Two heartfelt Central Maine stories (Guilford: homeowners insurance, house, buying) - (ME) - City-Data Forum

notaliberal · 09-01-2016, 01:56 PM

Hello everyone,

I want to share a couple of very special, encouraging moments that occurred after I bought my retirement home in Maine.

The house has hydronic baseboard heat and a nice woodstove in the cellar. It was still winter so I decided to order 2 cords of firewood. I called a locally advertised number and told the guy where I lived and that I would be back in a week to take delivery. Two days later I'm back in NY and I get a text from my caretaker, (he was the listing agent, has the keys to my home and plows for me.) He wrote I'm in your basement. I'm measuring your woodstove. Firewood guy has seasoned logs and wants to cut them to match your set up. So I called him right away to thank him... I never thought to measure for stove length. When I got back to Maine I was surprised to see a massive pile of firewood already there, neatly covered with a tarp. Amazed really, as in NY no one would ever deliver anything without payment first, especially considering I had never met this man before.

Later that evening I went downstairs to carry some boxes into storage and was astonished to see that some of the delivery had already been carried inside and stacked! Apparently, my caretaker had met the firewood guy there. Probably helped carry some of it in. I do not know as he never mentioned anything to me about it. They just did it. For me. That's how folks are in Maine. Next to my woodstove was a nearly perfect rectangle of 1/2 to 1 inch kindling roughly the same size as my stove, tightly bundled with twine. All Ashwood. And next to that was a box of wooden stick matches. They even loaded the stove for me! All I had to do was strike a match. I sat down on that stack of firewood and nearly wept. I'm from NY. I'm not used to being treated this way. It was transformational. A feeling I will never forget.

To obtain homeowners insurance I had to have a series of wireless sensors installed by my fuel service company. My insurance lady was extremely concerned about frozen pipes since the house would not be continuously occupied. I made arrangements to have the necessary work completed and needed to provide them with a key to get in and to hold onto in case of some future emergency. It's an 8 hour ride up so I was unsure exactly what time I would arrive. The lady at the fuel service company said we're here till noon Saturday but if you're running late YOU CAN LEAVE YOUR HOUSE KEYS AT THE SHELL STATION IN GUILFORD. THE YOUNG MAN THERE WILL SEE TO IT THAT WE GET YOUR KEYS. I was speechless. Stunned. Her words brought me back in time. Long ago, when I was very young, it was like that here too. Those days are long gone. No mom and pop gas stations down here anymore. None. No mom and pop anything. Around here it would be unthinkable to leave your house keys at any gas station. The owners all look like Islamic clerics, their employees madrasa students.

There may be poverty and a lack of jobs in Maine but I have discovered there a genuine camaraderie that still exists. We don't have that anymore in NY and what's really sad is that most people do not even realize what we have lost. It is not possible to quantify or put a price tag on such a strong sense of community.

I am so happy to have landed in this very special place.

mainebrokerman · 09-02-2016, 04:17 AM

wow!! thanks for sharing those stories!!

i always try to "pay it forward" when i can because ive had some times that mainers went out of their way and didn't have to

in a town called unity many years ago. ... i was going too fast and the road was icey, and this car was taking a left,,,so i went off the road to avoid hitting her ..no brake traction

I'm all pissed off ..upset at myself because i was going too fast ..

looking at my car in the ditch....

within 5 minutes an old truck... pulled up just in front of my car,,,,,a guy gets out....doesn't even say hi ..and hooks up my car and this truck pulls my car out of the ditch...
the guy unhooks it I'm fumbling in my wallet to throw a 20.00 at them and they just drive away ... not taking any money and not saying anything..

TRlaura · 09-02-2016, 07:05 AM

That is the Maine I grew up in, although I do see signs of this in Wisconsin where I now reside. I travel for work quite a bit and have often come home to a plowed driveway that was done by a "ghost". Once when I had a load of wood delivered I looked out my window the next morning and the neighbor farmers boys were out there stacking it up. Thanks for sharing, you will like it there.

Hockeygirl063 · 09-02-2016, 05:03 PM

It is always a great feeling to pay it forward.

Recently i was buying some groceries and the lady n front of me didn't have enough money so I paid for part of her grocery's that was not covered. She graciously thanked me. Mde me smile and my daughter was with me so she learned something too

Northern Maine Land Man · 09-02-2016, 07:02 PM

If you are stopped beside the road in winter, somebody will stop to see if you re OK. If your driveway has already been cleared of snow and the town plow plows it in. Somebody will often open it up if they know you are elderly.

Hockeygirl063 · 09-03-2016, 11:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Northern Maine Land Man

If you are stopped beside the road in winter, somebody will stop to see if you re OK. If your driveway has already been cleared of snow and the town plow plows it in. Somebody will often open it up if they know you are elderly.

This warms my heart. . It seems like people here are not as nice they are more suspious. Not everyone. But once we got a flat tire going up Interstate 5 and not a single person even slowed down and asked if jay needed any help

Submariner · 09-03-2016, 05:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hockeygirl063

This warms my heart. . It seems like people here are not as nice they are more suspious. Not everyone. But once we got a flat tire going up Interstate 5 and not a single person even slowed down and asked if jay needed any help

A couple times my wife has came home, and had me to go out to check on broken down vehicles.

DeanGuitarist · 09-04-2016, 11:58 AM

Reading stories like this gives me joy. Like there IS hope for humanity. The more I read into Maine, the more it calls me. I live in Louisiana. Some of the people here are down to earth. But...most of the people here are fake. My wife and I are looking for a slower pace of life and be welcomed. I am one of those guys in these stories that look out to help. I'm on the fire dept here full time, and looking to carry on up there as a volunteer.

Hockeygirl063 · 09-05-2016, 01:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ddhanks

Reading stories like this gives me joy. Like there IS hope for humanity. The more I read into Maine, the more it calls me. I live in Louisiana. Some of the people here are down to earth. But...most of the people here are fake. My wife and I are looking for a slower pace of life and be welcomed. I am one of those guys in these stories that look out to help. I'm on the fire dept here full time, and looking to carry on up there as a volunteer.

I feel the same way. It is calling to me. I just need to convince my other half.

I like the much about the NW but ever since I was a kid I really wanted to live in Maine and almost moved there in the late 80's but my then boyfriend wanted to go back west so we did. I even had a job lined up in EMS. Sometimes i wish we had gone to Maine instead of Seattle but then I would not have my soulmate or have my beautiful daughter. Things happen for a reason or so they say.

I am not giving up on getting to Maine.

notaliberal · 09-05-2016, 03:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mainebrokerman

wow!! thanks for sharing those stories!!

i always try to "pay it forward" when i can because ive had some times that mainers went out of their way and didn't have to

in a town called unity many years ago. ... i was going too fast and the road was icey, and this car was taking a left,,,so i went off the road to avoid hitting her ..no brake traction

I'm all pissed off ..upset at myself because i was going too fast ..

looking at my car in the ditch....

within 5 minutes an old truck... pulled up just in front of my car,,,,,a guy gets out....doesn't even say hi ..and hooks up my car and this truck pulls my car out of the ditch...
the guy unhooks it I'm fumbling in my wallet to throw a 20.00 at them and they just drive away ... not taking any money and not saying anything..

Your welcome, mainebrokerman. My pleasure. I meant to post this a long time ago but things have been so crazy down here... No time for anything online. In Maine I do not have an Internet connection. I do not even have a radio in the house. That is by design. I need to get back up there to re-synchronize and connect with the natural world.

And thank you all for the nice quick reputation comments. Very, very nice people in Maine.