Thanksgiving Lite

I’ve written so many Thanksgiving blogs that I’ve run out of ideas for a new story to bring you. Instead I’ll refer you to my best year for Thanksgiving blogs, 2011. Check those archives for a wide variety of thoughts on that holiday. I suggest: “The Lost Holiday;” “Thanksgiving Poems;” “A History of Thanksgiving;” “The Real Plymouth Colony;” and “A National Day of Mourning.”

Many different parts of the country claim the first real Thanksgiving, but the traditional belief is that it began as a New England celebration. At least that’s what we read in our history books every year at this time from grades one through eight.

Of course history can be written in many ways and slanted towards the ideas you want to imprint on young minds like: Be thankful for all your blessings because the Puritans of that first Thanksgiving had to endure some real hardships.

President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving Day  a national holiday in 1863.

Thanksgiving was originally celebrated on the final Thursday in November, but President Franklin D. Roosevelt changed it to the fourth Thursday in November to ensure it wouldn't fall too close to Christmas.

I say if FDR wanted Thanksgiving to really be celebrated as its own special holiday, he should have picked a day way earlier like the third Thursday in September or something. That way everyone wouldn’t be in such a mad rush to observe that other holiday known as “Black Friday” the following day.

Do you think the holiday Lincoln proclaimed is really celebrated the way he wanted it to be? In 1863 he proclaimed a national day of Thanksgiving and Praise “to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens,” to be celebrated on Thursday, November 26.

Thanksgiving Lite

This year Nanci and I will celebrate “Thanksgiving Lite” because she is working at the grocery store that day. We’ll eat later in the evening. I plan to make a trip to Whole Foods (otherwise known as Whole Paycheck) to see what kind of dinner I can put together for the two of us.

This year, especially, I will be remembering Thanksgiving of 1963 when we lost our beloved New England president, John F. Kennedy. Who knows how different our national history would be if he had been able to complete his presidential term.

I will watch the Macy’s Day Parade in the morning. I love that parade. Then in the afternoon is the national yearly AKC dog show which Nanci and I always try to watch together. She may be able to catch some of it. Football is NOT in the schedule. This TV refuses to air any football games on Thanksgiving so that we can give the holiday it’s proper due. (Nah, I lie a lot. Don’t really like football unless the Pats are in the Super Bowl.)

Also not on the schedule is the celebration of Black Friday when the malls around here are loaded with cars and you take your life in your hands trying to get in and out of the stores. No thank you. I stay off the roads on New Year’s Eve and on Black Friday. The move to this apartment took whatever money we might have to spend on that day anyway. So it will be Christmas Lite too.

I do wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving. Nanci and I are thankful for our many blessings and hope that you are too; and try not to spend too much money on Friday, O.K.?

Thanks for listening.

 

 

The Day Camelot Was Lost—November 22, 1963

 

“Don’t let it be forgot, that once there was a spot, for one brief shining moment that was known as Camelot.” This line from the Broadway show of “Camelot” comes from one of John F. Kennedy’s favorite songs.

The presidential era of what came to be known as “Camelot” came to an end that terrible day in Texas when a man with a high-powered rifle aimed at our President’s head as he sat smiling next to his wife, Jackie, as they participated in a motorcade in Texas, and pulled the trigger.

It was 50 years ago this week, on November 22, 1963, that people of my age will never forget. We all know exactly where we were and remember being glued to the scene on TV of the funeral in Washington, D.C. over that long Thanksgiving break from school. What I remember most about that day were the boots placed backward in the saddle of a riderless horse and young John Jr. saluting his dad for one last time.

Where were you when you heard the news? I was coming out of a class down in Machias at Washington State Teachers College (now University of Maine at Machias). Everyone was buzzing about the news that had just come through from Texas. Our president was dead. It was quite unbelievable and very shocking to us all.

As I remember, Maine people at that time were not all that thrilled with the Kennedy Administration. I in fact, didn’t vote for him, voting for McCarthy instead. The scare to some was that Kennedy was Catholic and therefore the Pope would eventually make the policies in our United States. How ridiculous was that?

