the Olde Duck Hunter

The Olde Duck Hunter

by

Carroll V Strout

March 24, 2019

Current Events:

Well cheeky the squirrel is still making his daily raids on our bird feeders. Lately I haven't seen as many Black capped Chickadees. However, other birds are still showing up.

This has been a hard year for making maple syrup. Yesterday March 23, when I was talking to Dick Trott, he told me that a year ago they had processed forty-four gallons of syrup. As of this year they hadn’t made not even one gallon of syrup. However, they were in the process of boiling some down. It has been a hard season for everyone. Late real cold weather and in Dick’s case three feet of snow.

It was interesting to learn of the number of maple sugar shacks here in Maine now. There has been an increase in demand for the product here in recent years. Apparently there is a lot of good food value in it.

Soon it will be time for the lobster fishermen to start setting traps for spring fishing.

From the looks it will be awhile before lawn mowing. That's okay I can wait.

Last Monday night Ronie and I attended Columbia Town Meeting supper. Man oh man what a difference a few years make. While there Ronie counted approximately fifty people in attendance. I can remember thirty years ago there would have been one hundred or more in attendance. Well most of the older folks have died and the younger generation are not interested in attending public suppers such as that. Half of the fun going to the suppers was to socialize.

More of Growing Up in Milbridge, Maine

Bits & Pieces:

How many of you remember your mothers making red flannel hash from your left over New England boiled dinner? That was standard procedure at my parents house. My mother would either chop or grind the leftovers creating a red juice from the beets, therefore called red flannel hash. I liked the hash as well as the original dinner. That was the way it was here after last week ends St. Patty’s Day dinner.

When I was a kid in grammar and high school, in the spring, I would catch brook smelts clean them and peddle them around Milbridge for twenty-five cents a dozen. About two weeks ago Ronie bought a package at the store with seventeen smelts for around five dollars. Some difference.

When I was growing up life was much simpler and easy going as compared today. The big bad thing then was if you were able to sneak a swig of your parents beer. Today, people are dying from OD on high drugs. When and where is it going to end.

Well folks that was the way it was another time another story. Just remember one thing no matter what life bestows upon us the smoke will go up the chimney just the same.