MeInMaine Blog

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  • Your Mental Health Provider Says Take Two Of These Daily (Maine Sunrise, Sunset..Repeat).

    Missing Anything In Life, Get To Maine.
    Take Two They’re Huge To Swallow. Maine Sunrises, Sunsets Cure What Ails You.

    Is too much of a good thing a bad thing, when you are lucky enough to live in Maine full time?

    Lots of people outside Maine chomp at the bit for that week long vacation. The long weekend where they scrambled to clear away some time to cross the big green bridge to get to Vacationland for some much needed rest and relaxation.

    The day to day people too close and not the happiest of campers in the urban concrete jungle. Takes it toll. Wears you down. Like battle fatigue. Or when you care take a loved one that is sick a long long time. Numbness happens, just going through the motions. And slowly the joy inside gets drained away. Your cup no longer runneth over. Heck it is not even half full and dropping. Like a sinking relationship that unravels where you see all the red flags, missed cues and the not so happy ending.

    Maine is not a place you have to have two pockets of cash or plastic cards with giant credit limits to tap into during your stay here.

    Low cost, no cost recreation outdoor in Maine is what the Pine Tree State is famous for, why folks make it a life time habit to return. Over and over, every chance they get. Come for our local delicacies of home made food in Maine too. Camping, pitching a tent, pulling in a pop up camper, fifth wheel home away from home is huge in Maine.

    Take two they are huge, choke you up when you are trying to swallow. To wrap your head around the sunrise, or sunset in the many dramatic settings in Maine. That are so foreign to someone not used to the space. The less or no people at all surrounding you like back in the land of cloverleafs, shadow causing skyscrapers, panhandlers and prostitutes, hustlers. Where crime happens around the clock and nothing new if a gang orchestrates another drive by shooting. Happens everyday and you stop noticing or just accept the dangerous surroundings as normal. It is not the way life should be. It is not Maine.

    Think of the way you open up, unwind and breath easy when suddenly you are on a Maine lake.

    Black fresh coffee or however you like it in your hand. A duck lands, quack quack quacks good morning. A pair or fisherman drone by to be the first on the Maine lake. With plenty of bait, a refreshment or two, some snacks and prepared for a day on the open water. Casting lines, wetting their hooks. And whining by your open deck in a laboring, underpowered heavy old boat inherited from a uncle with no kids. Who taught the operator how to fish when he was a youngster. And the tradition with his own children happens right on schedule.Gets passed down.

    Or biking to the top of Cadillac Mountain, skiing down the side of Sugarloaf’s Buckboard or Skidder snow trail. Traversing the tableland of Mt Katahdin after stepping up and over the last rock with an iron rung on Abol Trail. Or walking, window shopping in a quaint salt air rich Maine sea coastal harbor town. Pick your pleasure, set your course.

    Remember the advice of the health care provider on your end who says, no pushes you to Maine for what ails you. Get outdoors and have some fun. Learn some answers to life’s puzzle outdoors. Where we all collect pieces one at a time, over the long haul. Don’t keep her waiting.

    Maine, simple, real, honest, natural. Get here quick as you can.

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

  • Big Dollars Spent On Consultants For Superior Customer Service Training.

    Picking Maine Potatoes, Taught How To Work Early On.
    Effort, Picking Maine Potatoes, Raking Blueberries, Digging Clams, Learning To Smile, Enjoy Entry Level Jobs.

    Save your money, teach your children about good manners and instill work ethic so later year customer service consultants are not needed.

    Would you hire your kids as an employee and are they wired with what is needed to be an asset to an organization? To earn their keep so to speak. Do your kids like to work, do you get satisfaction from yours?

    It no secret that with lots of competition for a business dollar comes the need to always be sharpening your skills. To not just be a busy bee and simply work harder, dig in. But to do what you do better. Consistently, more efficiently and with a creative flair to stand out from the herd. So education to stay up to date in what you do for a living career is critical for survival.

    But if the employee already knew, was trained from the time they wobbled, toddled and learned to walk the right and wrong way to deal with people wouldn’t that be a huge benefit to the company?

    To hear the word no and not fight authority. To accept there is always another person in most life situations to have to factor in and consider their feelings. Is it good for them, not just me. Like looking down at the WWJD bracelet as an on board life guide template to make sure you pick the right path. Make the correct, best of the options layed out in front of you selection.

    Here are close to 100 top customer service tips, suggestions from proven pioneers in running legendary business models. Sometimes the poor customer service is simply delay, because getting the information is just a run around, major time delay rig-a-ma-roll.

