Author: Andrew Mooers

Meet The Maine Farmer, Fresh, Locally Grown Food Just Tastes Better.

Grazing Rich Fertile Soil Maine Farm Fields, But Haying So Winter Animal Food Is Plentiful.

Locally grown Maine food is fresh, abundant and provided by your friends and neighbors.

Besides the high nutritional value, knowing where the food came from is kinda important. You develop a relationship with the grower, the Maine farmer who you come to trust to provide food, rich fruit and vegetables for your table. And beef, eggs, milk, other meat and dairy products have the same trust built right into every mouthful your Maine family takes in, gobbles down to hit the spot three times a day.

Do you have a garden, have you started green pepper and tomato plants in peat pots on newspapers on a southern exposure porch window sill?

Or spread out seedlings in rows and rows over a card table covered with old newspapers? Does your home have a designated area in the cellar for a cold storage? Older Maine homes had root cellars for the canning, preserves, barrels of potatoes. For the sand with buried carrots, hooks for hanging onions, shelves for blue hubbard, butternut and other squashes. Do you raise baby beef, have horses, goats, sheep, meat rabbits? Or other small two or four legged Maine farm animals counting on you for grain, hay, water, food of their own?

Initially done for survival and to put a big dent in the food grocery budget. But now out of concern for making sure healthy, safe food is served up daily. Without all loaded up, spiked with the contaminants, chemicals, gases, polishes and who knows what when you pick up mystery food at the Piggly Wiggly Foodmart. It looks good, but is it? Sure does not taste the same as fresh, home grown Maine food in season.

Farming, growing, raising, feeding yourself and others is one of the oldest, noblest professions.

Not too long ago most folks were farmers. Not a lot of money, but everything they needed for not going to bed hungry. Or worrying about your next meal. Even during The Great Depression, famines, wars. And wood lots on part of the Maine farm acreage kept your bones from freezing. Heated the joint. With a cook stove and a whistling tea kettle of hot water always ready for a spot of tea. Shot of coffee. To bake a pot of beans, fresh home made bread to soak up the juices. With potato or cabbage salad, brown bread, hot dogs or steak. Hot water boiling, parked on the wood cook stove corner used to pour on your oatmeal too. After morning chores were completed down at the barn.

If you are like eight out of ten people, you depend on the shelves being stocked fully at neon bright, abundantly displayed urban groceries. But if those eighteen wheels on the semis and box trailers stopped rolling for about three days, panic would happen. Go low on food in a city and a pit in your stomach happens. Beyond just being hungry. Scared happens. Especially if you have a family to feed. And can’t no matter how much money you have stuffed in your pocket to offer. Because you are dependent on others for all your food. On thin ice.

You would do anything to keep your kids from starving.

Including using a gun if needed and that may be part of what Uncle Sam worries about. With all that fire power and ammo in the hands of civilians. Make that a hungry population, and tired, angry picks up a beat. In the tempo of life survival. Food is right up there with air, water, shelter and love as important!

Hit a farmers market in Maine. Plenty of food for everyone. Make it a habit, a healthy one that is win win for you and the local economy that supports itself. Local Maine cows are happier bovine…Moooo-ve toward picking up only locally produced, home grown, close to your house raised dairy products. Veggies, fruits, grains, meats, fish and dairy, poultry products are all right here in the bread basket called Maine. Let’s eat. Let’s hit a local Maine farmers market.

Don’t think we need farmers? No farmers, no food. Pretty basic, not hard to understand. But often taken for granted in this cheap food, mass produced mentality for feeding the masses. And remember, don’t talk with your mouth full if you don’t think farmers are one of the if not the most important components of society. And on a farm in Maine growing up, exposed to no thank you portions. Try it you might grow to like it helpings standard procedure around meal time. Learn more about Maine farmer’s markets.

Farming, more than driving a pickup with a Farmall IH, John Deere green and yellow deer emblem on the bumper.

Wearing western shirts and listening to country music. Much more to it than just fixing a few pasture fence posts when the moose crashes through or frost heaves, tilts them sideways. A little bit more involved than just throwing, growing seeds on top of the ground. Like Jack did with the ones exchanged for the family dairy cow that got traded causing crazy, bizarre results.

