The West End News - November Edition 2022 - Vol. 22 No. 11

USPS Station A: Locked Doors & Empty Service Counters

Collins was a central architect for the 2006 federal statute. In 2008, Station A in Portland nearly closed due to budgetary issues. In February 2022, the US House of Representatives passed the Postal Service Reform Act of 2022, reversing the pre funding mandate as required by PAEA.

“I tried to go there three times at different times of the day and found the offce window closed at a time it should be open, once with a note, the other times without," complains one postal customer.

Customers’ complaints have not gone unheard. The APWU of Maine has acknowledged the importance of Station A to Portland’s residents. The union is working with the USPS to staff the station.

By Colin Monahan

West End residents have expressed their continued frustration and dissat isfaction with USPS Station A, located at 622 Congress Street, citing unpredictable hours, unexpected and sporadic closures, lost mail, and poor service amongst other complaints.

“I have a mailbox here and have pack ages I haven’t been able to pick up for two weeks now. This morning the post offce is locked, and box holders can’t even ac cess mail in boxes,” said one customer in September.

Unnotifed closures have been the chief complaint of Station A in the past year. A Google review of Station A posted in August reads, “I tried to go there three times at different times of the day and found the offce window closed at a time it should be open, once with a note, the other times without.”

Station A’s service disruptions go be yond closures. “This weekend I received a letter from a fnancial account indicat ing that my last statement was returned to the sender because my address has changed. I spoke to the fnancial services frm, and they confrmed the letter was returned to them by the post offce saying I was no longer at the address!” said one PO box holder.

Regional USPS representatives have cited the nationwide staffng shortage for Station A’s service disruptions. “I’m told we did have a short-term issue there with staffng a few weeks back. While the retail window was impacted, there was a clerk being sent down from another offce to sort the PO box mail each day. Currently, through the regular bidding and training process, this has been resolved and the re tail window has been open every day and will be going forward,” said Steve Doherty, USPS strategic communications specialist,

on October 19th. USPS is hiring for nearly every position in Portland.

The American Postal Workers Union (APWU) has also corroborated staffng as a primary issue in addition to budget ary issues. “Years of downsizing under the erroneous concept of the Postal Service ‘going broke’ has been a primary cause of this. As you may know, fnancial issues with the Service were directly the result of the requirement under the 2006 Postal Ac countability and Enhancement Act (PAEA) which required $5.5 billion prefunding of retiree benefts. That prefunding man date has been corrected by Congress, and we must now return staffng to where it needs to be,” said Scott Adams, General President of APWU of Maine.

PAEA required the Postal Service to prefund healthcare benefts seventy-fve years in advance for its employees. This mandate effectively left the Postal Ser vice in an operating defcit. Senator Susan

“We are actively engaged in the grievance process and negotiations to ensure that Portland and its stations and branches are properly staffed to meet the needs of the public. We are not there yet. Sta tion A has been closed approximately ffty times since the beginning of August, which is completely unacceptable. It is not con ducive to quality service in Portland’s Arts District, and impacts the other offces, as well, increasing customer wait times sig nifcantly,” said Scott Adams.

In addition to the union, both Senator Angus King’s and Congressperson Chellie Pingree’s offces are looking into Station A’s closures. “People in Maine and across the U.S. rely on the Postal Service, and since 1918, USPS has dedicated itself to being a reliable and accessible part of our daily lives. I understand frustrations felt by people in Portland and across Maine who continue to face disruptions to their vital mail services. Simply put, it is unaccept able. My offce has been working to get to the bottom of the service disruptions and unexpected closures, and we have been assured by the Postal Service that clerks are being staffed to keep Station A open daily,” said Pingree.

Pages

BYOB Thanksgiving... Offering wine selections and a little holiday snark

Page 4

Ending ageism in Maine by 2032... "Good luck to us!" says Rosanne Graef

Page 6

Find all the WENA Activities at the Reiche Community Room

Page 9

Greek Stuffed Roast Turkey Recipe by Billy Doukas

-Photo by Colin Monahan

Letter from the Editor

The November edition arrives the week before the election, so readers will have to visit us online for the election re sults. Expect more info on who won, what ballot questions passed, and what Port land’s government will look like in the De cember and following print editions.

We do however follow the local sto ry of US Post Offce Station A, which we frst covered in October. Staffng issues have caused trouble for West End postal customers in past months, but the letter carriers union and offces of Sen. King and Rep. Pingree are working to keep the postal branch staffed. Learn more about it in freelance journalist Colin Monahan’s feature article.

We also have a Thanksgiving roast turkey recipe from Billy Doukas, former co-owner of Longfellow Café and the Trojan Horse restaurant. Find it on Page 9. And Thanksgiving BYOB wine selections from Master Knight of the Vine and long time wine writer Layne V. Witherell are found on Pages 12 and 13.

Plus, we have two pages of local events and activities this month on Pages 5 and 6. Also, fnd two pages of puzzles on Pages 15 and 16. Enjoy!

Thank you for reading community-based print news!

SUBMISSIONS

WEN is a community newspaper and we need your voice! Share your submis sions with thewestendnews@gmail.com or send to: The West End News, 795 Con gress Street, Portland, Maine 04102.

• Letters to the editor should be no more than 200 words. Include your name and town or neighborhood.

• Op-eds should be no more than 750 words and include a brief biography of 1-2 sentences.

• WEN also accepts poetry, cartoons, and photo submissions.

Deadline for publication is the fourth Friday of every month. Publication is not guaranteed and submissions may be edit ed for length and content.

The thoughts and opinions expressed in our pages belong solely to the authors and not necessarily to the publication.

by Zeli Enterprises,

Congress

Maine

-Tony Zeli, Publisher & Editor

In the October edition Communi ty Events, “At-Large School Board City Council Candidates and Referenda Fo rum,” we incorrectly stated that Enough is Enough was a sponsor. As a 501(c) 3 orga nization,WENA does not take positions in political campaigns. The forum was orga nized and fnanced entirely by WENA and WPNA. Representatives from Enough is Enough were participants in the presenta tions, along with Kate Sykes of the Maine DSA and Scott Ferris speaking in support of their respective referenda.

In “Candidates on Portland’s Munici pal Ballot,” we wrongly stated that Water District Trustee and candidate Gary Libby is running for a three-year term, but he is actually running for a fve-year term. The West End News is committed to being accurate and transparent. If you have a correction, please contact thewestendnews@gmail.com.

STATION A Cont'd from Pg. 1

Station A has since been staffed and open regularly. West End residents can ex pect normal service hours in the coming months.

USPS is currently hiring across Maine. You can contact Christopher Smith at Christopher.Smith@USPS.Gov for more information about the application process. Customers may address concerns to the Postal Service via their website. Portland

residents can contact Senator King’s offce to escalate any further concerns.

Colin Monahan is a community orga nizer, server, and journalist. His previ ous work has focused on social move ments in Chile, Cuba, Mexico, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Georgia. Colin believes in accessible, independent, local journalism.

New Fire Trucks in Portland

The Portland Fire Department re cently made signifcant improvements to its feet with two new engines and one new ladder truck.

“These three new fre trucks are so important to our ability to respond to the volume of calls we receive,” said Chief Keith Gautreau. “This year we’re on track to answer 18,000 calls for service, which is a 20% increase from the previous cal endar year.”

