This past week, as back to back snowstorms have pushed through town, turning our world white and silent, one sound, very welcome, is the relentless back and forth traveling of the snow plow. Lincolnville has about 54 miles of town and state roads (with the exception of Atlantic Highway), to plow and sand which two contractors, Larry Thomas and Young Construction (Bernard and Todd Young) divide. Larry does our road, the third generation of Thomas men to do so. Larry’s uncle, Alan Thomas told me about his father, Herbert, for Staying Put some years ago:

Sometimes he let Alan ride with him, and on those occasions, the boy didn’t miss a thing. It took two men just to start the Pierce Arrow truck, one standing on the radiator while the other pulled up on the rope attached to the crank. Leigh Miller often worked with Herb. If it was really cold, they started a small fire on a snow shovel using a combination of kerosene and rags and then held it under the motor to heat the sluggish oil.

Herb and his plow truck could do anything it seemed to young Alan. It might take three or four days to plow the whole town after a big storm, but he got the job done. First he’d open the main roads. Then, if a woman was expecting a baby he’d make sure the road to her house was plowed and kept clear. Sometimes the snow was so deep even the Pierce Arrow with its hard rubber tires and wooden plow couldn’t break through. Then crews of men and boys would shovel ahead of the truck, opening up the worst of it.

His father had to be resourceful when he was out on the snow-covered roads, and no one else was moving. One time the engine was skipping somewhere on Youngtown Road in the middle of a cold, nasty night. Herb, standing in the sleet, used the emery paper on a matchbook to file the points on the distributor, then adjusted them using a dime.

Herb drove with the “wing” or passenger-side window open. Since there wasn’t any heat in the truck that didn’t make much difference. A small fan on the dashboard that operated off the battery kept the windshield on the driver’s side clear. The wing man, Leigh or one of Alan’s older brothers, rode with his head out the window watching for obstacles in the way of the plow. When one came along—a stump or a telephone pole or a boulder—Herb stopped the truck so his wing man could get out and lift the plow with a chain fall.

People watched for them, especially in the night. Alan’s Aunt Electa Heal kept the lamps lit at her 116 Youngtown Road house for her brother, Herb. They’d go by once, then on the way back, they’d stop in to thaw out, and Electa would have heated up a meal for them. Cora Drinkwater always had hot soup and pie for them no matter what time they made it the mile in to her house, 283 Van Sickle Road. Such stops were welcome after hours in the icy cold truck. One time, when Alan’s older brother, Perry, was his age, their father had the eight-year old drive the truck while he walked behind trying to wake up. They were on the Canaan Road almost to the Tanglewood corner when Herb realized the truck had nearly come to a halt. Perry had fallen asleep at the wheel.

 Read more Lincolnville stories in Staying Put available at Sleepy Hollow Rag Rugs   or Western Auto.

Sometime in the 1930s, as Peg Miller recalls, her mother, Cora Drinkwater had iritis, a painful inflammation of the eye; she nearly lost her sight. Treatment at the time called for a daily infusion at the doctor’s office in Rockland for six weeks. Cora lived at the end of Van Cycle Road, one mile in from Belfast Road. Every day through that winter, Herb drove up the road to get Cora, and along with her husband, Grover, would take them down to the Rockland doctor.

Peg says Herb would do anything for you. But the same could be said of her mother, Cora. Watch for her story next week.

Back to the winter of 2015. This weather, starting with the Halloween week-end ice storm and power outages, is stretching our safety net. Dave Kinney, Lincolnville’s town administrator offered this information for those weathering – literally – Maine’s winter this year.