Maine, unfiltered natural beauty and no better tasting locally grown food. More than just blueberries, lobsters, potatoes to brag about in Vacationland.

I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Broker
207.532.6573
info@mooersrealty.com

July 28, 2013
Burnt Island Lighthouse Between Boothbay Harbor, Southport Maine Island.

Burnt Island Maine Lighthouse In Boothbay Harbor Sits On 5 Acres.

Maine has a neat collection of lighthouses.

Some along the coastal rugged rock outcroppings. Others up inlets feeling more like parked on river settings. Than the classic, romantic solitude of the many out to sea island unique locations. I’ve had fun collecting photos, images of Maine lighthouses. The slow but steady quest to visit them all continues.

Burnt Island Lighthouse located east of Southport Island Maine, Southwest of Boothbay Harbor is surrounded by activity of boats plying by.

Sailboats, motorized vessels and paddled personal crafts buzzed around the island lighthouse and home while capturing images. And doing the research on this blog post shows like the other Maine lighthouses, all have different history, styles. Plus the Maine locations that make them stand out, shine, special.

The Burnt Island Lighthouse tower is 30 feet high.

From it emits a flashing red navigational light aid every six seconds, a fog signal blast in ten second intervals. The present Burnt Island Maine lighthouse built in 1821, a year after the Vacationland received statehood. This lighthouse was automated in 1988. Public tours and educational walks are offered summers. Here is more on the five acre Burnt Island, lighthouse spiral staircase tours.

The buldings, house and Burnt Island lighthouse restored to look like they did in the 1950’s. It is a great place for a picnic, a family outing to see the historical photos. To learn about the culture, heritage surrounding this Maine island lighthouse. The five acre island and Maine lighthouse, home, buildings owned by the Maine Department Of Marine Resources.

Maine kids tent, camp on Burnt Island as a field trip. Exploring vegetation, rock formations, and the field trip educating on more than just the Maine lighthouse folklore and history.

Get to Maine, explore our lighthouses, collect images of moose. Sample our blueberries, lobsters, Maine potatoes. Climb Mt Katahdin, ski down Sugarloaf, paddle the Allagash Wilderness Waterway. Bike up Mt Cadillac for a sunrise. Meet the people, the real flavor of Maine and our four season outdoor living simpler lifestyle. Maine is the place with the space. More of the rich things in life money can not buy. Thanks for being a faithful follower of the Me In Maine blog posts.

I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Broker
207.532.6573
info@mooersrealty.com

July 26, 2013
Advice, Life Path Suggestions, Where Do You Get Yours?

Maine Is A Place Of Less People, More Life Awareness. Rich In Things Money Can Not Buy.

Today in social media there are a lot of opinions, everyone has something to say.

Where do you get your advice, how many mentors do you have? And do you draw back into suggestions for life guidance from sage old farmers? Improving the way it is from lessons learned on how it was. With a sprinkle of hope, faith for the down the road to happen.

Living a simpler life in rural Maine is easier when you have more outdoors, nature, space. Less or no debt in your day to day living.

So the role money plays is removed, less important. Because it is not so much the needed lubricating grease. To keep the wheels of life moving, cogs turning. Complicated happens because of unmet needs addressed artificially right? Self medication with retail therapy is a temporary fix. Over indulgence of everything from food, gambling, sex and even work can be a band aid for a gunshot wound too.

Attended a funeral for my Aunt Rita yesterday and the reality of one by one losing the old guard of the family hits home. Just fact. Down to my last Aunt Helen who looks just the same as always. Can cook up a storm. A one of a kind smile smile, cheerful, positive and what a sense of humor. Funerals should not be family reunions but take them whenever they present themselves right? Don’t miss a chance to learn more from your family. The folks you are lucky to be stuck with and hopefully they feel pretty much the same about you in return.

Listening, reflection during a funeral sermon of a family member’s life mapped out down front. Coupled with a chorus of Amazing Grace, other hymns. Makes you open up, think about other pearls of wisdom that surface. Bubble to the top, front of your brain. That departed family even closer, near and dear, Moms and Dads left seeded. Planted behind for the living. To use, apply as they chose, see fit. The need arises.

Moderation is the advice that struck me, dove tailed wove into my thoughts with the meet and greet with family gathering. Coming together for the funeral last ride in the polished white Cadillac hearse.