The three new trucks are housed throughout the city. Engine 5 operates from Central Fire Station at 380 Con gress Street and serves the Bayside and Old Port areas. Engine 6 operates out of the Bramhall Square Fire Station at 784 Congress Street and serves the West End. Ladder 3, which does have pumping capa bilities in addition to its 107-foot aerial, operates out of the Rosemont Station at 212 Stevens Avenue.

All three new fre trucks have a 15-to-

20-year life expectancy. Fiscal year 2022 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) funding in the amount of $2.7 million was used for the purchase - $710k per engine and $1.2 million for the ladder truck.

The new fre trucks include galva nized frames for greater longevity, espe cially given Maine winters. Additionally, the trucks have clean cabs to protect frefght ers and prevent occupational cancer. Lad der 3 boasts a self-leveling, anti-intrusion aerial and greater offsets for superior op eration on hills.

In every season of change, we’re here to help. 207.878.0788

FallbrookWoods.com Portland, Maine

Mon - Tue: 3:00 pm - 12:00 am

Wed - Fri: 3:00 pm - 1:00 am

Saturday: 1:00 pm - 1:00 am

Sunday: 1:00 pm - 12:00 am

272 St. John Street, Portland / 207-899-3693

-Courtesy City of Portland

Notes on West End Life Good Luck to Us Part 1

By Rosanne Graef

In September, the Maine Council on Aging held their annual Wisdom Summit where they set the goal of ending ageism in Maine by 2032 – in other words, in 10 years. While I’m glad this isn’t another declaration of war à la the wars on poverty, cancer, and drugs that never seem to end, I can’t say I’m rosily confdent we’ll succeed. But, nothing ventured, nothing gained — let’s give it a go!

What is ageism?

The World Health Organization defnes it as “the stereotypes (how we think), prejudice (how we feel), and discrimination (how we act) towards others or ourselves based on age.”

When we frst encounter someone, age is one of the frst physical qualities we observe. Is the person an adult, a child, a teenager? We notice and immediately start making assumptions about what their behavior and attitudes will be depending on our own preconceived notions. While this automatic reaction has served humans well over time in sizing up the likelihood of a pleasant or dangerous encounter, the assumptions about age in other situations can be extremely inaccurate, unfair, and ultimately harmful to everyone.

How to help achieve the goal of having an Age Positive Maine by 2032?

A frst step could just be noticing ageism. Since this is a newspaper article, I’ll start with a couple of examples from local print media.

In a recent article in the Portland Phoenix, entitled “Residents question use of pesticides,” we learned that this alleged infraction of the City’s pesticide ordinance occurred at a “senior-living apartment complex” which is “a Portland-based facility for residents 55 and up” and that the resident interviewed by the reporter was quoted as saying, “There’s no young people living here. So they think they’ll just push us around and they think we won’t do anything.”

What do any of those references to age in the article have to do with the fact that a banned pesticide was applied? What’s being stated or implied here? Was it necessary to use those words?

Ageism is something that affects everyone, young and old alike, and news reporting practices can reinforce negative stereo types.

In 1969, I was stopped for going 42 mph in a 30-mph zone near Eddie’s Variety on Auburn Street. Either the Press Herald or the Evening Express (maybe both!) duly printed my name, age, town, and nature of my moving violation. Being nineteen at the time, this notoriety probably added to the negative image of teenage drivers held by many.What was the real news item? That a speeder was caught? That the PPD was alert and other drivers best pay attention? That I was nineteen?

Listing someone’s age in an article may not seem like a big deal, but if that fact is not a necessary part of the story, why do it?

Take a look at some newspaper articles and see what you think. You’ll have taken the frst step toward...

Letters to the Editor

Portland Can Do Better for Homeless Citizens

Twice now within the past month the City of Portland has conducted punish ing and unnecessary “sweeps” in Deering Oaks Park against homeless citizens.What a sad statement on our society, as some with just the shirt on their back have to face off with front end loaders and police offcers moving them out. As if those out there don’t have enough to worry about already!

Come on Portland, we can do better!

Feed, clothe and shelter folks who were, until the pandemic took their jobs and greedy landlords took their homes, just like you! “It’s not we can’t afford to feed the poor, it’s that we can’t satisfy the rich!” Thank you.

-Don Kimball, So. Portland

What a Veteran with a Service Dog Wants You to Know

Thousands of Americans, especially veterans, suffer from serious conditions such as Post-Traumatic Stress and Trau matic Brain Injury. For many of these peo ple, a trained service dog is a lifesaving means of recovery and their best hope to continue a normal life.

Unfortunately, many people don’t know how to appropriately interact with service dog teams. Service dogs are not pets – they have been specially trained to perform specifc tasks for people with dis abilities and when they are in public, they are working. Many times, the handler’s physical and emotional safety depends on the service dog’s behavior.

American Humane is committed to harnessing the healing powers of the human-animal bond to assist veterans through its Pups4Patriots™ program, and our trainers have paired dozens of veter ans with lifesaving service dogs. As such, here are some service dog etiquette tips that a veteran with a service dog wants you to know:

Share your opinion...

The West End News publishes reader opinions when space permits. To share your opinion, write to:

thewestendnews@gmail.com The West End News 795 Congress Street Portland, ME 04102

Letters to the editor should be no more than 200 words. Include your name and town or neighborhood. Deadline for publication is fourth Friday. Publication is not guaranteed and submissions may be edited for length and content.

The thoughts and opinions expressed in our pages belong solely to the authors and not necessarily to the publication.

Thank you for reading!

• Talk to the handler, not the dog

• Do not ask what the service dog is for or why they need a service dog

• Do not pet or ask to pet a service dog – s/he is working

• Do not try to distract a service dog

• Do not offer food or treats to a ser vice dog

• Do not let your dog get close to a service dog

We hope the public will follow these tips to help ensure a safe, positive envi ronment for all service dogs and their handlers.

-Dr. Robin Ganzert, American Humane CEO and president

Rosanne Graef lives in the West End and is a regular volunteer con tributor.

COMMUNITY EVENTS NOVEMBER 2022

Love For Love’s Sake: Cozy Music & Dessert Soiree / Fundraiser for MaineNeeds

Sat, Nov 5 / 7-10pm / CoworkHERS (411 Congress St, Portland) / BYOB 21+ / $65 tickets

A cozy night of original live music served with a gourmet dessert and a heartwarming beverage curated for lovers and friends of MaineNeeds. Maine Needs is a grassroots organization, powered by a growing collective of volunteers. They help individuals and families in Maine meet their basic, material needs by pro viding donated clothing, hygiene products, household items, and other necessities, especially for people starting life over from scratch: domestic abuse survivors, asylum seekers, and those facing fnancial hardships.

Artists featured include Genevieve Racette, Laurie Jones, Chris Wenske, and Mehuman. Sponsored by CoworkHERS and Wish I Wrote It. Buy tickets on Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite. com/e/414254224537.

USM Theatre Kicks Off Season with ‘The Thanksgiving Play’

Nov. 3 – Nov. 19 / USM Theatre (Gor ham) / Tickets req.

“The Thanksgiving Play” by Larissa FastHorse launches our ‘22-’23 season of “The Stories We Tell.” Through four very different plays, we explore the questions of what stories we choose to tell, who tells them, and how the lenses we use in our storytelling change the way we under stand the world.