    “Can I help you” starts with knowing something the other end of the signal does not and needs. Being able to provide a service and actually of any help, benefit is assumed. The customer comes to you to learn something. For information you have, they need. Being well versed in the product or service is the cornerstone of customer service excellence. But delivery of that knowledge and how easy, pleasant it is to access by Jonathan and Josephine Q. Public is only part of business success.

    Tone, attitude, efficiency, experience, empathy and plain good manners are needed all the time to provide quality customer service.

    pre-recorded conversation when on hold is not the best time for a company’s performance review from you calling with a problem. Not looking to provide an endoresement.

    Like the 800 number and decal stuck to the rear end of the 53′ foot long trailer truck box cautioning about wide turns. And asking about how’s my driving when you are ten and two. Fishing for the how are we doing performance pit stop invitation to call in. The customer is delayed in getting what they want or is upset, hot under the collar because they don’t feel treated fairly. Or just did not need one more thing in an overbooked life to go wrong. Need addressing and immediate attention.

    Or the customer perceives he or she is just not getting a fair shake even when they are.

    Not the most easy to get along with and you, like others in their life are somehow always responsibility for their unhappiness, disappointment. It is an art to deal with the public. But skill sets built into kids through out life will help customer service. Create a willingness to “can I help you” asked for really wanting to be an aid. To be of service wearing a genuine smile. Because they like to help, are good at it. Were taught how to pitch in early in life at home, school, church, entry level jobs. We live in the information society but accessing it quickly, completely and with a twist of humor and entertainment makes a stand out customer relations back and forth experience.

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

  • Tim Sample, Maine Humorist, Comedian Performs In Houlton Maine.

    Sit Back, Take It All In. Maine.
    Outdoors, No Office Desks, No Deadlines. Your Outdoor Therapy.
    Like to get away, step out side of your self?

    Take new steps to avoid the same old same old rut you may be stuck in.

    Turn off the nightly national news. Put down the newspaper from the big city and think fun.

    For a few hours no more steady diet of scary headlines, crime riddled shocking stories. But instead changing the inner channel to humorous. Laughing hard from down in your belly. Your eyes watering as you try to catch your breath.

    Side splitting comedy opens you up.

    Especially when the humor, comedy is about Maine where you live. Or wished you did. If planning to someday become a resident of Vacationland. Nothing relieves stress, brings your body and spirit back into balance quickly like hearing something funny. Getting caught up in the infectious laughter in the crowd around you after the same medicine, experience.

    Laughter relaxes the whole body and there are many kinds, brands of humor too. The shock and awe, borderline crude of a late night R rated cruise ship comedian. Where you don’t want to sit down front and become part of the show. Where heckling, almost abuse can happen with others thinking glad that is not me they swung the hot spotlight on to become the brunt of the joke. Where humor is at the expense of someone in the audience, one of your peers.

    Today we are talking about subtle, dry, Downeaster Maine humor.

    With colorful expressions unique to the Pine Tree State. Lots of pauses to let the gist of the tale, yarn sink in. Space to properly seat. More of a man on the street observation, philosophical approach to life salt and peppered with Maine colloquialisms.

    I first listened to Tim Sample, Maine humorist on record when spinning them in Bangor Maine for a living. He would go on about his favorite band, the Dubious Brothers from Lewiston Maine. And their classic, never to be forgotten hit “If you want to keep your six pack cold, just park it next to my ex wife’s heart”. And other bits that were centered around Maine Mister Man. At a time when most comedy was national in origin chummy. Not so close to the home grown, the roll your own Maine kind, twist Tim Sample uses so well. Perfected over the years as a true Maine-ah.

    May 11th at 7pm you and I have a chance to see, hear, laugh with Tim Sample.

    He’ll have a stool center stage, a cup of coffee in hand as he updates us on Maine affairs. Past and present. The Houlton Community Arts Center on 7 Bird Street, Houlton Maine is the venue for the night show. Tickets are $20 at the door. Or save an Abe Lincoln by picking them up at York’s Book Store. Or get ’em online.

    Tim Sample Early Comedy, Humor Skit On A Maine Stage Video.

    Tim Sample’s show is geared for all ages, family rated. Nothing to fear. No squirming in the new auditorium seats from uncomfortable dialogue is going to happen at this performance. And coming right on the heels of Tim’s oxford colored penny loafers is another Maine comedian stand out, Bob Marley on June 1st.

    Learn more about the good things happening on stage, behind the scenes at the Houlton Community Arts Center. Houlton Maine, you can get here-ah from there-ah. Distances, calculating drive time, the mileage to Houlton Maine.

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

  • Maine Trees Know The Meaning Of Patience.

    Maine Pine Trees Whisper In The Wind.
    You Get Attached To An Old Maine Tree. That Was Here Before You Arrived, Be Here After You’re Gone.

    Started as a seedling, usually nurtured only by nature, and all on their own outdoors.

