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The Advantages To Raising Kids, Growing Up In A Small Maine Town.

Putting Their Small Maine Town On The State Level. Proud Of Our Youth In Maine.

The pros and cons to being a country or city mouse creates a long list to ponder.

Maine is a collection of spread out smaller towns. Over a vast area of land in a pretty big state. That by all rights should be in Canada. Due to its tucked away, up here all by herself. In the right hand corner of the country, end of the line, last outpost like location.

The major lifestyle distinction that hits you with small Maine rural communities is you don’t just live there.

Or simply attend events. You are knee deep in the activities that happen around you. Working behind the scenes and often out in the open so the activity can happen. Because without the home grown involvement from the grassroots up, it would not occur. Not the financial resources to stage, hire it all done. So the local community happenings are richer. Extra special because of the locals putting their back into it in tons of creative ways. To be better than last year’s due to every individual having an integral part. Stepping up, depended on as we all divide up what needs doing.

Besides relying, needing each other to step up and participate in a small Maine town community event, you know all your neighbor on a first name basis. Fewer of them because no sprawling subdivision of Maine homes happens. No neck straining Jack and the Beanstalk high sky scrapper housing projects happen. Large doses of land surround the majority of Maine homes. Many towns with country happening in less than a half mile in any direction surrounding the burg, borough, plantation. We eat better locally grown Maine food too.

No stop light waiting happens in a little traffic, smaller Maine town.

Because of working events from your kids sports, church, school functions to serving on local municipal and civic club boards, you begin to know most people in your community. When you wander into a hardware store on a break from a household project, the clerk and you coached little league. You ask how his mom is doing from her surgery. You know from conversations and local news she took a bad spill a few weeks back. Awareness of others, even worry, a prayer happens in small Maine towns.

You never feel alone, the doors are unlocked, there is just not the daily major crime happening in a small Maine town.

Small Maine towns are filled with a friendly atmosphere. Each smiling member knows they have a distinct part, role in being there. And would be missed, it would be noticed if they were missing. As the void created when a member does pass on and an opening for all the many roles they filled are one by one filled. As other town residents step forward to help out. Continue the tradition in the memory of the beloved volunteer who contributed so much over the years. And set the example for all to follow.

Walk in to a small Maine restaurant, stop for a coffee and pastry, donut at a local convenience store and plan for a conversation.

To be updated on how this or that project is going. To learn who just got back from vacation and pretty much get up to date on how it went this year. Hear how glad they are to be back, how much they missed home. After being in the bright lights, big city entertainment vacation location. Where you attend events, not plan and work them.

Or anything pertaining to our Maine youth, hear the beaming pride for the up and coming basketball, hockey, soccer or whatever team. Doing their part hustling to put the small Maine town on the map. Getting countywide, state level or bigger recognition for the small Maine community to buzz about.

Try to walk a town street, a country road in Maine and not have plenty of motorists roll down the window. Slow to a stop as they ask if you need a lift. Look at your watch and smile as how fast more than one pair of jumper cables shows up as you raise the hood of the station wagon, pickup, jeep when the battery goes click click click dead. For a boost showing you are not alone, that someone cares. And knows you have returned the same favor many times during your stint in a short life in a small Maine town.

Teachers know the kids, watch them grow up in a small Maine village. Had their brother or sister a few years back.

Sat with the same set of parents at private school conferences on how Jane or Jimmy is doing in his or her class this year. In the partnership of what to help with at home discussed together. To provide the 3 “R’s” to gain as much as possible from the valued, respected educator, parents, and student team.

Being more resourceful with what you have, not what you whine about wishing you had. Kids learn early on to make the most of it, be grateful for the silver lining in everything that happens to you. To turn any event good or bad into something useful for a take away. So red flags, missed cues are collected, remember the next time to obtain different results.

Small town Maine living means outdoor fun hiking, biking, fishing, swimming and more.

Being lucky to live in Vacationland with no or very low cost four season entertainment all around you. Year round, not just one vacation week a year and that’s all she wrote until the calendar traded in for a new one. Awareness of the natural beauty that is respected around you taught to kids. Where grandparents on open porches or picnic outings make sure the wisdom of what their longer years has taught them is shared with the rest of the family to benefit, learn from to make life richer. And simpler.

Yeah, I am high about living in a small Maine town. Fun to hit a city for a sporting, entertainment, dining experience but always glad to be back in Aroostook County. The place I am so glad to call home.

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

February 1, 2013
You Are A Sponge… No No Not The Leech Off Someone Kind.

What Makes A Rich, Personal Life Is Not Bought, It Is Shared. Values, Beliefs, Traditions Big In A Small Maine Town.

Years ago when it was little house on the prairie living, being alone in the wilderness was sink or swim.