We as a nation lost our innocence that day. November 22 forever became our “Day of Infamy.” As young people then, we despaired about the future of our country. What would become of our daily lives if we had to look over our shoulders in fear of a sharpshooter lurking above our heads somewhere? Was this psycho shooter, Lee Harvey Oswald, who had actually done the unthinkable and defected to our worst enemy at the time, the USSR, been sent here to do this deed by his “red” commanders over there in Russia?

So many questions with no real answers. The Warren Commission tried to sort it all out later and determined that Oswald acted alone, which is probably correct. That conclusion didn’t stop our uneasiness about all things Communist, however.

How did Camelot Begin?

I came across an article in Yahoo Voices telling the story that Jackie began the idea of Camelot to memorialize the Kennedy era for the future. I just saw on “Sunday Morning” that they attributed the idea to John’s father, Joe, who was connected to the movie industry. I believe that it probably was Jackie’s idea to begin with and Joe just carried the idea forward. Here are excerpts from the article I found:

Why the Term "Camelot" was Given to the John F. Kennedy Presidency

Kathie Scheidler, Yahoo Contributor Network
Dec 9, 2010

 

…It was First Lady Jackie Kennedy who originally decided to use this expression. Jackie was very concerned with how the Kennedy's were going to be portrayed after their time in office. She wanted to make sure that the administration of President John F. Kennedy was accurate and created an image for posterity of which she approved. Jackie had always believed that history was written by old men with a pessimistic viewpoint of the world…

Jackie contacted Theodore H. White of Life Magazine. She asked him to personally interview her for the publication. Jackie wanted to be sure that the first piece written after the Kennedy Administration was exactly what she wanted it to be. The interview was entitled "For President Kennedy: an Epilogue". It appeared in a memorial edition published in the month after the assassination.

It was because of President Kennedy's love of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table that Jackie come up with the term "Camelot". This was one of John Kennedy's favorite stories since his childhood, as he loved stories that were full of heroes...

In 1960, a musical entitled "Camelot" came to Broadway, running for 873 performances and receiving four Tony Awards. An original cast album was created, as well, and became America's top selling record for 60 weeks. President Kennedy loved the show so much that he purchased the album and listened to it every night before he went to sleep.

According to Jackie, the song that President Kennedy enjoyed most contained the line "Don't let it be forgot, that once there was a spot, for one brief shining moment that was known as Camelot". After the President died, Jackie remarked many times that the line just kept replaying over and over in her mind. It helped the term "Camelot" to become synonymous in her own thinking of the Kennedy family's time in office.

John and Jackie Kennedy and their two children were one of the youngest and most attractive first families in American history. The Kennedys had an aristocratic aura about them that a prior administration had never really had. The Kennedys became more like celebrities than just a family in politics. Jackie's use of the term "Camelot" was widely accepted because she saw the reality- that there was a quality the administration held that was never duplicated before or since.

To view the whole story by Kathy Scheidler, please go to:

http://voices.yahoo.com/why-term-camelot-was-given-john-f-kennedy-7232644.html

The Saddest Songs of the 60s

The two saddest songs of the 60s have to be “Where Have all the Flowers Gone?” and “Abraham, Martin and John.” YouTube has two great videos of both of them which I include here. Peter. Paul and Mary, our most favorite folk singers of the day sing “Where Have all the Flowers Gone?” to a live audience in Japan in 1990.

 

Abraham, Martin and John

 

 

Thanks for listening.

Sail Power and Steam Museum

 

Study for your Captain’s License this Winter

January, February, and March

Call for scheduling

207-701-7627

Remember Our Veterans Today

 

My brother, Harlan, at basic training in upstate New York, from his daughter, Brenda’s, album.

She says the words on the back read: “Me and my boots and the grass so green.”

 

 

 

Remember our veterans by participating in one of the activities below.

1. Help build a home or donate equipment for a house for a severely disabled veteran with “Homes for Troops.” To get in touch with that organization go to www.homesfortroops.org.

2. Provide free transportation to medical facilities by volunteering to drive a Disabled American Veterans’ van. See www.dav.org/volunteeers.

3. Provide care for the pet of a vet who is deployed or wounded and receiving help at a VA facility. www.guardianangelsforsoldiers.pet.org. 

4. The Library of Congress is interested in recording the stories of old soldiers. Go to www.loc.gov/vets  for a kit and instructions.

