North Norway

NORTH NORWAY — This morning I have a "hitch in my git-a-long." Guess I should have known the weather was changing as it started yesterday and the wet weather most always affects my arthritis. Three more weeks of winter weather and one more significant snowstorm, that's my prediction. We'll see how I am at weather forecasting.

Sunday, Mary, Frank, Charlie, Pat, Dell and I went up to Crosstones for a Valentine's Day luncheon. They had our table nicely decorated and it was very nice. Saw Katherine Cummings Lovejoy there. She was having lunch with a group from her church and they had reserved another room but I spoke to her briefly. Her father, Alanson Cummings, used to be good friends with Dell's father and Uncle Bill. Back in the "good old days" most everyone could fix their own vehicle with a bit of bailing wire and a rubber band but when it took more than that, 'Lanson Cummings was the man to go to to get it fixed.

Must be spring is really on our doorstep as I am getting the fidgets about cleaning up, throwing things away and a good general cleaning around here. I did my table beside my chair where I sit and read this morning. Filled up the recycling pail beside the door mighty quick. Probably could fill up a pick-up truck if I really got to it.

Frank had a group of future Rock Hounds of America from Saco visiting his museum last Saturday. Part of the Maine Mineralogical and Geological Society. Mary has finished her first batch of tumbled rocks and has started another. They did errands of the usual kind and had a meal at the Mayflower the other day. Pat Pulkkinen and Jodi were there also.

We had the monthly AARP meeting and lunch on Valentine's Day. The speaker was telling us about Dower Rights and it made us realize how far we have come as in the past women as a rule owned no property and anything they brought with them to a marriage became the husband's to do with as he wished. This usually consisted of pots and pans and bits of furniture. A widow was at the mercy of her children or the generosity of others. We've come a long ways, baby.

Joan Poland has had her surgery, total hip arthroplasty, and is back home where she can recover without worry about contracting another hospital-acquired infection. I hear from Mary that Joan is doing well. I used to think it was rather hard on the patient to be sent home so soon after a procedure but the way things are now I think the less time spent in the hospital the better.

We went over to Reny's with Pat and Charlie on Thursday. It was nice and warm and sunny, so nice to get out and around. Found a couple things I couldn't live without. Whole wheat pasta among other things. I can get that other places but it seemed like a good deal so I got some. Trying to eat healthy for the most part. If I ask Dell what he wants for lunch he always says, macaroni and cheese, so I have my work cut out for me.

We then cruised down to Windham and ate at Applebees, ordering from their Two for Twenty menu which includes an appetizer. Pat and Charlie had onion rings and we had chicken wings, mild spice, so we shared a bit. We all took home some of our meals as there was more than enough. So it ended up being more like four meals for twenty. After lunch we went to Big Lots. Hadn't been in for a couple of years at least and they had sent a flyer with some apparent bargains and I had to check them out. We all found something to make our life complete and came home in time for a nap. We are not big spenders but perhaps we helped the economy a bit.

I hope you looked at the Winter/Spring Class schedule sent in the mail from Western Maine Health. There are several very good programs offered including Healthy Stir Frying, Fit over 40, Stress Management and Relaxation Techniques, and a Matter of Balance. I took the Balance one awhile ago but think I should do it again as I have sort of forgotten some of it. The sociability when taking any of the classes is nice also. I hear the program Hannaford's has, Food for a Good Mood, is beneficial also. That class includes food samples and coupons, always nice to have. We are fortunate to have so many offerings locally.

On March 27 Maine will be treated to an event unlike anything we have experienced before. If you are an AARP member you will receive a 15 percent discount.

The Young at Heart Chorus will be performing "Young at Heart, Alive and Well" at the Merrill Auditorium on March 27 at 2:30 p.m. Tickets begin at $27 and I hear are well worth it. By phone, call Port Tix at 1-800-842-0800 and mention you are an AARP member to get your discount.

The show is done by individuals ages 73 to 89 and they belt out many classics; it is both a poignant and hilarious performance. Don't miss it. If you have e-mail, call me at 743-6761 and I will forward you the sites where you may preview it a bit.

My thought for this week is "The only time a woman really succeeds in changing a man is when he is a baby."