Tag: 201119

Kiddie Pool 20/11/19

Family fun for whenever

Virtual Feztival

The Bektash Shriners of New Hampshire is moving its annual Feztival of Trees online. Starting Saturday, Nov. 21, you can view photos of the trees and buy raffle tickets online for a chance to win your favorite tree. You can also buy cash calendars and enter a Treasure Tree raffle and a 50/50 raffle. Find the Feztival, plus a special message from Santa, at nhshriners.org.

Bingo!

LaBelle Winery (345 Route 101, Amherst) is hosting a Family Bingo Night on Saturday, Nov. 21, at 6 p.m. featuring six rounds of bingo (with one adult and one kid winner per round) and an Italian dinner and a full bar with alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. There is a limit of six adults per table, with no more than 10 people, including kids, per table. Tickets are $25 to $33 and can be purchased at labellewineryevents.com.

Chunky’s Cinema Pub is hosting a family-friendly Theater Candy Bingo event at its Manchester location (707 Huse Road) on Saturday, Dec. 5, at 6 p.m. Purchase a ticket online to reserve a spot; for $4.99 you get a ticket and a box of Chunky’s theater candy. Players will turn in their candy to the host to get a bingo card, then play a few rounds to try to win some of that candy as well as other Chunky’s prizes. Doors open at 5 p.m. Visit chunkys.com to reserve your spot.

At the movies

Cinemagic theaters in Hooksett (38 Cinemagic Way; 644-4629), Merrimack (11 Executive Park Drive; 423-0240) and Portsmouth (2454 Lafayette Road; 319-8788) will have special showings of The Santa Clause (PG, 1994) from Nov. 20 to Dec. 3 for $5 a ticket. Visit cinemagicmovies.com for times and safety protocols.

Hit the ice

Though hockey competitions have been canceled, several local rinks are still open and offering public skating, with restrictions (see facility websites for the most up-to-date information). At the Everett Arena in Concord (15 Loudon Road, concordnh.gov), public skating hours are Monday through Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Sunday from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Admission is $6 for ages 14 and up and $5 for ages 4 to 13; kids 3 and under skate for free. Skate rentals are available for $5. Public skating has been reduced to 50 percent capacity, and masks are required inside the building and while on the ice. Tri-Town Ice Arena (311 West River Road, Hooksett) is now offering limited public skating sessions for $6. Skating times vary and are subject to change; visit tri-townicearena.com for an updated schedule, as well as Covid-19 safety guidelines. Walkers and skate rentals are not available at this time.In Manchester, JFK Memorial Coliseum (303 Beech St.) typically offers public skating on Tuesday and Thursday mornings and Saturday and Sunday afternoons. The cost is $3 for students (high school and under) and senior citizens and $5 for adults. Skate rentals are $5 and are available only for weekend public skating, school vacations and holidays. Face masks are now required on the ice. And West Side Ice Arena (1 Electric St.) offers hourly private rentals. Call 624-6444, ext. 5346. Visit manchesternh.gov.

Giving thanks

Grateful for family, friends and gardens

I am grateful for bright red geraniums on my windowsills. Courtesy photo.

I think it’s important to take time to count my blessings. I try to take time each day to reflect on how grateful I am for living the life I do. And on a sunny afternoon near Thanksgiving I like to sit outside and reflect on everything I have to be grateful for. Here are some thoughts about my life, and how gardening helps to make my life full, satisfying — and rich in flowers and vegetables.

I am grateful to have a loving family and wonderful friends. On July 1 of this year Cindy Heath and I got married, after 11 years of partnership. Our family and friends attended via Zoom. Cindy is a wonderful person, an accomplished fiber artist and a terrific gardener. Not only that, she loves to weed! The gardens here in Cornish Flat have never been so well-tended. I am so grateful to have her in my life.

I am very pleased to have a newspaper column that has kept me writing and learning for 22 years. On Nov.11, 1998, my first gardening column appeared in the Valley News of West Lebanon. In that article I reflected on how important it is to clean up the garden each fall, and to get rid of weeds before their seeds get in the soil.

