There are certain birds I have unusually good luck finding, and there are those that I have unusually bad luck finding. Waterfowl, especially hooded and common mergansers, seem to show up everywhere I go from late fall through early spring. Baltimore orioles may as well be my spirit bird for as often as I see them in the spring and summer. Yellow-bellied sapsuckers are supposed to be “uncommon” where I live in New England, but that doesn’t stop me from
finding them frequently.
Owls, on the other hand, have proven to be exceedingly elusive over the years. Sure, owls aren’t an everyday occurrence, but for the amount of time I spend outdoors, you’d think I would stumble upon one more often than I do, which is almost never.
A similar phenomenon is true for my bird photography. There are birds that always seem to come out sharp in my photos, even if I think the results will be lousy because of weather conditions or other factors. Then there are the
birds that always seem to come out slightly blurry or grainy, even if I think I’m nailing the shot.
Bluebirds and chickadees fit in the latter category. I did get some nice shots of bluebirds when they visited my feeders frequently several years ago. When I photograph them in “the wild,” however, the photos never turn out quite right. Chickadees, with their dark eyes set among their black caps, are tricky to get as well. Eyes are a crucial part of any good bird photo, and if the
RemembeRing DR. milDReD JeffeRson
by
October 15 marked the 14th anniversary of the passing of Dr. Mildred Jefferson, Pro-Life pioneer, the first Black woman to graduate from Harvard Medical School, and my friend.
I first met Dr. Jefferson- or Dr. J - when Dan Edmonds, a conservative activist from Sharon, MA., asked me if I would drive Dr. Jefferson to an event. I picked her up at the S and S Deli in Cambridge to bring her to a meeting being held in a town on Boston’s South Shore. For someone who didn’t drive, she had a mind like a GPS. She preferred to be driven by men who looked like they “can handle themselves.” This was the beginning of a friendship. Not only would I have the honor to drive her around Greater Boston on an irregular basis, but I also sponsored a number of speaking engagements for her. She was a brilliant woman, beautiful inside and out and was a born diplomat-she laughed at all of my jokes. She rare-
ly had an unkind word to say even about her opponents and being a ProLife pioneer, she had her share. She did once refer to left-Wing activist Molly
Hal Shurtleff with Dr. Mildred Jefferson 1995.
Yard As “ugly old Molly.” In addition to her ProLife activism, she was knowledgeable on world affairs, economics, and the U.S. Constitution. Among her friends was Congressman Larry MacDonald whose plane was shot down by the Soviets in 1983, General George S. Patton IV, and Phyllis Schlafly. Our common friend and homeschool pioneer Sam Blumenfeld once told me that Dr. Jefferson was the most brilliant person he ever knew. Dr. Jefferson helped Ronald Reagan change his position on
A white-breasted nuthatch grabs a sunflower seed from an old wooden fence in New England last week.
For The Birds Columnist
Hal Shurtleff Director Camp Constitution
CHRIS BOSAK PHOTO
KINDRED SPIRIT FARM
What Did We Learn from Trump’s Victory?
To The Editor:
One party is trying to figure out how anyone voted for Trump, let alone gave him the Electoral College and popular vote wins. The Babylon Bee summed it up: “Democrats call for banning the popular vote.” Woke is a virus. It’s an infection; a mind worm. It takes a long time to cure, can’t just shake it off. It’s not a choice.
The Left was so offended by the fact Biden had to go, they were out of their minds. Sure, Biden is one reason they lost. But, they told the electorate, “You are stupid. The working class is always with us, and wokeness is not a problem.”
Truth: Trump gained ground with nearly every single demographic group except voters over 65 and white college women. The other demographic groups, Hispanics, black, Asian, young voters, male, female, non-college educated, white, black, moved in Trump’s direction.
We had inflation and the Left kept looking at the economy and telling people, the economy is getting better... The stock market’s doing great… inflation is lower. But people didn’t think the economy was doing better. It was simple. We started out the Harris-Biden years with record personal savings.
Over Harris-Biden’s four years we spent down all our savings and racked up the highest level of personal and credit card debt in the history of our country.
In four years, 60% of the country was using credit cards and payday loans to buy groceries. One in four people in the country were missing payments and were getting stuck with penalties and late fees because they couldn’t keep up.
The economy was a disaster. What was the Left’s message? The economy is better than you think it is. We need to open borders, trans-rights, abortion, and those are the issues that we’re campaigning on. Then they came up with the anti-democratic appointment of Kamala Harris. The Leftist base would not have chosen her.
In a primary she would’ve gone down in flames. She was an added slap in the face. Did you see the meme about Joe Biden coming out to speak after the election? Trump had won, and Joe has this huge smile on his face. The meme says: “This is the look of a guy who just watched his carjacker get T-boned by a garbage truck.”
But the whole election boils down to not listening to the people. The Left told people not to believe their lying eyes. There’s no crime... You’re not poor... There aren’t illegal aliens living all over New York City, Chicago, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California... Men can become women… They should play in women’s sports… They should be in your daughter’s bathroom.
One of the most effective ads of the campaign was Trump’s closing ad. He spent tens of millions of dollars on it. The tagline was: “She’s for they/them. Trump
is for you.” It summarizes the whole election.
Marc Abear Meredith, NH.
Response To Coursey
To The Editor,
Kudos to Betty Coursey and to our Editor at the Weirs Times. They tell it like it is!
If Joe Novak is critical of the truth and likes Kamala Harris’s politics he should consider living in Russia not the USA . In the USA he has all the freedoms anyone could want. Just talk to Brittney Griner about her experiences in Russia. He will soon realize that under Trump this country is better off. Our country will be respected once again.
Under Harris we would be paying tribute to celebrities and the elite like Oprah and Beyonce as millions were paid to Oprah and Beyoncé for their endorsement. Do they really need that money? Why not allocate the billions wasted on the Harris campaign to the homeless and veterans in this country who gave their lives to keep this nation safe.
Does Harris ever mention God? She only talks about Woke and transgender ideals offering no agenda to get us out of this mess that she created.
Trump believes in God and country! He’ll put everyone on the right tract to God and country again, not Harris’s Woke agenda!
Angela Boksanske New Hampton, NH.
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 and places that make New Hampshire the best place in the world to live. No, none of the daily grind news will be found in these pages, just the good stuff.
Published year round on Thursdays, we distribute 24,000 copies of the Weirs Times every week to the Lakes Region/Concord/ Seacoast area and the mountains and have an estimated 60,000 people reading this newspaper.
To find out how your business or service can benefit from advertising with us please call 603-366-8463.
ski seAson Right AheAD
Stick season, the trees are bare and the hiking and mountain bike trails are covered with slippery leaves. Winter is near and skiers and snowboarders are waiting for Mother Nature to deliver snow and cold weather so the resorts can make snow.
Sunday River hosted skiers and snowboarders for a day on Halloween then promptly closed, to claim first to open for the season in the Northeast. Killington and Sunday River opened for the season last week and more resorts are making snow and will open as soon. Bretton Woods opened last Saturday. It has been a warm Fall but hopefully these cold nights good for snowmaking will continue.
The women’s World Cup skiing circus returns to Killington soon. The giant slalom race will be held on Saturday November 30th and the slalom on
We can’t wait for the snow to cover the trails at Jackson XC. Jackson XC is extending its snowmaking to include additional distance on the Wentworth Resort Loops. White Mountain Nordic--six cross country ski centers around Mount Washington. Together they offer over 400 km of trails--Bear Notch, Bretton Woods, Great Glen, Jackson XC, Mt. Washington Valley and Purity Spring. WMNordic.com. And more than cross country skiing they offer fatbiking, snowshoeing, skijoring, snow tubing and guided tours.
Sunday December 1st.
US Ski Team member Mikaela Shiffrin will be looking for her
seventh and victory at Killington and I hope to be there cheering for her and the rest of the fast US gals. I have to admit I have been caught a
See PATENAUDE on 22
EVENTS & ACTIVITIES
Audubon Announces Program On Hornbills
On Thursday, November 21st at 7:00 p.m. at the Loon Center in Moultonborough, the Lakes Region Chapter of the New Hampshire Audubon Society will present a program on Hornbills: A unique Old-World Family of Birds, presented by Dana and Bob Fox.
Hornbills are an Old-World family of birds which first evolved in Africa over 60 million years ago, and then one species radiated to Asia. Today, half of the 64 species in the world live in Africa, including two land-loving species, and half in Asia, where new species have evolved as far east as the Solomon Islands.
As their name suggests, they have massive bills which are integrally attached to their skulls, and some have an additional special horny crown-like protrusion called a casque above their bills. In 1758 Linnaeus bestowed the name Buceros on the family, Latin for “having ox’s horns.”
Another unique feature about most members of this family involves their nesting behavior. Females of almost all species make unique nests in tree cavities using their bills to wall themselves in with a plaster made of mud, droppings, chewed wood and bark and other detritus. They leave only a slit narrow enough to deter predators but sufficiently wide for the male to present food from the outside.
The tree hornbills have become very important distributors of tropical fruit seeds. Come hear Dana and Bob’s tales of seeing these marvelous birds and see stunning pictures taken by Tim Layman, an intrepid, talented photographer.
