In Pursuit Of Maine: January 11, 2016 - My Tiny Island

Monday, January 11, 2016

January 11, 2016 - My Tiny Island

The ice is very unstable this year (so far), so sneaking out to the enchanted island has not been possible. It still holds just as much magic, however. Perhaps even more so. I’m not sure why I’m so preoccupied with this little island, but I always have been. It’s almost like another planet to me--exotic, far away, forbidden. I want to claim it for my own, and yet I want it to stay untouched by man.

My tiny island.

There are at least 3,000 islands off the coast of Maine, some say 5,000. It’s hard to know exactly how many there are. Some are several acres in size or considerably larger. Some are tiny like this one. Most of the small to medium-sized islands are covered with untouched pine forests. These places are as primitive today as they were when the first pilgrims came to America. Some have rocky shores, and some have small sandy beaches. Many have small log cabins on them. Some are for sale.

This one isn’t and I’m glad it isn’t. I want the magic to stay. At the first hint of a “lawn,” the mystical parts of an island shut themselves out to further offense. Once someone buys an island and inhabits it, the magic usually leaves. Unless you make a bargain with the land, but we’ll say no more about that for now.

"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.