An August 22 presentation on Robert Frost at the Marion Council on Aging is further evidence that what the Marion COA has to offer area seniors – and residents in general – is a continuous stream of quality cultural and literary immersion with the opportunity to share in the conversation with fellow community members.

Robert Frost, the only poet to win the Pulitzer Prize four times, is considered the quintessential New England poet, as presented by Stephen Collins who introduced Frost to a few dozen attendees, each holding a handout of several of Frost’s poems up for discussion that afternoon.

Without even a single poetic word spoken, the images of farms, broken down stone walls, birches, and apple trees emerge from our collective consciousness, all metaphors for the shared human experience that Frost so eloquently, so effectively (yet casually and relaxed, as only Frost can do) conveys to us.

Reading The Tuft of Flowers, Collins points out, “It’s conversational. It’s like he’s just chit-chatting with you.” Collins later said, “He took everyday colloquial English and made it into brilliant poetry.”

As Collins shared during what he deemed his “thumbnail” introduction of Frost’s life story, Frost’s childhood was tarnished by alcoholism in the family, which caused much instability during his formative years and took the life of his father at age 38. Furthermore, as Frost openly acknowledged, depression was pervasive on both sides of his family.

From his farm in Derry, New Hampshire, to England where he was first published, and back to the United States where he eventually spent 40 years teaching at Amherst College, Frost always sough the beauty of nature and life, fullness of love, the joie de vivre, as Collins described Frost’s poetic works, reading and discussing other poems such as Mending Wall, Birches, Desert Places, and Acquainted With the Night.

            Analysis and exploration of the poems was an interactive discussion between presenter and audience, each providing insight and personal interpretation. Collins’ understandings of the poems are evident in the poignancy of his explanations and the sincere responses from the audience. Collins has spent years studying Frost and has read just about every biography on him that he could get his hands on.

Collins offers a number of different literary presentations, including a Walt Whitman impersonation, which he performed at the Mattapoisett Library in April of 2015. He also gives lectures on Shakespeare, Thomas Hardy’s poetry, Yeats, and other more modern poets, although his presentations are more of a fusion of teaching and performance.

Collins often visits councils on aging throughout the state and nearby states, and this year is part of the Young Audiences of Massachusetts program, visiting local schools sharing his literary insights and talent for performing with students.

The COA has a number of literary-centric programs forthcoming, starting on August 29 with a lecture titled “Swans” presented by Marion resident and author Phyllis Washburn on her book Good Morning Sam.

            On September 12, Professor of American Literature at UMass Dartmouth and Marion resident Charles White will give an informal lecture on the life and works of Emily Dickinson.

Both programs begin at 12:45 pm at the Marion Music Hall on Front Street, free to the public.

“I try to have a broad mix [of programming] that will appeal to different people,” said Karen Gregory, COA programming coordinator. “Sometimes I’m amazed at what works and what doesn’t work.”

Stephen Collins’ Robert Frost lecture was funded by a grant the COA received from the Marion Cultural Council.

“We are very happy that the Cultural Council supported this one,” said Gregory. “I think Stephen’s performance was overwhelmingly positive.” Gregory said many attendees remarked on how they would be speaking with the local schools to invite Collins to give a presentation to students. “I think that speaks volumes to his presentation.”

By Jean Perry

Crabs are classified as crustaceans and are highly valued as predators and scavengers to the Buzzards Bay ecosystem by keeping it clean and also providing a valuable food source for the environment and humans.

Many miles of the Buzzards Bay shoreline here are perfect for fiddler crabs, which have a ‘clock’ in their heads to be in tune with the rhythm of the tides, preferring a muddy mangrove habitat with rich organic matter but also right at home in the breaking of waves.

Fiddlers are omnivorous, meaning they will eat almost anything, including carrion of the dead or dying, especially fish commonly used for bait to catch them in nets or traps.

Their protective hard shells are like a knight’s suit of armor but do not grow with their body, requiring the crabs to annually molt and shed their shells for a larger size, as many as fourteen times in a lifetime.

The male fiddler has an oversize claw used as a warning to trespassers and competitors for female attention. The female has two small claws. After mating, she gives birth to millions of eggs called larvae that when fertilized look like jelly that bears no resemblance to adults until about five weeks when metamorphosis turns them into tiny crabs.

