Steady, Mainers (Jefferson, Hope: buy, landlords, taxes)

[chiisai]

Originally Posted by Maine Writer

City dwellers can grow a lot of food on a small amount of land with the right knowledge and tools. If you can grow flower and plants to make your yard pretty you can feed yourself if you want.

Garden Girl Patti's excellent at what she does in her city back yard. She has a lot of videos that show you how to build raised beds, raise fish in your backyard pond, grow vegetables, raise chickens and rabbits and much more.

If this was possible, it's what I'd love to do. I'm trying to spend my spring/summer/ and falls, in Maine. I want to have my small home and grow my own. Yea

Currently we live on a approx., 70' X 168' lot, take in account that a driveway runs up one side of the 168' side.

We have gardened on a small scale, and we do produce enough to supplement a few small meals. And the squashes are our best bet!

I think that there is a thought to keep in mind. (especially here in MA) We have so many "city folk", who have moved here to the rural areas. In the process they have brought with them their ideas of how we should all live. They have changed the rules, so we all don't live like the uneducated farmers they know us to be.

The city folk have complained to town hall, that they didn't move out here to the "country", to build their (1/2 a mil) home if it was going to look and smell like a farm. WHAT???? They go to the local "landscape/nursery" and buy their $H*T in a bag, instead of asking their neighbor if they could haul it away for free. WHO is uneducated???

If I want to have hens, I have to go before the town, apply for a special permit, place ad's in the paper to announce my intent, get signatures from my neighbors that are in agreement, yada, yada, yada. If just ONE opposes, then it's a no go. This applies to all farm animals.
I could have rabbits, as long as it's one or two, anymore is considered a farm, and they aren't allowed. (My hens, are in my basement, with special lights and supplements in their food and water) SSSHHH...

If I had no money concerns I could hire lawyers and fight it, but the circle continues. If I had the money I wouldn't be worried about growing my own food or being self-sufficient.

I hope this makes sense to you all, and you get the gist of what I was trying to say!

[starwalker]

Originally Posted by Maineah

There's nothiong FUN about gardening. It has rewards but make no mistake a garden is work!

That is a matter of opinion. I DO find it fun, at least here in Maine. Many places I have gardened it was fun at times, but in the extreme heat of August and September, it was not.

Some folks enjoy, say, playing football or rock climbing -- two passtimes that seem (to me at least) to be as likely as gardening to make you stiff and sore, get dirt under your fingernails, etc. And that is good for them...

Some folks prefer more sedentary passtimes, from needlework to having beers with their buddies. And yes, I enjoy those things, too and find them fun from time to time.

But overall for me "fun" is also productive, stretches me (in one way or another) and gives me much time, in solitude, quiet and the out of doors, to contemplate stuff. And gardening meets all those criteria quite easily.

[CoastalMaine]

This is an excerpt from a distributor of a product I use in my faux finishing business. I thought it was appropo for the times. I do not buy into all the gloom and doom of the media. I believe deeply in americans and our culture. We are the BEST in the world. I do not believe we are entering a decade of decline as is being promoted in this thread. A deep recession? Yes. Feels more like the 70's than the 30's. Not that I was alive then, but if you read anything about the depression, you will see, it was worsened by the mindset of the population. I refuse to play into that mindset. I believe you'll see a visible recovery by this time next year. As soon as inventories empty out, orders will come in, business will ramp up to meet the demand and things will begin to improve - that's imho and I'm sticking with it.

Herewith, a thoughtful letter from a CEO out in Arizona:

I don’t know about you but I know it is getting to me. Watching or listening to the news is a sure downer. Reading the paper or scanning the web provides more of the same. It does not matter if it is conservative talk radio or CNBC news. There is nothing but whining, doom and gloom, and spoken despair from the media.

What good does this do for us and our businesses? We are being lead to believe that nearly every home in America is foreclosed and vacant; every person is one week away from being in bread lines, and that it is going to get a lot worse before it gets better.

What does this do to our mindset and morale? We start believing that making professional consultations is a waste of time. Discouragement is written across our face. Our heads are down and our words are few. Thus the spiral of failure begins. Then what do we do? We just go back to the news media to get kicked in the gut even more.

