04/06/2023 Weirs Times

A BAseBAll story –BABe

ruth

In the lAkes regIon

Of all the glittering lights in the constellation of American sports stars, none shines more brightly than Babe Ruth’s.

by Mike Moffett Sportthoughts Columnist

George Herman Ruth’s prodigious pitching talent helped propel the Boston Red Sox to three World Series titles in 1915, 1916 and 1918. Of course, it was as a New York Yankee outfielder that the Babe became a larger-thanlife legend, hitting hundreds of home runs while leading the Yankees to seven World Series from 1921 to 1932.

But the Babe also had star quality. He lived large. He traveled the world. He was in the movies. He personified the American Dream, escaping from deep poverty—and a Baltimore reform school—to scale the heights of riches and fame.

When screaming Japanese soldiers charged United States Marine positions on Pacific islands during World War II, they cursed Babe Ruth in English. What better way to show contempt for America?

While certainly a hero, the

See

Historical Society

Looking for Photos

This year the first floor of Meredith Historical Society’s Main St. museum will display not only items from the town’s early settlement, but also a light-hearted remembrance of 1970s - The Age of Aquarius in Meredith - and you can be part of the celebration.

Is there a photo of you wearing Go-Go Boots, Bell Bottoms, or a Tie Dye tee shirt in the 70s? Maybe there is a picture of your parents or grandparents dressed as Sgt. Pepper from the era when almost everyone had long hair

and men sported droopy mustaches. They could join the “Rogues’ Gallery” at the Meredith Historical Society.

Simply use your phone to scan your treasured photo, and send to meredithhistoricalsocietynh.org. The phone

See PHOTOS on 17

Babe Ruth on the Winnipesaukee ice with unidentified woman.

Climate Alarmism

To The Editor: Unscrupulous and envious people see the American people’s freedoms and prosperity as obstacles to their personal ambitions. Politicians, their friends, and supporters hype climate alarmism to scare Americans into surrendering their freedoms and prosperity.

These unscrupulous people will make Americans suffer today to address a new climate scare occurring after most of us are dead, in 2100.

But if they finally are making an accurate prediction, would it be a disaster if Concord’s average temperature were like Philadelphia’s? Or, if New Hampshire’s temperature (43.8 degrees) were like the Connecticut’s (49.0, https:// tinyurl.com/yckd6m29)? No. Human civilizations flourish in much warmer areas, e.g., Cairo, Egypt - 71.7 degrees.

No one claims that humans can stop the climate from changing. We can only not contribute to it. But wasting wealth on their proposed phony schemes will make humans less able to adapt to however the climate changes.

Their new demand is to achieve “net zero” (CO2 emissions) by 2050. This will cost Americans about an extra $2 trillion annually for the next 25 years (senate testimony: https://tinyurl. com/2aaa6b5e); probably for no benefit.

Their new scheme to take American’s money and freedom is called “carbon pricing”; it’s a tax which increases the cost of fossil

fuels to force people to use alternatives. They promise to return this tax money to the people (after deducting administration costs).

Biden’s attack on our energy independence, demonstrated that increased energy costs ripples throughout the economy, driving up everything’s cost. Any carbon tax money refunded will be minor compared to the large cost of living caused by their scam.

Climate alarmism and the carbon pricing scheme are intended to enrich the politicians and their rich friends, while most Americans get poorer and less free.

Thanks To Alton Voters

To The Editor: To all Alton residents and taxpayers, I thank those of you who came out to vote at the recent Alton elections on March 28. I especially want to express my appreciation to those who voted to elect me to a three-year term on the Alton Budget Committee.

Thank you to those who placed an ad in The Baysider and the Weirs Times, and ones of you who spoke with family and neighbors. Thank you, too, to friends who stood outside the polling place in typically cold and dreary weather. It was all of your time and efforts that made a win possible.

My goals will be to maintain Alton’s enviably low taxes while continuing to provide outstanding services to the community.

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 30 years, this publication is devoted to printing the stories of the people

As I begin my work, please know that I welcome hearing your questions, suggestions and concerns.

Priscilla Terry Alton, NH.

Convention Of States

To The Editor:

We have repeatedly heard complaints of how our Federal government is out of control, but there is great news! There is a way the American people can take back their government and limit the powers of the federal government! It is by using Article V of the U.S. Constitution, which is in the original documents we hold dear to our freedoms.

In studying this matter, I have encountered some objections to a Convention of States called out through Article V. There is a serious misunderstanding of the intent and purpose of Article V of the U.S. Constitution. The Convention of States and a Constitutional Convention are two entirely separate events.

Article V gives the states the same rights as the Federal government to propose amendments and not implement them at will. In addition, Congress SHALL set the time and place of an inter-state amendment-proposing convention after 2/3rd of the states submit a Resolution declaring the same topics.

Amendments can only be PROPOSED, not enacted. Congress verifies the amendments

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.

Don Ewing Meredith, NH.

Not So LoNg Ago ...

Exploring ThE lEgEnd & lorE of our graniTE STaTE

good FrIdAy And eAster And ChurChes And towns

by Robert Hanaford Smith, Sr. Contributing Writer

As I read the accounts of the acts of the first settlers in New Hampshire it appears that many of the new settlements benefited from the cooperation of the town and the church. The preachers were often involved in the town affairs and sometimes they were the leaders of new communities, as it was in the case of New Hampshire’s first towns.

One of the priorities of new settlements was to obtain a Christian preacher and to provide a house and land for him and his family. Those preachers had some disputes between themselves about proper Christian doctrine, but there was one thing that was a crucial and foundational truth about their preaching and teaching.

That was the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

So any observance then or now of what is called Holy Week for Christians involves so-

lemnity in remembering the death of Jesus Christ for sinners and in rejoicing and gladness in celebration of the His resurrection.

Those colonial Puritan preachers probably did not celebrate an Easter Sunday (or Christmas) as special days as we do today, and if they did at all, and certainly did not add bunnies, colored eggs, candy, lilies, and such to their observances, lest they lose sight of the reason for the season.

Nevertheless, it was the hope generated by the death of Jesus for the sins of the people,

and His triumph over death by His resurrection, that drew people to faith in Him and motivated preachers to lives of service to Him. It is the ties between those early preachers and town governments that I am addressing in this article.

Rev. John Wheelwright arrived in Massachusetts from England in the year 1636 with the intention of carrying on his profession as a Christian minister in the New World. Because some of his theological views were at odds with the Puritan leaders in that state he moved

to Exeter, New Hampshire. According to the book, Men and Things of Exeter, “ Mr. Wheelwright at once gathered a church here, and became its minister. He also drew up a form of civil government, which was essential for the peace and good order of the infant settlement.” Exeter was not then under the jurisdiction of Massachusetts, though it would be a few years later, prompting Wheelwright to move on to Maine. And the book previously mentioned said, concerning the new settlement at Exeter, “New Hampshire had no laws.”

Rev. John Wheelwright.

EVENTS & ACTIVITIES

Weirs Times’ Bob Smith To Present Program on Jonathan Moulton In New Hampton

On Tuesday, April 11th at 7pm, the New Hampton Historical Society will present this program at the Gordon-Nash Library, 69 Main Street, New Hampton Learn about the man who is said to have purchased the town of New Hampton in exchange for an ox! Every New Hampton resident should know about the men who were granted their town and those who built it.

General Jonathan Moulton was an indentured servant who became the richest man in his home town of Hampton. Legends surround Moulton involving the Indian Wars, a shipwreck, his second wife, a pact with the devil, fires, and the location of his dead body. From Captain in the NH Militia to British loyalist to Revolutionary General and public servant, who was the real Jonathan Moulton? Why did some people seem to hate him? Why did his barns burn down four times?

Was this controversial person a scoundrel or a hero?

Bob Smith, Weirs Times Contributing Writer, NHHS long time member and currently Director At Large, will examine Moulton’s life from his birth to his death(1726-1787). This program is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.

Comedy At The Sportsmans Club With Corey Rodrigues

High level Las Vegas stand-up comedy returns to the Belknap Sportsman’s Club in Gilford, Saturday April 15 at 8 pm with national and international star Corey Rodrigues.

Tickets are $30 and may be purchased in advance at https://birdease.com/BCSCComedy and tickets will be available at the door if not sold out in advance.

Patrons are allowed and encouraged to bring their own food and drinks to the event which is open to the public.

Rodrigues, a Boston area comedian, rapidly rose through the comedy ranks and is now a regular in Las Vegas and Atlantic City and is frequently working cruise lines and performing overseas.

Rodrigues has been seen on Comedy Central, and Gotham Comedy TV, along with playing major clubs from Boston to L.A., Rodrigues is the past winner of the Catch a New Rising Star comedy competition, has appeared in the Boston Comedy Festival, and was the winner of The Funniest Comic in New England Contest.

Also appearing at the April 15 show will be regional star Paul Landwehr and Oshee Baugus, a Laconia area favorite.

“We’ve had two great comedy shows this year,” said Sportsman’s Club president Mike Normandin. “We had Kenny Rogerson headline one night and Steve Sweeney headlined the next. Now we’re bringing in Corey Rodrigues who is great.

“The money we raise goes to scholarships and to provide needed equipment and services for local organizations.

“We sponsor the Boy’s and Girls Clubs of the Lakes Region, we send kids to Barry Conservation Camp... eleven went this year... and we offer scholarship s to college kids pursuing careers related to forestry, biology, environmental sciences and more.”

Electronic Waste Collection DayLaconia-Gilford Lions Club

Got an old computer collecting dust in your closet, or a broken air conditioner sitting on the back porch? What do you do with such items when you replace them? Everything from laptops, phones and computers to TVs cost a fortune to haul away.