    All the time. Unless a short stint happens because of a saw, ax that frees them to be placed in a Maine living room. For the family tradition around the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.

    The holiday trees in Maine that have to worry about being stuffed through a home doorway, removed in a body bag are evergreen fir, pine variety. The hardwoods are safe from the chop down, timber yuletide ritual. But still the target of woodcutters looking for firewood. Sturdy material for heating or building homes. Furniture or grinding up for pellets, wafer or particle board.

    Maine trees take a beating from the harsh weather too.

    Strong sun, too much or not enough rain. Whipping winds picking up speed. Snow and ice loads bending them over backwards to the ground. Subtle, flexible but sometimes no match for the sudden change of Maine weather. They snap.

    And not just man for their greatest worry for dismal destruction demise. Woodpeckers can do a number on them. So can beetles, bugs, insects besides birds that peck. And vehicles, recreational vehicles piloted by careless or inebriated operators that don’t tread lightly. Not good stewards. That may not understand Maine land use is a privilege not a right. Young Maine tree plantations have this worry with snow sledders, ATV four wheelers in too big a hurry and suddenly off the marked trail in the thick of things.

    I have known this giant Maine pine tree since 1986.

    Listened, watched, taken pictures of birds and other wildlife that use her for refuge cover. For twenty seven years this gorgeous tree has stood guard on a point of land on Drews Lake. Giving a pleasurable whisper in its pine needles during gentle breezes. And pushing back against winds that rock, shock, pick up speed across an open lake. Lightning has hit awfully close to it.

    Parked like a deer in the headlights. A sitting duck or lone bowling pin pine in the pathway of North Westerly and Easterly winds. Attacked from all sides year round. But still grows taller, wider, fuller. Like people that have too much woe but prosper, persevere, flourish all the more just the same. The pine has witnessed boaters, kayakers, swimmers, ice and water fishing expeditions. Watched firework displays from around the lake from it’s eagle’s eye location. Listened to Maine loons.

    Last night the annual pick up sticks around the Maine lake home spring ritual yielded larger around branches, limbs. The wind this winter in Maine was a few miles per hour faster, stronger, memorable. Trees can show you without words being spoken, exchanged. Roof shingles, house trim and windows also felt the pain. Showed area results of wind’s hammering, especially in the month of January.

    This lonesome pine misses the kids who played in sight, around it and out on the water of a Maine lake.

    They have left the nest, visit from time to time but on with their lives unfolding elsewhere. I stooped, picked up and latched on to the biggest lost limbs, branches I have ever seen from this gentle giant this spring. Usually the smaller birches, maples, mountain ash, beech, butternut and one token oak are the limb, branch losers. Not the stately old pine. This year was different.

    But not one to ever complain and knowing the test of time, the meaning of patience. Forced to stand in one place. In the corner of the Maine land lot. But not because of anything naughty, not being disciplined for any wrong doing. Trees other than in Dorothy’s world far away from Kansas that moved, threw apples. Or the wise, elderly forest ones Bilbo Baggins and his friends encountered on adventures are not typical timber.

    I have to ask my friend the lover of woodlots, forestry stands Bob Mathews or Donnie Collins how old this lone pine really is. The lighthouse tall visible guide for boaters to avoid the reef of rocks jutting out from the passage of the little to the big lake at Drews. When you cut the corner or need a guide as daylight fails and moonlight logs on. Punches the time clock to take over for a day in Maine on the waterfront. She has seen her share of sunrises, sunsets and we all know no two are alike. Come share a few. Climb in a hammock, sit on an open deck or in the bow of a boat, canoe, kayak.

    Maine, big state, folks appreciate, are more aware of what beauty is around them in the Pine Tree State. Learn more about our types of trees in Maine.

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

  • Pancake Battered Onion Rings, Velveeta Cheese Burgers, Skin Left On Home Made Fries.

    Maine Small Town Pleasures...We Have Lots.
    Good Food, Quality Local Band Music, Small Maine Towns Have It Made.

    When you live in a small Maine town, the pleasures are many and the same size.

    Lots of little things that often involve Maine food. Local trademark specialties from the Mom and Pop owner eatery businesses. Growing up York’s Dairy Bar served onion rings dipped in pancake batter. Large, puffy, fried and seemingly baked at the same time…(stomach growl) and boy, what I would do for a large order to go right now.

    And at the take out window of the dark blue and light creme yellow “The Bus” run by Don Savoy, you could get potato skins left on french fries. Supplied by local Maine spud farmers. Fresh cut to order. Just before taking a quick bath in the boiling grease to come our golden brown. Ready to salt, give a drink of ketchup and a healthy sprinkle of vinegar. (Rumble in the belly) Excuse me. Supper is wearing off, and memories are making me hungry as a Maine black bear after a winter’s hibernation.

