09/29/2022 Weirs Times

On The AppAlAchiAn TrAil in MAine

100 Mile Wilderness & Katahdin - Part I

by Amy Patenaude Outdoor/Ski Columnist

A year ago, last September Ju lie and I backpacked from Strat ton To Caratunk and then a few weeks later, thanks to unseasonably warm weather, we went back to Maine and completed the section from Caratunk to Monson. Then all that was left for me to complete the Maine Appalachian Trail (AT) was the 100 Mile Wilderness and Mount Katahdin.

Julie had been home just a few weeks since back packing the John Muir Trail with her daughter. She assured me she was excited to go. Certainly she was in great shape after covering a couple hundred miles in the Sierras.

We drove to Monson on the Wednesday after Labor Day.

A mile up the road from downtown Monson and the popular hiker hostel Shaws is 100 Mile Wilderness Adventures and Outfitters where we had booked a cabin, a shuttle and a food drop. The owner, Phil Pe pin, dreamed and built a wonderful place for outdoor enthusiasts who prefer a more traditional Maine ex perience. It is a quiet place where you can hear the Loons and gaze at the bright stars and maybe play Scrabble or sit by a campfire. There’s no wifi.

Pepin, a Registered Maine Guide, has thru hiked the AT and knows the 100 Mile Wilderness well. He suggested campsites and marked our maps and showed us the location of his bear box for the food drop. He made us coffee in the morning too. When he dropped us off he told us to contact him if we needed anything.

Day 1, Thursday Morning, The Distance To Katahdin Is 114.5 Miles.

Just after 7am we headed up the AT, carrying our heavy backpacks with five days of food and a couple of liters of water. We walked over slate ledges, slip pery when wet and past ponds. Three times we had to remove our trail shoes and put on our Crocs to wade across the streams. The water was cold and felt good. We passed by three Maine Men. That’s what I called them since they

COMPLIMENTARY

THE WEIRS, LAKE WINNIPESAUKEE, N.H., THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2022

VOLUME 31, NO. 39

Julie Weisman (L) of Franconia, NH and Amy Patenaude on the summit of Mt. Katahdin on the morning of September 16th. It was their 9th day of backpacking across the 100 Mile Wilderness and Baxter State Park. Baxter Peak on Katahdin, elevation 5,267 feet, is the highest point in Maine and the Northern Terminus of the Appalachian Trail. Rime ice welcomed them above treeline along with 20-30 mph winds. This week we present the first part of their two part adventure.

Thanks From Testerman

To The Editor:

Congratulations! And Thank You!

You the People of New Hamp shire did an amazing job on September 13!

You told the establishment that regardless of all the money they poured into this state to muck up the works, we still advanced 75% of the top of the ticket and many of the support ing candidates! You Did It!

After burning the midnight oil, encouraging, educating, writing, notifying and physi cally delivering sample ballots and signs, each and every one of you deserve time to relax, refresh, and recoup.

So many of our family, friends and acquaintances woke up to realize that success depended on the physical involvement of each and everyone of us. We The People must be awake and must persevere. We must stay the course.

New Hampshire is in a war! A war for the hearts and minds of our children. A war for medical freedom. A war for limited gov ernment When the war rages, it is frightening. Emotions run high as we watch our loved ones die or become victims of the cabal.

But we live in the Granite State. The state where patriots like you abound. The home of John Stark (live free or die for death is not the worst of evils), Wentworth Cheswell, (the black “Paul Revere who rode to warn our patriots), the home of Dan

iel Webster, Matthew Thornton, and so many others who fought for our God given freedoms.

These patriots had robust, intense and passionate discus sions. And yet, when the time for action came, they set aside an extended period of time to ask for divine intervention… regrouped.. and focused on the prize…Our Freedoms.

You Are The Patriots! Let’s continue to resolve to restore constitutional leadership. Let’s resolve to build a culture of life! Let’s resolve to restore the pro tection of our God given rights!

Let’s resolve to never give up fighting to make New Hamp shire Free again!

Karen Testerman

Thanks From Bean

To The Editor:

I would like to take a second to thank everybody who voted in the primary, September 13th, especially those who put their confidence in me and to remind you to vote at the gen eral election on November 8th. It is very important to all of us to get out and vote. I believe that if the republicans, inde pendent, and Democrats work together we would be capable of coming to a compromise on most issues. Communication is a must.

Respectfully Rep Harry H Bean.

Our StOry

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

Running For State Rep

To The Editor:

My name is Lisa Smart. I graduated from Inter-Lakes HS in 1975. I am a member of this community for about 49yrs.

My parents, my aunt, my 5 siblings and their spouses, all reside in the Lakes Region as do my children and grandchildren.

I’ve worked in Medical Im aging for the last 21yrs after graduating from NHTI as one of the top 4 students of my class. I still maintain my licensure in 3 modalities as well as being a licensed Realtor.

Prior to that I was employed at a local animal hospital for 16yrs. Currently I am retired, although the inflation we are all “enjoying” is certainly making it a challenge.

I am running for State Repre sentative for Meredith, District 2. I am a proud conservative Republican. I am not a politi cian, as a matter of fact, this is my first time seeking a political office of any kind.

The current inflation, not to mention the fact that we are watching our country go to hell in a hand basket, is why I de cided to seek election.

If the liberals continue to have their way, we will not rec ognize the country, the state of NH, never mind the town, we are left with. We need to stand together to protect and preserve our NH way of life!

Will you stand with me?! Vote Smart on November 8th!

Lisa Smart Meredith, NH.

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 1-888-308-8463.

PO Box 5458 Weirs, NH 03247

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The pOliTicAl Scene SixTy yeArS AgO new hAMpShire cOnTeSTAnTS

by Robert Hanaford Smith, Sr. Contributing Writer

Don’t you long for the days of old when all was peaceful in the world of politics? I’m not sure when that was. There have been moments of true bipar tisanship and expres sions of unity between political parties, but more often we experi ence true division and disagreement, not only between the parties, but within the parties. So we have elections, and laws, and govern ments, and judges in an effort to maintain order.

As the country faced a national November election in October of the year 1962, sixty years ago, two promi nent New Hampshire Republicans had the legitimacy of their pri mary elections chal lenged by their oppo nents.

Representative Per kins Bass had his pri mary election chal lenged by Mrs. Doloris Bridges who was one of four candidates run

ning in a special elec tion to be the Republi can candidate to suc ceed her late husband, Sen. Styles Bridges as one of New Hamp shire’s two senators. She lost the election to Bass by 1,700 votes, but contended that he broke election laws by not filing accurate financial statements with the Secretary of State. There was a $25,000 spending lim it and Mrs. Bridges insisted that, if Bass had included all ex penses, he would have exceeded the limit.

The case involved an ad that had been placed in several newspapers the day

In 1962, NH State Representative Perkins Bass had his primary election challenged by Mrs. Doloris Bridges.

EVENTS & ACTIVITIES

Mt Washington Valley October Craft Fair

Don’t miss the Mount Washington Valley October Craft Fair on Sat urday and Sunday, October 1-2 at Schouler Park in downtown North Conway in front of the Scenic Rail road. The times are Saturday 10am to 5pm & Sunday 10am to 4pm. There will be Live Music both days. There will be over 100 amazing arts & crafts exhibitors displaying a wide arrange of arts & crafts including handsome cedar wood furniture, beautiful handpainted glassware, handsome wooden American flags, handsome pottery, wrought iron creations, leather jewelry, soy

candles, Americana folk art & furniture, charcute rie boards, many different signs & home decor, water color and acrylic paintings, face paintings, wooden decor, handpoured soaps, body care products, home made fudge, kettle corn, books, gourmet foods, cat & dog toys, children’s toys, embroidery, quilted items, wildlife and landscape pho tography, tie dyes, hand painted metal & wood & lots more.

John Ferreira Exhibit At Meredith Gallery

A special Photographic Art Exhibit titled “Studies in Still Life” by local Photogra pher; John Ferreira will be on display at “The Galleries at 30 Main” from September 29th through October 9th with an opening reception on Thursday the 29th from 4:00 – 6:00. The winter months in New England can be challenging times for artists who rely on the outdoors and all its elements to do their work. As an outdoor photog rapher, John decided to create a body of work over the winter months that could largely be conducted indoors or very close to home if outside. His latest collection of photographs is a take on the classical “still life” painting, but with his own photographic twist and vision of the subjects. His challenge with this new body of work was to show the “essence” of the subjects while in a limited landscape and to show them in a different perspective.

As is typical with John’s work, he tries, using photographic techniques, to slow down and freeze those moments in time with his subjects that tell the broader story of what is there and to transport the viewer to that special, sometimes magical place. The World around us often appears quite different and more wondrous if we slow down and observe.

John is a self-taught photographer and has been actively involved in photography all his life. His principal focus is landscape and nature photography. He produces all prints himself using pigment inks on museum grade cotton paper which creates very long-lasting prints.

John has been invited into multiple national events and has been the recipient of several awards.

He has been a lifelong resident of New England and maintains residence in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire

His work is on permanent display at The Galleries at 30 Main Street in Meredith, NH. To see more of his work visit: www.johnFphoto.com

Held Rain or Shine Under Canopies.

Friendly, Leashed Dogs Welcome. For more Info Call Joyce (603) 387.1510 or Preview online at joycescraftshows.com GPS Address: 1 Norcross Circle, North Conway.

Winnipesaukee Wellness Center Open House

To celebrate the first anniver sary of its present location, The Winnipesaukee Wellness Center in Moultonborough is hosting an Open House on Friday, September 30 from 7 am-3:30pm.

The public is welcome to stop by the Rt 25 gym to tour the facility, meet the staff, and engage with the present membership.

WWC is a nonprofit exercise site for all ages. The atmo sphere is relaxed and non competetive.

Refreshments will be served and fre door prizes will be given.

The Center is located at 60 Whittier Highway. Call 603253-1839 for more information.

Meredith Historical Society To Feature NH Art & Artists

The Meredith Historical Society invites the public to its upcoming program on Tuesday, October 4th titled “Granite State Gallery: NH Art and Artists Through the Years”. The program will be presented by Jane Oneail who will examine works by itinerant and folk painters, landscape artists drawn to the state’s scenic vistas, and modern artists that adopted bold styles to depict everyday life in the Granite State. Jane Oneail is the founder of Culturally Curious, an arts edu cation consulting firm specializing in art appre ciation programs. Jane holds a master’s in Art History from Boston University and a master’s in Education from Harvard University. A New Hampshire native, Jane has worked at some of the state’s most esteemed cultural institutions and has also taught at the college level for more than a decade.

Karen Thorndike, President of the Meredith Historical Society noted that the Society is grate ful to NH Humanities for their support in making this program possible. “What a great topic! We’re thrilled to have this as part of our Program Series,” added Thorndike. The program will be held at the Community Center, 1 Circle Drive and begin at 7:00 PM. Doors open at 6:30 PM for light refreshments. The program is free and all are welcome. For more information about the Meredith Historical Society please visit them on Facebook or at www.meredithhistoricalsocietynh.org

Jane Oneail.

