In the depths of the pandemic, my mom called me about an online happiness course she was taking. She told me about the simple ways she was learning to increase the light in her own life, recounting the joy she felt when doing intentional acts of service for friends or taking time to notice small moments of beauty such as a butterfly in her backyard.

As a result of the class, she delivered bright yellow mugs with “happiness” embossed on them to three friends who were also taking the class. The friends loved the mugs so much that one of them then ordered my mom the same mug.

Reflecting back on

Rockport Select Board:

We, Stephen Florimbi and Sarah Price, respectively request your help. We live at 132 Union Street abutting the open field with the view of Lily Pond. We are now in the eighth week of a surreal living nightmare since we received our neighbor’s notice of intent to file for a DEP permit to demolish 200 feet of the old stone causeway—now walking path, known as the Rock Road—where it crosses that field. The stated purpose: to “return the land to its natural state.” 

The permit was approved in less than a week. It took us eight excruciating days to write our appeal ourselves

It’s that special time of year again, full of magical anticipation, wondrous excitement, and pure-hearted thankfulness. We are, of course, talking about Christmas Bird Count season, otherwise known as the Birder’s Holiday.

Christmas Bird Counts are an official early winter bird survey overseen by the National Audubon Society that have been taking place for over a hundred years. Each Christmas Bird Count (or CBC, for short) is a tally of all the birds within a designated 15-mile-diameter circle on a single day. That day must fall between mid-December and early January. The National Audubon

Winterberry, wintergreen, winter wonder-show

Fox and rabbit in the yard, pawprints in the snow

Clove of garlic in the ground, bulb of tulip too

Corm of crocus in its bed, beside the meadow rue

Elderberry, serviceberry, ice and snow and sleet

Acorns and pine cones, but what is there to eat?

Pickles in the pantry, pumpkins in the pie

Green beans in the freezer, mint hung up to dry

Mushrooms by the oak tree, honey bees asleep

Potatoes in the cellar and promises to keep

Basil for the pesto, onions for the stew

Let the soup stock simmer, let the herb tea brew.

The sky is dark, it's four o'clock

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Earlier this fall, more than 60 Rockland and Midcoast neighbors gathered around shared tables, shared stories, and shared hopes for our city. It was the first event of a new initiative — Fostering Community Conversations — and it exceeded every expectation. Together with the nonprofit Community Plate, we launched an effort grounded in a simple idea: Rockland is strongest when more of us are in the room, and when every voice feels welcome.

This work began last winter, during the Rockland City Council’s goal-setting meeting. One theme rose quickly and unmistakably to the top: our city needed

Walking our dog on one of these recent very cold days through the snow and ice on what had been the sidewalk only a few weeks ago, we heard a familiar mewing call. It sounded like a yellow-bellied sapsucker but we hadn’t seen or heard one in months. In fact, most of these migratory woodpeckers are much farther south by December, some as far south as the Caribbean and Costa Rica.

Yet, there it was, a juvenile yellow-bellied sapsucker on a tree in a neighbor’s yard, calling and showing off the vertical white stripe on its side, clinching the identification. A quick look at eBird showed that

Here we go again. The Rockland City Council is bypassing the citizens of Rockland.

Again, the Council is choosing to ignore proper process. Again, there  have been behind the scenes discussions with the American Cruise Line, Cruise Maine, City Manager and members of Council.  A “deal” has been discussed.

Whether this will or will not benefit the city is not the concern. What is alarming is that this “deal” has not been conducted in an open manner. Yes, they will argue that this was a confidential negotiation. But, at some point it should be public.

Adding an agenda item at the last minute does

Thomaston Grammar School held its annual Cookies with Santa event on Saturday, December 13. The event was put on by the Friends and Family of TGS group. 

We had a great turnout for this fun event. This year it was free for all TGS students and their siblings to shop for 5 gifts for family and friends. We had some volunteer shoppers who took students shopping so the gifts could remain a surprise to family members. In addition to students shopping and getting their gifts wrapped, students and their families got to meet and have their photo taken with Santa at the photo booth run by Principal

My desire is to tell you a story, and you probably won't believe it. I guess I am a story teller, but I always tell the truth. This article is about my Great Aunt Mary Christmas. Yes, it is a true story but her name I shall explain.

