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New Blog about living in rural Maine:
Full Entries here:
Living Locally in Maine, and adventures in the life of a New Mainer...
Some Samples...
Winter
Visitors
The first real coating of snow that lasted a few days fell in
Chesterville over this Thanksgiving weekend. The old farmhouse, even
with its K1 heaters, fireplaces and cast-iron stoves, can feel a little
drafty in the middle of a windy storm. With a new delivery of kerosene
and a full tank of propane for the stove, we're as ready as we can be
for another Maine winter.......[read more here...]
Thanksgiving
Memories...
Thanksgiving is upon us. Another year has gone by and the holiday
season is here. Catalogs and fliers stuff the mailbox and immediately
fill the recycling bin. This year Christmas sales seem to have begun
before Halloween. The recent cold and wind and stormy weather around
here just reminds you real winter is coming............... [read
more here...]
Apples from the Library Window
NOW CLOSE THE WINDOWS
Now close the windows and hush all the fields:NOW CLOSE THE WINDOWS
If the trees must, let them silently toss;
No bird is singing now, and if there is,
Be it my loss.
It will be long ere the marshes resume,
It will be long ere the earliest bird:
So close the windows and not hear the wind,
But see all wind-stirred.
Robert Frost, 1913.
[read
more here...]
Milking the Cats
Growing up on a farm and then moving to an old farm house in Maine
keeps you thinking in farmers' terms. "Milking the cats" is one of
them. Now, before you get a bizarre image in your heads of tiny milk
pails and scratching cats, let me explain....[read more here...]
Hunting Season
The sharp crack of the back-to-back rifle shots just after sunrise
near the house nearly made me drop my first cup of coffee. I knew deer
season had begun that morning, but it was unsettling to hear gun fire
so close.....[read more here...]
Free BOOKS About Maine on-line:
Just a small list of Free books online about Maine at
Kellscraft.com
Just a small list of Free books online about Maine at
Kellscraft.com
Maine
Beautiful. Wallace
Nutting. Framingham, MA: Old America Company. 1924.
New England and Its Neighbors. Clifton Johnson. Photographs by Clifton Johnson. NY: Macmillan & Co. 1902.
— With over 250 photoraphs and illustrations, this is a great collection
of essays and images about living in Maine 100 years ago.
Part of the
States Beautiful series Nutting began but did not complete. A nice
read.....
New England and Its Neighbors. Clifton Johnson. Photographs by Clifton Johnson. NY: Macmillan & Co. 1902.
— The
author is a writer and photographer who was
unknowingly an ethnographer of his time, recording vanishing cultures
at the turn of the last century. This book deals with
vignettes
of
rural life from Maine to Delaware. Profusely illustrated with the
author's original photographs...
What
They Say in New England. Clifton
Johnson.
Boston: Lee and Shepard. 1896.
— A great compilation of old sayings from New England - from Luck, Odds, Marriage, Friends, Love and Sentiment, to Old Songs and Old Stories.....
Busy Year at the Old Squire's, A. C. A Stephens. Boston: The Youth's Companion. 1922.
— A nice series of stories covering one year in time, through the eyes of one of the children who come to stay at the Old Squire's farm in Maine during the Civil War....
Great Year of Our Lives at the Old Squire's, A. C. A. Stephens. Illustrated. Boston: The Youth's Companion. 1912.
— Another in a series of short stories of young cousins growing up on their grandparents' farm in Maine after the Civil War. A nice read; many tales of rural schoolhouses, farms, woodlore....
When Life Was Young At the Old Farm in Maine. C. A. Stephens. Boston: The Youth's Companion. 1912.
— Another in the series of "Old Squire" series; a number of short stories chronicles the lives of young cousins who's fathers die in the Civil War and come to live with their grandparents in Maine. Excellent read for young adults of all ages to discover life on a Maine farm in the late 1800s....
Camping Out. C. A. Stephens. NY: Hurst and Company. [n.d.: ca. 1910]
— A very interesting tale of 4 young men in search of the 'mother lode' in the wilderness of Maine, on the heights of Mt. Katahdin! First in a series if adventure books.....
Left On Labrador. C. A. Stephens. NY: Hurst and Co. [ca. 1870's]
— A continuation of the tale of 4 young men in Camping Out; they buy their boat and become stranded in Labrador! Second in a series if adventure books.....
Off to the Geysers. C. A. Stephens. Illustrated NY: Hurst & Company. 1873.
— Volume 3 of the Camping Out series; an interesting fictional story of four young adventurers travelling through Iceland in the late 1800's. A great young adult book -- readers should plan to explore further on the true geology of geysers and volcanoes. This book was written in the infancy of modern geological sciences....