Ribbon cutting for the Grand Opening of the Winnipesaukee Wellness Center in Moultonborough.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

pOeTry

They Could Say What They Wanted To Try And Give Us A Scare As Long As They Approved Of The Message No One Would Care

I Needed Some Air I Thought That Would Help So I Walked To The Mailbox Then Let Out A Yelp

by Brendan Smith Weirs Times Editor

I Turned On The News To See What Was What I Heard People Telling Me Who Was Good And Who’s Not

There Were Less Drug Commercials Which At First Made Me Pleased But Now Too Many Messages About Which Politician Was A Sleaze

There Was A Plethora Of Ads For Maggie, Chris And Don As Well As For Karoline They Went On And On And On

No One Said

What They Would Actually Do They Only Yapped That The Other One Didn’t Have A Clue

All Rarely Talked About The Solutions They Had Just About The Other One And Why They Were Bad

I Couldn’t Escape Them No Matter The Station I Just Wanted The Weather But It Was All Aggravation

First Maggie Would Tell Us How Bad Don Would Be And Then Next Don Would Say The Problem Was She

Then Chris Would Come On To Say Only He Is The Best Then Karoline Would Say He’s Just Like The Rest

Sometimes I Would Turn To A Station From Mass But They Were Yelling There Too Saying Everyone Else Was An Ass

After A Dozen Or So Of These Repetitive Ads I Couldn’t Take Any More And Was Getting Quite Mad

I Turned Off The TV And Decided To Rest But A Knock On The Door But Me To The Test

There Was A Young Girl There With Papers And Such Who Told Me Not To Vote For Someone Who Was Nuts

I Should Vote For Her Guy Because He Was The One Who Would End Global Warming By Stopping The Sun

I Asked Where He Stood On This Issue And That She Hemmed And She Hawed And Then Decided To Scat

Then I Heard In My Pocket A Small Buzzing Sound I Reached For My Cell Phone And A Message I Found

It Was Someone Unknown Who Wanted My Dollar Bills For Their Candidate Who Would Surely Solve All Our Ills

I Didn’t Reply And Put It On Mute Since I Wasn’t About To Give Him My Loot

It Was Loaded With Postcards Some As Big As The Sea Full Of Useless Information About The Faces I Saw TV

Some Were From Groups Who Supported This One Or That While Talking About The Other One Who Was No Good And A Rat

But There Were Some New Ones Those More Local And Near Talking About Their Opponent And What I Should Fear

He Doesn’t Want That And He Doesn’t Want This While Ignoring Themselves And What They Would Dismiss

The Postcards Were Heavy I Carried Them To The House Not To Read Them And Ponder About Which One Was A Louse

Instead I Went Downstairs To The Basement Within And Placed Them With The Others In The Recycling Bin

Some Will Lose, Some Will Win And Then We Will Be Free Of The Negative Spin And All Yell YIPPEE!

Things Will Be Quieter We Will Hear Less Of Fear But I’m Sure It Will Be Back In Another Two Years

Brendan is the author of “The Flatlander Chronicles”,“Best Of A F.O.O.L. In New Hampshire” and “I Only Did It For The Socks Sto ries & Thoughts On Aging” All are available at 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 inscrip tion 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)

“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 inscrip tion 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)

OOL in Live Free or Die.

They’re All OpenBOrderS hypOcriTeS

All the world’s a stage, especially two heated months before Election Day. So you’ll have to forgive me for not joining the theatrical media frenzy over Martha’s Vine yard being overrun by illegal aliens. It’s just another naked open-borders exhibition by both political parties that makes a miser able mockery of our country’s immigration policies.

ShOuld SOcieTy Tell 10-yeArOldS, ‘The wOrld iS A BeTTer plAce wiTh yOu in iT’?

Ben Shapiro is off this week. Please en joy the following col umn by Dennis Prager.

young Americans, they should be among the happiest young people in American history. Indeed, they should be among the happiest young people compared to young people living in any other country.

by Michelle Malkin Syndicated Columnist

Yes, I said both parties.

Sure, Republican governors are exposing the grand hypocrisy of limousine liberals who preach diversity and tolerance while walling off their exclusive colony. Rah-rah, sis-boom, ha-ha-ha. Hilarity abounds. So many memes and viral videos! What a riot giggling about which Democratic city illegal aliens should be sent to next.

Of course, mass-migration-pimping Democrats are as guilty of “human trafficking” as their counterparts now acting as travel agents for the Third World cheap-labor pipeline. Don’t need to tell me. I’ve written three bestsellers and hundreds and hun dreds and hundreds of columns on the subject over the past 30 years.

But whether it’s Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis dumping Venezuelans on Martha’s Vineyard or Texas GOP Gov. Greg Abbott shuttling Mexicans to the Big Apple and D.C. swamp or former Democrat President Barack Obama chartering illegal alien flights to military bases across New England (a story I first broke back in 2014), the script is always the same:

One side claims to be tough on borders. The other screams “racism” and “xenophobia.” Then leaders in both parties pocket big donations from the same globalist special interests -- Big Agriculture, Big Business and Big Tech -- and pretend to join hands on “immigration reform.” All the illegal alien pawns settle in for the long haul -- collecting driver’s licenses from Democrat and Republican governors, sanctuary status from both Demo crat and Republican mayors, in-state tuition discounts across the country, bountiful health, welfare and legal services, and eventual amnesty, green cards, U.S. citizenship, entitlement benefits and voting rights.

That’s bipartisan America Last stuntsmanship for you. Not so funny anymore, is it?

I can hardly stomach cable news anymore. Two decades ago, when I guest-hosted for Bill O’Reilly and worked as a contributor to Fox News, the illegal alien invasion I reported on was taken seriously. Now, I’m persona non grata in “America’s newsroom,” while two-faced snakes like Florida GOP Sen. Marco Rubio score prime Fox News headlines

by Dennis Prager Syndicated Columnist

A couple of weeks ago, the New York Times published a photo of what I had reason to believe was an elementary school classroom. I couldn’t help but notice a big, colorful sign in the classroom that read, “The World Is A Better Place With You In It.”

Using an example of it being a fifth-grade classroom, I said to my radio audience that I thought the sign foolish, even stupid.

I consider it a part of the narcissisminducing trend begun in the 1970s with another foolish idea, the “self-esteem move ment,” which was started, it will not come as a shock, in California by a state senator who was, it will not come as a shock, a Democrat. I wrote and said at the time that it would lead to awful consequences.

My reasoning was that self-esteem needs to be earned, that it cannot and should not be given. People walking around with un earned high self-esteem are often a danger to society. This was confirmed by one of the most highly regarded criminologists in the country, professor Roy Baumeister, who has written and who told me on my radio show that murderers possess higher selfesteem than almost any other members of society. This makes perfect sense. You have to think you are better than others to take another person’s life.

So, then, what’s wrong with this message to fifth graders? Isn’t it a positive thing for a 10-year-old to be told that the world is a better place just because he or she is in it?

Apparently not. Given how long such messages have been communicated to

We’ve had 50 years of telling young people how terrific, brilliant and special they are, of giving young people trophies even when they or their teams lose, and, more recently, abolishing valedictorians lest any graduating students think poorly of themselves. Yet all of this showering of esteem has been accompanied by the high est depression and suicide rates among young Americans ever recorded.

Equally awful, all this unmerited praise has produced at least two generations of young and now middle-aged Americans who are indeed special -- in their narcis sism and in their inability to deal with set backs. If I’m so great -- if the world is lucky to have me -- why isn’t life rewarding me? Why is life so difficult?

This is the genesis of the “safe spaces” almost every contemporary American cam pus provides to college students who find having a speaker on campus with whom they differ so traumatic that they retreat to a “safe space.” There they are provided with hot chocolate, Play-Doh and videos of frolicking kittens so that they can soothe their perceived trauma.

Telling every fifth-grader that the world is a better place because he or she is in it feeds this unearned sense of importance. Not to mention that is rarely true. Their family may feel it’s a better place because they were born, and if a parent wishes to communicate that sentiment, that might be a helpful thing to say on occasion.

However, that raises the question of whether it was a bad thing that few par ents, let alone schools, prior to the 1970s said that to their young children. In some cases -- such

nO ApOlOgieS

Performers cen sor themselves -fearing they might offend. Those who offend Hollywood lose work. Some lose friends.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s intellect, cracking that “If AOC was fat and in her 60s, would anyone listen to an other thing she ever said?”

That enraged leftists.

“Predatory!” said Majority Report’s Emma Vigeland.

He won’t apologize for saying that. Or anything else.

“No Apologies” is on the cover of his new book, “Everything Reminds Me of Something.”

of 90-year-olds.”

For saying that, Carolla was mocked and condemned by his celebrity friends.

Radio show host Howard Stern said Carolla was “making fun of people for taking COVID seriously.”

“Projects his sexism onto others,” said Young Turks host Cenk Uygur.

by John Stossel Syndicated Columnist

Adam Carolla doesn’t care. That’s why he’s the sub ject of my video this week.

Carolla is one the most successful performers in America.

His books are bestsellers. His com edy shows sell out. He hosts one of America’s most-listened-to-podcasts.

Recently, Carolla dismissed Rep.

But what Carolla said is simply true. Nobody pays much attention to House freshmen. Ocasio-Cortez is a political celebrity simply because she’s pretty, and also, she speaks without constantly saying “uh.”

“If she was in her 60s and husky,” adds Carolla, “nobody would listen to a word she ever said!”

“They want you to apologize because they want dominion over you. And once you apologize, they just keep coming back.”

I get upset when people criticize me. Carolla says, “I just happen to be wired not to care, as long as I’m right.”

He says he was right for criticizing the government’s COVID pronounce ments. “They didn’t give the ages of the people who died at the very begin ning,” Carolla tells me. “I immediately got suspicious because it was a bunch

“Adam doesn’t believe in shampoo or soap,” added Jimmy Kimmel. “It’s disturbing.”

Carolla is a “right-wing troll,” said actor David Alan Grier.

Carolla laughs at those attacks.

He’s unusual in Hollywood because he’s still friends with leftists who dis agree with him.

He does stand-up comedy with Sar

See STOSSEL on 37

ukrAine wAr dOMinATeS un deBATe SeSSiOn

divides are the widest they have been since at least the Cold War. They are paralyzing the global response to the dramatic challenges we face.”

He later warned delegates from the 193 member states, “A winter of global discontent is on the horizon.”

said that Russia, “through an act of aggression broke the collective security” by invading Ukraine. Ma cron stated clearly, “Those who are keeping silent today are in a way complicit with the cause of a new imperialism and a new order.”

much of Central Europe.

by John J. Metzler Syndicated Columnist

Amid a swirl of ongoing and upcoming inter national crises, the Ukraine war overwhelming dominated de bate at the United Nations General Assembly. Most speakers decried Vladimir Putin’s widening war against Ukraine and equally viewed the dangerous regional and globaL ramifications from this European conflict which could see Moscow’s use of nuclear weapons.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres prefaced the week long debate with a gloomy assessment; “The General Assembly is meeting at a time of great peril…Geo-strategic

U.S. President Joe Biden made the case bluntly, “A permanent member of the United Nations Security Coun cil invaded its neighbor, attempted to erase a sovereign state from the map.”