When I was a child, every month my brothers and I would receive the magazine Cricket in the mail. Not sure if any of my Gen X readers remember this publication, but it was a children’s literary magazine, consisting of illustrated stories, essays, and comics aimed at early/mid readers. As a voracious young bibliophile, I always looked forward to the latest issue.

It is interesting the things that stick with you throughout your life. It was a story in a December issue of Cricket that first introduced me to the minor Jewish holiday of Channukkah, and specifically, the potato latke.

The Channukkah

The shooting  of two West Virginia National Guard soldiers in downtown D.C. and the death of one of them was a horrific act of violence. What  President Trump has done in the aftermath in terms of false history and political exploitation has deepened the tragedy.

Contrary to early Administration speculations that the shooter, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, was a convert to Radical Islam, those who know him best in Washington state suggest that he suffered from PTSD and drugs due to his service in a "kill squad" in the Afghan War and especially from stress due to his inability to secure a job that 

Warning sirens are ringing and red lights are flashing across the state.  Counties are proposing unusually large budget increases, many in the double digits. At the same time, voters in multiple communities are voting down school budgets, often more than once. 

Municipal budget committees are becoming increasingly angsty. These developments are often treated as separate stories. They are not. Together, they point to a deeper structural problem in how Maine funds public services, and ultimately the need for comprehensive tax reform.

This year, counties such as Penobscot, Knox, York, Washington

“Is this a turkey vulture?”

That was the question a friend from Gardiner posed to us over Facebook with a link to a video. The clip was captured mid-morning in November by an automated security camera pointed at his back deck.

The bird was indeed a turkey vulture.

What was a turkey vulture doing poking around on his deck? Maybe it had learned to check around the entrances of houses for outdoor dog food bowls. Or maybe the grill had been used recently and still held some delectable barbequed meat smells?

Hard to know what it was doing that drew it there and inspired it to explore, but

The culmination of Lincolnville’s trio of town events occurred Saturday with the Beach Bonfire. I say three, because these are the ones that most resonate with my nostalgic brain, though I am sure there are other events that are as significant to you. June brings the UCC Strawberry Festival in the Center, August the LIA’s Blueberry Wing Ding at the Beach. As the days grow dark, I believe we really need the Beach Bonfire, a moment of joy and light to steel ourselves for the cold months ahead. Something our summer residents can only experience from afar via social media.

Thanks to an incredibly

Like many people, we traveled to spend time with family for the Thanksgiving holiday. In our case, the travel was a car ride to New York City to be with our son and his girlfriend. We were among millions who visit the millions in Manhattan this time of year, many for the famous parade and holiday kickoff events and shopping, in addition to being with family.

We don’t love the traffic but after we get the car parked and out of mind until departure, we love the hustle and bustle on the streets, contrasted with the coziness of being together in a small apartment. The subway ride to Chelsea

It is the first Saturday in December. The early dusk is settling in, and in the middle of the sand of Lincolnville Beach sits a massive structure: a tangle of pine boughs built around a core of wooden pallets scavenged or generously donated by local businesses. People begin to gather around, from the old to the very young, encircling as the fire thrust into the heart of the pile begins to catch. Flames shoot up into the darkening sky, the circle backs away from the burst of heat, and the people begin to sing. Carols — those worthy of a Christmas Eve church season, and those of more secular

The situation in Gaza remains urgent. Israel violates the ceasefire every day, continuing to kill unarmed civilians. There is no safety.

The Rafah Crossing remains closed, preventing thousands of wounded Palestinians from seeking treatment abroad. Many will die because Israel destroyed Gaza’s healthcare system.

Only a trickle of humanitarian aid has entered Gaza. Israel allows no heavy machinery, essential for clearing rubble, digging for bodies and rebuilding infrastructure like water wells and sewage treatment. Most fuel trucks are denied access. 

Famine continues. Food remains scarce

The German political philosopher Hannah Arendt spent a lifetime studying and writing about totalitarian systems after she fled from Nazi Germany.  (She also co-taught a course that I took in my college years a long time ago.)  Arendt wrote: "The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the convinced Communist but people for whom the distinction between fact
fiction and the distinction between true and false no longer exist."

Donald Trump has a unique status among American politicians as the most effective exemplar and propagator of the fateful failure to uphold the truth