Maine: The Way Life Should Be...well, Okay

Late winter 020

I've been researching "Life in Maine" recently to get an idea of how people actually do survive up here. After a more typical type of New England winter when the snow started flying in November and is now around 6 feet deep in March, it's been an appreciation course in how "NOT to be prepared for winter." My husband commented the other day that living in Maine is not a life--it's an adventure. This is especially true if you're from Texas. My hunt for some enlightenment turned up some real treasures. The scenery in Maine is not the only thing that's colorful up here--the born and bred Mainers fit the description pretty well, too. And if not "born and bred," those who have moved here and actually continued to stay here--year round--offer some great insights, too. Perhaps even better from my perspective, since people who grew up here don't realize how different it is from the rest of the nation. If you're looking for some true character-building, this is the place to be! We (and most anyone will agree who lives here) have to really want to live in Maine to live in Maine. We also have concluded that we really want to live in Maine. Here's a quote from one site I visited that also has some great anecdotes:

Ambition Unlimited - Limited Opportunities
I have to believe that if jobs were easy to come by here,
the population of Maine would soon rival California.
Or at least Rhode Island. So, in a sense, "the struggle"
to make a go of it here contributes in a big way to making Maine
"the way life should be."

http://www.bobfenton.com/responder/4th.htm

This next site is a husband/wife team that provides some great info on gardening, etc. Her husband takes over in the humor dept. by providing a "Guide for Newbies" in Maine. Very clever (and close to the truth)!

http://www.mainecottagegarden.com/humor/Guide_Book.html

Did I mention that many up here are far from politically-correct? Here's an example...

http://www.viekman.net/

Here's a great selection of books by local authors I found from the Waterboro Library. With titles like Man Bites Log: The Unlikely Adventures of a City Guy in the Woods  you can't go wrong! My question is, "why doesn't L.L.Bean carry more of these books?"

http://www.waterborolibrary.org/oldsite/bkrural.htm#MENFict

http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/eBook24151.htm

People in Maine are also very helpful--or at least they try to be (hint: don't ask anyone for directions. That's right, no one.) Other than directions, however, they have a wealth of good advice on gardening tips and things pertaining to homesteading or farming. I discovered these great sites for this kind of info:

http://www.farm-garden.com/feature

 http://www.umext.maine.edu/onlinepubs/htmpubs/2433.htm

I also love the idea of the "Farm B&B" and discovered these sites. They offer an alternative to the typical B&B where you can help milk goats or cows (or just watch!) and pick produce fresh from the garden or orchard. There are a bunch to choose from--I want to check more of these out in the future:

http://www.theheartofnewengland.com/Farm-Stays.html

http://www.high-view-farm.com/

Enjoy--and perhaps see you in the summertime!