He added, “This war is about ex tinguishing Ukraine’s right to exist as a state, plain and simple, and Ukraine’s right to exist as a people.”

French President Emmanuel Ma cron passionately presented his argument against Russia, “We need to make a simple choice,” he said. “That of war or that of peace.” He

Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz stressed, “The world ‘must not stand idly by when a major nuclear power, armed to the teeth, a founding member of the United Nations and a permanent member of the UN Secu rity Council, no less, seeks to shift borders through the use of violence.”

The Chancellor added that the war is leading to rising prices, energy scarcity and famine.

Strong political support and soli darity for Ukraine exists in Europe nonetheless despite Russia’s thug gish energy threats to Germany and

Though the majority of speakers decried Russia’s breach of interna tional law and peace by invading a sovereign Ukraine, and equally warned of the dangerous conflict spillover into Europe and the nu clear weapons dimension, very few mentioned the millions of Ukrainian refugees who have fled into neigh boring countries such as Poland and Hungary.

Hungary’s President Katalin Novak stressed, “Since the beginning of this conflict, Hungarians have stood with the victims,” she stated, explaining that the country is implementing its largest humanitarian operation in recent history, providing aid to Ukraine as well as shelter to nearly 1 million refugees.

See METZLER on 35

by Kelly Chapman Meredith Whole Living Center

One of the most ex citing truths about integrating highly im pactful wellness rou tines into our lives is that they need not be complicated or expen sive. Our topic today-

wAlking yOur wAy TO BeTTer heAlTh

the humble walk- is no different. Whether integrating walks into your daily routine is already something you do, or if this article inspires you to begin, it may surprise you how beneficial walking can be for your physi cal and psychological well-being. While the strongest correlations between walking and improved health out comes are found with research participants who walk approximate ly one hour each day, benefits begin with as little as 30 minutes, three times a week, and those minutes can even be broken up over time.

The physical bene fits of walking are sys tem-wide. In a study of 1,000 adults dur

ing flu season, those who walked daily at a moderate pace for 3045 minutes took 43% fewer sick days than non-walkers, while ex periencing a reduction in the severity of respi ratory infections. Even when adjusting for oth er factors, daily walkers also enjoy a reduced risk of breast cancer, and those who walk 30 minutes a day, 5 times a week have their risk of dying from coronary heart disease reduced by approximately 19%. Unlike some forms of physical activity that can produce wear and tear on the body, walking reduces joint pain by lubricating the joints as it strengthens the muscles that sup port them, and reduces

the risk of developing arthritis for those who walk at least 5-6 miles per week. Overall, regu lar, brisk walkers enjoy a prolonged life when compared with those who are more seden tary.

Walking is also a low impact way to be come or stay a healthy weight. Not only does walking burn calories and promote full-body conditioning, it also supports our ability to regulate blood sugar and lowers cravings for sweets. Current re search suggests that walking for 15-20 min utes after a meal is especially beneficial for blood sugar regula tion and digestion, and the other health ben efits of walking remain even when total daily walking time is broken up into shorter walks throughout the day. Another way walking helps with weight man agement is by support ing better sleep, which along with the exercise itself plays a critical role in balancing hor mones. Additionally, Harvard researchers found that walking briskly for one hour a day cut the effects of known obesity-promot ing genes in half.

The wellness benefits of walking aren’t purely physical. It boosts our mood and energy by producing and regu lating important hor mones, and can reduce symptoms of anxiety

MyThS And TruThS Of cOncuSSiOn

by Dr. Denise M Pickowicz

NH Concussion Center

Today I want to pro vide you some informa tion on what a concus sion is and give you some brief tips to share with anyone you may know who has had an impact to their body/ neck/head and may have recently suffered this type of brain in jury. There are several common myths that exist and my goal is to provide some updated truths from the latest research to guide you, or someone you know, who has sustained this type of injury. Seeking proper assessment and treatment, as close to the injury as possible, by a qualified health care professional who is up to date on the lat est research and rehab modalities, is impera tive. Early assessment and treatment of con cussion can expedite your healing time.

What is a concus sion? By definition, concussion is defined as, “A subtype of mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI)…A reversible neurological dysfunc tion…may be caused by either a direct blow to the head, face, neck or elsewhere on the body with an impulsive force transmitted to

the head…which may result in neuropatho logical changes, but the acute clinical signs and symptoms largely reflect a functional dis turbance rather than a structural injury and, as such, no abnormal ity is seen on standard structural neuroimag ing studies.” (1) It is a metabolic, physiologi cal, microstructural injury to the brain. The force of the head and neck being jarred for ward and back (and in some incidences which also include rotational forces) cause a shear ing of the white and gray matter in the brain (which are different densities) and can lead to injury of the axons and nerve transmis sion pathways. This then causes disrup tion to the function of the pathways in the brain, or “messaging highways” that allow our brains and bod ies to coordinate cer tain functions such as balance, vision, hear ing, moving, and so forth leaving you to feel symptoms either physically, emotionally, cognitively, or even af fecting sleep and wake cycles. So, in other words, although there is structural injury to the axons, this damage is unable to be detected and causes a disrup tion in function. There does NOT have to be a loss of consciousness involved to sustain a concussion.

Myth: Wake someone with an acute concus sion every 2 hours

Truth: A concussion can evolve over a period of 4-6 hours. You do not want to let some one sleep for this ini tial time frame aft¬er a concussion so you can monitor for wors ening symptoms, de creasing consciousness, speech issues etc. (also known as “red flags” in the medical field). If “red flags” are present, or if you have concerns, visit your nearest Emergency Room for evaluation, neurological testing and imaging, if warranted. Aft¬er that initial win dow of 4-6 hours with no red flags, sleep is impor tant for recovery - so in those first few days… let them sleep.

Myth: Rest is best

Truth: Rest is required for the first 24-48 hours and then slow/gentle re-introduction of activ ity coupled with a subthreshold aerobic pro gram is required. Quali fied healthcare profes sionals with training in brain injury can guide you.

Myth: Stay in a dark room until symptoms go away (especially if symptoms involve light sensitivity)

Truth: This can, in fact, make things worse. Staying in a dark room decreases all sensory input to the brain and over a prolonged period of time is not beneficial to healing

Myth: Concussion symptoms are perma nent

Truth: Extremely In correct

Myth: All you can do is wait / It just takes time

Truth: Yes, recovery and healing take time. However, connecting with a knowledgeable provider to guide you appropriately and be gin active rehabilita tion sooner, will in crease your speed of recovery

Myth: Recovery is complete or “you’re as good as you’re going to get” at [insert time frame]

Truth: Our brain is plastic and heal

Leads

Austin wants to tell you about a very import ant finding in medical research. Any decline in hearing results in declines in cognitive perfor mance and brain function.

Audiology Specialists provides cognitive screening that can measure some aspects of cognitive performance. This is an in-office, computerized screening. This is not an IQ test or list of questions. It is a simple, automated assessment that takes about ten minutes to complete.

The results of this screening are not affected by hearing loss. The results help your audiologist determine which hearing aid is most appropriate and ensures your hearing solutions are right for you. The screening can be repeated at any time in the future to identify changes in cognitive performance.

Please call for more information or to schedule an appointment at 603-528-7700.

by Leslie Gray, LCMHC Gray Matters Counseling & Wellness

A reASOn TO live

For many years now, September has been dedicated as National Suicide Awareness and Prevention month. As I sit here this morning, I write in honor of this observance, and out of respect for those whose lives have been affected by suicide.

It’s a sensitive topic and one that can be very difficult to dis cuss. Opinions can run strong and with intense emotions behind them.

Thoughts, attempts, or a completed suicide impact the individual experiencing it, as well as those around them. For the loved ones left behind, it’s natural to experience a range of emotions including shock, anger, guilt, re gret, frustration, sad ness, depression, help lessness, and more. This is grief.

They may wonder, “What did I miss,” or “What should I have done differently?” They may feel guilty for what they did try to do, or what they didn’t do that maybe they now believe could have helped… if only they had tried.

Sometimes, the loss of their loved one can bring out a darker side where they remain stuck in the anger, ac cusing their loved one of being selfish and in considerate of those they left behind. Anger is a much safer emotion than the more vulner able ones such as sad ness or guilt. It’s also a valid emotion, as are all the others. The sad truth is that when folks reach this point, they often truly believe that their loved ones would be better off without

them because they have grown to feel like a bur den to everyone around them.

One surprising truth about suicidality is that many folks who reach this point don’t really want to die. They just don’t want to go on living the way they are. They often feel so hopeless and help less in their ability to change things that sui cide seems like their only option. Add any sort of mind- or moodaltering substance such as alcohol, drugs, or medication, and their executive functioning can be greatly impaired. Even extreme sleep de privation, chronic pain, and prolonged illness can cause this which gets in the way of good sound reasoning, deci sion making, emotion regulation, future plan ning, impulse control, and judgment. In these altered states, they may take an action that they never would have taken when sober and/or able to think clearly.

We don’t always know ahead of time that a loved one is feeling this way which can create complex grief for those left behind. In part, this absence of information is due to fear of disclo sure. Fear about how others will respond. Maybe fear of being judged or shamed, pos sibly because they are already judging and shaming themselves for feeling this way. Hu mans often believe oth ers navigate from the same moral compass

by Sara M. Woods Kender Clinical Herbalist & Reiki Master

As a life-long sufferer of seasonal allergies, I am happy to announce that the suffering for me now as an adult is minimal and I am

grateful for the plants and mushrooms for offering up their medi cine.

Ragweed season is the worst for many people and it begins late august and doesn’t end until a hard frost.

Some have allergies in the Spring, some in the Fall, some all season long,but either way, there is relief that doesn’t involve a chem ical drug. Why find an alternative?

Antihistamine drugs, namely the non-se dating kind, are cor related with liver toxic

rAgweed SeASOn

ity - otherwiseknown as hepatotoxic. Toxic ity of the hepatocytes (cells) of the liver. Your liver is a very impor tant organ and keep ing it healthy ensures good brain health and proper detoxification ofthe blood. Here is link to an article from 2018 in Gastroenter ology Report which discusses the issues regarding these drugs.

https://academic. oup.com/gastro/arti cle/6/3/228/2909369

Listed below are a few alternatives used tra ditionally to reduce the

histamine reaction and help to control symp toms:

Stinging Nettle leaf (Urtica dioica ): this plant while high in minerals is also excel lent at controlling his tamine reactions in the body.

Ginko (Ginko biloba): not just for brain func tion, this plant has a high flavonoid content which makes it one of THE BEST for allergy season.

Lemon Balm (Me lissa officinalis): while I use this plant for anxiety as well as for

controlling herpies in fections, it’s also an excellent candidate for controlling histamine.