Maine Woods, The. Henry David Thoreau. Boston: Ticknor and Fields. 1864.
— The classic by Thoreau, detailing his adventures through the Maine regions of Katahdin, Chesuncook and the Alagash. Hard to find, complete with Appendix, in etext on the web....
Working Drawings of Colonial Furniture. Frederick J. Bryant. Peoria, Ill: The Manual Arts Press. 1922.
— A nice set of draft plans to make a range of New England Colonial and early American Furniture. From Sheraton, Hepplewhite and Tavern tables, chairs and work tables, there is a wide range of plans for the carpenter and DIYer. All diagrams based on original furniture from Maine...
New England Joke Lore. Arthur G. Crandall. Philadelphia: F. A. Davis Company. 1922.
— Here's a bit of that dry New England humor on display. It may not make you laugh out load, but it will put a smile on your face........
Customs and Fashions of Old New England. Alice Morse Earle. NY: Charles Scribner's Sons. 1893.
— A classic record of life in the Colonial days of America. Topics include: Courtship and Marriage customs, Domestic Service, Old Colonial Drinks and Drinkers, Doctors and Patients, Books and Bookmakers, Funeral and Burial Customs, Holidays and Festivals, and a whole lot more...
Lake to Lake. Capt. Charles A. J. Farrar. Jamaica Plain, Mass.: Jamaica Publishing Company. 1887.
— An interesting adventure in the wilds of Maine, aboard an early steamship venturing from lake to lake...
Trail of the Maine Pioneer, The. Maine's Women's Clubs. Lewiston, ME: Lewiston Journal Company. 1916.
— An interesting series of stories originally published in the Lewiston Journal newspaper. This is a limited-edition publication, written and compiled by members of the Maine Federation of Women's Clubs.......
Birds of Lewiston-Auburn [Maine] and its Vicinity. Carrie Ella Miller. Lewiston, Maine: Lewiston Journal Co. 1918.
— A concise summary guide to the birds present in Maine in the turn of the last century. Includes a season guide when to expect migratory birds in the area.
History of Chesterville, Maine. Oliver Sewall. Farmington, ME: J. S. Swift. 1875.
— Detailed description of the start of the town of Chesterville, Maine, its early settlers, mills, stores, and life in general in the late 1700s and early 1800's. An interesting read.......
Stories of Maine. Sophie Swett. NY: American Book Company. 1899.
— A nice series of histories from the earliest settlement of Maine to its participation in the Civil War. A nice collection for the student and historian.....
Among the Isles of Shoals. Celia Thaxter. Illustrated. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company. 1901
— An interesting history and reminicence of the Isles of Shoals, of the New Hampshire/Maine coasts. From first settlement to shipwrecks, ghosts, pirates and surviving against the stormy sea, it's all here. A nice read.......
Island Garden, An. Celia Thaxter. Illustrated by Childe Hassam. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. 1894.
— This is a wonderful book, well-written and beautifully illustrated. One woman's struggle to grow a flower garden year after year, on Appledore Island (the Isles of Shoals) and the constant battle with slugs, birds and weather — all worth it in the end......
The New England Cook Book. Unknown Author. New Haven, CT: Hezekiah Howe & Co. 1836.
— From the early years of American history, here are over three hundred recipes from New England. Many would have had their basis in Colonial cooking. These are tried-and-true recipes in their original style, with measurements in "teacups," "size of an egg," or cooking in a "quick oven." Whether it's how to cook Beef Steak or Goose, Gingerbread or New Year's Cookies, or just how to clean Carpets or make Soap, you'll find it here!
— A great compilation of old sayings from New England - from Luck, Odds, Marriage, Friends, Love and Sentiment, to Old Songs and Old Stories.....
Busy Year at the Old Squire's, A. C. A Stephens. Boston: The Youth's Companion. 1922.
— A nice series of stories covering one year in time, through the eyes of one of the children who come to stay at the Old Squire's farm in Maine during the Civil War....
Great Year of Our Lives at the Old Squire's, A. C. A. Stephens. Illustrated. Boston: The Youth's Companion. 1912.
— Another in a series of short stories of young cousins growing up on their grandparents' farm in Maine after the Civil War. A nice read; many tales of rural schoolhouses, farms, woodlore....
When Life Was Young At the Old Farm in Maine. C. A. Stephens. Boston: The Youth's Companion. 1912.