5. Ship your old cell phones to www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com.www. For each one donated, the organization will pay for an hour of talk time for troops overseas.

6. Donate used DVDs to www.dvds4vets.org.

7. Have extra coupons? Military families may use expired coupons for up to six months past the due date. See www.coupsfortroops.com .

8. Contribute clothing, food and gifts for service members. They will be used to prepare gift boxes. Go to www.operationgratitute.com/volunteer.

9. Post a care package with a thank you note through the Kitchen Table Gang. Go to www.soldierpackages.org.

10. Share your expertise with a vet, financial, legal services, counseling, building etc. Go to www.milserve.org.

11. Support Big Brothers and Sisters. The organization has a program to help children with parents in the armed forces. Go to www.bbbs.org.

12. Go to Michelle Obama’s organization for vets: www.JoiningForces.gov.  

 

I found this wonderful tribute to our servicemen and servicewomen, past and present, on YouTube. Take the time to put your hand over your heart as the flag passes you in your local parade.

 

Norma Boothby, our Friend and Teacher

The Class of ’59 at RHS recently lost one of its most beloved teachers, Mrs. Norma Boothby. She and husband Hamilton Boothby, our former principal, were always attendees at our class reunions and we will miss talking to them at those occasions from now on.

We knew her in high school as Mrs. Tiffany. She taught us French, Spanish, English and American History over a span of 22 years.

She was one of the younger teachers at RHS during our tenure--between 1956-1959. She was just 31 when she taught us. Only Alice Knight and Catherine Duncan of the Home Economics Department and Alton Cole of the Social Studies Department were possibly younger. Mr. Cole, as I remember, was only about four or five years older than the class of ’59.

Mrs. Tiffany was a beautiful woman inside and out. I’m sure there were more than a few admirers among her male students. She was always ready with a smile and some good advice.

Although I never took French, which she taught during my high school years, she became a good friend on occasion when I’d get a letter from my French pen pal in Toulon, France. My pen pal didn’t speak or write English nor I speak or write French. Why did I have a French pen pal in the first place? I think I acquired Claudie from my twin cousin, Diane, one year. I think she also had a French pen pal; however, she also studied French at the time.

In any event, I was delighted when Mrs. Tiffany very graciously offered to read my letters from Claudie for me.

We were very surprised and at the same time happy when Norma married our beloved principal, Hamilton Boothby in 1971. Mr. Boothby’s first wife passed away and we were delighted to see two of our favorite people find each other. They were married for 37 wonderful years and we all enjoyed seeing their smiling faces every class reunion time.

If you have a special memory of Norma Boothby to share with us, please email me at southendstories@aol.com. If you would like to leave a memory or share a condolence you can also visit her Book of Memories at www.bchfh.com.

Here is a picture of the French Club and its activities from the Cauldron of 1959 I thought you’d enjoy:

 

First Row: D. Harden, S. Peterson, G. Ladd, Mrs. Tiffany, P. Wade, E. Ilvonen, D. Gregory;Second Row: V. Pine, B. McKinney, C. Sulin, C. Bird, K. Argyle, B. Billings, G. Henderson, R. Jackson, H. Epstein, N. Spaulding;Third row: E. Batty, J. Rapose, F. Loring,  l. Mountfort, K. Harvey, C. Simmons, S. Fowler, S. Noyes, P. Newbert, R. Dow; Fourth Row: D. Rush, P. Nevers, W. Heath, R. Hentley, D. Barstow, W. Johnson, S. Blackman, C. Cross

 

The French Club as pictured in the 1959 Cauldron. Norma (Tiffany) Boothby is in the center of the first row. She reorganized this club in November of 1958. Officers were: President, Gail Ladd; Vice President, Pat Wade; Treasurer, Elsa Ilvonen; Secretary, Sandra Peterson; and along with David Gregory and David Harden comprised the executive committee.

That year the club sponsored an importer of French “Santons”—miniatures from the nativity scene. A small crèche was purchased for the French room. Such an activity probably would not be accepted today.

The members also sold telephone book covers (why would you need one?) to raise money for a slide projector for the language classes and for the annual $100.00 scholarship.

Two members of the club who were of the Class of ’59 have since passed away also: Pat Wade and Priscilla Newbert. They are all missed.