I also noted, “As insects may have laid their eggs on or in vine crops, tomatoes and potatoes, it is not a good idea to compost these plants.” Diseased or insect-prone plants I recommended for the burn pile or the household trash — or perhaps a pile in a far corner of the property, well away from garden beds. I am happy that our vegetable garden is fully cleaned up and put to bed.

I am grateful for my gardens. My huge ‘Merrill’ magnolia tree that blooms with a thousand white blossoms on my birthday in April. The primrose garden with hundreds of blossoms in the shade of old wild apple trees in June. The peonies that are seemingly everywhere. Milkweed that attracts and nourishes the gorgeous monarch butterflies. Fall asters, and so many more.

Although this may sound silly, I am grateful to have so many potted geraniums in the house. This year we brought in all our geraniums (Pelargonium spp., not to be confused with perennial geraniums of a different plant family that winters just fine outdoors). They sit on bright windowsills and will bloom off and on all winter, and go outside next summer. Their bright red blossoms give me joy.

I am happy and grateful that I have a small crape myrtle tree in a pot and have learned how to overwinter it indoors. I bought it in Florida in 2018 and brought it home as carry-on luggage. Last winter I brought it indoors and overwintered it in our cold, dark basement that stays in the 35- to 50-degree range. I didn’t think it would survive, but it did and bloomed magnificently this summer. The fall foliage was a great red, the leaves dropped, and it has now settled in for its winter rest.

I am grateful that we have put up so much food for the coming months. We froze lots of whole tomatoes in zipper bags for use in soups and stews, along with dried cherry tomatoes and some tomato sauce. What else is in the freezer? Lots of leeks, zucchini, kale, Hubbard squash, beets, blueberries and peppers.

I’m happy to have good farm stands nearby. I only had a few peppers this year, so I bought half a bushel from Edgewater Farm in Plainfield at the end of the year. They are great farmers who use the IPM method: Integrated Pest Management. As IPM farmers, they use many of the techniques of organic farmers but reserve the right to use pesticides if a crop is in danger. I prefer to buy organic produce, but trust them to use the least toxic chemicals, and only if necessary. I buy my corn from them and I am always pleased when I get a corn worm: it means that they did not have to spray.

I am happy and grateful that I have been able to plant bulbs each fall for decades. Winters are long here, and the thought of all those little balls of energy waiting in the soil for the onset of spring to come up and share beauty with me makes me happy.

At age 74 I like to point out that I willmake it through another winter just because I want to see what else did. I regularly take chances with plants that are not supposed to be hardy in my climatic zone. This year I planted a cut-leaf Japanese red maple, a variety called Tamukeyama. The cut-leaf varieties are generally less hardy than the standard varieties, of which I have three.

The grower of our Tamukeyama, John Lyon of Newbury (Lyon Family Nursery) told me it is one of the hardiest varieties. We’ll see. I’m happy to have it, and if it does not survive a cold winter, so be it. Although I have never done this before, I will protect it from the wind with a little A-frame shelter made of plywood. I do love the plant.

I am happy and grateful for you, my readers. Each week I get nice emails or thoughtful hand-written notes thanking me for sharing my knowledge and sharing personal experiences, and only occasionally disputing my assertions. When my corgi, Daphne, passed away last summer, I was inundated with messages of sympathy. Thank you. Please write to tell me what you are grateful for, where you live, and if I can quote you in a future column.

Lastly, I am grateful that all the newspapers that carry my column are still in business. Subscribe! Buy the paper. Donate to the paper if you get it free. Advertise if you have a business. Local newspapers are the lifeblood of our communities.

Featured Photo: Freezing tomatoes extends the season, feeding me even in winter, for which I am grateful. Courtesy photo.

The Art Roundup 20/11/19

The latest from NH’s theater, arts and literary communities

Larissa Fassler, Manchester I, 2019-2020, pen, pencil and pencil crayon on paper, four panels. Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Jérôme Poggi, Paris, France. Photo by Jens Ziehe.

