Dear Sun Spots: The Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9459 and its Ladies Auxiliary wish to let everyone know that they have an ongoing project of gathering items needed for our troops in harm’s way and at Landstuhl Army Hospital. Each time a box is filled, it is packaged and mailed. Listed are requested items needed by both troops in Iraq and at the hospital in Germany. Any donations of items, or money so we can purchase items, would be welcomed. We will not stop this project until all of our troops are out of harm’s way. We currently have a list of 12 individuals and will be glad to add anyone else that people know of. As we fill a box, we rotate the names so we hope we can send all of them a box. Items that troops requested are cookies, mixed nuts, tuna snack packs, Vienna sausages, Pop Tarts, Doritos, coffee, Slim Jims, canned fruit, hard candy, and list goes on. We have a complete list of items at our post home. At Landstuhl Army Hospital, they would like sweat suits sizes medium to extra large, athletic shoes in men’s sizes 9 to 15 and women’s sizes 6 to 9, video DVDs, rucksacks, gym bags, joke books, puzzles, and most of all letters of encouragement. These troops are flown from Iraq with nothing. Please write or call and we will come get the items, if necessary. Our post home is on Route 196 in Lisbon. We are open Wednesday through Friday from 4 to 9 p.m. People may also contact Rosemarie Lane at (207) 353-4879 and leave a message. – Raymond Lavigne, Lisbon.

Dear Sun Spots: What year did Sears, Roebuck and Co. start selling farm equipment, and what kind of farm equipment did they sell?

Answer: According to Sears, Roebuck and Co.’s historical archives, the following are the years when the following farm equipment was sold: 1894, harness and saddle; 1895, various plows, harrows and cultivators; 1895, lawn mowers; 1896, cream separators, dairy supplies and windmills; 1900, feed mills and horse power machines; 1931, the first gas operated tractor – the “handiman.” One of the best sources of historical Sears information is its Web site, www.searsarchives.com. This site has information about Sears history, products, brands, catalogs, homes and biographies. Their site also has a “comments or questions” area where archive volunteers assist people in finding the answers to questions. In addition, Sears microfilmed all the catalogs and donated the microfilm to libraries around the nation. To find a library, people may check the catalog section of searsarchives.com.

Dear Sun Spots: I love and read your column daily. I am looking for a reel-to-reel tape recorder, like the ones they had in the ’70s. I heard a gentleman had one to sell this Sunday morning, Feb. 6, on WPOR’s “Big Deal” with Ray Terry and missed his telephone number. Hopefully he will see this and call me or possibly one of your readers might have one and they will call me. I am also looking to buy a portable RCA record player, the one with the RCA dog picture that plays 45’s and automatically drops each record one at a time and a Wurlitzer dome style jukebox. I can be reached at (207) 375-9901. – No Name, Sabattus.

Dear Sun Spots: You have been a help to me in the past and now I need your help again. I wonder if anyone has a knitted pattern for a ski mask. One that has the eyes open and also the mouth. I would be glad to pay for it or have it copied. I can be reached at (207) 784-4224. – Barbara, No Town.

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