Getting in the Hay

Maine farmers have probably gotten in their hay for the winter by this time. “Getting in the hay” has been a farm chore as long as there have been farmers and farms. Farm families may even think of it as a tradition. In my family I remember two farms: the Gray farm in Gray, Maine, where my Aunt Alice, husband and children lived and worked the farm; and the Hilton Homestead over in Bremen where I spent many a happy day with my two cousins Diane and Mary Sue and my Uncle Carl and Aunt Freda.

 

I think there were at least five boys in the Gray family so there were plenty to go around when chores such as “getting in the hay” came about. My brothers also spent some of their summers at the Gray farm helping out and they also helped my Uncle Carl.

 

The picture below was posted by a Gray family member recently. Driving the hay wagon is Preston Gray and up top with tramping duties are Wayne Gray on the left and Foster Ellis on the right. The picture is probably circa late 30s.

 

 

The next picture comes from my Hilton Homestead archive files. It dates back before the use of trucks for this chore.

 

 

 

Cousin Diane and I often got the chore of going to adjoining farms with my Uncle Carl to “get in the hay” for a neighboring farmer. We “tramped” the hay into the bed of his pickup truck after my Uncle “forked” it up to us so it would all fit.

 

The fun part of hay was when it ended up in the loft in the barn for use in the winter to feed the animals. It was fun to jump and even sleep in the hay if you didn’t mind the occasional spider or mouse. We also used to go look for the new farm kittens in the hay where their new mothers had made a nest to give birth in.

 

The tricky part of “haying” is knowing when it is at its highest and best growth and to harvest it before it rains and subsequently becomes moldy. It’s true that as far as “haying” goes, you indeed must “make hay while the sun shines.”

The Beginning of “Haying”

How and why did “haying” begin anyway? According to Wikipedia early farmers noticed that their fields produced more fodder in the spring than the animals could consume. Therefore they cut the grass in summer, let it dry, and then stored it for winter use when the fields were covered with snow and field grass was unavailable. Some fields were “shut up” for hay.

Wikipedia continues: “Hay can be used for fodder when or where there is not enough pasture or rangeland on which to graze a animal, when grazing is unavailable due to weather (such as during the winter) or when lush pasture by itself is too rich for the health of the animal. It is also fed during times when an animal is unable to access pasture, such as when animals are kept in a stable or barn.

 

Here is a picture of how they used to cut hay…by hand.

 

 

There are farmers in France and many other parts of the world who still gather their hay this way. Because of the steepness of their terraced slopes, the use of machines to cut and gather the hay is not possible. This picture is of a present day French farmer cutting his hay. For more information of this practice see www.motherearthnews.

 

 

“Getting in the Hay” today

 

 

 

Today "haying" is done by hay balers as pictured here; which produces this round bale. The Wikipedia caption under the hay bales picture reads: “Good quality hay is green and not too coarse, and includes plant heads and leaves as well as stems. This is fresh grass/alfalfa hay, newly baled.” For more information about this modern-day method of “haying” go to:

http://modernfarmlife.com/2011/09/13/make-hay-while-the-sun-shines/

Cousin Mary Sue, now owner of the Hilton Homestead posted a video last year of the men and machines who came to “bale” her hay. It’s a lot easier this way but a lot less fun than it was “getting in the hay” in the old days.

I hope all the farmers up home were successful in “getting in the hay” before it rained so that their animals will be well fed this winter.

Thanks for listening.

 

 

Getting Ready for Winter

“Chill November's surly blast makes fields and forests bare and old man Winter with his frosty beard will soon be upon us.” - The Cultivator, Journal of the New York Agricultural Society, December, 1860. (from thefarmersmuseum.blogspot.com)

Although it may be a little early to get ready for winter in the northern climes, I have noticed on Facebook lately that some of my friends are “getting in wood” to prepare for a warm fire in their fireplaces or wood stoves this winter.

I remember in my childhood that we would drive by farmhouses this time of year and see houses banked with boughs against the coming cold. I don’t know if people still do that, but it seemed like a good idea to me at the time. It was kind of pretty really. I expect that spruce boughs were used the most often as they are the thickest of the softwoods.