• Holiday art shopping: The newly formed Two Villages Art Society has partnered with the Hopkinton Historical Society to present “Home for the Holidays: an Art Show & Sale” from Nov. 21 through Dec. 20 in Contoocook and online. The show will feature all kinds of art, including oil and watercolor paintings, ceramics, tapestry, woodworking, wearable art, book making and more, created by local artists and artisans from Hopkinton, Bradford, Warner, New London and other surrounding towns. “We are excited to partner with Two Villages Art Society for this new show that includes … an impressive variety of art forms,” Heather Mitchell, executive director of Hopkinton Historical Society, said in a press release. “It is a wonderful way to support local artists and to shop local.” The show will be held in person at the Bates Building (846 Main St.; masks required) on a drop-in and by-appointment basis and virtually at shop.twovillagesart.org. Show hours at the Bates Building are Tuesday through Friday from noon to 4 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with extended hours, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., on Saturday, Nov. 21, Friday, Nov. 27, and Saturday, Nov. 28. Visit twovillagesart.org.

• Virtual solo play: Manchester-based theater company Theatre Kapow presents A Tempest Prayer, third and final production in a series of three virtual one-person plays, Nov. 20 through Nov. 22, with livestream showtimes on Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 4 p.m. The play by Peter Josephson is an adaptation of Shakespeare’s The Tempest for today’s times. The performances are being shot in a small studio space in Manchester and are full theater productions with sets, costumes, props, lighting design and sound effects. “It’s still theater, not film,” Theatre Kapow artistic director Matt Cahoon told the Hippo in September. “If people were here watching [in the studio], it would look like a regular live theater performance.” Tickets cost $10 per streaming device. Ticket holders will be sent the link to watch the show. Visit tkapow.com.

• Manchester maps: The Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St., Manchester) presents a new special exhibit, “Critical Cartography: Larissa Fassler in Manchester,” on view now through spring 2021. The exhibit features immersive large-scale drawings created by Berlin-based artist Larissa Fassler, who was an artist-in-residence at the Currier Museum in 2019. Stylistically inspired by maps and cartography, the drawings reflect Fassler’s observations of downtown Manchester and explore civic issues like the use of public spaces, the role of community organizations in supporting the needs of citizens, and the effects of poverty on the physical and emotional health of a community. “Larissa’s drawings complicate our expectations of what a map can do,” Samantha Cataldo, curator of contemporary art, said in a press release. “As an artist, her role is to ask questions, rather than offer answers, and she inspires us to think critically about our own perspectives on the concepts present in her work.” Museum admission costs $15 for adults, $13 for seniors age 65 and up, $10 for students, $5 for youth ages 13 through 17 and free for children under age 13. Reserve in advance online. Call 669-6144 or visit currier.org.

• Now playing at the Hatbox: Mary and Me, presented by Glass Dove Productions, continuesat the Hatbox Theatre (Steeplegate Mall, 270 Loudon Road, Concord) through Nov. 22, with showtimes on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. The original play by Irene Kelleher, inspired by a true story, follows a pregnant 15-year-old girl and her search for understanding while growing up in 1986 Ireland. The production marks the beginning of the play’s premier tour in the U.S. The theater has limited its capacity to 40 percent, and masks are required. Tickets cost $22 for adults and $19 for seniors and students and should be reserved in advance. Visit hatboxnh.com or call 715-2315.

• An evening of classics: The Garrison Players Arts Center’s Readers’ Theater presents a virtual show, “Classics We’d Love To Do (But May Never Get The Chance),” on Friday, Nov. 20, at 7:30 p.m. The show will feature scenes from various works, including Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Romeo & Juliet, Moliere’s Tartuffe and Sheridan’s The Way of the World. Tickets are free, but registration is required. Visit garrisonplayers.org/showsandevents.

Meet the neighbors

NH comics artist tells the stories of migrant farmworkers

Henniker comic artist Marek Bennett is one of 15 New England comic artists contributing to The Most Costly Journey, a nonfiction comics anthology from the Vermont Folklife Center, set for release in February and available online now.

The comics depict true stories told by more than 20 Latin American migrant workers working on dairy farms in Vermont, exploring themes like language barriers, substance abuse, separation from family, work issues, domestic abuse, depression and other challenges that many migrant workers face.

