In Pursuit Of Maine: January 13, 2015 - Upside Down

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

January 13, 2015 - Upside Down

I’m not really sure where the sky ends or begins here, and the same goes for the ground. So it may be that I have been walking on the sky all along and just haven’t known it. I think it’s entirely possible. The glare from the snow is so severe that it’s hard to see anyhow, so what difference would it make?

Who knew that green was so important? I certainly didn’t. But now I think it must be the green plants that keep us on the ground, that let us know that the ground is the ground. Since we don’t have any green in winter, we don’t have anything to anchor us and the sky begins to play games with us. It says, “Come on up!” And since we haven’t got any green as a reference point, we just run willy nilly right on up to it. Typical humans--we never look before we leap.

I don’t really think it’s fair for the sky to take advantage of us like that, although we don’t have as much shoveling to do when we’re up there, so there’s that. Maybe it’s just lonely, after all. The Earth gets to kiss us all the time, and the sky just looks on from a distance. So, if you go out today and walk through snowy fields and the clouds come in, as they are wont to do in winter, close your eyes for a minute and then just jump. Jump really high! There’s no green to grab you and hold you back now. Might as well enjoy it while you’ve got it. Soon enough the Earth will pull you back to your chores.

Where does the sky end and the ground begin?

"The Plain Maine Cookbook" is my own collection of vintage Maine recipes that will immediately bring you back to a simpler time, a less confused time. These recipes are more than just comfort food. They're family food, traditional food, simple food, plain food. One bite and you'll say, "Ah, yes! I remember my grandmother used to make this. I had forgotten all about it!" Recipes for whoopie pies, funnel cakes, fried fiddleheads, haymaker's switchel, coffee can bread, glogg, and much more are in these pages. There is even a recipe on how to render lard. So open the door and go back to some simple, time-tested foods you can prepare easily. You'll find that you save money and waste less by "making do" with commodity cooking. What's in the pantry or in the garden is what's for dinner.

"So You Want to Move to Maine" is an invaluable little book in helping people to make a permanent move to Maine. It will save you a ton of time because all the initial footwork is done for you, including 100 links on how to find work and living quarters, getting your driver's license, pet requirements, programs for people with disabilities, programs for senior citizens, getting married in Maine, hidden taxes and expenses, hospitals, health insurance, handling a real winter like a pro, etc. Stop being "just a number" or another face in the crowd. Walk away from the rat race. Become boldly individualistic and make your mark in life. You can still do that in Maine, one of the last holdouts of ordinary, old-fashioned, kind, and decent American living.

I’ve chosen 37 unique fairy tales that will be loved by both adults and children as they can be read and interpreted on many levels. But if you are looking for only sweet tales that end in joy and fairness, you may want to pass this book by. Some fairy tales are simply “dark,” and that is because sometimes life is simply dark. Not always, of course, but often enough. Sometimes the hero lives; sometimes he dies. Check out my book, “Fairy Tales of Maine,” in the photo link below. If you are brave, you might just meet yourself in one of these tales.