Turn all that junk over to the Laconia-Gilford Lions Club during their Electronic Waste Collection Day fundraising event which will be held on Saturday, April 8, in the Cinemas 8 parking lot in Gilford (9 Old Lake Shore Road) from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Note: this is a new location as of a few years ago.

For a small disposal fee, not only will they take your old electronic items off your hands, they will recycle them. The disposal charge is almost always less than the prices at local transfer stations. Cash or checks will be accepted but not debit or credit cards.

Just bring your electronics to Cinemas 8 parking lot, 9 Old Lakeshore Road in Gilford on Saturday, April 8, between 8:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Lions Club members will even help you unload them! You do not have to be a resident of Laconia or Gilford to take advantage of this fundraiser - it is open to everyone.

Items you may want to consider dropping off are laptops, PC towers, PC LCD monitors, servers, CD/DVD players, camcorders, AV equipment, VCRs, speakers, copiers, faxes, scanners, printers, phones (land and cell), phone systems, humidifiers and computer accessories (all $5). In addition, they will also take microwaves, air conditioners, dehumidifiers (all $10), CRT monitors less than 50 lbs. and TVs less than 25” ($20), TVs 26” and larger ($30). For TVs needing more than one person to lift or CRT monitors over 50 lbs., the item will be weighed on site and price determined. Anything with a cord not listed will also be accepted.

They are also now accepting Teflon pots and pans for $1.

You CANNOT drop off: smoke detectors, oils, paints, thinners, batteries (except car batteries), tires, items containing mercury such as fluorescent and CFL light bulbs or thermometers, capacitors, ballasts, or any other hazardous waste.

The Laconia-Gilford Lions Club appreciates your help with their Electronic Waste Collection Day fundraising event and wishes to thank in advance everyone who contributes to making a real difference in our community.

Camp Constitution Speaker Bureau Presents

“From Darkness to Light The Juli Wilkinson Story”

Come hear a story of redemption by a former abortion nurse. Juli was raised in an intact but quite liberal family. Accepted a position as abortion assistant at a late term abortion clinic, run by Warren Hern MD. Left after about 2 years there. Experienced a heart change by the grace of God. Eventually made contact with a Abby Johnson who had herself managed an abortion clinic, but left the business and went on to create outreach for abortion clinic workers. She gained courage to share my sad story, in the hope it might help women rethink their plans to end their children’s lives. Had a small role in the movie UNPLANNED- The Abby Johnson’s story of redemption.

Where: Community Church of Alton 20 Church St. Alton, NH

When: Monday May 8---7:00 PM Free admission. Donations accepted. For more info call 857-498-1309.

All the Best

Unlike other publications in the Granite State, the Weirs Times does not offer a yearly “Best Of” contest.

tor in that experience. Top 40, classical, oldies or a soothing instrumental. Which business do you feel provides the best experience? (Businesses that interrupt music with blatant advertisements are not eligible.)

be lying for once. I think this would be a very close and exciting contest with a crowded field.

by Brendan Smith

Still, in the future I think we should consider it, but my idea is for it to be completely different.

All these “Best Of” contests focus on generalities: Best Restaurant, Best Hairstylist, Best Podiatrist, etc., etc.

I, for one, never felt these contests are all that fair. Not because it boils down to which business can get the most people to vote for them over and over again. After all, this is America and that’s how we elect many of our leaders.

No, I feel that some of the more specific categories are left out. Some of these categories would let those businesses who don’t have a chance of winning their groups generic “Best Of” at least compete in some other categories.

With these new categories some businesses will find that they have a chance in maybe more than one and increase their odds of winning something.

Anyone who is in business and works hard all week to earn a living deserves a trophy of sorts, in my opinion. Even if they don’t have as many friends to vote for them as the next business.

Here are some of my ideas for some more focused “Best Of’ category ideas that I believe would lever the playing field.

BEST ON HOLD MUSIC – It is inevitable in this day and age that when you contact a business for one thing or another you might be put on hold for a minute or two. The music that plays on hold plays a big fac-

BEST SELF CHECKOUT –

These are very prevalent now in the bigger stores and should certainly be a category. How many self-checkout stations are there? Is the “Credit Only” sign big enough so that you see it before you started scanning your items and now have to face embarrassment by sheepishly calling over the attendant to cancel your order? And what about the bag situation? Do you have to lick your fingers in order to be able to separate the flimsy plastic and fall prey to whatever germs were left by the shopper before. Most importantly, is the AI voice on the scanner at such a level that the announcement of “CARD DECLINED” carries through the whole store? There is a lot to consider in casting this vote.

BEST RINO – I always felt that politics should somehow be involved in these “Best Of” contests. After all it does require voting. RINO, of course, stands for Republican In Name Only and there are a lot more of them around here lately then when I first moved here in 1985. Of course, a real Republican who actually pays attention would never vote for them, so this would be a great chance for a RINO to get votes from those people. Now they can campaign for BEST RINO by working even harder in Concord voting against bills that Republicans like, then win the best RINO award. They can use this to their advantage during the next election season when they can tell their constituents, who don’t pay much attention, that many Republicans think they are the best and they wouldn’t

BEST RESTAURANT PARKING – I have mentioned this one before in a previous column about this issue, but I do feel it is one of the more important “Best Of” categories that should be included. Let’s face it, the parking situation at some restaurants can make all the difference in the world, especially on a busy night. Even those so called “friends” who voted for you fifty times as the “Best Mediterranean Australian Vegan Restaurant” might have second thoughts about going out to eat at your place on a busy Saturday in the summer if they think parking might be a problem. (I have a tendency to pick those places where not only is the parking ample, but I am also guaranteed a right turn exit upon leaving so I don’t have to drive across traffic after having consumed a heavy meal and might be a bit groggy. That would definitely affect my vote.)

BEST WAITSTAFF – Sure the restaurant itself gets all the glory, but as someone who was a restaurant manager years ago, I know that you can have the best food and prices for miles, but if the waitstaff act like they’d rather be anywhere else, then it all falls apart. Hats off to all of the great servers out there. You are under appreciated. That goes for you hosts and hostesses as well. (By the way, I do prefer a window seat… wink, wink.)

Brendan is the author of “The Flatlander Chronicles,” “The Best of A F.O.O.L. in New Hampshire,” and “I Really Only Did It For The Socks- Thoughts and Stories on Aging.” All are available through his wesbite BrendanTSmith.com

“I 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)

Skelley’s Market Skelley’s Market

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)

Weirs Times Editor

A nAtIon CommIttIng suICIde

Historian Arnold Toynbee observed “an autopsy of history would show that all great nations commit suicide.”

It’s hard not to think about this reading the results of the latest Wall Street JournalNORC poll, appearing under the headline “America Pulls Back From Values That Once Defined It.”

when A trAns Person murders ChrIstIAn sChoolChIldren

not be the victimizer; there must be another victimizer who has victimized you, turning you back into a victim.

by Star Parker Syndicated Columnist

Only 38% of Americans now say patriotism is “very important,” compared to 70% in 1998. Thirty-nine percent say religion is “very important,” compared to 62% in 1998. And 30% say having children is “very important” compared to 59% in 1998.

The results that follow from these attitudes are not surprising.

Marriage rates are way down. Birthrates are way down.

In 1990, 67% of American adults between the ages of 25-54 were married. This was down to 51% in 2021.

In 2020, there were 56 births in the U.S. for every 1,000 women ages 15-44. In 1990, there were 70.9.

And, among the births we do have, in 2021, 40% of our babies were born to unmarried mothers.

Not surprisingly, our population is hardly growing. In 2022, the U.S. population increased 0.4%, a modest increase from the 0.1% increase in 2021, the lowest annual population growth since the founding of the nation.

Looking at the same polling data results among the youngest sector of our population, the picture looks even more dismal.

Among those under 30, just 23% say patriotism is “very important” to them, 31% say religion is “very important,” and 23% say having children is “very important.”

What is important to Americans today?

Although 70% say marriage is either “very important” or “somewhat important,” 65% say belief in God is “very important” or “somewhat important,” 73% say patriotism is “very important” or “somewhat important,” 91% say self-fulfillment is “very important” or “somewhat important,” and 90% say money is “very important” or “somewhat important.”

The devaluing of marriage, children and patriotism, and the focus on “self-fulfillment” and money are, of course, signs of a culture sunk into egotism and materialism, with a loss of a sense of being part of something larger than oneself.

It is not an encouraging picture for a country that hopes to have a future.

Our health care and retire-

by Ben Shapiro Syndicated Columnist

The legacy media have a preset narrative machine when it comes to mass shootings. That narrative machine takes into account the identities of the shooter and the victims, and then churns out an explanation for the shooting. White shooter, black victims: systemic racism. Black shooter, white victims: alienation caused by systemic racism. Muslim shooter, gay victims: Christian homophobia.

On Monday, a self-identified 28-year-old trans man shot up a Christian school in Nashville, killing three children and three adults. The shooter left a manifesto, which police said reeked of “resentment.” And so this week, we are learning what pops up in the narrative machine when the inputs are “trans man” and “Christian schoolchildren.”

And here’s what pops up: America is systemically cruel to trans people, who apparently cannot be blamed for losing control and targeting small children at Christian schools. A hate crime by a trans-identifying person against a religious group is immediately transmuted into a generalized societal crime against the mass shooter herself. Thus, NBC contributor Benjamin Ryan tweeted, “NBC has ID’d the Nashville school shooter... Nashville is home to the Daily Wire, a hub of anti-trans activity by @MattWalshBlog, @BenShapiro and @MichaelJKnowles.” Newsweek tweeted a story titled, “Tennessee Republicans’ ban on drag shows criticized after mass shooting.” ABC News correspondent Terry Moran stated that the shooter “identified herself as a transgender person. The State of Tennessee earlier this month passed and the governor signed a bill that banned transgender medical care for minors...”