Thinking about winter in Maine I did a little computer surfing and found some sites that should be useful to you. I also found some historical facts about the subject on a wonderful blog site called: thefarmersmuseum.blogspot.com. I found they also have a web site: http://farmersmuseum.org and you can also find them on Facebook.

The Farmers Museum they are talking about is a collection of restored farmhouses from colonial times that are located on 5775 State Highway 80 in Cooperstown, New York. If you are interested in old farmhouses please go to their sites or even try to visit the museum if a fall foliage trip is in the works for you. It would be a nice side trip. Use last week’s fall foliage blog as a guide.

I found some interesting historical facts on the farmer’s museum blog I’d like to share with you. To read more, go to the blog itself.

Some thoughts to keeping a farmhouse warm in winter began with its very design in the first place. Farmhouses were placed close to roads for easier access and for snow clearing. Houses and barns and other outbuildings were placed to shield humans and animals from the worst of the winter weather. Sometimes all the buildings would be connected so that you could walk from one to the other without going out-of-doors. However, this was rare because of the threat of fire.
 

Early colonial homes like Cape Cods, saltboxes and federal styles were designed for the cold weather. They had large centrally massed chimneys so that they could have several fireplaces built of large amounts of brick to hold the heat in. They had steep roofs so the snow would slide off and small rooms with low ceilings to conserve heat. We once thought the low ceilings came about because people were shorter in those days. They may have indeed been shorter, but that was certainly not the reason for the low ceilings.

If you’ve ever restored an old colonial house you may have come across many unusual things in between the walls like old shoes, skeletons of small animals or even coins and currency. You won’t find insulation, however.

Insulation, in fact, has been around since Greek and Roman times. In early colonial times, however, insulation was expensive and was only reserved for buildings that were very exposed to the elements. Otherwise insulation could consist of loosely laid brick or “noggin” placed between the vertical elements of a building’s frame. Tightly packed sawdust, wood chips or other materials may also be used.
 

Most farmers, however, simply banked their houses as I’ve described above. In colonial times, straw might also have been used or other loose materials. This banking helped keep the foods in the cellar, like potatoes, from freezing and banking also kept the house a bit warmer. The picture above shows a “banked” house.

 

In the latter part of the 19^th century other materials began to be used for insulation such as wood fiber from lumber mills; animal hair from slaughterhouses; and cotton and flax remnants from textile mills. The most unusual material however was the use of eel grass which is the seaweed you see in piles along New England beaches.

Farmers Almanac

Any New Englander worth his salt will consult this old traditional magazine to see what their winter will be like. Here’s this year’s map. Be forewarned.

 

Two other sites that may be useful to you are a preparedness checklist which can be found at:

www.emergency.cdc.gov/disasters/winter/beforestorm/supplylists.asp.

The other site is www.howstuffworks.com with will show you five ways to garden in winter. If you like fresh produce from your own garden this may be of interest to you.

Good Bye September

As we say goodbye to September once again let’s reminisce about the songs of September. Remember these songs? They were all popular in the month of September: “Try to Remember,” by Jerry Orbach, 1960; “See You in September,” the Tempos, 1959; “September Night,” Van Morrison, 1983; “Autumn Leaves,” one of my very favorite piano numbers, Eva Cassidy, 1978; and “September,” Earth, Wind, and Fire, 1978.

Let all the football widows lament once again in September that this month brings about so many football games that you fear you won’t see your husband again till after the Super Bowl in January or beyond.

Getting Ready for Winter

I leave you with a poem I may have posted here before.

Getting Ready for Winter

Autumn wind swept skeleton leaves under my door.

It rattled the windows and wound its wily way

   Around to the back yard patio.

Another gust shoed the summer dust away,

   Cleaning nature’s house.

I watched an apple fall amongst rusty leaves,

   Rolling to nestle with the rest,

   and I noticed the ash tree’s hair

   grows thinner every day, while

   Tabby’s fur grows thicker.

