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Friday, July 15, 2016

Goodfellows52: Brady let us all off the hook

Goodfellows52: Brady let us all off the hook: AUBURN, Maine — I can go on with my life and think good thoughts again. All is right in the world. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady ...

Brady let us all off the hook

AUBURN, Maine — I can go on with my life and think good thoughts again.

All is right in the world.

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has made the arduous decision not take Deflategate all the way to the Supreme Court.

Whew!

I was on the edge of my seat for the past 24 hours. I didn’t sleep last night and lost my appetite.

I know I should have been more supportive of Tom, but I have a life — and it doesn’t revolve around a quarterback who has the privilege of throwing a football around for an enormous amount of money.

He’s a great athlete who steered the Patriots to several Super Bowl championships. New England will always be grateful for his exploits on the gridiron.

Brady’s decision to pass on tying up the Supreme Court with this inane issue means justices can go about dispensing justice.

And there will be no more nonsense of freeing Brady even though he never did hard time at Folsom or Walpole.

Brady won’t be at the helm when the Pats open the season, but life goes on and everybody can be replaced in this throw-away society.

It will be tough on all of us, but I refuse to go on a hunger strike or stop mowing my lawn because Brady will have to sit for four games.

I guess I let him down.

Brady said it was a tough decision not to plead his case to the Supreme Court.

When I think about tough decisions, I look at how this nation responds to terrorism, racism, education, poverty and pollution.

This wasn’t a tough decision. This was common sense.

Thanks for letting us off the hook, Tom!

I have a lawn to mow and I am suddenly feeling hungry again.



Thursday, July 7, 2016

Goodfellows52: Life really is for the birds

Goodfellows52: Life really is for the birds: 'Everyone likes birds. What wild creature is more accessible to our eyes and ears, as close to us and everyone in the world, as univer...

Life really is for the birds

'Everyone likes birds. What wild creature is more accessible to our eyes and ears, as close to us and everyone in the world, as universal as a bird?' 

— Sir David Attenborough


















AUBURN, Maine — I have been watching an air show in my front yard from the comfort of my parlor couch for the past five years.

The year-round show goes on outside my picture window.

I watch organic gliders fall from the ski and come in for a smooth landing at my bird feeder. I also hung a tin grate of suet for birds that enjoy gourmet food. There is a liquid feeder on hand for diminutive hummingbirds that come and go like a mild breeze.

My front yard could use an air traffic controller from Logan Airport to keep these hungry buzzards from bouncing off my picture window.

My yard is the perfect habitat for these winged creatures. The front section of the property is surrounded by thick hedges, which provides privacy for us and cover for the birds that hide inside the thicket from cats and other predators.

You know birds are on their way when they line up on the top of hedges and act as lookouts for their feathered friends heading for the feeder.

We have all types including: nuthatches, robins, cardinals, blue jays, a variety of woodpeckers, catbirds and a pair of mockingbirds that are the neighborhood bullies. Mockingbirds sing their hearts out for all of us, but they are aggressive and a bossy pair. They chase away other birds. I have seen them dive bomb the squirrel as it scaled the feeding pole to go after the suet.

Mockingbirds think they own my hard, and you know what, they really do.

They are nasty to their fellow vertebrates but what a sweet tune they carry when they sing for all of us.

The other day, a large woodpecker the size of crow touched down in my cherry tree and began hammering away at the branch. It is called pileated woodpecker. My wife has become an amateur ornithologist and looks up the names of each visiting bird. 

A bird feeder is great for live entertainment. We have this fat SOB of a squirrel that goes after the suet. We knock on the window to scare it off, but it gives us an annoying look and goes right on stuffing its fat face with suet.

I retaliated. Suet costs money and the good birds of Androscoggin County deserve a descent meal.

Sure, squirrels are handsome rats, but to hell with the rodents, I say — especially since I am footing the bill for the pillaging for my bird seed.

I armed myself with olive oil at first, but that became an expensive weapon of choice. I switched to cooking oil and greased the pole with the slick, black stuff.

I waited for the squirrel to strike. He slipped into the yard and bounced on over to the pole. He made his ascent, and every time it tried climbing to the top, the son of bitch slid back down.

I was rolling on the ground with glee at the level of frustration in its face. The disgusted rat gave up after 30 minutes to the laughter of all of us.

The birds were mighty pleased to see the fury suet robber call it quits.

It really is amazing that a bag of bird seed and hunk of suet can draw some of nature’s finest entertainers from around the Northeast.

Welcome to the show that never ends.

Out and about

Take a walk on the wild side around New England's outdoors. Come walk with my son and I as we explore state parks, historic sites, and creepy cemeteries. This is the good stuff in life, and there is nothing worth watching on television, anyway. Join us as we take advantage of Maine's beaches and pristine forests. In between our sojourns through the Pine Tree State, look for political insight and a few well-written opinion pieces as well.