Research suggests that fiddlers communicate by drumming their claws on the ground or by snapping them together, and they can detect the slightest movement around them. They have a keen sense of hearing through multiple hairs on the body. Each hair is also sensitive to chemical changes to help them to locate food.

When threatened, they often freeze to resemble a rock or promptly bury themselves in the mud. They have powerful vision to see movement all around without turning their heads using two compound eyes that have hundreds of tiny cells on the tips of eye stalks that protrude from their heads and can fold into protective grooves.

Fossils show that crabs have been around for some 120 million years, able to protect themselves with their feisty demeanor while also lending themselves to a variety of shapes and colors for vibrant art recently featured on Australian stamps for The World Wildlife Fund.

For children, a crab too clever to be caught called Sebastian appeared in the Walt Disney animated film The Little Mermaid, but don’t let your child pick one up to find out they are very feisty.

By George B. Emmons

As part of the Southeast of Massachusetts, Tri-Town is one of the areas hit hard by the dry summer the region has been experiencing, as evidenced by escalating water restrictions and extremely low water marks, most notably the Mattapoisett River.

After five straight months of dry conditions all throughout the Commonwealth, Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Matthew Beaton declared a number of drought levels in the state, with Southeast Massachusetts declared first a Drought Advisory and now a Drought Watch. A Drought Watch was issued for Central and Northeast Massachusetts.

“The declaration … represents the lasting agricultural, environmental, economic, and public safety impacts associated with prolonged drought conditions,” said Beaton in a press release. “The Baker-Polito Administration will continue to work with the Drought Management Task Force, government officials, and stakeholders to ensure appropriate actions are taken to minimize any harmful effects of the drought. The public is strongly encouraged to limit outdoor water usage, and integrate water-saving techniques into their daily routines.”

Groundwater levels and stream levels are also excessively low, with seasonal rainfall levels five to eight inches below the norm. A shortfall in winter precipitation preceded the summer dry spell, further affecting water levels.

With this comes the increased threat of brush and wildfires, so the public is encouraged to use extreme caution with matches, cigarette butts, and charcoal grills.

Mattapoisett Water & Sewer Superintendent Henri Renauld said the water supply for Mattapoisett as well as Fairhaven is relatively stable, but a meeting on Wednesday will determine if the two towns wish to move forward with a voluntary water ban.

“I think we need rain,” said Renault on Tuesday during a phone interview. “We may hopefully get the residents more aware so that we can be a little more careful with our water use in a time that’s so dry.”

With the Drought Watch, the state recommends that outdoor watering be limited to handheld hose use and watering cans after 5:00 pm or before 9:00 am to avoid evaporation loss. The filling of swimming pools, and washing vehicles and buildings should also be prohibited, recommends the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.

“We are asking people to heed the restrictions put on non-essential outdoor water use – especially when lawn-watering – that local water suppliers are putting in place to conserve important resources under these adverse conditions,” stated Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Martin Suuberg. “MassDEP will continue to provide technical assistance to water suppliers.”

By Jean Perry

Are you a student at Old Rochester Regional or Old Colony who enjoys writing, finding a good scoop, and telling everybody about it? How about getting paid for doing something you enjoy anyway? There’s that, and the thrill of seeing your name in print, which never really gets old, in our opinion.

Writing as a student correspondent for The Wanderer is a great way to gain writing experience under the guidance of an experienced editor, is an attractive skill for prospective colleges, and can be a reference source for your future should you consider a career in journalism or writing.

We are looking for enthusiastic students who have creative pens, noses for news, and who can commit to meeting a deadline each week to join The Wanderer team for the 2016/2017 school year. Each Monday, you will submit one story about the happenings, hot topics, and school events with at least one photo to the news editor. In exchange, you will receive $40 and constructive criticism from the news editor on how to tighten your journalism skills and learn proper formatting for newspaper writing.

We need one correspondent from ORR and one from Old Colony, and a writer for ORR sports updates. Please email a message of interest or any questions about the positions to News Editor Jean Perry at jean@wanderer.com.