“The Thanksgiving Play” asks what happens when a vegan, a street performer, and an elementary school history teach er attempt to devise a play that tells the “truth” about one of America’s most beloved founding mythologies. Good in tentions collide with absurd assumptions as this troupe of terminally progressive teaching artists scramble to create a pag eant that somehow manages to celebrate both Turkey Day and Native American Heritage Month.

“The Thanksgiving Play” opens No vember 3rd and runs through November 19th. All performances take place on the USM Gorham campus in historic Russell Hall. This show is appropriate for ages 13 and up.

To purchase tickets, or for more in formation, visit USM Theatre online at usm.maine.edu/theatre, or call the USM Theatre Box Offce at (207) 780-5151. Masks are required for all.

Daniel Minter’s Illustrations on Exhibit at Portland Public Library

Nov. 4 – Dec. 31 / Portland Public Library Lewis Gallery (5 Monument Square)

Daniel Minter considers picture books a place and medium to hold crucial conversations with children. Portland Pub lic Library, in collaboration with Camden National Bank, will feature illustrations from his award-winning children’s books in a new exhibit. A Blue: Daniel Minter and the Layered Narrative of Illustration will be on view November 4th through De cember 31st in the library’s Lewis Gallery.

Featured in this exhibit are illustra tions from his books. Also included in the exhibit are the pieces he created for U.S. Postal Service Kwanzaa stamps in 2004 and 2011.

In Maine, Daniel Minter’s work moves beyond the canvas and the children’s book page. As founding director of Maine Free dom Trails, he has brought the history of the Underground Railroad and the aboli tionist movement to the streets of Port land in a series of markers.

Portland Public Library at 5 Monu ment Square downtown is open Monday, 10-6; Tuesday through Friday 10-5; Satur day 10-3. The Lewis Gallery is on the low er level and accessible during library open hours. The exhibit will open for Portland’s First Friday Art Walk on Friday, November 4th from 5-7 pm.

STATE STREET CHURCH

159 State St, Portland

Holiday Fair & Lunch Sat. 11/12, 9am-2pm

Soup & homemade bread $7, desserts $2, cofee $1, baked goods, cookie walk. Tag sale, attic treasures, used books & games, jewelry, crafs, silent auction w/ live holiday music!

Part of the State Street Holiday Stroll

MUSIC + EVENTS

12/30, W/SEEPEOPLES NYE

a.m. - A.M Exercise: M, W, Th - Balance, Strength, Flexibility Tu - Tai Chi Chih F - Tai Chi

Monday, 11/7 - 6:30 8 p.m. - Book Nook Magazine Club

11/14 - 6:30 p m doors open, Classic Movie begins promptly at 7

11/21 - 6:30 8 p m. - Memento Mori Death Education Series

11/28 - 6:30 p m. doors open, Animated Movie begins promptly at 7

Wednesday, 11/9 - 6:30 8 p.m. - West End Neighborhood Association Annual Meeting

Thursday, 11/3, 11/10, 11/17 - 4 5:30 p.m - Social Creativity 6:30 8 p m. - Card/Game/Move Party

Closed - 11/11, 11/23, 11/24, 11/25

* All activities are free unless otherwise stated. Donations to WENA are gladly accepted and appreciated *Popcorn & fizzy water available at movies. Bring a snack to share if you wish

* COVID 19 - we expect that participants will be vaccinated and boosted in accordance with CDC guidelines Masks are optional, but recommended, especially during flu season Distancing is appreciated Thank you for protecting your own health and that of others

FMI visit www wenamaine org or e mail hello@wenamaine.org

Christmas Fairs at Parishes In & Around Portland

Many parishes around Maine are hold ing Christmas fairs during the months of November and December. They are won derful opportunities to join with other members of the community in advance of Advent and Christmas, and they are valu able fundraisers that help support many church ministries. All are welcome at any fair. Below you will fnd a list of confrmed fairs around the Portland area. Additional fairs can be found at www.portlanddio cese.org/content/christmas-fairs-2022.

Saturday, November 5

Brunswick

The Christmas fair at St. Charles Bor romeo Church, part of All Saints Parish, will be held Saturday, November 5th, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., in the church hall at 132 McK een Street in Brunswick. Choose from 19 booths featuring a wonderful selection of gifts. There will also be raffes with cash prizes and a food court offering breakfast sandwiches, haddock chowder, beef stew, sandwiches, and homemade pies.

Portland

Our Lady of Hope Parish in Portland will hold its Thanks4Giving Auction and Festival of Trees in the hall of St. Pius X Church, 492 Ocean Avenue, on Saturday, November 5th, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Along with the auction, the evening will include hors d’oeuvres, beverages, and jazz music. To purchase tickets, call Paul at (207) 2539856 or visit https://ourladyofhopeport land.weshareonline.org. Those not attend ing the evening event can view the trees from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the parish hall and purchase raffe tickets to try to win them.

Westbrook

St. Anthony of Padua Parish will hold a Christmas Fair on November 5th, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., bringing together the gifts

and talents of parishioners from Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Windham and St. Hyacinth Church in Westbrook. The fair, which will be held in the hall of St. Hyacinth Church on 268 Brown Street, will feature crafts and knits, baked goods, gift baskets, a children’s area, great food, and more.

Saturday, November 12 Portland

St. Louis Parish’s Christmas Fair will be held on November 12th, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., in the St. Louis Church Hall on 279 Danforth Street in Portland.

Friday, November 18

Brunswick

The Midcoast Tree Festival will be held at the St. John’s Community Center on 43 Pleasant Street in Brunswick. Com munity organizations, businesses, and indi viduals decorate beautiful trees which are displayed at the festival and then raffed off. Proceeds beneft All Saints Parish in Brunswick, the Southern Midcoast Maine Chamber, and Spectrum Generations Meals on Wheels. The festival will take place November 18 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., November 19th and 20th and November 25th and 26th from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and November 27th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Saturday, December 3

Yarmouth

The Parish of the Holy Eucharist will host an Advent Fair on Saturday, Decem ber 3rd, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Sacred Heart Church on 326 Main Street in Yar mouth. Festive tables will feature baked goods, accessories, knitted and sewn items, attic treasures, children’s items, wreaths, and much more. There will also be raffes and a luncheon.

Amanda & Rob Duquette Music, Magic, and Kindness!

Every month PelotonLabs co-founder Liz Trice interviews a local community mem ber. This month, Liz caught up with Rob and Amanda Duquette, husband and wife musicians who teach, perform music for kids, and run Music and Magic, collecting musical instruments for kids.

What does Music and Magic do?

Rob: People donate instruments that are not being used, and we match them to families who have kids and want to be playing music. It’s been mostly world of mouth until this part year and now it’s exploded.

Last summer Maine Public found us and made us part of their musical instru ments drive, and we got two hundred in struments, which is more than we’ve ever had! Now our job is matching the instru ments up with families with kids that want to make music!

We’ve served over 125 families spread out all over Maine - the furthest one is Mount Desert Island - and at our event, The Great Instrument Giveaway in November, we have families coming from as far away as Bangor and Searsport. We put matches we’ve made up on our web site.

How did you get started?