    The pizza burgers at Don’s also a crowd favorite.

    Hard to resist and just one more of many that Don served up, dished out. As one of many summer outdoor dining addictive delicacies. Created inside the lighted mobile kitchen. Where kids, families, little leaguers and older ball players, music in the park lovers all crowded round. To take a number. Chit chat and socialize. While starting to drool. Thinking about the order soon to be packed in a plain brown cardboard snack box.

    To settle up the tab, walk over, slide on to an empty picnic table bench. Under the large maple shade trees behind Cary Library. Across from the Aroostook County Sheriff’s department. Always thought it was cruel and abusive to tease the inmates, trustees in the orange jump suits. With the fans of “The Bus” pumping out incredible home made cuisine odors in their direction. The smells of summer cooking to endure, desire but not be able to sample while staying at the crow bar hotel for some infraction.

    Do you have the problem of ordering the same thing off the menu when you visit a particular establishment? Me too. Should be more adventuresome, branch out and try new things. But the tried and tested standards to curb the hunger are not to be ignored. The items that cause the revisit, doubling back for more because the first time ordered becomes a given, pattern.

    Don’s velveeta cheese burgers were a wonderful eeny meeny miney mo choice too. When the dinner bell rang and needed silencing.

    And you had a little expendable cash burning a hole in your pocket as a kid on a bike. Meeting your friends. That also had the same idea in a small Maine town. Deciding to join you to put on the feed bag. Fiddlehead and Shrove Tuesday pancakes, round sausage and corn fritter suppers at the local Episcopal Church were memorable too. Right up there with the flavor of the day Sadie’s Donut and an ice cold Houlton Farms Dairy Chocolate milk to wash down a couple during snack time. Or those from a visit to the Donut Deli at the Parkview Terrace.

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

  • Mrs Guy A Short Lady, Always Smiling, French Accent That You Warmed Up To Quickly.

    Opening Up Your Nest For Boarders..Could You?
    Maine Homes Are Vibrant, Loud, Boisterous. And Some Folks Share The Homes With Boarders.

    Started the Maine real estate listing exercise back in 1979 when I got my broker’s ticket.

    One of the early property owners I was lucky to work with was Mrs Guy. Short, vertically challenged and close to the ground. A small lady that was a dynamo, full of energy, had a keen sense of humor.

    I surveyed the property, a five bedroom home that was modified a lot over the years. She had gone through a divorce, had a family and quickly needed to figure out how to make a living. To put food on the table, hold it all together. So the idea of renting out rooms, running an adult boarding home blossomed. It allowed her to be at home, with the kids and the job juggled nicely.

    As a child grew up and left the nest, that room or area was worked over and put into the Maine boarding home business for a man or woman to call their own living space.

    Many of the boarders had no family. So the way Mrs Guy decorated for Christmas, other holidays provided them with the feeling of home they lacked and that we all need. Ever really think about what it is like to be homeless..no place to hang your hat?

    Careful shopping for food and cleaning supplies needed when you live on a small Maine home income. Up to five boarders the maximum to avoid needing sprinkler systems and more complicated red tape to chainsaw through. And any money the owner made, got plowed back into the property. Slowly making it sided, re-roofed and lots of other updates that only careful money managing helped to create, pay the way to improvements.

    Mrs Guy said she preferred to have men for boarders though.

    She found there was less chance of Suzy is not so wild about Bertha and the drama as they spiraled like cats that don’t get along. She said men were simpler, sat out on the front porch, talked, were happy to be here at her home that she opened up, shared. Also, the scheduling for hair appointments, making sure the medications are correct, refilled and doctor visits running around all added to the busy day to keep the house running smooth. And inviting outsiders if the boarder had family into eat a meal or two with the boarder. Nice. Neat. Considerate.

    Each client, boarder or whatever the politically correct term today for the folks that lived under the same roof had their own private area of the Maine home.

    With a collection of personal items that were unique to them. All they had. And Mrs Guy, her family and friends all added to the life of the boarder who otherwise would have no one to look out for them. To care about them and provide love, attention, conversation. To make them feel important. Treat them with dignity.

    That real estate sale of the boarding home in Maine happeded back in the early 1980’s but still think about Mrs Guy whenever I resold the place or drive by it. Remembering how well she did her job. How gracious she was to share her home and take in these boarders. Tucking them under her wing to help them along. Very capable, tenacious and a warm loving, kind lady that did the best she could to make the most of what she had. Deeply religious, faithful and I think from up in the valley of Northern Maine where French is the common language. That’s the kind of people that make up the 108 small towns of Maine, the few, one handful of cities we have in Vacationland.

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