The Foxes, of North Andover, MA and Center Tuftonboro, NH have traveled extensively in over 50 countries worldwide, seeing or hearing over 6000 species of birds. They have collaborated with numerous birding organizations, museums, and publications.
The Loon Center is located on Lee’s Mill Road; follow the signs on Blake Road from Route 25 near the Moultonborough Central School, or from Rte. 109 turn on to Lee Road and turn left on Lee’s Mill Road.
Meredith Parks & Recreation Craft Fair
The Meredith Parks & Recreation Department will be holding its 13th annual Craft Fair on Saturday November 23rdfrom 9-2 at the Meredith Community Center. The premise of this craft fair is homemade/ handmade crafts, foods, and items – we are looking to help local crafters while stimulating the economy and giving back to our community! This craft fair has provided many local, as well as non-local crafters with the opportunity to share their talents with the community, and it is a wonderful opportunity to browse all the amazing, unique handmade items that make for great gift giving ideas for loved ones! Over the last 12 years, Meredith Parks & Recreation has had the pleasure of various artists participating including bakers, etched wood crafters, handmade aprons, soaps, jewelry, paintings, Christmas gifts, signs, dog toys, ornaments as well as many others!
The Afterschool Program through the Parks & Recreation Department has a crucial role in the craft fair from helping set up, making baked goods to sell, selling raffle tickets, making crafts to sell to raise money for special events and trips, greeting patrons as they arrive and offering coffee to all of our vendors. Once again, this year they will be helping with the baked goods sale as well as some savory items such as soups and crockpot items! Come enjoy all the crafts and handmade items, enjoy a bowl of soup or a few cookies and coffee, browse the raffle table to see what you would like to try to win!
For more information, please contact the Meredith Parks & Recreation Department at 603-2798197, our website www.meredithnh.org or Facebook page.
Lakes Region Curling Looking Ahead To Winter League
The Lakes Region Curling Association is currently celebrating a decade of curling in the greater Lakes Region, New Hampshire. While the club’s fall league continues into December, LRCA is looking ahead to its winter league.
For men and women of all ages and fitness levels, curling is a sport that combines skill, teamwork, and strategy.
Players can register singly or as full teams of four or five players. No previous experience is needed, and the LRCA provides all necessary equipment. LRCA membership is open to players ages 14 years and older.
Spots are available for Full-season Membership as well as Associate and Alternate opportunities.
Games will take place at Pop Whalen Ice and Arts Center in Wolfeboro, NH on Sundays starting in January 2025.
The LRCA Winter League begins with Members Only registration on November 17, 2024. Spaces are limited and extended registration will open to the general public later in November.
For more information on Lakes Region Curling including Winter 2025 Membership, Learn-to-Curl events and more, visit lakescurlingnh.org
Meet A Trio Of Crime Writing Authors At Meredith Library
The Meredith Public Library, 91 Main Street, presents the final event in this year’s NaNoWriMo Writing Inspiration Series and NOIRvember Events Series.
Three crime authors from the group Sisters In Crime New England will visit the library for an author panel on Tuesday, November 26, from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM. Attendees will have the chance to hear from the authors about their writing journeys from inspiration to publication. They will also speak about all aspects of crime writing. The authors will be selling and signing books. It’s the perfect chance for participants to start a new series enhanced with some insider information.
Participating authors include DonnaRae Menard, E. Chris Ambrose, and Maureen Milliken. Menard is the author of Murder in the Meadow, 1970 cozy mystery series, In the Shadow of the Pharoah, historical fiction series, The Waif and The Warlord, and the Detective Carmine Mansuer series.
Ambrose has published The Dark Apostle series about medieval surgery and the Bone Guard archaeological thrillers as well as many short stories.
Milliken is the author of the Maine-based Bernie O’Dea mystery series which draws from her long career as a newspaper reporter and editor, as well as her love for her home state and its murderous darker side. She is cohost of a podcast, Crime & Stuff, with her sister Maine artist Rebecca Milliken.
OOL
NEW HAMPSHIRE
not As hARD As it seems
by Brendan Smith Weirs Times Editor
It was a bit hectic last week and when the deadline finally passed to have my column complete, I have to admit I had nothing. So, I went back into my archives to find something to rerun. So, I thought this one from 2016 would be appropriate.
A friend of mine recently commended me on being able to come up with a new column every week. She claimed she could never do it herself; I would have to disagree. You see, writing a column is not really as hard as it may appear. All it takes is understanding the formula that is needed.
So, at the peril of creating a columnist to compete with me and lose my job, but at the same time with the goal of helping others succeed, I reveal here today how I do it. First, and most important, you need a subject and an idea; without these your column will just be a mish mash of vowels and consonants that are put together to form words that have no meaning when read.
Right about now you may be asking: “But Brendan, where do I find these ideas?”
Great question.
Ideas for columns can be found anywhere, you just need to pay attention as they can come from places you least expect it. For instance, say you are struggling for an idea for a column and out of the blue a friend comes up to you and compliments you on being able to write a column every week and claims that they could never do it and then suddenly you think that maybe that in
itself would make a great idea for a column to tell others how to write one.
There’s a column.
I hope by now you are beginning to see how easy it really is.
Once you have an idea, it is important that you write it down so as not to forget. It doesn’t matter where you write it. It doesn’t have to be a fancy notebook or some kind of journal you carry around with you. Anything handy will do. Napkins and the backs of business cards are acceptable alternatives as well as crumbled up receipts from the convenience store. (Always remember to say yes when they ask if you would like one, even for a cup of coffee, it may come in handy.)
You don’t need to write out too much detail, only a few words to jog your memory later.
The most important part about jotting down ideas is to remember to make sure to check the pockets of your pants before doing a load of wash as this is a great way to lose these ideas forever. (It is also important to make sure you don’t give away the business card with the great idea on it to someone by mistake as you will have given away your idea to someone who may make good use of it.)
See, isn’t this getting easier?
The third step is considered the most difficult, it is the actual writing of the column itself. You have the idea, you wrote it down, so now what do you do with it?
An important piece to this puzzle of writing is which tool do you use to do the actual work of putting words together. Some writers still like the old electric typewriter but I prefer a laptop, especially one that has a wireless Internet connection.
Having an Internet connection is a valuable tool when
creating. It is perfect for when you are stuck on details of a specific subject since it gives you a way to rapidly look up the needed information so you can get back to your writing as quickly as possible so as not to lose the flow of your project.
Having an internet connection is also crucial when facing writer’s block since it gives you a way to rapidly connect to Facebook and Twitter where you can spend mindless hours finding out which one of your friend’s pets recently did something hystrical or find out which so-called liberal pundit is joining in with his peers to tell us that democracy is in danger again since their candidate didn’t win. It helps you keep your mind off the frustration of your writer’s block until it’s time to be finished with your work on the column for the day.
This may seem counterproductive to some, but what it does is to help you procrastinate long enough so that you will suddenly find yourself facing an inevitable deadline and you buckle down and just get the darned thing done. It works for me every time.
I certainly hope this has helped dispel the myth that not just anyone can write a column. If you follow this easy advice, you too can find yourself in the unenviable position of trying to figure out what to write every week and then figuring out a way to actually write it.
Good Luck!!
Brendan Smith welcomes your comments, suggestions, tirades, insults and whatever else you’d like to convey at brendan@weirs.com.
“I Really Only Did It For The SocksStories & Thoughts On Aging”
Order your autographed copy today for $16.99 plus $3 shipping. (Please include any inscription you would like.) Make out checks or money orders for $19.99 to Brendan Smith and mail to: Socks Book c/o Weirs Times, PO Box 5458, Weirs, NH 03247 Or order online at BrendanTSmith.com (Autographed copies also avail. at the Weirs Times)
“I Really Only Did It For The SocksStories & Thoughts On Aging”
Order your autographed copy today for $16.99 plus $3 shipping. (Please include any inscription you would like.) Make out checks or money orders for $19.99 to Brendan Smith and mail to: Socks Book c/o Weirs Times, PO Box 5458, Weirs, NH 03247 Or order online at BrendanTSmith.com
(Autographed copies also avail. at the Weirs Times)
Now In 5th Printing! The Flatlander Chronicles
Weirs Times F.O.O.L columnist, Brendan Smith’s first book with over 30 of the best of his original Flatlander Columns. From learning to Rake The Roof to Going To The Dump to Buying Firewood for the first time and everything in between, Brendan recounts the humorous tales of his learning to fit into New Hampshire life as a Flatlander from New York.
Order your autographed copy today for $13.99 plus $3 for shipping. (Please include any inscription you would like the author to personalize your copy with.) Make out checks or money orders for $16.99 to Brendan Smith and mail to: The Flatlander Chronicles, c/o The Weirs Times, PO Box 5458, Weirs, NH 03247. Order online at www.BrendanTSmith.com (Pickup autographed copies at the Weirs Times)
Letters From God
This series of Letters From God is an attempt to put the thoughts of God as revealed in the Scriptures.