Do or die. You became resourceful, worked hard to provide food, shelter, safety for your family. Everyone pitched in, had a role. A family was connected, love was evident. Struggles helped define and strengthen the bond. No one parked on couches and watched reality shows. There were endless amounts of chores to do. Much was tied to the weather for deadlines. No debate, arguing, drama or delay happened.

Industry, pride in your work and a deep satisfaction in what you set out to do each day and actually accomplished was a good honest thing.

You were not subjected to spin, endless rhetoric. You did not have what our youngest calls “first world problems” to fret about, fuss over.

Respect for others, greater awareness of the world around you meant little room for selfish. There were fewer people and everyone needed, depended dearly on each other. Your day to day was not one of leisure and slogan reminders of “have it your way” or “you deserve a break today”. Or here, enjoy your personal pan pizza, or hop in a car all alone and drive five hours to pick up a hot new outfit. And then starve for two weeks to fit into it and why?

The need for personal attention may come out of boredom, not enough heavy lifting that you no longer do.

Less physical labor, no long days with great satisfaction for just keeping your head above water. And everyone around you busy bees the same way to survive. Lazy was the worst four letter word you could be labeled with and when you were caught up, you helped others. Everyone cross trained, all labored until the work was done.

Now the freed up time from a ground up, streamlined average day in America means work less, more time to worry about what we want, maybe not need. The shift from making yourself content, happy from within under your own power and being grateful for what you have. To lamenting what you see advertised you wished you had and can not really afford. But buy any way you can. So you are doing your part to carry your portion of the average American plastic credit card debt of $17,0000 each.

Turning off the marketing messages is the first step.

Getting off the couch, spending less time being social online and creating your own life with more exercise will help too. Not trying to mirror someone else rich, famous, popular. Everything you want to change about your own life, like a stalker, their shadow. The expression “get a life” may mean start living your own. Thinking more of the greater good, not “me me me” only. Are we more self centered, all important and that is part of the wrong turn taken a ways back?

Signals, messages, scare tactics, ego stroking saying you deserve more because you are the greatest. Or could be with this product, service, something you are convinced you need to spend money on. Feeling good, artificially for a while. Greener pastures itch needing a scratch perhaps?

Is something missing in your life and can not quite put your finger on it?

You need time spent in a personal garden. It can not be bought, it does not come from a store. It does not involve a medical procedure to look younger, prettier. Although eating better, loosing weight and getting fit, not just trim could help right? It is not something achieved without a new mental outlook and approach you hammer out because it is your life. Not the talking head’s life who is trying to sell you something.

But depression, apathy from wall to wall negative news of horrendous crimes plastered day after day on the newsprint, airwaves takes it toll.

You, me, we are sponges. Testing off the scale for message radiation sickness. That we can not avoid. And the relief is not treat yourself to something you don’t need. It may be fear, worry, anxiety just taking its toll. Helpless feelings of what can you do that really matters as only one person. These are the good old days twenty years from now, when you look back and think how much easier, simple it was. All in the perspective and taking one day at a time to make subtle changes in your life. It is your life right the way you want it to be going, heading?

Maine, simple outdoors natural beauty. Come sample ME.

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

January 31, 2013
Drama, The Good Kind In Maine Theatre Productions.

One Act Plays, Musicals, Comedies, Dance Drama Productions. See Them All In Maine At Every Level.

Few people love drama in their life and try to avoid stress, maintain inner cool to avoid the crazies.

But the good kind of drama that entertains and touches you deeply happens when you attend local Maine theatre events. Whether a children’s theatre production like the Houlton Maine Star Bright group. Or on the state of Maine Drama Festival level. The state of Maine Drama high school competitions are a very worthwhile experience to pencil in on your entertainment social calendar.

On the Maine community drama level, there are lots of companies, production non profit organizations producing memorable theatre works.

The neat local, home grown chemistry of Maine community theatre means someone helped create the set, collecting the props to add to the production. Local talent gave time to memorize their lines, polish up the presentation of the part they play. And local businesses contribute for the close to home fine arts underwriting. So you don’t only see a play or musical, comedy once a year with a trip to the city where they run year round the only other option. The fine arts brought to your home town from within. With Maine local talent for the one act drama, the comedy, musical, etc play production.

The backstage help from a small Maine town is enormous.

Printing programs, advertising and promotion. Maybe adding a dinner to the night out theatre experience. Sewing period costumes to fit the players, actors in taylor made fashion. Hammering, sawing, painting sets. Arranging lights, setting up actor marks for the delivery of lines. The when and where choreographed coordination critical to the timing of the drama production. Along with the sound, make up, and many other “devil in the details” items to create the “on with the show” flow.

