Ice Storm '08

Here are some photos from my

neighborhood in South Portland.

In the tangle of branches you

can see the power line being

tugged down. The fire

department closed off the road

soon after the branches fell.

Dedicate a Song to a Soldier

Last week, I had an e-mail from Joe M. of Boothbay, Maine serving in the army in Tikrit, Iraq. He was listening to our Christmas music by way of our streaming. He wanted to hear "Frosty, the Snowman" during my request show from 12 Noon to 1. It was about 8 p.m. in Iraq. It got me to thinking...Wouldn't it be cool, if listeners made dedications to our servicemen overseas? So, if you would like to send a message overseas, call me at 1-800-228-1949 (I'm taking calls Monday through Friday 10 to 1). I can put your call on the air and they can hear it on our streaming from www.949whom.com

This Weekend December 7th

Meredith and I have several guests visitng us this weekend on WHOM's interview program, Perspectives. I'll be speaking with Major Dennis Camuti from the Salvation Army and Bill Bennett, Vice President at Oakhurst Dairy. I'll be asking Bill & Dennis about the Salvation Army/ Oakhurst parnership to make this season brighter for our neighbors across northern New England.
http://www.use.salvationarmy.org/nne
Meredith will be talking to Jackie Olivieri about the First Parish Church's Christmas Pageant. It's an event that has been going strong in Portland for over 80 years.
http://www.firstparishportland.org/
Be sure to listen at 6:00 a.m. Sunday, December 7th.

Perspectives 9/14/2008

This week, I have 2 guests joining me on Sunday morning at 6:00. Debbie Daggett, Volunteer Coordinator with Freeport Community Services and Maine State Coordinator for Service Nation joins Nicole Goberdhan, East Coast Regional Coordinator for Service Nation. For more details on Day of Action, September 27th, check out
http://www.bethechangeinc.org/servicenation

You can also contact Debbie by e-mail: readtosucceed@adelphia.net
or by phone: 207-869-1006.

Meredith's guest is Tim Morse from Wayside Soup Kitchen. He talks about Wayside Food Rescue Food Drive: Saturday, September 27 from 8 – 4! http://www.waysidesoupkitchen.org/

Perspectives 9/7/2008

Since I usually get calls & e-mails Monday morning on how to get more information on my Sunday morning guest, I thought that I would make the preemptive move of putting details on my blog. My guest for Sunday, September 7th on "Perspectives" is Jim Tasse, Project Director for Healthy Casco Bay. We discuss commuting by bicycle and safe bicycling. He gives out a number of websites in his interview. Here is the list:

http://www.healthycascobay.org/
http://bike.meetup.com/132/
http://www.portlandgreenstreets.org/

Free Summer Fun

With the cost of everything going up, we all need a break now and then. So, I thought that I would post free events that are happening around New England. If you know of any fun free events, please tell me about it. I'll try to update this list as I learn about new activities around northern New England.


The Portland Museum of Art is open free of charge every Friday evening from 5 to 9. http://www.portlandmuseum.org/visit/

The Children's Museum of Maine in Portland has free admission on the first Friday of each month from 5 to 8 p.m. http://www.kitetails.com/

The Cancer Community Center in South Portland offers free classes to people with cancer and their families. Classes cover everything from basket weaving, knitting and tea tasting to yoga & pilates. Check out the fantastic offerings at http://www.cancercommunitycenter.org/calendar.htm

Harris Cousins

I just received an e-mail from my aunt that my cousin Sirrah will be running the New York City half marathon this summer. She'll be running to raise funds for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Sirrah is the youngest of the Harris cousins. I'm the oldest. I always thought that Sirrah was a cool name. It's "Harris" backwards. So, anyway, I'm really proud of her and wanted to share the news. The photo to the left is of all the Harris cousins and our grandparents, Eunice and Rev. Wallace Harris on their 50th wedding anniversary celebration. It was taken at Seawall in Southwest Harbor, Maine. Sirrah is standing in the red dress and I'm sitting next to Grampie. Sirrah has set up a website, so that she can update us on her progress: http://pages.teamintraining.org/nyc/NYCHalf08/sharriscrt

Relief Efforts

GV and I were talking about the cyclone that hit the country of Myanmar and how people can help. UNICEF is on the ground and already assisting with relief work. If you would like to help, the UNICEF website is www.unicefusa.org .

More locally, clean up continues in Arrostook County from the flood. The American Red Cross is helping. Updates can be found at http://www.211maine.org/ and http://www.pinetree.redcross.org/

Gardening Trips

Spring is officially here and now I'm anxious to get out in the dirt and start gardening. Gardening is one of the most popular hobbies in the U.S., so I know that I'm not alone.

To speed things along, I've shoveled the piles of snow into sunny areas to make the snow melt faster. My marigold seedlings are struggling on the kitchen window sill. My house is littered with gardening catalogs and magazines. The stray shovels scattered around the yard are now waiting by the back door to be stored away. But, I'm afraid that if I put them away, we'll be doomed to another snowstorm.

While waiting for the ground to thaw, I'm making grand plans to visit some public gardens. On the top of my list is the much recommended Maine Botanical Gardens(http://www.mainegardens.org/ ) in Boothbay. Afternoon announcer, GV went last year and he raved about the gardens and he's not a gardener!

My friend, Cathy and I have been talking about going to the McLaughlin Gardens(http://www.mclaughlingarden.org/About.html) in South Paris for years. The gardens of Bernard McLaughling have been maintained through a non-profit group since his death in 1995. I hope this year we'll make the trek.

If you're looking for gardening inspiration or a fun day trip, there are dozens of beautiful gardens around New England, here are a few ideas:
The Asticou & Thuya Gardens in Northeast Harbor. Spring is the best time to view the Asticou Gardens because of the large number of azaleas.
http://www.acadiamagic.com/asticou-garden.html

At the Strawbery Banke gardens in Portsmouth, you can enjoy the flowers and learn about New England history.
http://www.strawberybanke.org/historiclandscapes.html

At Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts, not only can you visit Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's gravesite and watch the birds, but it's a great place to enjoy the spectacular landscaping.
http://www.mountauburn.org/

I would love to hear from you about gardens that you have visited and would recommend to others.