Letters From God
QUESTION
What Are Your Thoughts On The Election Results and M.A.G.A.?
It was obvious that your citizenry overwhelmingly agreed that it was time for a change. They felt that the current administration was out of touch with their needs and were at fault for the widespread decline in the general welfare of their lives. The promise of “a golden age” in which they could enjoy the blessings of the past, particularly economically, endorsed the M.A.G.A movement and the new political regime. What I think about this change is that, it is about time. Some news organizations for years have been pointing out the demise in almost every aspect of your lives. But most of the major media outlets covered up the obvious and whitewashed the problems, that have led to this state of affairs. I, however, kept telling you that it is real and how you must see and change the core reasons that have led you to moving in reverse.
You must fear however, that M.A.G.A alone can’t fix the problems. You see, as I stated in a previous letter, the core problem for you and every nation is your relationship with me. I made you, as individuals and as a Nation. I blessed you with prosperity
because you made me, God, and sought to follow me and my will by basing your laws and behavior on my word and my will. You now have a leader, in your new President, who not only promises prosperity again but has already demonstrated that he can bring prosperity again, based on his first term of office. Your votes to restore him to office, in order to bring this prosperity, have brought great hope and expectation of a future “golden age.” If, however your leaders don’t restore me as God, and my will as the basis of your blessings, your hope will be dashed and your decay will continue until, like all other countries, you will join the scrap heap of Nations. What you must add to your efforts to bring back the blessings you once enjoyed is to Make America Godly Again! I have reminded you often that “Blessed is the Nation whose God is the Lord.” (Psalm 33:12). Listen to the context of this statement and truth.
Psalm 33:1-3 It begins with a call to praise and worship me as God with joyful songs. True hope and joy come not from manufactured political speeches and promises but from experiencing my blessings because you honor me. When I bless you, you will be filled with a sincere joy that will be unquenchable.
Psalm 33:4-7 It continues by giving the reasons you should praise and worship me, your God
First, because my word “is right and true” and I am “faithful in all” that I do (:4). I will never lead you in paths that will hurt you but only in paths that will bless you. Next, since I as “Lord loves righteousness and justice;” when you make me your God, “the earth is full of” my “unfailing love.” (:5). The perverse behaviors ushered into your national life through the last political administration were not “righteous” nor did they represent my “justice” and you, as a result have been missing my “unfailing love.” When this changes, your joy will return. Next, it is as you recognize that it was by me and my word as Lord, who created the “heavens” and all the “starry hosts,” and contains the waters of the earth from overrunning its boundaries, that your hope and joy will change (:67). You who see this, will trust me and the same power that created all the universe and holds it in check. It will be at your disposal for change and for life. Psalm 33:8-22 It continues by calling for the proper response to me if you ever hope to make your individual lives and your country great again. You must “fear the Lord” and “let all the people of the world revere me.” (:8-9). I am God! If you neglect me or continue to rebel against my word and will, you cannot prosper. I, as God and LORD, will “foil the plans of the nations” and “thwart the purposes of the peoples” if you continue
to turn from me (:10). You cannot succeed when I am against you but when you follow my “plans” you cannot help but succeed (:11). Why? I as God, “look down and see all mankind.” Since I formed “the hearts of all,” I can see “everything” you do (:13-14). You can’t hide godless behavior and think I won’t judge your sins. “No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength.” (:16-17). Not even the military might of your country, the greatest the world has ever known, can save you if, because of your beliefs and behavior, I am against you. But for “those who fear” me and rely on my “unfailing love,” I will “deliver them from death and keep them from famine.” (:18-19). Only those who “wait in hope for the LORD” and whose “hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name,” have their “hope” fully realized (:20-22).
At the heart of this passage and promises are these words: “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD…” If you pray for your leaders to return to me and my ways, you will M ake A merica G odly A gain and then I will M ake America Great Again in response.
I love you, God
These letters are written by Rev. Dr. Sam Hollo of Alton, NH
the ClAims of the sAvioR stAte
We must Refuse
by Douglas Farrow Touchstone Magazine
Reprinted with permission from Touchstone Magazine. touchstonemag.com
The modern “secular” state is neither the bearer of an authority deriving from God nor society’s modest servant in matters that require coordinated action. It is no longer a democratic enterprise, or properly republican. It disregards the constitution and does not tend its own borders. It has devolved into a constellation of bureaucratic agencies and public-private partnerships, organized by a permanent managerial elite as a means of manipulating society to predetermined ends, many of them inimical to the welfare of the people and the interests of the nation. Increasingly, it is devoted to coercion and censorship in order to achieve its ends.
This state still speaks of freedom, but in its refusal to acknowledge God or the law of God it has been carrying forward the Marxist project of eradicating freedom. It wishes to strip the citizen of every competing loyalty, especially to church and family. The resulting “liberty” accomplishes two things of interest to the state. It puts the individual in the state’s debt, teaching him to be dependent on the state. Moreover, it deprives him of the protection offered by those pre-political, buffering institutions.
The liberated individual stands naked and alone before the regime, vulnerable to its every whim. The “chains” of family and church broken, he finds himself chained to the state itself, which makes unprecedented claims upon him—not only on his means, by multiple levels of taxation, but also on his thoughts, words, and actions. He is not more free, but less, for the state now presses its claims unrestrained by any authority but its own.
Demanding the “Whole of Society” Approach
The last four years have opened many eyes to this sorry situation. They have demonstrated that “the savior state,” as I called it in 2010, is busy rendering itself indispensable by inventing new threats to the citizen, from which, working in tandem with unelected global agencies, it will deliver him. We have entered, for example, the era of the perpetual pandemic, which after much preparation (and several failed attempts) was successfully inaugurated in 2020.
Now, the spotlight has for the moment swung away from that, lest it reveal the true extent of the
by Star Parker Syndicated Columnist
WhAt hAppeneD? WhAt’s next?
Two weeks ago, I wrote, “There seems to be only one thing about which all Americans agree ... that something is very wrong in our nation.”
My point then was that all the polling data has been pointing in one direction -- Americans of all persuasions are not happy with what’s happening in and the direction of our country. Now we see, despite all the pessimism about the state of American democracy, that it works.
Why be surprised about the blowout of the incumbent party when, for most of Joe Biden’s presidency, the percentage of Americans saying they are satisfied with the direction of the country hovered
around 20%, and when, after the early months of his presidency, his approval ratings tanked and for the remaining time, the gap between his disapproval and approval hovered between 10 to 15 points.
As former Reagan speechwriter Ken Khachigian noted in The Wall Street Journal, Vice President Kamala Harris drove a stake into her candidacy when in an appearance on “The View” she said nothing came to mind that she would have “done differently than President Biden.”
Gallup started asking about satisfaction with direction of the country in 1979. The highest it’s ever been was 71% in February 1999.
In Trump’s first term, satisfaction reached 41%, the highest it had been in
elise stefAnik goes to tuRtle bAy
by John J. Metzler Syndicated Columnist
Showdowns loom in the new year as New York Republican Congresswoman Elise Stefanik has been nominated to serve as United Nations Ambassador by the President-elect Donald Trump. Should she be approved by the Senate, Rep. Stefanik who has served in the U.S. Congress for a decade representing upstate New York’s 21st Congressional District, will venture to Turtle Bay on New York’s East River to represent the United States at a place where conflict, acrimony and dysfunction abound. Stefanik will enter the UN at a time, not unlike some of her predecessors such
as Daniel Patrick Moynihan or Jeanne Kirkpatrick, or even Nikki Haley when the American agenda and values are under steady attack by authoritarian regimes. It’s the duty of the Ambassador to push back and regain the political high ground. But that’s easier said than done in the 193-member multinational body where the perennial Palestinian debate has been supplemented by many other simultaneous combustible global issues from the Korean Peninsula to Ukraine.
A major ground war rages in Europe, the Middle East is in conflict, regional wars and humanitarian crises in Sudan, Syria, and the Sahel, not to mention the greatly expanded role of communist China’s influence and threats to the international order, and you begin to see the setting. Navigat-
See METZLER
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Not So LoNg Ago ...
Exploring ThE lEgEnd & lorE of our graniTE STaTE
toWns With otheR nAmes
by Robert Hanaford Smith, Sr. Contributing Writer
Many of the towns which comprise the State of New Hampshire are no longer known as the names they were originally given. Some of these were given names when they were granted to proprietors during the provincial era by Governor Benning Wentworth who was granted the authority to do so by the King of England. Other towns were granted to other proprietors who were required to meet certain conditions in order to keep the land granted to them. So I guess it is correct to say that most of our New Hampshire towns were taken for granted, but many of these changed their names. We’ll start with one that begins with the first letter of the alphabet, Andover.
This town was granted to a group of sixty proprietors who came from earlier settlements in the Granite State, most of them from the Hamptons, but a few from other towns. The grant was issued by Benning Wentworth
with the usual requirements, including saving the tall pine trees to be used as ship masts by the king and the building of a meeting house to be used for the proclamation of the Gospel and the settling of a minister to serve in the same. The settlement of Andover began around the year 1751 and the proprietors were mainly made up of veterans of the battle of Louisbourg in Nova Scotia when men from New Hampshire joined with forces from Great Britian to capture the fortress at Cape Breton from the French. Because of this connection the town was then named New Breton.