Amanda: In 2009, I lost a really good

friend who was an amazing musician: Van Lawton. He always said that he wished he had access to instruments when he was a kid - he didn’t get hands on instruments until he was in high school. He was special to us; he played music at my daughter’s birth, and when he died, we looked for a way to keep his memory alive. So, when ever we give away instruments we say, “In memory of Van.”

You also have a business called KindKids Music. What’s that?

Amanda: We’re children’s music teach ers and performers, and we share kind ness through music, do shows at schools, libraries, museums. A lot of our music has subtle messages through the music; we touch on resilience, kindness, self-regula tion, a lot of social emotional skills… We weave tools into our songs in ways that the kids are just learning a song and having fun with it but there is a greater take away.

We also offer scholarships so that kids can take music lessons for free through our work as Music and Magic of Maine.

Rob: When we met, I was doing music for kids, and Amanda was doing move ment and puppets. I teach privately; I’ve taught at a few colleges. My group is called Duquette, and I used to tour with Jona than Edwards.

Amanda: Rob has been doing music his whole life. I’m a dancer, but when I was homeschooling my kids, I realized I was using music for everything - teaching them how to read… everything. I started keeping track of the songs we were using and sharing them with other folks.

Rob: With the pandemic, our careers went into smoke! It was a little scary. So, to go back to it is a joy!

The pandemic was hard on musicians. What did you do?

Amanda: We barely made it through! During the pandemic we recorded an album at home. I taught myself how to create an app so we could reach more families with our mission. We did online classes with families, we made tons and tons of videos, we ran a channel for an other friend’s app… Our mantra is adapt and create.

On one outlet, Zigazoo - it’s like a TikTok for families - we run the music channel, and we have 70,000 subscribers. We create prompts and kids reply with thirty second videos. That’s part of what inspired me to make our own app, which has meditations, stories, and music edu cation.

I work a lot with the home school community and provide music resources for homeschool families. There’s always this magi cal thing that happens around our artistic work, and Music and Magic came together easily, too.

We have a big KindKids Music Family Winter Concert on Decem ber 3rd at 3 p.m. at the Chocolate Church in Bath. That’s going to be KindKids Music with a full band, all our puppets and a special guest singer.

What’s on the horizon?

The great instrument giveaway event is on Friday, November 11th, at our center in Saco with all the instruments we’ve collected in the past few months, so families can come and collect instruments. There are keyboards, and drums, and uku leles, and more. We get a lot of requests in the fall when school starts, and it’s re ally expensive for parents. We’re going to be collecting donations at the event, have coffee and hot chocolate, and make some music and magic!

FMI • https://musicandmagic.org • https://kindkidsmusic.com

Find Kindkids music app on Apple and An droid app stores.

Events

Sat, Nov 5th: KindKids Family Concert in Thomaston

Fri, Nov 11th: Great Instrument Give away in Saco

Sat, Nov 26th: KindKids Family Concert in Millinocket

Sat, Nov 19th: Family Music Class in Saco

PelotonLabs is a coworking space in the West End of Portland, Maine with a mission to connect and en courage people working on their own to manifest their visions without fear.

PelotonPosts is created by PelotonLabs.WEN provides column space without charge. WEN publisher and editor Tony Zeli is a coworking member at PelotonLabs.

Amanda and Rob Duquette run Music and Magic Maine, which collects and gives musi cal instruments to kids. -Courtesy photo

Northern Light Mercy Hospital Honors Margo Walsh with Annual Forsley Award

This November, Northern Light Mercy Hospital presented Margo Walsh, founder and CEO of MaineWorks, the 2022 Fors ley Award. The award was presented at a breakfast event to beneft Gary’s House, a program of Mercy Hospital that provides a home-away-from-home for families with loved ones receiving care at greater Port land health care facilities. Established in 2015, the annual Forsley Award is named in honor of longtime Gary’s House cham pion Fred Forsley.

This year’s award celebrates Margo’s outstanding community leadership and commitment to helping others through her innovative social staffng company MaineWorks, which supports recovery and transition into the workforce. Over the years, Margo has worked tirelessly with local employers to help build their workforce with employees who are begin ning a new chapter in their lives.

Before Gary’s House was established, an annual fundraising event was held at Fred Forsley’s Federal Jack’s Brew Pub in Kennebunkport. This annual fundraiser helped to establish Gary’s House in hon or of Kennebunk native Gary Pike. Since it opened in 1998, the hospitality home has helped more than 6,000 families through diffcult times in their lives. For more in formation, visit NorthernLightHealth.org/ ForsleyAward.

Sen. Angus King Receives Medicare Advantage Champion Award

Sen. Angus King was honored in Oc tober with the 2022 Medicare Advantage Champion award for his advocacy on be half of Maine seniors’ access to quality, affordable health coverage options. Sen. King is the only Maine lawmaker to re ceive the annual award.

Presented by Better Medicare Al liance (BMA), a research and advocacy organization supporting Medicare Ad vantage, the award recognizes lawmakers who have worked in a bipartisan fashion to strengthen and protect Medicare Ad vantage, the public-private partnership within Medicare. More than 29 million seniors and Americans with disabilities na tionwide choose enrollment in Medicare Advantage – including more than 182,000 Mainers.

The Medicare Advantage Champion award is Better Medicare Alliance’s high est honor, presented annually to members of Congress who have demonstrated ex ceptional commitment to protecting se niors’ Medicare Advantage coverage.

Better Medicare Alliance is a non proft research and advocacy organization engaging more than 180 diverse ally orga nizations and over 600,000 grassroots se niors committed to improving health care through a strong Medicare Advantage.

To learn more about Better Medicare Alliance, visit BetterMedicareAlliance.org.

Local patients to share cancer survivorship journeys, highlight support services

Wed, Nov. 9th / 12pm / via Zoom

On November 9th, Northern Light Mercy Hospital will host a virtual event to help connect cancer patients and their families to wellness resources and sup port. This event is made possible through a grant from the Linda Tallen and David Paul Kane Education Research Founda tion, which provides funding for medical research and education efforts, particular ly for cancer.

The Zoom event is on Wednesday, November 9th at 12 p.m. The event fea tures cancer patients and cancer survivors sharing personal stories. They will discuss the impact survivorship care has made to improve their quality of life after diagno sis and treatment. Those looking to learn more or register for the free online event can visit NorthernLightHealth.org/Mercy Survivorship.

Survivorship is a unique and ongoing experience for each person and those close to them. The November 9th event is the second in a two-part series, intending to raise awareness of risk factors associ ated with cancer and resources and care available to help.

In addition to the virtual events,Tallen Kane Foundation grant funding is support ing the creation of educational materials, including a new resources website. Also, the funding allows for the display of cancer prevention education messages on moni tors installed throughout Mercy’s hospital campus and primary care locations.

The frst survivorship Zoom session held on October 19th highlighted survi vorship resources and the Northern Light Mercy Cancer Care survivorship team of physical therapists, nutritionists, social workers, and other specialists. The second online discussion on November 9th fea tures cancer patients. They will share their journeys to wellness and provide helpful guidance received from Mercy’s care team.

These vir tual sessions are named in honor of the late Geraldine Wolf. Wolf was the past president and longtime trust ee of the Tallen Kane Foundation.

