7/23/08 Great Representation

Last month I received a newsletter from my local representative, Janet Mills. I actually took the time to glance through it and read some of the pertinent articles. One of the notifications was that residents could be eligible for property tax and rent refunds for 2007. It further said to contact her office to get on the list to be sent the application once it became available. It was late on Sunday night when I read this, so I just sent an email to the address in the newsletter with my request. About 5 minutes later, I received an email reply that I was on the list and it would probably be August 1 before the paperwork would be available. I wrote back and asked . . . sure enough, it was Janet Mills herself, answering her own email on a Sunday night. Impressive. Today (8 days before August 1), I received an envelope in the mail, hand-addressed, that contained the requested paperwork. I can't tell for sure, but the handwriting on the envelope looks very similar to the official "Janet Mills" signature on the pre-printed note inside. Wow. That's taking your civic obligations seriously! I'm impressed with my representative.

7/23/08 ANOTHER Python in Maine

What?! Not just "a python" in Maine, but "another" python in Maine? And this is happening in Wilton which is just down the road from Farmington! In fact, this incident took place in the parking lot of Shelly's Market which is the landmark for when to take a right to get to Rodney's family's farm.

Here's the article from the AP:

LEWISTON (AP) -- A Wilton man is having trouble sleeping since he found a python snake about 9 feet long under the engine of his pickup truck.

Harley Burgess's shocking discovery Saturday is the second of its kind in less than a week in Maine. Last Wednesday, a Gorham woman found a snake -- also identified as a reticulated python -- in the washing machine. In Wilton, Burgess says he's still shaking when he thinks of the python found under his truck. He's had nightmares about the snake getting his grandson, who was with him the day the python was discovered.

Burgess has been searching for clues as to how the snake got loose in his truck. Reticulated pythons are illegal in Maine without a permit.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

retrieved 7/25/08 from: http://www.wcsh6.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=90581

If you do a Google search on it, you can see the story has been picked up in a lot of cities 'cuz this is news! Here's the original story from my favorite source, The Sun Journal:

9-foot snake in pickup shakes up Wilton man

By Donna M. Perry , Staff Writer
Tuesday, July 22, 2008

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WILTON - Harley Burgess hasn't slept well since he discovered an 8- to 9-foot reticulated python under the engine of his pickup truck Saturday morning.

"I'm still shaking about it," Burgess said. "I hate snakes!"

Burgess, who lives on Weld Road, said he and his 9-year-old grandson had stopped at a store in East Wilton to get something to eat before they headed to Chesterville.

A friend came into the store minutes later to tell him he wouldn't believe what had just crawled out from under the engine compartment of Burgess' truck.

The friend thought it was a muffler pipe hanging down at first, until he looked closer.

"It was a huge snake," Burgess said. "It was unbelievable. I parked over a mud puddle and that's when it came down. The clerk at the store thought I was going to have a heart attack, I was shaking so much."

Burgess, a hunter and fisherman, said he has had nightmares that the snake could have gotten his grandson.

"This bothered me a lot," he said.

Burgess said he has been searching for clues to find out who had the snake and how it got loose to get in his truck.

The reticulated python is illegal in Maine unless permits are obtained, according to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. The only pythons that are legal in Maine are the ball, jungle carpet and children's python.

Wayne Atwood, Wilton's animal control officer, was called in to catch the snake.

Atwood said when he arrived he saw the snake lying under the vehicle.

He thought it was a boa constrictor but learned later it was a reticulated python.

He used snake tongs to pick it up, and the snake wrapped itself around the pole. He put the snake into a pet carrier and brought it to Sue Metzger, a state humane agent, in Livermore Falls.

It was the first reticulated python he has come across in 19 years, Atwood, of Jay, said.

It is the second python of its species to be found in Maine in less than a week. A Gorham woman found a reticulated python in a washing machine on Wednesday.

Metzger said when she received the snake she contacted Rick Teele, who is familiar with snakes, and brought it to his home in Fayette.

He identified the reptile as a reticulated python.

The snake had injuries on its upper jaw from being dragged.

Metzger said she contacted Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and then a rehabilitator.

Teele told her the snake would be better off traveling in a pillowcase, so he put it in one and tied it off and then put it back in the carrier. This species of snake can grow to nearly 33 feet, Metzger said.

She brought someone with her and the two drove the python to Lewiston to a rehabilitator, Jen Lewis, of Mis-Fit Rehabilitation.

"This is one reason people should read up on what they're buying, not that it would have made this one legal," Metzger said.

When people have to move or no longer know what to do with snakes as they get larger they will let them go out in the woods.

"This is when there can be problems," Metzger said. "People need to educate themselves to make the right decision, if a snake is going to be the right pet for them. If they do have a snake and no longer want it, they should call a rehabilitator, or (Maine Inland Fisheries) to find other options than to just let it loose."

retrieved 7/25/08 from http://www.sunjournal.com/story/275325-3/Franklin/9foot_snake_in_pickup_shakes_up_Wilton_man/

7/23/08 Internet on the verandah

I did it. I broke down and got Internet access at the house. It's very expensive compared to Dallas and wasn't sure I could justify it, but I was going crazy without it. I figure since I don't have a TV here and am not spending money or wasting time on that, then I can justify getting Internet. The cheapest provider right now is Beeline Cable. I'm paying extra because I don't subscribe to their cable television. But at least they'll still provide the service to me! I bought the wireless router and was ready when the installer came "between 8am and noon" today (it was actually close to 9:30). He only installs the cable and the cable modem . . . the wireless is up to me, though he did give me a telephone number for support. But I didn't need any support and got it hooked up on the second try.

One nice thing about Beeline is that I don't have to sign a contract, so in two months, I can choose to not have their Internet service anymore and there's no penalties. Since I don't have a landline telephone, DSL is not an option for me (though the pricing on that seems pretty comparable to the cable prices). There is a startup satellite company and if the rumor is true that the man down the road from me is in on that, I will at least pursue learning more about it. Until then, this will have to do. So far so good!!