I am told that before this the town had been called Brown’s town and Emery’s town, in honor of men who were serving in the military at the capture of Cape Breton.
In a Topographical
and Historical Sketch of Andover by Jacob Bailey Moore when the settlers arrived in what is now Andover they found themselves somewhat isolated from the rest of the world when it came to supplies and relied on game from the forest for food. “The woods of Andover,” we are told, “ ...were plentifully stacked with game. Moose, deer, bears, wildcats...were every day to be seen.”
The new arrivals, the settlers, had to protect their flocks from the midnight attacks of the predators around them. The deer were so prevalent that in 1783 the town voted to give a premium of five dollars for every deer killed by the inhabitants of the town. I have previously known of bounties paid for bears, wolves, porcupines, and hawks, but this is the first time I’ve heard of such being handed
out for deer. When it was incorporated in
Andover Train Station circa. 1920.
by Mike Moffett Contributing Writer
Let’s start by explaining that Arthur J. “Artie” Gore (1907-86) was a long-time Major League Baseball umpire. One can go online and see his baseball card. A minor league shortstop in the 1920s, he later umpired 1464 big league games from 1947 to 1956, to include two World Series and a couple All-Star Games.
Which brings us to alert reader Barbara Domowski, 85 years young, of Dover. She reached out and noted several Sport-Thoughts columns that she really enjoyed. (It’s always nice to get such messages). She also shared some interesting info on Artie which inspired this column.
Barbara’s dad, Otis Lee “Lefty” Monroe played ball with Artie back in 1927. They stayed in touch for the test of their lives.
Barbara sent me some priceless correspondence between these two baseball stalwarts.
From Artie in 1979:
“I see where Yaz signed yesterday and [Red Sox General Manager} Haywood Sullivan threw in a case of kielbasa that will give him needed strength this summer.”
Later that summer: “Right now the Sox are doing well and if Hobson can play every day and if Fisk gets back in the lineup they could
ARtie goRe
go all the way, barring any more injuries. Of course, when some of these prima donnas get a scratch today they want it stitched up. Woe is me!”
(The 1979 Red Sox would finish 11 games behind the Baltimore Orioles, who’d lose to the Pittsburgh Prates in the World Series.)
From Artie in 1980:
“Was down to Fenway a few weeks ago … had a chance to visit with friends like Johnny Pesky, Frank Malzone, Sam Mele and good old Joe Dugan …. Tony Perez should help the Sox at first base. He’s good in the clutch and the ball park is built for him. I just hope Fisk’s arm comes around.”
From Artie in 1982 after St. Louis beat the Milwaukee in the World Series: “Dear Lefty, I picked the Cardinals
ceipt of the check, we’ll mail the ticket to you.”
Only $12 for a 1967 World Series ticket at Fenway Park? Those were the days!
Thank you, Barbara.
Sports Quiz
How many baseball umpires does MBL need each year? (Answer follows)
Born Today
That is to say, sports standouts born on November 21 include St, Louis Cardinal baseball legend Stan Musial (1920) and basketball great Earl “The Pearl” Monroe (1944).
Sports Quote
as they had speed, good hard-throwing youngsters, and Herzog made all the right moves at the right times. But I’m not keen on that astroturf field as I think it takes a lot away from the game … Millie and I are feeling fine, thank God, and I hope you are the same. Glad you won a few bucks on the Series.”
Included in the correspondence Barbara shared was a 1967 letter to Lefty from his friend Neil Mahoney, Director of the BoSox Minor League system. Lefty had inquired about a World Series ticket.
“Dear Lefty: Please make out a check to the Boston Red Sox for $12 and address the letter to me personally so that it will not get mixed up in the Ticket Department. Upon re-
“One never knows from day to day what might happen so let’s enjoy ourselves every day and not let the pitcher throw one by us with the count 3 and 2. No sireee!” – from a 1982 letter from Artie Gore to Lefty Monroe
Sports Quiz Answer
Major League Baseball uses 70 umpires to cover 2430 games each season.
State Representative Mike Moffett was a Sports Management Professor for Plymouth State University and NHTI-Concord. He co-authored the award-winning “Fahim Speaks: Between Two Worlds: A Hollywood Actor’s Journey as a U.S. Marine Translator through Afghanistan” which is available on Amazon.com. His e-mail address is mchlmoffett@yahoo.com.
FIGHT THE FLU
November 21 (Thursday) Speare Hospital: Front Lobby 7am - 3pm
The Simple Feast The Simple Feast Simple
by Eric N Gibson Contributing Writer
*Note: As you read the following you must first practice saying the word “CHOCOLATE!” using the most menacing “Monster Voice” you have, that gravelly growl that comes from deep within. And each time you see CHOCOLATE! in bold, use that voice. Remember: chocolate = regular voice. “CHOCOLATE!” = Monster Voice. Only then will you have the proper context and fully understand where I was when I encountered… The Chocolate Monster!
The Simple the ChoColAte monsteR
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At Funspot
Have you ever had that irrepressible desire for chocolate?
(Not yet, that wasn’t in bold.) I’m not talking about that ordinary, “Ho-hum, gee whiz, chocolate would be nice right about now.” No, I’m talking about that insatiable Chocolate Monster that wells up from the depths of the belly and growels, “I WANT CHOCOLATE!”
(Did you get it? That was your prompt.) Well, that was me recently because I wanted (ready?)... “CHOCOLATE!” (Alright! No more prompts. Remember: regular print = no monster voice, bold print = monster voice.)
It started in the grocery store. I was perusing the aisles, just minding my own business, picking up a few things for me and the in-laws. As I got closer to the candy aisle, their list included a bag of mini chocolate bars, a favorite weakness of my father in law. And that is when The Chocolate Monster deep within began to stir. Grabbing the bag of chocolate, the inner struggle between good and evil commenced. I must have stood there in the aisle for nearly three minutes (that’s a long time in the candy aisle) contemplating my next move. “Chocolate?” “No chocolate.” “YES! CHOCOLATE!”
“NO! Chocolate.” It was that age old struggle between good and evil, both perched on a shoulder, each whispering in my ear. It was truly quite deafening. I thought about a
compromise. I could feel myself beginning to cave. I found my hand gripping a bag of mini Tootsie rolls, reasoning that this would sooth my inner Chocolate Monster.
“But!” It was The Voice of Reason speaking. Good or Evil? Not sure.
“Yes, they may taste good. And under ordinary circumstances it may curb the desire for chocolate but it’s just not “CHOCOLATE!”
Well, Reason had me there. I do like these little soft chewy candies. However! As chocolatey as they may be, they just were not the “CHOCOLATE!” I was wanting.
Suddenly, I became acutely self conscious of the looks I was receiving from other shoppers. It was the same careful look cast upon the street wanderer observed carrying on both sides of a
heated argument in public. Reluctantly, I released my grip from the obscenely huge bag of candy and moved on. Haltingly, I made my way down the aisle, looking back on occasion, as if catching a last glimpse of an old friend as we parted ways.
With evening settled upon the house of Gibson The Chocolate Monster lay idle, brooding in the shadows, biding its time. I had made a delicious dinner: a rather healthy meal of stuffed Carnival Squash, baked sweet potato, and steamed broccoli. The stuffed Carnival Squash, by the way, was tasty. A stuffing made on the fly, it consisted of browned ground Sweet Italian Sausage, a couple slices of bread cut into cubes, a handful of crushed butter crackers, about a cup
eyes are lost in a sea of black, the overall image suffers.
For me anyway, white-breasted nuthatches are one of the most photogenic species. It seems as though weather conditions, camera settings and how rushed I am to get the shot do not make a difference, as the photos come out clear and sharp regardless. In addition, the acrobatic birds often
strike an appealing pose as I release the shutter.
I photographed a white-breasted nuthatch at my feeding station the other day. Rather than photographing birds on the feeders, I sprinkle sunflower seeds in the nooks and crannies of an old wooden fence section to make for a more appealing setting.
Tufted titmice frequently use one of the
wooden posts as a safe landing spot before heading up to the platform feeder, so I was focused on that spot when a nuthatch suddenly appeared there. Like most small birds, nuthatches don’t sit still for very long, so I brought the camera up to my eye quickly and pushed the shutter halfway to ensure my focus. Of course, the autofocus started zooming in and out despite the red dot being clearly aimed right at the bird’s head. Without the focus locking in, I pushed the shutter all the way a few times and hoped for the best.
I looked at the small screen on the back of the camera expecting to see blurry photos of an unrecognizable bird, but to my surprise, the photos were clear and perfectly composed. Only a nut-
hatch, I said to myself. Not only do whitebreasted nuthatches strike acrobatic poses and have multi-colored plumage highlighted by bright white and steely blue-gray, their dark eyes are set among their white faces. Their black caps begin well above the eyes. Redbreasted nuthatches, the smaller cousins of the white-breasted nuthatch, are photogenic as well, but have a black eye stripe, making them a bit trickier to photograph. I love looking for and photographing all birds and nature. Whether the results are good, bad or somewhere in between, it’s an enjoyable, healthy and fascinating hobby. Sometimes I do ask myself, however, why can’t all birds be like whitebreasted nuthatches?
