Editorials - Fiddlehead Focus

Editorials

Helping those who hurt

September, which ushers in fall and brilliantly colors our surroundings, is also National Suicide Awareness Month.

Family feuds

Everyone knows the story of Romeo and Juliet, star-crossed lovers immortalized by Shakespeare, separated by family feuds. Most of you have also heard of the Hatfields and the McCoys, Appalachian clans who took potshots at each other.

All things brown

I have never been a fan of the color brown, so I was quite surprised when just about 2 1/2 years ago, I went into a local furniture store and decided to purchase a sofa, loveseat, stuffed chair and ottoman -- all in the color brown with just a faint linear olive green stripe.

Will dry summer affect fall color?

It has been an incredibly dry summer in Aroostook County, and that has some folks wondering how the annual fall foliage show may be affected.

A spoonful of sugar

“Thank you, sweetheart. Have a great day!” I accepted my receipt from the young attendant at the drive-through window, and drove ahead to pick up my order.

Supporting Maine’s forest products industry

Throughout Maine’s history, our forest products industry has created good-paying jobs, driven local economies and sustained rural communities.

Cone of uncertainty

With respect to hurricanes, have you ever heard of the “forecast cone”? Well, I’m going to tell you where to find it, and how to interpret it, because it instantly clarifies where a hurricane is heading.

Patois: the letter A, part 2

Because the St. John Valley was isolated from the rest of North America for so long, the residents gradually evolved their own variation of French based on 15th century France French, Acadian French, Quebec French, English and Malecite words.

Large families

Today the ideal family size is two parents and two children, but years ago families were much larger. In my research I’ve frequently encountered families with 15 or more children.

Darkness visible

Uh-oh. It's getting darker. Earlier. I seem to forget about this inevitable and inexorable development every August, but in the days of high summer, encroaching darkness is far from a person's mind.

Convertible hair

It was the perfect night to ride in a convertible. My sister and I slid into our 2005 PT Cruiser Turbo, top down, destination Van Buren. There we would find, on that warm, muggy evening, divine ice cream and pizza burgers that border on perfection at the local dairy bar.

The role of laborers

When Verna Murphy was born in 1910 her father listed his occupation as “laborer.” When Benjamin Worster died in 1953 his death certificate records that his occupation was “woods laborer.”

It’s all a matter of degree

Here in northern Maine, we’re used to spending plenty of our hard-earned cash to heat our homes, and this year, cooling them has been pretty expensive as well.

Supporting Maine farmers and food-insecure families

The effects of COVID-19 on Maine’s families, farmers and food systems have been serious and are certain to persist for months to come. As part of Congress’ response to the pandemic, I strongly advocated for the creation of a new program that would help support farmers while simultaneously helping to alleviate hunger in our communities.

Patois, dictons and metaphores

In 1999 (and in a second edition in 2007) I compiled hundreds of old patois, dictons and metaphores used in the St. John Valley from way back when to today. The books sold very well and were very popular.

COVID-19 exposes systemic failures

Lisa Savage, Maine [Independent Green] candidate for the U.S. Senate, promises the most comprehensive plans for systemic changes needed to meet escalating crises exposed and worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic, crises that have been building for decades.

Time to ‘dew’ it again

“My eyes glaze over when you talk about that. Why not stick to the old percentage thing?” That was a recent comment I received, complaining about my frequent summertime use of dew point to describe how muggy or not muggy the air is.

All in a name

As I wrote in my last column, researching during the pandemic was challenging with the internet the most available source. This led to some frustrations, as you will see.

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