Tag Archives: Life in Maine

Storm reporting from the snowpocapalypse

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Gassing up JBE1 at Pownal Center Store before heading into the teeth of the snowpocalypse.

Gassing up JBE1 at Pownal Center Store before heading into the teeth of the snowpocalypse.

Last night, I watched a press conference by Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick. If this was a comedy sketch, it couldn’t have been funnier. It wasn’t. I posted the video in my previous JBE post, so check it out. Continue reading →

Baffled, but believing

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Maine won’t ever be confused for a literary hotbed. With our low population density (save for Portland), and lack of any real literary engine; like a major publication featuring writers; the state will continue to be known more for lobsters than literature. Continue reading →

Framing things

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Building things is not something I’m a natural at. It’s not an intuitive trait or ability of mine. On a scale of 1 to 10, I’d say I’m probably a three. I might be a bit harsh, but I’m certainly not a 6 or 7.

When I tackle a project, it always seems to take me longer than I planned; or longer than the length of time that a skilled craftsman would accomplish the task in. Continue reading →

Make your milk MOO

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Poster for “Betting the Farm” at Fort Andross

Dairy farming has deep roots in Maine. A few years ago, prior to landing on Moxie as my subject, I contemplated a book about the demise of farming in Maine. That book never got off the ground, but I was struck by some of the numbers and how farming has fallen out of favor in most parts of the state, as well as the rest of country.

Producing milk is one of the leading agricultural activities in the United States. Like other forms of agriculture, science has increased productivity and yields. The number of cows milked, as well as the number of actual farms has been steadily declining since 1970. Former pasture land has been turned into house lots. Continue reading →

Getting our stack on

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My grandfather never went to the gym in his life. When he’d see some high school age runner passing his house, training for their upcoming sport season, or maybe just out for a fitness run, he’d say, “they don’t have enough work to do.” For my grandfather, work never had an off-season.

Despite Opa’s views on work and sports, my uncles all played sports and several of them, including my Uncle Bob, were quite gifted. My Uncle Rhinie played for the vaunted semi-pro Worumbo Indians and in the Army, he was talented enough to play at a level where he caught Rex Barney and was a teammate of former National League batting champ, Harry Walker during WWII.

Wood and the cutting, splitting, and burning of it has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I spent time in the woods working alongside my Opa, my father, and my uncle, beginning at a very young age. Continue reading →

Zumba on parade

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Too bad Americans are so easily diverted. Right now, it’s “silly season,” the period every four years when people take leave of their senses over a couple of issues and reveal their utter lack of understanding about the state of America, let alone their ignorance about our political system and how there’s so little difference between either candidate. Note the “breadth” of the topics touched on tonight.

Actually, most Americans don’t care at all about what happens in Washington. Politics has been handed over to the wealthiest, who decry current tax rates that are the lowest they’ve been in 70 years. In the land of the free, money talks and when you have money like the Koch Brothers, you can drive almost any debate. If you have been paying attention to the tea leaves, you know the train’s left the station, at least for this four-year cycle. Continue reading →

Taking care of your customers

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Tires are important–they are what keeps your car in contact with the road and the basis of a smooth, comfortable ride.

I rely on my tires a lot. When you put on in excess of 20K miles a year, having your tires at peak performance is essential. I’m also a stickler about how my car rides.

This week, I’ve noticed some tire “chatter” that wasn’t there before, especially at highway speeds in excess of 65 mph. Today was the day this week when I had a window of time to take care of my tire issue; otherwise, it would be another week, at least and I’d start to get a bit annoyed knowing that something wasn’t right with my tires. Continue reading →