In Pursuit Of Maine: April 18, 2015 - Into The Woods

Saturday, April 18, 2015

April 18, 2015 - Into The Woods

Give me a path into the woods any day. Give me dirt, mud, weeds, and shade-loving ground cover. I’ll take hills and valleys, sharp winding turns, and tree roots poking up everywhere, making the path bumpy and necessarily slow. I’ll take the scent of decaying leaves, the creaking of trees high in the sky, and the chirping of birds. Give me washed out areas full of muck and mire where I have to be clever and invent a way around them. Give me furtive wildlife, sneaking in and out of trees and shrubs, daring me to follow them. I’ll take the dappled sunlight making its way in now and then along with cold breezes.

I’ll take all of it over asphalt and concrete. I’ll take it over clear, smooth, easy, flat paths that are paved or graveled over. Any day of the year, I’ll settle for muddy paths in the woods over brilliant city lights and glamorous entertainment. Anytime you name, I’ll find my fun in figuring out which bird chirped off to the left, which frog is seeking a mate, and which animal burrowed into the ground and made an interesting little den.

I don’t want fancy food or drinks will little umbrellas in them. I don’t need fancy shoes or cars with leather interiors. I don’t want silk trousers or hair dyes or makeup. All I ever really want is the woods and the peace I find therein. I’m simple like that.

Heading into the woods.

"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.