In the perverse world of Leftist victimology, this makes sense: If you are a member of a supposedly victimized group, you can-

But if we truly wish to prevent future acts of violence by unhinged lunatics, we ought to utilize a lens other than the lie of victimhood. Instead, we ought to consider the possibility that it is dangerous to promote the idea that mentally ill people ought to be celebrated as political groundbreakers by the legacy media for their symptoms, and simultaneously told that their suicidal ideations are caused by the intolerance of a broader society. According to a recent 2022 study, “Transgender and gender-diverse youth emerge as the group at the highest risk of support for violent radicalization.” Teaching trans-identifying people that their suffering is caused by a cruelly religious and patriarchal world, explaining that these forces put their very lives in danger -- that, indeed, they are victims of a potential “genocide” -- creates an incredibly dangerous ideological predicate for violent action.

But the legacy media, by and large, support that narrative. To admit the obvious -that men cannot be women and vice versa; that believing you were born “in the wrong body” is a mental disorder, not a weapon to be used in tearing down an unjust society; that high rates of depression and suicidal ideation among those who identify as transgender is not caused predominantly by societal intolerance but by the disorder itself -- undermines the new civil rights crusade the Left has built, directed against traditional roles and institutions.

And so the new narrative must be maintained. A woman who shot to death six people including three children in cold blood must be recast as a victim of society. We must respect “his” pronouns even as we report “his” murders. We must blame those who truly cause pain in the world: those who disagree with the thought leaders in our legacy media, who know better than all the common sense, biology and tradition in the world.

When I swallow, knives cut my throat.

I cough and sometimes can’t stop. That’s frightening.

I caught COVID.

my CovId exPerIenCe

will give me a chance to lie around. But then came the knives to my throat, and the cough that makes it hard to breathe.

Darn. This is much worse than any flu I’ve had. I feel miserable. It hurts so much to talk that I just text.

make it to 73. I forget that when I feel good.

I check what hospital I should go to if I have trouble breathing. My doctor calls in a Paxlovid prescription.

Day 2

Google makes everything scarier. Will I get long COVID? Have brain fog? Get COVID pneumonia? I’ve got to stop Googling.

But at least I’m not getting worse.

Day 4

I’m getting better! Crisis over!

by John Stossel Syndicated Columnist

Dodged it three years. But this week, I suddenly felt lousy, and a home test said: “positive.” The thermometer said: 101.8.

No big deal, I thought. Almost everyone gets COVID. Lots of people say it’s no worse than a cold.

I’m multi-vaccinated and boosted. My fever’s not super high. I’m fit. This

I think, “COVID still kills several hundred Americans every day.” Will I be one? I do feel like I might die. But COVID mostly kills old people. Wait, that’s me

Actually, I’m very old. 76. I didn’t think about being so old last week when I rode my bike and played volleyball. I felt like a kid. Now everything is different.

Half of American men don’t even

Paxlovid leaves a nasty metallic taste. Someone is mining silver in my mouth.

Ibuprofen knocked my fever is down, but it’s still above normal. The knives and strangling cough are still there.

Will I die? Short of that, will I have to go to the emergency room? Will they put me on a ventilator? I’m scared of that. I shouldn’t have looked it up on Google.

Every swallow still hurts, but my cough no longer scares me. I no longer fear I’m going to die.

Thank you, Paxlovid!

Was it Paxlovid that made the difference? No way to know. But three cheers for America’s much-vilified free market. Pfizer invented and produced this drug in just a year.

Pfizer did tests in which Paxlov-

A nAtIon dIvIded And A world In turmoIl

erect news blinders, especially when he, like most everyone else, uses a smartphone for personal and business matters. He even maintains a Facebook page to keep up with friends and family.

by Larry Elder Syndicated Columnist

A happy, upbeat friend does not watch television news, whether national or local, does not read a newspaper and avoids discussing politics, religion or even sports. Selfemployed, he found out about something called the coronavirus while driving to work the day the California lockdown mandate began.

That morning he encountered no traffic on the normally busy streets of Los Angeles and said, “What’s going on?!”

It seems unthinkable that someone in his mid-to-late 30s could

He does not know that since Joe Biden became president, five million illegal aliens entered the U.S. from over 100 foreign countries, their whereabouts now mostly unknown. Border patrol arrested dozens of border crossers on the terror watch list, with no telling how many entered undetected.

He does not know that America faces a crisis of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid more potent than heroin by as much as a factor of 50, and morphine by as much as a factor of 100, according to the Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention. China supplies the precursor chemicals and Mexican cartels process, manufacture and bring the fentanyl into the United States. At 64,000 deaths among those aged 18 to 49 in 2021, fentanyl killed more than those who died from COVID-19, cancer and car accidents combined.

He knows nothing about a Donald Trump-hating Manhattan district attorney who might arrest and indict the former president under a legal theory that even The New York Times called “untested.” He does not know about the “weaponization” and collusion of the DOJ and Big Tech social media platforms to attack conservatives, stifle dissent about vaccine and mask mandates and suppress the cost-benefit debate about COVID-19 lockdowns.

Among other things, the student learning loss suffered due to virtual versus in-school learning.

He knows nothing about communist China’s growing aggression, its increasing world power and our growing dependence on China for things not made here. We rely on China for vital “rare earth minerals” like lithium, cobalt and nickel — used in cellphones and electric vehicle batteries — that are either mined in China or in places under China’s control. Likely encouraged by Biden’s disastrous pull out of Afghanistan, Russia invaded Ukraine with Chinese support. World peace and freedom are now challenged unlike anything seen since World War II.

He knows nothing about how

And Just lIke thAt…

It’s over. I realize that as a fishing guide, I have a job that relies on climate conditions. I knew that when I embarked on this journey more than 17 years ago. That said, you can find an easily foreseen challenge for every profession, so I do not feal unique in any way. That doesn’t make winters like this one any easier. I began 15 days later than usual and ended 13 days earlier than normal. All told, I am about $6000 behind this year from normal. It’s a seemingly insurmountable loss, but you don’t get to do this job for 17 years by folding up in the face of every seemingly insurmountable hurdle.

The one thing that I hear often, which doesn’t hold as true as it sounds, is that I can make up for it with early spring boat trips. It’s harder to get people in the boat earlier than usual. Luckily, the past few years have been very similar to one another, so folks are better anticipating an early ice-out and booking their trips. When we get widely varying seasons though, it gets tough to plan. If I had to name the number one trait of every successful fishing guide in one word, it would be; perseverance.

The weather didn’t just create a shorter season. Add rain and wind, unsafe areas of

ice, and the inability to travel very far and the challenges begin to mount up. No one likes ice fishing in the rain. It’s not only uncomfortable, it feels downright unnatural. I don’t even want to talk about the wind. I just hate it. Everyone hates it. Safety is my number one priority. I place it above all other priorities. In order to keep everyone safe, I had to limit the area we fished to a couple of square miles, which may seem like a large area, but it isn’t in terms of targeting nomadic fish species. Pressure ridges would form and quickly become treacherous with following warm spells. One the many advantages of being a fulltime ice fishing guide is being on the ice al-

most every day, so I can monitor changes in ice conditions.

While $6000 is a lot of money to lose in one short season, the smart full-time fishing guide will plan for times like these. I have savings set aside for times such as these that get me through a lean season. I hate dipping into it, but I sure am happy to have it to dip into. Before this I owned a remodeling business. It was no different then. Weather and economy played a huge roll in my ability to work and planning for lean times was a key to staying in business and keeping my bills paid. Guiding is no different, feast or famine.

This winter has been stressful, to say the least, but I’ve still had a great time. It isn’t all

doom and gloom. I love being a fishing guide, and I love working with different people from all different walks of life. One thing that doesn’t change, regardless of the weather and season length, is the fact that I get to spend my days in one of the most beautiful places on earth (Lake Winnipesaukee) with some of the nicest people I’ve ever met.

Tim Moore is a fulltime professional fishing guide in New Hampshire. 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. Visit www. TimMooreOutdoors.com for more information.

Despite a tough season, Tim makes up for it with beautiful scenery and great clients.

by Tim Moore Contributing Writer

This series of Letters

From God is an attempt to put the thoughts of God as revealed in the Scriptures.

Letters From God Letters From God

QUESTION:

What Is Happening? Is Hell Being Unleashed?

Yes, and I told you so.

It is so sad that from the beginning of time and my creation of human life, most have been like children. They can’t see that they don’t have wisdom and refuse to learn from their parents. Unfortunately, because they are deceived into thinking that they know it all, they set themselves up for failure. I am your creator God with infinite wisdom and love, and my counsel will always lead you to life, yet like children you act on your own wisdom and suffer as a result. In doing this you have exchanged heaven for hell.

I made you and I know what is best for you and only as you follow my wisdom will you flourish. When I asked my apostle Paul to write a letter to the church in a town called Colossae, he spoke of me when he said, “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:17).

As God, I am the glue that holds you together. When you bow in worship of me and live according to my words, I will hold you together. Your nation will be blessed by me and because you follow my wisdom, you will know life and prosperity. If, however, you reject me and my will, as you are now doing, you will come apart. What was once a united nation under me, God, has become a

divided nation. You’ve lost me, your “glue.”

You are now living in a world in which many of those who reject me and my will are leading you. Their values and wisdom have replaced my values and wisdom are completely opposite of mine, not from heaven but from hell. As a result, I am giving you what you want and withdrawing my resources, even as I did with my people Israel. I once dwelt among them leading and guiding them to greatness. But as they turned from me and rejected my word, I departed and left them to their own schemes and devices (Ezekiel 10 & 11). It would lead to dismantling and destroying all that I had built and the loss of national sovereignty to a series of ruthless nations.

