A network of people makes life easier and better - By Michelle Libby

I was reading a fiction book last night, actually a romance novel, if you must know and in it the heroine was discussing having a network of people to rely on. She had a network of work associates who were there for her in her business endeavors. She also had a network of friends who were willing to watch her back. She only had to ask and things would happen. You need help. Boom. The friends are there. You need a bodyguard. Boom. Someone knows someone who can find one. 
 

As I was reading I realized that this is what I have in my life. I knew I had friends, but when push came to shove last weekend at my son’s Eagle Scout ceremony, I knew my network was strong and impressive.

Heather Lumb stepped forward and made a show-stopping cake of a mountain representing the climb to Eagle. Lisa DeFosse helped bake the eight piece cake. I made a phone call to my friend Patrice Foley-Olsen for her party throwing skills and asked her to wrangle things in the kitchen and for the reception food. Without hesitating she agreed and brought in Jenn Merrill, another friend, to help her. I knew my family, my mom, Mary Jane, my dad, Henry and my sister Beth would be there for us, and they were. Whatever we needed, like taking pictures with my camera, that’s what they did. 

 

The one thing I was not sure about was pictures. I asked a few people to take some pictures, but the best I would hope for were a few shots from the back of the church. What I realized was that sometimes friends don’t even need to be asked. Roxanne Metayer, a former Scoutmaster herself, brought her camera and offered to take pictures through the ceremony making sure we had the pictures we would want. Of course I was thrilled and just now remembered, I took pictures for her when her son Luke had his Eagle ceremony. It comes full circle. 

 

My network is amazingly strong and I’m happy to say that the ceremony and reception went off without a hitch. I was able to be the proud mom, which meant the world to me. 

Think about your network. If someone called you…would you be there? I would.

The Thunder Rolls...

The thunder rolls…

…and the lightning strikes. I’ve lived in the area for a long time now. When we first lived here I worked at a summer camp at the base of Sebago Lake. When storms would roll into the area, I remember describing them as rolling around the lake. They would get bad, then dissipate, then get worse, then better and this would go on for hours while we huddled under a tent held up with 20 foot tall metal poles. Hmmm. 

This week, I’ve noticed that the storms are more like waves, washing across the open bodies of water around here. People sit and watch the storms cross the lakes, taking pictures and waiting. They check Facebook, Spark and www.weather.com trying to see what the story looked like as it passed through Limington. 

What’s Spark, you ask. There is an app called WeatherBug. As a part of that there is a part that shows the user how close the nearest lightning strike is and suggests that you seek shelter immediately if the storm is imminent. 

Some people aren’t fascinated by storms. Many cower in the middle of their house or in a pile of stuffed animals. I used to be one of those people, but now, I find lightning especially fascinating as long as it’s not hitting my house, work or blowing up my computer. 

Is there a way to get over a fear of lightning? I know people who don’t like fireworks also can’t handle the noise of thunder. They have to medicate or hide where they can’t hear the boom, crash, crack of the thunder. 

How about if they watch a bunch of movies with lightning? Here are a few suggestions.

Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief

Phenomenon

Ted

Almost Famous

Back to the Future (Thanks Margaret Watson)

Frankenstein (Margaret, again.)

Powder (Thanks, Jeff Thivierge)

Sweet Home Alabama

So next time there’s a storm, get wrapped up in a movie with a storm in it and you’ll think it’s on TV. And this is why I’m not a therapist.

…the thunder rolls.

When people find their tribe

A few years ago a friend’s son went to college. After the first week, he knew he had found his people. Last week I was visiting my son and watched him dancing and chanting with the other boys in his group and after speaking with him, I knew he had found his tribe.

A tribe is like-minded people who think alike, act alike and aren’t afraid to be who they truly are. They aren’t worried that someone might think they’re a geek or weird. It doesn’t matter when you’re in a tribe…you’re accepted for who you are.

This week, I will go visit with my tribe of at least 1,500 people in New York City. My people think alike, we spend a lot of time alone in front of a computer writing down the stories in our head. We’re a creative bunch that doesn’t socialize all that often, but when we do…watch out!

