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Different Flowers From The Same Maine Garden.

Growing Up On A Maine Farm. How To Work Hard Just Part Of Childhood Education Day To Day.

The argument about where you live being more or less important than the genetic DNA make up, wiring that Mom and Dad contributed to the first seed called you.

What if you lived in Maine, instead of in an urban sprawl? How would your kids have turned out different or more or less the same?

If you lived on a Maine farm, and your kids by seven had mastered every piece of machinery. With skills at behind the wheel driving. Confidence, industrious, productive vital members of the Maine farm operation. Not child abuse. Not youth exploitation. Not slave labor with your brothers and sisters joined by a thread of steel links on the same chain gang. No one wearing prison stripes of black and white or orange jumpsuits with a bar code, long number row of identifying digits.

No one stole their childhood on a Maine farm or in a small business owner’s family.

It just was not spent pretty much on a couch holding a wand high. With a 300 hundred channels and uphappiness that there’s nothing to watch that’s exciting, entertaining. Plugged into the boop tube. The electric babysitter as they grew larger around the middle, more unhappy and frankly bored stiff. As the childhood raced by parked. Missing out on talents needed for life. Developed by trial and error. By example from watching older siblings, listening to parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles. All working the same till the crop dirt, fence the beef or dairy pasture Maine farm operation. Weed, feed, tend the garden and wood box.

Respect for old, tired Maine farm equipment. For the animals, plants, people, nature you come into daily contact. How to repair it when it does break down to keep going. Tinkering skills. Mechanical prowess when its up to you and only you if all alone. During a shut down out in the back forty. Or when part of the farming operation cogs. That turn, whirl, buzz, hum during the planting, cultivating and hoeing, the harvest of crops or critters. Or is suppose to if you are not asleep at your station. Where sharp awareness, crystal clarity of how the Maine weather, climate that you have zero control over can ruin or boost the Maine farm operation. Acceptance, patience, but keep working on what you can do to make it better. Keep the Maine farm afloat.

You don’t have to be told, scolded or patted on the back and given lots of praise because everyone in the Maine farm family around you is pitching in just as hard.

The motivation, praise is self made, comes from deep within. By examples all around you. All Maine family farm members have their specific roles, place in the birth order contribution, skill set, involvement.

A Hint Of Warm Red Brown, Blond Mane With Maine Winter Black, White, Gray.

And until the Maine family farm kid gets a job during high school or college in another discipline other than agriculture, he has no idea that not everyone else was raised with the same engrained work ethic.

In fact, you hear on more than one occasion the question “why are you working so hard?” And without much thought, you smile. Answer but keep on task with a side response because that is how I am made, put together. Over achiever or just not wanting to waste daylight, get the chores down. To keep up.

Others notice you, your parents, your kids all pitch in, do more than your share. Have pride and respect for the quality of the work you all do. No matter what it is. The right plan, going all the way and then a little bit more. Because it all falls back on the way you were raised. Your reputation for not being lazy is something you hold high. The hustle says something about the way your parents raised you. They were raised, taught, shown. To be productive, not a drag on the system. To make your presence known. To do so good a job that others around you can not help but notice you stand out. Not your typical striped cat. Just want to work, have a productive day. Every day.

Does living in Maine’s small town simple surroundings help a kid turn out to be a more productive member of society? Or whatever community he or she lands in? No matter what state or country becomes the transplanted home? I know so. The stakes are higher to stay on a independent Maine farm. It is not a forty hour week. Heck, during planting, harvest, calf births or milking, you have met the forty hour mark by Tuesday night or Wednesday morning.

You do whatever it takes to get the job at hand done on a Maine farm.

Your enjoyment comes when it is complete for another season, year. Not in whining along the way to anyone who will listen how much you dislike this job. It is not about enjoyment, entertainment or aversion or pleasure for a task. It is about completion and moving on to other goals, targets. Chores to achieve them. And finding creative ways to short cut for greater efficiency without loss of quality workmanship.

