In
memory of our Sonny, this blog will continue to be known as Sonny’s Sunshine Corner. He will always be our Sunshine Boy.
Sonny’s brother,
Butchie, is not happy. He says: “Ever since Mommie came home with that big old
bandage on her leg, I can’t find anything. They keep moving my food dish to
make way for the scary walker; my favorite sleeping places have been taken
over; there’s a scary machine with water in it that Mommie keeps next to her
chair and it makes a scary humming noise. On top of all that, scary people keep
coming to help Mommie walk and stuff and I have to go hide under the bed.
Things are just not right.”
Well things are
beginning to get back to normal. I’m able to sit for a time at my desk and use
my own computer. I will try to catch up on this month’s blogs. Please be
patient. I appreciate that my numbers didn’t go down drastically while I was
away from you. You all took my advice and caught up on some of the archive
stories as I can see from the stats.
This month will contain
the usual columns from Ted and Kendall and new happenings out at the Hilton
Homestead. Rock Coast Rollers are rolling again. Look for special ads for
upcoming events. I’ll try to find a recipe for you to share with others. I plan
to do a Summer Reading Blog when I get all the material together also. I will
post Thomaston Library News soon.
I note the passing of
our dear friend, Herbert “Bud” Wood, our much loved school bus driver who
ferried all my Spruce Head and Owls Head friends to school at the high school,
as well as many generations before and after. Life Magazine featured him as the “The Most Loved Man in Town” in a
four-page photo spread in 1962. He was 92. We’ll miss you, Bud.
I just checked the stats
today and see we are now at 29,025, a gain of 997 in 28 days. I appreciate your
loyalty and hope you will pass your favorite blogs along to your friends.
Please continue to hit the ads on the right hand side. Thank you.
“Beyond the South End”
will be on hiatus beginning today, May 22, until such time as pain and my
physical therapist will allow me to stick my new knee under this art table I
call a desk again.
I will have a partial knee
replacement on my right knee (Ugh, the driving leg, right) tomorrow at the butt
crack of dawn, 8:30 a.m. At least I won’t have to be too hungry or thirsty
before they put me under.
I have a wonderful
doctor. He does surgery like this all the time and works on many of the
athletes in this area.
Wish me luck. Be back
with you as soon as I can. Meanwhile enjoy one or two of the stories in the
archives.
Boots on the Ground at
the Knox Museum in Thomaston; The Memorial Day “Murph” in Camden; and Peace and
Justice Sunday at the John Street Methodist Church in Camden are three of the
events upcoming to commemorate Memorial Day in the Mid Coast area.
Boots
on the Ground
The second annual “Boots
on the Ground” event honoring America’s veterans and active military personnel
and their families, takes place at The Knox Museum in Thomaston on May 25 at 11
a.m.
Lieutenant Colonel
(ret.) and Peter W. Ogden, Maine State Director of Veterans’ Affairs, will
speak. Admission is free and all are welcome.
A parade will begin at
11:00 including military units such as guards, rifle units, veterans, and
re-enactors. If you wish to march, arrive by 10:30 and check in with American
Legion District 6 Commander Ronald A Rainfrette.
After the parade a color
guard will raise the flag and soloist Harry Grant will perform the national
anthem. There will be brief speeches, prayers, and tributes. A wreath will be
laid in memory of General Henry Knox, who served as Chief of Artillery under
George Washington in the Revolutionary War.
Lunch will be served
after the activities by the Tenants Harbor Masons and Knox Museum personnel.
The Midcoast Community Band will provide the music.
The event will go on
rain or shine. Bring a blanket or lawn chair. Some seating is provided.
Memorial
Day ‘Murph’
The Memorial Day “Murph”,
which honors the memory of Navy Lt. Michael Murphy, who was killed in
Afghanistan in 2005, takes place in Camden, Monday, May 27, at 8:00 a.m. at the
Camden-Rockport Middle School playground.
Murphy was given the
Congressional Medal of Honor and the fundraiser raises money for veterans’
organizations.
This is a cross-fit
style event designed to remind participants of the pain and discomfort that
service men and women go through by extensive physical exercise. You may also
just show up and participate for free to show your support for veterans.
Peace and Justice Sunday
will be observed on May 26, at 10:30 am. At the John Street United Methodist
Church in Camden. The service honors veterans. Active or retired members of the
armed services and their families are invited to attend.
The congregation will thank
the servicemen and women with a luncheon following the worship.
Parades
I do not have a listing
of the local area parades as I’m writing this on May 22. Check your local paper
for the times and places for the parade in your area.
Memorial
Day Stories in the Archives
I invite you to read
archive stories from May, 2011: “Honoring Our Civil War Heroes, Our Civil War
Legacy”; and May 2012, “Remembering Our Freedom.”
Has anyone accused you
of having spring fever or laughed at you when you said you were suffering from
that ailment? Well, there may be reasons for developing the malady that ring
true. Some research brought these possible reasons for Spring Fever.
In a Fox News story
called “Spring Fever 101” they describe spring fever as “an onset of physiological
symptoms associated with the arrival of spring. Its symptoms include a flushed
face, increased heart rate, restlessness, daydreaming, and an increase in
sexual appetite.”
Have you ever known a
teenager who didn’t suffer from the above?
