Last week, former Senator Kay Hagan (N.C.) passed away from complications due to the tick-borne disease known as the Powassan virus. That same week, the Senate Health Committee…

Last week, I spent three days in Washington, D.C. meeting with politicians, participating in a Congressional luncheon and networking with other Lyme advocates, all in a focused…

Great blue herons are one of the better known of Maine birds even if not always by that name. Many’s the time we have also heard them referred to as “cranes,” “egrets,” and the even occasionally…

I love Halloween. I really do.

As a kid, a thousand years ago, I always loved the idea of dressing up, going to the neighbor’s homes, and announcing: “Trickertreat.”

Instead of…

If you were a seagull looking to pick off a tourist's burger at Robinson’s Wharf, this could be your circling-for-attack view. An observant gull would be waiting for Keith's famed blackened…

As you read this week’s column, I will be traveling around Ireland and vast areas of Italy. I’m pretty excited and truly blessed that I’m able to go back to such a beautiful country.

This…

An early evening social gathering was held at the home of Linda Belmont to welcome new members to the Garden Club of Wiscasset on Oct. 21. Brief information about each committee was given and each…

I woke to this email and have permission to share it with you. I removed some personal info so to not violate his privacy. I get emails like this ALL THE TIME from people that I have no direct…

We had the good fortune to spend a little time in early September on top of Mt. Agamenticus down in York, Maine, leading a hawkwatching outing for members of the…

Brenda Bettinson’s show “SUBTLE” at Mathias Fine Art features 16 of the artist’s drawings completed between 1992 and 2002. Some have never been shown before. The work is done in pencil, colored…

Bonnie Stover started work at the Tugboat Inn in 1978. I was working there then as night janitor, cleaning the kitchen and dining room after closing. On average, I would go in to…

I wanted to make a nice soup for these chilly nights with fall vegetables, fresh apple and another of my favorite kinds of squash, butternut … yum!

I will never peel a butternut squash…

Ms. Pigette called me the other day to chat about national politics. In reality, she just wanted me to listen to her rant about all the “revelations” spilling out of Washington, D.C.

My…

Ticks have a potential life cycle of three years. I say “potential” because if the they do not have a host to feed on, if they do not get the blood supply they need to grow and…

The desire to look into the future seems to have obsessed humans for millennia. Stories of people with mystical powers to foretell events are found throughout ancient texts and oral traditions.…

I want to thank everyone who came out and supported our first fundraiser for our Alumni Association. It was a fabulous turnout and raised over $1,800. Not only did I see lots of old friends, I was…

Earthy scents fill the crisp cool air sending chills up your spine ... but don’t kid yourself. It’s not just the weather. It’s October ... a magical month for spirits and humans alike!

If…

Back in my earlier years of photography I got to be a guest at many wedding events. The Lawnmeer Inn was a very popular setting and it was, for me, at that time, a regular and enjoyable venue. The…

My smartphone came to life at the end of last week. I was taking a well-deserved nap after driving to Indiana to visit our kids, grandkids, and, gulp, great-grandkids.

“Did you see it,”…

There are only a few months left now in our Mindfulness Big Year…

If you’re looking for something to do between now and Oct. 31 with the kids that doesn’t involve candy or costumes, you should check out the Halloween Story Trail! This is the fourth year the…

I can’t believe it’s been one year already that I’ve been writing for the Boothbay Register; this is week 52. I can’t thank Sarah Morley and Kevin Burnham enough for giving me this wonderful…

Once a year, I like to share a Maine CDC Vector-borne Workgroup Surveillance report update. This information can be found year-round on their website, but I prefer to compile it into a manner that…

It is always a better day when crossing paths with this pair of lovely young ladies. And there are many paths that cross. These are the Southport goodwill twins. When you see Evelyn you seldom don…

Kudos to the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency for their quick and professional takedown of a “bad dude” last week. I know it was a pro operation because it happened in front of my eyes.

Here…

Like a lot of other folks, I went to see the “Downton Abbey” movie recently.

