Archive for the ‘ Living in Maine ’ Category
So, I’m going to a retreat for work tomorrow. It’s at a board member’s house on Little Sebago Lake. Should be nice, though I hate going anywhere west in Maine due to the lack of an east-west highway in the state.
I mapped out the route from Brunswick. Here’s what it looks like:
It’s true what they say here in Maine. You just can’t get there from here.
Ugh.
Election time is in full effect right now. While they may just be mid-term elections, there are some pretty important people and items to vote on next month.
I was visited by two local candidates running for office this past weekend. Both made impressions on me, and I was able to decide exactly who I would be voting for in this particular race.
Here’s how not to get my vote:
That was the second person that came to my house.
The first person knocked on my door right as I was ushering my older son, G, out the door to go to soccer and my husband was taking our screaming 22 month old, Biz, upstairs for an overdue nap. The candidate smiled, handed me a flyer and gave me a quick introduction. She asked for my vote, noted the email on the flyer and told me to contact her with any questions I might have.
Short, sweet and to the point. She knew it was a bad time and moved on.
I take voting seriously. I don’t miss elections. As a citizen, I believe that it is my right to have my voice heard, whether it’s by attending a local town council meeting, contacting my legislators or casting a ballot. When I don’t have all the information about a candidate or issue, I seek it out.
I actually didn’t think I’d end up voting for the first candidate. Until I met the second one.
If you’re running for office, don’t think that you’ll get a vote just because you show up to someone’s house. And be careful about what you say. Someone might start complaining on Facebook or blogging about your ill chosen words.
Update (10/16/10): A couple days ago, another person came to my door. The person was representing another local candidate and left a flyer with my husband. Later that evening, I noticed a sign for the candidate displayed in front of my house. I immediately took it down.
If you want my endorsement, you need to ask for it.
There are a lot of reasons why my family lives in Maine. There’s the ocean, the mountains, the endless amount of state parks, the fairs and festivals, the five seasons (mud season falling between winter and spring), the rugged independence. Another reasons is for days like Maine Maple Sunday.
On the fourth Monday in March, sugarmakers around the state open the doors of their sugarhouses to the public. You can learn how maple syrup is produced and watch the process in action. Most sugarmakers also have maple syrup tastings and offer tons of maple treats to eat and drink. Some even have live music. It’s pretty fun and typically requires a good pair of boots (being mud season and all).
We went to Goranson Farm in Dresden for the 3rd year in a row. Biz was much more manageable this year. Last year, he freaked out in the line to get into the sugar shack, and we ended up having to quickly scoop up some maple treats and go home. Of course, he was only 4 months old and not used to the cool Maine air in March. While there definitely was a chill in the air this year (in contrast to the spring-like weather we had the weekend before), overall it was a great day for sugar making.
We got to the farm early enough to get into the sugarhouse without having to wait in line or press up against other people in the small, steamy structure. We danced to some pretty cool music (Irish?) played by 3 men with really cool instruments that I couldn’t identify for G. Um. I think that’s some sort of bag pipe and a weird-looking accordion. We ate maple sundaes (vanilla ice cream topped with maple syrup) and drank maple tea (black tea, maple syrup, orange juice and apple cider). The boys played on tractors and trudged in the mud.
The best part about Maine Maple Sunday is that it means spring is just around the corner.
another jennifer 