Where did you come from? / how long have you been in Maine? / what do you think? (Portland: sale, purchase)

[retiredtinbender]

Here's another article on Old Sow: Close Encounters With the Old Sow | Travel | Smithsonian Magazine

The "self-appointed President for Life" is quite infatuated with it. He moved to town and was just taken over by it. Until then nobody had even thought about an Old Sow survivors club. Most were embarresed to have been caught by it even a little. Proof of drinking. Some of the "tales" I've never heard before and neither have some of the old timers I've talked to. Make for a good article though.

[tcrackly]

I've only glanced at some of the replies to this forum. ..Can't resist a chance to toot my horn once again!
I was born in Boston, MA. Roxbury to be specific. My siblings and I went to Catholic school and colleges in MA. I met my Mainea husband on a Katahdhin trail . He was born here but spent a few years around the country as a military brat. I been married and living in Maine for 25 years.
I love the country, the wilder, open spaces, and my winged and four-footed neighbors. As an artist I find it inspiring. As a person, healing.
I think state government needs to divorce from it's MA origins more and be less of a welfare state. I think the legislature and government agencies need to share the sacrifices, just as much as the constituency, in order for state government to operate more efficiently. No more government vehicles in the parking lot of Danish Health Spa in Kittery.
town governments need to weigh the immediate gratification of big box type investments agasinst the long-term costs to residents in the future...then assist smaller businesses more readily.
Priority should be given to fast failing infrastructure, roads, bridges, communications,renewalble energies, utilties with the average homeowner/consumer in mind. I believe if you build it, "they" will come(bigger business). At the same time conservation should not be seen as a luxury, but as a preservation of resources; resources that fuel, heat, feed, and slake the thirst of us all.

I now step down from the soapbox. Next.

[forest beekeeper]

Originally Posted by tcrackly

I've only glanced at some of the replies to this forum. ..Can't resist a chance to toot my horn once again!
I was born in Boston, MA. Roxbury to be specific. My siblings and I went to Catholic school and colleges in MA. I met my Mainea husband on a Katahdhin trail . He was born here but spent a few years around the country as a military brat. I been married and living in Maine for 25 years.
I love the country, the wilder, open spaces, and my winged and four-footed neighbors. As an artist I find it inspiring. As a person, healing.
I think state government needs to divorce from it's MA origins more and be less of a welfare state. I think the legislature and government agencies need to share the sacrifices, just as much as the constituency, in order for state government to operate more efficiently. No more government vehicles in the parking lot of Danish Health Spa in Kittery.
town governments need to weigh the immediate gratification of big box type investments agasinst the long-term costs to residents in the future...then assist smaller businesses more readily.
Priority should be given to fast failing infrastructure, roads, bridges, communications,renewalble energies, utilties with the average homeowner/consumer in mind. I believe if you build it, "they" will come(bigger business). At the same time conservation should not be seen as a luxury, but as a preservation of resources; resources that fuel, heat, feed, and slake the thirst of us all.

I now step down from the soapbox. Next.

Well put

[retiredtinbender]

Originally Posted by tcrackly

I think state government needs to divorce from it's MA origins more and be less of a welfare state. I think the legislature and government agencies need to share the sacrifices, just as much as the constituency, in order for state government to operate more efficiently. No more government vehicles in the parking lot of Danish Health Spa in Kittery.
town governments need to weigh the immediate gratification of big box type investments agasinst the long-term costs to residents in the future...then assist smaller businesses more readily.
Priority should be given to fast failing infrastructure, roads, bridges, communications,renewalble energies, utilties with the average homeowner/consumer in mind. I believe if you build it, "they" will come(bigger business). At the same time conservation should not be seen as a luxury, but as a preservation of resources; resources that fuel, heat, feed, and slake the thirst of us all.

I now step down from the soapbox. Next.

T, I agre with you on the first part. The state leg needs to mellow on the welfare. There are those that should be given a hand up, but there are those everywhere that know how to work the system. I don't know as "big box" is a help to our problems. I think that we need to go back to the small business especially up this part of the state. And we do need conservation but not to the point of limiting jobs. Previous generations knew how to do this and for the most part it worked. But I beklieve we hacve now become too smart, too many and too greedy. We have to have a committee and engineering consultant for everything. When fish heads and entrails from a sardine factory are called pollution (the fish in the bay used to call that food) we've come too far.

IMHO.

[tcrackly]

Originally Posted by retiredtinbender

T, I agre with you on the first part. The state leg needs to mellow on the welfare. There are those that should be given a hand up, but there are those everywhere that know how to work the system. I don't know as "big box" is a help to our problems. I think that we need to go back to the small business especially up this part of the state. And we do need conservation but not to the point of limiting jobs. Previous generations knew how to do this and for the most part it worked. But I beklieve we hacve now become too smart, too many and too greedy. We have to have a committee and engineering consultant for everything. When fish heads and entrails from a sardine factory are called pollution (the fish in the bay used to call that food) we've come too far.

IMHO.

I must not have been clear enough. I'm not advocating the "big box" mentality. I'm against it. When i first started coming to ME as a kid, shoe and textile mills were waning and paper was king. State o' ME let the paper companies control thousands of acres with marginal benefit for the residents. It set a tone for large corporations to get first considerations in tax breaks and municipal easements. Paper did employ a lot. It did, to some degree provide infrastructure and maintain a lot of natural resource. But the newer big corporations that have interests in ME are mostly cookie cutter retailers and resource hoarders like bottlers. For all the natural resources in ME, I think local smaller business or even state run (it they could do it efficiently?) would keep dollars in the state .

