In Pursuit Of Maine: March 28, 2017 - Strawberry Creek

Saturday, March 28, 2015

March 28, 2017 - Strawberry Creek

The ice is breaking up faster on the coast than it is further inland. Even a few miles make a big difference. This photo is of part of what’s called “Strawberry Creek” in Harpswell, although it’s not really a creek and just eventually leads out into the Casco Bay. But it’s close enough to the land that it freezes solid in the winter. As you can see, it has taken on the temporary “lunar landscape” look as it transitions from frozen to recognizable terra firma with a lovely ocean inlet.

The news brings us stories of places where bulbs are flowering and shoots are sprouting up everywhere on the Earth. They tell us the sun is shining and the birds are singing and the squirrels are chattering back and forth. We hear about gardens being planted. Ladies are wearing sundresses and children are wearing shorts. And everywhere the world is screaming, “Spring!! Spring!!” This is what we have heard.

Here in Maine where the snow and ice still rule, we know these to be the tall tales that they are. Surely, the news exaggerates.

The ice melts on Strawberry Creek.

"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.