Here’s A Tip
by JoAnn Derson
Columnist
* “I have added an additional shower curtain bar in my tub. I hang up my towels and washcloths there to air dry, and they are out of sight behind the shower curtain. It’s very convenient.” -- A reader
* “I have small candy dishes out in my home, and I like to keep them filled with goodies throughout the year, but now, when I have little children over, I put them up high and let parents know that they and the children are welcome to have as much as they like. The parents appreciate this, as the children sometimes like to overindulge.” -- D.A. in Rhode Island
* Unexpected company on the way? Throw clutter in a laundry basket and stash. Clear the sink of dirty dishes; take out the garbage; clean the faucets, sink and mirror in the bathroom most likely to be used; and, finally, sweep or vacuum the floors. This should not take long, but these moves will maximize the feeling of cleanliness in your house.
* Here’s another use for a bandanna: Ina-pinch earmuffs. Tie around head and position over cold ears to keep winter winds at bay.
Syndicated
holiDAy CACti ADD Weeks of ColoR AnD enJoyment
by Melinda Myers
Add weeks of colorful flowers and decades of enjoyment to your indoor plant collection with holiday cacti. Dress one up with a decorative basket, container, or foil wrap and give it to a favorite gardener or holiday hostess. You’ll find a variety for sale at your local garden center or florist.
The plant sold as a Christmas cactus may in fact be a Thanksgiving cactus. The true Christmas cactus
blooms later and has small segments with rounded edges. The Thanksgiving cactus, though often sold as the Christmas cactus, has toothed or jagged segments and typically blooms earlier. To add
to the confusion, there are hybrids of the two that bloom in between these.
Fortunately, their growing requirements and care are essentially the same so the plants will do fine no
matter the name on the label. Keep your flowering holiday cactus in a cool bright location to extend its bloom time for as long as four to eight weeks. Avoid hot and cold
lAkes Region symphony oRChestRA pResents festive holiDAy ConCeRts
The Lakes Region Symphony Orchestra (LRSO) is thrilled to announce its annual holiday concerts, set to light up the season on Saturday, December 7 at 7pm at the Colonial Theatre in Laconia, and Sunday, December 8 at 3:00 PM at Inter-Lakes Auditorium in Meredith. Featuring cherished holiday music from timeless classics to modern favorites, the concerts promise to be a highlight of the season for all ages. These concerts sell out every year, so we encourage you to buy your tickets early.
The Orchestra will be joined by special guest artists Rachel and Alex Hunton from Laconia’s Powerhouse Theatre Collaborative. Rachel, a passionate vocalist and award-winning actress, has delighted New Hampshire audiences in roles such as Maria in The Sound of Music and in Sondheim
on Sondheim. Alex, a music and theatre educator, is known for his work at Pinkerton Academy and with the New Hampshire Master Chorale. Together, the Huntons bring warmth and charisma, adding a unique theatrical touch to LRSO’s holiday festivities.
The holiday program
includes moving classics including O Holy Night, Joy to the World, and Ave Maria, alongside popular modern selections The Christmas Song, Winter Wonderland, White Christmas, The Prayer (popularized by Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli), and many others made famous by the likes of Bing Crosby
and Amy Grant. This rich mix of traditional and contemporary pieces is designed to evoke the magic of the season, bringing the joy and peace of the holidays to life in music.
Under the baton of LRSO’s conductor Ben Greene, these concerts
MILL S T REET
Meat Market
the 43RD AnnuAl gReAteR lAkes Region ChilDRen’s AuCtion
The 43rd annual Greater Lakes Region Children’s Auction, presented by Hannaford Supermarkets, will be held this year from Tuesday, Dec. 10 to Friday, Dec. 13 at the Belknap Marketplace in Belmont.
The auction occurs live at the marketplace and airs daily from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. A variety of items will be up for bid each day, and friends and neighbors from throughout the community will appear on the set. Watch the event on Lakes Region Public Access television viewers can tune into Channel 25. The auction will also stream live at ChildrensAuction.org, on The Laconia Daily Sun’s website at laconiadailysun.com and on Facebook.com/
ChildrensAuction. Listen to the auction each day with Zack Derby and friends at Lakes
101.5 FM.
On Friday, Dec. 13, auction volunteers will come together to announce the total funds raised for children and families in need.
Jennifer Kelley, executive director of the auction, is thrilled to have the event at the Belknap Marketplace.
“We are grateful to everyone at the marketplace for welcoming our hundreds of auction volunteers into their space,” she said.
“The auction is such a valuable community event. Business leaders throughout the Lakes Region continue to show their generosity as we raise funds to financially support local children and families in need.”
George Vernet, owner of Vernet Properties, which oversees
the marketplace, said, “It is an honor to be associated with such an outstanding organization as the Greater Lakes Region Children’s Auction. It provides so much to the Lakes Region community. The Belknap Marketplace looks forward to hosting this event that financially supports local children and families in need.”
The auction will host its second annual family night on Wednesday, Dec. 11, from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Have your picture taken with Santa, meet the Grinch, build a toy in Santa’s workshop, decorate holiday cookies, face paint, sing along with the Snow Family and hear holiday stories; children See AUCTION on 21
pemi ChoRAl soCiety
The 115-voice Pemigewasset Choral Society (“Pemi Chorus”) shines a light upon this year’s holiday season with a program devoted to the theme “Give Us Peace.”
The annual threeconcert series begins at Gilford Community Church on Thursday, December 5 at 7:30pm.
Performances follow at Inter-Lakes Middle/ High School in Meredith on Friday, December 6 at 7:30 pm and at Silver Center for the Arts at Plymouth State University on Sunday, December 8, at 3pm. All concerts feature open seating and admission is free, with an optional freewill donation at the door.
Pemi Chorus Music Director Will Gunn chose the uplifting theme of peace at a time when conflict continues to cause
suffering in several parts of our world. He says, “We recognize that our own freedoms and basic human needs are met while many people in the world struggle for survival. We want to give voice to those who cannot speak while reflecting poet Langston Hughes’s lyrics, ‘Give us a peace that dares us still uphold, throughout the peace our battle against wrong.’”
The peace theme is explicitly articulated in several concert selections, most notably in “Give Us Our Peace,” based upon the Langston Hughes poem, and “Dona Nobis Pacem,” the final movement of the great Mass in B Minor by Johann Sebastian Bach. Seasonal holiday pieces include “Carol of the Bells” and “While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks.” The program also fea-
tures a couple of audience sing-alongs.
Will Gunn is the director of music at Plymouth Regional High School and in 2023 was named New Hampshire Choral Director of the year by the state chapter of the American Choral Directors Association. Collaborative pianist, organist, and composer Laura Belanger accompanies the chorus.
The Pemi Chorus is a 51-year-old regional community chorus based in Plymouth NH with a wide-ranging musical repertoire. Singers come from more than 25 communities throughout the Lakes Region, central New Hampshire, and the White Mountains. The chorus boasts a diverse range of ages from high school students to age 80 and above.
The group performs
concerts in December and May and welcomes new members at the beginning of each semester. For more information, please visit pemichoral.org or email an inquiry to pemichoralsociety@gmail.com.
air drafts, moisture stress, and other environmental changes to reduce the risk of bud and flower drop.
These holiday cacti are epiphytes that naturally grow on trees in the rainforests of Brazil. They all prefer bright indirect light, high humidity, and thorough watering when the top few inches of soil begin to dry. Don’t overwater but don’t let the soil dry completely. Water a bit more often when the plant is in bloom. Grow them in an organic well-drained potting mix for best results. Water thoroughly and pour off any
excess water that collects in the saucer to avoid root rot. Reduce maintenance and improve the growing conditions with the help of gravel trays. Place a layer of pebbles, decorative stones, or marbles in the saucer or bottom of the foil wrap or basket. The pot will be elevated above any excess water collecting in the pebbles. As this water evaporates it increases the humidity around the plant.
ing window or back from an east- or westfacing window where it receives bright indirect light throughout the year. Too much sun turns the leaf segments dark red.
Don’t be anxious to move these plants to a bigger container. They prefer to be somewhat pot-bound and can remain in the same pot for years.
MYERS from 16 ly October to get holiday flowers. Cover the plants or move them to a location free of artificial light, indoors or outside, each night for 14 hours and provide bright, indirect sunlight each day. Any interruption in the dark period from outdoor, street, or reading lights can delay or prevent flowering. Make this the year you add holiday cacti to your indoor plant collection and consider purchasing a few for friends and family. These easy-care flowering beauties will brighten indoor holiday décor and everyone’s mood.
Fertilize with a dilute solution of flowering houseplant fertilizer once it finishes blooming and throughout spring and summer as needed. Grow your cactus in a north-fac-
Encourage a new flush of flowers with cooler night temperatures around 55 to 60 degrees and slightly drier soil. An uninterrupted dark period will also help promote flowering.
