Adjusting those rabbit ear antennae to have less snow, static in the Maine television picture.
You must be living in a part of Maine far from the television station, no cable hook up. Before Dish or Direct TV was invented to bolt on to the side of your Maine house at the right angle to pick up a signal on the horizon.Picking Up The Signal Loud And Clear In Maine.
Maybe a rotor was hooked to that antennae array on the top of the Maine home roof that is guy wired to take on a Northeaster.
Or strapped tightly to a brick chimney to rock and roll, shimmy and shake. The antennae straining for a strong signal directional gain can be turned to dial in the station’s broadcast frequency. Today the expression “300 channels on the television but nothing to watch” is the norm in the abundance of crystal clear, noise free digital offerings.
When growing up in Northern Maine was one American station, two Canadian signals and public broadcasting added in to round it out.
Sometimes that rotor stopped rotating. Rusted motor quit taking the turns, sweeps back and forth. Channel surfing with four channels. If the weather conditions allowed the broadcast to drift in. Like smoke signals that work best if no wind. Less garble, missing communication happening.
It was appreciate what you have. More than enough. That is all there is and accepted gratefully. Outside, Moving, Catching A Ride To Maine Adventure.Plus not tons of time spent on the couch watching television. We were outside playing, working. Had chores and fresh air was a big part of the daily diet. Still is. Need that oxygen combined with outdoor living, all that scenery, wildlife.
And Saturday morning, cartoons tomorrow morning thought about all day Friday.
And don’t miss them… only in the mornings is your one shot Partner for a week’s dose to tide you over. It was a big deal to head into town from the country. To watch NBC’s full living color peacock fan the plume too at my Aunt Hettie’s home cable feed. On Franklin Avenue for a holiday celebration. Because not regular, standard viewing fair like when watching a cherry picker television station in Presque Isle Maine. When your Maine home was out in the country, not in town where cable wired the village because of more houses per mile to make it feasible.
When you live in Maine it is not fun watching television, movies for hours on end. You want to be outside instead. To step into, be part of that outdoor picture. That four seasons scenery Maine photo folks from out of state drool over. Fantasize about the 51 weeks they are not lucky enough to be in Vacationland a year.
When you are raised in a small Maine town, there is always a spot deep inside burning brightly.
Fierce pride that never fades or forgets the faces, places, all the space around the community. Small things hit your harder because life is simpler, what is important more in focus in small Maine towns.Lots Of Public Suppers Happen In Small Maine Towns.
When a local Maine sports team wins a town, county, state championship, the games are played up in the stands as much as out on the field, court, rink. Shiretown Houlton Maine, Aroostook County.
Because support comes from the area that gets behind the youth effort up through the ranks. Beyond just sports, extending like wildfire to other events where everyone steps it up a notch.
Because the whole village raises the kids in the Maine town.
Has a hand in the shaping whether family blood related to the kids or as teacher, pastor, coach, employer, neighbor that all play a role.
In a small town the freedom of having your license, that first drive into town, around the community behind the wheel with the radio on. Looking for other friends with their ticket to drive around town too. Stopping in parking lots to shoot the breeze. Flirt, brag, exchange gossip or plans for later on. Hitting the local dairy bar or driving out to a local lake in the summer. Less worry about crime, more moving around freely and independence.
Small Maine towns are all about local parades, bands, floats, holiday celebrations.
Small Maine Towns, Wholesome Locally Grown Food.Helping area farmers plant, cultivate, harvest and get their crop ready to ship to market starts early. Goes hand in hand with work ethic learned growing up.
Good wholesome food is abundant because it grows in your backyard garden. Or available low cost or through a bartered service, home made goods you trade for it.
Folks that grow food for their own table take what they need. And what’s left after canning, preserving and stocking the shelves in the pantry, the root cellar is given away.
It is a take what you need, leave the rest for others sharing attitude that drives a small Maine town population. Farmer Uncle Finley Mooers Proud Of His Spud Yield.
In a small Maine town it is not about highly specialized and more cross trained. Keep it simple. Don’t complicate life because the clutter bogs you down, interferes with living it fully. Enjoying it to the hilt.
Maine folks are more self reliant. Strive to be self sufficient.
They’re frugal. They care about each other. Think about service for the greater good. Actively seeking what is there they should be doing. What role is best suit for their skills, abilities in the small Maine town.
Because there are less people, you are always closer to wildlife, nature, country living. The outdoors is your playground. The four season individual personal settings, destinations are respected, preserved, protected. Traditions passed down like good stewards. For the next generation to carry on the torch, the small town special Maine lifestyle.