The line of cars with lights on winding slowly to the cemetery. Other motorists stopping, pulling over in respect. The grave side burial, final prayers, and slow lowering into the ground process.

To transition too, the living left behind that feels the jolt. During the loss of a family member. That you first knew as a very young grasshopper. Remembered best the younger version. Mixed in a “where’s Waldo” large sea of noisy, running, laughing cousins. Who religiously got together to play, socialize with our parents and entire families every Sunday afternoon. Moms and Dads taking turns in a steady rotation of each Aunt and Uncle’s home bases starred as this week’s showcase setting. When there are over thirteen brothers and sisters in your parent’s respective families, that is many different households and backyards to try out. Get exposed to, sample and compare to your own.

Sitting on the solid wood church benches, out in the funeral congregation, I thought of my Mom. From the same era as the lady we were honoring, remembering yesterday. And picking up a gem from her steady selection of themes she shared, shaped her four boys with growing up. Moderation was the sponsor of the day. Just showed up inside to chew on, consider.

Moderation defined as the process of elimination, lessening extremes. In an over indulgent, right now poor impulse control society fueled with a hunger, a need for drive through quick. With speed of thought immediate gratification, the need to practice moderation applies more than ever.

Moderation, as a governor, safety restrictor to point out, remind the person you talk to each morning in the mirror to just hold your horses there partner.

To avoid rushing. To replace it with leisurely savoring. Not everything action needing to be action packed, multi task bundled for the greatest efficiency end all. To free up time so you can crowd in more stuff to do is not the exercise take away either. Or to dream up more things you have to have. Can’t live without, no matter what the cost. And kill yourself getting them. Less is more and not the other way around. Maine is a simpler approach to life for sure. Reality makes you sober, to realize you have more than enough. Easy does it. Look around. Catch the score.

Moderation recognizes one’s limits, is a metronome timed internal process to reach a middle ground. And for the most part camp there. Stay put. Pretty much parked in this neutral area. To avoid the peaks and valleys that are quickly dismissed as “bi polar”. It seems everyone is saddled with the condition. Labeled with giddy, hysteric high tendencies. Below the bottom of the ocean rock bottom lows. Teeter tottering the between the two for a struggle at a sane life balance.

Like driving in a Maine snowstorm with rear wheel traction, you sometimes do need to accelerate to power your way out of dangerous spin, slide. The opposite of your instinct to pile on the brakes if out of control is happening. To stop the show. Freeze the action. When going slower, or not at all heading out an option. Being more cautious, leaving a little earlier for travel time would have avoided the suddenly going sideways, or backwards. Rather than enjoying open road straight ahead that is not always life’s course or challenge. Thanks Mom. You’re right. I hear you. I won’t forget. Can’t and tell the kids the same principles you instilled in me.

Maine, less people, more open space, life is easier to understand, improve. Always natural, never filtered, Maine is better than the real deal. It’s not like this many other places anymore. Come discover Maine. Learn something about yourself with simpler living, more breathing room for you.

I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Broker
207.532.6573
info@mooersrealty.com

July 25, 2013
The Cuckolds Lighthouse Is Off The Tip Of Southport Maine.

A Mile Off The Tip Of Southport Maine Is The Cuckholds Lighthouse. Perched On A Pair Of Island Ledges.

Maine has over sixty lighthouses parked along the rock bound rugged coastline, dotting islands off harbor towns.

Providing round the clock navigational aids. Creating intense revolving and blinking lights, clanking bells, deep, low throaty fog horns. Designed to be manned to avoid marine peril during darkness, undesirable weather conditions. To help freight and passengers alike. To avoid ending up on the ocean bottom. Going into the drink, experiencing death, ruin and destruction.

This past weekend one of the Maine lighthouses to seek out, bag and tag for the full collection quest clipboard check off routine was The Cuckolds.

Located about a mile southeast of the tip of Southport Island Maine. The Cuckolds Lighthouse was established in 1892, the current structure built around 1907. Automated in 1974, this barnyard flavored looking hen house like Maine lighthouse is located at the entrance to Boothbay Harbor in Lineken Bay. It’s tower is 48 feet high.

