UPDATE'S, Where are you in life, and your move to Maine (Milo: insurance, appliances)

[starwalker]

We have been quite pleased with the variety and selection in the local IGA store here in Milo. It is a small store, "grocery store" rather than "supermarket" but with many things that I have not even been used to seeing at the supermarkets in other places. Nice vegetables, reasonable prices too... two kinds of "natural" peanut butter (just peanuts and salt kind...) for example where most stores have only one, a name brand, if any.

But, as we began discovering the Monday night we moved in, they do tend to "roll up the sidewalks" a bit earlier than we are used to... On that night we found, at 5 till 7, that one of the two pizza joints in town was closing at 7 and would not serve us. Fortunately the other stays open later and had excellent pie! And, on Sunday eve, the IGA closes at 5. And last Sunday we needed potatoes and possibly cranberry sauce, as I was cooking the half-turkey, thawed and left over from Thanksgiving. When we discovered that none of the places remaining open that claimed to have "groceries" had any sort of instant potatoes at all, we decided to punt with rice, but on the way home followed our noses, exploring a road we had not been down. Eventually we ended up on a "good" road headed west, which seemed to be going somewhere, so we followed it. I guessed it would end up in Dover-Foxcroft, and I was right. And lo and behold, there on a Sunday eve in this fair town (of more size than Milo) there was a Save-A-Lot store within sight of where we entered town and it was OPEN! Not only did we find our instant 'taters and the cranberry sauce, we also found a wonderful Maine-made, refrigerated cranberry-apple cider and many other unexpected treats... Lemon curd being one... something K had searched for, high and low and unsuccessfully, in NC.

This evening, after a visit to the Bangor PO to get the forward turned off (and still wondering how much of my mail had been running back and forth between ME and NC over the week...) I opted to take my "old" route across town (to avoid congestion at the downtown onramp to I95) and in the process spotted a massage office and booked a session for Thurs late afternoon! WooHoo... I will be able to move soon!

But on the way back home, after getting back on the Interstate, I was wool-gathering and missed the exit to Milo. Once. I will NEVER do that again... for it is MILES and MILES (of bog, and wonderful trees but never the less a frustrating digression when you want to be headed HOME) to the nearest offramp. (I waved as I passed Argyle...)

This morning, on the way in to training, just as the sun was rising, I composed this poem:

Red birch twigs
Flame with the rising sun,
Stark against sky and sleeping earth.
I envision the sun-warmed bark
Calling forth renewed life;
Sap rising from underground slumber
As the season turns.

And we now have not only our fridge but also safe, new steps with a hand rail! Time to start looking for our permanent digs! <g>

[elston]

Red birch twigs
Flame with the rising sun,
Stark against sky and sleeping earth.
I envision the sun-warmed bark
Calling forth renewed life;
Sap rising from underground slumber
As the season turns.

"Turn turn turn turn
To everything there is a season
And a time for every purpose under heaven."

I am following and enjoying your chronical.

[maine4.us]

I'm glad I am not the only one who misses an exit. I have missed the exit to my house several times, and it is 3 miles across a river bridge to the next exit, and of course 3 miles back, and then gridlock on the offramp in all 3 lanes. Sounds like you have learned your lesson....

You know if businesses all closed on Sunday, we would make our trips count on Saturday. It would be nice for families to spend at least one day together. Closing early lets the owners get home, relax, rest, and get ready for another day. We seem to have lost site of that in the US. What families and rest are all about! Let's hurry up and get moving so we can sit still in traffic.

[mainebrokerman]

Originally Posted by starwalker

We have been quite pleased with the variety and selection in the local IGA store here in Milo. It is a small store, "grocery store" rather than "supermarket" but with many things that I have not even been used to seeing at the supermarkets in other places. Nice vegetables, reasonable prices too... two kinds of "natural" peanut butter (just peanuts and salt kind...) for example where most stores have only one, a name brand, if any.

But, as we began discovering the Monday night we moved in, they do tend to "roll up the sidewalks" a bit earlier than we are used to... On that night we found, at 5 till 7, that one of the two pizza joints in town was closing at 7 and would not serve us. Fortunately the other stays open later and had excellent pie! And, on Sunday eve, the IGA closes at 5. And last Sunday we needed potatoes and possibly cranberry sauce, as I was cooking the half-turkey, thawed and left over from Thanksgiving. When we discovered that none of the places remaining open that claimed to have "groceries" had any sort of instant potatoes at all, we decided to punt with rice, but on the way home followed our noses, exploring a road we had not been down. Eventually we ended up on a "good" road headed west, which seemed to be going somewhere, so we followed it. I guessed it would end up in Dover-Foxcroft, and I was right. And lo and behold, there on a Sunday eve in this fair town (of more size than Milo) there was a Save-A-Lot store within sight of where we entered town and it was OPEN! Not only did we find our instant 'taters and the cranberry sauce, we also found a wonderful Maine-made, refrigerated cranberry-apple cider and many other unexpected treats... Lemon curd being one... something K had searched for, high and low and unsuccessfully, in NC.