True, we do not control the economy and the future. Also true, we can control what we allow our minds to be filled with. But most important, we can control our thoughts, words, and actions. We can provide a glimmer of encouragement and hope in what we say to our families, friends, employees, customers, and prospects. Moreover, we control what we do for them.

Now to change or stinking thinking we have to root out the weeds. I invite you to join me in tuning out all the media for the next seven days. Use that time to read a good book or get some things done around the house. Perhaps play some board games with loved ones or pray.

Let’s link up again next week and see how you are feeling and your frame of mind. Look at this challenge this way—how can it hurt?

Marc Winkelman

[Maineah]

Originally Posted by starwalker

That is a matter of opinion. I DO find it fun, at least here in Maine. Many places I have gardened it was fun at times, but in the extreme heat of August and September, it was not.

Some folks enjoy, say, playing football or rock climbing -- two passtimes that seem (to me at least) to be as likely as gardening to make you stiff and sore, get dirt under your fingernails, etc. And that is good for them...

Some folks prefer more sedentary passtimes, from needlework to having beers with their buddies. And yes, I enjoy those things, too and find them fun from time to time.

But overall for me "fun" is also productive, stretches me (in one way or another) and gives me much time, in solitude, quiet and the out of doors, to contemplate stuff. And gardening meets all those criteria quite easily.

And that's mine!

[CoastalMaine]

Oh, I'm joining Marc Winkelman in his challenge. Yesiree. Doesn't mean I won't buy seeds for my garden, but I do that anyway. Sometimes it's pleasurable, sometimes it's dang hard work! But either way, it's always rewarding.

[chaosX5]

Originally Posted by CoastalMaine

This is an excerpt from a distributor of a product I use in my faux finishing business. I thought it was appropo for the times. I do not buy into all the gloom and doom of the media. I believe deeply in americans and our culture. We are the BEST in the world. I do not believe we are entering a decade of decline as is being promoted in this thread. A deep recession? Yes. Feels more like the 70's than the 30's. Not that I was alive then, but if you read anything about the depression, you will see, it was worsened by the mindset of the population. I refuse to play into that mindset. I believe you'll see a visible recovery by this time next year. As soon as inventories empty out, orders will come in, business will ramp up to meet the demand and things will begin to improve - that's imho and I'm sticking with it.

Herewith, a thoughtful letter from a CEO out in Arizona:

I don’t know about you but I know it is getting to me. Watching or listening to the news is a sure downer. Reading the paper or scanning the web provides more of the same. It does not matter if it is conservative talk radio or CNBC news. There is nothing but whining, doom and gloom, and spoken despair from the media.

What good does this do for us and our businesses? We are being lead to believe that nearly every home in America is foreclosed and vacant; every person is one week away from being in bread lines, and that it is going to get a lot worse before it gets better.

What does this do to our mindset and morale? We start believing that making professional consultations is a waste of time. Discouragement is written across our face. Our heads are down and our words are few. Thus the spiral of failure begins. Then what do we do? We just go back to the news media to get kicked in the gut even more.

True, we do not control the economy and the future. Also true, we can control what we allow our minds to be filled with. But most important, we can control our thoughts, words, and actions. We can provide a glimmer of encouragement and hope in what we say to our families, friends, employees, customers, and prospects. Moreover, we control what we do for them.

Now to change or stinking thinking we have to root out the weeds. I invite you to join me in tuning out all the media for the next seven days. Use that time to read a good book or get some things done around the house. Perhaps play some board games with loved ones or pray.

Let’s link up again next week and see how you are feeling and your frame of mind. Look at this challenge this way—how can it hurt?

Marc Winkelman

I like this Coastal, I believe it's true and besides I think people have forgotted what the Great Depression was REALLY like......my father was born in 1924, the stories he can tell! They were poor and there were few options, social services almost took him and siblings away because of poverty, his dad resorted to making bath tub gin, a neighbor turned him in because my grand dad wouldn't sell it in his own neighborhood around his kids.There was true desparation, to this day my dad can't stand rice, it's all they had to eat, for days on end.......

There was 20% unemployment and soup lines and it just goes on and on...

I know some people are hurting, but life for America's poor is a dream come true for some people in the world. In the 1930's how many overweight poor people were there? There are tons now! (no pun intended!)