Reishi Mushroom (Ganaderma tsugae): a medicinal mushroom that grows in NH on the Eastern Hemlock tree that can be processed and used for its im mune modulating and lung strengthening.

I combine these plants with a few oth ers in different formu lations. In tea form for the tea lovers; some thing to sip on through out the day, in extract form which can work

more acutely, and in syrup form with a little raw local honey for that extra sweetness and al lergy support.

So whatever your preference having more tools in the tool box that coincidently sup port the body in other ways is a win win for you and your health!

Sara Woods Kenderi is a Clinical Herbalis tReiki Master/Teach er, Psychic Medium, Munay-Ki Attuned and owner of Sacred Tree Herbals, Meredith, NH. www.sarasherbs.com

PICKOWICZ from 9

ing can happen at any point over a lifetime

Myth: You need to push through your symptoms Truth: Pushing through your symp toms will not help you in recovery, and in fact can worsen them. In stead, when you be gin to feel symptoms elevate, or feel over whelmed, stop and take a break from what you are doing and remem ber to breathe!

Myth: Once symp toms settle your brain has recovered Truth:Symptom res

olution is a fabulous step - however we know in the acute phase that symptoms can resolve in 7-10 days but the brain continues to heal for up to 30 days.

By Dr. Denise M. Pickowicz, BS, DC, FIB FN-FN, CBIS, DACNB (Board Certified Chiro practic Neurologist, Fel low of the International Board of Functional Neurology, Certified Brain Injury Specialist and Owner of NH Con cussion Center)

and depression while improving creativity. These benefits can be gin with as little as three, thirty minute walks a week. Longer term effects of regular walking for our brain health are also seen with lowered risk of early dementia and Al zheimer’s disease.

Given the far-reach ing, systemic benefits of regular walks, if they aren’t something you’re currently in corporating into your routine, why not start today? Whether out side, on a home or gym treadmill, or even in an indoor shopping mall or center, all you need is comfortable foot

wear and you can be on your way to better physical and emotional well-being. Additional ways to incorporate more intentional walk ing into your routine is to park further away from stores in large parking lots, and to challenge yourself to get up and out for short bursts after meals. You can suggest walking catch ups with friends and colleagues, and given the boost in mood and creativity, walking meetings have great potential for producing better outcomes. The cumulative benefits of walking are so incred ible, that perhaps it should be considered anything but humble.

603-369-7087

Kelly M. Chapman, M.A.,is the Founder of Meredith Whole Living Center.

CHAPMAN from 12

by Mike Moffett Contributing Writer

Woodie Williams’ name came up in a bar ber shop conversation last week. He passed away in July—the last surviving World War II Medal of Honor re cipient out of 473. A Marine, Williams was awarded the MOH fol lowing some incred ible heroics during the battle for Iwo Jima in 1945.

JB the barber reflect ed on those times and the so-called “greatest generation.” He spoke of a 15-year-old who was so anxious to serve that he ran away from home, lied about his age, and joined the Ma rines in 1944. After go ing into harm’s way in 1945, he mustered out following the Japanese surrender and went back to high school, where he became a football star.

That got me think ing about a column on a high school sports star who’d earlier been in combat. An initial internet search failed to identify such a per son but through the magic of Google I was reminded of countless athletes who’d fought in deadly conflict be fore returning to less perilous competitions on American ball fields.

Sports folks in these parts are well aware of all the years that Red Sox great Ted Wil liams spent in uniform

frOM fOxhOle TO dugOuT: SOldier-AThleTeS

get into a bayonet fight with him.

But while countless Americans returned from war to play college or professional sports, JB’s tale of a teenager returning from bat tlefields to play high school ball remains fas cinating. I’m sure that such things occurred circa 1946. But who and where?

I’m on the case!

Rocky Bleier.

during both World War II and the Korean conflict where he dis tinguished himself as a fighter pilot. Then there was Hall-of-Fame pitcher Warren Spahn of the Braves, a soldier who played an impor tant role in several key battles, to include the Battle of the Bulge. For his service he earned a Bronze Star, a Pur ple Heart, a battlefield commission, and a presidential citation.

Cleveland Indian pitching legend Bob Feller was enraged when he heard about the Japanese sneak attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. Two days later he joined the Navy, the first pro ath lete to join the military during World War II. Feller served through 1945.

Football Hall-of-Fam er Artie Donovan is best remembered as a great lineman for the Colts, but like Williams he served at Iwo Jima. He played football at Boston College after the war before going to the NFL. Donovan often knocked heads with

Philadelphia Eagle cen ter Chuck Bednarik, a highly-decorated B-24 waist gunner with the 8th Air Force who somehow survived 30 combat missions over Germany.

There were so many other sports greats who went into harm’s way before exchanging their country’s uniform for a team uniform. Like Pittsburgh Steeler run ning back Rocky Bleier, who was wounded in Vietnam before teaming up with Terry Brad shaw and Franco Har ris in a backfield that won four Super Bowls. Or Pat Tillman, who’d left the NFL’s Arizo na Cardinals after the 9/11 attacks, only to be killed in Afghani stan.

My search even yield ed a photo of Ty Cobb in a soldier’s uniform in France in 1918 during World War I. Ameri can doughboy warriors like Cobb so impressed the Germans that they were called “Teufel hun den” (Devil Dogs). If you know anything about Cobb, then you know you wouldn’t want to

Sports Quiz

What naval officer won a Heisman Trophy and two Super Bowls? (Answer follows)

Born Today

That is to say, sports standouts born on September 29 include British running star Sebastian Coe (1956) and NBA great Kevin Durant (1988).

Sports Quote

“Sports are like wars but without the killing.” – Ted Turner

Sports Quiz Answer

USNA grad and Dal las Cowboy quarter back Roger Staubach.

State Representa tive Mike Moffett was a Sports Management Professor for Plymouth State University and NHTI-Concord. He coauthored the awardwinning “FAHIM SPEAKS: A WarriorActor’s Odyssey from Afghanistan to Holly wood and Back” which is available on Amazon. com. His e-mail address is mimoffett@comcast. net.

Prior Years Unfiled Returns Our Specialty!!!

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Why You Should Always File Returns for Past Years, Even if You Haven’t Filed In Years

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Records You Need to Keep

Letters From God

This series of Letters From God is an attempt to put the thoughts of God as revealed in the Scriptures as they re late to individuals and the nation of the USA.

QUESTION: Can You Give Us Any Hope For The Future?

I sure can. I have been offering hope since the beginning of time. I once wrote to my Chosen People who were in deep darkness and told them that if they trusted me, their future would be bright. In my book, the Bible, I asked Jeremiah to re cord my words. I said, “This is what the LORD says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gra cious promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” de clares the LORD, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.” (Jeremiah 29:10–14)

The occasion for my words to them was not very hopeful. Because they turned from me and violated my laws, I removed my protec

tion from them, and they were carried into captivity by the Baby lonians. Before they were carried away, I told them that they would suffer the con sequences of their dis obedience but after 70 years I would restore them to their land.

I went on to say that I had plans for them, and it wasn’t to harm them but to give them a hope and a future. Hope is the expecta tion of a future event or blessing. Anything you hope for is not yet realized and awaits a future fulfilment. Most things you hope for are dependent on others to bring them to pass. For those who trust in me I, the almighty God, will always fulfill my promises. There is one condition however, to receive the hope that I promise. It is that you turn from your sin and disobedience and trust me. If you choose to continue to reject me, that hope will be left unfulfilled. But it will not be because of my inability to provide but your unwillingness to turn back to me and trust me.

You have probably asked this question because you are feel ing the angst of a na tion and a world that seems to be spinning out of control. You are wondering whether or not the future will be bright or dark. As you wonder, you must rec ognize that behind the scenes of the geo-po litical activity of your nation and others is me, your creator. You must recognize that it is only as you continue to make me God and

Lord, that your nation will be blessed (Psalm 144:15). You must un derstand that if there is ever to be hope, it must come from me and you must rely upon me.

Letters From God

Sadly, as you have turned from me and transgressed my laws, you have turned to trust in others. The problem with this is that there is no oth er God and ultimately those you are trusting will let you down. They cannot give you the hope that only I can give.

This is true for many reasons. Whoever you trust in may be sin cere and desire to bring hope but if you con tinue to reject me, they and you will be fighting me, and you cannot win (Proverbs 21:30). Your only hope, even if you have good leaders, is if you have my bless ing. Whoever you trust, if it is human, is sinful and broken. If they are not trusting me, they will lead you in ways that continued to be against my will and my ways. This will incur further judgment and make your hope even a more distant possibil ity. Whoever you trust, apart from me, is a socalled god and you are hoping in an idol that is not God. This will only speed up your destiny of death instead of de liverance into the hope of the future that I have planned for you. It is for this reason that I counseled my people once again through Jeremiah and remind ed them of the futility and hopelessness that comes from looking to others instead of me for hope. I said, “This

is what the LORD says: Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who de pends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the LORD.” (Jeremiah 17:5).

I can still give you a future and a hope for life if, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” “I will be found by you,” and I will give you the hope you long for.

I love you, God

These letters are writ ten by a New Hamp shire pastor.

($30

26” &

BIRDS

A Trip TO nOr Thern MAine

by Chris Bosak Contributing Writer

My destination was the northern part of Maine. I’m talking way north. Get to Baxter State Park and keep going for several more hours.

I drove pretty much through the night to get there. I took a few half-hour breaks to sleep and then contin ued on my way. I have been to northern New Hampshire dozens of times, and I have been to the middle of Maine many times. I’ve al ways wanted to see what Aroostook Coun ty was all about so I took the opportunity to head up there and finally see for myself.

I settled at the bor der town of Fort Kent where only the St. John River separates the U.S. from Canada.

Wildlife, of course, was the driving force behind the decision to drive up there. The boreal forest, to me anyway, is a magical place filled with so many interesting crea tures. Moose are my favorite creatures, but things like lynx, loons, eagles, grouse, boreal chickadees, Canada jays, and other spe cialty species unique through the habitat are also a draw.

Some species, such as spruce grouse, I have never seen, and some animals, such as moose, I haven’t seen in a few years. I figured

heading up to the ex treme northern part of Maine would give me a good chance at finding both of those animals. I drove along the roads the Internet told me to drive on and added many more miles on unmarked dirt roads and came up empty. I logged thousands of steps through the for est to no avail.

No moose, no spruce grouse. Moose, of course, are dwindling in numbers because of winter ticks and brain worm, but I was hop ing to get lucky and be far enough north where the species may not be as heavily im pacted. In talking to several locals, moose numbers are hurting just as much up there

as they are through out New Hampshire.

I can remember see ing a dozen or more moose on a single trip to northern New Hampshire in the late 1990s. Not so much anymore.

As far as spruce grouse go, I am start ing to give up. When I was a beginning bird watcher living in the Monadnock Region, I could have sworn I saw one in Pisgah State Park, but I have no proof and certainly can not swear by the identification. Pisgah is well south of where spruce grouse are typ ically seen.