Thank You Classmates.com

and Memory Lane Inc.

 

As promised in the October blog, “An Open Letter to Classmates.com, Memory Lane Inc., and a Girl Named Liz” I am here to thank Memory Lane and Classmates.com for doing the right thing and refunding me the money I paid for an incomplete 1959 RHS Cauldron.

Yesterday I got a phone call from a nice lady named Rebecca who was calling from Memory Lane out in Seattle.

She informed me that I could have viewed the book before I bought it, which I didn’t do. However, my case was reviewed and they made an exception and decided to refund my money.

It seems they do not have a book with the missing sports pages in them. They explained that class members sell them their yearbooks and they just reprint them as they are. It’s possible that the girl named Liz, who sold her book to them, had a defective book to begin with. Which is probably why she sold it to them. As she was an under classmate at the time, the 1959 book wouldn’t mean that much to her anyway.

I’m making a lot of suppositions here because I don’t really know the “Liz” involved here. If she is reading this or if you know her, please tell her I’d love to hear from her.

Once again, I thank you Classmates.com and Memory Lane for doing the right thing.

Nightmare in Georgia

From diviantart.com

I know Halloween is over with, but I have a story I must tell here that is close to the Halloween genre. I enjoy all the antics of that special holiday as much as anyone. Even though some view it as a non-Christian holiday and therefore an evil one, as it stems from pre-Christian or pagan origins, it’s one of my favorite days of the year. In Christianity it is the holiday, “All Hallows Eve” which honors the dead, which naturally gives the day a ghoulish feel to it. There is an aspect of Halloween, however, which is not much fun for me. Bad dreams…nightmares! Many of the costumes you see on Halloween night could very well come from someone’s nightmare. I have my very own “Nightmare on Elm Street” right here in my own bedroom in Georgia.

Today I thought I’d investigate why I have such terrible dreams, sometimes turning into frightening nightmares that wake me up, and see if I could find a solution for my bad sleeping experiences.

I found an article on WebMD that may be of some help. I’ll discuss it later on. I do have my own theories though. One reason for my nightmares I believe stems from my writer’s imagination. When I’m writing a book or a story I often “sleep” the next chapter so that when I wake up I can just write it down. This practice also has its downside, however, when my imagination goes off in other directions during my REM cycle.

I’m sure I’m not the only person who believes our favorite Maine horror writer, Stephen King, goes to sleep at night; has a nightmare; wakes up and develops it into a book and/or movie which makes him another few million dollars. Would that that process worked for me. Alas.

Another theory I have is my interest in “apocalypse” type stories. I often have these dreams after I’ve watched such shows on TV as “Revolution” where the world suddenly has to do without electric power and all the anarchy that results in; and “Under the Dome,” a King story which will return next season in which a small town is suddenly trapped under a huge dome.

I’ve had similar nightmares where I am lost in an impossible world, which is often holocaust-like in scope. There is no way out, no escape, and I live in the dream in a constant state of anxiety and sheer fear. I had a dream like that last night.

As for “the Dome” I had a distinctive dream which I remembered long after it occurred in which I and a bunch of other people are stuck inside a huge store. The storefront looks like any other store when we go in to buy something. However, when we try to exit, the world as we know it doesn’t exist beyond the doors to the outside anymore. All we see is a thick mist or fog and those who try to get through it by leaving the store are just swallowed up in it.

Why don’t I write these stories down in King fashion and make my own millions? Basically, I don’t think I could keep my sanity long enough to finish the story. I’d be in a constant state of sleep deprivation trying not to get a nightmare from my own story.

WebMD Reasons and Possible Solutions

The link to “Sleep Disorders Health Clinic” from WebMD is:

http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/guide/nightmares-in-adults in case you want to look it up.

The article says that nightmares are often spontaneous but that they can be caused by a variety of factors and underlying disorders. They list these reasons:

1.    Occurring after a late-night snack because your metabolism is increased which signals the brain to be more active.

2.    Medications. Some like antidepressants and narcotics can trigger bad dreams. Even some blood pressure medicine (I do take BP medicine). My doctor tells me that none of my meds should do this however.