Maine is ninety one percent trees and that means lots of maple hardwood ridges. Sweet.
Growing up our Maine family tapped large maple trees along the long driveways leading into the farm house. Located west of Houlton Maine where I grew up with my three older brothers, parents.
A family eighty acres woodlot in Ludlow Maine exploded with lots of maple trees that Dad tapped for the spring sap. Sunday Is March’s Maple Syrup Sugar Shack Open House Time.Hop Off The Couch.To boil down the 40 to 1 ratio to get the clear as water sap to turn into the golden nectar that words don’t begin to describe.
Plans for an elaborate pipe collection network, a sap house, public suppers with pancakes swimming in the local tap boil down refinement.
Candy production. Open house tours. All dreams, something Dad envisioned but never got beyond the collect by bucket I helped him with in spring.
By hand, on the ground using the blue Sno Jet snow sled in places. Beating feet, trudging most other areas. In the woodlot sap collecting from the tap routine. Too many other irons in the fire like most lives.
Our Maine Governor LePage’s maple tree front lawn tapping in Augusta earlier this month spotlighted the importance of maple syrup production. And his desire to push for expansion in that under nourished area of Maine’s economy.
Maine Maple Sunday, the fourth Sunday in March is an opportunity for the public to see clear as water sap become the tasty golden, amber sap operations up close and personal.
Real world, professional applications in the Maine maple syrup industry. Check out the map in the link for Maine Maple Sunday website. For the closest operation near you to share with the kids, to sample the wares. Nedarly 100 Maine maple syrup operations to see first hand in Vacationland. This is the 31st annual Maine Maple Sunday.
It is not just Vermont Log Cabin, Aunt Jemima maple syrup you can drizzle, enjoy drowning, soaking into your Maine blueberry pancakes.
The secret is out about Maine maple syrup. And there are Maine maple syrup recipes for more than soaking it up. Chasing just sliced up, steaming hot pancakes, home made waffles pieces around your breakfast plate with the end of your fork. And asking for more please. Sugar Shacks, The Open House In Smyrna Maine.
Calendar of events, on and around Maine Maple Sunday.
Tour the facility on the north side of US Rt 2 just east of the village of Smyrna Maine in Aroostook County. Try samples, see how the sap is collected, processed, marketed.
Ask questions. Learn about the history of collecting Maine maple syrup from the Brannen’s, your very gracious hosts. All the equipment, work involved.
Images for Spring Break maple syrup operation. Spring Break has honey collected on their farm, a variety of gifts, and a program to help the DIY sap collectors. For a small fee with boil down what you collect with the spout they provide you and lots of guidance. Everything you need to know about Maine maple syrup.
The vehicle you drive is loaded to the gills, pointed north up Interstate 95.
You are headed, moving to Maine. The return address on next year’s Christmas cards is going to read somewhere in Vacationland.
The plan for the Maine move started to simply lighten the financial load. Fresh Fish, Your Are In Maine Remember?No more, stop the flow of small white envelopes. With the cellophane clear plastic window from utility, energy companies.
With your name peeking through and coming at you in waves. In too tall monthly or more often leaning sideways stacks. Tossed in your mom’s inherited pull down writing desk for annoying attention to the household bill paying.
Some of your friends wonder if you are on medication. Or should be. If they have the meds mixed up and ask are you feeling alright? You smile. Say nothing. But have done your home work. Before pulling, yanking hard on the three prong grounded plug. Setting up the living off grid by double clutching. Shifting into a lower, slower life gear. 10-4 good buddy. Wait and see. Give me a little time to lay the ground work in Maine. Then come visit and see who’s crazy. Like a fox. Change their tune 180 degrees.
Become more self reliant, very sufficient living off grid in Maine.
You still have juice, just not the kind Public Utilities Commission (PUC) boards regulate. With no more bang bang bang systematic rate hikes to stomach. Like it or not. Living without the corporate profits, surcharges, transmission and extra tax feeincreases is what you dream about, see. All to reduce your carbon footprint.Aroostook County, Northern Maine. Ideal For Off Grid Living.
Thirty percent of your power consumption is lighting. Build your new energy efficient home with the southern exposure for free solar heat, an even lighting sun or not. You’ll be hanging out clothes on a line to air dry. Or placed on large wooded racks in front of a winter wood stove to dry, get some needed inside air moisture.