While the wildlife sightings proved to be more scarce than I thought, it wasn’t a

complete washout. In the few days I was up there, I did find about a dozen ruffed grouse, several white-tailed deer, a red fox, a Can ada jay, a wood duck, a few golden-crowned kinglets, and dozens and dozens of whitethroated sparrows.

One other species really stole the show, however. This bird was everywhere up there. They were frequent sightings on the dirt roads, and there were so many of them on the grass in the yard behind my cabin that they reminded me of robins in the spring.

They were northern flickers and at one point I counted 11 of them in the yard,

A northern flicker searches for insects on the ground in Fort Kent, Maine, last week.

CHRIS BOSAK PHOTO

THE SIMPLE FEAST

TheSe Are nOT My grAndMA’S chOcOlATe chip cOOkieS!

by Eric N Gibson Contributing Writer

My grandparents, so I hear tell, were good cooks. Both of my grandmothers and my granddad could make something from nearly nothing. In fact, as soon as Gramps was old enough to, in the words of Louis L’Amour, “light a shuck,” he was down the trail from Graf ton County and never looked back. He was a chef, learning his trade the old way, cooking in some of the best hotels up and down the East ern Seaboard. This was back in the day when family vacations, by names like Rockefell er and Carnegie, were taken for months at a time. But I can honestly say that these cookies I write to you about, are not my granddad’s (or grandma’s) chocolate chip cookies.

I had been dreaming of these cookies for a long time. A chewy soft chocolate chip cookie with sweet brown sugar paired with cracked sea salt on top and laced with bits of crisp smokey maple bacon…

“ WHAT!?!? NOW

HOLD ON JUST A MIN UTE!!!” you say.

But yes, you read it right… BACON!

It started as a whim,

a text to my best friend. Someone I’ve known since high school and when it comes to food, we think a lot alike. The text conversation went something like this:

ME: So, what do you think about Maple Ba con Chocolate Chip Cookies?

FRIEND: Ya! Duh!

Not much of a conver sation but I did get the affirmation that I was looking for.

So, thinking I had stumbled onto a genius idea I searched the in ternet for a recipe, feel ing quite sure of myself, nearly prideful in fact, that I was a maverick, a trail blazer, a a… a solo artist! WRONG! It appears the inter net is rife with these

types of recipes and I was but a mere green horn, an interloper, a Johnny come lately.

But, before some of you readers out there, literarians of such works as Cosmo and Vanity Fair consider this recipe passe’, take a moment to ponder the flavors one will in dulge in when one par takes in such a treat. The pairing of choco late and salt, smoke and bacon, butter and brown sugar. All are delicious combinations that complement one another to make each flavor pop.

In the interest of full disclosure I’ll be hon est with you. The next time I make these cook ies (Oh yes! They are good enough to make

again!) I will purchase a good lean premium bacon. One that I know has a consistent rich, smokey, maple flavor. The bacon I se lected, while passable for many applications, was not full flavored. It was actually rather tame. It was from a pig we purchased this year, and while I have no complaints about the people we purchased it from nor the cuts themselves, my issue is with the butcher / smoker of choice. The bacon lacked that ro bust flavor you expect with smoked meats, and much of that flavor is the results from the expertise of the people that smoke the meats.

So use a bacon that you know is going to be lean and flavorful and get ready to enjoy a cookie that is uniquely different.

So were these cookies ¨Love at First Bite”? I prefer to think of it as a long courtship worth pursuing. A mix of first impressions; soft grains of brown sug ar brush against your upper lip as you bite into that chewy cookie. Taste buds strike upon that undeniably pleas ing flavor of sweetened carmelized brown but ter on the end of your tongue as it gently forces that malleable cookie to the roof of your mouth. That un mistakable taste of ever so lightly bitter choco late, a quick follow up. Then you lick your lips, thinking there is a bit of sugar attempting to

BOSAK from 16

sharing the space with just as many blue jays. Northern flickers are large woodpeck ers, but they spend most of their time on the ground searching for ants and other in sects. You know it is a northern flicker when it flies off and shows a large white rump patch. We have the yellow-shafted variety in New England. Out

West, the red-shafted is the predominant northern flicker. Northern flickers are one of the few migrato ry woodpeckers. They do not travel extreme ly long distances and usually settle in the Carolinas or a bit far ther south. I wonder if some of the birds I had seen had nested far ther north in Canada and were starting their migration or if they

were all residents.

I do know that northern New Hamp shire has a healthy population of northern flickers as well. I will always remember the sight of a red fox trot ting down Route 3 in Pittsburg, NH, with a northern flicker and its mouth.

I threw a few nuts and seeds out the back door of the cabin to try to lure the blue jays and flickers clos er. It took a few days, but they eventually warmed up to the idea and came to eat the treats.

I see plenty of flick ers and blue jays in southern New Eng

land, but they were a nice treat to watch in northern Maine as well. Like many ani mal species, the blue jays looked a little more sturdy up there. White-tailed deer seem to be a little more stur dy in northern New England as well.

I didn’t get my moose or spruce grouse, but you can bet I’ll try again next year. The boreal forest always beckons.

Chris Bosak may be reached at chrisbo sak26@gmail.com or through his website www.birdsofneweng land.com

by JoAnn Derson Syndicated Columnist

* Necklace chains that have turned dark due to oils in your skin can be washed in warm water with a dab of shampoo mixed in. Also, keep your old earring backs -- they might fit a differ ent pair if one gets lost!

-- M.F. in Washington

* To freshen the color of carpets (and destroy moth larvae or flea eggs), liberally sprinkle salt on them before vac uuming. I use a cleaned out Parmesan cheese container for this. It works very well. -- J.K. in Pennsylvania

* To clean the glass inside your oven door, use the stovetop cleaner for your glass stovetop.

-- V.P. in Florida

* Use cold, salted wa ter to defrost a chicken for roasting. You will have very flavorful and moist meat. -- E.D. in Kansas

* Save plastic lid ded containers from the kitchen. Cover with colorful duct tape, and they can be used as storage or even as gift wrapping.

* Disposable razors can be used to remove burrs from sweaters or wool slacks. Just be sure to keep it out of the reach of children.

-- O.D. in Tennessee * “I make presents pretty by cutting leftover gift wrap into quarter-inch strips, curling them and at taching them to the gift. The more the better. It’s attractive and makes an

nOw here’S A Tip!

impression.” -- M.F. in Washington

* “I love to have sau teed, sliced mushrooms, and I use my egg slicer to get perfect slices. It’s very handy and much easier to use than doing it with a knife.” -- K.P. in Arizona

* To make your own ammonia-based pre treatment for laundry stains, mix together equal parts water, liq uid detergent and am monia in a spray bottle. Never use with bleach.

* You can use a soft cloth dampened with vinegar to clean greasy

stains off of suede shoes. This also works on patent leather.

* “To clean plastic, vented hairbrushes, stick them in the dish washer. You also can put toothbrushes in the dishwasher periodical ly.” -- E.L. in Michigan

WEIRS

BEER FINDER

603.527.8144

ACKERLY’S

Grill & Galley 83 Main Street, Alton 603.875.3383

Akerlysgrillandgalleyrestaurant.com 603 - Amber Ale

Stoneface - IPA

Allagash - White Baxter - Coastal Haze

Great Rhythm - Resonation Pale 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

Exhibit A - Cake! Pumpkin Coffee Cake Foundation - Nautilus Southern Tier - Warlock Two Roads - Roadsmary’s Baby Barreled Souls - Summer Jam Bunker - Bunktoberfest

...+6 More On Tap

FOSTER’S TAVERN

403 Main Street Alton Bay, NH 603-875-1234 fosterstavernbythebay.com

Tuckerman - Pale Ale Sam Adams - Wicked Hazy Stoneface - IPA Moat Mtn - Czech Pilsner Maine Beer Co - Lunch Blue Moon - Belgian White ...+2 More On Tap

JOHNSON’S TAPHOUSE

At Johnson’s Seafood & Steak 69 Rt 11, New Durham 603.859.7500 eatatjohnsons.com/ newdurham

Burlington -Sublimated Dreams Greater Good -Passion Fruit Sour Southern Tier -Thick Mint

Sloop -Open Water

Stormalong -Tropical Cider

3 Floyds -Barbarian Haze

...+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

Scotch Ale - 5.4%

No Need To Argue: cranberry mead - 14%

Passion Fruit Cider - 6.8%

ROBUST Porter - 7% Mosaic IPA - 3.7%

Buzzworthy - 12.8%

...+10 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

1911 – Cider Donut Cider

Foundation – Blueberry Pie Sour

Maine Beer – Lunch IPA Hacker-Pschorr – Oktoberfest

Moat – Miss V’s Blueberry Ale

Left Hand – Peanut Butter Milk Stout

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hAve A dATed, drAfTy fireplAce?

inSer TS Are AffOrdABle & BOOST efficiency

(BPT) - As weather cools and daylight hours shorten, many people naturally spend more time indoors and there’s no place more inviting than the fire place. The problem is that while a traditional, open wood fireplace of fers the ambiance and nostalgia homeowners cherish, they are often dirty, drafty and boast outdated styles.

One simple, afford able way to upgrade and elevate your space is with a fireplace insert.

Any wood fireplace is an option for a fireplace insert, a self-contained appliance designed to fit into an existing space.

The most popular op tions are either fueled by gas or electricity, depending on the home owner’s preference.

Many people are look ing to eliminate ash and soot, therefore gas and

electric inserts are the most popular.

Plus, because fire place inserts are far more efficient than many older wood fire places, they can help you save money while warming a space when

temperatures dip.

The Environmental Protection Agency ex plains the inefficien cy of wood fireplaces: “Fireplace drafts pull the warm air up the chimney, causing other rooms to be cooler. If

you use central heat while burning in a fire place, your heater will work harder to main tain constant tempera tures throughout the house.”

This is why, for in stance, installing a gas fireplace insert within an existing fireplace opening significantly improves the heating power and efficiency. The gas fireplace insert is designed to contain and radiate heat back into the room, rather than sending the ma jority of that heat up a chimney flue.

“Any fireplace insert will improve the effi ciency since there is no longer an open chimney to the outside of the home. With a gas fire place insert for exam ple, you can boost heat ing efficiency from 15% with wood to around 70%. This means more See

On-Trend cOlOrS reflecTing cOMfOr Ting lifeSTyle deSign

(Family Features)

Upgrading your home design is an opportu nity to tap into new col or schemes. Knowing what shades are trendy and how different hues can work together for a cohesive design is an important step in creat ing an attractive design aesthetic.

While you might turn to family or friends for inspiration for your next DIY project, another resource for collecting concepts and options to upgrade your space is the internet. Consider the Valspar Color-verse, which allows visitors to explore colors in a unique way and offers paint color inspiration and decor trends they can envision within their own homes.

After experiencing the Valspar 2023 Colors of the Year firsthand by painting walls and art from the collection to see the 3D virtual house come to life, you can find the perfect paint shade for your space.