Being positive, having not much sympathy for those that cling to lazy, an entitlement attitude. Or claiming they are being picked on. Instead, moving forward, stepping aside from emotional tantrums, melt down or drama. Making it a game, sport, passion learned on the Maine farm. And oh so foreign to someone that never had to work growing up. To contribute for the greater good of the family instead just being on the receiving end of spoiled, special, pampered, sheltered.

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

November 3, 2013
Red Sox Nation Is One Big Territory.

The Green Monster, Fenway Park In Boston MA. Home Of 2013 World Champion Red Sox Team.

Red Sox Nation is not a small ring of population of baseball franchise lovers surrounding Bean Town.

No, it extends way beyond Plymouth Rock, where they had the tea party in the Boston Harbor a few years back. Red Sox Nation fans are true blue, loyal, deeply connected to the team with the “B” branding.

Most of us don’t hold season tickets to take in all the Fenway Park home baseball games.

It’s a 6.5 hour haul if we don’t take the corporate jet. (Smile) The “green monster” backdrop we see during the nine innings or more, the double headers is an outdoor mural fall scene. Full of green, gold, reds of the fall foliage woods plastered behind the big screen TV with surround sound. Where game after game between the stints where the fan actually gets to Boston, or during Florida spring vacation pre season match up baseball scrimmages. To take in an actual outdoor game.

Not just watching double plays, smothered line drives or grounders, stolen home run with go go gadget stretches in full HD color. Not taking in a Red Sox game parked in a recliner with the boys from work, the kids and partner either. No no, radio Red Sox games are pretty special, memorable too.

I remember during fall potato picking harvest operations having the radio parked on a full potato barrel.

And like the water jug, the lunch box and extra clothing shed as the spud picking temperature rises after a frosty morning start. All gets moved to the every other row station for new barrels to fill. So trucks can have an alley to hoist them up, whisk them to the dark as the inside of a cow potato storage bins.

Listening as Rico Petrocelli, Carl Yastrzemski, Tony Conigliaro hit, field, chase, catch the leather stitched in red thread hard ball. All the baseballs teams on the American and National Leagues with the same goal. To get a ring, a spot, the title of World Series Champs.

The potato harvest work coupled with listening to what is happening with your favorite team that is in the playoffs, then the World Series as a northern Maine farm kid was a big deal.

Because the imagination processed just the tinny audio from the sportscasters you had followed since spring, through out the summer evenings. Losing sleep during those west coast stints. The broadcasts happening meant summer in Maine during the regular season must be underway. Remember running the radio station board listening for time outs, inning ends when the spot clusters needed to be inserted on my end. Of the rebroadcast from WDEA, our feed microwaved from Ellsworth Maine at the time.

Met Jim Rice at a Maine State REALTOR’s meeting a few years back. Got the signed baseball for the kids. But now a whole new crop of red Sox wearing jerseyed baseball players make the best that could happen. The Red Sox are this year’s world championship team. Wow. Still sinking in. Basking in that sunshine.

Have taken the kids to witness a New York Yankee / Boston Red Sox game where our home team won. Wearing green on one occasion. Coming from behind in the eighth inning of play at Fenway Park.

The Sweet Caroline song fest at the Fenway Park Rd Sox home games.

The sway of the standing verbal, jubilant crowd. Some that have had too much barley pop. The “tastes better while your team is winning” over priced stadium snacks gulped down as you watch the innings unfold. Hoping rain holds off. All stay in your mind as your walk out of the landmark Fenway Park baseball stadium.

The Sox team won!

Came out on top. Beat the Yankees. Or the Cardinals. You pick a team. For the headline. Heading happy happy happy for something good to eat for dinner. Let’s do seafood or Italian what do you say gang? And to recall the double plays. Unbelievable drop snags raced to at warp speed all out. Caught just barely in time. Re-living the calls good or bad in the greatest game in the world innings that are now in the book. All in, done. History. One by one around the table excited. Coming down from a win and all that hollering. Explaining tomorrow why you are a little horse, whispering, raspy.

