In Pursuit Of Maine: February 18, 2015 - The Jewels of Winter

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

February 18, 2015 - The Jewels of Winter

There are jewels all around us every day in every season. They sparkle and gleam when the light shines upon them in certain ways. Each season brings its own secret wealth and beauty, and each season’s wealth is fickle and fleeting. The jewels of winter lie mainly in the ice. They form in perfect crystalline structures, guided by the motion of water that has been frozen in time.

In this picture you see the bejeweled edge of a river, like a diamond necklace on the throat of a beautiful woman. Her long-flowing white dress cascades about her, with a train that covers the land. She is the bride of the Lord of Winter. Her jewels gleam as individual perfect little beads, hanging on a fringed edge.

How tempting they are to a jewel thief! The shimmering crystal is more than the thief can bear. Day and night he thinks of nothing else but the bejeweled bride of the Lord of Winter. He plans his heist to occur in broad daylight, scheming to walk in and take the jewels right out from under the noses of the revelers. His plan goes off like clockwork. He enters the ballroom where the couple is dancing, and when he steps upon the floor, his brilliant sunlight illuminates the entire affair.

Then as the gleaming sun-thief shines and warms the party, one by one he steals each jewel from the Lady, beguiling her with duplicitous smiles and leaving with the fortune of winter’s jewels transformed.

The bejeweled necklace of the bride.

"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.