— Another in the series of "Old Squire" series; a number of short stories chronicles the lives of young cousins who's fathers die in the Civil War and come to live with their grandparents in Maine. Excellent read for young adults of all ages to discover life on a Maine farm in the late 1800s....
Camping Out. C. A. Stephens. NY: Hurst and Company. [n.d.: ca. 1910]
— A very interesting tale of 4 young men in search of the 'mother lode' in the wilderness of Maine, on the heights of Mt. Katahdin! First in a series if adventure books.....
Left On Labrador. C. A. Stephens. NY: Hurst and Co. [ca. 1870's]
— A continuation of the tale of 4 young men in Camping Out; they buy their boat and become stranded in Labrador! Second in a series if adventure books.....
Off to the Geysers. C. A. Stephens. Illustrated NY: Hurst & Company. 1873.
— Volume 3 of the Camping Out series; an interesting fictional story of four young adventurers travelling through Iceland in the late 1800's. A great young adult book -- readers should plan to explore further on the true geology of geysers and volcanoes. This book was written in the infancy of modern geological sciences....
Maine Woods, The. Henry David Thoreau. Boston: Ticknor and Fields. 1864.
— The classic by Thoreau, detailing his adventures through the Maine regions of Katahdin, Chesuncook and the Alagash. Hard to find, complete with Appendix, in etext on the web....
Working Drawings of Colonial Furniture. Frederick J. Bryant. Peoria, Ill: The Manual Arts Press. 1922.
— A nice set of draft plans to make a range of New England Colonial and early American Furniture. From Sheraton, Hepplewhite and Tavern tables, chairs and work tables, there is a wide range of plans for the carpenter and DIYer. All diagrams based on original furniture from Maine...
New England Joke Lore. Arthur G. Crandall. Philadelphia: F. A. Davis Company. 1922.
— Here's a bit of that dry New England humor on display. It may not make you laugh out load, but it will put a smile on your face........
Customs and Fashions of Old New England. Alice Morse Earle. NY: Charles Scribner's Sons. 1893.
— A classic record of life in the Colonial days of America. Topics include: Courtship and Marriage customs, Domestic Service, Old Colonial Drinks and Drinkers, Doctors and Patients, Books and Bookmakers, Funeral and Burial Customs, Holidays and Festivals, and a whole lot more...
Lake to Lake. Capt. Charles A. J. Farrar. Jamaica Plain, Mass.: Jamaica Publishing Company. 1887.
— An interesting adventure in the wilds of Maine, aboard an early steamship venturing from lake to lake...
Trail of the Maine Pioneer, The. Maine's Women's Clubs. Lewiston, ME: Lewiston Journal Company. 1916.
— An interesting series of stories originally published in the Lewiston Journal newspaper. This is a limited-edition publication, written and compiled by members of the Maine Federation of Women's Clubs.......
Birds of Lewiston-Auburn [Maine] and its Vicinity. Carrie Ella Miller. Lewiston, Maine: Lewiston Journal Co. 1918.
— A concise summary guide to the birds present in Maine in the turn of the last century. Includes a season guide when to expect migratory birds in the area.
History of Chesterville, Maine. Oliver Sewall. Farmington, ME: J. S. Swift. 1875.
— Detailed description of the start of the town of Chesterville, Maine, its early settlers, mills, stores, and life in general in the late 1700s and early 1800's. An interesting read.......
Stories of Maine. Sophie Swett. NY: American Book Company. 1899.
— A nice series of histories from the earliest settlement of Maine to its participation in the Civil War. A nice collection for the student and historian.....
Among the Isles of Shoals. Celia Thaxter. Illustrated. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company. 1901
— An interesting history and reminicence of the Isles of Shoals, of the New Hampshire/Maine coasts. From first settlement to shipwrecks, ghosts, pirates and surviving against the stormy sea, it's all here. A nice read.......
Island Garden, An. Celia Thaxter. Illustrated by Childe Hassam. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. 1894.
— This is a wonderful book, well-written and beautifully illustrated. One woman's struggle to grow a flower garden year after year, on Appledore Island (the Isles of Shoals) and the constant battle with slugs, birds and weather — all worth it in the end......
The New England Cook Book. Unknown Author. New Haven, CT: Hezekiah Howe & Co. 1836.
— From the early years of American history, here are over three hundred recipes from New England. Many would have had their basis in Colonial cooking. These are tried-and-true recipes in their original style, with measurements in "teacups," "size of an egg," or cooking in a "quick oven." Whether it's how to cook Beef Steak or Goose, Gingerbread or New Year's Cookies, or just how to clean Carpets or make Soap, you'll find it here!