The Romance Writers of America is hosting their annual national conference for four days. I hear it’s a blast and people leave the conference motivated, exhausted and ready to conquer the writing world.

This week I’ve been trying to plan for what I’m going to do down there and my roommates have been super helpful in sending me dinner invitations with famous romance authors, lunch plans at exotic restaurants and after parties that will keep us out dancing until dawn in the city that never sleeps.

To say I’m nervous is an understatement. The elevators alone are a marvel…did you know that the tallest building in Maine is only 14 stories? In NYC, I could be on the 43 floor and can access the bottom nine floors by escalators.

I love to travel and meet new people. There will be many friends from other conferences and chapters that I can meet up with, but I’m excited to gawk at some of the authors I have only read and have never met like Nora Roberts, Debbie Macomber and Sabrina Jefferies.

I’m sure by the end of the week I will be exhausted, but I can’t wait. I’m not sure I’ll be a city girl by the end, but I can’t wait.

My plan is to do some blogging about my adventures in NYC at the RWA conference once I get there. We shall see how that works out. I’m looking forward to sharing my adventures with anyone who will listen. Have a great week.

Michelle

Enjoying hot summer days and being safe

Summer has finally arrived and with the heat and humidity more people are out looking for ways to keep cool. Last Sunday my husband and I took a drive around Windham and Raymond for fun, but mostly to sit in the air conditioning.
 

Everywhere we turned there were people swimming in pools or jumping off bridges into rivers. There were cars backed up at Babb’s Bridge, on North Gorham Pond near the dam and at Shaw Park in Gorham. Both sides of the road were packed on Route 85 at Crescent Lake and I’m sure it was the same on Gambo Road and any other roads that end or cross at the river or had access to a lake. 

Little Sebago Lake was littered with boats and jet skis tooling back and forth, some with tube and others just floating along with another boat, the occupants talking.  It was a great summer day, and I wished I was at camp grilling, enjoying the sun and jumping the water to cool off whenever I wanted to. 

Watching some of the swimmers, especially at the North Gorham dam, I was concerned for their safety. I’m not sure if it’s my age, my being a parent or what, but I wanted to stop and ask them if they had checked how deep the water was. Did they make sure there was nothing under the water they couldn’t see from above, like at Gambo Dam where there is an old fence under water from the days of the gun powder mill. 

Having fun is one thing, but risking a life, is another. At the dam in North Gorham, a Windham resident electrocuted himself to death while swimming there. I believe everyone has the right to cool off on hot days, but with certain caveats, like stay away from posted areas, look before you leap, and respect the property you are using. Don’t leave trash around and don’t vandalize the area. 

I’m so happy that summer has finally arrived and the weather is perfect for recreating in water. My advice, unsolicited as it is, is to enjoy and be safe.  

Empty nest syndrome

It’s too early for me to have empty nest syndrome, but here I am, finding that it’s just my husband and me alone in the evenings after work. Weird. 
 

On Sunday, my husband took my son up to Camp Hinds for his first week as a CIT. My daughter is already there working on staff. She spent the last year in Presque Isle so I had gotten used to not seeing her every day. 

My son on the other hand, I was seeing every day, sharing stories with him and listening to him talk about computer gaming. (Which is like the Charlie Brown teacher, waa waa waa.) Having him at camp with no way to contact him is rough…on me. He’s having a blast. I’m trying really hard not to be a helicopter parent, one who hovers around to check on her kids, but it’s a struggle. 

My daughter has her phone and I was able to call and make contact with her to see how he’s doing. (She’s fine.) “He’s doing great,” she told me. Just that little bit of reassurance is important for a reforming helicopter parent. 

I don’t know why he wouldn’t be happy, when he’s at a camp he loves, swimming, building robots and singing crazy camp songs. He’s been going to Camp Hinds in Raymond since he was in first grade. When he entered fifth grade he started spending one week each summer there. Now going into tenth grade, he is changing his role and I couldn’t be prouder. 

Without children around to manage, I’m looking for things to do around the house…and those bedrooms look like they need some attention. Maybe I should surprise both kids and clean their rooms. What do you think? A good idea? 

