A Can of Maine Air

South End boys having fun in the water at Sandy Beach

Lately I’ve been seeing a lot of press given over to environmental and energy issues up Maine way. Now I’ve said many times that Maine is about 20 years behind the rest of the country. That may be a good thing or it could be a bad thing. I’m not judging, you understand. I’m not sure I understand this hoopla about the placement or non-placement of towers for cell phones and wind towers off the islands which would produce, essentially, free power, is all about. I’ve been trying to keep up on the pros and cons of these issues but I admit I’m confused.

Another issue I’ve seen talked about lately is global warming and rather or not Maine is now seeing the effects of this phenomena and whether or not the air quality we always enjoyed in Maine is fast disappearing. For the first time ever I saw a report about Maine air quality being tested this summer.

This summer in Maine was very warm, to say the least. I had to go in search of sleeveless tops to replace the long sleeves and sweatshirts I brought with me. Because it was so warm I do believe it affected the environment. I actually was able to go wading down at Spruce Head with my sister and great-nephew without freezing my feet off. If I’d had another set of clothes with me that day I might even have gone for a swim. Unbelievable!

We’ve all seen the old pictures of teams of horses and men cutting ice up at Chickawaukee and teams of horses and carriages traveling over the ice in the bay to the outer islands in the winter. Even in my own childhood I remember more and worse snowstorms than you get up there now. I remember my father trudging through the snow to the top of the street to catch his ride over to the Cement Plant. I think he even wore snowshoes at one point. We kids would be home from school and enjoying every minute of being outdoors in the snow.

As for the aforementioned cell towers, I would like to put in my two cents worth. Hey, folks, when I have to go out into the middle of the street over in Thomaston in order to make a call on my cell phone, it’s time to rethink things. Find a place to put up a tower or two would you please. There, I’ll get off my soapbox.

Maineiacs have always been protective of their environment. We were isolated for so many years in terms of transportation and communication that I think we developed an isolation mentality. It’s one thing to want to protect the green areas around you. For the most part, I agree with that. However, there comes a time when we must move forward if just a little bit. If wind towers will help protect our environment for future generations in some way, I think they should be seriously considered.

One thing I would like to commend Maine for is the high level of recycling you are involved in. We have nothing like that here in Georgia. I did manage to get my appliances recycled when I purchased new ones; but we have no deposit law for cans and plastic bottles. I also appreciate the clean up done down at the Sandy Beach Park in the South End where these boys are playing in the above picture. We had to play next to the sewer pipes that ran into the water when I was a kid running around in the South End. Good job, everyone.

Gone are the days when I traveled home to Maine and opened up all my windows when I drove over the bridge in New Hampshire to let in all that “Maine air.” Remember those cans of Maine air we all bought  at Perry’s Nut House up in Belfast? Well maybe we need to get them out. If we all got together in a group and opened all our cans at once, maybe we could improve on the situation. What do you think?

Thanks for listening.