The idea for the anthology was conceived by Julia Doucet, a nurse at The Open Door Clinic, a free health clinic in Middlebury, Vermont, serving uninsured and under-insured adults, after she noticed a trend of migrant patients suffering from untreated anxiety and trauma. She believed it could be therapeutic for them to tell their stories and wanted to create a safe outlet for them to do so.

“There’s a lot of healing in forming narratives and making sense of your experiences,” Bennett said, “and making it into something visual, like comics, is a great way to do that.”

Bennett, who teaches at The Center for Cartoon Studies in White River Junction, Vermont, first heard about the anthology in progress when one of the organizers, an archivist from the Vermont Folklife Center, visited the campus to give a presentation on ethnography in comics.

“He mentioned this new project he was working on, and when I heard what it was about, my ears perked up,” Bennett said. “It really spoke to me because of the kinds of comics I usually do, which tend to focus on the unknown and unheard stories and voices from our communities and from our history.”

The comic artists conducted one-on-one interviews with their paired storytellers. A transcript of the interview was made and provided to the artist, who then got to work on an eight-or-so-page comic.

Creating a “condensed distillation of the person’s experience” from the transcript, some of which were pages long and “could easily be made into a whole graphic novel,” was one of the hardest steps, Bennett said.

“At that point, the question becomes, what do you include? What do you leave out? How do you arrange things?” he said. “It’s your own creative process — you choose what aspect or what element [to focus on] in those eight pages, and you choose the style and how to show the story — but you’re doing it in service to the storyteller’s vision.”

He didn’t always get it right the first time; the comic artists were expected to consult with the storytellers throughout the process to make sure that the comic was an accurate representation of the story and the storyteller, and that it “got to the heart” of what the storyteller wanted to communicate, Bennett said. In one instance, the storyteller felt that the artistic style Bennett used for the comic was not a good fit for the story.

“I scrapped it, backed up and redesigned the whole thing, because ultimately it’s their story,” he said. “If they say to me, ‘No, that’s not what [the experience] was like,’ I actually really appreciate that. … I think having them there to teach you and show you what direction to go in helps you create a stronger project.”

Bennett said he hopes the anthology will give a more human face to the issue of immigration, and give readers a greater sense of appreciation for the people behind “the nice New England farm pictures on the milk and cheese labels.”

“Much of the time when we hear about immigration it’s in terms that are abstract for us: ‘down on the Texas border’ and ‘some detention center in the South,’” he said, “but these stories are coming out of Vermont, and whether we recognize it or not, these people are a part of our society. They’re our neighbors.”

Find Marek Bennett’s work
To view the comic online, visit vermontfolklifecenter.org/elviajemascaro-eng. For more from Marek, visit marekbennet.com.

Art

Exhibits

• “MANCHESTER’S URBAN PONDS: PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE: A CELEBRATION OF THE MANCHESTER URBAN PONDS RESTORATION PROGRAM’S 20TH ANNIVERSARY” Through its cleanup efforts, the Manchester Urban Ponds Restoration Program has helped restore the city’s ponds to their historic uses. The exhibit provides a look at the history of some of those ponds, including Crystal Lake, Dorrs Pond, Maxwell Pond, Nutts Pond, Pine Island Pond and Stevens Pond. State Theater Gallery at Millyard Museum, 200 Bedford St., Manchester. On view now through Nov. 28. Museum hours are Tuesday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission costs $8 for adults, $6 for seniors age 62 and up and college students, $4 for youth ages 12 through 18 and is free for kids under age 12. Call 622-7531 or visit manchesterhistoric.org/millyard-museum.

• JOAN L. DUNFEY EXHIBITION The New Hampshire Art Association presents artwork in a variety of media by regional NHAA members and non-members. The exhibit theme is “Intrinsic Moments.” NHAA’s Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery, 136 State St., Portsmouth. On view now through Nov. 29. Gallery hours are Monday and Tuesday by appointment, Wednesday and Thursday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m., but are subject to change. Visit nhartassociation.org or call 431-4230.

• “MOMENTS IN NATURE” The New Hampshire Art Association presents oil paintings by BJ Eckardt. Concord Chamber of Commerce Gallery, 49 S. Main St., Concord. On display now through Dec. 17. Visit nhartassociation.org or call 431-4230.

