In Pursuit Of Maine: January 1, 2019 - It is January

Tuesday, January 1, 2019

January 1, 2019 - It is January

The relentless ocean sweeps back and forth now in the cove, assaulting the docks built for sunnier days. No boats ride by with friends waving to friends on the shore. Those are just memories from warmer times. Or they might only be dreams; we cannot be sure. There are no fishermen now to confirm the stories. There are just the gulls and the ocean and the wind.

I have seen docks come and go, built up with high hopes and destroyed in a single storm. And still the ocean sweeps back and forth and keeps her coves tidy. The docks mean very little to her. The water reflects the greyness of the sky, or perhaps it is the other way around. Perhaps the sky reflects the greyness of the water. It is January, after all, and the answer is not important.

The swollen wood creaks in the current, and there is a bell clanking in the distance that breaks the howling of the wind. Beginnings are always cold and grey here on the shore. A gull once told me a lie about the golden sun. I smiled but I did not believe him because it was January, and it has always been cold.

"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.