“We are grateful to the Tallen Kane Foundation for their generous support in helping Mercy increase access to vital re sources and information for our patients and their families,” said Charlie Therrien, president of Mercy Hospital.

For more information or to register for the event, visit https://northernlight health.org/mercysurvivorship.

Greek Stuffed Roast Turkey

By Billy Doukas

When I operat ed a small Mediterra nean restaurant, my staff loved this holiday special so much, some even asked me to cook it for their weddings. Good god! Who has stuffed roast turkey at a wedding??!!

But it seems that Greeks are not the only ones who love this meat-based stuff ing in their holiday birds. The lemon-cinna mon-oregano favoring combined with berries and nuts creates a de licious aromatic and puts a new spin on traditional poultry seasonings.

-Courtesy of Billy Doukas

Demeter, goddess of the harvest, was honored by the Thesmophoria which oc curred during the ancient autumn full moon festival in ancient Greece. The rituals per formed at this three-day festival were intended to secure divine protection for the land, ensuring a healthy climate that would bring a successful harvest. And I always thought stuffed turkey was strictly an American tradition!

Special Thanks To

William “Billy” Doukas is a longtime Portland resident based in Longfellow Square/Parkside. With his mother Rita Panagakos-Doukas, he co-owned and operated Longfellow Cafe and the Trojan Horse restaurant between 19801990. A former Maine D.O.T. engineer, Billy now competes as a chef and hosts two annual food events.

WEN RECIPE CUT-OUT Greek Stuffed Roast Turkey

Serves 6–8

Turkey

1 turkey, about 10 pounds

Kosher salt and black pepper

4 ounces butter

1 lemon, scrape zest from rind and quarter for squeezing 2 tablespoons thyme 2 tablespoons oregano

1 cinnamon stick

Stuffng

1 large yellow onion, chopped fne, plus ½ whole onion (for sealing cavity)

½ celery stalk, chopped 2 ounces butter

2 ounces olive oil

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon black pepper

2 tablespoons cinnamon 1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon thyme

turkey liver and giblets, chopped

1 pound ground pork

½ cup sliced almonds

½ cup raisins (California or golden seedless)

1 cup chicken, turkey, or vegetable stock

½ cup long-grain rice

½ cup white wine

For roux to thicken gravy: 4 ounces butter plus 1 cup four 2 meat thermometers

Poultry Prep

A day before roasting, rinse the thawed turkey thoroughly inside and out. Place in a pan and sprinkle salt over the entire bird and cavity; cover with plastic and return to the refrigerator. Pre-salting is similar to dry brining the turkey. This will allow time for the salt to draw out the meat juices. Salt is then reabsorbed into the meat and breaks down the muscle proteins, resulting in a tender and juicy seasoned turkey.

On the day of roasting, place butter in a bowl and allow to soften. Add lemon zest, thyme, oregano, and pepper; whip ingredients together. Above the larger cavity, separate the skin and breast; insert and spread butter mix. Squeeze quartered lemon over turkey skin. Sprinkle sides with thyme, oregano, and pepper.

Preheat the oven to 325°F.

Stuffng

Gently heat butter and add onion, celery, garlic, salt, pepper, oregano, thyme, and cinnamon. After 10 minutes add giblets and ground pork; stir while cooking for another 5 minutes. Add almonds, raisins, rice, wine, and stock. Stuffng mix should be placed promptly in turkey just before roasting.

Prep for roasting

Place the stuffng in both ends of the turkey; fll the neck side cavity and pull the excess skin over, securing with poultry skewers. Turn the turkey over and stuff (position legs to secure). Place half a large onion in the opening to prevent the stuffng from burning. Use a piece of cooking twine around the bird’s middle to pin the wings against the body.

Place breast side up on rack and insert two thermometers — one into the thickest part of the breast and another for the stuffng. Add 2 cups of stock and a cinnamon stick to the pan. Cover with foil poked with a few holes.

Ready for roasting

Place in the preheated oven and baste every 30 minutes. The internal temperatures of the turkey and stuffng should reach 165°F. Set oven tem perature to 325°F and roast between 3 and 4 hours. Remove foil after the frst hour. Transfer the turkey to a large platter and allow it to rest for 20 minutes.

To prepare gravy, set the turkey pan over the stovetop and gently heat while occasionally stirring. After 10 minutes, strain juices into a kettle. In a separate pot, heat 4 ounces butter and add a cup of four for roux. Thicken the collected stock in the kettle with roux while whisking over medium heat.

Note: Serving with sautéed bitter greens such as turnip, beet or dandelion offset the sweet meat of the turkey.

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Layne's Wine Gig Presents BYOB THANKSGIVING

By Layne V. Witherell

Turkey is hovering around $480 a drumstick this year, so we are just asking the relatives and besties to bring the bev erage of their choice to share… or not. In retrospect, after reviewing a dozen or so Thanksgiving articles that I have written over the past several decades, I have con cluded that the real meaning of the holi day get together is communal, as it were, yakking it up, and telling the same old sto ries, much to our delight once more.

The following articles are a critique and review of those prior pieces of holi day merriment, together with some BYOB Thanksgiving suggestions.

Nov. 2020 Virtual Thanksgiving

There is nothing worse than a Zoom meeting with the family each in their individual lairs. The highlight, of course, is that of enjoying the main dish of Tofurky (just celebrating its 35th birthday as a food type) while witnessing Cousin Ned trying out his newly perfected porron (the greatest of Spanish alcohol delivery devices) technique. A Tik Tok classic.

Indeed, 2020’s pandemic lockdown was time for perfecting all kinds of tech niques, for sure. I have done my share of

Zoom “gig wine tastings” and couldn’t wait to fail around live onstage again. Wine of choice: a Hondarrabi Zuri Txa kolina at $17 per bottle. A semi fzzy, re freshing white.

Nov. 2019 Happy Taxgiving

This article neatly fts into the How Quickly We Forget category. It was the na,na,na na,na 25% tariff placed on all French wines coming in at below 14% al cohol. Suddenly, poof, as if by magic French wines started showing up with 14.5% alco hol on their back labels. And we thought that was because of global warming.

When in doubt, you can always substi tute a California Zinfandel (Cline, Scotto, Segesio, or Gnarly Head with the Grateful Dead label for those, you know who they are, people). Zinfandel is an all-time crowd pleaser.

Or you can choose a Berger Gruner Veltliner grape from Austria for a one size fts all (who doesn’t like a bit of apple and almond character), a wine that has both a perky yet subdued favor. They are both reasonable, usually hovering around ten to twelve bucks a bottle.

Nov. 2018 Swanksgiving

Any piece that begins with “I am sit ting out here by the fre pit roasting tur key gizzards and throwing crumpled arti cles that I have written on wines to have

When in doubt, bring a crowd-pleasing California Zinfandel like Gnarly Head or choose a Berger Guner Veltliner for a one size fts all wine. -All photos courtesy of Layne Witherell

for this predictable of holidays,” is going to be pure satire. And this is no exception. It is fun to update stuff with the idea of this ftting perfectly into late 2022.

I enjoy taking a romp through the sci ence known as demographics. It teaches us so much. You can drink some terrifc wine as part of your BYOB get together by reading a classic New York Times piece from September 25, 2022, “LePage, Hop ing to Lead Maine Again, Received Florida Tax Breaks.”