• “UNSEEN LIGHT” The New Hampshire Art Association presents infrared photography by Mark Giuliucci. 2 Pillsbury St., Concord. On display now through Dec. 17. Visit nhartassociation.org or call 431-4230.

• “AN EXTRAPOLATION OF CLOSE OBSERVATION” The New Hampshire Art Association presents prints and paintings by Kate Higley. 2 Pillsbury St., Concord. On display now through Dec. 17. Visit nhartassociation.org or call 431-4230.

• “THREADS: A COMMUNITY QUILT FOR 2020” A Portsmouth Historical Society exhibit. Discover Portsmouth, 10 Middle St., Portsmouth. On view Nov. 20 through Dec. 22. Visit portsmouthhistory.org or call 436-8433.

• “PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT” Exhibit features photography from the Civil Rights protests in the 1950s and 1960s. Currier Museum of Art, 150 Ash St., Manchester. On view now. Museum hours are Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and closed Monday through Wednesday. Museum admission costs $15 for adults, $13 for seniors age 65 and up, $10 for students, $5 for youth ages 13 through 17 and free for children under age 13. Reserve in advance online. Call 669-6144 or visit currier.org.

Special events

• NHAA 80TH YEAR ANNIVERSARY New Hampshire Art Association hosts a silent art auction fundraiser. Bidding runs through Dec. 11. Visit nhartassociation.org or call 431-4230.

Tours

• PORTSMOUTH HOLIDAY ARTS TOUR/ORIGINAL SEACOAST ARTIST STUDIO TOUR Tour includes four Portsmouth studios featuring eight artists, plus five member artists online. Sat., Nov. 21, and Sun., Nov. 22, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visit portsmouthartstour.com.

Theater

Shows

• MARY AND ME Glass Dove Productions presents. Hatbox Theatre (Steeplegate Mall, 270 Loudon Road, Concord). Nov. 13 through Nov. 22, with showtimes on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $22 for adults and $19 for seniors and students and should be reserved in advance. Visit hatboxnh.com or call 715-2315.

• PROOF The Players’ Ring Theatre presents. Performances are live in person and virtual. Nov. 13 through Nov. 22. 105 Marcy St., Portsmouth. Tickets cost $24 for adults and $20 for students and seniors. Visit playersring.org or call 436-8123.

• THE NUTCRACKER Southern New Hampshire Dance Theater presents. Palace Theatre, 80 Hanover St., Manchester. Thurs., Nov. 19, and Fri., Nov. 20, 7:30 p.m.; Sat., Nov. 21, 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.; and Sun., Nov. 22, noon and 4:30 p.m. Tickets cost $39 to $46 for adults and $25 for children. Visit palacetheatre.org or call 668-5588.

• “CLASSICS WE’D LOVE TO DO (BUT MAY NEVER GET THE CHANCE” TheGarrison Players Readers’ Theater program of Dover performs scenes from Shakespeare (Hamlet and Romeo & Juliet), Moliere (Tartuffle) and Sheridan (The Way of the World). Virtual performance. Fri., Nov. 20, 7:30 p.m. Tickets are free. Registration in advance is required. Visit garrisonplayers.org.

• A TEMPEST PRAYER Theatre KAPOW presents. Virtual, live stream. Nov. 20 through Nov. 22, with showtimes on Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 4 p.m. Tickets cost $10. Visit tkapow.com.

• THE ROCKIN DADDIOS Doo-wop music presented by The Majestic Theatre. Sat., Nov. 21, 2 and 7 p.m. Virtual live-stream and in person at The Majestic Theatre Studios, 880 Page St., Manchester. Tickets cost $20 for in person performance and $10 for virtual performance. Call 669-7469 or visit majestictheatre.net.

• THE ADVENTURES OF SLEEPYHEAD New Hampshire Theatre Project presents its 2020 – 2021 MainStage Season Opener. Fri., Nov. 27, and Sat., Nov. 28, 7 p.m., and Sun., Nov. 29, 2 p.m. Live in person at 959 Islington St., Portsmouth, and virtual live-stream. In person tickets cost $10. Virtual tickets cost $10 per streaming device. Call 431-6644 or visit nhtheatreproject.org.

