Friday, 9:10 am: It’s July and it’s hot, at least for northern Maine. Yesterday our high temperature was 84.3° [F.]. The inside temperature in my upstairs office was about 91 [F.], which was too warm for comfort. All our outside work was started at 6:00 am and finished around 8:00 am; just enough to work up a sticky sweat before knocking off for the day. A cool shower felt good afterwards.

On Monday our town’s planning board met and approved the construction of a cell phone tower. Except for the remote chance that the Maine Historic Preservation Commission disapproves the plan we should, sometime before the snow blows, have cell phone coverage in our town with no blacked out areas. Currently I have to stand on the roof of our two-story home to get a marginal connection. Fortunately we have had no medical emergencies that required cell coverage down our road. In theory, we could always signal with mirrors, and hope for the best. Outdated technology in the 21st Century so we can be quaint and picturesque – let’s hope not.

Aside from technological and connectivity issues in the Saint John Valley, life goes on. The next big issue on the burner is when will I-95 be extended up here, and possibly more importantly where will it terminate along the border. Some towns along the various proposed routes north in Aroostook County don’t want to be bypassed for economic reasons. Personally, I could live without it. We’ve done just fine using US Route 1 since we moved here nine years ago. Whatever route the highway engineers chose, some communities will be left out, while others will reap some benefits. Life is sometimes complicated in rural Maine.

Current values from our wireless Davis Vantage-Pro weather station

Temperature: 77° [F.]

Barometer: 29.844 & steady

Humidity: 64%

Wind: NNW at 3mph light & variable

Visibility: > 3 miles

Skies: Light haze

Precipitation: None

Since midnight:

Low temperature: 59.6° [F.] at 4:27 am

High wind: 10 mph at 9:08 am