Well, the game right up there with hockey…Go Bruins. Skate your brains out, and how about those Patriots? Red Sox Fever is the tip of the iceberg on love for our Bean Town collection of franchise high salaried athletes. To entertain, amuse and sometimes disappoint any one of the four seasons. Neat when all the teams like pistons in a finely tuned engine hit pay dirt. Make New England and beyond proud. The Boston Red Sox team is World Champion! HOO-rahhhhh Red Sox Nation.

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

November 1, 2013
You Are New To This Big State Of Maine, Whoa, Where To Start?

Man Made And Natural Wildlife Happen Here. Visit Maine.

Sampling ME, where to jump in with both feed depends on you. Your tastes, desires, habits in life carry over to the trek to Maine.

The state dubbed Vacationland is pretty much played outdoors all four seasons. Sure we come in to warm up by a roaring, crackling fire during a day of cross country, down hill skiing. Or when we climb off a snow sledding machine, or from off winter lake ice fishing.

Or to take in a Maine play production, tour a local Maine library for a good book. But pretty much, you are outside. Like when you were a kid and your Mom and Dad had to holler time to eat. You have to come inside to do your homework, get ready for bed.

The lack of crime means we don’t hide out inside behind dead bolts and chain locks in Maine.

We rank 4th lowest in crime and the northern section is half that pretty impressive state average for misdeeds. Living in Maine it is very simple to think everywhere else is just like this state in the upper right hand corner of the country. I get phone calls, emails and office visits daily and that is not the case elsewhere. Stories about out of state gangs, traffic, crime and expensive layers and layers of paperwork for city living are whined about through out the week. Slow down, catch your breath in Maine.

It is awfully easy to forget the Maine’s natural beauty does not extend everywhere.

Or that the down to Earth local folks of Maine’s work ethic and volunteerism spirit to pitch in is duplicated elsewhere. Not a given everywhere around the country. There are myths about our weather in Maine to take care of with brand new visitors. Come to see a moose, white tail deer, loons but sorry, lots of wildlife. But no polar bears in Maine.

Many folks come to Maine to get away from other people. Not stated meanly. Not anti social either. Just needing to spend some quality time with me, myself, I. To sort through the seasons of life that happen and need periodic mental organizing. To scope out the natural beauty but not have to share it except with Maine images. Taken home as reminders, souvenirs of the “hits your deeply” experience. Every time, any season, for whatever reason you are lucky enough to set foot in Maine. Spend time outdoors in Maine.

So the question of where to start on the maiden Maine voyage gets different answers.

Starts a friendly debate. Bee line for the unorganized township woods and water. Head to the oceanfront of Maine. Visit Maine lighthouses, harbor towns, sample the sea food hoisted fresh from the deep cold Maine water. Some say climb Baxter’s many peaks, start your collection and build yearly with more and more trails under your belt. Others argue, point out the real paradise is a snow covered Maine mountain top to carve, swish, ski down.

I say attend a bean supper, church bazaar.

Maybe a Maine canoe race, fishing derby. Take in a soap box derby race. Strike up a conversation, meet the people working a local community event. Pick up some quality produce, vegetables, fruits and baked goods from a Maine farmers market. That is where the flavor of Maine lies.

Maine, it’s starts and ends with its neat, creative down to Earth people. Lower population but more memorable characters make each small Maine town shine brightly. That are all anxious to meet you whenever you make a dash. Spend the time to get to know the real Maine. The stuff in the nooks, crannies, attractions that often did not make it into the four color tourism brochures. The neat happenings only the locals of Maine know about and cherish, protect. Don’t just share with any Tom, Dick or Harry unless you’re smiling, friendly.

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

October 29, 2013
Aroostook County Asked To Host Biathlon World Cup Event.

Maine Winter Fun Playing Outside, Red Cheeks, Fresh Air Filling The Lungs.

Did you get to see the last U.S. World Cup event In Northern Maine when the biathlon championships took place in Aroostook back in 2014?

