, I have supplied the script.

Weatherman: (Salivating) We are watching this storm closely as it has the potential to maybe pack a significant punch here in the Granite State. How much will we get and when will it start? We will make you wait until a little later in the broadcast so you keep watching.

Anchorman: Alright Ted, we’ll

hear from you a little later in the broadcast? Just how bad might this storm be? We will find out soon. For now, before we tell you any of that, let’s begin our exclusive storm coverage with our reporters in the field.

Reporter: I’m standing in front of the Public Works Department in Hooksett where, as you can see behind me, many of the plow trucks, though now sitting idly, might soon be busy cleaning up New Hampshire roadways. The question is just how prepared are the crews for this impending, possibly monstrous storm?

(Cut to extreme close-up of Public Works official’s head.)

PW Official: We are tracking the storm very carefully and we expect to be very busy if there is a storm.

(Show old file video of plow trucks engulfed in blizzard like conditions from a freak snowstorm in the Midwest many years ago.)

Reporter: (Concerned look and voice): So it appears the crews are ready for this possible storm. Let’s just hope that they are. Now back to the studio.

Anchorman: Thank you for that terrifying report. Now we go to our reporter in Dover.

Reporter: I’m standing here in front of the Dover Public Works building. Behind me you can see mountains of salt and sand that are ready to be used on the roads if we do get a snowstorm. But is even this enough to meet the possible strength of this coming storm?

(Cut to extreme close-up of Public Works official’s head.)

PW Official: We think we have plenty of sand and salt ready and we will be out on the roads if and when a storm hits.

Reporter: So, it appears that the crews are ready for the storm. All we can do at this point is to wait and see. That is all we can do.

Anchorman: Unnerving! It seems as if the road crews are ready, but are you? We go to our

reporter in Tilton.

Reporter: People have been flocking to the stores all day and are buying up snow shovels, batteries, flashlights and food ahead of the storm.

(Cut to file footage of shoppers at Macy’s in New York seconds after the doors open for their Black Friday sale.)

Reporter: The local supermarkets are also seeing a lot of business as shoppers are stocking up on water and other life-saving essentials basically cleaning off the shelves. Is there going to be enough to meet the demand? We don’t know. We just don’t know.

Anchorman: (To co-anchor) I have plenty of food stocked up. How about you?

Co-Anchor: Let’s just hope everyone does.

(Moment of silence.)

Anchorman: Now for the latest on the storm itself, let’s go to Ted at the Weather Central desk.

Weatherman: We’ve been tracking this storm all day folks and there are a lot of different models to look at. As far as we can tell, the front will be approaching sometime late this evening into early morning and it may or may not make for a messy morning commute. So, driving could be rough and dangerous, or not. At this point, the best we can tell you is we should be seeing anywhere from a dusting, if it stays offshore, to twenty-four inches if it moves a little closer. Some areas will receive more or less, depending on where you live. We will know more a few minutes before the storm actually gets here. Even though the exact path and amounts are still uncertain there is one thing we know for certain. We will get something….or not.

Anchorman: Frightening!! Keep it right here for the latest on what may or may not be anything. Good night.

Really Only Did It For The SocksStories & Thoughts On Aging”

Order your autographed copy today for $16.99 plus $3 shipping. (Please include any inscription you would like.) Make out checks or money orders for $19.99 to Brendan Smith and mail to: Socks Book c/o Weirs Times, PO Box 5458, Weirs, NH 03247 Or order online at BrendanTSmith.com (Autographed copies also avail. at the Weirs Times)

Really Only Did It For The SocksStories & Thoughts On Aging” Order your autographed copy today for $16.99 plus $3 shipping. (Please include any inscription you would like.) Make out checks or money orders for $19.99 to Brendan Smith and mail to: Socks Book c/o Weirs Times, PO Box 5458, Weirs, NH 03247 Or order online at BrendanTSmith.com (Autographed copies also avail. at the Weirs Times)

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

Newest Release By Brendan Smith

*Flatlander’s Observations On Life

With over 40 of the best of Brendan’s weekly columns he covers everything from politics to health to technology to shopping and more. This is the perfect sampling of his unique humor which has been entertaining readers of The Weirs Times and Cocheco Times for twenty years.

Order your autographed copy today for $13.99 plus $3 for shipping. (Also available on Amazon andlocal bookstores

Send checks or money orders for $16.99 to Brendan Smith and mail to: Best of a F.O.O.L., c/o The Weirs Times, PO Box 5458, Weirs, NH 03247. Order online at www.BrendanTSmith.com

Newest Release By Brendan Smith “The Best of a F.O.O.L.* In New Hampshire”

*Flatlander’s Observations On Life

Order your autographed copy today for $13.99 plus $3 for shipping. (Please include any inscription you would like the author to personalize your copy with.)

Send checks or money orders for $16.99 to Brendan Smith and mail to: Best of a F.O.O.L., c/o The Weirs Times, PO Box 5458, Weirs, NH 03247. Order online at www.BrendanTSmith.com (Pickup autographed copies at the Weirs Times)

QUESTION Is D.E.I. Dying?

As I wrote in a previous letter about the entire woke agenda, its only in remission. Many Corporations, Colleges and Universities are eliminating D.E.I practices, simply because they don’t “work.” Sadly, these educational facilities are designed to equip people to “work” well in their fields of study and the Corporations are where you desperately need good “work” to be accomplished. Yet, D.E.I is actually inhibiting this goal. Your recent election spoke clearly that the woke philosophy of the day was causing so much damage and decay, that you needed to retreat to sanity. This retreat was to beliefs and practices that are in line with my design and will, that always bring health, prosperity and success. Quite simply, every woke practice, in general, and D.E.I., in particular, are anti-success, health and prosperity.

In answer to your question, however, nearly half your country did not repudiate the beliefs and practices of the woke agenda. This reveals that the agenda of D.E.I. and other woke ideas are not dead but continuing to grow, like cancer, under the surface of your American culture.

In case you haven’t noticed, this movement coincides with your national defection from me,

God. With this defection you have rejected my design for “LIFE.” As I said through my servant Paul, who wrote in my book, the Bible, for those who reject me and my wisdom, “their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.” (Romans 1:21). As a result, “Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools.” (Romans 1:22).

When your minds and hearts become darkened you can’t see my design. In this condition you construct your own design that will inevitably contravene my design. As I have said over and over, you can’t violate the design of the designer and expect to enjoy the delight of the design. You will always experience, pain, failure and death instead.

