The winter holidays seem to bring out our nostalgia for the warmth of home, family, and friends. Whether the celebration is in the light of one small candle during a war, the seven lamps of Hanukkah, or the glory of a candlelit Christmas tree, we all yearn for peace and connections to loved ones past and present. This year has made it more difficult for everyone, but we still strive with those feelings in our socially distanced lives.

In examining a package to be discarded, have you ever felt confused about whether or not it can be recycled? Current recycling protocols place the responsibility for making such decisions on consumers. But merely affixing the chasing arrows symbol or printing the words “please recycle” on a package offers little guidance on how to do so. In some cases, claims of recyclability can be downright inaccurate.

“It’s a perfect day for tree searching, Pino,” I said as I grabbed his halter.

There are two types of materials that the general public terms “cardboard.” The first is corrugated cardboard. Corrugated cardboard is a strong, versatile packaging material that is made from two strips of flat cardboard on the top and bottom, and a wavy “corrugated,” or fluted, strip running through the center. It is most commonly found in boxes used for packaging and shipping items and is universally accepted for recovery and recycling.

There’s a little grove of conifers on the West Branch Preserve in Jefferson that some years ago grew vertically for 2 or 3 feet. Then these trees got bent over by something before growing up toward the sky again.

Hello LCN readers!

I know I’ve been delinquent on my writing and I just wanted you all to know that I’m trying to return but I have had a lot of issues with technology. First, my computer that I have used since 2004 decided to quit, and so I tried doing it from my iPad. That worked two out of three tries. So please bear with me as I continue to readjust to all that keeps getting thrown at me.

After many starts and stops, the town ramps are completed at the shore. Round Pond Village Improvement has had high hopes for this project for a couple of years and, due to permitting, the project was put on hold many times. Thanks to Hanley Construction for their patience and help on these much-needed improvements. The walkway to the middle dock was the recipient of some fixing up as well. There will be some happy boaters next season.

Hello, everyone!

Happy November, and what a wild start to the month I’ve had! Mom brought me to see our awesome vet, Dr. Tichy. My ear was bothering me, and Mom noticed that I was losing some weight. Mom assumed that I’m getting older, and that losing some weight was just part of the process. She asked the vet tech about getting supplements for me, and that’s when everything happened fast.

If you enjoy this column, I now have a Facebook page dedicated to my writing and future projects. The page can be found at facebook.com/leeemmonswriter.

The Damariscotta Historical Society is pleased to announce that it will begin contributing columns to The Lincoln County News. In these columns, there will often be an opportunity for readers to guess the location of a particular image.

The note slipped under the front door that morning was written in dirt on an old page from a feed catalog.