The night air stings her nostrils now and she

   Scratches to come inside to nuzzle

   Down into her favorite lap as if to say,

   “I’m ready for winter now.”---Sandra Sylvester

Give your favorite pet a good pat and try to enjoy the fall foliage before you think about getting everything ready for winter.

Thanks for listening.

Waste Not, Want Not

Have you seen that commercial on T.V. with all the toilet paper rolls rolling down the streets? The ad claims that there are enough of these rolls to fill the Empire State Building…twice…over a short period of time.

Well, they are probably right and I certainly go along with their solution of using the new product they offer—a tubeless roll of toilet paper. Are there more ways we can “go green” or reduce “our carbon footprint?” Those are popular terms we hear today and we’d better listen, because we are running out of room to dispose of all the stuff we don’t want anymore. We have become a society of consumers who with each generation becomes more of a throw-away society than the one before it.

Remember the Great Depression and World War II when we were savers instead of a society who despoiled the environment? In the 30s it became necessary to save and reuse everything you possibly could so that you could put food on the table and have a roof over your head. Waste Not, Want Not.

Our mothers saved things like string, rubber bands, and paper grocery bags. Oh, yes, paper bags and not those plastic non-biodegradable bags that now fill our landfills. For that matter, I never remember using plastic garbage bags at all. We had a big steel barrel next to the barn where we dumped our house trash. Of course at some point the powers that be decided that that practice was not all that sanitary, thus the use of those black bags.

We didn’t throw things away as much either. An appliance was meant to last for several years, not the average time today which I observe as being from two to five years at the most. My mother had her washing machine for over 20 years and it was still in good working order after that. The T.V. we had in the living room was the one and the only one we ever had. Same with the console radio we listened to the Long Ranger on. Waste Not, Want Not.

We didn’t throw away shoes or socks with holes in them either. Shoes were resoled and passed on to someone else when we outgrew them. My mother had a darning egg in her sewing kit which she used often to darn my father’s socks.

Yankee Traders and Yankee Savers

I in fact come from a long line of Yankee Traders and Yankee Savers to boot. Let me tell you a couple of stories to prove it. These stories may be family fables but they just as well could be true.

The first story concerns an uncle who had a pair of “Spruce Head” shoes, meaning that he only wore them in the summer while residing at the cottage there. I don’t think he ran around the clam flats in them but they probably were imbedded with spruce sprills eventually.

This uncle bought these shoes at what then was called Sears and Roebuck. Flash forward 20 years and the shoes are finally worn out. I don’t know if this practice is still in force but Sears and Roebuck at that time would accept any product back with a full refund if you were unsatisfied, no questions asked. Guess what? Yep, he took them back. He may have even had the receipt from 20 years previous, but he got his money back—no questions asked.

The second story concerns my grandfather. Even though he was not living in poverty at the time, he had some strange saving practices. If he went to a dinner at the Masons say, he would, in true Jack Benny style, fold his napkin up very carefully and put it in his pocket to be used at home later. What he used for a napkin while he was eating at the Masons is anyone’s guess. Waste Not, Want Not.

During WWII the country was united in their saving habits, saving things like newspaper and scrap metal. Most homes had a vegetable garden or “Victory Garden” so the troops could be fed easier overseas. We were also forced to save or use things sparingly like gasoline and sugar because we had to have a special coupon to buy our allotment of those things.

How did we go so far astray from our Waste Not, Want Not society? Why do we need a new IPhone every year? Why do we always need to have the very latest and greatest gadget?

I must mention hoarders here, like those you see on T.V. They go too far in their saving habits but they suffer from a mental disorder and could use our help in deciding what to keep and what to throw out so that they do not end up living under such unsanitary conditions.

A Slap on the Back to the Great State of Maine

I congratulate my State of Maine for being more environmentally conscious than some other states I’ve lived in, such as Georgia. My sister-in-law, Kay should get a special commendation for her recycling efforts. She recycles everything she possibly can to take over to the recycling place in Thomaston. She has a compost heap too.

