Kendall says these "moon" poems were written from his father's bedroom window on Mechanic Street.

 

CLEAR, CLEAR MOON

 

For Lauryn Hottinger

 

This moon rose red across the harbor

Now clear as a silver dollar

I have your music on

Will it last as long as this poem?

It cannot match your beauty

Or smoothness of voice

The tingle of the guitar

Why has God given us such beauty

When we don’t deserve it

Both your beauty

The moon’s beauty

That silent one

Is only caught by one giant maple

Soon will be able to fly

Unrestricted by anything

Earth can cast out trying to grasp

This Holy Orb

What sin we committed there

Walking these

Voicing irrelevant words

Think of the healing that could have been done

With the monies

Just to beat out various red enemies

Life is funny

As soon as you see a beautiful woman

She disappears

As this moon will do

In short order

The sky will be dark

Except for tiny stars and planets

I hope you never fade away

That you will be singing

And posing for the camera

Just remember you are an immortal Goddess

On Stephen’s Mount Olympus

That you, through and beauty

Have I used that word too many times

In your poem, your loveliness

Is anyone else

Looking into your life

Around the moon

Will you make everyone

See the charm of earth

As you light it up

In a shining path

 

Kendall Merriam, Home, April 25, 2013 10:25 PM

Listening to LaurynHottinger “A New Kind of Breathing”

And Jr. Walker and the Allstars “Greatest Hits”

 

WILD HORSES’ MOON

 For Lyn Cowan

 

I saw your moon

All the way back to Rockland

Orange now silver

As I look out my window

Your speech about horses

Was the best I have heard

On any subject

Sea Biscuit Indeed!

Breaker of hearts

Are you sure you are not a horse yourself?

I try to be when I can

Invariably eating oats for breakfast

Dressing to the music of the Gypsy Kings

Worried about four year olds

Being slaughtered

And sent to Canada for food

I will send you other poems

About horses

That I know about

I sat on a horse for five minutes

When I was in the eighth grade

And never chose to do so again

Even though I’ve had the opportunity

Did you know that at the beginning of WWII

Polish cavalry troopers

Shot their mounts

So the Germans wouldn’t have them

To haul gun carriages, ammunition

There is an ad on television

By the BSF railroad company

That gives glimpse

Of a herd of wild horses

Racing beside the train

It is so good that now

Pickup trucks and vans

Have taken the drudgery

Of the carters

I wonder how many horses are watching this moon

In Arabia, Mongolia or Iceland

Do they judge as we do

A symbol of beauty

Or the end of a heavy day

Filled with dogs and wolves

Thank you for consecrating my evening

With God’s most important creature

 

Kendall Merriam, Home, April 26, 2013 12:00 AM

Listening to “Beignets and Coffee” compiled by Rebecca Hill

 

TELEVISION MOON

 

For Phyllis

 

The moon is orange

Almost half gone

I write this for my wife

She is from the 19^th Century

Amazed by the little theatre

In the back living room

Even though we only have basic

It gives her many choices

She doesn’t have to dress

It’s near the kitchen

For drink and sustenance

She likes to see England

In her shows

Grand houses, grand murders

Interspersed with a glance

At her store, new ideas for shoes

She is far too polite

To watch the moon undressing

And never comments

About high tides, just low

She is not a musical person

Though she did play a recorder once

In the family band

Her family is all gone now

Sometimes I wonder

If she hopes to see her family

Perhaps they all have moved

To England

Working at the Royal Shakespeare

Under the guidance of the television moon

 

Kendall Merriam,  Home, April 29, 2013  12:02 AM

Listening to the “Best of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young”

ROMA MOON

 

For All Roma Across the Earth

 

I sit at my father’s tin accounting desk

And stare at the moon

Directly full above the Head of the Bay

Where it creates a path of silver light

I do not know if I have ever met

A Roma man, woman or child

But I love them nonetheless

For their persecuted freedom

For their sense of knowledge of the world

And their music and dance

Gina, you may think we are far too small

In this tiny, backwater city

To know much of life

But tonight

At the local Strand theater

we saw on HD

A performance of Garde’s

“Blood Wedding” and “Suite Flamenca”