As your creator God, I designed you to be led by godly and gifted leaders whose skills enable them to fulfill their job description so that those they serve will flourish as a result of their expert leadership. When I first asked Moses to raise up leaders to join him in the daunting task of managing nearly 3 million Jews traveling through the desert from Egypt to their Promised Land, I instructed him to “chose capable men from all Israel.” (Exodus 18:25). These leaders were already proven to be capable to lead. “Bring me seventy of Israel’s elders who are known to you as leaders and officials among the people.” (Numbers 11:16). I extended this requirement even to laborers who constructed the Tabernacle in which I manifested my presence to Israel, while they

traveled to the Promised Land but also in the building of the Temple, once they arrived in Jerusalem. I commissioned this work to two men as leaders and a host of workers following their skilled leadership.

Qualifications included, “every skilled person to whom the LORD has given skill and ability to know how to carry out all the work of constructing the sanctuary are to do the work just as the LORD has commanded.” (Exodus 36:1).

Later, in the New Covenant time of the Apostles, I even expected the same qualification from those who served food at the tables of 3,000 new believers who became sons and daughters because they asked my son, Jesus the Messiah, to forgive their sins. The spiritual leaders asked the people, “Brothers choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them. My design never included woke, D.E.I. free for all, even if you are not qualified. To reject my design because you reject me, will always prove disastrous.

I would urge you to look at the motives of beliefs and practices, especially those that contradict my will and design. Motives are the underlying reasons for actions. They are usually hidden. Bad motives can make what appears to be good actions, bad practices! Consider the so-called “good” action to open any job to anyone in the name of equality and equity. Sounds good but what is the hidden motive of this policy? If

you look closely you will see first of all that it is to change culture to accommodate the beliefs of the newly ascended elite. They need to replace me and my wisdom with theirs so that they can win over as many of the citizenry as possible. Secondarily, this will assure the continuation of their reign. Give anyone any job they want, regardless of their ability or skills, so that they will embrace the new regime and become lasting sycophants to the cause. Their acquisition of power can then be cemented, as the new job holders become beholden to those who bestowed the jobs. What sounds noble is in fact disastrous to the Country and the people who will inevitably suffer under inadequate and dangerous leadership.

Around “950 BC” Israel split as a nation into a Northern Kingdom of 10 tribes and a Southern Kingdom of 2 tribes. The Southern 2 tribes remained in Jerusalem where I manifested my presence to Israel in the Temple that I commanded to be built. The leader of the Northern Kingdom, Jeroboam, had to establish his power base. In order to effectively and permanently draw his citizenry away from me, the Temple and my blessing on the remnant left in Jerusalem, Jeroboam employed D.E.I. He built his own temple, which I never ordained. He then appointed priests to serve in “his” temple, which I never sanctioned and who never had the qualifications I commanded for this job. For over 200 years they “played See LETTERS on 20

the age of CensorshiP is ending Jimmy Carter & the Unraveling of ameriCan CUltUre

by Ben Shapiro Syndicated Columnist

This week, in a stunning volteface, Mark Zuckerberg announced that Facebook would now be revising its censorship policies to accord with his older vision of free speech. Specifically, Zuckerberg committed Facebook to revising a series of standards: reliance on leftwing fact-checkers will end, replaced by an X-like community notes system in which fact-checking will be crowdsourced; political content will no longer be artificially muted; censorship will be ended around controversial issues like transgender ideology and

Colleges went mad.

They charge students big bucks and then make them feel guilty.

My new video looks at a new documentary called “The Coddling of the American Mind.” It persuasively suggests that today, young people are anxious and depressed because “adults” at their schools brainwashed them.

Students like Lucy Kross Wallace at Stanford.

“I was anxious,” she says. “I felt guilty constantly. I couldn’t stop thinking about the white privilege thing.”

immigration; the content moderation team will be shifted from California to Texas to better account for the varying views of Americans; and Facebook will work with the Trump administration to push American-style free speech standards around the world.

This is all happening for one reason: the reelection of Donald Trump.

While Democrats claimed for years that Trump represented tyranny, the truth is that it was the Democratic Party and its media apparatchiks that routinely used the tools of power to silence their opposition in authoritarian ways. The cudgeling of Facebook represents a perfect example of such quiet authoritarianism.

Before the 2016 election, Facebook was considered a darling of the

An essay appeared recently in The Wall Street Journal under the headline “What Happens When a Whole Generation Never Grows Up?” Behavior that has always been understood to define what it means to be an adult is disappearing among America’s younger generations.

Institutions always seen as the sinews that define and hold together a society -- homeownership, marriage, children -- no longer can be taken for granted.

Per the essay, median age for firsttime homebuyers is at an all-time high: 38. In 1981, it was 29.

viCtimhood U

Kimi Katiti attended The Art Institute of California and now says, “I feel like I lost my life for six years. I was full of self-confidence when I was 18. But in college, that disintegrated.”

Kimi, who is Black, was taught that she is a victim of “microaggressions” from white people who say things like, “You’re so articulate,” or, “Can I touch your hair?”

“I began to see myself through the lens of Black and a woman,” says Kimi. “If I see someone with their dog, for example, and the dog’s barking, I could interpret that as a racist microaggression.”

This new perspective began shaping every part of her life.

“To compete and get the best grades,” she says, “I showed how much of a victim I was in order to

impress my professors.”

She didn’t think that was right, but she didn’t push back.

“I thought, I’m paying a lot, so (they must be) teaching me golden rules for life.”

She learned that it was important to censor speech by conservatives. Kimi joined a Twitter mob demanding that Twitter block Ben Shapiro’s posts.

“I would sit down, all the way through the night” looking for tweets to report. When Twitter didn’t block Shapiro, she’d “try again, try again.”

Around half of Americans between 30 and 40 are married, compared to two-thirds in 1990.

Fertility rates -- the average number of children that each woman of childbearing age can be expected to bring forth -- is at a level that guarantees an aging, shrinking society.

A fertility rate of an average of 2.1 children per woman will keep a population at steady state. Below this, the population shrinks.

The fertility rate stood at 1.62 in 2023. It only reached 2.1 once since 1971 -- in 2007.

Per the Pew Research Center, as noted in the essay, “The share of childless adults under 50 who say they are unlikely to ever have kids” rose from 37% in 2018 to 47% in

See PARKER on 14

At Stanford, Lucy was taught that Shapiro’s ideas put “Black, brown, trans, queer and Muslim students at risk.”

“My first thought was like, ‘This is extreme, ridiculous,’” but then she thought, “’You’re privileged, you’re

See STOSSEL on 20

See SHAPIRO on 21

by Star Parker Syndicated Columnist

John Stossel Syndicated Columnist

Castle in the CloUds designated as national historiC landmark

MOULTONBOROUGH —In

December, the Lucknow Estate (Castle in the Clouds), a New Hampshire Heritage Museum Trail member, was designated a National Historic Landmark by the U.S. Department of the Interior. This designation is the highest level of Federal recognition for a historic site.

“Having the Lucknow Estate recognized for its exceptional integrity and significance

in both architecture and landscape architecture is a testament to the importance of preserving our nation’s history,” said Castle in the Clouds Executive Director Charles Clark.