Let’s hope he toasts us with a 2010 Chateau Lafte Rothschild at $1,359.99 to

honor a sizeable percentage of our popu lation skedaddling down to the southern climes when it gets chilly here - and gra ciously leaving us with the Maine tax bill. Make sure this isn’t a bottle of one of the most counterfeited wines in the world. Maybe it would be some form of justice if it were. Happy BYOB, Guv.

BYOB Thanksgiving for Millennials

Charles K. Smith Merlot, Washing ton State, $12, is the perfect Millennial to GenZ BYOB Thanksgiving beverage. It

Cont'd on Pg. 13

Portland

Sat: 10 am –

goes well with that $480 turkey leg, works with Tofurkey, or can be consumed straight out of the bottle with the label acting as a fashion statement. There is still enough of a generational hatred (read Boomers) to ward merlot that it works. Also, this wine tastes good. It has fruit, favor, and char acter. The problem is that the old rock ’n roll producer sold his rebellious company, label, and all, for 200 million bucks and is probably living the life in a southern clime next door to our Paul. Fortunately, the wine is still good.

Thanksgiving Nineties Edition

The originals of these articles above are still on my website winemaniacs.word press.com and can be viewed in their en

tirety. However, I had an earlier weekly wine column gig (including Thanksgiving) as a freelance columnist for a daily paper: The Richmond Times Dispatch in Rich mond, Virginia. These exist in paper copy form as my computer imploded.

The difference between writing for a daily paper that is owned by an invisible conglomerate and a monthly paper, locally owned, can be summed up in one word: FREEDOM! If you look at the dailies, you can smell the odor of the cookie coming straight out of the oven. Cookie cutter pieces are just that. Wine and food writing is better when you shake it up and add a cup of adventure. Where is the foie gras pizza when we need it?

“Holiday Food and Wine Pairing,” Nov. 12, 1997

Some things don’t change, like the Red Zinfandel, pretty much $12.00-15.00. Pinot Blanc from Alsace was a nice touch. What has changed is half of the article was devoted to Beaujolais Nouveau and their anticipated November 20th arrival. The words “The Nouveau is Coming. The Nouveau is Coming,” rings a bit hollow to day. It will be here, but more “not with a bang, but a whimper.”

“When The Main Dish Isn’t Turkey,” Nov. 18, 1997

The ABC people were out in force in 1997. ABC refers to the movement, “Any thing But Chardonnay.” They were serious and intimidating, but their crusade was short lived. In looking for alternatives, I

chanced on that little region in the Loire Valley called Sancerre. Domaine Reverdy was running $15.00-$20.00 a bottle. Today that same wine is forty bucks. Ah, fame, together with an importer’s mortgage payment for their house in Provence.

Looking at the old piece, the best is fnding three winemakers from the same family that would have brought BYOB’s: Bernard Portet of Clos du Val, Napa; Dominique, an Australian winemaker at the famed Taltarni; and the third brother from Chateau Lafte. To be a fy on the wall at that Thanksgiving. Talking about stories and yakking it up.

“Find The Right Wine,” Nov. 18, 1998

And there were more… So many more. Some tips: Just go out and fnd a bot tle of Dolcetto “from its perch in North west Italy.” It is perfect for red BYOB and for every dish at Thanksgiving. It is juicy, luscious, silky, and soft. What more can you ask for?

If someone else is bringing, ask for wines by Anjelo Gaja ($40/bottle), Giaco sa ($26/bottle), and Mascarello ($48/bot tle) for those people who received the big tax breaks. If you are buying, try Vajra (at $18/bottle).

“Light, Fruity, Acidic Wines,” Nov. 10, 1999

This is the “gone but not forgotten department.” German Riesling hasn’t fall en off the planet, but frankly, I don’t think that anyone will bring one this year. In honor of the grape, I bought Terry The ise’s classic book, “Reading Between the Wines.” It’s a philosophical, propagandistic

wine importers’ love letter to his brands. After a half dozen pages, I put it in the “drop off at Goodwill” pile.

Totally gone from wine columns is White Zinfandel. It was never front and center, but it did occupy a place at the ta ble from 1997 to 1999.

Be happy with your guest’s BYOB choices (even if is White Zinfandel). Laugh a lot, don’t turn on the news, or talk poli tics. And enjoy their old stories as much as they do. Happy BYOB Thanksgiving!

Layne’s Wine Gig: Third Thursday at Blue

Be sure to check out Layne’s Wine Gig every third Thursday from 5 to 6 p.m., at Blue, 650 Congress Street, Port land. $12 gets you four 3-oz pours, some #mendoblendo and a rollicking good time with Portland’s foremost wine storytell er. FMI check out por tcityblue.com.

on

West End News for

Layne has been a professional in the wine business for many decades as a teacher, importer, writer, competi tion judge, and winery CEO. He was awarded the Master Knight of the Vine for his pioneering work in the Oregon wine industry. He can be reached at: lvwitherell@gmail.com.

PATAGONIA

By Nancy Dorrans

Patagonia is the most magical place that I’ve ever had the honor to experi ence. If you read my article last month you know my adventure was epic and life changing.There was so much more I need ed to share... Come with me to relive my adventure and perhaps join me on another in the new year...

Arriving in Puerto Natales, I was frst awestruck by the scenery and then by the sounds of local music, dance, and the most cheerful welcome by the ATTA (Adven ture Travel Trade Association) team and our local hosts from Chile Nativo Travel!

Toasting our new friends with our frst Pisco Sour (the Chilean cocktail made from grape brandy), we gathered the lug gage, met our guides and fellow W-Trek adventure travelers for the next six days, jumped in the van and vamos, we go!

After about two hours we arrived at Torres del Paine National Park. We were full of anticipation. Upon arrival at the Ho tel Lago Grey, we had to quickly open our luggage (in the lobby) and pack our back packs, keeping only what we needed and could carry for the next six days. The rest would be waiting for us at the end of our pre-adventure.

I’ll remind you that it was early Sep

tember and still winter there. Layers, lay ers, layers were key. Our guides helped us decide what to bring and what to leave.

the base of Grey Glacier we arrived at Camp Grey. There was frost on the tents.

After a packed lunch, we headed down to the beach to prepare for a kayak excursion alongside foating icebergs with Big Foot Adventures. (Patagonia means “land of the bigfoot”!) It was a bit of a challenge squeezing into the neoprene suits, the waterproof jackets and boots, poogies (kayak gloves), skirt, and lifejacket but we managed!

We partnered up in tandem kayaks and after a short safety briefng took off on a mesmerizing afternoon paddle to wards the giant ice wall of the glacier. The guides brought along hot tea and we toasted the moment!

we were the frst group of the season to arrive at Camp Frances the staff had prepared and opened their dome accom modations for us. With hot showers and wood stoves, we were elated. It poured overnight but we were warm and dry in the domes and awoke to a rainbow!

The anticipation grew as our group bonded and dined on a feast of roasted lamb, seafood, and wine. The next three nights we’d be camping… Did I mention it was still winter there?

Our W-Trek started on a clear and chilly day, with a delicious breakfast before heading out to walk along Grey Beach to board the ferry for a one way 45-min ute ride across Lago Grey. Bundled up and sipping another courtesy Pisco Sour, we passed foating blue icebergs and had spectacular views of the snowy peaks and forest that border the lake. Dropped at

Back to our camp we had a happy hour toast as I shared the bottle of New England maple favored whiskey I had brought along.