Next fall, start the dark treatment in ear-
Melinda Myers has written over 20 gardening books, including Midwest Gardener’s Handbook, 2nd Edition and Small Space Gardening. She hosts The Great Courses “How to Grow Anything” instant video and DVD series and the nationally syndicated Melinda’s Garden Moment radio program. Myers is a columnist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine. Myers’ website is www.MelindaMyers. com.
will get a free book courtesy of the local Kiwanis Club.
The auction still needs donations of new, unused, nonperishable items, big and small. Gift cards are always a hit with bidders. Other popular items include electronics, tools, tickets to sporting events, toys and services.
Convenient item collection sites are now open throughout the region. Visit ChildrensAuction.org for details. And on Nov. 29 and 30, visit the collection site at the Belknap Marketplace and drop your items off between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Also donate items on Dec. 7-9, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Belknap Marketplace.
Bid online at ChildrensAuction.org or over the phone during
auction week at (603) 527-0999. Pre-bidding begins Friday, Nov. 29 online on items with a retail value of $300 or more. Anyone can bid on these featured items as well as place a max bid on any item. Sponsorship opportunities exist at every level. Email Jenn@ ChildrensAuction.org or call (603) 527-0999 for more information on how your business can make a difference in the lives of children. Follow the auction on Facebook at Facebook.com/ChildrensAuction; Instagram at Instagram.com/childrensauction603/; and LinkedIn at Linkedin. com/company/greater-lakes-region-children-s-auction/
create a memorable experience for all, whether for family gatherings, date nights, or simply for sharing in the spirit of the season. The LRSO’s holiday concerts are a beloved tradition, offering audiences a chance to escape into the warmth and wonder of live orchestral holiday music.
Tickets are on sale now and are going fast. Don’t miss this opportunity to experience the sounds of the season with the Lakes Region Symphony Orchestra. For tickets and information, please visit www. LRSO.org. Tickets are $20-$30 for adults, and $10-$20 for students college-age and under (please no children under age 5). You can also order by phone using the contact numbers listed for each venue on their website.
The Lakes Region Symphony Orchestra extends its gratitude to
its concert sponsors, Fay’s Boat Yard and Cupples Car Company. Their unwavering support is an essential part of what makes LRSO, your community orchestra, possible.
WINTER BOOT PRESEASON SALE
5 to 20
MENS
* WOMENS * KIDS
A wonderful memory of a great day skiing at Gunstock! The new Nordic Skiing and Campground Welcome Center is currently under construction at Gunstock. This summer Gunstock Mountain Resort invested 1.6 million for snowmaking expansion on the mountain and for trail widening. The improvements are part of its 4.8 million capital expense plan. Gunstock’s target season opening is December 6th. Gunstock.com.
bit flat footed when it comes to being prepared for this ski season. I haven’t gotten any of my winter gear out and I still need to get my new ski boots fitted. I have been too busy riding my mountain bike but I am going to make time next week.
I did buy my season passes and took advantage of the best early bird pricing last Spring. I know that the prices for the Ikon and the Epic prices have already gone up.
The Indy Pass is currently sold out but put your name on their waitlist, I bet they’ll open it up again like they did last year.
Yikes, I just checked SkiNH.com and they are nearly sold out of their annual sale of
deep discounted tickets to New Hampshire ski resorts.
Check out the season passes offered at your local ski area. Get your youngster in a ski program, signup for school lessons have begun.
SkiNH.com is offering once again their 4th & 5th Grade Passport program. For just $59, students will receive one lift ticket or trail pass voucher to each of the Ski New Hampshire’s 30 member ski areas.
Of course try to never buy a lift ticket at the window at the resort because it is a lot less expensive to purchase your ticket on-line and the earlier the better.
Don’t ignore those emails from your race league director. If you haven’t already signed
See PATENAUDE on 23
A fine day at Loon Mountain. Loon has made the largest snowmaking investment in NH, installing more than 100 new semi-automatic snowmaking hydrants. The snowmaking improvements have been made on Loon Peak and North Peak on nine trails. Loon has installed two new live webcams--at the Octagon Lodge and at the top of the Kacamagus 8. LoonMtn.com.
Dartmouth Skiway childrens lesson is about to begin! Dartmouth with be hosting at home the NCAA Skiing National Championships beginning March 5th. New Hampshire’s 4th & 5th Grade passport program is back--a trail pass to each of Ski New Hampshire’s 30 member ski areas for just $59. Ski New Hampshire’s website also is a great place to find the snow conditions reports. SkiNH.com.
your team up you better do it soon before your favorite night gets filled. And don’t forget to sign those race waivers and turn them in.
Registration for the New England Nordic Ski Associations Women’s XC Ski Day registrationhas opened and the annual event this year will be held on January 26th at the Woodstock Nordic Center in Woodstock, Vermont. I have been asked again to be a coach and happily agreed. If you want to have fun and to learn to ski better sign up soon, this popular event always sells out.
The New England Ski Museum’s annual holiday open house in
North Conway is being held November 6th and the open house in Franconia on December 27th. Stop on by and meet up with your ski friends or make some new ones.
I hope my ramblings about the current and upcoming ski season helped get you excited andthinking about skiing!
Have Fun.
THANKSGIVING SALE up to 40% OFF select designs in-store only
Santa, his elves and reindeer at Bretton Woods will surely come back this season. Bretton Woods is introducing RFID ticketing this season along with Mount Cranmore and Pats Peak. Bretton Woods opened on November 16th and was the first ski area to open in New Hampshire for the season.
Holiday Craft Fair
Dates: Friday, December 6, 2024, 3:00-6:00 pm and Saturday, December 7, 2024, 9:00 am-3:00 pm
Location: Homes of NH Realty, 200 Rockingham Road, Londonderry, NH
All proceeds benefit the animals of Live and Let Live Farm Rescue.
Fine selections of handmade items, porcelain dolls, games, puzzles, holiday décor and more. Cash,
1779 New Breton was renamed Andover, apparently after Andover, Massachusetts.
Some of the tracts of land that were granted to groups of people called proprietors were first given by number. Number 1 was the town that became known as Mason.
Mason is along the southern border of New Hampshire, half way between the western border and the eastern border, which is the sea. When this town was granted to the proprietors in 1749, also by the provincial governor, Benning Wentworth, it was designated as town Number One. It’s twenty-seven square miles were to include “shares” for a minister of the Gospel, for the ministry,
and for a school; all of which were intended to be “there forever.” The rest of the land within the prescribed borders of the town were for the proprietors who were to receive their plots of land “free and clear of all charges”, but were expected to “perform and make settlement at their own expense.”
Having done that, they were asked to contribute their share towards the expenses needed to conduct the business of the town, as in building a meeting house or constructing roads.
Town Number 1 which remember was granted in 1749 almost two decades later, decided that it wanted a change in status and in name.
A warrant item at a January 5, 1768 town meeting, article # 6, read as follows: “To see if the proportors and Inheritance will pas a vote to be Incorporated, and if so to chus a man or more to Goo to Portsmouth & get the same accomplished.” In case that needs translating,
Number Two by Governor Benning Wentworth also occurred in 1749, but was incorporated a few years earlier than Mason, in 1762, as Wilton. Previously, having been a part of Massachusetts, it was within a town granted by the Massachusetts governor in 1735 as Salem-Canada. The town was thought to have been named Wilton after Sir Joseph Wilton, a well-known English sculpter who was a founder of the Royal Academy.
I’m assuming that proportors meant proprietors, and Inheritance meant inhabitants. Then, after they voted to make inquiries as to how the town could be incorporated, they adjourned for a period of four weeks. When they returned to deal with the subject the minutes of the meeting, which I will allow you to decipher, included this: “voted to be incorporated. Also, Voted, that Left, Obadiah Parker disburst the money, & that he shall have a hansom reward for the same & that he get the same Incorporated as soon as may be.”
Apparently Obadiah was successful, for New Hampshire Town Number One was incorporated and named Mason after the man to whom much of the State was granted by the King of England, John Mason, who never saw the plot of land between two rivers that was then called Laconia.
The granting of Town
Another New Hampshire town was also originally called Number Two according to the Manual of the General Court of 1973. That town was said to have been granted to proprietors John Pierce and George Jaffrey in the year 1765 by Governor Benning Wentworth, though, according to the Manual noted above it was granted in 1771 by Benning’s nephew and successor as governor of New Hampshire, John Wentworth. Deacon William Presbury and family are stated elsewhere to have been the first settlers in 1771, followed a few years later by other settlers from Bradford, Massachusetts. This Number 2 was then called New Bradford and Bradfordton before the inhabitants settled on the current name of Bradford . Those are just a sampling of New Hampshire towns that went from being designated as a number or a name that proved to be temporary until changed to a more permanent name, often, it seems, at the time of incorporation. ,
Nahum Bachelder - born in Andover, NH. Governor of New Hampshire from 1903-1905. Served as Master of the National Grange
Woolen Mill in Wilton, NH-1912.
