MaryAlice Musings and More

Matt is the director of our library, at the end of the year he will have been here two years.  He is "all in" for the Katahdin Region, Millinocket and most importantly the Library!  He has become a good friend to me and countless others.  Today he got the Outstanding Librarian of the Year Award from the Maine Library Association.  It was so fun to be a part of writing letters and highlighting the actions, commitment, passion and vision that Matt has accomplished in the time he and his partner Emilie have been here.   I was at the library for several meetings today and everyone who knew that Matt was getting the award today were just buoyed with the good news.   A nice way to start the week.   It is October, turning of the season.  Change is inevitable.  

While I was in radio silence, nursing a not so good back, and spending more time than usual indoors vs.  out in wild the colors just starting popping.  On Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning I was out on the lake - the colors were just starting, they were almost visible but very muted.  Now there is big color, more and more beautiful pics are being posted online and you can feel fall is in the air. I still feel that I am adjusting,  it is easier to put more and different layers on each morning.  I have finished the semi-annual changing of the clothes.  I have started to drink hot cocoa in the afternoon.  I am still cooking and canning.  I made a sour cream apple cake yesterday, brought it to the Fanjoy's for supper and it was a hit!  I also made a big batch of quinoa tabouli using cucumbers and tomatoes from neighbor's garden,  and scallions from the Fanjoy's.  It is the last whisper of summer flavors that I can eat along with the soups and stews that I keep simmering

The last day that I blogged it was Sunday,  a day of the Equinox and it was in nature only that any balance could be felt this week.  I started the week beginning to feel not so good and then I wrenched my back.  Plans had to be cancelled and I gingerly moved through my days trying to do good self care at a time when the national news and democratic process (or lack thereof) ripped at my heart and soul. The magnitude of disconnect between good news in the Katahdin Region:  5 days of very good visioning workshops and news of a over 5 Million dollar grant to revitalize the mill site.  The bad news:  US Senate Judiciary Committee Republican members and Leadership, the arrogant terrifying reaction of a man thinking he would not get what he is entitled to - a seat on the supreme court and the continued polarization not only in our national political bodies but across our nation. My heart is heavy.  I do not believe that we are as polarized as we are made to believe through our media

Fall Equinox Mandala  South Twin Lake September 22, 2018   Today started cool and very sunny,  it is these mornings that the south/east facing porch is such a treat.  The warmth pours into the house when I open the living room door.  It was a crystal clear day.  I bought some Mums for the front and back porches and they sparkled in the sunshine.   I did not have the pictures last night from our ritual so today I am posting our mandala.  Today was most certainly a fall day!  Moving us one day at a time to the longest night of the year!  For now it is wonderful to have the light shining for half of the day!   I stopped by the Fanjoy's to get more parsley and basil.  Tomorrow night I will be making more pesto, but the herbs had to b picked as the freeze warnings are out for tonight and I think it is for real.  After herbs and Mums were put away it was off to more visioning - today was a mid-point check in and then a BBQ.  These are some of the mid point check in&

Last night the wind blew and blew and today we had blue skies and bright sunshine!  I enjoyed a lazy morning and then went out to Ambajesus Lake and onto the Northwoods to get a little lunch.  It absolutely felt like fall.  The sky was brilliant and although the sun shown bright, you could feel the coolness in the air.  After lunch I headed back to Millinocket for another visioning session, this one on Community Centers - good conversations, good ideas and so fun to be hanging out in the guest house!  In between visioning sessions stopped in at Picker's Paradise-found some good bargains at the end of the season sale, including an beautiful mahogony table with 3 leaves!!! Then back to visioning, last session was of emerging opportunities...good news we have more than some....it is exciting and I am looking forward to what get's crystallized over the next few days.    Then off to South Twin Lake for a Fall Equinox Ritual with Sue Van Hook.  Such a beautiful ritual, we gathe

Today the former Guest House of the Mill Owners was opened up for the Katahdin Collaborative Visioning Sessions.   I went to two sessions today - one of Age Friendly Communities and Existing and Emerging Threats.  They were good sessions and there are more all day tomorrow.  I don't have the same enthusiasm as I did last night, but it has been a long week.  I feel weighed down by the way the republican leadership is handling the supreme court nominee hearings.  The way that women continue to be treated if they dare to name sexual abuse.  My heart breaks for Dr. Ford.  The price paid is so high.  I feel so weary as more and more imbalance occurs in Washington, DC.   My words won't come right now.  There are days that the situation we find ourselves in my this president and his party is so deplorable and horrendous it is just plain hard to cope with.  Meanwhile, tomorrow is the autumnal equinox at 9:54 p.m. est.  I am hoping that the rain and wind will go away, it is gusty,

Today was the kick off for a week long visioning process for All In Katahdin  We were at the library today, so fitting that at the equinox when we think of the harvest, we are harvesting ideas, hope, dialogue and community.   It was one of those meetings where the energy in the room was more at the end of the meeting than when we started.  Some great ideas,  and for the next 6 days every day is filled with sessions and times to just gather and then there will be debriefing and some very defined and clear next steps leading to our Regional Vision and Action Plan.  Wow...it feels good.  It was fun tonight and I am looking forward to what I hear, the ideas generated, what it sparks in me.... So I will go to bed tonight feeling very happy about being a part of this community.  On the sleep front last night was another night when I went to sleep and did not wake up until the morning, 8+ hrs of uninterrupted sleep - bliss!  Two nights in a row!  Here's hoping for night #3