Maine also has a generous return policy regarding plastic and glass bottles. In Georgia we have recycling sites to take stuff too—if you can find them. I think there may be two such places in all of Gwinnett County where I live, an area that would cover three or four counties in Mid-Coast Maine. The real kicker is that they pay you by the pound as far as bottles go, not by each individual bottle. Therefore you have to save bags and bags of the things to even make a few dollars. No one is going to bother with that. Living here in this apartment I have no room to save them and especially to keep them bug-free while I am saving them.

I do the best I can, but I know I can do better. I try to buy water bottles that use the least amount of plastic and which I can twist into a smaller piece when I throw it away. When I replace a big item such as a washer or dryer I always buy it from a store that will remove the old one and recycle the parts on it so it won’t go into a landfill somewhere. When I relocate to Maine, I will try to be more of a good citizen as far as recycling goes. I want Maine to stay as beautiful as it is for as long as possible.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

These three words should be our mantra today. There is a wonderful site online called “Green and Simple Living” which has wonderful suggestions for today’s throw-away society. You can find it at: www.green-and-siple-living.com. Go there to see a discussion of how to create a better landfill; how you can practice the three R’s above; Low-impact Living; and other environmental topics.

Let’s all promise our children and grandchildren that we will leave them a world that is clean and environmentally safe for them to live in as they grow older.

Thanks for listening.

Maine, New England,

 and Long Island Fall Foliage

 

Fall foliage trips are very popular in Maine and in New England, as well as in the Long Island, New York area. Of course Maine has the prettiest and brightest leaf-viewing available, however, everyone may not be able to get as far North as Maine to view the fall leaves.

Therefore, I will try to expand your horizons so to speak by updating the very popular September, 2012 blog on Maine foliage only.

Maine Foliage

For specific zones and forecasts for leaf change in Maine, go to:

www.mainegov/dacf/mfs/projects/fall_foliage/index.shtml

(There is an inferior hyphen after the word fall.)

 This site has a wealth of information that will help you immensely in planning your Maine fall trip. Subjects covered include: The Weekly Foliage Report; trip ideas; Maine scenic byways; fall foliage hikes; and the best locations in their respective zones to view the best colors.

In the 2012 blog it was suggested by Gordon Page that the Maine Eastern Railroad in either direction is a great way to see the foliage you won’t see from Route 1. Check out their schedule. I believe it runs from Rockland to Brunswick. www.maineeasternrailroad.com.

 

This map from Yankee magazine gives you the New England picture as far as leaf change goes. As you can see, the leaves are still green. Keep this website:

www.yankeemagazine.com/new-england-foliage/2014-new-england-fall-foliage-outlook.

in mind, however, to keep up on the progression of leaf change so that you may plan your fall foliage trip. This site also gives you an analysis of leaf change as well as the foliage forecast in case you’re interested in the scientific end of things.

Three Fall Foliage Destinations near Long Island, New York

If you are from out-of-state and can’t make it up to Maine this year, perhaps you could plan a trip to one of these great destinations which are all within easy driving distance to Long Island, New York.

From www.newsday.com

For Fall foliage trips near Long Island, you might consider these choices from www.newsday.com

THE POCONOS

While the Poconos of northeast Pennsylvania are the lowest-lying of the three areas, they still offer plenty of fall scenery, most of it readily accessible from I-80. Where the Poconos score highest, however, is in recreational opportunities, with an abundance of activities such as golf, fishing, horseback riding, mountain biking and white-water rafting that just isn't possible on steeper slopes and in narrower valleys. And that's not to mention seasonal fairs, festivals and ongoing entertainment options.

Upwardly mobile

Towering 1,000 feet over the dramatic Delaware Water Gap on the Pennsylvania side is Mount Minsi. The 2-mile (each way) trail, part of the Appalachian Trail, begins in the Lake Lenape parking lot.

Walk in the woods

There are 8.5 miles of easy to moderate hiking trails in Big Pocono State Park (570-894-8336, dcnr.state.pa.us), located atop 2,133-foot Camelback Mountain in Tannersville (free).

