My brother loved mayflowers

I have just come across an article my brother, Raymond Calvary Blanchard, Jr., wrote in August 1969 in the Local 3628 News, United Steelworkers of America, in St. Louis. He worked in St. Louis for the American Can Co., and was editor of their newsletter. He had sent a copy to my parents, who lived in Portland and in his handwriting on the front page he said, “Am editor of this scandal sheet. I wanted you to see the poem on page 3 – Mainly, other gossip pretty uninteresting.”

I think it is lovely. I would love to have told Junie so, if I had seen it sooner. Actually I often called him “Juniebug.” His friends called him Ray, and Ted Johnson, our Deering High School ski coach, nicknamed him “Whattaracket.” That’s a compliment from Ted, I’m sure, for everyone enjoyed my brother. He passed away in 1986, but we think of him often. How I wish he could join me this year as I gather a few mayflowers on the sun-baked hill.

Here is Junie’s piece.

Picking Flowers In Maine

As a child we would pick mayflowers.

The winter chill still present,

The promise of spring in the offing.

A soul-inspiring ritual.

One that tossed up to me in my vintage

years of discontent.

Spirits of nature beckoning

and calling from afar.

The subtle colors,

Pink and blue welded and girded

Flagging mental processes.

St. Louis to Maine is not far distant

When nature’s magic calls.

To pick mayflowers is my task.

The fulfillment

The dream come true.

Quick Schedules

Rapid departure

Beset upon by rogues in transit?

Near disaster?

No matter

The flowers discovered once again on that

Sun-baked hill.

Fulfillment is mine.

The rapture unsurpassed.

They are exactly as before

Free from contamination

Poignant, true beauty,

They have not changed.

Ray Blanchard

Senior Citizens Club meeting highlights

Monday, May 15, the Westbrook Senior Citizens Club met at noon at the Westbrook-Warren Congregational Church, for luncheon and entertainment.

The luncheon of meat loaf, squash, mashed potato, rolls, and chocolate pudding was a good one. After the business meeting, with President Edith Roma presiding, Phil and Jane Mailhot presented an excellent program. He emceed it and led many songs, in his tenor voice, and Jane is the talented pianist. She plays without any music but does have a printed list on the piano, with the songs they have chosen, most of them familiar to the club members, who joined in on many of the popular songs.

At the table where I sat were Teresa and Dick Harris, Al and Lucille Waite, and Jan Cargill. Jan was a busy lady, circulating around and taking pictures of a few groups.

I had a note from a lady present, Carole Ripley, who is a friend of the Oakhurst Dairy Bennett family, and told me that she corresponds with my friend and Deering High School classmate, Alden S. Bennett. Carole is to write me more information, I was also pleased to see a Grange friend, Madelyn Newcomb, whose 90th birthday I was invited to. She was with her daughter, Barbara White of Standish. Sitting near them was a man who asked me how Harry, my husband, is – and I had a nice chat with him. He is Wilfred Tardiff, who knew Harry when he used to call on Bob Fortin for ads for our American Journal. Wilfred worked for Fortin. I know that Harry used to enjoy those visits with Mr. Fortin. Wilfred is also a good friend of the Mailhot family.

And now what were some of those popular songs the Mailhots played and sang for us? The audience was familiar with most of them, and I’ll list a few – “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” “Let Me Call You Sweetheart,” “Show Me The Way To Go Home,” “For Me and My Gal,” – this last one was sung by Jane Mailhot, with DeDe (Edith) Roma, who has a lovely soprano voice. Also Dick Harris came up front to sing with Phil Mailhot – they have fine tenor voices, and sang “Show Me the Way to Go Home.” We had a lot of talent, right in the audience!

As their last number, Phil and Jane harmonized, as she played the piano for “Amazing Grace.”

It was a very nice program.

RECIPE

We have just received our annual gift of Vidalia onions, from Pete Blanchette, which he buys on his return north, in Georgia, after their winter in Florida. He also included three large, beautiful tomatoes from Florida. I, of course, had to make the Vidalia onion pie recipe I printed before. Here it is again.

VIDALIA ONION PIE SUPREME

3 cups thinly sliced Vidalia onions

3 tbls. melted butter

1 deep dish pie shell, baked

1/2 cup milk

1-1/2 cups sour cream

1 tsp. salt

2 eggs beaten

3 tbls. flour

4 bacon strips, friend crisp

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cook onion in butter until lightly browned. Spoon into pie shell. In medium bowl, combine milk, sour cream, salt, eggs and flour. Mix well and pour over onion mixture. Top with bacon. Bake for 30 minutes or until firm in the center.

This recipe is in “The Best of Georgia Farms Cookbook and Tour Book.” We enjoyed it and I shall bake 2 or 3 more of the same pie again. Those Vidalia onions are huge, and very sweet.

Mayflowers

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