Dear Sun Spots: I signed up for LIHEAP in September. I was advised 35 days were allowed for processing. Relatives and friends of mine who signed in September have also not heard a word from LIHEAP or people from Community Concepts. This is a very important program. Thank you for your wonderful work. – No Name, No Town.

Answer: Sun Spots spoke with Lisa at Community Concepts who says you are correct about the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. She explained that there is a new statewide database that has caused some problems with verifying payments for their organization. They have been verifying benefits. Please contact her and also have your relatives or friends contact her to ensure Community Concepts can verify benefits. You can reach her at 739-6502.

Dear Sun Spots: For many years in the Rumford area, there were some local people who made homemade pork kielbasa – or sausage, pork and beef – and sold it. At present, no one knows of anyone who makes it. Mr. & Mrs. Sausage from Brunswick comes to Rumford two or three times a year. I purchased some recently, and it’s very good. Other areas may have some people who make it and some stores may sell a good homemade sausage. I’d love to hear of any. – John Kezal, Rumford.

Answer: Sun Spots checked with a co-worker who says you might want to contact Maurice Bonneau, Sausage Kitchen, 123 Ridge Road, Route 9, Lisbon Falls, ME 04252, (207) 353-5503, e-mail [email protected] or check out his Web site at www.sausagekitchen.com. The Sausage Kitchen is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday to Saturday. And do they have sausages! The store kindly mailed a products’ list. You and others are bound to be wowed by the extensive list and variety of sausages: from kielbasa to spicy Mediterranean sausage to beer sausage to wine and cheese and more. There’s a Spanish/Creole pork sausage; English bangers (without the mashers); Cajun andouille; Canadian-style breakfast sausage; bratwurst; Irish sausages; and Greek loukaniko seasoned with fennel, orange rind, garlic, cinnamon and allspice.

In the meantime, perhaps you and your family will enjoy the following recipe from Maine PBS and featured in the Oct. 19, 2003 Living section of the Sun Journal:

13-bean and sausage stew. Ingredients: 2 cups chopped onion; 3 tablespoons chopped garlic; 1 28-ounce package 13-bean soup mix or 2 cups uncooked beans; 1 14.5 ounce chopped tomatoes with juice or 2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes; 1 cup red or white wine (optional); 2 bay leaves; 5 cups water; olive oil; 1 pound spicy sausage or kielbasa; ½ cup chopped fresh parsley; salt and fresh pepper to taste; and Tabasco sauce to taste. Method: In a large, heavy soup pot, sauté the onion and garlic in olive oil until soft. Add the chopped tomatoes, wine and bay leaves. Bring to simmer. Add the 13-beans and 5 cups of water. Bring to a simmer and cook covered, for two and a half to three hours, stirring occasionally, until the beans start to split and are almost done. Cook the sausage separately until it is brown on all sides, then slice and add to the beans. Stir in the chopped parsley. Cook for another 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt, fresh pepper and a dash of Tabasco sauce. Remove bay leaves before serving.

Dear Sun Spots: In the Nov. 28 Sun Journal, Madelyn from Arlington, Mass., questioned if Marjorie Standish is still at CMP:

Marjorie died Nov, 6, 1998, at the Maine Veterans Home in Augusta. She was 90 years of age.

That remarkable lady received many awards in her lifetime, which included Woman of the Year from the Maine Press, Radio and TV Women in l968. In l973, she was the recipient of an appreciation award from the Maine Department of Agriculture. In 1973, the University of Maine at Farmington honored her at commencement with the college’s first distinguished service award. She was also given the Alumni Achievement Award in 1996.

She served on various boards of local hospitals as well as the Maine Cancer Society. Her husband, George, predeceased her. They had no children. – A Readfield Reader.

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