“Through the Colorverse, visitors can ex perience the 12 Colors of the Year in a realistic virtual home,” said Gus Morales, vice president of brand marketing for CBG Sherwin-Williams. “Aside from exploring the Colors of the Year, the home is an engaging space for visitors to cre ate art, play games and order paint chips to see how their top color picks look and feel in their homes.”

Color Trends to Consider

Many of this year’s popular nature-inspired designs are all about finding comfort, embrac ing a flexible lifestyle, re discovering joy and lean ing into the growing DIY movement. The most trend-worthy, forwardthinking and livable col ors reflect specific facets or emotions of life so you can update your well-used spaces with thoughtful colors that evoke positive energy and lasting change.

Comfort and Con tentment: If your goal is to create a space that envelopes you in a sense of comfort, consider a white with a yellow un dertone that makes a space cozy like a soft blanket, like Cozy White from Valspar. Comple ment the softness with See COLORS on 35

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reBlOOMing pOinSeTTiAS And chriSTMAS

by Melinda Myers

Gardeners like a challenge and the sense of accomplish ment when trying something new. Forc ing poinsettias and Christmas cactus to rebloom provides such an opportunity.

These plants need 14 hours of uninter rupted darkness each night to set flowers for the winter holidays.

Starting between late September and Octo ber 1st, cover or move your plants into a dark location each night. Shield them from any outdoor, street or read ing lights that can de lay or prevent flower ing.

Uncover or move your plants back to a brightly lit location each morning. Grow ing the plants in a cool er location, especially at night, and keeping the soil slightly dri er will help stimulate bloom. Some experts believe this is all that is needed to rebloom Christmas cactus. A combination of the two treatments seems to give the best results.

The colorful parts of the poinsettia are the bracts, often called the flowers. These are leaves that turn color after the dark treatment. The true poinsettia flower is the knobby yellow growth that appears in the center of the color ful bracts at the tip of stem.

Continue the dark treatment until the

The colorful parts of the poinsettia are the bracts and the knobby yellow growths that appear in the center are the flowers.

poinsettia bracts are fully colored or your Christmas cactus is covered with well-de veloped buds. Move the flowering plants to a cool, bright location free of hot and cold drafts. Continue to wa ter thoroughly and of ten enough to keep the soil slightly moist while the plants are flower ing. This is especially important to prevent bud and flower drop on Christmas cactus.

Consistently provid ing the required dark period is key to having

flowers for the holi days. Each missed or interrupted 14-hour night delays blooming by one day. There is no need to give up after a couple of interrupt ed nights. Just enjoy the event when your poinsettia does bloom. Their colorful bracts are sure to brighten any winter day.

If your poinsettia fails to flower, you can still enjoy your plant this winter. Just add some faux poinsettia blooms, berry sprays

or other floral décor. No one needs to know this wasn’t the plan all along.

Don’t be surprised if flowers appear on your Christmas cac tus at Thanksgiving. Although sold as a Christmas cactus, it may truly be a Thanks giving cactus or a hy brid of the two. The true Christmas cactus has small segments with smooth edges and blooms later than the Thanksgiving cactus with toothed or jagged segments.

Fortunately, the Christmas and Thanksgiving cactus’ growing requirements and care are basically the same. The plants will do fine; they just bloom during different holidays. Both are na tive to the tropical rain

REBLOOM from 25 ence as well as the results. As with any gardening endeavor, the fun is in trying something new.

forests, not the des ert, as their common name implies. They both prefer bright light, high humidity, and a thorough water ing when the top few inches of soil begin to dry when they are actively growing.

Enjoy the experi

Myers is a columnist and contributing edi tor for Birds & Blooms magazine and her website is www.Me lindaMyers.com.

The photo on top left shows a dark woodgrain kitchen that was refaced with a light cherry woodgrain,

doors and

refaced with

photo

from 17

escape and you catch a piece of salt tucked away, dislodged from a hidden recess. Your brain finds it all a com plement in contrast; salt, sugar, browned butter, chocolate. And finally, just as your pal let recovers from this first assault and thinks you are ready for your next bite, you taste that telltale bacon flavor; not too much maple, not too much smoke,

not too much salt, just enough to ruminate on while taste buds again are tickled. So I’d say these cookies are more like any good romance that stands the test of time; the chemistry is most certainly there.

From first impres sions to final finish; if you like chocolate chip cookies and you like sugar and you like salt and you like bacon but you never thought you would like them togeth

er, then these cookies are worth a try. Not for gobbling, they are to be slowly savored. In dulged upon with your favorite coffee or tea, they are the perfect companion on a cool Fall afternoon, curled up in a blanket on the sofa with a good read. Or enjoyed, perhaps, while just musing over The Simple Feast. Enjoy!

Candied Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yield: 54 Cookies Time: 90 Minutes

CANDIED BACON

1 pound lean premium maple flavor or hickory flavor bacon (regular or thick cut)

Preparation Instructions

½ cup Brown Sugar (not packed)

3 Tbsp. Maple Syrup (Approximately).

- Lay out 10 strips of bacon (touching each other is OK) on a wire cooling rack set on a parchment lined edged cookie sheet pan. (Catches the grease drips.)

- Coat evenly with brown sugar and maple syrup.

- Bake at 375 degrees F. for 30 minutes or until crispy but not burnt.

- Cool and then chop on a cutting board. Set aside.

COOKIE DOUGH

1 and ½ cups sugar

¾ cup brown sugar

1 ½ sticks of Butter (room temperature)

3 tsp. Maple Extract

3 eggs (room temperature)

3 ½ cups All Purpose Flour

1 ½ tsp. Baking soda

Preparation Instructions

1 tsp. Salt

1 - 12 oz. bag of dark choco late or semi sweet chocolate chips (your preference)

TOPPER

½ cup Brown sugar (not packed

Ground sea salt

- Cream together butter, extract, and sugars until smooth and ¨fluffy¨.

- Add eggs, one at a time, and continue to mix until blended.

- In a bowl combine flour, soda, and salt and whisk to mix. Then gradually add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture until completely incorporated.

- Add to the dough the chocolate chips and half of the chopped candied bacon; blending well.

- Deposit dough balls (about the size of a super ball (rubber ball) that you would get from a gumball machine) onto cookie sheets, evenly spaced, 9 per sheet.

- Bake at 375 degrees F. for 8 minutes. Edges should just start to brown.

- Remove from the oven and top while still hot with a sprinkle of brown sugar and a bit of chopped candied bacon and a twist or two of salt (less is more).

- Let rest on a cookie sheet for a minute or two, then remove to a cooling rack.

St. André Bessette Parish

Mass Schedule at Sacred Heart Church

291 Union Ave Laconia, NH 603-524-9609

30 Church St. Laconia, NH 603-524-9609

Saturdays: 4pm; Sundays: 7:00, 8:30 & 10:30am

Daily Masses: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday: 8am, Tuesday: 5:00pm

All Masses Livestreamed at standrebessette.org

Sacred Heart Church is open daily for private prayer www.standrebessette.org

St. Joseph Church

Sacred Heart Church

Very Reverend Marc B. Drouin, V.F., Pastor

were from Maine and they were also section hiking like us.

After the challenging crossing of Long Pond Stream, sometime be fore 5pm, we found a nice spot just off the trail to set up our tents. While we were eating our supper we watched about a dozen thruhikers cross the stream and then they contin ued up the trail. 14.3

Miles hiked. Day 2, Friday morning we were up early, we were on the trail between 6 and 6:30 each morning. Oatmeal with a few raisins and prunes and black cof fee is what I ate every morning for breakfast. The Maine Men passed us as we started up Bar ren Mountain. We took a side trail to the top of Barren Slide and we

hiked the mountain’s ledges. On the summit is an old lookout tower with no cabin. I climbed up the ladder up the frame and took in the big vista.

We chugged up the Fourth Mountain on a new relocation of the trail that now pass es by a small airplane crash site. Here we met a slack packer, a day hiker. He told us that he was told no one died in the crash and he was paying for dropoffs and picks up every day so he didn’t have to backpack. We thought that sounded fun but expensive. The logging roads into the 100 Mile Wilderness are long slow rides.

Third Mountain wouldn’t quit, it felt like it had three sum mits. Then Columbus Mountain felt quick and it felt too early to stop at the Lean-to so we decided to continue and camp at East Chairback Pond. The pond didn’t

On Barren Mountain’s summit the tower that supported the 1950’s built Fire Warden’s Cabin is all that remains. If you dare climbing the ladder high above the surrounding trees it provides a grand panorama of Maine’s wilderness.

look far away but it was a long walk from Chairback Mountain. We passed by a trio of Southbound Thru Hikers. We were most thankful for the new stone steps built to descend off the moun tain.

The Maine Men tents were already set up by the water’s edge. We set up our tents fur ther up the hill from the pond. We went for a good swim, ate sup per and went to sleep before it was dark.

Looking back on this second day I real ize this was the most strenuous day of the 100 Mile Wilderness.

Day 3, Saturday, the day started off with the steep quarter-mile uphill climb from the pond up to the AT and then a long downhill to the West Branch of the Pleasant River. The River was wide and shallow and again we had to wade. Then we ground our way up the trail fol lowing Gulf Hagas Brook and then up and over the Brook’s namesake mountain. On top of the wooded summit the Maine Men were taking a break. We took a snack too. And the slack pack er man hurried past us this time headed south bound!

We were surprised how few Northbound (Nobos) AT thru-hikers we saw while hiking. We usually only saw them hiking by our campsites late in the afternoon. I guess they like to sleep late and go to bed late too.

We enjoyed the steep climbs with wonderful stone step staircases that reminded us of hik ing in our beloved White Mountains. We were happy to find the sum mit signs on the wooded peaks of West Peak and Hay Mountain. The final push up to White Cap Mountain to its bare summit energized us for our first big view all the way to Mount Katah din. Oh, it looked so far away. We chatted for a quick minute with two older Nobos and then we had the summit to ourselves.

(603) 744-3453 Fax: (603) 744-6034

The constantly varying terrain had lots of in teresting sights– even a bog with Pitcher Plants and a crashed airplane, made the Barren-Chairback Range a rugged re warding day. 14.4 Miles hiked.

It was warm in the sun and there was a breeze. It looked like we were having a small yard sale with our clothing laid out over the rocks to dry. Here painted on a rock was a big white “K” with an arrow pointing right at Mount Katahdin.

We made it down to the Logan Brook Leanto. The tent sites looked pretty bad but a short walk down the trail we found a flat rocky ten

Julie crossing the Long Pond Stream. We were lucky the water was low. On our first day out we had to wade across three streams.

PATENAUDE from 1

On our first day we hiked 14.3 miles from Monson/Route15 to Long Pond Stream. According to the Official Appalachian Trail Guide to Maine, Little Wilson Falls is the highest waterfall on the AT and one of the highest in Maine. The Falls fall through a 100 foot deep slate canyon and is about 300 yards long. It was thrilling to stand above and below the loud falling water

PATENAUDE from 30

tsite that looked good enough. The brook had excellent drinking wa ter. Julie told me while I was getting water that the Maine Men had passed by and decided to keep on going. Again 14.4 miles hiked.