Classical

Events

• UTE GFRERER Concert soloist performs. Sat., Nov. 28, 6 and 8 p.m. The Music Hall Historic Theater, 28 Chestnut St., Portsmouth. $130 for a table of two, $260 for a table of four and $390 for a table of six. Visit themusichall.org.

• A DICKENS’ CHRISTMAS WINE DINNER WITH PICCOLA OPERA Piccola Opera’s Dickens Carolers perform. Sat., Dec. 5, 6 to 8 p.m. LaBelle Winery & Event Center, 345 Route 101, Amherst. $387.20 to reserve a table of four, $580.80 to reserve a table of six. Visit labellewineryevents.com.

Quality of Life 20/11/19

Unsettled schooling

With the increasing number of Covid cases, school districts across the state are rethinking their learning models, with many making modifications on a daily or weekly basis as things change and an increasing number deciding to go fully remote through the holidays. The Manchester School District voted Monday night to move from a hybrid model to fully remote learning from Nov. 23 through at least Jan. 19, according to a report from WMUR. In Concord, the School Board voted last week to continue its hybrid instruction until Dec. 23, followed by remote learning from Jan. 4 through Jan. 18, after the holiday break, according to a message on the school district’s Facebook page. Pinkerton Academy in Derry will move to fully remote learning starting Nov. 23 through December, according to a letter on the school’s website from Headmaster Timothy Powers. And the Nashua School District will move to all remote learning from Nov. 23 until at least Dec. 11, according to a letter from Superintendent Jahmal Mosley on the district’s website.

Score: -4 for the upheaval and disruption for everybody involved

Comment: What day is it again? An in-person school day? A remote learning day? Or is it Saturday? QOL understands the virus-containing reasons for the schedule changes but waking up has never been so complicated.

A new Thanksgiving-esque event

While some turkey trots have been canceled or have transitioned to virtual runs, there’s a brand new event in Goffstown this year: the first annual Gobble Wobble 5-Miler. The event is being hosted by Total Image Running and will benefit the American Legion Auxiliary Wesley Wyman Unit No. 16 in Goffstown, to help them support local veterans, active duty military and their families. The run is being offered both virtually and in person, the latter of which starts and ends at the town’s Parks and Recreation facility on Mast Road on Saturday, Nov. 21, at 9 a.m. Registration for the virtual run closes Nov. 28, so participants can run any time prior to that. The cost is $35 or $40 (depending on age and whether the run is in person or virtual), and all runners, walkers and wobblers will get a Gobble Wobble hooded sweatshirt. Visit runsignup.com/Race/NH/Goffstown/GobbleWobble5Miler to register.

Score: +1

Comment: Cheers to the opposite of canceling an event — starting a new one! Safety protocols, like socially distanced start times and mask-wearing at the starting line, will be in place.

Good at giving

New Hampshire is the 15th most charitable state, according to a new study from personal-finance website WalletHub, which compared the 50 states using data that indicated charitable behavior, from volunteer rates to donated income. The Granite State ranked third for percentage of population that donated time, seventh for charities per capita, 13th for volunteer hours per capita, 16th for volunteer rate and 18th for percentage of the population that donated money.

Score: +1

Comment: Our closest neighbors’ rankings were varied, with Maine coming in ninth, Massachusetts ranking 21st and Vermont coming in at 36th.

QOL score: 69

Net change: -2

QOL this week: 67

What’s affecting your Quality of Life here in New Hampshire? Let us know at [email protected].

Crowing after Ravens win?

So what do we have here with the Patriots? After losing four straight for the first time since 2002, they’re now on a two-game winning streak. Given what we’ve enjoyed for two decades that’s hardly something to get excited about, but still it’s something. The question is what to make of it without getting out ahead of your skis as they are still just 4-5 after all. So here’s a look at how it’s gone down so far.

Criticism of Coach B: He’s taken his share. They include some curious clock management issues, the recent draft record, salary cap management and how he handled the QB position after you-know-who left. We’ll address them as we go along, but some are fair, some debatable and some over-the-top ridiculous from whiners who can’t see past two weeks at a time.