The Nordic Heritage and the Maine Winter Sports Centers hosted the event in Presque Isle Maine and your Me In Maine cub blog post reporter was lucky enough to be able to attend. To have it so close to home in “The Crown Of Maine”. The news of the return to “The County” hit the wire services this week.

Besides seeing so many countries from around the world represented in the Northern Maine competition, the economic impact to Aroostook County and New Brunswick the neighboring Canadian province is huge.

When you do the math, add it up and consider all those television crews, the sports teams and their coaches, support arms that crowd the highway. Roll up US Rt 1. Or fly into Maine. To compete for the bronze, silver, gold medal for the respective countries from around the World that they represent.

The biathlon events held at the Nordic Heritage Center in Presque Isle and the 10th Mountain Lodge in Fort Kent Maine have been many. World Cup and Junior Cup events plus other competitions have used Northern Maine’s facilities and volunteer network. And been pleased with the support enough to tap Aroostook County on the shoulder again with the invitation to come back for more warm hospitality. Extra helpings of the spirited, professional event competitions. Watch and IBU Maine World Cup Video.

All the hub bub spills over to an economic shot in the arm too. One more winter recreational event to consider, take in.

For the other County towns to benefit, besides just the host city. Putting cash in lots of local coffers retail registers. Like neighboring Fort Fairfield to the east. Houlton Maine to the south and everything in between all win.

Much happens all four seasons right here in Maine. The door is always wide open, never locked. If you decide to hop in the family sedan and cross the big green bridge to our south. Fly into one of our many Maine airports. Climb on a chartered tour bus.

No matter how you get here, find yourself possible in Kittery Maine heading north on Interstate 95. Or coming over into Vacationland sideways from the Trans Canada highway or routes that wind, twist and turn into the heart of Maine in all directions. Thanks for being a faithful follower, reader of the Me in Maine blog posts.

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

October 25, 2013
The Hysterical Players Put On Comedy Production In Smyrna Maine.

Small Maine Community Theater Play Productions Are Fun, Entertaining, Home Grown.

Getting out to a small Maine community play where you know all the cast of characters.

No one is a stranger and the audience is familiar to the production cast too. Community theater with home grown talent polishing the lines, rehearsing a play script to raise money for a good cause. And to give locals something different for entertainment options close to home.

This Friday and Saturday, October 25, 26th at six pm, The Hysterical Players perform a comedy “I Only Have Fangs For You”.

Another production on the road to the north in Bridgewater 32 miles away means the curtains at the local Grange hall goes up again November 2nd at 6pm. That production helps costs, funds future projects at the Bridgewater Historical Society. The desperately needed roof of the old Smyrna Methodist Church gets a shot in the arm with funds from this weekend’s play.

The cost of that drip drip drip leaking roof replacement project estimated to be in the neighborhood of eight thousand dollars.

Good play, great cause, a night out for entertainment. Like a pot luck supper tasty. Everyone brings their best covered delicious signature dish. That all the locals know you would win hands down. If there was an Olympics for this particular dish all in the area knows is to die for, heavenly good.

Take a gander at some of the shots, a glimpse of the players for this Halloween flavored Maine community theater play. Or (whispering) SSsshhhh, let’s sneak a peek, tip toe in the big back double creaking doors to sample part of an earlier play production rehearsal.

Have you ever been in a small Maine community theater play, theater production?

Either in front of an audience or behind the acts, scenes in a support role? Designing a set, doing lighting or sound? A seamstress for the wardrobe? In makeup, in charge of the meal or snacks during intermission? Or behind the promotion, publicity, ticket sales marketing to get the word out? So nothing is kept a secret.

All that work that goes into the planning, rehearsals, the nuts and bolts of a theater play to make sure it is noticed. Not witnessed only by a few of the lucky ones that are out in the audience. The bigger, better the audience, the more the cast reaches higher to go over the top with their performance. In the role they are playing to the hilt in front of the bright hot spot stage lights and open velvet curtain. The audience and play cast need each other. One partnership in the back and forth that feeds on the other.

They say that life is but a stage and every man but an actor.

