Today, let’s take a deep breath, appreciate what we have, and reflect on how quickly everything could change. Perhaps we go out in the morning, walk into our back field for a bit of exercise, or to cut some wood, or to dig around for some gemstones that we know are waiting in that sandy pile of soil. And perhaps we never come back.

Children in and around Dover-Foxcroft have the opportunity to get more comfortable and confident with their word skills thanks to “READing with Erma.” Erma is a 7-year-old German shorthaired pointer and her handler April Taylor is a resident of Lakeland, Florida who summers in Sebec.

Pilots from across the country and Canada are expected to attend the popular International Seaplane Fly-In from Sept. 5-8, which also draws some of the biggest crowds of the summer season to the Moosehead Lake region.

Residents of the region looking to improve their lives through various academic and career programs can do so through the Piscataquis Valley Adult Education Cooperative, while also having the opportunity to take college courses through Eastern Maine Community College and the University of Maine-Augusta in the same building as the PVAEC main office at the Penquis Higher Education Center on Mayo Street.

Last week the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife’s advisory council approved a rule that sounds ominous, but will actually change very little for the state’s anglers. Simply stated, in the state’s north zone, the general fishing law will ban the use of live fish as bait.

U.S. Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine and Angus King, I-Maine announced that the State of Maine, Penquis and Through These Doors received a total of $1,993,850 to help stop domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking and protect victims.

A space for residents to gather during the middle of the week, and enjoy a healthy lunch starting the middle of next month, is being provided in the former Fossa’s building by the Dexter Seventh Day Adventist Church.

Help, hope, and giving to our communities -- that is what Pine Tree Hospice volunteers do. We offer non-medical support to individuals and families in Piscataquis, Penobscot and Somerset counties who are dealing with progressive, life-limiting illnesses and/or grief.

He moved to town in 1895, taking up residence in a cabin on Lake Onawa, about 8 miles from the Piscataquis County town of Monson. Nobody in town knew where he came from or why he chose to live in the Maine wilderness. One thing was almost certain, though: Jim Whyte was hiding from something.

Yoga instructor and Pine Tree Hospice volunteer Gayle Worden RYT, is offering free Yoga Nidra sessions for both professional and family caregivers in the community and for hospice volunteers as well. The sessions are about 45 minutes in length and are held at the Dover-Foxcroft Congregational Church on West Main Street. The next session is from 10 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 14.

Eight entrants in the age 6-8 division each chased down a runaway piglet during the pig scramble on Sunday afternoon as part of the 132nd annual Piscataquis Valley Fair in Dover-Foxcroft. The boys and girls could choose to keep their pigs or sell the animals to interested buyers.

The BJHS Alumni Association awarded 13 scholarships at the recent annual reunion to grandchildren and great-grandchildren of members of the Alumni Association or deceased members of the association.

The Piscataquis County Commissioners authorized district attorney’s office staff to purchase a replacement vehicle for Investigator Scott Arno to use, during an Aug. 20 meeting.

The 46th annual International Seaplane Fly-In is coming up the weekend of Sept. 5-8. It promises to be a lot of fun for participants and spectators alike. It is a time when the population of Greenville swells as folks flock to the popular event. Besides watching pilots show their skills, folks can browse an excellent craft fair as well as the local shops, stop and listen to live music and enjoy delicious fare from local restaurants.

The launch of a new program that aims to put a book in the hands of every Maine first grader each month during the school year by 2025 was announced Aug. 22. Dirigo Reads is co-founded by Dan and Karen Cashman of Brewer and operationally supported by United Way of Eastern Maine. The mission of the program is to improve the health and wellbeing of children in Maine through literacy and share a little optimism along the way.

Starting in the 2020-21 school year, students from around the region will have the opportunity to take part in an early childhood education satellite program through the Tri-County Technical Center to be housed at Nokomis Regional High School in Newport. The SAD 46 school board authorized the program during an Aug. 21 meeting in the Ridge View Community School cafeteria.

“We have a consultant on board, it’s Gorrill Palmer,” Town Manager Jack Clukey said during an Aug. 19 selectmen’s meeting about the South Portland-based firm. “We know them and they’re familiar with Dover-Foxcroft because they did our road study” as well as working with the MDOT elsewhere in the state.

This year marks the 132nd anniversary of the Piscataquis Valley Fair, which began in 1887. The 2019 fair will run from Thursday, Aug. 22 to Sunday, Aug. 25 at the fairgrounds located at 77 Fairview Avenue. The four days will feature exhibitions, rides, concerts and fun for all ages.