Welcome to the Christmas Season!

I've always thought of this as the best Christmas carol of all time. Enjoy the holiday season.

~MET

Bald Rock Mountain

"Generally speaking, a howling wilderness does not howl: it is the imagination of the traveler that does the howling."
~HDT

A beautiful morning on Bald Rock today. The entire forest is covered with pine needles and leaves:

It seems very strange to be wearing shorts on November 29. The views were amazing:

It was a solo hike...just me and my shadow:

This was just the kind of outing that will get my mind in the right frame as I head back to work tomorrow. Also - I finally broke down and joined facebook. There is a link under the picture on the top right.

~MET

Fine Artwork & Fine Soup

Our Thanksgiving is steeped in tradition, and today I enjoyed two of my favorites. M-S and I went to Maple Lane Farm for the annual holiday pottery sale. I've blogged many times about Robbi's work - and we have hundreds of pieces around our house.
We go to this sale every year and always manage to buy something. She also has animals roaming around like this very young belted galloway:

Check out her website sometime: http://maineclay.com/

The other great tradition is my wife's post-Thanksgiving turkey soup...which seems to get better every year. Here she was yesterday making it:

On a blustery fall day like this one this is a perfect lunch:

(thats one of Robbi's bowls by the way) I hate to see this week come to an end. I've already started my Christmas shopping - more holiday fun to come!

~MET

Happy Thanksgiving Post II

Another wonderful Thanksgiving surrounded by family. I ate waaaaaay too much, but I guess that's the idea. It was very nice to have all four children here together for the first time since last Christmas. This year we went with only "Robbie" plates (we'll be going to her show on Saturday), and I think the table looked pretty good:

We had so many different things to eat (see earlier menu post), but the turkey is always my favorite:

After dinner it is always story swapping and dessert:

We had outstanding peanut butter pie and pumpkin cheesecake. Here is Burt trying to con M-S out of some pie using his "sad dog" face:

I'm tired, stuffed, and happy. Sleep will not be difficult tonight.

~MET

Happy Thanksgiving Post I

The first of 2 or 3 posts today as we celebrate my favorite holiday. I LOVE the whole day. We always begin with a two mile walk - this morning was mild, but very foggy:
Then M-S and I slowly prepare the house and meal for our 6pm feast:

I say slowly because we take breaks to listen to holiday music, watch the parade, listen to Alice's Restaurant at noon on WBLM, and we always enjoy a traditional big breakfast:

We are already having a blast and the day has just started.

Happy Thanksgiving!

~MET

Johnny Always Says it Best

This is a grainy clip from an old "Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman." As you might imagine, Johnny Cash captures what we all feel at this time of year. Give it a second to wait for the song to start. See some of you tomorrow - to everyone else: I hope you have a great day surrounded by loved ones.

~MET

The Menu is Set

Assorted cheese and crackers
Almonds
Shrimp puffs
Roast turkey
Mashed potato
M-S' sausage stuffing
Gravy
Turnip
Squash
Green beans from my in-law's garden
Pearl onions in cream sauce
Cranberry sauce
Jim's mac & cheese
Jean's cornpone
Hot rolls and butter
Cranberry wine
Gizzards and such for the dogs
Assorted desserts...including pumpkin cheesecake and peanut butter pie (I think)
WOW!
~MET

Procuring the Wine

I am fully aware that I am "over-the-top" when it comes to Thanksgiving...but there are worse vices. Today I went here:

...the Unity Winery to get the beverage for our upcoming feast. Tickled Pink is the signature wine of a new small business that I'm sure we will frequent often in the future. I love spending my money at these kinds of places (check out my past posts) and I hope they do well. Clem - the owner - is a hoot all by himself, and I'm so glad I purchased this Maine Cranberry Wine for Thanksgiving this year. I am VERY excited to report that the three bottles we purchased are from the FIRST batch EVER sold by this vineyard!! I really should save a bottle in case they become wicked famous. This whole week is so fun - everyday a different chore to complete before the big day.

~MET

A New Home & A Great Meal

This has been a fantastic day - though I will be sore tomorrow. This morning I went to East Winthrop to help Cindy, Fab, and Rocco move from the small camp on the lake to the Mayfair neighborhood of Augusta. Here is the happy family in front of their new home:
Fab organizing the truck:

The whole crew takes one of our numerous breaks:

It was a fun group to work with, and I couldn't be happier for the Fabs. They both seem very excited to begin a new chapter and have many great ideas to make this house uniquely theirs. Later in the day M-S and I met up with my parents and sister at the Liberal Cup for dinner. Its one of our favorite places to eat...I've never been disappointed with the fare at the "Cup." Mom and M-S enjoying their meal:

Dad and Suz doing the same:

Suzanne and Grant will be staying in DC for Thanksgiving, so it was nice that she was here for a couple of days this week. I'm VERY tired - but I feel good.

