By Tom Seymour

338-9746

tomgseymour@gmail.com

Waldo First Selectman Kathy Littlefield announces that the annual Waldo Town Report is available prior to town meeting from any selectman, from Thompson’s Variety on Route 137 in Waldo and from the Waldo Town Office.

Also, Littlefield says that if any resident of Waldo wants a town report but has no way to get to the above-named sources, she will hand-deliver a copy personally. Call Kathy at 342-5348.

Littlefield also said that big changes to our tax rates loom in the future. Augusta announced lots of proposed cuts in the budget, meaning that towns such as Waldo will be compelled to kick in a higher amount of tax monies than in the past. One example of this is the possible abolishment of the Homestead Exemption. This would represent a significant tax increase for property owners.

Littlefield welcomes voter input on this and a number of upcoming topics, so anyone with an interest may call her to learn more.

Mystery item

While we had some very close answers, no one has identified the mystery item shown here two weeks ago. It is, as many guessed, a mold. But what kind of mold? Well, it is a mackerel jig mold. A long-shanked hook would lie in the mold. Then after closing the mold and pouring lead in, the finished product would pop out -- a homemade jig, with a hook as an integral part of its structure.

These quizzes have generated lots of interest and fun in these waning days of winter. Stay tuned for more in the future.

Perchin’ prediction

What with warm weather and rain, it seems to me that ice-fishing season has effectively ended. And even if some pond has fairly thick ice, it may not be safe. Watch for honeycombed ice or granular ice. It has no integrity and can readily give way to foot traffic. One spring, I walked out on ice nearly two feet thick and had it break. This was in deep water and I managed to roll away from it. But it scared the life out of me.

Ballot box

This week’s photo, courtesy of Belfast Historical Society and Museum, shows a ballot box once used in the town of Waldo. Oddly enough, it looks quite familiar to me, particularly the various colors of paint that someone splashed on it. Do any readers remember seeing this particular ballot box?

Thinking of ballot boxes, note that Waldo's town meeting takes place on Saturday, March 30, at 9:30 a.m. at the Town Office.

Weekly quote

“Information is not knowledge.” – Albert Einstein