One of your great statesmen, Ben Franklin, was right when he said, “we must all hang together, or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately.” This was spoken at the time of the formation of your country when it sought to be free from the tyranny of oppressive leadership. At that time, it was through reliance on me in prayer and dependence on my power that you were granted victory, freedom and blessing that led to unparalleled prosperity and life. The Continental Congress devoted themselves to fervent prayer to me, to not only bring unity among their members but unity and victory in their cause. When they did, I heard their prayers and used my power to “glue” them together and the results were miraculous and magnificent.

Today however, because you have rejected heaven, all hell is breaking loose in your country. Everything you are doing is opposite of that which I have commanded you and which you once practiced, never perfectly but substantially. You worshipped me on a sabbath day of rest. You prayed to me in every aspect of life including government, schools sporting events and holidays. You honored my command that marriage be for life and that sexuality be practiced only in that committed relationship of a man and woman. You honored my creation of male and female and when some tried to overthrow my design you didn’t entertain it but sought to change them not my design.

You punished children when they were disobedient and disciplined them to do the hard things in life even though they were difficult. You recognized that there is evil in the world and those who sought to exercise their will to steal, destroy or kill were given just and firm punishment, thereby protecting innocent people and motivating the perpetrators to change their ways.

You remembered that I am forming a child in each womb and that giving women the design and right to bear them did not give them the right to end their lives. That is a right only I have. You fought to continue to break down all racial and ethnic bias and mistreatment. Now however, you have progressed into regression so that every area stated above and virtually every

other area of national life is reversed, from hell. I warned you that when you call evil good you are close to my severe judgement (Isaiah 5:20-30)

Your problems are, at their core, spiritual and until you recognize this and change it by returning to me and my will you will continue to “come apart.” Remember that one day you and every one of my creation will stand before me as God and judge. If you turn back to me before it is too late and receive forgiveness of your sins by allowing my son, Jesus, who paid your penalty, to remove your guilt and please me now, you will not only be restored to personal and national life but you will be granted eternal life upon your death.

The choice is yours, heaven or hell.

I love you, God

These letters are written by Rev. Dr. Samuel Hollo, pastor at the Community Church of Alton, NH.

BIRDS For The

New England’s Wild Birds & Their Habitats

some BIrd stAtIstICs

by Chris Bosak Contributing Writer

I’ve always been a stats guy. Not the type of stats that can be interpreted to fit a certain narrative, but indisputable numbers that can be proven.

I remember when I was a kid I’d have my bowl of cereal before school at the kitchen table with the sports pages spread out in front of me. I’d skip right to the agate page to see the baseball box scores, standings and hitting leaders. Growing up in western Pennsylvania, I was a Pirates fan, and I couldn’t wait to see how my favorite players fared the previous night. How many hits did Dave Parker get? What was the attendance? How many games are the Pirates behind in the NL East? It was all right there. (Back then, the Pirates played in the NL East and actually had a chance of winning, unlike today.)

Monday mornings during football season were the best. All of the box scores from the previous day’s football games were tightly, yet meticulously, laid out on the agate pages. I was a Vikings fan (still am) so I had little chance of seeing a game on TV as they were an out-of-market team. This was well before the internet, social media and streaming

A birder from Colebrook counted 180 snow buntings during the Great Backyard Bird Count.

services, so other than the score, I knew very little about how the Vikings did on Sunday when I went to bed. On Monday, though, I knew exactly how each player did. Box scores don’t give you a whole lot of game context, but all the stats are included.

Tommy Kramer’s passing line, Ted Brown’s rushing stats and Anthony Carter’s receiving line. Monday mornings ruled.

OK, onto birds. Statistics about the birding world fascinate me too. Numbers from citizen science projects like the Christmas Bird Count and Great Backyard Bird Count can occupy me for hours. Of course, the data is also valuable to scientists as they

track bird populations.

In fact, that’s the real point of the projects, but the numbers are interesting to casual observers like myself too.

Participation numbers from the Great Backyard Bird Count keep going up every year. The GBBC is the event held every February where birders and anyone else interested are urged to count the birds they see in their backyard or local parks and send in the results. The amount of data received is staggering. Now that the GBBC is a global event, the statistics are even more incredible.

Some early results are in and I wanted to share some stats that I found interesting. In

terms of participation, it was by far the best year yet with more than 550,000 participants from 202 countries. A total of 7,538 species were reported. It’s hard to even wrap my head around that number.

The U.S. had the most checklists submitted

The Weirs Times Presents ICE-OUT DATES FOR LAKE WINNIPESAUKEE

The Simple Feast

ButtersCotCh oAtmeAl rAIsIn CookIes

by Eric N Gibson Contributing Writer

The Simple Feast Simple The Simple

I do realize that sometimes reading my articles is like playing the game Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, but sometimes I just have to write where the story takes me. This is one of those times.

I was playing with a recipe in my mind for Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. I started looking through the cupboards and found the raisins and oats. Then the wheels began to turn. Some would say the gears began to grind. To those I say, “Tomatotomato.”

As I started to wander a bit further off the pantry path I found a box of Butterscotch Pudding Mix. Now, I know at this point some of you are thinking, “What is it with this guy and Butterscotch Pudding lately?” Well, when you are raised in a chocolate and vanilla household you tend to crave something different once in a while and different to me is butterscotch and pistachio. After all, variety really is the spice of life!

Getting back to cookies, I had heard of adding pudding mix to cookie dough before but had not really tried it. The benefit is not just

enhancing the flavor profile but also, when paired judiciously with a liquid such as milk or cream, it can add both body and just the right amount of moisture. Well, this did all three. The flavor profile was better than plain Oatmeal Raisin but I just could not figure out what that familiar taste was.

Over the weekend my daughter came by on her way home and I offered her a cookie. As we sat eating and talking she said, “Mmm, these are good. They taste like a Hermit.”

That’s it! That was what I was tasting! And it made perfect sense.

‘Why?” you ask. Well, because butterscotch is made with butter and brown sugar and brown sugar is made by add-

but sources agree that around this time Caramel was “invented.” It was actually used as a beauty treatment (think waxing). White sugar and water were slowly heated together to draw out the moisture. During the process the liquid is evaporated and the sugar breaks down, changing its composition and color. Now, I don’t know about you but me personally, I can’t imagine applying molten sticky liquid sugar to any part of my body, especially the more tender regions, all in the name of vanity. But then again, I am the kind of guy who thinks

ing a touch of molasses to white refined sugar. That is what gives it the light (and dark) brown coloring.

But, isn’t Caramel made with Butter and Sugar? And isn’t Toffee made with Butter and Sugar? Well, yes, sort of. Then why the different flavor profiles? Because there are subtle but different ingredients used in each process and / or, as we will see, the process for each varies. Sounds like a history lesson coming doesn’t it? Sherman! Set the Way Back Machine! It is time for a look at… THE HISTORY OF “HEATED SUGAR”! Our first stop is Arabia sometime around 1,000 AD. We don’t really know where or how this happened

COMEDY NIGHT

Sat.

Butterscotch Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Yield: 36 Coookies Time: Approx. 70 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

182

Bring

NATIONAL STAR COREY RODRIGUES

1 Stick Butter (cold)

1 Cup White Sugar

1/2 Cup Brown Suagr

1 Pkg Butterscotch Instant Pudding Mix

2 Eggs

1/4 cup Vegetable Oil

1/2 Cup Half & Half

2 Cups Flower

1 & 1/2 Cups Oats

1 Tsp Cinammon

1/2 Tsp Cloves

1/4 Tsp Allspice

1 Tbsp Baking Soda

i Cup Raisins

Preparation —

- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

- Combine butter, sugars, and pudding mix, mixing all to resemble very coarse crumbs.

- Add Oil and eggs and continue to mix until well blended.

- In a bowl combine flour, oats, spices, and baking soda.

- Add dry ingredients and cream to the butter sugar mixture, alternating with the ½ and ½, one-third / one third until each are thoroughly combined into the cookie dough.

- Add the raisins and blend into the dough.

- On a parchment lined cookie sheet, deposit 12 ¨scoops¨ evenly spaced and bake at 375 degrees F. for 12-13 minutes until cookies form and are golden brown. Remove and cool on a wire rack. Store in a airtight container.

FEAST from 13

nothing of wearing plaid, camo, and slippers as an ensemble.

With the advent of westward expansion, populations moving throughout the Mediterranean and European theaters brought with them the sugar refining process. Along the way someone decided to taste this stuff, and realized it was better served at the dinner table rather than the spa table, and that, my friends is, according to sources, how caramel was born.

The next significant development for caramel happened in the 1860´s when milk and fat were added to make a softer chewy confection. In modern caramel, the process is similar to that of old; sugar and water are slowly heated. But now, often corn syrup is added, keeping the caramel in a pliable or liquid state rather than allowing it to crystallize. Then, depending upon the application, other ingredients such as milk,

fat, and other flavorings may be added.

But what does this have to do with Toffee and Butterscotch? Well, some would say they are cousins of caramel. Similar in their origin to each other, toffee and butterscotch became popular in England in the early 1800’s (1825 and 1817 respectively). Both toffee and butterscotch are made with butter and brown sugar as their primary ingredients. The significant difference between the two is temperature. Both are brought to a high temperature (somewhere around 340 degrees F. for toffee) or what is referred to as the “Hard Crack” stage. Butterscotch is heated to just under 300 degrees F. or the “Soft Crack” stage. Serious confectioners know their science and will have a candy thermometer present for precise measuring. Not your usual pocket thermometer, these are big long thermometers that clip onto the side of deep pots with tem-

perature ranges much higher than an ordinary kitchen thermometer.

Over the years candy makers from amateurs to confectioners and chocolatiers have experimented with all sorts of flavors to enhance their caramel, butterscotch, and toffee candies, sauces, and toppings. Along with the basic foundation ingredients for each, cream seems to be a common ingredient when making the three. The addition of cream introduces both a liquid and a fat allowing for flavor as well as a more fluid, lighter, and chewy candy. But the singular difference in flavor between caramel versus butterscotch and toffee is, hands down, the molasses infused brown sugar used in butterscotch and toffee.