Ride the rails

Hourlong rides on the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway (570-325-8485, lgsry.com) cost $12 for adults, $9 for ages 3-12.

Info

Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau, 800-762-6667, 800poconos.com

From the Throgs Neck Bridge to Camelback in the Poconos, about 2 hours.

_____

THE CATSKILLS

With nearly 100 peaks over 3,000 feet, the Catskills are true mountains. Just about everywhere you go in the sparsely populated four-county area -- especially the 287,500-acre Catskill Forest Preserve -- yields a collage of yellows, oranges and reds.

Upwardly mobile

For continuous scenic views, it's hard to beat the moderate exertion, 7-mile round-trip to Giant Ledge and Panther Mountain. Trailhead on Rte. 47 south of Big Indian.

Hunter Mountain's Skyride (518-263-4223, huntermtn.com) is open weekends through Columbus Day. $11 adults, $7 ages 7-12. Hike another two miles to the fire tower.

Walk in the woods

It's an easy ¼-mile from the parking lot in North-South Lake State Park in Haines Falls (nwsdy.li/ns, entrance fee $10 per car) to the site of the original Catskill Mountain House (1824) with its five-state view.

Ride the rails

Catskill Mountain Railroad's (845-688-7400, catskillmtrailroad.com) 45-minute Fall Foliage trains leave from Mount Tremper station Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, Sept. 26-Oct. 26; $14 adults, $8 ages 7-12.

Get adventurous

Bike the Catskills Scenic Trail (catskillscenictrail.org), a 26-mile rails-to-trail project in the Delaware River Valley. Rentals and shuttle service available at Plattekill Bike Park in Roxbury (607-326-3500, plattekill.com).

Info

Catskill Association for Tourism Services, 800-697-2287; visitthecatskills.com.

From the Throgs Neck Bridge to Woodstock in the Catskills, about 2 hours.

_____

THE BERKSHIRES

Smaller and less dramatic than their first cousins west of the Hudson, the Berkshires of western Massachusetts offer something both the Catskills and Poconos can't: authentic New England charm in the form of picturesque colonial-era towns, complete with graceful churches and expansive village greens; bucolic, centuries-old farms and orchards; and dozens of art and history museums, literary sites and grand, historic homes. They also feature more of the true stars of any premier fall fashion show: maples. Not surprisingly, therefore, the Berkshires can get quite crowded during the height of the fall foliage season and two-lane Route 7, the main north-south artery, downright congested.

Upwardly mobile

Massachusetts' highest peak, 4,391-foot Mount Greylock, affords magnificent 60-90 mile views in all directions. The 8-mile access road can be picked up off Route 7 in Lanesborough or off Route 2 in North Adams ($3 summit parking). You can also spend the night there at Bascom Lodge (413-743-1591, bascomlodge.net), built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s.

Jiminy Peak's Berkshire Express scenic chair lift in Hancock (413-738-5500, jiminypeak.com) operates weekends though Columbus Day. $12 over 54 inches tall, $6, 38-53 inches)

Walk in the woods

Named by Pittsfield resident Herman Melville for its spectacular fall colors, October Mountain (413-243-1778, mass.gov) in Lee is the largest state forest and offers miles of hiking.

Get adventurous

Take a 20-minute scenic flight with Teamflys (413-862-9359, teamflys.com) out of Harrison-West Airport in North Adams. $30-$69 per person.

Info

Berkshires Visitors Bureau, 413-743-4500, Berkshires.org.

From the Whitestone Bridge to Stockbridge in the Berkshires, about 21/2 hours.

Plan Your Trip Now

Wherever you plan to travel on your fall foliage trip, start planning now while the leaves are still green. Once they start to turn you may or may not have a chance to see this seasonal phenomenon before they are all gone.

Some people view the fall as a sad time of year because of what follows when all the leaves have fallen and the trees are bare and exposed. I believe each season has its beauty. We should enjoy all of the seasons and what better place to do that than in New England, and especially in my beloved State of Maine.

Have a nice trip and thanks for listening.