After a chilly night, we began our longest day. We headed back down to Big Foot Adventures for a morning ice hike on Grey Glacier. We were ftted with cram pons and harnesses and given pickaxes. A zodiac carried us to the shore access to climb on the millennial ice.

Back on the zodiac to camp, we had a late lunch, collected our packs, and headed out to Camp Paine Grande. So that’s one fve-hour morning ice hiking excursion and a very windy nine-mile hike that end ed in the dark with headlamps. The night before had been cold. This night it was the wind – shaking the tents and sounding like a freight train all night!

We all awoke bleary-eyed and headed towards the French Valley, a spectacular natural basin surrounded by peaks and hanging glaciers. The overnight forecast was for cold rain and wind, but the weath er gods were on our side. We were ex pecting to sleep in tents again, but because

The ffth day we hiked another ten miles along the shores of glacial lakes, past waterfalls with endless views to arrive at the welcoming Hotel Las Torres.

On the fnal day of our pre-adven ture, we were to hike in and stand before the Torres Del Paine, the distinctive and breathtaking three granite peaks of the Paine mountain range. A few of us turned around at the frst viewpoint and took a driving tour to view the towers from the waterfall Cascada del Rio Paine.

With a rousting gaucho “Adios,” we headed out to begin the ATTA confer ence… But not before one more Day of Adventure! How far out of your comfort zone can you go? Try taking a brand new $3000 e-bike on a muddy, slippery, nar row, rocky, supposedly moderate trail and follow several adventurous more experi enced, bigger, and younger mountain bik ers! That was my “Day of Adventure.” It was pretty far out, and I survived!

After the life-changing W-trek pre-ad venture and the epic e-bike Day of Ad venture, there were two incredible days of ATTA networking, speakers, and work shops at Río Serrano Hotel and Spa. Chile celebrates their independence on Sep tember 18th, and we started the party a few days early. With amazing food, new friends, wine, conversations and dancing, the celebration lasted well into the night!

Would you like to hear more of the stories and join me in Patagonia early in the new year? Let me know. I’m eager to get back! Chi-Chi-Chi | Le-Le-Le | VIVA Chile!

Nancy Dorrans is a professional travel expert and founded Adventure Mar ketplace in 2014.

-Photos courtesy of Nancy Dorrans

Vermont Trivia

1.The state gets what nickname from the almost literal translation of “Vermont” from French?

2.Stowe is famous for its skiing, but it was also the adopted home of what Sound of Music family who fled Austria during World War II?

3.Vermont, together with Maine, Alaska, and Hawaii, are the only four states that outlaw what popular form of advertising?

4.What jam band formed in Burlington in 1983, and has gone on to play over 1700 concerts, including some big ones at Loring Air Force Base?

Mondays @ Foulmouthed Brewing and Lazzari

Tuesdays @ Ri Ra Thursdays @ Arcadia and Locally Sauced Find out more on Facebook and Instagram: @bestworsttrivia

Find the answers online at thewestendnews.com/puzzle-solutions!

Book Short The Thursday Murder Club Series

Book Reviews by Stephanie Miller

Four friends in a peaceful retirement village in a small town in England meet weekly to discuss unsolved crimes. They seem innocent. Neighbors smile indul gently upon them.

Do not be fooled. They are actually quite clever sleuths, adept at using their septuagenarian charms to get what they want, and skillful at staying focused while manipulating everyone from television personalities to local police offcers to their own adult children over several glasses of luncheon wine. They turn their age into an asset - so many people over look seniors. Plus, it helps that they con sider legal behavior no more than a gen eral guideline.

In short, these four are a delight to spend time with. Author Richard Osman has created a detective series with the most unlikely but absolutely likable set of crime solvers. In addition to sharing a beautiful friendship, these four are kind and generous people.

There is Ron, an infamous former labor union agitator, who still likes to cause trouble. There is Joyce, a gentle and kind widow with insatiable curiosity and a yearning for romance. Turns out, she is more astute than she seems. Ibrahim is a former psychologist with a deep under standing and respect of the darker side of human nature. And there is no-nonsense Elizabeth, whose mysterious past provides

connections to all kinds of intelligence, in formation, and informants.

In the frst book, titled “The Thursday Murder Club,” a local developer is found dead. In the second, “The Man Who Died Twice,” several mysteries loop around each other and the club uses all their unorthodox ingenuity to trap a ruthless murderer — and reclaim a stash of stolen diamonds. With the most recent release this spring, “The Bullet that Missed,” an old pal of Elizabeth’s joins in as they try to solve the strange and tragic disappearance of a young local journalist and uncover an international fnancial espionage ring. Joyce hilariously (and lucratively) learns about cryptocurrency.

Because the gang is unoffcial, we meet two local police detectives who in advertently fnd themselves assisting, all while suffering dangerous surprises when the Club uses their wily tricks to trap the murderers. The detectives would fnd this all very funny if it wasn’t so deadly. A part nership of equal parts trust and increduli ty grows between them.

The characters of The Thursday Mur der Club are delightful and relentless in the pursuit of justice and happiness for all. They are guileless, but also impossible to beguile. There is humor and heart in these fast moving and engaging stories. I recom mend starting at the beginning. You will soon join me and legions of fans clamoring

for the next installment.

Micro Shorts

The Husband’s Secret,

by Liane Moriarty

Talk about character develop ment! Liane Moriar ty is a master of ev eryday intrigue, where ordinary people are challenged in extraordinary situations. In this bestseller, it seems every husband, and most of the wives, have a secret. The question is, what is the moral, loving, and appropriate way to deal with the fallout?

This book moves so quickly, you’ll want to have a few chapters more to sa vor the beautiful twists and turns, and to spend more time with these fawed but good-hearted (with a few exceptions!) people.

Fates and Furies, by Lauren Groff

This is two books in one, as the sto ry of one awesome romance is told frst by him and then by her. Their perspectives and secret lives diverge in signifcant ways, making you question the veracity of their love. The characters are tightly but boldly written with what often seems a battle of ambitions, with arrogance, cruelty, selfsh ness, love, friendship, loyalty, and humor all speckling the canvas in a constantly shift ing portrait. Stick with it - as the begin ning is a bit slow, and the characters are all rather unlikable - because the dynamic of their intertwining lives quickly becomes fascinating and compelling. This best-sell ing author got mixed reviews for this one, but I found much of the writing as beauti ful as poetry.

Manhattan Beach, by Jennifer Egan

Years after Anna Kerrigan’s father abandons her, remnants of his business connections pop up during her work at the Brooklyn Naval Yard as the frst fe male diver. She starts to realize that her father’s “work” was more complex than her younger self understood. With the feel of a noir thriller, Anna’s bold choices propel her toward dangerous situations in a fast-moving plot that captures a trans formative time in American history. It’s a multi-layered treat, as there is civilian-side war life mixed with workplace harassment and peppered with some of the most beautiful and unexpected friendships. Read it slowly to savor the depth of the story… if you can!

Bayside resident Stephanie Miller is a voracious reader and bibliophile and spends a lot of time lost in the stacks of bookstores and libraries. Find her online @StephanieSAM.