This evening, after a visit to the Bangor PO to get the forward turned off (and still wondering how much of my mail had been running back and forth between ME and NC over the week...) I opted to take my "old" route across town (to avoid congestion at the downtown onramp to I95) and in the process spotted a massage office and booked a session for Thurs late afternoon! WooHoo... I will be able to move soon!

But on the way back home, after getting back on the Interstate, I was wool-gathering and missed the exit to Milo. Once. I will NEVER do that again... for it is MILES and MILES (of bog, and wonderful trees but never the less a frustrating digression when you want to be headed HOME) to the nearest offramp. (I waved as I passed Argyle...)

This morning, on the way in to training, just as the sun was rising, I composed this poem:

Red birch twigs
Flame with the rising sun,
Stark against sky and sleeping earth.
I envision the sun-warmed bark
Calling forth renewed life;
Sap rising from underground slumber
As the season turns.

And we now have not only our fridge but also safe, new steps with a hand rail! Time to start looking for our permanent digs! <g>

very good poem!! keep em coming...

once ya go past the alton exit,, the next one is howland,,quite a ways..
i went up thru there this am,,,saw four deer laying down between the highways (under the evergreens)

[starwalker]

Originally Posted by maine4.us

I'm glad I am not the only one who misses an exit. I have missed the exit to my house several times, and it is 3 miles across a river bridge to the next exit, and of course 3 miles back, and then gridlock on the offramp in all 3 lanes. Sounds like you have learned your lesson....

You know if businesses all closed on Sunday, we would make our trips count on Saturday. It would be nice for families to spend at least one day together. Closing early lets the owners get home, relax, rest, and get ready for another day. We seem to have lost site of that in the US. What families and rest are all about! Let's hurry up and get moving so we can sit still in traffic.

While I do not take a Sunday sabbath, I do appreciate the tradition of a "day of rest"... and honestly was surprised to find as many places here in the more rural areas that are open on Sunday. What puzzles me the most... the local hardware store in Milo has Sunday hours, IN THE MORNING! They close at noon... I am more used to short Sunday hours, being from 1-5 or there abouts...

We do our major marketing on Saturday ... or Friday night... once we are settled... but last Sunday we were not even close to settled... did not even have the fridge in yet. Still have boxes of "non-essential" food in storage... hopefully that will be resolved this weekend, as well as finding the rest of my work duds. I have two "good outfits" that I have found to date... and 5 days of training this week...

[Bydand]

I know it in a hurry if I miss the exit going towards my place. Next stop, Canada. Kind of felt like a dork the time I did miss it and had to turn around in customs. Kind of like, nope changed my mind, really don't want to go over across.

[msina]

[quote=starwalker;3112923]What puzzles me the most... the local hardware store in Milo has Sunday hours, IN THE MORNING! They close at noon... I am more used to short Sunday hours, being from 1-5 or there abouts...[quote]

They're open in the morning so you can get to your project before the day is out.

[bignhfamily]

[quote=msina;3118510][quote=starwalker;3112923]What puzzles me the most... the local hardware store in Milo has Sunday hours, IN THE MORNING! They close at noon... I am more used to short Sunday hours, being from 1-5 or there abouts...

They're open in the morning so you can get to your project before the day is out.

That's right. Stores with short Sunday hours are closing around lunch time on Sundays.
Seems like the growing trend is to just be open all day on Sunday and even holidays.
There's not much in our town but 20 minutes away there is Walmart, Home Depot, Hannafords, etc. Some of them don't even close down for Thanksgiving and Christmas nowadays. Really gets me mad that the almighty dollar is more important to these corporations than letting their employees be at home with their family's for the holidays.

[forest beekeeper]

Originally Posted by starwalker

WE are in temporary digs in Milo... more later but for now, we are here. Many, MANY, MANYthanks to Forest and his son for their strong backs and arms!!! Couldn't have done it without them, as things that were easy to lift in NC had gotten REALLY HEAVY by the time they got to Maine. And heavier yet, from yesterday to today.

But oh, there are stories... Once we get net, tomorrow...

You are welcome.

[forest beekeeper]

Originally Posted by ExAirForce

ahh ok.. where we are in life.... We are both retired Air Force enlisted that spent 3/4 of our time in the military in Europe. We are still here in Germany as Dept Of Defense contractors. The money is great and mostly tax free and we have been saving to make our move back. The military retirement is ok but not enough to "totall retire" on by any means LOL. Our quality of life is ok here in Germany but family and long time friends are "home" in Maine and we are have been so looking to moving back. We know we will make allot less money and have taxes but we should be comfortable and our quality of life will be much more....

I am also retired military, an E-6.

I have found that because I am yet building our house, we need s bit more income. My wife loves working at the commissary, so she does part-time.

With that added part-time income, we have money to continue building.

If our house was already finished, my pension would be more than enough for us.

Having two military pensions, you should be fine.