As the red, black, whatever color velvet like curtain opens. House lights dim. Everyone murmurring in the audience in anticipation quiets. To when the curtain closes for hopefully a standing ovation. In a not an empty seat in the house situation. With smiling cast hand in hand, smiling, completing another give it all your got presentation to entertain.

Break a leg.

Bust a gut. To get the theatre, drama production group to stay together. Planning the next local event for the local Maine community to enjoy happens on top of the one just completed. Studying the financials, scrutinizing the numbers. Considering the audience before investing in the scripts, props, staging elements. To at least break even or make money to do more lavish, bigger, a tad more intricate productions.

I remember the fun being in a Maine high school drama one act play contest.

Winning the states with seven other actors, all the support group members that made it happen. Going on to the New Englands in Cranston Rhode Island. Staying with out of state families was super. They took me and one of the cast staying with them to a neat Italian restaurant that had a long long waiting line. Thought why not go to another place because standing in the rain. Took an hour to get a table but was quite a spread, worth the delay to a Northern Maine teenager enjoying the out of state, all new surroundings experience.

Here is a list of performing arts, local Maine community theatre companies, organization houses. Maine, lots to the place with the space called Vacationland.

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

January 30, 2013
Do You Take Vitamins, Does The Home Medicine Cabinet Look Like Walgreens, CVS?

Living Healthier Means Spiritually, Physically, Mentally Sharp As A Tack. Or Working To Be. Aware That It All Starts With You.

Food vitamin, mineral supplements, does your bathroom medicine cabinet look well stocked with the A to Z?

Supplements to promote stronger bones, better eye vision. Nutrients to nearly fountain of youth extend your life. Almost. In some reported, documented cases “they” say.

Growing up on a Maine farm it was preached if you ate the abundance of fresh vegetables, home grow food served each meal, you were going to be in the pink.

Healthy as an ox. Pass those garden scallions in vinegar please. Coupled with cleaning out stinking thinking and adding in lots of daily exercise around the homestead with all the land swallowed it west of a small Maine town.

But I remember Durham cows Dad and Mom raised and in time some of the heifers, bulls developed a white muscle disease.

From lack of a trace element called selenium. Selenium is found in metal sulfide ores where it partially replaces sulfur. Doctor Newman showed how to inject selenium to get the cows back on their feet. Into the barn yard fun and breeding games again.

So it makes me think that if eating as much locally grown, close to home produced Maine food as possible, maybe selenium is missing. Not ending up down the gullet, hatch. In the foodstream of our feedbag. Selenium can be destroyed in food production, lost before making it to the Maine dinner table. So here is more on Selenium and foods rich in it.

On the Maine farm mineral licks cured the selenium deficiency in the cow’s diet. Not thinking kerplopping a big, heavy square mineral supplement on the home kitchen bar. Slurping, taking long tongue swipes with the morning coffee as I read the Bangor Deadly. With the zillion bottles of this and that being peddled sometimes everywhere you turn. With the earnest desire of a snake oil salesman’s scare tactics about you heading to an early grave if you don’t pop a few. With charm and concern, suggesting downing the daily requirement of selenium could not hurt right? If done in moderation.

Eldest brother Stephen’s refrigerator has always looked like a home vitamin locker.

Not much room for food. Rows, bags, boxes of supplements. A big believer in vitamns. Eagle eyed about nutrition for years. Monitoring what he takes religiously. And big on vitamin education, advances. Anything out there that explains why this is good, too much of that is bad. Have to hit him up next conversation about selenium, his stance, what he knows about it.

What vitamin do you swear by, what nutrient can you stand up and honestly tell the room it made a whiz bang difference in your life? Once you started popping a few each day.

Maine, big state, we are all connected in a neat way because way way less of us populate Vacationland.

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

January 29, 2013
Common Sense, Used To Be All We Had To Guide Each Day To Day.

Do You Use Common Sense In Living Your Life? Inquiring Minds Want To Know.

Living by your own wits, developing life survival skills.

Sink or swim. Do or die, life or death reality means common sense embraced, to guide your actions, steps. Even thoughts. The logic of the way things roll, the reality of what is happening, could happen differently with a seasoning of good old common sense.

Around you, on the news, in conversations, have you noticed common sense is drowning? Suffocated by rhetoric, spin, hidden agenda campaigns or sheer apathy. If there was more shared common sense applied to everything from child rearing to personal happiness, wouldn’t the world be a better place?

Obituary printed in the London Times recently to ponder.

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:

– Knowing when to come in out of the rain;
– Why the early bird gets the worm;
– Life isn’t always fair;
– And maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don’t spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.

It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.

Common Sense took a beating when you couldn’t defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death,
-by his parents, Truth and Trust,
-by his wife, Discretion,
-by his daughter, Responsibility,
-and by his son, Reason.