CLIMATE JUSTICE

By Hunter Kissam

In the last few election cycles, it was fair to say that each was the most import ant election of our lifetimes. You could easily argue that the elections were the most important in history, as the ques tion of human survival was on each ballot, where it still stands today.

With the 2022 midterm elections rapidly approaching, getting out the vote with the future of life on earth in mind is an essential step. One that future genera tions will hopefully thank us for, but it isn’t enough.

As a concrete example: the people who voted for the Kennedy/Johnson tick ets were not nearly as consequential to the civil rights legislation of the ‘60s as the thousands of people sacrifcing their safety in the streets, organizing grassroots campaigns, and placing constant pressure on their elected offcials.

Environmentalists should keep this example in the front of their minds. We’ve too often seen campaign pledges “forgot ten” and we cannot be fooled again, espe cially with such high stakes.We already see the devastating effects of climate change, and we will see them worsen in the com ing years. The question is how bad we will let it get.

Currently, we are on track to reduce our emissions substantially and leverage our achievements in climate diplomacy worldwide. Regardless of how it’s report

ed, this was largely thanks to countless hours of work from people you’ve never heard of and from groups including Cit izens’ Climate Lobby, The Sierra Club, Greenpeace, and so many others. Again, this is a historical pattern.

However, we still need a lot more if we want to limit global warming before reaching irreversible tipping points. Politi cians across party and district lines face pressure from oil companies, fnancial institutions, and special interests to stop progress here, at the expense of future generations. This is why voting is still so important, regardless of any alternative efforts. We can push back and make our voices heard.

While it’s never easy to look at the present from a historical perspective, imagine how future historians and pro fessors will portray this unique moment. Will it be a testament to the triumphs of people power, or will anyone be around to study it? The answer is still up in the air. Fortunately, the decision remains in the hands of every US citizen, but only if we choose to make it.

Hunter Kissam has worked with different climate action groups in Rhode Island, Mas sachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine. Kiss am is dedicated to fghting for a fair, just, and livable future for all of us.

We’re All in this Together is a monthly column provided by the local Citzens’ Cli mate Lobby.

PREPARING FOR WHAT’S TO COME

The increased frequency of major disasters encourages us to consider prudent precautions everyone should take. Consider these…

Think about putting together a travel pack.

If there came a need to quickly evacuate, a travel pack with necessary clothing and other basics will facilitate a hasty departure. When preparing, include a few games (cards, etc.) to help pass the time.

Put some food away.

Set up a small locker where you can store non-perishables like pasta, rice, beans, and canned food. Have a reserve of drinking water and fgure out how to boil water without using electricity.

Have some candles handy.

Battery-operated lanterns and fash lights are critical at times of electric grid failure.

Make sure you have a signifcant cash reserve.

Smaller bills are preferable to large ones in the event of a fnancial system melt down.

Have a plan for loved ones in hospitals or nursing homes.

When disasters strike, health care services become even more crucial as inju ries mount up. Coastal communities in particular are at high risk.

Join with others.

Community resilience is to the beneft of all, but during extreme heat events, focus falls on the most vulnerable groups. Make getting to know your neighbors a priority. We’ll need to depend on each other

Start growing as much food as possible.

Use a garden, or some pots on the porch or in another sunny spot. Maybe even consider building a small window greenhouse.

Retroft your home.

Even a house that seems to be falling apart may still be worth saving. The recent hurricanes highlight the need for a new generation of building codes and energy systems.

Turn off lights that are not in use.

Once you’ve done everything possible to reduce your own carbon footprint, advocate for bigger things like turning off lights in large buildings or on prominent landmarks.

Reduce trash.

Improved public education and sensible measures for waste disposal are essen tial. More trash cans and rodent/seagull-proof containers could both help. Cleaning up our parks will set an example for others to follow.

Develop a hobby you can use to readily fnd relief from anxi ety, environmental stress, or the overall state of affairs.

Writing, painting, gardening, yoga, or tai chi are all good ways to give your life new meaning. Play games.

Ask, “What do we owe to the future?”

Put yourself in others’ shoes and treat their interests as if they are your own. This is the Native American tradition of planning for seven generations. It’s called “long-termism.”

Are we being extreme to bring up these matters? You decide .

Bright Ideas is brought to you by Portland Climate Action Team which, during the pandemic, meets online on the fourth Thursday of every month, 6 to 7:30 p.m. All are welcome to join. For more info email: portlandclimateaction@gmail.com.

-WEN fle photo

We’re All in This Together Voting Matters. But the Planet Needs More Than That

THE DUMPSTER

WHERE WE TOSS THE STUFF WE HAD NO ROOM FOR...

Indigo Arts visits Harlem for their frst NYC soirée at The Africa Center and they bring treats from Dean’s Sweets and Allagash Brewing Acadia National Park offers FiveThirtyEight’s Fivey Fox an internship… Maine’s gubernatorial race is the most expensive in state history… moveBuddha’s 2022 move data fnds Maine is the #3 state and Portland is the #2 city in the nation for infow of state-to-state movers with 3 moving in for every 1 moving out… Travis Mills Foundation raises money for injured vets at the annual plane pull held at Portland Jetport Peace Island game developers are featured on TV as they build their role-playing adventure featur ing cats on a Maine island After a nationwide search

Portland Conservatory of Music hires Michael Lund Ziegler as their next Executive Director… Ziegler comes from The Fine Arts Association (FAA) of Willoughby, Ohio… Local hunger fghting organization The Locker Project opens their new space on Wescott Road in South Portland… Finance website WalletHub says Maine is the state least impacted by natural disaster… And Portland ranks 17th Best Foodie City in America with the other Portland besting all and taking the No. 1 spot…

My Dog - Sam

Middle English, from Old English doga 1100s

My dog’s name is Sam Birch

He’s a very good dog Although he doesn’t go to church Sam’s not a barker Sam’s not a chewer

He does love a good long walk But even more than that Sam loves to run and race

Really a child at heart But in the winter, cold and dark He loves to snuggle Close by on the couch

And if there’s a Wood burning stove or freplace Sam curls into a fuffy ball Contented

With his life and all...

(c) 2022 Susan Bassler Pickford

The WEN Poetry Corner publishes reader poetry when space permits. Please send to: thewestendnews@ gmail.com.

“I’ve been living at The Park Danforth for several years now. It has always been my preference to support co-ops and non-proft organizations, so The Park Danforth being a non-proft really appealed to me.

The people here give themselves in real ways that not everyone is even aware of, to the point that I get emotional even talking about it - neighbors helping neighbors, friends supporting friends. There is an authentic sense of community here that I appreciate very much. It is easy to see why The Park Danforth is the local choice and has been my choice

Are you considering Senior Living?

The Park Danforth has been providing quality senior living since 1881. Situated in the lively community of Portland, The Park Danforth ofers active seniors the choices and options they deserve.

Our 24 hour emergency staf help to provide peace of mind to our residents and to the people closest to them. With over 100 years of experience, we know how to provide an environment that is both safe and secure.

Our residents do more than live at The Park Danforth; they thrive. Our Life Enrichment Team, Resident Service and Maintenance Crew are dedicated to creating the kind of community seniors want to live in.

Ask us about reserving your apartment now for Spring! Call us today and schedule your personalized tour. See why The Park Danforth is The Right Place. The Right Choice.