Which brings me back to the Butterscotch Oatmeal Raisin Cookies and why they taste reminiscent of a Hermit. A key ingredient in butterscotch and Hermits is molasses.

Along with this, I added

subtle hints of spices that too are found in Hermits (Cinnamon, Clove, Allspice) and are, coincidentally, three of four spices that are my absolute favorite, the fourth being ginger. But too, we cannot forget the other key ingredient in both of these cookies… raisins, raisins make both the Oatmeal Raisin Cookie and the Hermit what they are: DELICIOUS!

Now, did I have Hermits on my mind when I set out to make these Butterscotch Oatmeal Raisin Cookies? I don’t think so. I was really just thinking about cookies. I’m not fussy about my Oatmeal Raisin Cookies but I do have my preference. Crispy edges and soft in the middle was the goal which I have yet to master consistently. But, I also like them soft and pliable and full of flavor which is what I got with this recipe. I guess all I really had in mind when making these delicious cookies was… my next Simple Feast.

Enjoy!

Paul Landwehr Oshee Baugus

Las Vegas; New York; Conan O’Brien; Dry Bar Comedy; Gotham Comedy TV Live; Laughs on Fox

Laugh Boston; Foxwoods; Broadway Comedy Club; CBS Comedy Scene

Denver Comedy Clubs; Comedy Host & Belmont, NH Native

by Mike Moffett Contributing Writer

William Penn said that “time is what we want most but use worst.” There’s truth to that. Some folks manage time better than others. And in sports, time management is crucial. Especially during fourth quarters of NFL games. Time has value. Time is money.

There are places where time stands still, in a sense. New Hampshire legislators don’t have time limits when they speak at the podium during House sessions. While some bloviating solons talk too much or too long, most learn the importance of succinctness and keeping things moving. Even without a clock.

Similarly, baseball has been that rare sport without a clock, immune to buzzers, horns, or ticking scoreboards— until this season. Now MLB pitchers will have to begin their motion every 15 seconds, or every 20 seconds with a man on base. Surely there will be controversies about when such motions commence. Imagine what will happen with the bases are loaded with a 3 and 2 count and a pitcher is a half second late beginning his motion. It won’t be pretty.

Nine-inning MLB games averaged over three hours last year.

BAseBAll CloCks

Up from 2 ½ hours in the 70’s. Depending upon the pitcher, some games were interminable. Four-hour games can wreak havoc with kids, commercials, and curfews.

When Carlton Fisk played for the Red Sox, he singlehandedly lengthened every game. He was very deliberate as a catcher. Standing up often. Taking his time. Making visits to the mound. And in the batter’s box he was similarly deliberate. He’d step out after every pitch and go through a lengthy routine. One wonders if he was around today if he’d similarly step out of the batter’s box as much.

Presumably, if a batter steps out of the box now, the pitcher will get a new 15-20 seconds?

Truth be told, the NBA was saved when the 24-second shot clock was introduced in 1954. Before then there were

pro games that ended up with scores like 1918. Stall ball was not fun to watch. Eventually college basketball adopted shot clocks as well.

Traditionalists and purists are aghast at the new baseball rules, which also involve bigger bases and a ban on shifts. I’m fine with bigger bases but let the infielders play where they want to for heaven’s sake.

I still don’t like the DH rule but it’s now celebrating its 50th Anniversary and probably isn’t going anywhere, unfortunately.

Okay. I have to finish this up. My editor has deadlines. Time waits for no man—or sports column.

And now time won’t wait for pitchers either!

Sports Quiz

Who was the “father” of the NBA shot clock? (Answer follows).

Born Today

That is to say, sports standouts born on April 6 include Hall of Fame catcher Mickey Cochrane (1903) and former BoSoxer Lou Merloni (1971).

Sports

Quote

“I must govern the clock, not be governed by it.” – Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir

Sports Quiz Answer

Dan Biasone of the Syracuse Nationals (who became the Philadelphia 76ers in 1963).

State Representative Mike Moffett was a Sports Management Professor for Plymouth State University and NHTI-Concord. He coauthored the award-winning “FAHIM SPEAKS: A Warrior-Actor’s Odyssey from Afghanistan to Hollywood and Back” which is available on Amazon. com. His e-mail address is mimoffett@comcast. net.

SATURDAY, APR. 8TH

Cinema 8 Parking Lot

9 Old Lakeshore Road, Gilford

8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Electronic Waste Collection Day Don’tTh row ItOut . . . Recy cleIt!

Recycle electronic items (phones, computers, air conditioners, etc.) for a disposal fee from $5 to $20 ($30 plus for TVs 26” & up). No paints, batteries, tires, items containing mercury, or hazardous wastes.

Fundraising Event To Benefit Laconia/Gilford Lions Club

Carlton Fisk was a very methodical and deliberate baseball player who may have struggled with MLB’s new pitch clock.”

Iran, the world’s largest sponsor of terror, stands on the brink of making a nuclear bomb.

He knows nothing about how inflation, still at 40-year highs, decreased the value of bank holdings, is

a major contributing factor to the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, and threatens the solvency of several more. He is oblivious to today’s cancerous “cancel culture” professors, who disagree with reparations, racebased preferences,

critical race theory and the DEI agenda, face denunciation by students and fellow faculty and termination by woke school administrators.

He, of course, knows about high gas prices but knows nothing the main contributing factor, Biden’s attack on oil and gas and his imposition of anti-fossil fuel policies and regulations.

My friend has a short drive to work in a fairly safe area and knows little about rising crime, including violent crime, and the soft-on-crime policies of the current Los An-

geles County DA. This denunciation of the “systemically racist” police has triggered an upsurge in crime not just in Los Angeles, but in other cities.

California has the country’s highest state income tax, ranks near the bottom in K-12 government schools despite spending over $20k per student, has a budget deficit of $20 billion and an unfunded pension liability at over $1.5 trillion, the highest in the nation. Housing prices at 175% above the national average helped drive a net population loss of 500,000 in the last three years.

My happy friend resembles the chainsmoker who grew tired of reading newspaper articles that linked cigarette smoking to cancer. So, he decided to stop... reading newspapers. Who knows? Maybe my friend has a point.

Larry Elder is a bestselling author and nationally syndicated radio talk-show host. To find out more about Larry Elder, or become an “Elderado,” visit www.LarryElder.com. Follow Larry on Twitter @larryelder. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.

Craft Beer Destinations in The Weirs!

WEIRS TIMES’ BEER FINDER

MAILBOAT from 2

coming out of that convention, assuring they are on the topics pre-determined in the Resolutions from the state legislatures.

Once verified, Congress chooses the method of ratification. ¾ of the states in our great Republic approve or deny all amendment proposals. It is a carefully guarded and protected process.

The Convention of States Resolution cannot expand the scope of the Federal government. Its purpose is to Limit the

Federal government, as you can see in the 3 subject matters proposed: fiscal restraints on the federal government, term limits on Congress and federal officials, and limit the power and jurisdiction of the federal government. Inalienable rights are NOT listed in this resolution for consideration. There have been no “runaway” conventions as feared.

For more information you can go to www.conventionofstates.com.

Richard Lucas Gilmanton, NH.

should be set to at least one MB. Let them know if you want to be identified with the photo and any helpful information such as location, date, etc. Or meet them at the 45 Main St. museum and they’ll make a duplicate as you wait.

Call 603-279-2275 to arrange a visit.

In addition, Annie and the Orphans, one of the most recognized local

bands for the last 60 years will also be remembered. From the Memorial Day weekend through fall, memorabilia of local legend Anatole (Annie) Paquette’s musical career will be displayed in the Historical Society’s window.

For more information contact meredithhistoricalsocietynh@gmail. com, a 501c.3 non-profit organization.

ACKERLY’S

Grill & Galley

83 Main Street, Alton 603.875.3383

Akerlysgrillandgalleyrestaurant.com

Woodstock - Dbl Pig’s Ear

Stoneface - IPA

Baxter - Coastal Haze

Tuckerman - Pale Ale

603 - Winni Amber Ale

COPPER KETTLE

TAVERN

At Hart’s Turkey Farm

Restaurant 233 D.W. Hwy, Meredith 603.279.6212

hartsturkeyfarm.com

Henniker - Working Man’s Porter

Concord Craft - Safe Space

Stoneface - IPA

Moat Mtn - Blueberry

603 - Winni Amber Ale

...+6 More On Tap

D.A. LONG TAVERN

At Funspot

579 Endicott St N., Weirs 603.366.4377 funspotnh.com

KCBC - A Cluckwork Orange

Northwoods - Lucky Cast

Jack’s Abby - Sunny Ridge

Resilience - Arethusa

Cushnoc - Satiator

Notch - Salem Lager

...+6 More On Tap

FOSTER’S TAVERN

403 Main Street Alton Bay, NH 603-875-1234

fosterstavernbythebay.com

Tuckerman - Pale Ale

Sam Adams - Seasonal

Sam Adams - Wicked Hazy

Maine Beer Co - Lunch

Newburyport Brewing Co -

Green Head IPA

...+2 More On Tap

JOHNSON’S

TAPHOUSE

At Johnson’s

Seafood & Steak

69 Rt 11, New Durham 603.859.7500

eatatjohnsons.com/ newdurham

Lone Pine -Brightside

Widowmaker -Blue Comet

Shipyard -Smashed

Pumpkin

Jack Abby -Red Tape

Muddy Road -1762 Porter

Northwoods -Autumn Buzz ...+30 More On Tap

MORRISSEYS’

Porch & Pub

286 S. Main St., Wolfeboro 603.569-3662

Morrisseysfrontporch.com

Smithwick’s Guinness

Harp

Concord Craft Safe Space

Concord Craft Coffee Stout

Stella Artois

...+11 More On Tap

OVER THE MOON FARMSTEAD

1253 Upper City Rd., Pittsfield overthemoonfarmstead.com

Oatmeal Stout

London Porter

Pitt Stop Pils

Coffee Porter

No Need To Argue -

Cranberry Mead

Maple Apple Cider ...+6 More On Tap

PATRICK’S PUB

18 Weirs Rd., Gilford 603.293.0841 Patrickspub.com

Patrick’s Slainte House Ale

Great North - Moose Juice

Guinness

Clown Shoes - Bubble Head 603 - Winni Amber Ale

Tuckerman - Pale Ale ...+9 More On Tap

THE WITCHES BREW PUB

At The Craft Beer Xchange 59 Doe Ave., Weirs Beach 603.409.9344

FB @craftbeerxchange

Ace – Pineapple Cider

Jack’s Abby – House Lager

Voodoo Ranger – Juice Force

Notch – Czech Pilsner

Woodstock – Kanc Maple Porter

Left Hand – Peanut Butter Milk Stout ...+30 More On Tap

** Tap listings subject to change!

PHOTOS from 1

tIPs For IntegrAtIng nAture Into your InterIor desIgn

(StatePoint) This spring home improvement season, get inspired by the outdoors with biophilic design.