“It is particularly gratifying that our work to preserve, interpret, and share this special place has been recognized.”

Built between 1913 and 1914, the estate initially sat on 6,300 acres and was a retirement retreat for shoe

Laconia Adult Education Winter 2025 - Enrichment Class Schedule

manufacturer Thomas Gustave Plant and his wife, Olive Plant. The recent National Historic Landmark designation includes over 5,300 acres protected by partner organizations Castle Preservation Society and the Lakes Region Conservation Trust, making the Lucknow Estate the largest geographical Historic Landmark District in the state.

According to Clark, the road to designation was “an intense process with multiple steps.” The Lucknow Estate is now one of roughly 2,600 National Historic Landmarks in the country and one of 24 in New Hampshire.

“We hope that this designation encourages even more people to visit the Estate and see first-hand the beauty and integrity that make it one of the most special places in the country,” added Clark. “The Castle Preservation Society will continue to strive for the highest level of historic preservation, just as we have since taking over the restoration and operation of the property in 2006.”

To learn more about the Lucknow Estate and its history, visit castleintheclouds.org. In addition to Castle in the Clouds in Moultonborough, member institutions on The Trail are located in New Hampshire’s Lakes Region, Merrimack Valley, and Seacoast. To learn more about The Trail, visit nhmuseumtrail. org.

Laconia Adult Education Winter 2025

Not So LoNg Ago ...

Exploring ThE lEgEnd & lorE of our graniTE STaTE

sCraPBook materialdenman thomPson

by Robert Hanaford Smith, Sr. Contributing Writer

Someone was enough of a theater fan and probably acquainted with a fictional character named Josh Whitcomb to include among their scrapbook of newspaper clippings an account of the death in April of 1911 of Denman Thompson. Mr. Thompson became known as the playwright and actor who wrote The Old Homestead and was an actor in productions of that play, which reportedly brought him fame and fortune. It was that scrapbook item from 1911 that caught my attention and has resulted in this article and maybe the introduction of Mr. Thompson to many who are reading this article. Or possibly some have read New Hampshire state highway marker number 22 near Route 32 in Swanzey, or maybe have been one of the millions who, down through the passing years, have attended a

production of Thompson’s The Old Homestead.

Denman Thompson’s parents were Captain Rufus Thompson, a carpenter from West Swanzey, New Hampsire, and his wife, Anne Hathaway Baxter. The Thompsons were from a family of original settlers in West Swanzey, but in 1831 Rufus and Anne moved to Girard, Pennsylvania, a town near Erie in that state. It was there that Henry Denman Thompson was born on October 15, 1833, and, according to the obituary saved in the scrapbook, lived for fourteen years in a log cabin.

The Thompson family moved back to Swanzey in the year 1847 and Denman, as a teenager, went to work as a bookkeeper in Lowell, Massachusetts. His interest, though, was in the theater, and he pursued a career in acting which took him to Boston, and eventually to places out of the country, though he would return to his New Hampshire home. He is said to have joined Tyson’s Circus as a property boy and an acrobat before starting his acting career in 1850 at the Hotel Athenaum in Boston, with a non-speaking role in Macbeth. Thompson

would have his first speaking role in the 1852 military play, The French Spy , in Lowell, Mass. It is stated that his personality and preferences related to it made Thompson “unsuited for serious drama.” He went to Toronto in 1854 for training at the Royal Lyceum Theatre, and the year 1862 found him in England where he was acting in the City of London Theatre as a comedian. It seems that he returned to Toronto for awhile before coming home to the U.S.A. in 1868.

The preface of an 1889 edition of Denman Thompson’s book, The Old Homestead, says that fourteen years previous to that time the actor was sick in bed in Pittsburgh with rheumatism. “He had no money-he had been too generous,” the preface said, too sympathetic to others, “to be able to accumulate any- and, what was worse, the disease he was suffering from threatened to incapacitate him for any future work in his profession.”

The preface of his book went on to explain that in his sickness his thoughts took him back to the scenes of his boyhood in New Hampshire where he had seen so many hap-

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Denman Thompson.

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Happy New Year! & Healthy & Healthy

8 Ways to live healthier in 2025

(Family Features) The last decade has seen a surge in cardiovascular risk factors such as uncontrolled high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity, each of which raises the risks of developing heart disease and stroke. These trends are leading researchers to conclude that the prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) will continue to rise.

More than 60% of U.S. adults will have some type of CVD by 2050, according to forecasted projections from the American Heart Association, which is celebrating 100 years of lifesaving service as the world’s leading nonprofit organization focused on heart and brain health for all. Additionally, total costs related to CVD are expected to nearly triple in that time to more than $1.8 trillion.

The increase will be driven by an older, more diverse population, but these risk factors are rising even among children and adults.

“We recognize the landscape of cardio vascular health will change over the next three decades because of the coming tsunami of rising health care costs, an older popula tion living longer and increasing numbers of people from under-re sourced populations,” said American Heart Association volunteer Karen E. Joynt Mad dox, M.D., M.P.H., FAHA. “Yet these are still leading causes of death and disability in

the U.S.”

While continued systematic changes are needed in science, policy and health care, the majority of CVD is preventable at an individual level. You can help turn the tide on the dire outlook of CVD while improving your own health by following and encouraging others to follow the American Heart Association’s “Life’s Essential 8.”

Eat Better. Aim for an overall healthy eating pattern including

whole foods, fruits and vegetables, lean protein, nuts, seeds and cooking with olive and canola oils.

Be Active . Adults should get 2 1/2 hours of moderate or 75 minutes of vigorous physical activity per week. Kids should have 60 minutes every day, including play and structured activities.

Quit Tobacco. Use of inhaled nicotine delivery products, which includes traditional

cigarettes, electronic cigarettes and vaping, is the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S.

Get Healthy Sleep.

Most adults need 7-9 hours of sleep each night. Children require 10-16 hours for ages 5 and younger, including naps; 9-12 hours for ages 6-12; and 8-10 hours for ages 13-18.

Manage Weight.

Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight has many benefits. Body mass index is a useful gauge. Optimal BMI is less than 25, but less than 18.5 is considered underweight. You can calculate it online or consult a health care professional.

Control Cholesterol

High levels of non-HDL, or “bad,” cholesterol can lead to heart disease. Your health care professional can consider non-HDL cholesterol as the preferred number to monitor, rather than total cho-

WEIRS TIMES’ BEER FINDER

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by Mike Moffett Contributing Writer

Heir Apparent: “A person who is most likely to succeed to the place of another.”

Jerod Mayo was Bill Belichick’s “heir apparent” as New England Patriot head coach. And so it came to pass. But Mayo’s reign was shortlived—less than a year.