We wanted it to go on and on

But finally could tell the dancers

Musicians and vocalists

Were exhausted

As we came out of the theater

There was a brilliant full moon

Which we had not seen developing

For it had been cloudy for weeks

I do not know what else to tell you

I hope you approve of my lancing

The boil of hatred

Of Levant and all the many

Enemies of the Roma

I do not know if I believe in God

So I do what I can on this old typewriter

like the one my wife bought more than twenty years ago

I have learned not to be afraid

And say anything I want to anyone

Who is trampling on the rights

And the very lives of others

Living on this endangered planet

Kendall Merriam, Home,

April 24, 2013 11:46 PM

  

Thomaston Library News

 

 

 

Watercolors by Thomaston artist Kevin Smith

On display in May

Through the month of May, local artist Kevin Smith's watercolors will be on display on both floors of the Thomaston Public Library. Smith's work reflects his love of nature, particularly the off-the-beaten-track nature of the Adirondacks and east coast. A self-taught artist, Mr. Smith's paintings have been featured in many prestigious shows throughout New England. His landscapes are vibrant, imaginative, and graphic.

Smith says the purpose of his work is to capture the vibrancy of life. He uses a blending and pouring technique, but first begins each piece by breaking down his subject into basic lights and darks, lights and shadows. Then he analyzes the two to see how they work together to capture life's dynamic. Smith says, “Since yellows and reds are some of the most energetic colors, and people's eyes are drawn to them immediately, I use those two primaries to capture the light in each piece.”

 

Smith's work will be available all month for viewing and for purchase.

 

Saltwater Film Society screening of

Living in Oblivion on Thursday, May 30

 

 

On Thursday, May 30, at 6:30 pm, the Saltwater Film Society will show the 1995 comedy film Living in Oblivion, directed by Tom DiCillo and featuring Steve Buscemi, Catherine Keener, Dermot Mulroney, and Peter Dinklage.

Living in Oblivion is a meta-comedy, a film that is both critical of and a love letter to the process of independent film-making. The film is divided into three parts:

Part one chronicles a disastrous shoot, wherein mishaps abound and the camera crew fails to capture even the salvageable footage. Part two follows a spat between actors sleeping together. On- and off-screen tension escalates towards violence. Finally, part three depicts a botched dream sequence, complete with dwarf and smoke machine.

Hosted by the Thomaston Public Library, the film will be shown in in Room 200 of the Thomaston Academy building. For more information about the Saltwater Film Society, please check out their website at www.saltwaterfilmsociety.com.

New Saturday Hours at Thomaston Public Library

Beginning Memorial Day weekend, the Thomaston Public Library will offer new Saturday hours of 9 AM to 1 PM, to allow the library and its patrons to coordinate with the Thomaston Farmers' Market, taking place each Saturday morning (from 9 to noon) on the Academy building's grounds.

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Cinco de Mayo Recipes

Recipes from Allyou.com

Guacamole with Cumin Chips

 

Ingredients

Cumin chips:

6 pitas

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2 tbsp. salt

Guacamole:

2 ripe avocados

1/2 small red onion, minced (about 1/4 cup)

1 tbsp. minced seeded jalapeno

2 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

2 tbsp. lime juice

1/4 cup finely chopped tomato

salt and pepper

 

Preparation

 

1. Make  chips: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Split each pita in half. Brush both sides with oil and sprinkle with cumin and salt. Cut each half into 6 wedges and spread in a single layer on 2 ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 10 mins., turning pitas over and swapping position of pans halfway through, until pitas are crisp and golden.

 

2.Make guacamole: In a glass bowl, mash avocado with a fork until chunky. Mix in onion, jalapeno, cilantro, lime juice and tomato; season with salt and pepper. Cover with plastic wrap pressed directly onto guacamole and chill for 20 mins. Serve with cumin chips.