“Biophilic design –the concept of integrating nature into interior design – is not only gorgeous, it fosters a healthy living environment, promotes happiness and comfort, and reduces stress,” says Jennifer Kline, multimedia graphic artist at ProVia. “There are many ways to reap these wellness benefits while adding vitality to your

living spaces.”

To connect to the natural world within your home, consider these ideas:

Foster Tranquility

Taking a stroll through the forest can summon feelings of tranquility. Capture this inner peace at home from the moment you step inside with a fiberglass woodgrain entry door. Those from ProVia provide authentic-looking woodgrain textures, such as oak, cherry, mahogany, knotty alder and fir, and can accommodate various door glass enhancements. Engineered for energy efficiency,

they’re also a sustainable choice, helping you protect the natural world as you embrace its splendor. Other design choices, such as exposed rustic ceiling timbers, rich hardwood furniture, warm hardwood floors and vinyl woodgrain windows can help you carry the forest motif throughout the home, while imbuing interiors with richness and warmth.

Let Light In

“If you’re lacking natural light, it’s time to open those blinds and drapes and let the sunlight stream through your win -

dows. It may also be time to consider a few enhancements that will help you enjoy more sunshine and observe your natural surroundings, even when you can’t be outdoors,” says Kline. For kitchens and breakfast nooks, bathrooms and dens, consider vinyl garden windows, which invite more light into your space and include shelves ideal for housing indoor plants, such as fragrant herbs. Their three-dimensional design helps give rooms an airy, spacious feel. Family rooms and bedrooms are great locations for vinyl picture windows, which let in large amounts of light while providing unobstructed views of outdoor scenery. Need inspiration? Visit ProVia’s Window Photo Gallery at www.provia. com/windows.

To brighten your foyer, add an entry door with glass. Energy efficient sliding glass patio doors also let in sunlight, and give you the option to invite fresh air into your home or enjoy the melodies of singing birds on nice days. Skylights can flood small or closed-off spaces such as walk-in closets or bathrooms with light and give you views of blue skies.

Let It Grow

To give your home a welcoming, fresh feel,

growIng herBs In ContAIners

by Melinda Myers

Keep your favorite herbs within easy reach for cooking and seasoning by growing them in containers. A few pots set by your door and grill or on the patio, deck, or balcony make it easy to include some homegrown flavor.

Start by growing those herbs you like to use for seasoning food and beverages, making pesto, or preserving. Include some with fragrance for a bit of aromatherapy or for your craft projects.

Make sure the plants you select will thrive in the amount of sunlight in the growing space. Most herbs prefer full sun but some like mint, thyme, chives, parsley, and lemon balm will tolerate some shade. A bit of afternoon shade is welcome to many sun-loving plants growing in hotter regions. Check the plant tag or seed packet for detailed planting information.

You can grow individual plants in their own container. Place these among other pots to create an attractive display. Or mix several different herbs in one larger container to create a herb garden in a single pot. Make sure all the herbs will thrive in the same soil moisture and sunlight.

In general, place three or four plants in a 10-12” pot, four to six in a 14-16” container, and six to eight in a 16 to 20” planter. Adjust this number based on the size of the transplants purchased and the mature size and growth habit of the

herb selected. Use a container with drainage holes to provide proper drainage and reduce the risk of root rot. Terra cotta pots dry quickly and are a good choice for those gardening in wetter regions or who tend to overwater. Plastic,

fiberglass, and glazed pots don’t dry out as quickly. Self-watering pots have water reservoirs to extend the time between watering. Use a quality potting mix that provides adequate drainage, as most herbs require well-drained soil. Whether planting seeds or plants, you will want to leave space between the top of the potting mix and the container. This allows you to water thoroughly without washing the soil out of the pot. Leave a space about half an inch in small planters and an inch or more between

‘Dolce Fresca’ basil growing and thriving in a container in full sun.

tIPs to mAIntAIn your home’s InterIor.

From Hippo and the Hippo Housepower guide

Keeping your home clean, organized, and proactively maintained is a good thing. It not only benefits the home as a structure, but it actually helps homeowners feel better. So put on your preferred podcast, or crank up your favorite jams and sing and dance your way through your chores. All homeowners can download the Hippo Housepower guide to learn how to quickly identify specific issues and take action before small issues turn into costly problems.

Refresh Your Cleaning Supplies

First things first— before you get started, give your cleaning supplies an overhaul. Toss the toxic supplies to create a cleaner, healthier and safer home. According to the American Lung Association, it’s imperative to avoid air products containing fragrances, irritants, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and flammable ingredients. Instead, replace them with cleaning supplies that meet the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Safer Choice requirements to keep your household happy.

Freshen Up Your Wardrobe With A Quick Vodka Spritz

Ready to swap your loungewear for your denim and light sweat-

ers? If your clothes have been tucked away since the beginning of the pandemic, you can eliminate any mustiness with a homemade spray. Put vodka (don’t use the good stuff; any inexpensive brand will do) into an empty spray bottle, then spritz onto clothes until damp to the touch. Let sit, then wash the garment as usual.

Vodka can be an excellent, eco-friendly cleaning solution for your accessories, too. Soak real metal jewelry, like silver and gold (avoid this process for costume jewelry, pearls, or precious stones) in a pure vodka solution, then use a small brush or soft cloth to clean away any debris.

Use Old T-Shirts, Socks Or Newspaper To Clean Glass

The next time you’re doing laundry (or teaching your kids how to do it), set aside any old cotton laundry. These items are excellent for giving windows and mirrors a streak-free cleaning. To up your eco-friendliness even more, try a chemicalfree, DIY cleanser. Mix the same parts white vinegar and water, then shake, spritz and wipe dry. No old tees? That’s fine. A newspaper will do the trick as a standin for paper towels, and is a great way to repurpose an item that may have ended up in the trash.

Erase Wall Scuffs

You can clear most scuffs with a light mixture of soap and water. For tougher scuffs, use a Magic Eraser. But for anything truly stubborn, don’t continue to scrub and further ruin your wall—just break out the paint.

Use Coffee Filters On Device Screens

Is your TV screen covered in fingerprints and smudges, affecting the picture quality? These very expensive gadgets require a delicate touch. For a quick clean that won’t scratch, glide a coffee filter over the screen. This will also work on computer screens and tablets, too.

See INTERIOR on 23

INTERIOR from 21 Dust Your Ceiling Fans

Before you get started, protect the space from becoming dustier by placing a drop cloth or an old sheet over the area, about twice the blades’ span. Then use a duster to wipe the span of the blades. Once completely clean, pick up the drop cloth and launder.

Clean Windows On A Chilly Day

Did you know that if you clean your windows when they are warm, the cleaning solution will streak?

To cut down on possible scratches, soak the glass surface with a mixture of clean water and mild soap, let sit and then apply a gentle cleaning product and wipe with a microfiber cleaning cloth.

Purify The Air

Sure, you can always invest in one of the super-expensive oscillating home air-purifiers, but maybe keep it simple and try leaving the windows open for a few hours. This releases any stagnant air and the breeze will move new air through your home.

Steam-Clean

Furniture

Shelter in place has left us all sitting on our couches or lounge chairs more than we ever have before. This exposes the fabric to heat, sweat, dust and grime. Use a steamer meant for furniture and upholstery for a deep clean.

Don’t Forget The Carpets

The signs of mold can creep into your home completely unnoticed, and in the wet winter months, the likelihood increases. Now that it’s spring, get out your carpet cleaner to do a thorough cleaning to help remove excess moisture and clear out and eliminate any mold.

Change Your HVAC Filter

A dirty HVAC filter can lead to health concerns. An easy fix that anyone can do is to swap out filters every few months, usually when the seasons change, to maintain a functional heating and cooling system that keeps the air clean.

Leave Your Fireplace To The Professionals

Fireplaces can become dirty, blocked and cracked, and chimney issues not only can be fire hazards but can also impact the air quality in your home. The safest course of action is to leave it to the professionals and make sure to schedule a routine annual cleaning and inspection. Still want to do what you can yourself? Check out these tips to maintain your fireplace between inspections.

Wash Your Pet’s Bed

Since your pets have been spending more time at home, too, you’ve probably also made your pet’s space more comfortable for them during quarantine. Unfortunately, a dust mite’s favorite hangout is most likely the bed of your pet. To kick the bugs out, clean the bed in the washing machine on the highest temperature setting and place the bed outdoo

More tips next week.