Heating with birch, beech, maple, ash, other natural hand split, you stack, pack, you deliver fuel.
From your Maine land wooded sections. No oil truck going beep beep backing in the drive way. With a guy leaping out to hook up, screw on the hose for Texas or wherever it came from fossil tea to flow at four dollars a precious gallon.
Self inflicted pulling the plug. Not forced on you makes it a challenge, sport, passion, obsession. Not a lament, curse or anything to cause anger. Because done by choice, with a sound mind. Lots of careful planning, timing.
Also the living off grid does not mean you are anti-social, a hermit, recluse or a loose canon that should be worried about, watched closely. Lots of folks are already doing it. Heck before those high power lines, everyone lived quite nicely without the 120 AC DC hooked to the house.
Not going undercover for an illegal wacky tobbacky below radar grow or as a member of the witness protection group.
That’s not the reason for the pulling away from all those plug in outlets. The gadgets, some you keep, just not sitting around on all the time. Parked, wasting fuel you have to pay dearly for is the big twist.
Growing your own Maine food. Selling the surplus. Raising meat, collecting eggs, the hands up and down moving, squeezing for the milk. An army of one or couple of peas in the same pod.
Reading up on blog posts about which direction the wind blows in your life. To know how best for you to approach the exercise, transition. To give up, cut one by one the strings of dependency that web more and more around all of us today.
Leaning on local Maine Amish settlements for guidance and to observe so this is how it is done huh?
Raising kids on the off grid Maine spread where simple living is the common denominator on every decision you make. For the grand scheme to be free, less complicated and more enriching, empowering. Maybe in retirement in Maine after your family is raised. Have flapped their wings hard to move away from the nest.
The green, red or whatever canoe color, kayak you have somewhere in your garage, shed or at whoever’s house that borrowed it last.
Is the watercraft ready to grab and go, heave ho for spring Maine river races? (Splash) Maine River Race 2014 ScheduleWhere you can put your hands on it quickly for a launch into a swollen, very fast, highly verbal Maine river?
Lots of snow this past Maine winter means faster rides, more spring run off water to make for a lively, more memorable race adventure.
Spring is a time in Maine where gears get shifted. Washing away winter road sanding dirt, hosing off the buildings. A rebirth of of green chutes, the horsepower of Mr. Sun overhead cranks up some added wattage, BTU value. The Maine Canoe And Kayak Racing Association (MaCKRO) Website.
Start paddling. Zip up that life jacket. Stuff some trail bars in your pocket. Water bottle wedged under your seat. Let’s go. Giddy up. Find a Maine river race near you or decide this year to do more than any year before. The new locations, folks you meet at the venues make your weekends richer, more fulfilling. And not to mention the exercise, outdoor fresh air and brand new surroundings the take away on the Maine racing circuit on the river water.
A Couple Past Maine Local Races On The Meduxnekeag River In Southern Aroostook County Videos.
The Maine River Race schedule. The Meduxnekeag River Race Is May 3rd, and register by April 28th and get a free 2014 t-shirt. Contact the Houlton Chamber of Commerce at 207.532.4216 or Peter Blood 207.532.2577. See you at the rite of Spring, the Meduxnekeag River Race for canoes and kayaks in Southern Aroostook County. Race craft put in in New Limerick on the Station Road, Welllington residence just south of the Louisiana Pacific (LP) OSB mill entrance. Puts out on River Street, the Medexnekeag River Landing off the Highland Avenue Bridge in Houlton Maine as shown in videos above. All those happy paddlers munching on hot dogs, chips, talking up today’s, this year’s spring ride on the Maine river.
Not like this many other places. We know. What you don’t do where you live out of state, we can in Maine.
Vacationland is so incredibly spoiled. In all the natural beauty we can move around and enjoy, sample it. But lucky in so many other ways. Especially when talking crime. Because we score a blue ribbon as 4th lowest in the country for misdeeds, law breaking.
More space, less people, kids taught respect growing up in friendly small Maine towns.
All sifts out to finely create freedom, safety, family values. We’re not on house arrest or living in fear. Space. Safety. Maine. Nice.
Simple Maine Living, Moving Around Freely. In Maine we don’t consider daily, round the clock all the awful things that could happen if we dare to sneak out, leave our homes. Because we don’t have to live in fear. Or have cyclone tough, barb wire topped metal security fencing around the property line perimeter.
In cities you better pay attention, watch closely, be diligent. Not so naive, trusting as we can be in small Maine rural towns. It’s an entirely different attitude, approach to living. You can walk, jog, bike, move around feeling secure here. Not just the adults either. We don’t carry tasers, mace, bats, concealed weapons for protection.