 

Mini Spice Cheese Muffins

 

Ingredients

 

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup yellow cornmeal

1 tbsp. baking powder

1 tbsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 cup grated Monterey Jack

2 jalapeno chilis, seeded and chopped (about 1/4 cup)

 

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Mist 2 mini-muffin tins with cooking spray.

2. In a bowl, combine first six ingredients. In a separate bowl, beat eggs with buttermilk and oil. Pour egg mixture into flour mixture and stir to form a thick batter. Fold in cheese and chilis.

3. Spoon enough batter to half-fill 24 cups in mini-muffin tins. Bake until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Cool in pans on wire racks for 5 minutes, then turn muffins out onto racks to cool further. Serve warm or at room temperature.

 

Chicken, Chili and Cheese Enchiladas

 



 

 

Ingredients

1 tbsp. vegetable oil

1 yellow onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 jalapeno chili, seeded and minced

4 cups cooked, shredded skinless chicken (from one 11/2 lb. rotisserie chicken)

2 cups coarsely shredded sharp Cheddar

1 16 oz, jar salsa verde

1 4. oz. can diced mild green chilies, drained

11/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

16 51/2 inch corn tortillas

1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro

 

 

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Mist a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Warm oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until softened but not browned, 5 minutes. Add garlic and jalapeño and cook 2 minutes longer, stirring often. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

2. In a large bowl, combine onion mixture, chicken, 1 cup cheese, 1/2 cup salsa and mild green chilies. Stir until well combined.

3. Pour broth into skillet and heat until almost simmering. Working one at a time, dip a corn tortilla into broth, taking care to work quickly so tortilla doesn't become too soft, then transfer to a clean workspace. Spoon about 2 Tbsp. of chicken mixture down center of tortilla. Roll tortilla around filling like a cigar, and transfer, seam side down, to prepared dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling. Pour remaining salsa over top of enchiladas, spreading to coat. Sprinkle remaining cheese over top.

4.  Bake enchiladas, uncovered, until cheese is melted and enchiladas are hot throughout, about 20 minutes. Just before serving, sprinkle with cilantro.

 

(Sorry for the formatting problems. This is why I don't do a lot of recipes at once any more.)

 



                              

 

In memory of our Sonny, this blog will continue to be known as Sonny’s Sunshine Corner. He will always be our Sunshine Boy.

As we continue our journey in Chapter Two of this blog, “Beyond the Southend,” we are delighted to bring you some interesting blogs for the month of May. Look for a special Mother’s Day blog; special recipes for Cinco de Mayo to make your May 5 Mexican feast the best ever; recent activities at The Hilton Homestead and much more.

Ted’s column this month will feature yet another one of his past DYI projects. Kendall Merriam has moon poems for us this month.

There are a couple of blogs aimed at our summer visitors which I hope you natives will pass on to folks who may be thinking of coming to Maine this summer.

The numbers for the blog on this blog site are now over 27,000. There are other big numbers at other sites also, including The Courier Gazette blog space. Google is also spreading the blog to a broader audience. I thank you for your continued support by hitting the ads on the right side of the blog.

Today is May 1 which is traditionally devoted to war machines around the world and other dissident activities. I’m reminded of the May baskets we used to deliver to our friends in our South End neighborhood. It was a happy time for us in contrast to all the strife that surrounds us today. Sometimes I’m homesick for those days. Kids in the neighborhood don’t carry on this tradition anymore. It’s an overcast day here in Georgia, so it wouldn’t be a good day to deliver those delicate baskets made up mostly of crepe paper and ribbons. I’m afraid little hands would have a hard time keeping them dry and not all bunched up into a gooey minty mess. I hope you can at least smile at that picture and remember your own happy childhood memories.

Happy May to you all.

 

 

Sonny’s Sunshine Corner