The photo on top left shows a dark woodgrain kitchen that was refaced with a light cherry woodgrain, plus new doors and drawer fronts to brighten up kitchen. The same kitchen could have been refaced with any woodgrain or solid color you see in the photo of sample doors. Refacing your cabinets is less than HALF

with nearly 200,000. That’s not surprising as the GBBC originated in the U.S. and has only recently gone global.

Can you guess the states that had the most participants? I’ll give you a hint: They are also the same states with the most species recorded, in the same order interestingly. The states are California, Texas and Florida. With their warm climate, varied habitats and substantial coastlines, those states had 391, 373 and 314 species, respectively. California had nearly 22,000 checklists turned in.

Species count and participation numbers throughout New England are much more modest, for obvious reasons. I mean, it is February in New England. Massachusetts,

however, did have a good showing with more than 7,500 checklists submitted. That was 10th most in the country. New Hampshire was 28th with 2,227 lists submitted. Vermont, for the record, was 31st with 1,935.

New Hampshire birders found 121 species with most of the unique species, again not surprisingly, coming from Rockingham County along the coast. Birders from Belknap County saw 51 species.

A few species highlights, for me anyway, included the 150 evening grosbeaks spotted by a participant in Colebrook in Coos County. Another Colebrook counter had 180 snow buntings. Another northern gem spotted up north was the spruce grouse recorded in the White Mountains. Spruce grouse is a target bird for me. I’ve spent many hours walking through the woods of northern New Hampshire and am yet to find one.

In Charleston, one birder saw 1,500 Can-

ada geese, the high count for any one species by one observer in the state. That’s an impressive number, but not as much as the one million snow geese found by an observer in Missouri. That was the largest group of birds found by anyone in the country. The biggest flocks I’ve ever seen are the brant that gather on the coast of Long Island Sound in the winter. I’ve seen flocks as large as a few thousand birds. I can’t imagine what one million birds looks like.

Overall, counters in the U.S. found 670 species, which ranked 10th out of the 202 countries that had participants. Now can you guess which country had the most species? That would be Colombia with 1,321 species, followed by Ecuador with 1,115 and India with 1,1075. Following India, the next five countries are in either South America or Central America.

See? I told you I loved stats. Birds, sports, whatever.

BOSAK from 11

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the top of the pot and potting mix in larger containers.

Water new plantings and seedlings often enough to keep the soil slightly moist. Gradually reduce frequency and water thoroughly when the top inch of soil is crumbly and dry. Check containers once a day and more often in extremely hot weather. Water thoroughly as needed.

Reduce watering and increase success by incorporating Wild Valley Farms’ wool pellets (wildvalleyfarms.com) into the planting mix. This sustainable soil amendment reduces watering by up to 25% and adds air space for better plant growth.

Harvest a few leaves and stems as needed throughout the growing season. Regular harvesting encourages more growth for future harvests. Herbs have the most intense flavor when harvested just before flowering. You can remove even more when large amounts of herbs are needed for

preserving and craft projects. Cut annual herbs back by 50 to 75% and perennial herbs by one-third at one time. The plants will recover for future harvests.

Make room for some herb-filled containers to enjoy this summer. They make great additions to outdoor gatherings for you and your guests to enjoy their beauty, fragrance, and flavor.

Melinda Myers has written more than 20 gardening books, including the recently released Midwest Gardener’s Handbook, 2nd Edition and Small Space Gardening. She hosts The Great Courses “How to Grow Anything” instant video and DVD series and the nationally syndicated Melinda’s Garden Moment radio program. Myers is a columnist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine and was commissioned by Wild Valley Farms for her expertise to write this article. Myers’ website is www.MelindaMyers.com.

add various houseplants and indulge in fresh-cut flowers. A windowsill with small plants of varying shades of green can add texture, while larger potted plants near doorways help guests feel welcome. Fill dark, underutilized spaces with taller plants and place bright, lightly-scented garden flowers in such spots as the kitchen island and coffee tables. Use earthen or wood-carved vases for additional warmth.

Create Drama

From the warm brown tones of a picturesque southwestern mesa to the cool, earthy feel of quarried rock, manufactured stone veneer adds rugged texture, intriguing patterns and shapes, and a variety of hues straight from Earth’s natural color palette. Whether you’re creating a focal point in a bedroom with an ac -

cent wall, adding character to your kitchen with a stone veneer backsplash, surrounding a tub with stone veneer for a spa-like bathroom, or highlighting your fireplace, different stone profiles and grout colors can help you customize the look. Experiment with combinations using ProVia’s visualizer tool found at provia. com/stone/grout-visualizer.

“Incorporating biophilic elements into your interior design can transform your home into a warm respite from your busy life,” says Kline.

DESISGN from 18

MYERS from 19

Babe was very human. His legend also includes stories of overconsumption and promiscuity that somehow further enhances his legend. While the Christy Mathewsons and Lou Gehrigs of the baseball world were saintly, Ruth was a big-hearted figure of excess to whom fans could more easily relate.

The Babe was truly larger than life.

The Babe In New Hampshire

As a Red Sox star, Ruth inevitably spent considerable time in the Granite State. He’d sometimes visit the Draper and Maynard

sporting goods factory in Plymouth. The old D&M building on Plymouth’s North Main Street is now owned by Plymouth State University and one can find wonderful photos there of the Babe visiting that town over a century ago.

But lesser known Ruthian tales tie him in to New Hampshire’s Lakes Region as well. Mike Hatch of Bristol recently shared family stories of the Babe hanging out in places like Meredith and

Center Harbor—stories that are too good to not finally share.

Now 80 years old, Hatch spoke of the Babe’s influence on his own family—further underscoring Ruth’s lingering “larger-than-life” persona.

“My grandmother and a relative of Ruth’s were college roommates,” claimed Hatch. “They eventually got jobs at a bar near Fenway Park back when Babe was playing in Boston.”

Hatch explained that Ruth spent much time at that tavern, just before Prohibition.

“I know this might shock you, but the Babe loved to drink,”

knew some Hatch family members. That grandfather used to take him to a big hotel in Center Harbor, a well-known place that catered to big shots, to include European royalty. That sounded plausible. Lake Winnipesaukee has long been a destination for the rich and famous. And a big shot who was a regular visitor was Babe Ruth.

“The guy who called me said his grandfather knew a lot of people from around Lake Winnipesaukee and they all looked forward to Ruth’s regular visits. When Ruth came up to New Hampshire he’d bring bags of candy for the children. They’d follow him around as though he was the Pied Piper.”

That sure sounds like Ruth’s modus operandi.

The New Yorker spoke of his own grandfather’s place on Badger Hill that was a great site for snow sledding. It even had a ski jump.

“The Babe loved to come up and go snow sliding with the youngsters. He was like a big kid. And he loved going out on the Winnipesaukee ice to fish with all kinds of local folks. He loved having fun. And there was another big hotel in Meredith where he’d often hang out.”

said Hatch with a smile.

Hatch shared numerous stories of the Babe cavorting around Lake Winnipesaukee, some of which are fit for print— others, not so much.

“Years ago, a guy from upstate New York contacted me out of the blue and asked me if I was Mike Hatch and if Leon Hatch was my father,” recalled Mike. “I said yes, why?”

The New Yorker explained that his own grandfather once lived in the Lakes Region and

Supposedly, the Babe had a Winnipesaukee love interest. That’s plausible. Local love interest(s) may help account for his many visits here. Subsequent speculation on that subject prompted me to visit Wikipedia.

The Babe’s Many Loves

Ruth’s Red Sox debut was in July of 1914. He soon met a waitress named Helen Woodford at a luncheonette near Fenway Park. On October 17 of that year the 19-year-old Ruth

Mike Hatch’s father Leon, wearing a uniform given him by Babe Ruth

Babe Ruth snow sliding, replete with Red Sox winter jacket.

Babe Ruth wearing

married the 16-year-old Woodford at St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Ellicott City, Maryland, where Ruth had attended boarding school.

The Babe and Helen moved to New York when Ruth was sold to the Yankees before the 1920 season. On September 23, 1922, the couple introduced their 16-month-old daughter Dorothy to the public. That the couple had a daughter was a surprise to most. But that was before the information age.

Now we know that Dorothy was born June 7, 1921, in New York City at St. Vincent’s Hospital to Juanita Jennings and she was later adopted by the Babe and Helen. Dorothy was raised believing Helen to be her biological mother. Helen may not have known that Dorothy was the result of an extramarital affair between Babe and his girlfriend Jennings. Many think that when Ruth learned of his mistress’ pregnancy, he convinced Helen—unaware that Babe was the father—to adopt the baby girl, with Jennings’ acquiescence.

Ruth’s marriage would be a casualty of his celebrity and excesses. Helen moved back to Massachusetts, but the

couple never divorced due to their Catholicism. Helen died in a mysterious housefire in January of 1929. Ruth then married Claire Hodgson just before the opening day of the 1929 baseball season. (He hit a home run in his first at-bat that season against the Red Sox.) Ruth soon adopted Claire’s daughter Julia, while Claire adopted Dorothy in 1930. They all lived together, with Claire’s extended family, in an apartment on West 88th Street.

Claire died in 1976. Dorothy passed away in 1989. Julia died in 2019 at the age of 102. Having lived for many of her later years in Conway, N.H., she died a Red Sox fan. She actually threw out the first pitch at a Red Sox game at Fenway Park to celebrate her 100th birthday in July 2016.

Which all brings us back to the Babe and Lake Winnipesaukee.

Ruth Loved Lake Winnipesaukee

In chatting with Hatch about the Babe’s many trips here I was struck by how little people knew about his Winnipesaukee connection.

“Think about Big Papi or Mookie Betts coming up here regularly to have fun,” I said. “Can you imagine the public-

ity?”

I lamented that there were no photos from those days to help document Ruth’s love for this area.

“But there are!” said Hatch.

“You’re kidding!”

“I’ll share a few.”

