The Olde Duck Hunter

by

Carroll V Strout

April 7, 2019

Current Events:

Recently where the weather is getting better, we have been seeing more deer around the house.

Last week we saw our first flock of starlings and they were followed up by a small flock of robins. Now, I am waiting for the sound of the peep frogs in my neighbors pond. I am also looking forward to my first fresh mess of dandelions which is a good spring tonic.

Both my friend Dick Trott in Bangor and my neighbor Dick Paul are thinking about shutting down their maple syrup operations this weekend.

This past Tuesday evening April 2, 2019 we attended the largest funeral service I have ever seen. Those attending filled the gym at Narraguagus High School. The service was for Huddy Peterson of Harrington, Maine. That goes to prove one thing. You don’t have to be rich and famous to be well liked. All you have to be is a true, blue friend; and that was Huddy. She was well known and well liked. May the good Lord be with you Huddy.

More of Growing up in Milbridge, Maine:

I believe I have told you that when I was a young sprout my father drove the mail truck from Cherryfield train station to Cherryfield, Milbridge, and Steuben. Anyway, each year around Christmas time there would be two or three people in Milbridge who would order a bushel basket of grapefruit and oranges. I must say they were bigger and better looking than what you buy in the store today. The pink grapefruit are about the size of navel oranges now.

When in Grammar school I use to be friends with the late Bruce Hall. Bruce’s father worked for Bob Whitten who owned Minot Films. These films were distributed to the different movie theaters; but before that was done they had to be tested at Bob’s shop. So in the winter months Bruce and I would watch the films for free of charge.

Another experience I had was when Lawrence Ray and I rode our bikes down to Wyman to visit his grandfather Gus Mitchell. One September weekend Lawrence and I visited Gus Mitchell just after he had just dug his potatoes. He had them in boxes in his shed. He told me to look at their size. As it turned out he put the smaller spuds on the bottom and the larger bragging spuds on top. I got a kick out of this. Once inside Gus’s kitchen I noticed his wood cook stove had an oven door on each side of it. Gus explained that you put your biscuits in one door and then you would walk around the stove and take them out the other side.

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.