Congratulations to Fab, Cindy, and Rocco - the holidays this year will be extra special for the three of you.

~MET

One Week to Go!

With a week to go before the big day I thought you might like to see some of Norman Rockwell's Thanksgiving illustrations. I've always loved his work, and the holiday covers are among the best:

A real classic:

This one is kind of sad:

Another classic:

And that same classic had Rockwell been from Washington County:

Is the last one really by Rockwell? Its hilarious either way. Good stuff - I hope your plans are going well.

~MET

My Last Marriage Equality Post...For Now

The following was written by Jesse Connolly, the campaign manager for No on One in Maine. Like most of the analysis I have read it is filled with both disappointment and hope. I think the words of a man who has devoted so much of his life to this important civil rights issue during the past several months are worth reading. Enjoy.


Observations from the Trenches in Maine
By Jesse Connolly Former Campaign Manager of No on 1 / Protect Maine Equality

While it's difficult and, one might suggest, even slightly irresponsible to weigh in on our marriage equality loss so soon, it's also tough to sit on the sidelines while others make sweeping proclamations or conclusions, usually hundreds or thousands of miles away from Maine.

This was a very painful loss. The simple fact is that their margins were wider in the places they needed to win, and our winning margins were either smaller than we projected, or we lost bigger in places where we needed to keep it much closer. Clearly, there is town-by-town, city-by-city analysis we need to do and much of that is already underway.

Nonetheless, permit me to make a few observations.
First and foremost, marriage equality is a complex issue. Many people are conflicted and we know from national and state specific polling that it is very difficult to move people on this issue, particularly in the confines of short campaigns.

Secondly, our opponents capitalized on that conflict by constant distortion and misrepresentation. It reminds me of the movie, Supersize Me: why order a midsize coke when you can have a giant coke? Their bar is much lower than ours. They only have to plant and feed the doubt. And it is difficult to fully restore any reputation, be it an issue or character, that's plagued by constant doubt.

Remember, this was a campaign where we got up on the air first and where we put genuine Maine values as the context for supporting marriage equality. We used real Maine families: gay and lesbian Mainers and their kids, and parents who wanted all of their children treated equally under the law. In sharp contrast to other campaigns, gay and lesbian families were woven into our advertising and images as they are in society - organically and realistically.

We also acted and responded like a campaign: no negative went unanswered, and any paid media attack got a swift rebuttal, usually within 24 hours. The messages were tested, we were disciplined across media lines -- from earned and paid traditional media, to new media, including social networking sites and outlets.

We were also benefited by a strong coalition of 60 state and national organizations who gave us the help we asked for, but didn't ask to run the campaign. In short, we got the money and the support we needed to run the campaign we wanted to run.

But here's where it gets tricky and here's where we need some answers over the next several weeks or months. It's clear that polling research, both ours and others, did not capture the intensity of Yes on 1 support. Polling cannot predict turnout and the impact of Tuesday's turnout was counterintuitive. We weren't alone: our opponents, political observers and field operatives all believed a high turnout benefited the NO on 1 vote. With voting approaching 60% in Maine, it's clear that wasn't true.

Here's what I do believe after some sleep and a break from the caffeine: we moved the equality ball further up the hill, not just in Maine, but everywhere else. Voters do need these conversations which we had by the tens of thousands; they do need to see real gay and lesbian couples and their children up close and personal; and they do need to be reminded that these are neighbors and soccer coaches we're talking about, not "homosexual activists" which is the well worn handle our opponents trot out.

I'm not skirting anything here when I suggest that we need to remember that it was not long ago when we were losing in double digits, when they threw an anti-marriage equality question on a ballot in a presidential year to drive conservatives to the polls.

It may turn out to be simply this: that by moving this basic premise of equality from the sink hole of catastrophic defeat state after state, year after year, to within striking distance of a win, that we are almost to the finish line. This tide is turning and you can tell by the histrionics from our opponents, from their "gathering storm."

It's not fast enough for most of us, certainly not for the families who deserve the same basic protections my wife, son and I enjoy, but we're getting close. We will learn more from Maine, we will keep making progress and we will win.

Let no one doubt -- least of all our opponents -- that we're in this for the long haul, until all Maine families are treated equally. This has always been much more than another campaign. It's about love and family and that will always be something worth fighting for.
Jesse Connolly

Thinking About the Ice

I apologize for the picture. I took a picture using my Mac because I'm at work and I didn't want to find a scanner. That is my grandfather, Linwood "Pete" Thurston who died in the mid 1970's - the original "Tut." I never found out why his friends called him Pete. To us he was Tut. The fact is that he was a masterful fisherman, and studied it like it was a science. My father inherited that gift, and some of my favorite memories as a child are getting up early and hitting the ice with my dad. I've been thinking about this today because a group of teachers will be heading to Houlton again this year in early January and I'm really looking forward to it. The fishing was great, and I get to use my grandfather's traps. I'm going to try to fish more often this winter - I live around nothing but lakes and ponds for God's sake. I find even though I don't get out much that many of the lessons of my youth - which have been passed down through generations - come flooding back to me. This is an open invitation to my father and my son: let's get out there and fish!
~MET

Why Do I Have the Feeling...