Some heirs are determined by birth. Pats owner Bob Kraft’s heir apparent is his oldest son, Jonathan. Can you say “primogeniture?”

Sometimes a coach’s heir apparent is his kid. Hall of Fame basketball Ray Meyer coached at DePaul University for 42 years. After retiring in 1984 he was replaced by his oldest son Joey. Basketball royalty, you know? Kind of like King Charles’ heir apparent is Prince William—not Prince Harry. Primogeniture. Which may explain Harry’s bad attitude about being a “spare.”

We don’t have royalty in America, although, oddly, many presidents were succeeded by relatives. Adams. Harrison. Roosevelt. Bush.

Once upon a time, our presidential runner-up became Vice President. That was changed after Vice President Aaron Burr murdered Alexander Hamilton. Can you imagine Kamala as Donald Trump’s vice?

So now let’s segue

sUCCession Plans: CoaChes and governors

Bob Kraft and Kelly Ayotte

from sports to civics and to our New Hampshire governor succession arrangements. Sometimes gubernatorial offspring also become Granite State governor, as in John/Chris Sununu or Hugh/Judd Gregg. But if (Heaven forbid) something happens to a sitting governor, who takes over?

Okay. I’ll tell you. The President of the Senate. (Currently Sharon Carson, R-Londonderry.)

And that creates a huge “Separation of Powers” problem, for those who care about such things.

How can we have the leader of a legislative branch simultaneously be leader of the executive branch? Only in New Hampshire. And it’s happened more than once, but usually for very brief periods, like when a sitting governor resigns early to become a U.S. Senator, which has occurred several times. We’ve been lucky.

But what if a governor dies in office? That happened in 1982, but Hugh Gallen had already lost his re-election bid and Senate President Vesta Roy filled out his term. John Sununu was inaugu -

rated less than a month later. They were each from different parties, incidentally.

Had (Heaven forbid) something happened to Republican Governor Chris Sununu in 2019 he’d have been replaced by Democratic Senate President Donna Soucy. Had (Heaven forbid) something happened to Democrat Governor John Lynch in 2011 he’d have been replaced by Republican Senate President Peter Bragdon.

It’s nutty and it’s extraconstitutional but it’s the N.H. way.

Other states avoid this travesty by having lieutenant governors.

There’s a N.H. remedy in the works. CACR1 is a legislative proposal to create a lieutenant governor position for N.H. Forty-three states have LtGovs and sensible succession plans—unlike N.H. But just because everyone else is doing something doesn’t mean we should. I’m with those who are justifiably wary of growing government. So CACR1 calls for a LtGov to run on a ticket with a gubernatorial candidate but be paid the same as the current designated successor—the Senate President, who makes

$125 a year. A citizenlieutenant governor in the spirit of our citizen legislators. I even offered to personally put up the $125 so that if CACR1 moves forward we would get two governors for the price of one. That would resolve the current succession fiasco and would double the person-power in the chief executive office. For free.

The Gov could make the LtGov a “Housing Czar” or whatever. The LtGov could be sent on trade missions that would benefit N.H. The Gov’s office could then respond to twice as many of the countless requests that office gets for meetings, speeches, ribbon cuttings or school visits. All for $125. Actually, for zero extra dollars, as I said I’d put up the $125.

But naysayers look askance at this proposal.

“We’ve never done that before.”

Kind of like the football coaches who scoffed at the forward pass over a century ago.

“We’ve never done that before.”

CACR1 involves a heavy lift to move forward, but supporters will give it a try.

“Heir Apparents” are important. Even Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has one—his bodyguard Alexei Dyumin.

It’s too soon to know who the next heir apparent will be to the new Patriots coach, but as a

A grand view of Mount Chocorua from near the summit of South Moat Mountain. Moat Mountain has three peaks, South, Middle and North and the ridge runs from north to south. The Moat Mountain Trail stretches between Passaconaway Road in Albany to Diana’s Bath in Bartlett; the mountain is west of North Conway. South Moat Mountain, elevation 2,772 feet and North Moat Mountain elevation 3,203 feet are on the 52 With-a-View New Hampshire hiking list.

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“Moat is always a winner!” My hiking pal Zachary texted back to me after I told him I was thinking of heading to the Moats. It was three years ago we snowshoed up North Moat. He dashed back down and I continued on bushwhacking over to Big Attitash. I was closing in on my winter New Hampshire highest 200 list. I recall he went off to do another nearby mountain too.

Like that day three years ago it was cold and windy and snow flurries were moving around in the White Mountains. As I drove to the south terminus of the Moat Mountain Mountain Trail it was snowing at the top of Crawford Notch. The forecast called for a mostly sunny day but I wasn’t believing them as the wind pushed my car around.

I was glad I knew where I was going be-

cause Google directions were crazy–it directed me to go park on the side of the Kancamagus Highway and ford the Swift River to the trailhead. The Moat Mountain Trail is easily reached on the other side of the river on Passaconaway Road but only from the east from West Side Road. Access from the Albany covered bridge is gated in the winter and the west side of Passaconaway Road is

not open in the winter. It isn’t unusual for cell phone directions to be bad in the mountains. It is smart to follow the directions in the AMC White Mountain Guide.

The good news was that the trailhead parking lot is plowed in the winter but the bad news is that it was an ice skating rink. There was one car in the lot when I arrived at 8:30 am.

Weirs Times F.O.O.L columnist, Brendan Smith’s first book with over 30 of the best of his original Flatlander Columns. From learning to Rake The Roof to Going To The Dump to Buying Firewood for the first time and everything in between, Brendan recounts the humorous tales of his learning to fit into New Hampshire life as a Flatlander from New York.

Order your autographed copy today for $13.99 plus $3 for shipping. (Please include any inscription you would like the author to personalize your copy with.) Make out checks or money orders for $16.99 to Brendan Smith and mail to: The Flatlander Chronicles, c/o The Weirs Times, PO Box 5458, Weirs, NH 03247. Order online at www.BrendanTSmith.com (Pickup autographed copies at the Weirs Times)

2023.

If all of this doesn’t offend your moral sensibilities, it should for sure offend your practical sensibilities.

Absence of births means an aging population. Median age of the U.S. was 29.5 in 1960. In 2023, it was 39.2.

The aging population is one major reason for Social Security’s fiscal problems. Retiree benefits are paid by those working and paying

payroll tax. The system breaks down when the number of retirees per worker grows.

An aging population means higher national health care costs. In 2021, the percent of the population 55 and above was 31%. But those 55 and above accounted for 56% of national health care expenditures.

If the disappearance of marriage, children, families and home ownership is a problem, is there a solution?

The Wall Street Journal essay has little to offer. To suggest this reflects that the financial pressure that our youth feel is no answer.

For the full decade of the Great Depression, from 1930 to 1940, fertility rates never dropped below the 2.1 replacement rate.