Mike unearthed a special calendar which featured 12 Babe Ruth photos, one for each month, courtesy of the

Lewis R. Moulton collection. Five of these photos accompany this feature. The youngster in the Red Sox uniform is Mike Hatch’s father, Leon. The uniform was a gift from Babe Ruth himself. It’s not clear whether any of the females is Ruth’s wife Helen. The photos were taken circa 1917 when

Helen would have only been around 19 years old.

Babe Ruth passed away in 1948, only 53 years old, ravaged by throat cancer. As with any super-celebrity, stories abounded about his personal life. Separating fact from fiction is difficult. And while Ruth relished the spotlight,

many of his friends and family preferred privacy.

Two weeks before her death in 1980, Juanita Jennings told Dorothy Ruth that she (Juanita) was Dorothy’s real mother. Later, according to a 1988 New York Times story—published a year before her death—Dorothy claimed that Ruth had 15 descendants, none of whom played baseball. Clearly the Bambino had numerous relationships and love interests around the country, including New Hampshire. It’s only natural to contemplate Ruth’s descendants walking amongst us. What we do know for sure is that 100 years ago, in 1923, after Ruth’s visits to Lake Winnipesaukee ceased, he led the New York Yankees to their first World Series triumph. And we also know that his light in that constellation of American sports stars still shines as brightly as ever.

Babe Ruth on a local hill, circa 1917, with a pipe, a youngster, a sled, a dog and two women.

a fur coat, along with a couple fellow winter travelers, outside a local plumbing and heating store.

BABE from 26

ment systems depend on a growing population. Stagnant population growth means more and more retirees per each individual in the workforce. It’s why our Social Security system is bankrupt.

Zero population growth means an aging population and increasing health care costs. In 2019, 56% of all health care costs were in age groups 55 and above. The overall burden of health care costs will continue to increase as the percentage of the population over 55 increases.

There are also implications on national security of attitudes that devalue patriotism and national service.

We now have a volunteer military. This can’t work with a population of young people who

feel no sense of identity and obligation to their nation.

Again, the results are predictable. In 2022, the Army fell 15,000 short of its recruiting goal.

National defense spending is 3% of GDP, very low by historical standards.

The Wall Street Journal reports our Navy’s fleet of ships will shrink to 291 by 2028 from 297 today. And the number of aircrafts in the Air Force is diminishing.

Only 21% of those surveyed say that our country “stands above all countries in the world.”

But our country is only the product of its citizenry. A free nation under God becomes less free, and less great, as the Creator is traded in for materialism and

egotism.

We have elections coming in 2024. President Joe Biden, assuming he runs, will run on more of what is destroying our nation. It is up to Republicans to run on principles and ideals, in hope that we can mend our rapidly sinking ship of state.

Star Parker is president of the Center for Urban Renewal and Education and host of the weekly television show “Cure America with Star Parker.” 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.

id reduced deaths so much that the company was advised to stop the clinical trials and just give subjects the drug.

Still, the Food and Drug Administration wouldn’t let the rest of us take it for another three months.

Government kills people by delaying approval of life-saving drugs.

Yes, we want to be sure any new drug is safe, and delaying months is a big improvement over the 10 years they usually take. But it’s still too long!

My brother’s potentially life-saving drug, gelsolin, has been inching through the review process for almost 10 years.

The FDA’s delays are a reason drugs cost so much.

At least during the pandemic, the FDA

loosened regulations to get some medicines to people faster. Great.

But of course, once government is involved with anything, lots of things become more difficult.

Health and Human Services decided that they would distribute the pills.

One result: I can’t get Paxlovid delivered from my local pharmacy.

CVS says it delivers, but their phone system hangs up when I ask for that. I send my son to pick it up.

The cost? Zero dollars, proudly printed on the label.

When government pays for things, common sense often goes away.

Paxlovid comes with 19 pages of detailed ... instructions?

There is nonsense like “important notice re -

lated to privacy,” telling me to sign and return a paper to CVS acknowledging “I have received CVS/Pharmacy Notice of Privacy.”

That’s another government complication, a HIPAA privacy rule. Government’s obsession with paperwork and rules deters medical research and forces all of us to lie, (c’mon, you’ve done it), claiming we read fine print almost no one reads.

I’m glad I’m not dead. I’m grateful to Pfizer for creating Paxlovid. I’m grateful I live in America.

But more and more, I hate the intrusions of our ever-growing government.

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

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PARKER from 6

STOSSEL from 7

The first church in Dover, New Hampshire was begun in 1633, a decade after it was first settled, when some “Puritan leaning newcomers” arrived and set up what has been called the first parish. A log church was built in 1634 and Rev. William Leveridge served two years as the minister. He was followed by Rev. George Burdet who also stayed for two years, though John Scales, in The History of Strafford County, says that the church became “a regularly organized church” in 1638. The third minister of the church, Rev. Hanserd Knollys, also served but two years, and was followed by a very popular minister, Rev. Thomas Larkham, who came to New Hampshire from an area in northern England called Northam. In honor of their preacher the name of the town of Dover was changed to Northam, only to be changed back

church and civil government. Around 135 years after Wheelwright landed in Massachusetts we find that New Hampshire towns were being organized by cooperate efforts of local governments and local churches.

to Dover later. Our emphasis here though, is that the town and the church worked together until June of 1762 when they became separate organizations. Before that, according to Mr. Scales, “the town built the meeting houses, and there were held the town meetings, as well as the church meetings, and the town voted support for the ministers and other current expenses.” So, “the town and the parish were one until 1762.” The church building was not equipped with a bell so Richard Pinkham was hired “to beat the drum on the Lord’s Day to call the people to meeting.”

The Lord’s Day was the day that Jesus Christ rose from the dead.

Rev. Stephen Bachiler led a group of Christians in the settlement of the town of Hampton, though he is said to have been one of the first to speak out in favor of the separation of

In Sanbornton, at the second annual town meeting in 1771, it was voted to appoint and clear a place for the town and church to meet in that year. In August of that year a special town meeting was held for the purpose “...of considering proposals for the settling a minister.” he result was to give one Mr. Joseph Woodman a call to settle a gospel ministry in the town. The pastoral package that Sanbornton offered to Mr. Woodman, according to The History of Sanbornton by M.T. Runnels, was as follows: A salary of $200 a year for the first two years with $180 of that in money and $20 in labor. After that it would be $120 in money and $80 in labor. The preacher would also be supplied with “20 cords of good fire-wood, cut into cordwood length, to be hauled yearly, to Mr. Woodman’s door.”

In addition $100 in labor, enough to build the frame for a house, was to be provided during the first year. The remainder of goods needed to finish the building of the house was promised for the second year of the preacher’s service. At a town meeting on Oct.7, 1771 the town’s people gave Mr. Woodman some liberties in his position. They voted that “Mr. Woodman, if he settles in the gospel ministry in this town, shall have the liberty to preach old sermons when his health will not admit of his making new ones...” They also agreed that he “shall have liberty to be ab-

sent three sabbaths in a year, yearly, to visit his friends.”

I suppose the main reason that there was

if they practiced any religion, they were all Christians.

The first residents of Northfield were reported not all to have been godly men and women, but the fact that they were descendants of the Puritans motivated them to build churches. In the course of time, with differences of religious practice and doctrine increasing, the marriages of the local church and the local towns came to an end.

Still, in many Christian churches, though known by different names, the foundational truths of Christianity concerning the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ are taught and celebrated this week as they have been since they happened. I would encourage you to join in the celebrations and to consider the faith of our forefathers with contemporary believers this weekend.

so much cooperation between towns and churches in the English settlements in New Hampshire is that,

—OBITUARY—

MARY SCHWAGER, 1954-2023

Mary Topinka Schwager, born July 20, 1954 to parents Leone Michalski Topinka and Rudolph “Rudy” J. Topinka, peacefully departed her earthly home March 18, 2023 in the company of family.

Mary was beloved by all who knew her and touched innumerable lives with her generosity, warmth, and selfless acts of love. She enjoyed literature and quilting, and was fascinated by the call of the loons and natural beauty surrounding her lakeside and coastal residences, but perhaps her greatest passion was helping others wherever she saw need. She was known for her contagious smile and laughter, which could immediately illuminate a room and lift the lowest of spirits.

As a devout Christ-follower, she was an integral member of the Christian community and dedicated her life to spreading her savior’s message of light and love. Mary was equally devoted to her family, for whom she expressed her unconditional love by building a supportive, joyous, and nurturing home for her husband and daughters, and being a loving nana to her grandchildren.

She is survived by husband Robert, daughters Anna and Emilie, and siblings Carol, Sally, Susan, and Thomas. Mary’s presence will be deeply missed but her spirit will continue to brighten this world as it lives on in the hearts and memories of all who love her.

In lieu of flowers, donations made “in honor of Mary Schwager” will benefit the Mothers with Children Program at the Bridgeport Rescue Mission, online at bridgeportrescuemission.org or by check to Bridgeport Rescue Mission P. O. Box 9057 Bridgeport, CT 06601.

Rev. Hanserd Knollys

Rev. Thomas Larkham SMITH from 3

by Parker & Hart

SUPER CROSSWORD

PUZZLE CLUE: THEATER FOOD

B.C.

MAGIC MAZE SUDOKU

THEME THIS WEEK: ZERO

CAPTION CONTEST

OUR PICK FOR BEST CAPTION

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-David Doyon, Moultonborough, NH

Runners Up : Political season upon us, little Ellie throws her hat into the ring - Bob Watson, Bristol, NH,

China’s redesigned satellite steals recipes from seniors with permanent waves. - Bob Patrick, Moultonborough, NH.

Look out glass ceilings, this gal is way “ A Head” of her time. - David Barth, Laconia, NH

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PHOTO #958

PHOTO #956

The Winklman Aeffect by John Whitlock