Draft Record: Coach B was a bit defensive about it last week. I’ve been in that chorus and stretched it back to 2013. But I went back over it and it’s not quite as bad as I thought, though it falls down badly at the receiving positions. They haven’t gotten anything out of their tight ends, which they badly needed. But with a team-high 12 tackles Sunday Kyle Dugger had his best game, ditto for Josh Uche playing his most snaps while picking up a sack, and with Michael Onwenu doing well at right tackle they’re getting some production from 2020 picks. And with Damien Harris having three 100-yard games in his five starts and Chase Winovich out of the doghouse vs. Baltimore, 2019 is looking a bit better. Not great but, better.

Salary Cap Mismanagement: Coach B got hammered for saying they’ve been hurt by lack of cap room after selling out to win in recent years. While I can’t say I ever heard him make anything close to an excuse like that, it doesn’t make it untrue. True, there have been some questionable calls, but I’d argue putting the $14 million franchise tag on Joe Thuney was not one of them. That’s a lot of cabbage, but with the running game emerging as the calling card now and a disaster last year it was necessary. And with about $100 million to spend next year in free agency, it’s a one-year thing so harping on it is ridiculous.

Biggest Surprises and Disappointments

(1) Damien Harris – After he didn’t play at all last year, I didn’t have great expectations. But he has zero Laurence Maroney in him, which is to say he runs with a purpose and decisively to make him a huge development.

(2) Jakobi Meyers – 12 catches last week, five more with a TD pass to boot this week. He’s definitely benefited from Newton’s attention after Tom Brady’s indifference to helping young receivers in recent years.

(3) Nick Folk – He missed a PAT Sunday, but he had to rush it because a block was missed on his right side. But he won the Jets game with a 51-yard FG and has been solid, which was a life-saver after fifth-round pick Justin Rohrwasser busted.

(4) N’Keal Harry – With just 19 catches and one TD after nine games last year’s top pick is on the not so great side. He’s what people are pointing to about Belichick’s drafting mistakes. Made worse considering game breakers Deebo Samuel, A.J. Brown, Mecole Hardman and especially D.K. Metcalf were all taken right after him in Round II.

(5) Stephon Gilmore – He’s been inconsistent, disengaged at times and missed three games with injuries. But there’s still time to get the focus back.

(6) Cam Newton – He’s a little of both. SF and Denver were terrible games and the fumble in Buffalo was a killer. But I think the biggest problem was he just didn’t know the offense well enough, which led to indecision as a passer. Plus Josh McDaniels wasn’t quite sure how to most effectively use him. But it seemed in better focus the last two weeks as Newton played much better. Though I need a better sample size for a definitive conclusion.

What to Make of the Jets Win: Yes, it was the Jets. Yes, it took a field goal as the game ended to beat a winless team. Hardly something to crow about. So how come Coach B called it one of the best two moments of his career? My guess is after four straight morale-killing losses he saw the season going south in a hurry. So seeing his much-criticized team with the pride to fight back from 10 down in the fourth period meant something more than just a W.

What to Make of the Ravens Win: It was improvement. That’s it. The hallmark of Coach B’s team has been that outside of 2015 and last year they always improve as they go along. While there have been glitches, that’s mostly been the case the last three weeks as they’ve demonstrated who they are offensively by rushing for 186, 156 and 173 yards: a grind-it-out, run-it-down-their-throat kind of a team that will pick its spots with a conservative passing game.

Where Do They Stand? When the schedule came out I did the W and L thing and had them at 4-5 after nine weeks. Though I had Denver a win and Baltimore a loss. So they’re where I thought they’d be, making the relevant question today, what will they be when it’s over? The pessimists (and naysayers) understandably say it’s hard to avoid the obvious issues during the first nine weeks. The optimists say if Newton gets in on the final play for Seattle and doesn’t fumble on that final drive vs. Buffalo they’re two plays away from being 6-3. There is truth to both views and only time will tell on what will happen.

Though my money goes on Coach B helping them get better as they go along.

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