3.    Withdrawal from certain medications.

4.    Sleep deprivation. It has not been confirmed whether this cycle could cause a nightmare disorder.

5.    Anxiety or depression. PTSD.

6.    Sleep disorders like sleep apnea and restless leg syndrome.

7.    If no other reasons can be found, chronic nightmares may be a disorder in itself.

8.    If you have relatives with a nightmare disorder it may be likely you will have the same disorder.

Let’s examine these reasons in my case. I don’t often eat late at night unless I’m having an operation or procedure the next day where I won’t be able to eat for some time the next day. I don’t remember having any nightmares during these times.

I disagree with my doctor and do believe my BP medicine may contribute to the problem. I am not withdrawing from any medications.

Sleep deprivation is a distinct possibility as I often am awakened by pain from cramps in my legs and/or feet.

I do not have sleep apnea or restless leg syndrome. I do sometimes suffer from anxiety such as in my recent moving process.

As for relatives, my mother had terrible nightmares, so there you go. It’s possible the nightmares I have are their own disorder. Who’s to say?

I don’t know how much faith you have in WebMD but it might be a good place to start if you suffer from nightmares like I do.

One thing I plan to do, however, is try an Amish natural-non medicated remedy I just found on the internet for leg and feet cramps. I’ll let you know if their claim that it stops cramps in one minute is true or not. I’ve tried everything else. I eat bananas every day and drink tons of water. And no, pickle juice before bedtime doesn’t work. What can I lose in trying this new remedy?

Thanks for listening.

By TED SYLVESTER

Do-It-Yourselfer Discovers

Pitfalls of Home-Building

(This column appeared in June of 1972 in the BDN. See also “Deluxe Divorce” and an answer to the “Camping Question” from the Oct. 2013 blog at the end of this column.)

ROCKLAND—Our friendly do-it-yourselfer (DIY) is at it again. This time he has taken on the project of construction a 20x12 foot addition to his home.

Considerable planning went into the project: How much lumber was needed, a decision to desired materials, insulation, etc. Once the dimensions were decided upon, our friend found that even simple arithmetic doesn’t prove out.

Even before the first nail was driven, the project was headed for trouble. To begin with an estimate on cost of lumber was $50 off—not lower, higher. After that it was quite a spell before the cement footing for the supporting posts could be poured—the holes kept filling up with water.

The project finally progressed to the point of framing the floor. Here’s where the arithmetic came in. The addition was 20 feet long (240 inches). Since it was desired to have a floor stringer every 16 inches, simple arithmetic will tell you that 16 goes into 240 exactly 15 times, and simple logic will tell you that you must need 15 stringers—wrong—you need 16. You see you have to have one on the outside edge to start with. After this was resolved and the frame work properly squared and leveled, it came time to lay the 4X8 sheets of plywood flooring. Now if you place stringers 16 inches on center apart the eight-foot piece of plywood will come exactly on center at the eight-foot mark—it was about two inches off.

What our friend had done was measure 16-inches on center alright. But on the first stringer it should have been measured from the outside edge because the flooring is placed flush to the outside. Not only was the first eight-foot mark off, so was the second. To rectify the error these two stringers had to be taken out and moved over to fit—the rest didn’t matter because one can nail across anywhere—except for one thing. When it comes time to lay the 16-inch-wide insulation between the stringers, you have two holes that are too narrow and two that are too wide.

After trimming some insulation here, and adding some there, the job was completed, and amazingly enough the flooring job came out almost exactly square.

Next, it was time for studding the walls. Our friend was more careful with his measurements this time. One side was put in place and the DIYer was even clever enough to allow for an overhang on the top, a real professional job. Next came an end wall, with the same pleasing results. However, when it came to put on the other side wall there was a little problem. When the end wall had been placed, it was built flush to the corner. This was alright except for one thing, how to get the overhang on the top to match up with the other end.

At this point in the job, our friend carefully picked up all his tools and put them away for the time being—it was a good day to plant the garden.

We’ll let you know how he makes out with the rest of the room addition.

Deluxe Divorce

There is a Connecticut firm which is now supplying a service to lawyers which they advertise will result in “worry free results.”

“The entire transaction can be pleasant and as free as possible of the unpleasant mechanics so often associated with the ordinary dissolution of a marriage,” the firm claims.