For fun, entertainment and the chance to play the part in someone other than yourself, consider involvement in a locally produced, small scale play production. Or get behind a high school, college or children’s theater production so that your small local community shines brightly with the flair of drama, comedy, lights, camera, action. Break a leg. in a good way in community theater.

Maine small towns are big on the fine arts in lots of little ways. Get to Maine, you have a part waiting, become involved. Add your skill set, hone that talent on a grass roots, small town level. In small Maine town living, you don’t just attend events, you are involved in the local activities working them. That’s what happens and everyone has a part, place, spot in the sun and fun.

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

October 24, 2013
The Weather In Maine Can Change Quickly.

You Go In For An Ice Tea, The Maine Weather, Seasons Suddenly Change By The Time You Get Back.

Something new and different, to shake it up is what weather in Maine is all about. Hey.

Never boring, not ho hum dreary. The cobalt blue cloudless skies with sunshine on your shoulder as you hike up the mountain trail, or snow ski down the other side is part of Maine weather. The weather can “turn yourself all about” as it changes quickly. Back and forth on the same day, overnight.

Finding yourself roughing it. Settled into a fall weather woods camp relaxed mood. With a crackling fire, gas lights, sparse furniture, no neighbors. Except the wildlife that occasional saunter by outside the hand peeled, crevice chinked log walls. With rain on the tin roof to put you to sleep. Or part of the background pitter patter as you prepare a joint hunting party produced supper. With local bounty harvest foods grown close to home part of the simmering stew. As card games are played, jokes are shared. The rain double clutching, changing speeds from heavy to barely audible, then to silent, in park gear. As you read a book. Write in a journal. Drift off to sleep. Think about loved ones, home.

Or floating your boat, kayak, canoe out on a lake in Maine.

The wind comes up and things go south fast. Being out to sea with the main land, islands no longer in sight. Big waves, deep inside scary fear building as your gut feeling shouts out “this is not good”. Could be the end. Reruns of the Perfect Storm and Titanic playing endless loops with deafening volume between your ears. Weather in Maine is to be respected. To be lost any where on land or out on the open water in Maine could mean someone will perish. If left in the elements exposed too long if temperatures lose red, go lower in the glass tube.

Some trick or trick Halloweens it can be balmy bag filling. For the trick or treat bell ringing too warm dressed in costumes to scare. Or a tad nippy on the “wicked good” door to door sugar high neighborhood canvas.

On the cable or TV news when Mainer’s watch someplace like Washington DC get a few inches of snow and go into a tail spin, it seems like over reaction.

Like a knee jerk reaction where you put the boot in your own forehead. But those areas don’t have experience with plowing snow. Lack the removal equipment. Folks not use to snow driving. Roadways jammed, loaded up with a slew of cars, motorists to maneuver around. And the municipalities end up putting garbage trucks, city vehicles pickup snow plows tacked on the front to battle snow fall. Grocery stores get overrun and shelves quickly go bare. Life comes to a stand still in areas not black belt accustom to the new snow experience.

Driving in snow is an art but you’ll find Maine roads remarkably well cleared of white stuff.

We take snow accumulations, what a good ripping northeaster delivers in the front yard all in stride.
Less people to avoid head on collisions, rear ending, t-boning into the side of whatever they are driving on the roads in Maine. And there is a neat homey feeling when you let it snow (times three) and you are in a rocker sipping something hot. In front of a cheery woodstove safe and sound. To ride it out. And thing about the pleasure the new blanket of white fluffy snow creates for the next day. As you thumb through the latest edition of the Maine snow sled magazine.

So when someone asks you what about Maine weather, remember we have no polar bears. That’s Artic Circle talk. Does not apply here and winter is one of the favorite seasons. Because we’re still outdoors cross and down hill skiing, playing pond ice hockey, fishing the lakes opened up with a Jiffy ice auger. The fresh air, friendly people, slower pace is quality of life. Awareness of the great outdoors around us and how lucky we are to be alive. To live in Maine.

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

October 22, 2013