Thursday night I walked downtown to the movies.
Set me back only five dollars for the flick. Leaving the jeep in the yard sleeping. Do it a lot. Quicker to be hoofing it, beating feet to the splash of light on the big silver screen. Walking you see others doing the same shuffle your feet. As seasons change looking around, enjoying the surroundings. And always say hello. Nodding, smiling, waving in passing Sometimes stopping to talk with others out and about too.
Because we know each other. Hard not to in a small friendly Maine town. Because you work on community, civic, school, sporting, church events. Somehow related to many. Your kids do a good job involving, introducing you to their friends, other parents. We are all at the same activities. In the local paper take turns in photos and stories. Around the same social media circles we all follow. Comment on so in the know. Care about, are involved in each others’ life ups and downs.
Well lit at night small Maine towns. No walking dead zombies, or native Stephen King characters roaming the streets in the shadows. No lurking vampires looking for a warm type something negative or positive drink like Anne Rice writes about in her books. Feeling part of a neat small Maine town where everything is close, accessible. Not Telling Where He “Caught” The Maine Fish He Proudly Displays.
Cities have mass transit and cars can be almost a nuisance. In the expensive find a needle in the haystack place to put one. To avoid tickets. And talk about traffic, accidents, road rage and raised fists, fingers and shouting.
In small Maine towns plenty of parking, no meters. Out after dark in Gotham City, some urban areas might be the craziest, riskiest thing that a person could ever do. Unless they have a death wish. To leave those thick security doors with surveillance cameras overhead all triple locked, dead bolted, chained.
We don’t have to iron bar, barricade doors, there are no gangs.
The doors unlocked. No drive by shootings. No second thought given to being out while the sun is borrowed, shared. Being enjoyed somewhere else on the planet. Not frowned on to have your kids with their friends up at the park during the four day Fourth of July State Fair rides, exhibits, games either. Have heard over and over from out of state Maine real estate buyers who never, ever let their kids out of their sight. Or to leave their yard where they used to live. That’s not living, that’s not Maine.
Sure the 4th for fireworks, the parade, grill cook outs with families all together. But kids are safe, free to roam and take advantage of in town parks and recreation events, after school programs. Ride bikes, walk to friend’s houses. Work on farms. Don’t have to have Mom and Dad for a shadow. No one worried about them getting snatched or finding themselves in harm’s way.
Other than teaching them about crossing our low traffic streets. Riding bikes to Little League to be careful. Look both ways. Or when with neighborhood friends out to the movies. To behave, be good or we’ll hear about it and you lose that freedom Jack or Jill. So kids are taught to be more responsible. Feeling empowered, independent, getting exercise, being social is growing up right. Tooling around town. Running errands, to the store, library. Helping out, contributing and feeling part of the family.
Having an important role. Mowing lawns, shoveling snow, baby sitting, doing chores to earn their spending money. Not just handed out folded, green dead Presidents gratis. But weaved in, partnered with some worth ethic pride of a job well done skills learned.Fueling Up The Sledder Along The Trail In Maine. To do it right or here we go again. Last time for the do over.
Many urban areas have neighborhoods to avoid like the Bermuda Triangle.
Not just skirt, avoid them like the plague after sundown. But any time for any reason. Cities have these thick, multiple rings like Saturn of ghettos. Red lined skull and cross bone, jolly roger flying blighted areas. Don’t go there.
Where life is not worth much. Definitely if traded, exchanged for anything of value on your person using a knife or fists or stolen gun. Or eying what you drive, have in, on your vehicle. Or medicine cabinet back home. Ahh….Roll through that next series of eight sided signs, red lights please. Trust me, just do it. Don’t argue, don’t stop! Lock your car door, keep your head down. That’s survival other places but no way to live, not the Maine I know.
All that’s typical, worried about in large cities is missing in Maine.
Frees you up. Giving you space inside to add things outside. You are a happier camper. Enjoy doing more in the moving around freely. You won’t be ignored here, just ask for anything you need. Except maybe where this guy got Moby Dick, the big Maine fish. Those details are guarded secrets. The story behind the wetting the line is sacred. Tightly lipped and Mum’s the word. So when are you scheduling, going to visit Maine? If it all sounds too good to be true, like a fairy tale dream. Time to wake up, get here quick as you can.
I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Broker
207.532.6573 info@mooersrealty.com
