Now that my weekly Locke’s Mills column (along with those of several other former Bethel Citizen town correspondents), is part of Western Maine Neighborhood News, found on Substack and at the website wmnn.org, I’ll be posting only every other week’s “free to all” Locke’s Mills columns here on my own site.
On some of the weeks when my current column doesn’t appear here, I’ll be posting a look back at Locke’s Mills columns from 5 and 10 years ago.
From five years ago—January 21 and 28, 2021
Despite having more than 20 extra minutes of afternoon daylight, Eli and I ended up racing against sunset to get back to our car after a hike to Lapham and Buck’s Ledges late on Wednesday.
It’s not as bad as it sounds, as we were coming down the wide, smooth logging road where we weren’t likely to encounter many tripping hazards, and I did have both a headlamp and a portable phone charger with me, just in case. But it was a good reminder that darkness still falls fast and early on these winter afternoons.
A reminder to all that face coverings must be worn on the premises of all municipal properties, which includes the transfer station and, of course, the town office. It seems as if everyone should be used to this by now and it should go without saying, especially with regard to indoor spaces like the town office, where people must be in close proximity, but apparently some still haven’t gotten the message.
If you are unwilling or unable to wear a face covering, please conduct your town office business by mail, email, or phone, or by requesting curbside service. I’m not looking to start a debate here; these are the rules for everyone, for everyone’s protection.
Last Wednesday was Inauguration Day and I wanted to do something special to commemorate it, so I hiked up to Buck’s Ledge before sunrise, then along the new trail extension to the summit of Moody Mountain, where I had views to the southeast and could watch as the sun came up. For once, I timed it just right and got to see a gorgeous sunrise, a great way to start the day.
As I mentioned last week, on average, our coldest winter days here in Maine fall between January 19 and 25, and this winter seems to be following that pattern. Although we still haven’t had any 20-below-zero mornings, and only a couple that were below zero at all, it certainly felt cold enough last weekend, with highs only in the teens and winds of at least 15 mph.
Despite the cold and wind, I got out for a hike on both weekend days, and I’d like to think I deserve extra points for not opting for the treadmill in the basement instead. I must be getting tougher in my old age.
On Saturday we bundled up and hiked to Lapham Ledges, Buck’s Ledge, and the summit of Moody Mountain. Tony hadn’t been on the new trail extension and wanted to check it out. I had assured him that, once we were past the steep section of trail just below Buck’s Ledge, the rest of it would be pretty much “a stroll in the woods” with little elevation change.
I had just been there three days earlier, but I had forgotten that, actually, even though the summit of Moody, at about 1,400 feet, is only about 200 feet higher than Buck’s Ledge, there’s quite a bit of up-and-down to get there. But that was probably a good thing, as the workout kept us warm.
From ten years ago—January 21 and 28, 2016
As I think most people have heard by now, 2016 marks the 200th anniversary of the incorporation of the town of Greenwood. While most of the bicentennial festivities will take place during the weekend of August 12-14, selectmen and town employees plan to kick off the celebration with a birthday party for the town at their next regular meeting on Feb. 2 at 5 p.m.
The date of the meeting coincides with the actual anniversary of the date when Greenwood’s incorporation papers were signed, Feb. 2, 1816. Everyone is invited to join the celebration at the Town Office on the Gore Road. There will be birthday cake—hope to see you there!
I’m sure there are many snow-lovers who will disagree, but I was happy to have Winter Storm Jonas (a.k.a. Snowpocalypse 2016), which broke all-time snowfall records in at least four states, miss us by a couple hundred miles.
Except for sending Will up to shovel off the rather flat dormer of our house, we’ve managed to avoid climbing onto our roofs to shovel them so far this winter, and I’d like to keep it that way. Last winter was an exception, but usually if most of our storms come later in the winter, they are followed by enough sunshine and warmer days to encourage most of the snow to slide off before it gets too heavy or builds up impressive icicles and ice dams.
At their most recent meeting, the Greenwood selectmen discussed stepping up enforcement of the town’s addressing ordinance, which requires that all property owners post their assigned 911 street numbers where they are clearly visible from the road so that emergency responders can locate them easily.
For houses that are within 50 feet of the road, this means posting them on the building, and for houses further than 50 feet from the road, the numbers should be placed near the road.
The current ordinance provides for a fine of up to $2,500 for those not properly displaying their house numbers. The selectmen hope to amend the ordinance to allow a fine of not less than $25 and not more than $250, since the intent of the ordinance is not to punish, but to encourage compliance.
As Selectman Fred Henderson said, “Not having the number displayed could be dangerous. It could even cost somebody their life.”
Oh, I missed that. So it’s not the case anymore. It was Covid related?
Hi Amy. That photo at the bottom is beautiful. I had no awareness that face masks are to be worn at the transfer station. PR needs to go out. But do you know why- we're all outside?