Big News Item: Jo Cameron has returned from Indiana! Daphne's feet are fixed, she's walking about with the help of an enormous walking boot, looks like a bionic extension! Kids were wonderful, 8-month-old Katy is really working on the walking thing. Ben enters official Kindergarten in (gasp) a week! And many thanks to son-in-law Kevin for helping me get the news to you in so roundabout a way! Also had a nice R&R in Cincinnati with younger daughter Bisi and Johnny Yee, with a tour of the new Contemporary Arts Museum building. Smooth flight in on Saturday, home by 11 p.m..

Thanks for all your input on fireflies and whip-poor-wills! Reporter Kay Liss gave me a call, to report that her whip-poor-will wakes her up at 5 in the morning! Not appreciated! I wonder if she could Hav-a-Hart trap it and bring it over here?

Don't forget that on August 23, from 5 to 6::30 p.m., the Edgecomb Congregational Church Mission Outreach is holding one of their famous fund-raising suppers, this one, a Bean and Casserole Supper to benefit the Eldercare Network of Lincoln County. If you want to donate a dish, or help serve or clean up, please get in touch with Gail Boudin, Kitty Norton, Ruth Davison, Gloria Bailey or Bob Hardina.

Following through on things Congregational, and shamelessly mining Ruth Bryant's tidbit in the latest "Catching Up" newsletter, does anyone know the history of the old half-round pulpit now stashed on the Town Hall's stage? The selectmen need to know who is its official owner, for making arrangements about its proper disposal. If you have information, or an interest, please call me or the Town Hall, 882-7018.

All our condolences should go out to Pastor Iris Burnell on the loss of her husband Dave. And sympathies also to Roger Whitney and family, who have recently lost their home in Alna to fire by lightning.

Contact the Central Maine Astronomy Society about the proximity of Mars! On Wed. night, Aug. 27, the Red Planet will be just a stone's throw away, if you can heave a stone 34,649,589 miles. CMAS's website is http://clary.gwi.net/cmas. They have a new Hot Line, 582-5750, to alert you about any star parties to celebrate this unique event (but they need to update it! I called just now, and it gave data on an event for Aug. 1.). Traveling up I-95 Saturday night, we could see Mars, which could penetrate the mists and clouds, even though the moon was nearly obscured.

Next Friends of Fort Edgecomb meeting is Saturday, Aug. 30, at 6 p.m., during the Fort Edgecomb encampment, which runs Saturday and Sunday.

Wearing my editor's hat, The Rising Tide Food Co-Op's newsletter needs black/white drawings for illustrations. Health, fitness, nutrition, nature, country living themes. Kids' art welcome! No reward but publication, and infinite gratitude! Art teachers: Please consider this for a project for your classes! Next issue, we hope, will be out in early September.

Hey, Gary Kremholz! Did you catch the Clifford item last column? More Clifford data: Gloria Grenell from Rockland traces the American Cliffords back to a 13th century Walter Clifford whose sister, The Fair Rosamund, was a paramour of King Henry II. Eleanor of Aquitaine tracked her down to her "bower," and had her killed. Walter married a daughter of the powerful Percy family, whose best known member (if you are familiar with Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part I) was Hotspur.

Wow! From cutting edge astronomy to scandals from the Middle Ages! Glad to be back at the old stand at 234 River Road, 633-2978, bonesukl@midcoast.com. This column appears in The Boothbay Register, The Lincoln County News, The Wiscasset Newspaper, and at www.Edgecomb.org.