How to tell if it’s real or just a rebound
Adapted from a recent online discussion. Dear Carolyn: I am currently separated and have ...
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Nature
Nature: Sea colander grows in winter
November brings to Mount Desert Island a struggling mixture of summer and winter moods. Frosty ...
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Skunks and the food web
Among the many wild mammals living on Mount Desert Island is the well known and most misunderstood skunk. Their only defense against an enemy is to use their powerful scent glands. Skunks can’t run very fast, and they are not good fighters. Spraying the well known scent from glands near the tail is their only …
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Sibling fails to respond to our retirement news
Dear Carolyn: My husband and I have been part of a family text thread where we communicate with my siblings and their spouses about what’s going on in our lives. Recently, we’ve been in touch regarding one sibling’s health crisis, all of us offering supportive comments. Concurrently, my husband and I made a decision to …
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Nature: Thousands of birds on the wing
Slow down for the thousands of migratory birds passing over this island now. You no doubt have noticed all the small birds flying up from the sides of the island roads recently. These are migratory juncos, song sparrows, fox sparrows, chipping sparrows, and palm warblers. Coming along Route 102-A through Seawall and on into Bass …
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Girlfriend he broke up with doesn’t want him back
Adapted from a recent online discussion. Dear Carolyn: About five years ago, I graduated from college and broke up with my girlfriend, “Penny.” There was nothing wrong between us, in fact things were really good, but we’d been dating since high school and I felt restless and needed to be on my own for …
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Nature: Myths about wooly bears
Buffleheads are back on MDI! A small flock was seen this week in Bar Harbor near Bar Island. These birds are right on schedule after nesting and raising their young far to the north. Most of the wintering buffleheads left here at the end of April or first part of May. These just seen in …
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Grandmother considers evicting her daughter and grandkids
Dear Carolyn: I bought a house about a year ago and my daughter and her three kids moved in with me. I am single and live downstairs in the in-law suite with a roommate who is my friend. The children are 13, 10 and 2. My daughter is 30. And to say they are lazy …
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Mom provides a loving home to her son’s teenage friend
Adapted from a recent online discussion. Dear Carolyn: My son’s best friend since middle school has been living in my guest room for a couple of months now, since his 18th birthday. His home situation has been very unstable for the past few years since his parents split up, and he bounced around their houses …
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Nature Many insects survive the frost
A big black bug flew into a friend’s back one evening recently and really startled him! The bug looked menacing and he had no idea what it was. After it arrived at my house in a sealed jar, I identified it as a toe-biter or giant water bug. This is a wide, flat bodied insect …