It is closer to the truth that our young people act this way because they have grown up in a culture that teaches them to act this way.

Marriage and monogamy are not natural. They are religious values that are taught. In a culture that has purged religious truth, egotism and secular humanism take its place. Why let a spouse or children impinge on your personal space?

A legacy of the now late President Jimmy Carter was the creation of two new federal Cabinet-level departments. He signed into law the Department of Energy and the Department of Education.

Apparently, Carter, who was very public about his Christian

faith, did not see a conflict in growing government and his Christian values. But as is wellknown, the Department of Education initiative was, at least in part, the result of his effort to ingratiate and get support from the nation’s largest teachers union, the National Education Association.

A short visit to the websites of the NEA and the American Federation of Teachers -- the major teachers unions -- will show that the values being advanced there are the wokeism and secular humanism that drive the collapse of marriage, family and children. It is these values that are conveyed in America’s public schools.

Step one in our battle against this social and cultural destruction is to support President-elect Donald Trump’s effort to disband the Department of Education.Step two should be a nationwide effort to change our education paradigm and create a new regime that gives parents control over where to educate and how to educate their children.

Star Parker is founder of the Center for Urban Renewal and Education. Her recent book, “What Is the CURE for America?” is available now. To find out more about Star Parker and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

PARKER from 7

sports wag once pointed out, “Every coach is an interim coach.”

Ditto for governors. And even kings.

Hang in there, Prince Harry!

Sports Quiz

What major college football coach died during the 2022 season? (Answer follows)

Born Today

That is to say, sports standouts born on January 16 include pitching great Dizzy Dean (1910) and famed race car driver A.J. Foyt (1935).

Sports Quote

“Sudden death teaches us to us to live fully, embracing each day as if it were our last, for we never know when it may be our turn to leave this world.” – Jon KabatZinn, American medical professor

Sports Quiz Answer

Mississippi State’s Mike Leach died in December of 2022. Zach Arnett later coached the team to a 19-10 victory over Illinois in the 2023 ReliaQuest Bowl,

State Representative

Mike Moffett was a Sports Management Professor for Plymouth State University and NHTI-Concord. He co-authored the awardwinning “Fahim Speaks: Between Two Worlds: A Hollywood Actor’s Journey as a U.S. Marine Translator through Afghanistan” which is available on Amazon.com. His e-mail address is mchlmoffett@yahoo.com.

lesterol, because it can be measured without fasting beforehand and is reliably calculated among all people.

Manage blood sugar. Most of the food you eat is turned into glucose (or blood sugar) your body uses as energy. Over time, high levels of blood sugar can damage your heart, kidneys, eyes and nerves.

Manage Blood Pressure. Keeping your blood pressure within acceptable ranges can keep you healthier longer. Levels less than 120/80 mm Hg are optimal. High blood pressure is defined as 130-139 mm Hg systolic pressure (the top number in a reading) or 80-89 mm Hg diastolic pressure (bottom number).

Find more ways to manage your health in the new year and beyond at heart.org

It made me think, just as the coyote sighting did a few weeks ago, that birding is very much about timing and luck. I don’t know how long the robins had been in that spot before I walked

by that morning, and I don’t know how long they stayed after I left them, but I was lucky to catch them at that location at the precise moment of their feeding frenzy.

It took at least a little

skill as well, I suppose, as an untrained eye (or a disinterested one) may not have noticed the tremendous numbers of robins on either side of the trail. Yes, the bushes were moving with the activity, but it’s not like

the robins were sitting in the middle of the trail in plain view.

Not surprisingly, I stopped to take a few photos. Photographing birds eating berries is somewhat of an obsession of mine. For years,

Electric Heat Pump will keep any room cozy in the winter, cool in the summer ... and energy-efficient year-round.

I would see photos from other nature photographers of birds eating berries, and it became a goal of mine to capture such a moment. It took seemingly forever, but I did eventually find myself at the right place at the right time to photograph a bird eating berries.

Since that initial time,

I have had several opportunities to photograph different species of birds eating many types of berries or other fruit, such as crab apples. The species include robins and cedar waxwings, of course, as well as yellow-rumped warblers, palm warblers, monk parakeets, white-throated and song sparrows, scarlet tanagers, and yellow-bellied sapsuckers.

Whether they are common birds like robins or less common birds such as scarlet tanagers, I still get a thrill photographing birds eating berries. I often see trees dripping with ripe berries or crab apples in the fall or winter and wish there were birds eating them. Trails where I discover those trees and bushes often become part of my walking routine. You just never know when luck will strike.

Yours truly on the summit ledges of Middle Moat Mountain with North Moat Mountain seen in the distance just two miles away.

trail and then I back tracked a little and went west off the trail to tag the actual highpoint of Middle Moat. I stood there looking down through the swirling dark clouds and yet it was mostly sunny right where I stood.

I retraced my steps back to South Moat, hiking towards the sun. Back in the woods the cold

wind couldn’t get at me. Again I avoided ice on the trail by bushwhacking around it. At one point I was well below the trail and above me I saw a couple with a dog walk by and they didn’t see me.

My winter backpack was heavy with extra warm clothes and mittens. I also carried micro-spikes and snowshoes. I didn’t know how much snow I might find high up on the ridge between the peaks. My boots have good soles and I decided to go bareboot since it looked like once I got on the trail I could avoid ice.

The first mile of the trail to the bridge that crosses over Dry Brook was mostly bare ground with some avoidable ice patches. Although descent down to the brook was mostly ice I didn’t feel like putting on my spikes for just a few minutes so I slowly and carefully made my way down, every step thinking why didn’t I put my spikes on?

The gradual grades turned steep and the rocky trail became a

path of dry rocks poking out of snow and ice. I rock hopped along. Here I met a bundled up fellow smartly wearing spikes coming down the trail. We exchanged greetings and chatted a moment and I learned that he was returning from Middle Moat and enjoyed some good views and sunshine. I also found out I could have left my snowshoes in the car. A few moments later I spied a speedy fellow coming up behind me. Before he passed by me he told me he lived locally and that he climbs South Moat often and he was wearing spikes. When I came to some long ice flows I decided to take the longer route and bushwhack around them. Higher up the mountain the snow was squeaky cold packed and made for a nice sidewalk.

This time of year all snow would have been so much nicer. I bushwhacked around this section of icy trail.

As I neared the open summit of South Moat the fierce wind hit me hard and made my eyes water and my nose cold. I pulled my hood extra tight. I could barely make out Mount Cranmore

Resort’s snow covered ski trails and further north it was dark and snowy looking. To the northwest it was dark and cloudy too. To the southwest and south the sun was poking through and I enjoyed

a grand view of Mount Chocorua. I was in the sun too on South Moat. I continued on the ridge towards Middle Moat. The wind and snow had nearly filled in the tracks of the earlier hiker. I couldn’t see anything past North Moat and sometimes the clouds made it hard to see.