[retiredtinbender]

Originally Posted by tcrackly

I must not have been clear enough. I'm not advocating the "big box" mentality. I'm against it. When i first started coming to ME as a kid, shoe and textile mills were waning and paper was king. State o' ME let the paper companies control thousands of acres with marginal benefit for the residents. It set a tone for large corporations to get first considerations in tax breaks and municipal easements. Paper did employ a lot. It did, to some degree provide infrastructure and maintain a lot of natural resource. But the newer big corporations that have interests in ME are mostly cookie cutter retailers and resource hoarders like bottlers. For all the natural resources in ME, I think local smaller business or even state run (it they could do it efficiently?) would keep dollars in the state .

I mu8st hav misunderstood. Sorry, I do that. I agree, most are hoarders and can and usually will cut into someone else to make a buck which generally runs the other out of business. Plus the consumer and the manufacturers take some of the responsibility. The manufacturers (Lamey Wellahan for instance) make a product marginally as well as they used to. My shoes cost me $100 and fell apart in 2 months. But for that cost (I'm embarresed to say) WalllyWorld can keep me in shoes for over a year. They still fall apart after a bit but they are cheaper. It seems it's all about higher profits for them and me.

[gussie]

Well... We have been here since Nov. We lived in Maine in 2002.. we also had a home in Nova Scotia.We sold the house in Canada and figured we would like to try some warmer weather. So we sold the Maine house and travelled down to the Athens, Georgia area. We bought a beautiful home and I got a job in the bakery in A HUGE Kroger store. I won numerous customer service awards. I enjoy helping people and making people feel welcome. We always thought of Maine and the beauty we missed.So , because we were not happy always being in the house in the summer (because of the extreme heat) we said we would like to be back in Maine. We came back to Maine in August, and looked at various homes. We went back to Georgia and thought about it and decided to purchase one of the homes we saw. The house is still for sale in Georgia.Being here for 2 months we have not talked to many people other then the grocery store or walmart.. We are getting stir crazy..I enjoy being here because I am an artist as well as a cook.. but I really miss human contact.. So if by spring I don't have a job.. we will probably end up going back down south...I love Maine ..just wish I would have come here when I was younger......

[reindeerlady]

Hi Gussie, don't you go scaring me, now! I'm in the second half of my personal century (at least, I hope) and although I often doubt that I'm young and able enough to "do" for us, as we hope to keep me at home trying to save us money by growing as much as we can, fixing the place up and doing my quilts to sell online or at shows away. I also make many other things, so I just figure if there's a will, there's a way... Early 50's is still young, in my book!
I don't know where you landed in Maine, but maybe another part of the state will suit better? There seems to be plenty of room to choose from, if you are able to afford it. Our particular problem is we will only be able to afford either a run-down place in order to get a few acres or more, judging from how expensive houses are in better shape. I've just once cleaned up a few acres that were heavily grown with pine after we hired loggers to do a clear cut so I could have several large areas of gardens and fruit trees, and it was a huge job. I remember one day standing on top of one pile, about 5-6 feet deep of tree boughs and thinking I'd never get through it all, but I did! BUT, now I'm old and lazy and want open pastures, which cost $$$, wouldn't you know. The area I seem to be seeing the more affordable places (for us, anyways), there's a town where people get together every Wednesday for coffee and only speak French, which I want to learn. How cool is that? They're preserving their heritage and they just may get to poke fun at me someday, as I know "oui", "non", and "arrett"-that's about it! Point is, get yourselves out there and mingle, girl! I sure hope it works out for you - I cannot imagine a Southern summer - I'm a grouchy, miserable puddle over 75 degrees.

[Maine Writer]

Originally Posted by gussie

Being here for 2 months we have not talked to many people other then the grocery store or walmart.. We are getting stir crazy..I enjoy being here because I am an artist as well as a cook.. but I really miss human contact.. So if by spring I don't have a job.. we will probably end up going back down south...I love Maine ..just wish I would have come here when I was younger......

Lunch time! It's time to get you out. How about lunch with the girls later this week?

[mainebrokerman]

Originally Posted by gussie

Well... We have been here since Nov. We lived in Maine in 2002.. we also had a home in Nova Scotia.We sold the house in Canada and figured we would like to try some warmer weather. So we sold the Maine house and travelled down to the Athens, Georgia area. We bought a beautiful home and I got a job in the bakery in A HUGE Kroger store. I won numerous customer service awards. I enjoy helping people and making people feel welcome. We always thought of Maine and the beauty we missed.So , because we were not happy always being in the house in the summer (because of the extreme heat) we said we would like to be back in Maine. We came back to Maine in August, and looked at various homes. We went back to Georgia and thought about it and decided to purchase one of the homes we saw. The house is still for sale in Georgia.Being here for 2 months we have not talked to many people other then the grocery store or walmart.. We are getting stir crazy..I enjoy being here because I am an artist as well as a cook.. but I really miss human contact.. So if by spring I don't have a job.. we will probably end up going back down south...I love Maine ..just wish I would have come here when I was younger......

you can go to hannaford's website and see if there's any bakery positions open near you (or shaws) or call directly,,to the human resource department in scarborough, they have the most supermarkets in maine, if one store isnt hiring,,,another one might be,,,,,,,,,also good to submit your resume not only to the corporate office,,but to many store managers,,,, thiers a stopnshop in kennebunk, a whole foods in portland, and many hannafords and shaws throughout the state..

also,,,,you can go on mainecareercenter website,,put your name and resume in,, thats where many employers look first, or post positions


good luck!!