Be prepared to be on your own for the first 24 hours of a power outage by thinking ahead and having on hand:

• bottles of drinking water
• a bathtub full of water to flush toilets
• some easy to prepare foods such as sandwiches, canned beans, soup, etc.
• fully charged phone or plug in phone
• flashlights, kerosene lamp
• medications handy
• wind-up radio (I got one at Radio Shack)
• If you have internet access check Central Maine Power or call 1-800-696-1000  to find out how extensive the outages are.
  Wally and I are pretty smug in the face of a power outage with plenty of firewood, woodstoves, and a well-stocked freezer. Ooops. That well-stocked freezer will thaw during a prolonged outage; CMP recommends wrapping your freezer in a sleeping bag or quilts and not opening it, which should give you a little extra time.
• Meanwhile, during a big snowstorm or power outage, towns are in contact with Waldo County Emergency Management, assessing the severity and where there are needs, and it’s determined if shelters are needed – either warming shelters or for overnight. Dave told me you can get information on where help is available by calling 211, a line which is manned 24/7, or visiting their website. You can also call 338-2040 to see if shelters are being set up. Hank Lang is Lincolnville’s Emergency Management Director.
   

Many people have had generators installed. This isn’t an easy fix, as generators have their own set of problems and responsibilities. Another option for those without backup heat, if you can afford it, is to book a room at a motel. One couple considers it a form of insurance, planning ahead when the weather forecast is bad.

And here’s where we all come in. Do a mental check of your neighborhood. Who lives alone, has health issues, or is elderly? Make a note to check on them, bring them a hot meal, or invite them to sit by your woodstove. It’s hard enough for an able-bodied family to sit through days with no power while the wind howls, and the house grows colder. How much scarier and lonelier it is if you’re alone in that house, or not feeling well, or are frail.

Finally, and this isn’t exactly on the same subject as wild-n-wooly winter weather, but it’s been on my mind for sometime: aging in place. What a strange phrase; what else can you do? But of course, it means you grow old in your own home, not some other “place”. As both Wally and I move into our 70s, (though he got a good head start on me!), this concept is becoming real. What do people need to do this successfully? What happens after we can no longer drive? What kind of help will we need?

Then, Saturday morning’s Bangor Daily News had a front page article on how several Blue Hill area towns have found a way to help elderly residents stay in their own homes. By forming a program called “At Home Downeast” 60 paying members (paying $150-$1300 a year on a sliding scale) have volunteer drivers taking them to up to four medical appointments a month, a twice-monthly visit from a nurse, weekly grocery and prescription deliveries, a safety assessment of their home, and social gatherings.

I like to think that here in our small town we still have the concern of a Herb Thomas for our neighbors, but perhaps something more formal along the lines of “At Home Downeast” could be organized. Islesboro, for instance, recognizing the needs of folks who wanted to stay on the island, though not necessarily in their homes, found a way. “The Beacon Project, the central island resource for eldercare needs in Islesboro, Maine was founded in 2003 with a mission to make it possible for our elders to remain here on Islesboro with dignity and comfort as members of our island community, we built and began operating Boardman Cottage, an assisted living home for six residents, in the summer of 2005.” 

And in perfect harmony with this theme, old friends Red Garner and Stell Shevis, both well-known Maine coast artists, got together at Red’s home to celebrate his 99th birthday recently. Stell had already reached that milestone!

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Hanlon Kelley of the Restorative Justice Project of the Midcoast  will give a free presentation on Wednesday, February 4 at 7 p.m. at the Lincolnville Community Library. According to Kelley, “Restorative Justice provides methods for addressing wrongdoing that are not adversarial or punitive, but instead focus on healing the relationships that have been harmed and meeting the needs of those affected.” Kelley will describe how those involved with the Midcoast project work to respond to crime and wrongdoing in a way that seeks renewal and safety for the community, support and healing for victims, and accountability and reintegration of the offender. Come and join the discussion following the talk.

The Library’s craft project this Saturday, February 7 is Valentine making. All ages are invited to stop by from 10 a.m. to noon to make cards for your favorite people. Paper, doilies, ribbons and other colorful decorations will be available to make valentines that fold to become their own envelopes. Each envelope will then have a space to include a short message or a small piece of candy. The program is free and all materials will be provided. Bring children or not; Julie Turkevich, who organizes these monthly projects, always comes up with great ideas!

The Lincolnville Central School Committee meets Monday, February 2 at 6 p.m. Check out the agenda  to see if you want to attend.

 Finally, our dog Fritz knows where he belongs when the wind howls and the snow blows: right in front of the woodstove. What better place to be....