She Entered Laughing and Left us Laughing

From Hollywood Reporter

September 7, 2014—Temple Emanu-El, New York City

 

Today we buried a great comedienne, a greater friend, and an even greater humanitarian. They stood in line at the door to Temple Emanu-El in New York City to be checked off a long list of those who wished to pay their last respects to their friend and co-worker in many cases.

They came from Hollywood; from the theater; from the fashion world; from the world of stand-ups and TV talk shows. The paparazzi were out in force. It was the way Joan wanted it. She said, “I want an affair with lights, cameras, action and Hollywood all the way.”

In her long career she touched many lives and the people she encountered and became friends with were all there, from the young to the old. Howard Stern gave the eulogy; reminisces and tributes were given by Deborah Norville, close friend Margie Stern, Columnist Cindy Adams and Joan’s daughter, Melissa.

The New York City Gay Men’s Chorus sang Broadway hits and Audra McDonald sang “Smile.” Bagpipers from the New York City Police Department played on the streets.

Everyone came to say goodbye including Bernadette Peters, Tommy Tune, Clive Davis, designers Carolina Herrera and Michael Kors; Barbara Walters, Geraldo Rivera, Diane Sawyer, Kathie Lee, Hoda Kotb, Kathy Griffin, Andy Cohen, Paul Shaffer, Donald Trump and Steve Forbes.

Joan was an example of how any woman can pull herself up by her bootstraps and start over, reinvent themselves. She reinvented herself several times in her career from stand-up comedienne; to late night talk show host; to a QVC dynamo; to doing Red Carpet commentary with her daughter, Melissa, to doing a show on fashion; and finally back to her stage show again in Vegas. She was also on stage, in film and a TV actress. She was never down for long and she was working full tilt at 81 till the day she died in August.

She also found time in her busy schedule to remember those who were less fortunate than she was. In lieu of flowers her friends were asked to make donations to her favorite charities—God’s Love, We Deliver, (which she was very much involved in--even delivering food at times); Guide Dogs for the Blind; or Our House.

Joan’s biggest fear was to own a blank appointment calendar. All the pages will be blank now-- except in heaven--which she probably entered laughing. Rest in Peace, dear Joan.

Sail, Power & Steam Museum

 

 

Larry Kaplan

September 13, 7:10 pm, $12

Belfast Bay Fiddlers

September 26, 7:30 pm

For reservations for all events call:

207-701-7627

"Happy Anniversary"



“Happy Anniversary” to me. This month marks the fifth anniversary of this blog from the beginning of “On Being a Southender” in 2009 to today’s “Beyond the South End.”

The blog head for “On Being a Southender,” watercolor by brother Harlan, 1955, when he was 16. “The Baum House” which was across the field from our house on Mcloud Street.

 

Originally, the blog was intended as an advertising aid for the book I published that year, The South End. (Yes, the book did indeed come before the blog.) I believe that aim was realized in spades and more. From there, the blog has evolved into what it is today. Today I present the process that took me from “On Being a Southender” to “Beyond the South End.” Hopefully it will help new bloggers out there as they develop their own creations online.

You will not see the blogs from 2009 on the web site because the only place they existed that year was on the online site for “The Village Soup.” I assume they are to be found somewhere on that site’s own archives. When that enterprise folded, I developed my own blog space online. When “Village Soup” and the Courier publications were with us again, I re-presented my blog to “Village Soup” again but also kept my own blog space too.

The 2009 weekly major blogs can be found in their entirety on a CD which I published in that year. They may be purchased on the blog site. Look for the ad on the side. They are all “Southend” stories.

The most popular blogs from 2009 as presented on the CD are:

1.“May Baskets and the Cold War,” 2. “South End Success Stories,” in two parts; 2. “Early Memories of Mcloud Street,” 4. “Real Housewives of the South End,” 5. “The Way we Were,”6. “Eating my Way Home,” 7. “Part-time Friends and Neighborhood Visitors,” 8. “Burning Leaves,” 9. “Bridge Night,” 10. “School Days.

