The Center for Teaching and Learning must be studying the coming Olympics of 2004, which will be held in Athens, Greece, the home of the original Games. CTL will be holding their own Olympic festival Monday morning, Dec. 8, to be followed by a Graeco-Roman potluck feast for lunch. Parent volunteers are needed to help cook, set up, serve, and clean up the feast, as well as help the kids out with the athletic events.

The Friends of Fort Edgecomb are holding their Annual Meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 3 at 7 p.m. at the Sheepscot River Inn. New officers will be inducted. The speaker will be Ken Hamilton from East Corinth, who will speak on 17th and 18th-century Native American culture. In addition to the 2004 schedule of encampments, the Battle of Fort Edgecomb and participation in Maine Heritage Days at Pemaquid in September, FOFE is starting the planning for the Bicentennial of Fort Edgecomb in 2008!

Last notice about the State Tax Amnesty Program deadline, Nov. 30. Anyone who owes unpaid income taxes may apply and pay only the taxes owed and half the interest, all fines will be forgiven. Call the Edgecomb Tax Collector at 882-7018 or visit her during Town Office hours, Mondays 7 to 9 p.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays, 1 to 5 p.m.. Remember, any real estate taxes not paid by Nov. 30 will start having interest added on December 1.

Edgecombers Lea Wait and Van Reid will be among the 40 Maine authors reading and signing their works at a special Holiday Book Signing sponsored by the Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance on Saturday, December 6, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in MWPA's new offices at 1326 Washington Street in Bath (corner of Washington and Park Streets). A spectacular holiday gift-giving opportunity! Along with seasonal music, refreshments, and literary good cheer!

"Yes," says Lee Smith, "we saw the northern lights! It was spectacular, looked like the whole sky was on fire! I have seen them before, but never so red and covering the whole area as these did!" And from the Eddy, it must have been an overwhelming view!

News from the Langton families on Cross Point Road: Son Robert, 13, shot his first deer, a 110-pound doe, on the afternoon of Oct. 25, Youth Deer Hunting Day, from a tree stand that he had set up near his pond. He has donated part of the meat to Hunters for the Hungry, a group which provides wild game meat to food kitchens, shelters and other charitable organizations statewide. For more information about this organization, call 1-888-4DEERME.

Meanwhile, two of the Langton cats have gone missing. Pandia, a black and white double-pawed cat, disappeared mid-summer. Honey, a tri-colored tiger cat, disappeared three weeks ago. Both times were during lengthy periods of heavy rain. If anyone has seen them, please call 882-6194.

Richard Langton reports seeing a bobcat cross the road near Barry Johnston's mailbox at 2:00 in the morning about a week ago. Beth has seen 17 turkeys in their front yard. If the bobcat is the culprit, wouldn't you think he'd prefer plump turkey to domestic cat? On the other hand, there may be a fisher in the vicinity. Robert did a science report on fishers at CTL last year. He got one from a trapper, dissected it, boiled the meat off the bones, then assembled the skeleton and mounted it. I have read that fishers are so nasty they can't even stand each other! Which would make mating a bit of a problem, I should think.

Called The Smiling Hill Farms in Westbrook to order Maine cheeses for Christmas, and have just heard back from their cheesemaker, Jennifer Betancourt, who turns out to be a daughter of Tom and Gail Boudin on the Cross Point Road – my guess confirmed by their other daughter Abigail! Jennifer learned her trade at the Squire Tarbox Inn cheesery on Westport Island.

Hope you are enjoying a super Thanksgiving Day when your paper comes! The Camerons are feasting .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.