...that this week is going to take forever? Next week is my favorite of the year, and I only have to work half a day on Monday. The students have the five days off - so I'm guessing that they are going to be a bit spastic before break begins. I only have two meetings scheduled this week - both on Wednesday, so that's a positive. The only negative is that next Monday night I have to come back to Winslow for a school committee meeting - but then its all about Thanksgiving from Tuesday morning on! I have the menu all set and I'm looking forward to trying some time-saving tips that I found online. It will be nice to walk the dog each morning, prep the house, get the meal ready, join M-S for our traditional Thanksgiving morning brunch, and to spend time with my kids and most of my family. Can't wait.
~MET

Soggy Sunday Morning

M-S returns from Boston today and I can't wait to see her. The pets and I have had fun, but they aren't gifted conversationalists. We had some very heavy rain last night and I wondered if it might have an impact on the streams around our part of town. There are many small brooks and streams that flow into either the Sheepscot River or Clary Lake, which lies about a mile directly behind our house. While walking down one of the side roads this morning, Burt and I found that there had been some flooding:
There is a small stream that crosses beneath the road - but today it was running over the top, and the three culverts could not keep up. I don't know if you can tell in the picture below, but the water is running across the road under our feet and into the woods:

A pond has been created were there once was just woods:

They added a new culvert a couple of years ago, but it couldn't stop the water. Though if it wasn't there I think the road may have been washed out. Here is the "pond" on one side of the road where the water is draining into the culvert:

And the water coming through on the other side. Keep in mind that on a normal day there is no water coming out of this:

This stream is usually about 8 feet across, but today its a lake:

There is some damage being done on the run-off side of the road:

Mother Nature is pretty amazing...and this is excitement in my little town.

~MET

A Nationals Treasure

Ryan Zimmerman has had a big week. Nationals fans have had little to cheer about this year, but our young third baseman took home two awards in the past few days: National League Gold Glove at 3rd Base and National League Silver Slugger for 3rd Base. The future continues to look bright for the Nats! Only five months until opening day!
~MET

Happy Birthday Jim!

Today is my brother's birthday. As I've stated many times, he is a remarkable man and I'm always proud of all he does. I don't know why I think this is funny, but I hope you have a great day.
Love,
~MET

Home Alone

I have the day off today and M-S does not. So...its just me and the boys (Owen & Burt). I've actually been looking forward to this day, but I am finding that I am filling it with work stuff. I have to prep the Social Studies budget and begin putting together TWO proposals for contract negotiations. I'm sure I'll bitch about negotiations in a later post. Its still nicer to work here at home rather than at my desk in Winslow, if only for the change of pace. And besides, I'm sure I'll find a way to sit outside with Burt later this afternoon and enjoy the fall air. On days like this I tend to think about my family - how my children are doing at school - wondering about my Mom who just left for DC for some treatments - and thinking about my siblings and all that is going on in their lives. Had I a wish, it would be that they all are healthy and happy. M-S is leaving tomorrow for a conference in Boston, so it will just be me and the pets until Sunday. I'll get to spoil them and myself for a few days. Its a busy time, but still my favorite time of year.
~MET

Parent-Teacher Conferences

I've got a couple of late nights coming up as we have parent-teacher conferences until 7:50 tonight and tomorrow. I don't mind them, but it makes it feel like I never really get home before I'm getting ready to go to school again. The GOOD news is that there is no school Wednesday and that will feel nice. The picture is a set of parents going to see the teachers of their two children. I've had the children of school board members, superintendents, principals, city counselors, etc - but I think seeing those two coming toward my room might be a little unnerving. Although...I could ask him about some of his educational stances.
~MET

Busy, Busy Sunday

Today was a fantastic Sunday. We decided to spend some time with the dogs. Burt had a great time walking in the snow and the leaves:

I think fall is his favorite season. We had a nice brunch, and Burt got a new bone to chew:

Then we went to Ma and Dad's to see Murph's haircut:

They took him to a new groomer that M-S found on Rt. 17 that Burt will be going to in a couple of weeks. Murph and Mammie:

He is the ultimate spaz:
Burt likes to visit with him, and tried out Murph's new bed:

The highlight of my day was a trip to UMaine to see the University Singers, starring Sarah:

They are so good, and sang Bach, Rachmaninoff, Beethoven, and many more. The acoustics from the theatre are awesome.

My favorite, though, was a medley of selections from The Music Man. I tried to load a video from my camera - which cannot do the concert justice, but I was not successful. Ahhh, technology.

~MET