North Moat is only two miles away. It sure was dark. I hiked quickly to the open ledges of Middle Moat. I stayed on the trail and hit the north bump near the

The hike back to the car went by fast. I stayed warm and stayed on my feet. I felt like a winner picking a hike that wasn’t in a dark cloud. Have fun.

Amy Patenaude is an avid skier/outdoor enthusiast from Henniker, N.H. Readers are welcome to send comments or suggestions to her at: amy@weirs. com

Moat Mountain Trail sign at the southern terminus off of Passaconaway Road in Albany.

PATENAUDE from 13

“one and done”? Afterall, when you research something do you only read one opinion, one view point, or reference one source? I should hope not. Likewise, do you consider only this weekly feature as your source for menu offerings? As much as I, on the one hand, would be humbled by any who answered “Yes!”, I dare say your diet will be one of serious limitations. At the very least you may want to stop by the frozen food section of the local basket for a bag of veggies and a frozen entree or two for variety. (Just sayin’.)

The history of cheesecake is rather interesting. Spanning back to the fifth century BC the Greeks are given the honor of creating the first cheesecakes. A very rudimentary form from what we know as cheesecake today, that of ancient times consisted of cheese “pounded smooth” and mixed with flour and honey. This sweet paste was then formed into “cakes” or rounds, and heated or “baked.”

Not until the late 1300’s did we see the next monumental step in cheesecake history when a cookbook produced in England (Forme of Cury) included a recipe for a cheesecake tart. The recipe called for cheese curd flavored with spices, liquor or wine, currants, and orange water. Some argue that this is the first modern rendition of cheesecake as it has some sort of pastry/crumb crust. This cheesecake remained popular through the ages and is thought to be the first form of cheesecake made here in the colonies. It is said that by 1749 Martha Washington had not one but as many as three or four recipes for

cheesecake. (Is it any wonder why George had wooden teeth?)

We can thank William Lawrence of Chester, New York for the creation of cream cheese and the birth of the modern cheesecake. (Sort of.) In 1872 Lawrence, a dairyman by profession, was trying to imitate a product called Neufchatel. For those unfamiliar, Neufchatel is an unripened soft french cheese similar to cream cheese. What Lawrence ended up with was a heavier creamier spreadable cheese.

As cream cheese became more popular and people continued to dabble in the baking arts, cheesecakes became more refined. Extracts were used instead of rose water. The use of eggs for leavening. Making crusts from crushed cookies or graham crackers. All these little improvements over time led up to the birth of the modern cheesecake circa 1930. (Approximately.)

Enter Arnold Reuben and Leo Lindermann both are credited for what has become the New York style or modern cheesecake. Sources throughout the internet claim that it was Reuben who introduced New York to the cheesecake we know today, having gained a recipe from a hostess at a party he attended. After he played with the recipe, substituting cream cheese for cheese curd and a few other recipe tweaks: a star was born. However, as they often say in business, “Location! Location! Location!”. While Reuben may have given birth to the star, many claim it was Lindermann who caused this star to go “SuperNova”. Whether Lindermann really finagled the recipe from Reuben’s baker or not

is up for debate but several sources claim Lindermann did get Reuben’s baker to come work for him at his Lindy’s Deli (located in the theater district) giving cheesecake its shot at stardom. According to the Junior’s website, Lindy’s Cheesecake got its next boost when in 1948 a widely read food writer by the name of Clementine Paddleford dished out the “secret recipe” for Lindy’s Cheesecake in an article for the LA Times. And again she published the recipe in her 1960 book How America Eats.

Lest anyone think I am snubbing Chicago style for New York style cheesecake with the historical account above, my answer to that is, sometimes there just isn’t enough room to cover it all; the differences, the similarities, and the little factoids of history that make stories interesting. Suffice it to say that there are differences and each has their pros and cons. And, quite frankly, that is what makes history (and food) so interesting.

But the recipe I share with you for this week is actually for cheesecake “pie”. That’s right, cheesecake baked in a pie plate. While the volume is smaller than a traditional cheesecake the ingredients are all familiar. It is merely the vessel in which it is cooked that is different; that vessel being a pie plate. I found a pie plate such as that made by Salmon Falls Stoneware to be ideal, as the wall of the plate is deeper than a traditional pie plate and nearly vertical. It has just enough of a cant to allow for the crust not to fall when gently pressed into shape. And, this plate is perfect for the volume of batter this recipe yields. You

CHERRRY CHEESECAKE PIE

YIELD: 8-10 SERVINGS TIME: ABOUT 55 Minutes Plus Chill Time

INGREDIENTS

CRUST

1 and ½ Cups (crushed)

Chocolate Cookies

¼ Cup Brown Sugar

6 Tbsp. Butter (melted)

CHEESECAKE FILLING INGREDIENTS

16 ounces Cream Cheese

(room temp.)

½ Cup White Sugar

½ Cup Sour Cream

2 Large Eggs (room temp.)

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

1 tsp. Lemon Juice

PREPARATION

CRUST

- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

- In a microwave safe bowl, melt the butter. (About 30 seconds.)

- In a gallon zipper bag pour in about two heaping cups of whole animal crackers. Let extra air out as you seal the bag. Crush the animal crackers into fine crumbs.

- Add to the animal crackers the brown sugar, seal and knead the bag to mix.

- Open the bag, pour in the butter, seal and knead again to mix the butter with the cookie sugar mix.

- Measure out 1 and 1/2 cups of crumbs into the pie plate lightly pressing the crumbs into the bottom and up the sides of the pie plate. A little extra? Toss it in too and pat down.

- Bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove to cool while you prepare the filling.

- Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F.

FILLING

- In a mixing bowl with the paddle attachment begin to cream the cream cheese. Add the sugar and sour cream to incorporate.

- Add the eggs, one at a time and then the extract and finally the lemon juice. Let this mix into a creamy, thick, no lumps, pourable batter. Mix at moderate speed for about 5-8 minutes or so. (Time may vary.)

- Pour filling into the crust. You should see the top edge of the cookie crumb crust.

- Bake in a 325 degree oven for about 35 minutes, checking at 25 minutes. If edges are browning too fast, tent the top with foil. At 35 minutes the top and edges should be firm while the center should have a slight jiggle. Slight cracks are OK as most will close when cooled.

- Remove from the oven and let rest for one hour before placing it in the refrigerator to chill.

- Place a can of Cherry Pie filling in the refrigerator to chill. Prior to service open and spread the contents of the can of Cherry Pie filling over the top of the cheesecake pie

don’t have one? That’s OK! Either “go with whatchu’ got” or try the local “Buck a Bush” store for that $1.25 disposable tin pan that looks like a 9” or 10” round pan. And while you are there, pick up a can of Cherry Pie Filling for another $1.25. And also, grab a bag of chocolate animal crackers for the crust. That’s $3.75. Add a few bucks

for two 8 ounce packs of cream cheese, some sour cream, along with some pantry staples tossed into the mix and this dessert will cost just under $12.00. Remember, I’m not always frugal, just simple. (Yes folks, you read that here first!)