For suppers we split dehydrated storebought hiking meals for two. Some were better than others but they were never really enough for two peo ple with hiker hunger. Thank Goodness both of us packed plenty of snacks of cheese and meat sticks. I shared my chocolate covered pretzels with Julie since she managed not to bring along any choco late.

During the night Ju lie woke me up and told me I had to look at the Moon. I got out of my tent and it was full and shining right down the middle of the trail. I later learned it was 4:30am.

Day 4, Sunday was the beginning of 2 for

1 Maine Miles. We all know that Maine miles are longer than most miles, but when the trail is nice and soft and wide and easy we can earn 2 Maine Miles for the effort of one. Doesn’t happen often but when it does it is fun. We felt like we were flying. Maybe the faster I hiked the less my shirt smelled?

Clothing: two pairs each of socks and un derwear, shorts, shirt, long sleeve shirt, pants, sleeping shirt & long underwear, down jack et, hat, gloves, rain jackets & pants. Julie carried similar clothing too. This is all we had to wear for the 9 days for whatever the weather brings.

After the Chairbacks and White Cap, Little Boardman Mountain felt as little as its name. And from its summit it was all downhill 2 for 1’s for the next eight miles to Jo-Mary Road and our re-supply.

The sign read Sand Beach and it was not even 11 o’clock but we

decided we should go swimming since we didn’t get a chance to do it the day before. Crawford Pond was heavenly. We swam and we swam. We rinsed out our shirts and ate lunch on the shore in the sun. This place was a perfect 10 on the won derful wilderness scale.

We took the short spur down to Cooper Brook Falls Lean-to. It sits just above a big pool at the bottom of a loud beautiful cascade. Here we once again found the Maine Men and a few others hanging out. It was only maybe 1pm so we decided to keep on hiking.

We smelled the bar beque before we saw it. We dropped our packs on a good campsite on the brook just be fore crossing the road. Yikes! The fabled Trail Magic by Chili P. was set up right on the trail at Jo-Mary Road. He welcomed us and of fered us anything he had and he was serv ing cold drinks and hot food. 15.4 miles hiked.

Julie and I ate grilled local corn and Kielbasa. I had a cold Coors Light and Julie drank a cold orange soda. She never drinks soda!

Then I walked up the road and into the woods to find the bear box that held our food. I found it and I unlocked it but our stuff wasn’t in the box. We were half a day earlier than we had planned but it was supposed to be here already.

Julie carried a Gar min-Inreach, she used it each night to text via satellite our husbands so they would know where we were and that we were happy. Ju lie used it to text Phil and he responded right away that he would be there at 6pm and he was sorry, he was on a rescue. No worries, we carried our supper with us anyway and we could enjoy nearly three hours of trail magic un til then.

This was the most people we had seen on the trail. Hikers came from all direc tions to find Chili P’s

The Maine Men and Julie on top of Gulf Hagas Mountain. We all started on the AT from Monson on the same day. We leapfrogged on the trail for the first half of our packpacking adventure.

Chili P. feeds many hungry AT hikers! We enjoyed the Trail Magic he provided on the Appalachian Trail at its intersection with Jo-Mary Road, a private logging road with access to the middle of the 100 Mile Wilderness. Cold drinks and hot food and chairs to sit in are most welcome after hiking 4 days or more. Jo-Mary Road is where many hikers arrange to pick-up their food resupply.

Trail Magic. The Maine Men showed up, fol lowed by all those No bos that started late in the morning. They had heard from the Sobos that there was Magic ahead and they came literally running. The

food was awesome and extremely satisfying but sitting in a chair felt the best.

Everyone agreed sit ting on a chair espe cially with a belly full of food was magic.

Phil arrived at six and handed over our resup

ply bag and apologized. He told us we had made very good time on the trail, we’d hiked 58.5 miles and lots of moun tains. There was noth ing to be sorry about. Everything worked out. He told us how one of his guests had slipped

on the slate ledges and needed help getting off the trail. Then he drove him to the hospital where the poor fellow got 18 stitches on his knee.

Before hitting the sack we waded in the cascading waters of the brook to clean up. Then we organized the additional food in our backpacks. We gave away some oatmeal, some cheese and a de hydrated meal we didn’t eat to a couple Nobos that were running low on food.

Chili P. would reopen in the morning some time around 7 am but we’d be long gone down the trail by then.

Our tent site res ervation at Katahdin Springs Campground was for Thursday Night the 15th and we hoped to summit Katahdin the next morning.

Baxter State Park has strict rules that even Thru-Hikers have to follow. There is no dis persed camping allowed in Baxter State Park. Everyone must pay to sleep in the park and there are only 12 spots available at the Birches, the campsite reserved

One of many rock step stairways on the Barren Chairback Range. Of the 282 miles of the AT in Maine, 267 miles are maintained by the volunteers of the Maine Appalachian Trail Club. The Appalachian Trail reaches between Georgia and Maine over 2,190 miles. New Hampshire has 161 miles of the AT and NH has the distinction of featuring more miles above treeline than any other State’s AT section. Vermont has 151 miles and Massachusetts 90 miles. Maine does an incredible job of maintaining their section of the AT.

My tent is set up near the shore of East Chairback Pond.

just for AT hikers. The best bet is getting a campground reserva tion. Otherwise you have to wait outside the park until there is a space available.

Three more sleeps and we would be arriv

ing at Katahdin Stream Campground. Happy Fall, Have fun.

To Be Continued... Read Part II Coming Up In Two Weeks!

PATENAUDE from 31

SMITH from 3 list participants at a Washington testimoni al dinner, that raised $5,950 and failed to itemize properly the use of his office per sonnel.”

before the September 11 primary election. The ad stated that a vote for Mrs. Bridges was a vote for the Man chester Union Lead er publisher William Loeb who supported Bridges. Mrs. Bridges insisted that Mr. Bass knew about the ad and should have included it in his financial re port, and that the ad cost her votes. Rep. Bass said that he had no knowledge of the ad and that his campaign manager would not touch it “with a tenfoot pole.”

Campaign aids for Mr. Bass also were questioned about an airplane that circled southern New Hamp shire on primary day towing a banner that said “Vote for Bass.” Campaign manager. William Phinney, said that the campaign of fice had nothing to do with hiring the plane that urged voters to choose Bass.

The New Hampshire Supreme Court, in a hurry up decision so that it would be made before ballots were printed for the general election in November, issued a unanimous opinion rejecting the call to disqualify Per kins Bass from run ning for office. Bass lost in the general election in November to Democrat Thomas McIntyre of Laconia. The objection to Sen ator Cotton and the petition to disquali fy him from running for the office of Sena tor was made by his Democratic opponent, Alfred Catalfo,Jr. Ac cording to The Laco nia Evening Citizen , from which I gathered my information, Mr. Catalfo claimed that Senator Cotton “failed to file proper address es for five out-of-state contributors, failed to

Counsel for the Sen ator argued that Cot ton had complied with the law as much as it was possible for him to do so. Indicating that the Court would sup ply written decisions at a later date, they also refused to dis

bers, said that the law requires that the Gov ernor has to consider the recommendations of the Advisory Board before making an ap pointment of a com missioner. It was fur ther maintained that the Governor had not consulted the board members before an nouncing and getting the Executive Coun cil’s approval. So the Advisory Board asked the state attorney

Newspaper Ad for Alfred J. Catalfo.

qualify Senator Cot ton from being on the general election ballot.

Cotton went on to defeat Catalfo in the general election.

Another Fall of 1962 controversy involved the appointment of the State Agricultural Commissioner. Then Governor Wesley Pow ell took the action on September 26th of appointing Frank T. Buckley of Derry to succeed Perley I. Fitts as the agricultur al commissioner and the Executive Council approved the choice. The State Agricultur al Advisory Board, a ten-member agency, objected to the ap pointment. C. Leland Slayton of Warner, one of the board’s mem

general, William May nard to rule on the legality of the agricul tural commissioners appointment. Frank Buckley ended up as the commissioner and served in that capacity for the next ten years.

Gilford town officials found it necessary in October of 1962 to call a special town meeting to confirm a vote on a bond issue taken at the March Town Meet ing. Town officials expressed regret at having to call a spe cial meeting but said it was necessary to meet the legal require ments of the bonding company. The issue involved an amount of $140,000 to cover the purchase of shore land for the expansion

of the town beach. The problem was that the town budget only showed an amount of $10,000 for the pur chase of the property, which represented the down payment and not the full amount of $150,000. The citizens had been taxed for the down payment in that year of 1962. The lack of a space on the forms was blamed as a reason the full amount hadn’t been approved.

Just to remind you of what was going on in the world in those early October days of 1962 let me add a few facts.

John F. Kennedy was the President and he signed what was called by The Citizen “the historic trade ex pansion bill giving him vast power to reduce most tariffs, repeal others, and forge eco nomic links with the booming European Common Market.” He also signed a new drug bill with the goal of protecting the public from bad medications.

On the economic side, the A&P Super Market advertised the best bread for you with

something in it that no one has ever tast ed – value. A pound and a half loaf of this bread for 29 cents.

Campbell’s chicken noodle soup was on sale at six 10 and ½ ounce cans for a dol lar. A 5-rib portion of pork loins went for 33 cents a pound. Not to be outsold, Cham pagne’s Grand Union

was selling chickens for 29 cents a pound and halibut steaks for 65 cents a pound. A Columbus Day Sale at Lougee Robinson’s featured boston rock ers for $18.88 or a bedroom set includ ing a solid maple bed, chest, dresser and mirror for $118.40. Grossman’s Distribu tion Center was having a grand Opening cel ebration on Columbus Day at the junction of routes 3 and 11.

For TV entertainment you could watch Perry Mason, Dr. Kildare, Jack Benny, The Gary Moore Show, American Bandstand, Million aire, Romper Room, and others depending on which channels you could get.

And in October of 1962 the World Series was airing.

There you have it, Just a taste of what was going on 60 years ago.

Robert Hanaford Smith welcomes your comments at danahill smiths@yahoo.com

Senator Norris Cotton.

GRAY from 10

and mindset that they do. They may fear being hospitalized or losing their freedom in some way. Of course, it is crucially important to make sure they are safe in the immediacy of the moment. Remove any thing they could use to hurt themselves. Stay with them. If they aren’t physically in your pres ence, find out where

they are. If they are alone, it may be neces sary to call someone in to help support them to ensure their safety. There are hotlines avail able around the clock. The police can conduct wellness checks by go ing to them to offer sup port. A skilled and com passionate healthcare professional, first re sponder, or others who encounter someone in

this state will take the time to determine the level of threat they pose to themselves and can support them in various ways. Hospitalization may be helpful for some folks in some cases, but it’s not the only option.

When there is a dis closure, it can be dif ficult to know how to respond. The tendency might be to try to talk them out of feeling that

way, maybe start listing reasons to live, telling them how much they matter to their loved ones, or even how much they would be missed. And while all of this may be true, it may not be helpful in the mo ments or days following a disclosure… not yet anyway.

