Quote of the Week

Is the glass half empty, half full, or twice as large as it needs to be? - Unknown

We've all heard "is the glass half full or half empty".  This is a new perspective on that old saying.  

Now, half empty signifies that the observer is a pessimist, while half full indicates the person is an optimist. 

What does it mean when we are asked if it is twice as large as it needs to be?  My take on that is this.  A glass twice as large as it needs to be makes things look out of proportion. Skewed in other words, depending on your view of the world. If you have the same amount of water in a smaller glass it will always be full.

To illustrate this, I used two wine glasses (colored water, people, it's too early on a Saturday morning for drinking), and filled them each with about 6 oz. of water.  

As you can see, the larger glass is half full, or half empty depending on your view, or love of wine, while the smaller glass is full.  

I know most serious wine drinkers would prefer the larger glass, but for the sake of illustration, we are going with the small glass being the ideal point of view.

Fungus Among Us

This was such a bright splash of color among the green and brown of it's surroundings. It almost looks like a tomato on a stem.  After a lot of Googling and comparing pictures, I determined that this is likely an Amanita Jacksonii.

This beautiful mushroom is found in North America from Quebec to Mexico, and resembles the Amanita Caesarea, which is found mainly in Southern Europe and North Africa.

It is said to be edible, but it is not recommended because other members of this family are poisonous.  Here it is shown in it's just-emerged, immature stage.

Here is a pretty white, cone-shaped mushroom that sprang up on an old stump.  As you can see he has a unidentified friend nearby.  Until I started searching for what these might be, I never realized how many fantastic fungi there are in every shape and color imaginable.

I saw this one a few days later on another stump, and at that time it looked similar to the one above.  The picture below was taken today and you can see how it has changed.  As it matured, it opened up, flattened out some and developed brown spots.  These may both be Parasol mushrooms.  True Parasol mushrooms are said to have exceptional flavor, but again, not something you want to eat unless you really know what you're doing since they can be confused with toxic varieties.  

What is sprouting up in your area?

Quote of the Week

The trouble with, "A place for everything and everything in its place" is that there’s always more everything than places. - Robert Brault

Question:  Do you need less stuff or more places?
Answer:  A little of both.

I think most of us have things that just sit around collecting dust that we haven't touched in years. Some have the philosophy that if you haven't used it in two years, throw it out.  That may be a good rule of thumb for some things and some people.

Others hang on to stuff for decades because they might need it someday. To be clear, I'm not talking about hoarders like you see on TV who keep everything that comes into their house, including trash, and things used up or broken beyond repair.

I have things packed away that I don't use. Do they take up space? Yes. Should I get rid of them? Some would say yes, and in time I may...when I can let go.  

Do we have more everything than places? Yes.  Is it junk?  No.  Hubby has a project he's working on. He needs something, goes into the basement and voila, he finds something that fills the bill. It is likely something that I would have thrown out years ago.

Just this past weekend I was making something and I needed some double-sided tape. I went down to a shelf in the basement and rummaged through a box of all kinds of tape I'd brought from my parents' house years ago. I found what I needed and finished my project.

So while there are extremes on both sides, and as much as we strive to maintain the balance, we always have more everything than places.

Quote of the Week

Do it, and then you will feel motivated to do it. 

- Zig Ziglar

It's true. The longer you put something off, the less you will feel like doing it. No matter what your project, digging in with both feet will energize you. Once you begin to see some progress, you will be even more motivated to keep plugging away.
  

Class of 1943

Today would have been Mom's 89th birthday. Seventy-one years ago she graduated from the Mattanawcook Academy. The academy was founded in 1847 as Lincoln High School. The name was changed to Mattanawcook Academy in 1850.  Today it is part of Regional School Unit No. 67, which includes Mattanawcook Junior High School, and Ella P. Burr Elementary School.

Here are some facts and other tidbits about her home town.

Lincoln was a small town with a population (according to the 1940 census) of 3,653, and the major business in the area centered around sawmills along the Penobscot River and the pulp and paper mill.  Mom's younger brother worked for a while in the paper mill, and if you have ever smelled a paper mill in production, it is not a scent you will forget.

As of the 2010 census, Lincoln had a population of 5,085 and having increased less than 1,500 in 70 years, it is still a small town.

Every area has their signature food, and a favorite of mine is the New England staple...Bean Hole Beans.  These are absolutely a treat.  First dig a big hole and build a fire.  Then take a cast iron pot with a lid (I have one of these), fill with beans, salt pork (or bacon), onions, dry mustard and molasses.  Bury the pot in the pit of coals and wait...8-10 hours later you will have a delicious pot of beans. I remember Mom telling me about eating bean hole bean sandwiches for breakfast.

Above and beyond the bean hole beans, the food that brings me a sigh squeal of delight is fried clams, preferably those found at clam shacks along the beaches.  Others may favor the oohed-and-aahed-over Maine lobster, but give me a plate of fried clams (whole or strips) dressed only in salt, and I am one happy camper.

These are from the Sea Hag in Florida.

On rare occasion you can actually get good fried clams somewhere other than New England. While these aren't quite the same, they are a good substitute.

Along with the good comes the not-so-good.  Black Flies.  If you live or have visited in the northern states in the summer, you know about Black Flies. They bite, but even more irritating to me is the swarming around your face. They are tiny, a 16th of an inch or less, and they can get in your eyes, so you are constantly swatting them away.

While doing research for this post, I found a list of residents buried at the South Lincoln Maine Cemetery, also known as the Mohawk Cemetery.  A number of my relatives are buried there, including my grandparents, great grandparents and uncles.  There is an old wrought iron fence around the cemetery, and at the gate there is (or was) a water spigot for visitors to get water for the flowers.

There is a lot more to the State of Maine and the Town of Lincoln, but these are a few of the things with which I have a personal connection.  For anyone interested, there is more information at their web site Welcome to Lincoln.

I miss thee, my Mother! Thy image is still
The deepest impressed on my heart.
- Eliza Cook

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Links to pictures and more info are in bold.