The Cuckold’s Lighthouse emits two white light flashes every six seconds. One fog horn signal blast at the end of a fifteen seconds time out interval. On a calm sea day, paddling a sea kayak out to this unique Maine lighthouse affords some pretty neat photo angle perspectives.

Sea kayaks equipped with a keel, rudder can steer with your feet which frees up the interruption of paddle strokes to navigate.

Necky makes a neat sea kayak with a rudder. The two person Necky sea kayak can set you back $1500. And adding the rudder kit for another $250 completes the package to explore the Maine sea coast, islands. To get up close and personal with the just out of easy reach Maine lighthouses.

Some of the Maine lighthouses are simpler, less production low hanging fruit to capture, photograph. Each is unique, colorful and completely different to shoot as the seasons change too. And the experience, the take away varies too. Visit and re-acquaint with Maine lighthouses on your vacations, down time in Vacationland any of the four seasons.

The Cuckolds Maine lighthouse that reminds me of a barn, chicken coop combination is one of the last built on the coast.

The name Cuckolds, given to a pair of treacherous ledges at the Boothbay Harbor entrance, is apparently after a point of land on the Thames River in England. This location was granted to a London man as a peace offering, to smooth ruffled ego feathers after King John had an affair with his wife. Maybe The Cuckolds in Maine got their name from a transplanted Londoner is the common assumption batted around in local folklore, Maine island history.

I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Broker

207.532.6573
info@mooersrealty.com

July 24, 2013
Squirrel Point Lighthouse Is Located On Arrowsic Island Maine.

Find Yourself At The Maine Coast, Hiking To Lighthouses!

The quest to collect Maine lighthouses one by one. Your Me In Maine Blog author has the addiction.

Slowly tracking, hunting down sometimes in groups of three or four Maine lighthouses. For the low hanging fruit, easy ones to drive to and hop out of the Jeep.

Some Maine lighthouses a little more tedious. Parked far out to sea, in lonely solitude. Like some crossword puzzles, a tad more difficult. Challenging to tackle some from every direction. Like some people, to get to know up close and personal. Needle in the haystack difficult to locate with uppity weather. Limited mode of transportation options to and fro logistics. Causing extra helpings of patience development. But making the eye candy “fruit” sweeter when the elusive ones get caught. Shot, printed out in 8×10 for the wall series. Or optimized, an embed in the Maine blog post like above.

Take the lighthouse protecting Cutler Harbor Maine that on the map looks like an easy bag and tag for the collection.

Just when you get to Maine small town harbor boat launch, you realize the Little Island Southeast, seaward lighthouse location is just out of view from the village. And access from the side main land bird’s eye view approach is private landowners. Not accessible by roadway. My helicopter is in the shop, being serviced. So dig out the sea kayak. Or charter a Cutler Harbor lobster boat to hitch hike. Tag along on a hoist and pull in the lobster, denisen of the deep, wooden slat pot run. Saved for another day’s adventure due to a little more production lead in dog and pony requiring a bigger block of leisure time. Dusk comes too early on a day of four Maine lighthouse collecting which is a very good productive day.

So coming back from Ogunquit Beach this past weekend, on the roster to resume collecting, first up was Squirrel Point lighthouse. Located on Arrowsic Island on the coast of Maine.

You drive to Bath and east to Woolwich, Maine. Head due south on Rt 127. Turn right on the Bald Head Road. At the end turn around, hung the side of the cul de sac. Park. Go tramping.

Head south west on foot hiking thru rock walls on each side. Crossing a foot bridge as you begin to smell the Maine sea air. Hear the watercraft, a variety of birds. See large herons, other water foul. And know after a ten minute walk through a corduroy ribbed path of gnarly tree roots, a forest floor of pine, fir, oak tree leaves, here it comes. You arrive under your own power. As the vacant Squirrel Point Lighthouse complex of buildings comes into view.

No one’s home which is usually the case with the help yourself Maine lighthouse discovery visit. But stay on the trail. The tread lightly philosophy applies like most Maine habitats. It is a privilege, not a right. Nothing left behind, disturbed on your outing. As you see Maine wild blueberries. Sumac trees creating a sea of large, long raspberry red or chocolate covered banana looking detail to the hiking experience mental canvas. On the winding, sometimes with a wooded walk way in spots to this red lens Maine lighthouse. The same color as Bass Harbor Head lighthouse but not just the lens is red. The exterior glass is too.

