Six Week Shutdown and Drain Troubles

This town is supported by a pulp mill. On May 5 it closed, and the general public did not know how long it would be idle. The governor came and the news covered the event. When a mill shuts down, it affects wood cutters, truckers, filling stations and restaurants. This was a major source of revenue for the whole of the county. One of our restaurants closed and the owners moved their operation to a town near Bangor. Some workers left and went to work elsewhere, if they could find a job. Most collected unemployment and hoped for the best. When I took this picture, I thought it would be fall before smoke came out of the stack again. Some people in town had hard feelings towards those who remained employed and that made others uncomfortable in some situations I am sure. Water bills had to double because the fixed costs of the water utility have to be paid by users that are left. Workers didn't know what they would do about insurance if it closed for good. This situation lasted six weeks. It reopened last week, to everyone's surprise. Turns out that the pulp customers were not happy with South American Eucalyptus pulp. It affected the quality of their finished product. That's good news for the United States, Maine and this mill in particular. Workers were happy to go back to work and having it running is very good news for the town.
Last month our house had sewer troubles. The original drain from the house to the road was clogged with dirt from a section that broke at a T-connection. We hired a backhoe and a plumber, but Dick was the one in the hole. I didn't have to watch the worst of it because I was at school, but when I came home the hole was so deep I had to get close to the edge to see him. The water line was broken by the backhoe while digging for the sewer line, so water had to be pumped out, both lines fixed and the job was supposed to be done. It wasn't pretty. The line was covered with some new gravel on top, but Dick didn't want to cover it completely until it settled. It was pretty soupy from all the water, so we waited. Then it rained. A few days later Dick decided he wanted to re-dig the line, put lots of gravel around it for security and not worry about it. Good thing he decided this, because it had sunk and twisted. He repaired it again and carefully put the gravel in the way it should be done. Was our problem over? NO. The next week it plugged again on the other side of the driveway, where the line connects to another and runs to the main sewer drain. It was blocked by rocks that had washed in when the pipe broke before. So I left for work and Dick handled it again. Three weeks of that sh_ _ is too much for anybody.

Gardening and Traveling

Yes, I have been busy. I finished the school year, took a small trip, finished a Master Gardener class and took a longer trip to Minnesota. The class and longer trip are worth some attention. The gardening class I have wanted to do for years. It is offered through the University of Maine Cooperative Extension service. It is six days of classes spread out through six weeks and 40 hours of community service gardening. The class was offered in a time slot that my school graciously allowed me some flexible time to complete, so it was the right year for me to get it done. I enjoyed every minute of it. The text is a huge book, but we did not have to do all of it, since the class focused this session on vegetables and fruits, which I need to have more knowledge of anyway. All of the text is valuable information about gardening in this area and the part the class didn't cover is about lawns and flowers. I have years of gardening behind me, but much of it has to do with ornamentals, so I can skim through the parts of the book the class didn't cover. From this class, now I have a network of people to work with and resources to answer questions.Here we are planting a small garden in front the office. Another thing most of the members of the class signed on to do is Plant a Row for the Hungry. This program for gardeners provides for their extra produce to be donated to the local food pantries. That might be a lost cause this year with all the rain, many gardens are flooded. The block of wood on the post is drilled with several holes for bees. That was something new for me. This garden is being tended by other members of the class. My project for the volunteer part is in Calais and Woodland. I'll work at the park and at the public library.
We have had so much rain the ditch in front of our house overflowed. It came down so fast the rain flowed over the sidewalk. This happened in two spots, since we have more than two driveway openings. Dick will talk to the employees at the state garage next week since they will be the ones who have to unclog the ditch. A couple weeks ago I went to visit a niece who is a new mom. She has a sweet little boy! My sister and I went to visit her in Minnesota. We had the most beautiful weather for the visit, so we took lots of walks, usually with her Boston Terrier. She likes to play ball, but we forgot it, so had to improvise. We attended an outdoor concert and two outdoor picnics, with no bugs! That light in the background is the sun, for all who have forgotten what it looks like. I was privileged to hold the precious bundle! It's amazing to think our own were once that small. Another terrific part of the trip was meeting this great kid dribbling the soccer ball. He is smart, fun and very special. He is pretty good at soccer too. I hope I see him again at family gatherings.