Sometimes, just be ing present with them is enough. Share your

genuine feelings such as, “I am so sorry you’re feeling this way. I’m here for you.” Make physical contact when possible. A hand on the shoulder or taking their hand in yours. Physical contact has powerful effects and can help to release feel-good chemi cals upon contact. This can have a calming ef fect on their nervous system. As they allow

the support through your physical presence in the absence of judg ment, ‘fixing’, or guilttripping, you may find that they feel calmer, allowing some space for them to consider their own reasons to live.

You might ask them, “I hear that there is a strong part of you that believes death is the only way out. Fair enough. I’m also curi ous to know if there are any other parts of you that really want to live, or that at least don’t want to die.” By inviting them to consider that it isn’t a unanimous feeling inside of them selves, it may help them to consider the possibil ity of something other than death. By becom ing solution-focused rather than problemfocused, the creative portion of the brain is activated. Because of ten, that is how suicide is seen through their eyes: the only solution to what ever problem (or problems) they are facing in life. In the bro kenness of the moment, by shining a light on an internal desire to live, they may be able to find their way out.

From Leonard Co hen’s ‘Anthem’: “There’s a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.” Even if you don’t have the answers and can’t fix their prob lems, supporting some one who is struggling to find a reason to live may very well be reason enough for them.

Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: 988

Leslie A. Gray is a Licensed Clinical Men tal Health Counselor and operates Gray Mat ters Counseling & Well ness, PLLC in Laconia NH. Feel free to submit responses or requests for subject content to: askgraymatters@gmail. com.

Clearly the econom ic ramifications of the Ukraine war extend far beyond Europe. Gha na’s President Nana Akufo-Addo asserted, “Every bullet, every bomb, every shell that hits a target in Ukraine, hits our pockets and our economies in Af rica.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a video address to dele gates energized the As sembly with a rousing and dramatic speech, “A crime has been com mitted against Ukraine, and we demand just punishment. The crime was committed against our state borders, the crime was committed against the lives of our people. The crime was committed against the dignity of our women and men.”

Zelensky presented a stunning “Crime and Punishment” legal in dictment of Russia. He asserted, “When one country tries to steal the territory of another state, it puts all world nations under attack. Global security can not be restored without restoring the territo rial integrity of the na tions which suffered the armed aggression.”

Naturally Russia pre sented a substantially different view of the conflict with its border state, making base less claims that the Kyiv government had threatened the Rus sian ethnic minority. Sergey Lavrov, Rus sian’s Foreign Minister, charged Russophobia had reached unprec edented proportions, with Western powers making no secret of their ambition to mili tarily defeat Russia.

Zuzana Čaputova, Slovakia’s President added, “The demo cratic world and all of us must be a voice of Ukraine, the voice that

won’t be silent, a voice that will continue to testify about Russia’s crimes in Ukraine.”

Then there’s a con trarian view. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic quipped, “Every thing we are doing here today seems impotent and vague. Our words make hollow and empty echo comparing to the reality we are facing. And that reality is such that no one is listen ing to anyone here, no one strives towards real agreements and to re solving problems, and almost everyone takes care only of their own interests.”

Dangerous political currents are swirling through the Assem bly session this year as delegations speak almost nonchalantly about weapons ship ments and a wider con flict in Europe. Has Diplomacy reached an impasse?

John J. Metzler is a United Nations corre spondent covering dip lomatic and defense issues. He is the author of Divided Dynamism The Diplomacy of Sepa rated Nations; Germa ny, Korea, China.

a muted clay that brings in brown undertones that suggest gentle con tentment.

Calming Restoration: Tap into the calming tones of nature with a hazy green that has duality, which brings in both the calm and liveliness of the great outdoors. Another op tion is a deep midnight blue used as an elegant calming shade to restore mind, body and home.

Healthful, Mindful Living: Create an uplift ing space where your wellness is a priority. Evoke a greater sense of health consciousness with a light blue that has a dose of softness used as a fresh neutral with uplifting qualities of a modern pastel, like Valspar’s Rising Tide. Reinforce the benefits of mindful living with a cool gray that is balanced by the warmth of the yellow undertone, a natural hue like a cotton muslin cloth.

Connections and Joy: Establish spaces where you can celebrate relationships with oth ers, the world around you and happiness in your being. Consider

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as a child who thinks inordinately poorly of himself -- it may occa sionally do some good. However, given the in creasing number of nar cissistic and depressed young Americans over the last half-century, it certainly hasn’t been a good thing for society to constantly commu nicate such messages.

Allow me to contrast that poster in the el ementary school class room with posters I recall hanging on the walls of my elementary school, a religious Jew ish school known as a yeshiva.

“Love your neighbor as yourself.”

“Watch your tongue” (gossip is a big no-no in Judaism).

“Who is strong? The one who conquers his urges.”

In other words, tradi tional religious educa tion revolved around making children better people -- precisely so that one day the world will be a better place for our having been in it.

Even traditional American public schools -- up until the mid-20th century -- emphasized self-control, not selfesteem. And Christian schools always empha sized humility -- vir tually the opposite of unearned self-esteem.

My criticism of the “The World Is A Better Place With You In It” poster in elementary schools went viral af ter a left-wing website tweeted a small portion of my talk show’s video. At one point last week, it was actually the high est trending tweet on Twitter.

As in every instance of my being attacked on left-wing sites, either a small, out-of-context portion of what I said was quoted or a head line simply lied about what I said. An example of both was this head

line on the left-wing site AlterNet: “’What a stu pid message’: Dennis Prager blasted for sug gesting that children are pointless.”

One of the hosts of the left-wing podcast, “The Young Turks,” ac tually said that my fa ther obviously didn’t love me because I said it was inconceivable that he would have told me when I was in fifth grade that the world is a better place because I was in it.

My view is that my fa ther and his father and his father and his father going back to the begin ning of recorded his tory probably never said that to their 10-year-old children precisely be cause they loved them enough to want to make them mature adults and not remain children seeking constant -- and exaggerated -- affirma tion.

We call the World War II generation “the great est generation.” How many members of that generation do you think were told when they were in fifth grade that the world was a better place because they were in it?

I suspect close to none. Their parents and their schools empha sized self-control, not self-esteem.

Which is a major rea son they did make the world a better place.

Dennis Prager is a na tionally syndicated ra dio talk-show host and columnist. His commen tary on Deuteronomy, the third volume of The Rational Bible, his fivevolume commentary on the first five books of the Bible, will be pub lished in October. His latest books, published by Regnery. He is the co-founder of Prager Uni versity and may be con tacted at dennisprager. com.

for bashing the Biden administration’s illegal immigration chaos.

“This is what happens when you have an ad ministration that basi cally is telling people if you come into this coun try illegally, you’re going to get to stay,” Rubio complained.

Now, that’s funny. Ru bio is a “Gang of Eight” darling of open-borders millionaires and billion aires who soaked up money from Facebook’s foreign labor-addicted lobbying group FWD. us and furiously flipflopped on amnesty like a swamp circus clown on meth.

Reminder: Facebook founder Zuckerberg personally donated to Rubio, as did pro-H-1B expansionist Silicon Val ley CEOs from Oracle, Cisco and Seagate. Mi crosoft, founded by lead ing foreign tech-worker H-1B visa/illegal alien amnesty cheerleader Bill Gates, was Rubio’s No. 2 corporate donor for years. Paul Singer, the treacherous hedge fund billionaire, was also a top Rubio backer. Singer helped fund the Nation al Immigration Forum along with fellow hedge fund billionaire George Soros. NIF propped up a faux “grass-roots” ini tiative of religious con servatives, dubbed the Evangelical Immigration Table, to lobby for the Gang of Eight amnesty mob.

Not to pick on Little Marco, but since his open-borders hypoc risy is representative of the vast majority of election-year politicians, it is worth pointing out that while he lambastes the Biden administra tion for providing in centives to Venezuelan illegal aliens to stay, he whitewashes his own all-star role in sponsor ing such chaos-creating inducements. His Sen ate office has clogged my

email box for years with press releases touting his support for endless “temporary protected status” designations, re newals and expansions for illegal aliens from Haiti, Ukraine and, yes, Venezuela.

As I’ve reported re peatedly, the TPS pro gram signed into law by GOP President George H.W. Bush in 1990 was supposed to provide short-term relief and shelter to people from foreign countries hit by natural disasters, envi ronmental catastrophes, civil war, epidemic dis eases or other “extraor dinary and temporary conditions.” They were always expected to go back home when those conditions improved. But three decades and dozens of bipartisan ex tensions later, nearly a half-million beneficia ries have turned TPS into TINO: Temporary in Name Only. Illegal aliens from El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua were added to the list, followed by citizens of Haiti, Nepal, Syria, An gola, Sudan, Yemen, Montserrat and more.

To date, we’ve granted sacrosanct TPS status to more than 400,000 people from a total of 22 countries who have grown increasingly en titled to automatic re newal of their “tempo rary” protections.

But ignore the immi gration anarchy. Swamp Democrats and Repub licans are both raising gobs of campaign cash over Martha’s Vineyard mayhem. Their media sycophants are raking in clicks and giggles for “owning” each other. And end-stage America keeps getting owned. The joke’s on us.

Michelle Malkin’s email address is Michel leMalkinInvestigates@ protonmail.com.

ah Silverman. He joins Bill Maher’s podcast. Such political mixing is rare today. Usually, the left and right just don’t talk to each other.

Carolla says that’s not surprising. “If you’re a Steelers fan in a bar, you want to sit next to a guy who’s a Steelers fan.”

But “occasionally ... you have to invite somebody over from the Patriots bar and have a robust debate.”

All my career, I had ro bust debates. I learned from those arguments. Today Stossel TV still hosts debates, but that’s rare in today’s political media. Most just mock the other side or spend all their time with people who agree with their own positions.

On college campuses, it’s worse. The left sim ply silences the other side.

I first encountered it years ago, covering a rape accusation at Brown University for “20/20.” A student had sex with a woman who was drunk; weeks later, she accused him of rape. The school newspaper put the boy’s photo on

its front page but kept his accuser anonymous. University officials sus pended the boy.

I asked Brown stu dents holding up signs that said “Break the silence, stop sexual as sault” to explain Brown’s new definition of rape. The group screamed at me, chanting “Rape is not TV hype!” so loudly that I couldn’t interview anyone else.

They don’t want the other side to be heard.

“They would let the other side speak if they thought they could beat them in a debate,” says Carolla. “They don’t.”

Carolla is eager to debate, partly because he’s confident about his ideas. “I think if you’re intellectually honest or I gave you two beers, you would agree with me.”

Agreeing isn’t the point.

If his ideas are bad, they’ll go away. But it’s important that people be free to speak.

“I don’t really have a choice as to what I say,” says Carolla. “It has to be the truth all the time. I’m a comedian. It’s a sacred oath I took.”

Good for him.

B.C. by Parker & Hart

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