The three most popular blogs from 2010 to the present are: Maine Fall Foliage, 2253; The Real Plymouth Colony, 1383; and Gifts for Mom and Breakfast in Bed, 1357.

Today the blog is presented in some form on the “Village Soup” site along with the blog space and the Google feed. The weekly special blog appears on both sites. The “Village Soup” site may be edited because I cannot show any more than one picture and no videos which I can do on the blog site.

On the blog site I also offer many more articles and special presentations including monthly blogs from brother Ted Sylvester with his old “Fish and Chips” columns from the Bangor Daily News; a recipe of the month; Thomaston Library News; Sail, Power and Steam Museum news when there is any; and Sonny’s Sunshine Corner which relates events in my personal life at the time.

From “On Being a Southender” to “Beyond the Southend”

So how did I get from the first blog “On Being a Southender” to the blog as it is now, “Beyond the Southend?”

Because my book The South End was essentially a “Southend” story, I decided to target the South End, Rockland and Knox County audience. Therefore, I included subjects I thought would be of interest to mainly a local audience.

“On Being a Southender” therefore included things like library events for that month for all the libraries in the area; Maine recipes, which included more than one recipe; Benefits and Good Works; and UPDATE on blog doings.

I soon found that besides taking a lot of my blog writing time, some features were too unwieldy and time-consuming and they were all available in local newspapers anyway usually long before they appeared in my blog space.

I agreed from that time on to include any news an organization might like to email me so that I wouldn’t have to do all that research. That’s why you still see Thomaston Library News. Ann Harris sends me her news faithfully every week. For the same reason, I include the Sail, Power and Steam Museum doings as they send me emails about their upcoming events too.

Maine recipes soon petered out because I couldn’t always find them to begin with and they were time-consuming once again, especially the formatting. I decided to present only one recipe of the month and call it simply, “Recipe of the Month.”

Benefits and Good Works were also available locally.

UPDATE included what was up with the blog. This morphed into “Sonny’s Sunshine Corner” and now includes things happening in my personal life as well as any blog news I wish to inform my readers about.

I also had to exclude all the holiday events taking place in town as that was also time-consuming and unnecessary.

“Beyond the South End”



“Water Street” by Brenda Peabody which was part of the montage on my book cover and the new head for “Beyond the South End”

 

Why the name change?

As the years progressed I realized that there is just so much you can write about the South End. My own personal experiences had all been told for the most part. Therefore I decided to expand my horizons, so to speak, and include stories that often happen “Beyond the Southend.”

I will still focus on the South End when I can. But changing the name allowed me to express myself as far as my own opinions and observations go. I can also now include more historical and literary pieces which seem to be popular with my readers. I have even included some of my own fiction and poetry.

I have always welcomed one-time or longer “guest blogs.” In the past years the blog has posted blogs from my friends and classmates,Todd McIntosh and Jean Monroe; from Sister Sally with her own blog and in collaboration with me; and Austin Nagel who sent me very interesting information about Rockland’s sea captains.

A very popular guest blog which has appeared every month since early in 2011 is brother Ted’s Fish and Chips columns from his days as bureau chief in Rockland.

“Beyond The Southend” also reflects my expanded readership. While I still try to include my dear Maine friends in my blogs, I have found that my stories are now also appealing to a wider national and international audience.

When I write a story I’m trying to educate those people who may have never visited Maine or even know where it is. Every year I try to write a travel piece to introduce these people to the state and perhaps entice them to visit Maine.

I’m also cognizant of those Rockland and Knox County folks who have moved away and may not get the hometown paper any more or do not subscribe to “The Village Soup.” For that reason I include such things as the Lobster Festival Sea Goddess court for that year.

There are still plenty of stories appealing to the local community. I know because they will often email me or comment on a story I’ve written. The biggest compliment I could ever get is the one I got when I went home this summer and someone unexpectedly said, “I read your blog.”

(I would like to thank Jami Mays for developing my blog site including changing the head from one title to another.)

Keep reading, everyone, and thanks for listening for the past five years.