So yes, I do get tired of hearing how bad off we are in America

[chaosX5]

Originally Posted by chiisai

If this was possible, it's what I'd love to do. I'm trying to spend my spring/summer/ and falls, in Maine. I want to have my small home and grow my own. Yea

Currently we live on a approx., 70' X 168' lot, take in account that a driveway runs up one side of the 168' side.

We have gardened on a small scale, and we do produce enough to supplement a few small meals. And the squashes are our best bet!

I think that there is a thought to keep in mind. (especially here in MA) We have so many "city folk", who have moved here to the rural areas. In the process they have brought with them their ideas of how we should all live. They have changed the rules, so we all don't live like the uneducated farmers they know us to be.

The city folk have complained to town hall, that they didn't move out here to the "country", to build their (1/2 a mil) home if it was going to look and smell like a farm. WHAT???? They go to the local "landscape/nursery" and buy their $H*T in a bag, instead of asking their neighbor if they could haul it away for free. WHO is uneducated???

If I want to have hens, I have to go before the town, apply for a special permit, place ad's in the paper to announce my intent, get signatures from my neighbors that are in agreement, yada, yada, yada. If just ONE opposes, then it's a no go. This applies to all farm animals.
I could have rabbits, as long as it's one or two, anymore is considered a farm, and they aren't allowed. (My hens, are in my basement, with special lights and supplements in their food and water) SSSHHH...

If I had no money concerns I could hire lawyers and fight it, but the circle continues. If I had the money I wouldn't be worried about growing my own food or being self-sufficient.

I hope this makes sense to you all, and you get the gist of what I was trying to say!

It's incredible that your forced to keep chickens in your basement!
I find it absolutely hilarious when people around here move out to the country to escape the city then find out that (GASP) people have chickens and goats and pigs, oh my It's starts to get quite sad when they then try to force the people (who've lived there their whole life) to get rid of the animals. Blows me away when people feel entitled just because they plunked down 750K on a house, then try to tell the people who've lived there for GENERATIONS what they can do with their land.

Whoops, that was another rant........sorry!

[CoastalMaine]

Originally Posted by chaosX5

It's incredible that your forced to keep chickens in your basement!
I find it absolutely hilarious when people around here move out to the country to escape the city then find out that (GASP) people have chickens and goats and pigs, oh my It's starts to get quite sad when they then try to force the people (who've lived there their whole life) to get rid of the animals. Blows me away when people feel entitled just because they plunked down 750K on a house, then try to tell the people who've lived there for GENERATIONS what they can do with their land.

Whoops, that was another rant........sorry!

Chaos,

This happened all over the Cape for over 10 years of rapid growth... the landlubbers that moved her for its quaint seaside feel suddenly were irate because the lobster guy who lived next door hauled his traps in for the winter and then had one of his boats up on his frame for repairing over the winter, etc. Endless nonsense.

A lot of them rammed their kids through our schools and in many cases demanded the little towns now overrun with new inhabitants build new schools, only to move away when their kids went off to college. Now we have empty schools, or schools that *must* be used FOR school because the towns took bonds or loans from the state under certain unchangable terms!!!

I would hate to see that happen in Maine, but without very strong zoning and changes in mindset to protect what you have, it will happen as population in the US increases.

It's very sad to see what's happened here. And it can't be undone.

[forest beekeeper]

Originally Posted by Maineah

There's nothiong FUN about gardening. It has rewards but make no mistake a garden is work!

I can see that.

I think perhaps that it is a matter of what your gardening.

I once was working a hot house and tending crops. One of my duties was cross-breeding strains. Identifying male / female plants, collecting pollen, etc.

Looking back I would say that such work did have a certain amount of enjoyment.

[forest beekeeper]

chiisai -

On another forum that I habitate, about a year ago, they were discussing a news article. About a man who was busted for raising rabbits.

He had boarded up the windows of his garage, and had a row of rabbit cages. They were being raised in a clean environment. They were well fed. They were cared for.

His crime?

He was urban.

The newspaper interviewed neighbors about his crime. They were shocked at his immorality. How rude they thought he was, it was rumored that he even butchered those rabbits and ate the bodies. They were calling for his imprisonment.