I searched the Internet for information on what parents should do while their children are at summer camp. There weren’t a lot of stories about what parents should do. Most discussed how to get your child ready for camp and how to write a letter. Parent’s feelings took up a short paragraph. 

It’s been 19 years since I didn’t have someone younger than me to think about. So for all of you parents wondering what to do when your kids are away for the summer, I will compile a list of things you could do. 

1.      Go to a late movie.

2.      Take a day trip with friends or your spouse.

3.      Go out to dinner some place you wouldn’t take the kids.

4.      Drink wine or a fruity drink without the “are you sure you should be drinking that?” question. (Thanks Officer Cyr and DARE.)

5.      Attend a concert.

6.      Take an evening walk.

7.      Have a campfire, just the two of you and talk without little ears hanging on every word.

8.      Go shopping at 9 p.m. when the lines are short and no one is missing bed time.

9.      You choose the show to watch on TV.

10.  Clean the bedrooms and get rid of the clutter that they won’t miss or notice it’s gone.

Road trippin' and goin' with the flow

We’ve had this trip planned for months now. We didn’t realize how perfect it would be to get out of town and see some of the eastern seaboard. 

 

I drove from Windham to Presque Isle and back to Windham before picking up the rest of the family and driving for 24 hours straight to Florida. For those who have done this, you know what an experience it is. Driving until you can’t see straight and then trading drivers, no idea what time it is, what day it is and what kind of traffic you’ll encounter. 

We did really well on time, only got lost once and I was asleep at the time, so I never knew. It was a family bonding experience. 

Now that we are here with nine people, we are rolling with the punches. Personalities, rain, long lines, handicaps. I guess I’ve done an okay job with my teens because they understand that we’re going to have to wait in lines. Some people are bound to be jerks. (My daughter saw a fight in the bag check area yesterday.) And, if you wait around long enough good things will happen. We were on two rides that broke down while we were on them, (I’m not saying we’re the cause of the malfunction). They gave us express passes and we got to ride a better ride twice with no line, no waiting, and we finished one of the rides that broke without redeeming our tickets. 

I’m getting my exercise, no doubt about that. The new iPhone 6s have a pedometer in them and those in our party with the right technology are keeping track of the many miles we are walking each day. Most days are between six and seven miles. Yesterday we cleared 10,000 steps before lunch. 

It’s a different experience to have a car on vacation. We control where we want to go and when. Want to run to the drugstore or Walmart? Grab a GPS and go. The traffic is different here…like Windham in the summer on a Friday afternoon…all the time. 

With patience and a positive attitude, we’re having a blast. Oh and that positive attitude? I said something while we were in one of the cues and the employee said, “I like that positive attitude” and it made me think of our paper and our goals. Not sure what a positive paper looks like…then you haven’t been paying attention.

Michelle

Educating our children about money matters - By Kelly Mank

In conjunction with this week’s focus of “money matters” I wanted to share a recent experience that I am feeling very strong about. Growing up I really never got an education on money. I didn’t know how credit cards worked, I didn’t realize how much things cost and I had no real appreciation for the value of a dollar. 

My son is 14 years old and at this age they are starting to make money on their own by doing things around the house for people or helping shovel someone’s driveway and really has no idea what to do with it after that. He is used to bringing it to school and spending it at the school store or concession at a sporting game.

I went to my bank to get a debit card for him to attach to his savings account and to my surprise that wasn’t allowed. I actually inquired about programs they had for kids and come to find out the “norm” is to have nothing available to kids until they are 18.  Now, I understand the risks that are associated with this however… we are completely guilty as a society of raising kids to be money stupid.  I was so happy to find out that there was a bank that actually had an account and program completely for kids, a debit card that can’t get overdrawn, and online accessibility so that parents and kids can go over how the account works. 

I find it amazing that with all the challenges our country has in the financial world that we are not educating our youth on something as simple as balancing a checkbook or what APR means on a credit card. 

Now, as we started this newspaper as a source of positive and solutions based news I do urge you to find a solution and teach your children that a debit card is not a never ending “magic card” that pays for things. I urge you to seek out a bank that has programs for children to learn to take responsibility. I urge you to talk to your school about providing financial education to our youth.  I know I will be doing all of these things!

-Kelly Mank