This Cherry Cheesecake Pie is easy to make. Anyone with

a basic knowledge of the kitchen, a mixer, an oven, and a pie plate can make this, and the results will impress. It tastes great and truly is the just desserts to any Simple Feast. Enjoy!

py days as a boy.” He thought of the shady lanes, the dusty roads, the hilly pastures, the school-house, the meeting house, etc. All these thoughts led him to write a short sketch about a “hayseed” fellow from New Hampshire whom he named Joshua Whitcomb.

Denman performed this as a twenty minute routine in Pittsburgh in 1875, and rewrote it in 1885 as a fouract play with the title The Old Homestead. The play was presented in Boston in 1886 with Thompson playing the main character, and, though Thompson would do additional writing, it was The Old Homestead that made him famous and rich. Some of his other plays were also made into movies, but I have found information to show that the The Old Homestead was made into a silent movie in 1915 and in 1922.

I should add that the play made its way to Broadway in New York City in 1904. The play, with Thompson playing Uncle Josh Whitcomb, toured the country for more than 25 years, so you can see that Thompson’s rheumatism didn’t end his career at the time some thought it might.

Denman Thompson married Maria Bolton in 1860 and they became the parents of three children. The actor and playwright who had no money when he was sick in Pittsburgh reportedly made millions which made it possible for him to have a large residence in West Swanzey on what has been called “a gentleman’s farm” in addition to a lake-side cottage. The character which made Thompson famous appeared in early Edison movies

transferred them to the people in his play which would touch the lives of many people through many years.

The First Congregational Church. There have been productions of the play by the Swanzey Players since then.

and stories about him were recorded on the Edison cylinder phonograph records.

I wonder now if I might have listened to some old cylinder records about Josh when I was a child. Our family did spend hours listening to that type of recording during my childhood years, though I don’t recall hearing the name Joshua Whitcomb.

Uncle Josh is said to have advertised Ivory soap and to have been the inspiration for a brand of cigar called a Josh Whitcomb, with the claim that it was “ As good as the play.”

Thompson was described by one person as having “large, good-natured eyes and thick red hair brushed straight up,” implying that his appearance would be enough to make audiences laugh. Another reviewer described The Old Homestead as “the greatest play the world has ever laughed and wept over--an enduring classic beloved of genera-

tion after generation.”

Thompson borrowed the characteristics and mannerisms of people he knew in Swanzey, New Hampshire and

In 1936 Swanzey Players put on a production of The Old Homestead to raise money to pay off mortgages owned by The North Swanzey Community Association and

A statement about The Old Homestead says, “It stands for those rugged qualities that have made this nation great. It stands for all that is clean and worth-while in our life.”

Denman Thompson died in West Swanzey in April of 1911 at the age of 77. He left to us the character of whom it was said in the play, “Dear Old Joshua is the very embodiment of honesty and rural simplicity.”

GILPATRIC METAL RECYCLING

Actor Theodore Roberts who played Josh Whitcomb in 1922 movie of The Old Homestead

Denman’s home in West Swanzey, New Hampshire

white.’”

A good person, she was taught, “didn’t read too many books by white authors or listen to the ‘wrong’ kind of music. I was really torn on rap because I didn’t know if that was appropriation or appreciation.”

To be accepted, she changed the way she spoke.

“When I started to use the vocabulary ... ‘marginalized, intersectional, hegemonic, blah, blah, blah,’ people just smiled a little bit more, and I started feeling like I was part of an in-group.”

A few years later, she decided she had made

a mistake.

“This set of thought processes was unhealthy and making me miserable.”

Greg Lukianoff, coauthor of the book

“The Coddling of the American Mind,” says “Administrators teach students ... that they can be permanently harmed by words. This is not a kind or compassionate thing to teach.”

The new censorship was supposed to help minorities, but minorities, too, are often punished.

In the documentary, Saeed Malami, a Nigerian student, talks about making a speech at a protest.

“I go up there, feeling all cool with myself. I was like, ‘Blackness is not a skin color. It’s an attitude to life. If you’re white, you can be Black. If you’re Black, you can be purple or whatever ... ‘ What happened after that? A lot of people I thought I was tight with just stopped talking to me.”

So instead of saying, “I’m no victim,” Malami just shut up.

“What I thought to be true,” he says, “I will keep in my head, and say something else.”

This self-censorship not only stifles useful debate; it makes students unhappy.

Lucy says, “When I was a social justice ad-

vocate, I was tired, miserable, pessimistic.”

“Now that I’m out of that and I’m thinking for myself,” says Kimi, “I’m much happier. I’m at peace.”

“The Coddling of the American Mind” is a good introduction to how some of today’s schools harm students. You can find out how to watch the full documentary at thecoddlingmovie.com.

Every Tuesday at JohnStossel.com, Stossel posts a new video about the battle between government and freedom.

LACONIA SCHOOL DISTRICT

the School Board meetings on 1/14/2025 and 2/11/2025 and vote no on any increases to the budget. You can email the School Board at phart@sau45.org and state your desire for no budget increases and well as a independent third party audit of the $8M facility upgrade contracting and construction oversight process.

WOODLAND HEIGHTS SCHOOL

Long Term Substitute Teacher in Grade 3

Position begins immediately and runs through on or around February 14, 2025.

Please send letter of intent, resume, transcripts, certification, district application and three letters of reference to: Michaela Champlin, Principal 225 Winter Street • Laconia, NH 03246 Or email packet to: mchamplin@laconiaschools.org

APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED UNTIL POSITION IS FILLED

To be effective the emails need to be sent now!

E.O.E.

church” with leaders who were unqualified. Their “house” collapsed eventually under the load of mismanagement and as a result the Northern Kingdom would be the first to be led into captivity to the Assyrians. If you would thrive as a Nation with “LIFE,” find and follow me and my design. Then appoint great leaders who are Dedicated, Experienced and Innovated to lead you into a bright future.

Kevin Poitras Moultonborough,

NH.

I love you, God

2025-2026 EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY INTER-LAKES SCHOOL DISTRICT

THE CLASSIFIEDS

LP Gas/Oil Service Technicians

White Mountain Oil & Propane, a local family-owned business, is currently seeking experienced LP Gas/Oil Service Technicians, based out of our North Conway or Lincoln, NH offices.

These are full-time positions. We offer competitive pay, a full benefit package including paid vacation, holidays, health & dental insurance, 401 (K), and profit sharing.