The lights dimmed, the familiar music started and I smiled as soon as I caught my first glimpse of the Abbey.…

Clamshell Quilters will be meeting on Monday, Oct. 14, at Faith Baptist Church, Mills Road, Newcastle, at 2 p.m. Member Judy Sala will show how to make appliquéd fabric leaves. The workshop will…

We had a sprightly little northern parula warbler hopping around in our crabapple tree a few days ago, it’s sky-blue head and wings creating a subtle contrast among the red-brown leaves. Several…

Let me say right up front that the acorn image is enlarged for illustration purposes. Imagine how big the squirrels would be to harvest these bad boys! They would need to be French bulldog size.…

This week is all about one of my twinners, Evie Greenleaf. She has come up with an awesome use of fresh apples that she’s named autumn cake. It is a wonderful recipe. Thank you my dear daughter…

I drove past Ms. Pigette the other day on my way off the peninsula. I was going to stop and chat, but she just waved at me. I think she was waving with her whole hand, but I can’t be sure of that…

It was a great honor for me to have worked at the 20th annual Scientific Conference on Lyme & Other Tick-Borne Diseases on Sept. 21 and 22 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the Hilton Penn’s…

There are some of you out there who have been saying for many years that the numbers of birds you see now have seemed only a shadow of what you remembered decades ago. Sadly, that sense of reduced…

The other day, there was an auto accident down the way from our home. It is an unusual intersection, with blind spots for drivers turning up the hill.

For some reason, a red Prius and a…

September … feels more like July!

I took my cousins Linda, Kelly, Paula and Dave for a beautiful boat ride on Sunday. Fun day, actually, my wonderful husband took us for a boat ride. It’s…

Jim Fossett is a person I have admired for a long time and hoped to visit upon these pages eventually. This summer I got a quick chance to say hi during one of his visits home to…

I can still remember the first movie I ever saw at our local theater, a Hayley Mills classic – “That Darn Cat.” It came to our town in early 1966. I was 10 and tickets were just 50 cents! My 7-…

“Great beauty, whether in a woman, or a landscape, or a painting, has an element of mystery. Feeding that mystery is part of maintaining that physical beauty or thought process.” –…

Dorian may have glanced by us more than a week ago, but some unusual birds it impacted are just now appearing here in Maine. The two of us had a chance to spend a little time scanning birds along…

Our son-in-law Andrei grew up in Romania. He, his family and many friends commonly did their own mechanical work. There were not a lot of resources during Communism which forced the population to…

Earlier this summer, my bride kicked me out of the house.

She said something about my being underfoot all the time and told me to get a job. So, I did.

I called Scott Larson, who…

When people hear that I am in remission, I get asked “What was it that got you better? What test should my doctor order for me? Did you do oral or iv meds or both?” and to all…

Our prayers go out to those who suffered from the wrath of Hurricane Dorian. Parts of the Bahamas have been devastated. Please, if you can, go to reputable websites to donate. I’m grateful our…

They are not saying good-bye, they are saying hello.

I didn’t know that Oliver sold bicycles. When Janet told me this I thought she said “Oliver stole…

On Friday, my smartphone, (the one that is way smarter than me) started buzzing in the back pocket of my L.L. Bean jeans. By the time I fished it out, it had stopped. Then, it started buzzing…

What’s the weirdest or most unappealing place you’ve ever gone birding?

That’s a question we pondered recently as we perused flocks of house sparrows in a McDonald’s parking lot at a busy…

On Thursday, Sept. 5, I was invited by Senator Susan Collins to give witness and testify at the United States Senate Aging Committee hearing on the TICK Act: An Urgent Public Health Response to…

It gets hot in Arizona in June. It’s hot in August, too. You wouldn’t want to leave anything in a car that’s fragile.

In fact, last year, Business Insider provided a helpful list of things…

Labor Day weekend. I hope all survived the summer. Not sure if it’s me or not but the town seemed extremely busy this year. Hats off to all the businesses. I’m hoping you all were able to get some…