Summer seemed a long time coming this year in Maine. Having finally arrived with its warmth, summer seems to make us do at least some things more leisurely to savor each day with its blue sky and verdant countryside. It is also the season when friends and relatives from “away” find themselves drawn to a visit “up North.”
View from Over the Hill Berries and Blossoms
I can’t remember ever seeing so many blossoms in the fields and roadsides. Going to Scotty was a pure pleasure, as each field I drove by seemed to have more buttercup blossoms than the last. Too bad for the hay though. Buttercups make the hay taste bitter, so my Bossy Girl told me once.
Coastal Economist
As a parent of six and now a grandfather of two, I am impressed at how early an age children come up with the complaint, “That’s not fair!” “That’s not fair; she gets a bigger piece than I got.” “That’s not fair; he gets to stay up later than I do.” “That’s not fair; they don’t have to do as much as I do.”
Morning Rounds
Dr. Alan Barker has begun to work with his patients who take narcotic medications for chronic pain to find better and safer ways to manage that pain.
View From Over the Hill
I awoke this morning, Sunday, June 12, to the news on the radio that there had been a terrible mass killing in Orlando’s most popular gay nightclub and resort, named Pulse. The first reports were 20 killed and 42 injured, with many of them rushed bleeding to the hospital in the back of pickup trucks.
View From Over the Hill
It’s been a quiet week in our hometown. The big mower blew a tire and we ended up having to buy two new ones. Pricey too. But with grounds as large as these, it is unthinkable not to have a big riding mower so you can enjoy the breeze whilst the grass flies. Though I have to remind myself that back when I moved home, I used Mamma’s push lawnmower to do these same fields. Cleared bushes with it too. I was skinny then and had more energy than sense when I planned out this place.
Coastal Economist
Many years ago, I came across a cartoon which brought a smile. A door-to-door salesman peeked inside an open screen door and observed a frowning 10-year-old lad laboring at his piano practice. The placid peddler asked the boy, “Young man, would your mum be at home?” The lad’s eye turned to his baseball glove resting beside him on the piano bench and grumbled, “What do you think?”
View From Over the Hill
I fall asleep sometimes wondering what I will write about this week. What’s going on? What are folks talking about? Frankly, I am sick and tired of hearing about who uses what toilet. Most folks don’t care. Mind your own business and get it over with.
Morning Rounds
One thing I have become pretty committed to in my practice of emergency medicine is shaking hands when I walk into an exam room.
Waste Watch
A big thank you to Pete, Paul, and Brian (The Horseshoe Crabs) for the entertainment on Saturday at the transfer station. We had lots of positive comments from our customers. Hopefully we might do this again sometime. Thanks again.
Coastal Economist
Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump has clearly mastered the science of media domination. Whenever he speaks, days of editorializing follow. It is a curious spectacle to observe.
View From Over the Hill
I guess you would all like to know what happened at court, so I will tell you and get it over with.
Coastal Economist
We live in a world dominated by slogans. As a young boy, my first encounter with slogans came in the form of what are more aptly called proverbs, which I committed to memory and catalogued in my mind.
View From Over the Hill
There was a knock on the door the other day and there stood an officer of the court with a summons for Robin to appear in court Friday, May 6 to answer the charge of contempt: failure to pay child support.
