Angela Merkel

The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, has now been in power for over 12 years. This is now her fourth term. She has approval ratings of over 60 percent. This tenure of power for her has spanned three U.S. presidents, four French presidents, and two Spanish, four British, six Italian, and seven Japanese prime ministers. She is now the longest-serving head of a major European government since her fellow German Helmut Kohl. Forgive me if I say she must be doing a few things right.

Wiscasset Speedway put a close to the regular racing season Saturday night, Sept. 30 with Group 2 Championship night, plus the fifth annual Amsoil Dominator Strictly Shootout. By the end of the show, division titles had been wrapped up in the final three divisions that were up for grabs, including a points tie that required a tie-break for the crown.

The side porch at Hodgdon Green, the assisted-living home in Damariscotta, has become a comfortable, relaxing, pleasant retreat for the men at the home, especially on those late, warm fall days. We now have six men in residence plus a day visitor, and the porch provides an ideal gathering spot.

All current members of the Bristol Area Library are invited to the library’s annual meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 11 at 6 p.m. Annual reports will be presented and refreshments will be served.

Food festivals abound at this time of the year, from those celebrating pumpkins to oysters to apples, but the tastiest and most versatile of all these fall delights for the home cook must be apples. Orchards and farmers markets sport baskets of uncommon as well as the more familiar varieties of those shiny globes. It is no wonder they have inspired the old cliches, such as being someone’s “apple of his or her eye,” or the quintessential saying about “motherhood and apple pie.”