Postcard showing Drinking Trough in Mason, NH
CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY CAKE
SERVINGS: About 12-16 Portions TIME: About 45 minutes plus cooling time
1 and ½ sticks of butter plus a Tbsp for greasing the pan
1/3 Cup Vegetable Oil
3 Eggs
1 Cup Sugar
2 Tbsp. Vanilla Extract
¼ Cup water
1 and ½ Cups Sour Cream
3 Tbsp. Karo
2 Cups Flour
¾ Cup Raspberry Cocoa Cappuccino Mix
¾ Cup Cocoa Powder
½ tsp. Salt 1 ½ - 2 tsp. Baking Soda
1 ½ - 2 tsp. Baking Powder
1 Tub of Chocolate Frosting
PREPARATION
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Generously grease a glass 11 X 15 baking dish (bottom and sides) with about a Tablespoon of soft butter.
- Melt the 1 and ½ sticks of butter and combine this with the vegetable oil in a mixing bowl.
- Add the three eggs to the butter and mix well. Add the sugar and vanilla extract and continue to mix.
- In a separate bowl combine the flour, Cocoa Powder, Raspberry Cappuccino Cocoa Mix, salt, soda, and powder mixing well.
- Gradually add by the cup full the mixed dry ingredients to the egg mixture, alternating with a few spoonfuls of Sour Cream, letting each blend with the mixture in the bowl. Continue to alternate the additions of dry ingredients and sour cream until each is fully into the mixture. The batter should appear smooth and thick.
- Add the karo and mix, then add the water to the batter and mix completely. Batter should still be thick but thin enough to pour.
- Pour evenly into a 11 x 15 baking dish and place into the preheated oven. Bake for about 30 minutes.
- Check for done: temperature is above 165 degrees F. and toothpick or thermometer comes out clean. Let rest to cool before frosting.
and a half of garlic flavored croutons leftover from salad night, a cup of chicken flavored bouillon, Italian Seasonings, and chopped onion. Mixed together in a bowl and left to sit for a few minutes, I then stuffed the two halves of the squash. Preheating the oven to 350 I placed the stuffed squash halves in a baking dish with the sweet potato cut in half, buttered on its faces, and placed face down. I can tell you, after about an hour in the oven, both came out just right. A crisp crusty stuffing on top, soft but not mushy stuffing inside, and the squash is done, nice and tender. The sweet potato is crispy on its face and done to a squishy perfection on
its inside. But this was far from solving the “I WANT CHOCOLATE!” issue. So, within an hour of eating, and our chocolate stash from Halloween long gone, I was rummaging about the kitchen looking for… “CHOCOLATE!”
I resolved myself to the fact that, if “CHOCOLATE!” was what The Chocolate Monster wanted and “CHOCOLATE!” was to be had by The Chocolate Monster, then it was up to me to make “CHOCOLATE! ” happen to quell the yearnings of The Chocolate Monster. And with that goal firmly set, I began to wildly toss some ingredients in a bowl to see what I could conjure up. At this point a true confectioner is probably saying in a caution-
is an exact science. A statement I have often reiterated in these pages. But, that has never stopped me from trying, so why should it now? Especially when The Chocolate Monster is screaming “I WANT CHOCOLATE… NOW!”
I think brownies were the goal but the memories of this particular affair are all a blur. No doubt my lapse is due in part to a recent rash of high blood glucose readings. And without a recipe to guide me, I never quite know where I will end up. So it was with this quest for “ CHOCOLATE!” What started as the makings for brownies was shaping up to look more and more like cake batter. Regardless of the intended results, what I can attest is that the sum of this evening’s kitchen alchemy was
quite pleasing. Now, if you are not the kind of person who likes raspberry this may not be for you, but if you like a hint of raspberry with your chocolate this just might be your lucky day. This Chocolate Raspberry Cake turned out flavorful! Laced with a subtle bite from the sour cream and notes of raspberry courtesy of the Cappuccino mix, the cocoa mix and cocoa powder answered the call for “CHOCOLATE!” that beckoned forth from The Chocolate Monster. How could this have been better? A Raspberry Chocolate Layer Cake perhaps with a raspberry jam filling between layers? To tell the truth I was not thinking this far ahead. I just wanted “CHOCOLATE!” As it was The Chocolate Monster was
losing its patience, not wanting to even wait long enough to cool the cake for frosting. With a stray mini KitKat found amongst the assorted fast food condiment packets kept in a bin on the door of the fridge I was able to distract The Chocolate Monster long enough to frost the cake and cut a piece. Served with a cold glass of milk (the only way to eat cake in my opinion) the want for “CHOCOLATE!” was once more satiated, The Chocolate Monster retreating back to whence it came. Chocolate Raspberry Cake, a surprisingly fun and delicious ending to this Simple Feast. Enjoy!
ary voice, “It doesn’t happen this waaay!” And I concede that they are probably right, baking and confections just don’t happen, it
FEAST from 13
devastation left behind by the grotesque policies and mandates that were imposed globally. It has moved back to climate change, as a still greater threat. The latter—besides its trademarked Science— has exactly this in common with the former: that the individual is said to be helpless in the face of it and must simply do as he is told. And what is he being told? He is being told that he must adopt the state’s “whole of society” approach and the OneHealth vision that places every living creature, and the planet itself, under the coordinated power of those same agencies. He is being told that it is time to sacrifice his cherished autonomy on the altar of the common good, the priesthood of which he cannot question or comprehend.
rules he doesn’t understand and punished for crimes he didn’t know were crimes.
Breathing fresh air, for example, or refusing an injection. Or greeting a person according to sex rather than “gender” and defending the young from chemical or surgical castration. Or contributing to the rise of our still relatively low CO2 levels—an essential atmospheric component without which we would all die for want of so much as a cricket to eat, the cricket itself having nothing to eat. Or selfishly having too many children and not dying soon enough. Or praying in public, or even privately about public matters. Or refusing to carry one of the electronic devices by which the data-miners conduct their constant surveillance. Increasingly, merely criticizing
criminalized as an intolerable violation of the “whole of society” approach.
The Right Path Out Of Failure
Where are the covenant people, that royal priesthood and holy nation established by the living God? It was they who first taught the liberties that are being lost. It was they who confronted Caesar at the cost of their lives, filling the catacombs with their dead. It was they who insisted that there must be limits on state power, that the lordship of Caesar must not be acknowledged in any way that denied the lordship of Jesus Christ.
In “The Audacity of the State” (Touchstone, January/February 2010) I insisted that the church transcends and relativizes even the family, never
is not an individualistic religion, but rather a covenantal, ecclesial religion. I reminded readers that the church has a unique responsibility which corresponds to its unique nature—that the libertas ecclesiae derives directly from the divine mandate delivered to it by Jesus.
The church’s liberty is not a function of rights attached to the image-bearing person. It is not a species of religious freedom more generally. It is not a privilege granted by the state. Ecclesial freedom is a freedom that derives directly from God and his Christ, a freedom that cannot be over-ruled by man. It therefore falls to the church to defend, first of all, its mission to proclaim the Word of God and to celebrate the sacraments of the grace of God and to
so depend the integrity of its witness and its ability to assist in the recognition and preservation of those lesser freedoms and responsibilities it shares with others. On doing so depend its compassion for the poor and its care for the little ones. But in the time of testing the last four years have brought upon us, it has largely failed to do so.
The most spectacular failure occurred when the two great commandments, delivered by Moses and confirmed by Jesus, were effectively suspended by the state during the lockdowns. No greater audacity can be thought, short of the state doing what even Hobbes said it must never do—make itself out to be God. It has now come perilously close to that, overturning times and seasons, canceling liturgies, altering genomes, rejecting man as male and female, demanding that people think and act as images of the state rather than images of God. And the covenant people have capitulat-
ed, even to closing their doors for months at a time.
Like the regime itself, many of them now wish to swing the spotlight away, lest it expose their sins and shortcomings. That is not the right path. Repentance is the right path. Repentance and works of reparation. The people of God must show the managerial state that they will never again render to Caesar what is God’s. That, of course, will put them back on the front lines of civil disobedience, through the rejection of authority falsely socalled. So be it.
Douglas Farrow is Professor of Theology and Ethics at McGill University in Montreal. His recent books include Ascension Theology, Desiring a Better Country, Theological Negotiations, and 1 & 2 Thessalonians in the Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible.
the abortion issue.
Dr. Jefferson told me that while she was born in the segregated South, she never experienced racism. She was the first Black woman to graduate from Harvard Medical School, but would tell people that she didn’t attend the school to be its first Black woman to graduate. She didn’t like to be referred to as “Black. “I am a Negro and proud of it.” she would tell me. “I don’t need the like of Jesse Jackson to tell people what to call me.” When she first graduated from Harvard, she explained “Every time I sneezed, reporters would cover it, but when they learned a was a conservative Republican, they ignored me.” I read a recent bio of her which said that she was discriminated all her life implying that it was racism discrimination. It was ideological discrimination.