The deal is that for a $1,000 fee a “client” is flown to Haiti on a scheduled airplane, met at the airport, dined in style, escorted to court, supplied with complimentary chips for gambling (if desired), and returned to the airport divorced—“in just two days,” according to the bulletin.

Camping Question

Our item of last week concerning the apparent violation to city codes against camping on private property created quite a stir. You remember that an interpretation by the codes officer—even though there was no plan to enforce it unless complaints were received—it is against the local law to camp anywhere in the city. This included kids sleeping in a backyard tent, or a weekend visitor sleeping in a camper parked in your yard.

The city manager offered the interpretation that tenting in the backyard was not in violation, but under the letter of the law, sleeping in a camper was in violation. He added that unless there is a case of flagrant violations, no one is going to bother the visitor who spends a night in a camper while parked in your driveway.

Speaking of ordinances—last summer there was one passed which prohibited sitting on the fenders of automobiles. There must have been at least 25 or 30 persons, mostly kids, sitting on cars along Main Street during the Memorial Day parade Monday. But as the city manager quickly pointed out, they were not a hazard to traffic, because there wasn’t any traffic at that time.

   

Note: If you have a comment for Ted concerning his work, please email:

 southendstories@aol.com. I will gladly forward it to Ted.

Kendall Merriam was born and raised in Rockland, Maine. He has a history degree from Gordon College in Wenham, MA and graduate studies in military and maritime history at the University of Maine at Orono and Mystic Seaport in Mystic, Conn. He also received grants to study historical research at Colonial Williamsburg and the National Archives in Washington, D.C. Merriam has been widely published, including in Katyn W Literaturze(Katyn in Literature), a Polish anthology of literary works about the WWII Katyn Forest Massacre by 120 international authors, including Czeslaw Milosz. Merriam has written more than twenty books and plays. Most of Merriam’s work has a definite muse – family, friends, and strangers – with life’s larger themes of work, love, loss and death. On April 29, 2010, Merriam was appointed Rockland, Maine’s Inaugural Poet Laureate, an honor from his hometown Merriam cherishes.

Here are four of the poems Kendall wrote while he was in Poland recently.

AT RUBINSTEIN’S

For Mark Melnicove

Here 6,000 miles

from home

we spent 6 hours

traveling to and from

Auschwitz—Birkenau

thousands of visitors

to honor the 1,900,000

of your family

Phyllis cried at the hair

I steeled myself not to

without a crust

or sip

I could feel the stony

pathway

that so many had trod

in years I may

comprehend

not now

Kendall Merriam at Rubinstein’s Restaurant,

Krakow, Poland

DIE SPINNE

Here 6,000 miles

from home

we spent 6 hours

traveling to and from

Auschwitz—Birkenau

thousands of visitors

to honor the 1,900,000

of your family

Phyllis cried at the hair

I steeled myself not to

without a crust

or sip

I could feel the stony

pathway

that so many had trod

in years I may

comprehend

not now

Kendall Merriam on the train approaching

Tarnow, Poland 9/28/13

Listening to Phyllis, Marta, and Paulina talking

LAST NIGHT IN HEAVEN

         For Joanna

Tomorrow we leave

To go back to Maine U.S.A.

A light meal to help

Us fly 6,000 kilometers

Back home

We have been to five cities

From Uprising City

To tiny Tarnoff

Enjoying them all

Most of the women

Are lovely angels

The men, soldiers of God

Your face is filled with beauty

Your service filled

With kindness

We walked for hours

With false directions

But you called out to us

With your honest spirit

We will return if God permits

But we definitely carry you in our memory

Kendall Merriam, Krakow 9/30/13 5:08 PM

Listening to happy guests

        THE TENNIS KING

            For Henryk

Agile and slim

He plays games

I never could

He is in love with Einstein

Physics, time, the stars

His formulas for life

Are honored in Poland

Quiet, attentive, friendly

A worker with a gentleness

Driving his Fiat

Without speed

That might be to protect

His cargo of Americans

And his precious daughter

It is a family

Of being simple and complex

But always working

On the court, satisfied

Kendall Merriam, in Tarnof, Poland,  9/28/13

Listening to table talk across the hall

If you have a comment for Kendall concerning his work, please email southendstories@aol.com. I will gladly forward it to Kendall.