What
causes Spring Fever?
Seasonal Affective
Disorder (SAD) is real for those people who live in a cold, dark climate for an
extended period of time. I have a friend in Alaska who suffers from it. It may
also play a part in what is known as Spring Fever. The symptoms may include
dizziness, irritability, headaches, aching joints and a lack of drive.
Wikipedia sees the
causes as hormonal imbalance and the body’s reserve of the “happiness hormone”
serotonin, whose production depends on daylight, which is exhausted earlier in
the winter in the northern regions. At such times the “sleep hormone” melatonin
takes over. As the days become longer in the springtime, the body readjusts its
hormone levels and more endorphin, testosterone and estrogen are released,
which puts a heavy strain on the body, resulting in a feeling of tiredness.
We become friskier in
the spring when we are able to get out-of-doors and get some exercise. The
sunshine gives us an immediate lift in mood and we experience an increase in
endorphins or “the feel-good” hormone.
Not everyone agrees with
the Spring Fever phenomena. Thomas Szasz, a well-known psychiatrist, who was
Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at State University of New York, was a critic
of social control aims of medicine and of scientism. He said. “Spring fever all
you have to know is English. Spring fever is not a disease.” What he meant by
that first sentence I don’t know, but it’s clear he thought Spring Fever was a
lot of hooey.
I can attest to that
feel good feeling as a young teen attending South School. I remember many happy
days of recess chasing members of the opposite sex up and down the grass laden
fields back of the school. We always hated going back inside during May and as
the end of the school year approached we all became restless and I’m afraid
less attentive to our studies. Our teachers had to threaten us with this
phrase, “remember what you do here in this class becomes a part of your permanent record,” meaning pay attention
or else you’ll regret it later on.
Going
on Spring Break
How many of you have had
a memorable Spring Break experience? Let me tell you about mine.
As a young teacher who
lived with other young teachers in the 60s I became part of a group of five
teachers who took off for Florida and South Beach, Miami in a small car during
Spring Break. All of us were educated in the Maine teacher’s college system and
none of us could ever afford to take off for Florida for Spring Break when we
were going to school. We set out to correct that deficiency in our life
experience to that point.
I don’t know why they call it Spring Break
when it actually occurs in February. Isn’t that still winter? In any event, we
longed for the sun; for the opportunity to wear nothing but a bathing suit; and
the deliciousness of lying out on a beach somewhere. Why we didn’t just go to
the beaches of Northern Florida like Daytona or even Jacksonville, I don’t
know. We had a limited amount of time to get there; enjoy the sun; and get back
to our teaching jobs in Connecticut. But we were young and foolish I guess.
It was a cramped ride
with three of us in the back and two in the front. We swapped around often but
it was still a very long ride. When we finally got to South Beach, sans any
kind of motel reservation, we were pretty tired. We ended up sleeping in the
car the best we could down by the beach.
The next day we got
stopped by a patrol car because we were weaving down the main drag not knowing
where we were going. He was sympathetic to our cause and directed us to a motel
down the road. We were very thankful.
We all piled in to the
same room and some of us slept on cots so we could save money. As I remember
it, it rained a lot and we started getting on each other’s nerves. We managed
to have somewhat of a good time though in spite of the weather, but it sure was
a long ride back to Connecticut.
Elvis
and Spring Break
As I was researching
this story I came across a video of an Elvis movie called “Girl Happy” from
1965. It would have been about the same time as my trip with the girls to
Florida. His co-star was Shelley Fabares. We didn’t have these nice
convertibles like the ones in this video that’s for sure. Notice Gary Crosby,
Bing’s son, in the back seat of Elvis’ car. I think they all had more fun than
we did. This video was his first green screen test. Enjoy.
Here are the lyrics if
you want to sing along:
Spring
Fever
A
little bird, he told me so, he said come on, get on the go
Open
your eyes the sky is full of butterflies
The
blossoms on the trees stir up the honey bees
Spring
makes my fever right
Spring fever, Spring is here at last
Spring
fever, my heart's beating fast
Get
up, get out spring is everywhere
Well
if you feel the wanderlust, just grab a car or hop a bus
In every
town there's excitement to be found
So
much is happening, don't miss the joy of spring
The
world's in love just look around
Spring fever comes to everyone
Spring
fever, it's time for fun
Get
up, get out spring is everywhere
Spring fever, it's Spring fever time
Spring
fever, watch that fever climb
Get
up, get out spring is everywhere
Spring
is everywhere
Georgia
Spring
We don’t get Spring
Fever, if it even exists, very much down here in Georgia. We don’t get SAD. Our
winters are mild and our hours of sunlight are longer, or at least it seems
that way. If we even get flurries in the winter it is headline news and all you
hear about all day long.
Spring comes early here
and while your fifth season up north is the “mud season,” here in the south our
fifth season is the “pollen season.” After all the flowering trees are in
bloom, summer comes upon us pretty darn fast; so much so that we wonder where
our spring went.
Whereas I don’t have to
worry about Spring Fever, I have to figure out how to endure Cabin Fever while
I recuperate from knee surgery at the end of this week up here in my apartment
at the top of the stairs. Oh well, at least I have a balcony to sit out on. I
hope we get some sun.