In December of 1995, I sponsored a speaking engagement at the Hyde Park (Boston) Library on the subject of the jury system. This was on the wake of the O.J. Simpson trial when some demanded an end to the jury system. She be-
lieved O. J. was innocent but supported the jury system. We had a couple of left-wing activists show up to cause trouble, but they were no match for Dr. J. A reporter from a local paper covered the event and the headline read: “Right and Left Square Off at the Hyde Park Library.” But it was just two left-wing White women who took exception to a Black woman who wouldn’t toe the leftist line. On several occasions, she ran for the U.S. Senate from her adopted state of Massachusetts but was not liked by what we used call Rockefeller Republicans now known as RINOS. She was, however, loved and admired by all that came to know her. Longtime Boston City Councilor Democrat Thomas “Dapper” O’Neil who attended many functions with Dr. Jefferson did would jokingly say to her “I am still available.” Dr. Jefferson was married to naval officer Shane Cunningham. They divorced and they didn’t have any children. She was the only child of Rev. Millard Jefferson, a Methodist minister and Guthrie Jefferson, a schoolteacher.
In the Spring of
canceled a speaking engagement. This will be the last time we spoke. She passed away a little less than a month later.
2010, Dr. J called me to ask if I would become a delegate to the Massachusetts Republican Convention and support businessman Christy Mihos for Governor who was running against Charlie Baker. I joined the local Republican Party committee in the West Roxbury section of Boston and was chosen to be a delegate. At the convention, Dr. Jefferson gave an impressive speech endorsing Christy, but Baker easily got the nomination. That summer, Dr. Jefferson spoke at our annual family camp on the subject of Obamacare. As always, her message was well received. While she seemed to be in good health, it appeared to me that she had aged since I last saw her.
On September 17th of that year, I was attending a Constitution Day celebration at the Massachusetts State House. Dr. Jefferson was one of the scheduled speakers and I was supposed to pick her up at the S and S Deli. I called to tell her was on my way. She said that she was not feeling well but “will be there in spirit.” This was out of character for Dr. J. In the years that I knew her, she never
There were two memorial services for her. One at a Catholic Church in Watertown, MA and the other at Harvard University. While they were wellattended, only a few Black people were on hand. There were plenty of her volunteer drivers at the Watertown service. When I asked who drove her the furthest, a man told me “I drove her from Boston to Saint Louis, but I made a number of detours along the way.” All the men had servants hearts and, like me, were honored to have the privilege of driving her. One of her more regular drives, my good friend Bill McNally would say, “I am driving Miss Daisy today.” In 2018, a learned that a forthcoming movie Roe v Wade was under production and Dr. Jefferson’s character will be played by actress
Stacey Dash.The Massachusetts Citizens for Life hosted Stacey at their annual dinner held in Norwood, MA . I got a chance to briefly meet Stacey at the dinner and have since become friends with her. Thanks to the efforts of Attorney Mike Parker and Sharon Jones of Carthage, Texas, Dr. Jefferson’s hometown, a bust of Dr. Jefferson along with an historical marker was placed in Anderson Park in February of 2018. My wife and I recently had the chance to visit Carthage, and view the bust and marker which - reads: Dr. Mildren Faye Jefferson - Dr. Mildren Faye Jefferson was born in 1926, was reared in Panola County, and graduated from Carthage Public Schools. Dr. Jefferson was a trail blazer and is a nationally recognized leader of the Right-to-Life movement, serving three terms as president of the National Right Committee of which she was a founder. She graduated summa
cum laude from Texas College in Tyler, and in 1951 became the first African-American woman to graduate from Harvard Medical School. Dr. Jefferson served as a general surgeon with the former Boston University Medical Center, and as Assistant Clinical Professor of Surgery at Boston University’s Medical School. Dr. Jefferson’s purpose in life is best explained in her own words: “I am not willing to stand aside and allow the concept of expendable human lives to turn this great land of ours into just another exclusive reservation where only the perfect, the privileged, and the planned have the right to life.” Dr. Jefferson passed away in 2010 in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Camp Constitution’s motto is “Honoring the Past….Teaching the Present…Preparing the Future.’ We will always honor the memory of this amazing and courageous women.
SHURTLEFF from 1
Dr. Jefferson with President Reagan.
ing the daunting complexities of the current international situation and seeking out diplomatic victories remains an ongoing challenge.
Then there are the issues of mass human rights violations of Afghan women by the Islamic fundamentalist Taliban in the aftermath of the Biden/Harris Administration’s shameful pullout, the churning chaos in Haiti, and the mass illegal migrations into the United States (and many European countries too). Add the perennial undertow of poverty and privation in so many places globally and you begin to see the picture.
Elise Stefanie (40) who entered Congress decade ago as the youngest elected woman, has her work cut out for her. She serves as a senior Member of the House
Armed Services Committee and the House Intelligence Committee and Chairwoman of the House Republican conference.
Her 21st Congressional District encompasses a huge swath of land encompassing the Adirondack Mountains, Lake Placid and Upstate New York bordering Canada.
A staunch Trump loyalist, Stefanik will press for President Trump’s “Peace through Strength” mandate at a time when it’s sorely needed but will be seriously challenged. As she stated, “The work ahead is immense as we see antisemitism skyrocketing coupled with four years of catastrophically weak U.S. leadership that significantly weakened our national security and diminished our standing in the eyes of both allies and adver-
saries.”
Viewing the UN she stated, there should be a “complete reassessment of U.S. funding of the United Nations” after the Palestinian Authority attempted to expel Israel from the UN over human rights abuses in Gaza.
Stefanik remains a strong and dedicated supporter of Israel and a fierce critic of Hamas, Hezbollah and their Iranian paymasters.
Her debating skills were honed as a Harvard University graduate. Though a Catholic, she is a strong and dedicated defender of Israel and moreover a vocal critic of the vile anti-Semitism which has plagued the U.S. over the past few years, especially since the horrific Hamas attacks on Israel of October 7, 2023.
Stefanik gained national acclaim last De-
cember for her tough questioning of some university presidents during widely televised Congressional hearings on anti-Semitism. Following the hearings, University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill and Harvard President Claudine Gay resigned from their posts amid widespread disgust for waffling in their answers to Stefanik’s searing questions. Her actions against anti-Semitism stand as a singular achievement supporting religious freedoms and genuine academic discourse.
On Human Rights issues, she’s poised herself as a powerful critic of both China and Russia. But contrary to the days of Moynihan, or Kirkpatrick, now a generation ago, there’s a far more dangerous political dynamic at the UN, one that Nikki Haley had to
navigate daily.
The powerful fifteen member Security Council where the United States is among the five permanent members Communist China, France, Russia and the United Kingdom remains politically deadlocked for a decade.
She has slammed Putin’s invasion and aggression in Ukraine but does not believe in giving the Kyiv government a blank American check.
With the UN’s 80th anniversary looming in 2025, it may be more difficult to challenge budgets never mind the
bloated bureaucracy of an organization the U.S. helped create in the aftermath of WWII.
Stefanik proved herself as a tough and erudite individual. She’s the right choice for the UN.
John J. Metzler is a longtime United Nations correspondent covering diplomatic and defense issues. He is the author of Divided Dynamism The Diplomacy of Separated Nations; Germany, Korea, China.
THE CLASSIFIEDS
and
15 years. Then, to the misfortune of the then and future President Trump, Covid hit. So, my answer to the tsunami of commentary about what happened in this election is that Americans are not happy and are sufficiently vibrant and healthy to step up and say “enough.”
As I said in my column two weeks ago, the only thing most Americans seem to agree about is that things are not good. Now that the status quo has been rejected, where do we go?
I will repeat what I have been saying for
a long time. A country that is fiscally bankrupt, culturally bankrupt and morally bankrupt is not a country with a future.
The great news that I see is that those with the great stake in the country’s future -- our youth, our working class and lower- and middle-income Americans, and our nonwhite Americans whose votes have always been disproportionately on the left, for Democrats, shifted in a meaningful way to Trump and Republicans.
Regarding the surge to the right by young men of all colors, my take is they are un -
happy with a feminized culture of victimhood, wokeness and moral relativism.
I am not talking about manhood in a macho sense, but in the true sense of masculinity -- to step up and take responsibility, to work, to build and to create. They are getting that the critical element of manliness is not taking control of others but of taking control of oneself.
The headline from the exit polls is decisive dissatisfaction with the economy, and all these votes went to Trump.
They will all agree with the tax cuts.
But how about
spending cuts? We must shrink the long and heavy hand of government to recapture the economic growth of years gone by.
The voting shift among Americans of color is of crucial importance. The country is becoming less and less white.
Seventy-one percent of the 2024 vote was white voters. When Reagan was elected in 1980, 88% of voters were white.
Less than half the children in K-12 in America’s public schools are white.
We need Americans of color to walk away from the culture of vic-
timhood and embrace the culture of freedom and personal responsibility.
America needs these Americans of color, and these Americans of color need the values that built the country.
Regarding the Democratic Party, I would not liken it to a bankrupt company. A company in bankruptcy needs to reorganize and do its business more efficiently.
The Democratic Party is very efficient. Its problem is it’s selling the wrong product.
Star Parker is president of the Center for Urban Renewal and Education and host of the weekly television show “Cure America with Star Parker.” Her recent book, “What Is the CURE for America?” is available now. To find out more about Star Parker and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