He is survived by his 5 stepbrothers;
– I Know My Rights
– I Want It Now
– Someone Else Is To Blame
– I’m A Victim
– Pay me for Doing Nothing

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone.

If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing.

Maine, big state, hopefully more day to day use of common sense applied to our decision, policy making. Common sense still applies on all levels from our kitchen table discussions, household family raising and business life activities.

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

January 28, 2013
The Crunch Of New Maine Snow Follows Your Footsteps On The Way To The Barn.

Making Sure Farm Fences Are Secure, The Animals Are Fed. Crops Planted, Cultivated, Harvested While Building Repairs Are Done In “Spare” Time.

Up early on the Maine farm. Knowing animals inside the barn are waiting.

Part of your daily routine to hay, grain, water and clean out. When the weather agrees, turning the horses, cows outside to run is in the cards. But if freezing rain, northwest winds pick up, shelter is needed for the furry four legged farm friends.

As the barn door black wrought iron slide latch is lifted, the push forwards causes a familiar greeting creak.

And body heat from the animals inside the box and standing stalls hits you as warmer. Than the air temperature trudging through the new snow to do morning Maine farm chores was.

The ponies Sugar Daddy, Thunder and Frito closest to the door. Watching as you enter from the bright light of outdoors. Fiddling, groping in the dark for the overhead light switch. That when twisted, illuminates the long line of horse, cow and small animal stations. The big brown and black pair of eye animals are glad you are here. What kept you they wonder? Not like a dog jumping up and down glad. Not like a cat winding round and round your legs hoping for a can opener sound or a new bowl full of dry food. But humbly glad just the same because it’s meal time.

The animals in the Maine farm barn one by one get a few flakes of hay.

Stored in bales overhead the barn loft. Where you climb a wooded ladder to access the hay mow. And open a trap door, drop down the correct number of bales you will need to feed all the hay burning critters below.

The haying and graining done first. Before watering so the meal sticks to the animal’s insides. And does not just wash through their system. The frostless water valve for filling the bucket hanging in each standing or boxed stall does not work this cold morning. Frozen, because the red mercury as you rubbed your eyes this morning sunk to a new low. Recalling where in the glass thermometer it registered. When scanned, glanced at out the farm house kitchen window. While sampling the first fresh black coffee cup of the day. As you dress warmly, layered for farm barn chores.

No frustration sets in, watering just has to be done the hard way.

So get out the green long hose sections. Wade back to the Maine farm house some distance away from the barn. Whip off the hand knit mittens someone at church made you. Screw on, attach the first section of hose. Before bee lining through the white fluffy snow to the barn. Uncoiling several installments. To one by one water, fill up each pail to the brim.

As you do the morning chores, you are watched, studied.

You squeeze by each animal in a standing stall. Talk to them as you fill the manger. Give them a pat. Scratch behind the ear. To let them know “Good Morning”. Some like people kick, bite, require you to beware. Be careful. Draining the hose for watering when done. Coiling it, hanging it back up. Storing it for the next session if the heat tape you just plugged in does not thaw the frozen water line for more barn refreshment rounds that evening. For the another agriculture Maine farm adventure before bedtime. Early morning arrives before most people are up with this many head and just you playing the unplugged center farm stage solo.

The wheelbarrow from out behind the barn at the bottom of the ramp of planks. Used to climb the manure pile at high ramp speed. Getting a run for it when loaded and don’t veer off the stairway to Heaven. Two handed bouncing on the single front ribbed tire. Pushed back empty on the barn return flight. Through the back door to the stable. And parked, filled with a pitch fork at a time process to clean out the gutter trough behind each standing stall. Then wheeled into the box stalls to tidy up, perform “housekeeping”. Just without the plastic room card key tapping, foreign barely knows English voice like on a cruise ship door too early in the morning. The manure cleaned out replaced with new, fresh litter cedar shavings or golden straw bedding. The pile behind the barn you create rich, the finest kind natural fertilizer for the spring pasture and field dressing spread ritual.

All the time working thinking more and more often of the style of eggs you will have today.

Big orange yellow double yolk farm fresh ones plucked from under your own laying hens. Pondering the preserves you want today on your home made toast. Mentally preparing for cutting green peppers, onions, mushrooms to mix into your skillet home fries. Hearing the bacon or sausages sizzling. Getting ready in concert to fill the hole in your stomach from the morning farm chores heave ho, off to the barn you go exertion. The fresh Maine air on your farm work out where you know what you are eating. Where it comes from, how it was raised.

Maine, big state with the simple living, the space to enjoy a natural, wholesome uncomplicated lifestyle.

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

January 26, 2013