In Pursuit Of Maine: November 3, 2019 - The Secret Kiss

Sunday, November 3, 2019

November 3, 2019 - The Secret Kiss

They only meet on occasion and always in secret. The hidden birch waits quietly, while around her the riotous green growth of the other trees and plants dominates the landscape in a fantastic cascade of breathtaking being. Then comes the masquerade ball where they all wear their most colorful costumes, and the band promises to play forever while they waltz away into the night, singing carelessly and childishly. Yet still the birch waits silently and patiently.

But the band has not told the truth. It does not play forever, after all, and one by one the guests leave, their costumes dragging behind them. Each covertly holds the idea that surely this time they have gone too far, and atonement looms on the horizon. There are no flowers to be found anywhere. Now they fade off into obscurity and impoverishment. Still the birch waits quietly for the fleeting moment, the secret.

Then the Sun hits a certain angle in the western sky as He arcs toward the Underworld, and finally the secret is revealed. He bathes the birch in kisses of gold light that drip slowly down her trunk, and the two embrace in a passion of long lost love found once again. The surrounding area is hushed in the brilliance of the embrace, watching a timeless and ethereal enactment of "I AM." Then He dips quietly below the horizon, and the world falls quickly into dusk. A cold wind picks up seemingly out of nowhere. All eyes lower to the ground, and the birch waits silently and expectantly once again.

"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.