Minimum requirements: N.H. Service Technician Gas Fitters License

Qualified applicants should mail or email a resume to:

White Mountain Oil & Propane Attn: Service Manager PO Box 690, North Conway, NH 03860 Fax: (603) 356-7181 jobs@whitemountainoil.com

You may also find our application at www.whitemountainoil.com/jobs

*No phone calls please*

Oil & Propane is an equal

BUY WILL I

* Art * Antiques Fine * * Jewelry * Silver * Judy A. Davis Antiques

One Item or Entire Estate ~ Cash Paid For:

All Antiques: American and Continental furniture, paintings, oriental rugs and bronzes. Historical documents, old books and maps, nautical items, barometers and sextants. Old prints, movie and travel posters. Old photography, cameras and musical instruments. Gold and Silver U.S. and foreign coins Civil war and all military items, guns, swords, medals and old flags. Old advertising, wooden and metal signs, vintage whiskey and wine, old weathervanes, old pottery, old jugs, crocks and textiles, lamps and lighting, glass and china.

Old toys, banks, trains, sports memorabilia and comic books.

Over 40 years experience in the antique business. Chinese and Asian arts, jade, ceramics, oriental textiles, furniture and art.

Classic car s and motorcycles, gas pumps, oil cans and signs 25 year s and olde r.

All estate and contemporary jewelry, diamond rings, brooches, Patek, Rolex, all watches and charm bracelets. All Fine Gold and Silver Jewelry Sterling silver flatware, tea services, trays and all silver and gold.

The Inter-Lakes School District is seeking a Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) for the 25/26 school year. The successful applicant must meet all required conditions of employment and hold a valid Speech-Language Pathologist license with the State of New Hampshire. Application Deadline: Open until filled Professional Applications can be found at: https://www.interlakes.org/jobs

These letters are written by Rev. Dr. Sam Hollo of Alton, NH

Please submit cover letter, resume, transcripts, certifications, application and three letters of reference to: Karen Koch, Human Resources Coordinator Inter-Lakes School District 103 Main Street, Suite 2 Meredith, NH 03253 or e-mail to: karen.koch@interlakes.org

EOE

IMMEDIATE OPENING Marine Canvas Fabricator

We have an opening in our custom canvas shop. Large new shop. Climate controlled. Three industrial sewing machines. In our shop we provide anything from minor repairs to installations and custom fabrication of frames, tops, cockpit/bow covers, mooring covers etc. We fabricate and install snap in and Seadek flooring. We perform upholstery repairs and recovering.

We offer a generous benefits package with guaranteed year-round employment. Pay based on experience. If you have skills in this area, contact us right away. This is a great long term career position with potential to grow with us. Come to the Service Reception Desk at 958 Union Ave in Laconia. Fill out our application and get interviewed right away. E-mail inquiries to jasonmarceau@irwinmarine.com

left: an open platform that could be used by heretofore underrepresented people to spread their political messages. Barack Obama’s 2012 campaign met with high praise for its creative use of Facebook, for example. The same held true for the Arab Spring. And then Donald Trump won.

Democrats and the legacy media decided that social media had to be clubbed into place. Alternative media outlets like my own company, The Daily Wire, were far too successful: Democrats were upset that conservative con-

tent was reaching a wide audience, and legacy media were upset at the competition. And so by early 2017, the Democrat-Media Human Centipede set its narrative: that only the perversity of social media -- and its hijacking by evil Russian masterminds -- had allowed the election of Donald Trump. By 2017, Sen. Dianne Feinstein was openly threatening Facebook with governmental action if the social media company refused to crack down on speech Democrats didn’t like. In 2019, Zuckerberg himself responded in an excellent speech at

Georgetown University, pledging his company to free speech: “We can continue to stand for free expression, understanding its messiness, but believing that the long journey towards greater progress requires confronting ideas that challenge us. Or we can decide the cost is simply too great. I’m here today because I believe we must continue to stand for free expression.”

But then, in 2020, Facebook began to cave under pressure from the federal government on issues ranging from Covid coverage to the Hunter Biden laptop sto-

Bricks, Blocks, & Stone Creations

ry. By 2021, the Biden White House was openly lobbying Facebook to change its standards to downgrade the traffic of the Daily Wire, among others. That same year, in April, our traffic began to plummet. Overall, our reach dropped by 90%.

Facebook got comfortable with censorship; Zuckerberg has admitted as much. The Biden administration, Zuckerberg claims, pushed for censorship. And Facebook conceded.

towards, once again, prioritizing speech.” That is absolutely correct. And it is also a damning indictment of a Democratic Party that always values power above principle. Free speech has become a Republican principle because Democrats abandoned

it. And now free speech is returning. Let’s hope that remains a permanent feature of the social media landscape, not merely a temporary move to buy off the resurgent Trump administration.

Not anymore. As Zuckerberg explained this week, “The recent elections also feel like a cultural tipping point

NH Veterans Home celebrates the

Residents of the NH Veterans Home had a prime rib dinner with all the Onions Pub & Restaurant and Sanborn's Auto Repair. Pictured back Guard commanded by Major General David J. Mikolaities, Angela Silva Powell (center), Ginny Sanborn of Sanborn's Auto Repair (right), residents Bear, Diamond in the Ruff and Smoky Sanborn, service dogs and frequent photo)

HOUSING from page 13

The governor-elect said she doesn’t intend on renewing a starter home program in the state that provided $10,000 in a first-home loan assistance.

For over a decade, we’ve been the trusted name in fencing, delivering American-made products, superior craftsmanship, and top-tier service.

“I think that we’re only going to make this more affordable if we have more housing,” said Ayotte. “That’s how markets work, and so I think that’s where the priority has to be.”

• Installing a full range of fencing products, from classic to custom designs.

• Materials-only sales with free crafting assistance, ensuring you have everything you need for your project.

Maggie Goodlander, who will succeed Annie Kuster as the U.S. representative from New Hampshire’s District 2, described politics as a “team sport.”

“And it’s so true in the area of housing,” said Goodlander,

Let us help you create the perfect fence –built to last and tailored to your needs. Contact us today to get started! Your Vision, Our

NOTICE

2025 at 7:00 PM on the application submitted by Matthew and Rebecca Seaver. The Public Hearing will be held at the Town Office Upstairs Meeting Room, 6 Pinnacle Hill Road,

Hampton, New Hampshire. The applicants, Matthew and Rebecca Seaver, have requested a Public Hearing in accordance with RSA 676:7, for a Special Exception request under Article IV, A., Sections 3 & 5.

The applicants’ proposal is to construct a twofamily dwelling. To create a two-family dwelling the applicants shall meet the minimum lot size

“and that’s things I about was In terms man, public the 2024 “Lawmakers inate barriers making mixed. Some didn’t make other bills housing into law, Together, in the coming ADUs will consider.

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by Parker & Hart