After Squirrel Point, motored the twist and turns to Georgetown Island, Southport Island to capture shots of Hendrick’s Headlight, The Cuckolds, Burnt Island and Ram Island Light.

Five in one long weekend day was fun, great exercise. Plus you meet neat people at the Maine beaches. Paddling sea kayaks, enjoying the surf, sand, scenery and sunshine.

But in winter, the Maine lighthouse photos, capture is an entirely different experience. You get a sense of what the Maine lighthouse keeper, his family felt during long days of not the best weather on the oceanfront. Or realize some lighthouses in Maine are on rivers, not open sea island. Will share the other lighthouses in Maine photo collection in future blog posts.

Maine, unfiltered, it’s your turn. Make your move.

I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Broker
207.532.6573
info@mooersrealty.com

July 22, 2013
Alignment, Isn’t That The Most Critical Life Adjustment?

Uneven, Rocky Crooked Paths But Still Seeking Alignment. Balance,

Lining up the bubble on the pop level you build with to make sure everything is on the same plane.

The same altitude. Sanding off high spots. Adding a shim to give one side a boost, lift. Not leaving anything ee-awed, cockeyed. At an ugly angle climbing or descending. But even keeled the target condition. Level, one side no higher than the other, in balance. Isn’t that life gyroscope a balancing act of it’s own before introducing one by one the other relationships we need, find ourselves smack dab in the middle of in life?

Then reaching the same plateau together in a place like Maine. Rural, simple, uncomplicated. But often not without taking vastly separate life courses, trails or detours before landing in Maine. To get to the place both arrive at right on time. From different directions, set of circumstances.

In alignment with another person, in harmony starts, ends within yourself first and last.

Each straight arrow flexibility added temperament created, improved from within first. Not only contingent on maintaining it if the other does, this, this and oh yeah, lots of that. And none of all of this laundry list of items, habits, actions. Very few of us are identical twins. No egg was split way way back when introduced to life as a brand new grasshopper.

And responsibility for how you feel a choice you make and not being, playing a victim. Isn’t that lazy if you don’t take ownership? Putting the burden of how the day to day goes all shifted from inside you to heaped on the others. Folks in your life treated that way ignites, boils over with disastrous results and consequences.

Finger pointing about you missed something is a bad habit to break.

Shoulda, woulda, coulda been smarter. Quicker to do this when that occurred causing the fine kettle of fish we find ourselves in now. Stewing, fuming about it. Creating a pool of venom to poison your life. Rob the joy.

Instead wouldn’t a happy in themselves whole person not hold others hostage in any relationship? Making how the partnership goes not solely dependent on the other person’s performance alone. The tone, attitude of the day to day not hinged to meeting the others expectations only. Instead, choosing to work on the inside job list that all of us struggle to improve on and take ownership of as maturity sets in. For the good of the unity, couple. Strengthening it to weather future storms that will arrive right on schedule.

Alignment.

You see how important it is with your car tires. You need the wheel alignment and balance of each to be tracking true and level, even. Expensive if you don’t. Your poor aching back alignment critical too. You don’t need a scalpel making a new zipper in your back to end the pain and stiffness. Often one of your legs is longer than the other. Did you know that? Let’s put a lift in that left shoe.

And make some other life adjustments too. Get off the couch, chuck the TV changer to somewhere you can not find it. Use it. Like whatta say let’s lose fifty pounds the builder, manufacturer of your body never intended for you to wear around. Not in the specs, plan. And voila, you are no longer stooped, bent over, folded up like a jack knife. But straight as a arrow. Pointing skyward. Tried, tested and true north. Like plants, trees seek to do no matter what the side hill surface or un-level rocky, barren terrain.

Straighten out your life by little adjustments to maintain balance, a shortest course, to practice moderation. Maine is a good place to get your head screwed on correctly. Not matter what happened prior to landing, spending time in Vacationland. Get rest, understanding in the place with the space. A common theme in this simple living Maine blog post series of hunt and peck recycled electron displays.

I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Broker
207.532.6573
info@mooersrealty.com

July 18, 2013