I started my day, waking up around 7:30 a.m.  this was after falling into bed around 9:30 on Tuesday night.  The miracle of Tuesday night is that I did NOT wake up until morning.  This is a rare event in my life to sleep all through the night.  I needed it.  And it felt great. Today was filled with a number of to do's.  First was wrapping my head around what to wear when it was much colder, a little rainy and kind of windy.  I figured it out and today was day one of wearing my trusty LL Bean flannel shirt. In between errands got a few minutes to visit with a friend and get a little nap. Tonight I have enjoyed just being home.  I made some pasta and clam sauce and finished up the last of my quinoa salad.  I am having a glass of wine. I listened to Pandora and kept the television off most of the day.  I have my new novel to read from our Book Club, "The House We Grew Up In" and am going to start reading that when I go up for bed tonight. It is good not to feel

Today was a volunteer day at the Library, and it was full tilt - lots of patrons - lots of trouble shooting - checking books in and out.  Good stuff having very concrete tasks.  My head and heart full.  Ride sharing to and from Patten this afternoon for the All In Katahdin Pot Luck supper.  Great conversation,  good ideas, good people, clear vision.  It is rainy and getting cooler.  I am a tired woman today.  Not many words to blog today.   Turning inward.  Breathing deeply, in and out, in and out.  Tuesday turning in early, with a good book and then sound deep sleep.

I love Penzey's the great herb and seasoning company in Wisconsin.  That business knows their truth,  lives by their values, shares their abundance and speaks out.  A business that has a great product and I love who they are and what they believe!  They have  this great bumper sticker that is on our refrigerator:  Love People Cook Them Good Food.  That is what I did today,  preparing good food is salve for my soul,  I made Basil Pesto from the garden of Bob and Gail Fanjoy and I made Quinoa Tabouli using many good veggies from Trailside Country Store.  Tomorrow I will take the well marinated Tabouli to a potluck in Patten.  The pesto is in the freezer and I look forward to sharing pesto meals with friends later this fall or in the winter.  My blog from yesterday has been opened more times than any other blog I have written,  at this writing the blog has been opened 300 times.  The likes, hearts, comments and shares have been heartwarming and so unexpected.  There was not a

This is a hard blog to start.  Earlier in the month I blogged about Anita Hill today we hear about Christine Ford.  I often wonder what would happen if for one day, one week every girl child every woman who has been sexually harassed, sexually abused, raped, or threatened stood together to tell their truth.  To share their story. I want to do a small part in standing up.  I am not going to share the torrid details.  I just need to acknowledge me too!   I was a child who was sexually abused.  My trusted next door neighbor when I was five years old was the first.  Before that my father had physically abused both myself and my brother - I don't know all that happened it started when I was just a baby.   What I do know is that it set me up to not understand what to do when people you trusted did bad things.  You can be strong and you can still not believe that you can or should speak up.  Especially when you don't know what anyone will do if you do. I was 10 and at my great

How fun to spend the afternoon at the town park.  Day 2 of the Trails End Festival was full.  Started with the small but very mighty parade,  I walked with the Katahdin Artists, but stepped out to take their picture, and get snaps of the rest of the parade.  The last pic is the LL Bean Boot,  it was just in Madison, WI and I am wondering who saw it at Hilldale?   After the parade I went home for breakfast and another cup of tea.  Then off to Veteran's Park to volunteer at the Woods and Water booth!  Emilie at the Beekeeping Association Booth,  best beekeeper model ever! Meghan, Taylor and Marion at the Library Booth Talking About the Future Library Renovations Gus (17 years old) Fiddler extraordinaire! Baxter State Park,  the staff were all at the Library this week!  Fun neighbors KWW was next to them! It is so heartwarming to be able to stop and talk and give and get greetings.  There are many people I don't know, but there sure are a lot that

One of the successes in helping to celebrate Millinocket and the Katahdin Region is the Trails End Festival - a weekend of bringing hikers and people from the region together to all celebrate the beauty of the Northern Terminus of the Appalachian Trail and Millinocket.   The weather could not be better in the 80's today, sunshine and lots of people who are finishing up their hike on the AT trail.   The AT Lodge was beyond full and 15 people volunteered to spend the day clearing along the AT trail.  People were tired, happy and enjoyed the Trail Feed as a kick off to the Festival.   The music was good, and it was a good evening meeting new people and hearing their stories.  It has been a busy week.  I am aware that I am itching to get into my studio.  The last of my cozie pint glasses was sold today at Woods and Water.  I have been thinking about the next ones that I will make for them.  I have a new batch of berets that I am ready to needle felt.   When this hot weather e

The porch at Milly Haven was blissful this morning.  Sunlight, warmth and a good cup of tea.  I wrote letters and postcards, got a package ready to go in the mail and made my "to do" list.  Checked things off the list:  go to post office - pick up veggies at Trailside Country Store - drop off check to Tina.  Each errand turned into time visiting with folks and catching up something that happens more and more the longer that I live here in Millinocket.  Letters and package mailed and I got great fresh organic veggies from Trailside:  delicata squash, acorn squash, yellow and red tomatoes, garlic and another fall squash that I can't remember the name.  This afternoon was my book group.  This is the first group since summer break and for me it was even longer because I was gone in April and May.  So, it was fun to get back together to not only share our ideas about our book (The Little Old Lady Who Broke All the Rules  by Catharina Ingelman-Sundberg) but we also shared s

We have a beautiful NPS Contact Station in Millinocket.  I am here this morning and I really enjoy how beautiful our space is and always enjoy when people come in to visit and get information.  Of course the "Passport" stamp in a big deal for all National Park enthusiasts and I like when they share their big with me or tell stories of their park adventures. Today no visitors yet!  So I get to catch up on things I wanted to do this a.m. from my computer including finishing my blog for today.  I am sitting looking out the window onto Penobscot Avenue (right in the middle of our 23 block "Main Street").  We are directly across the street from the Town Municipal Building and the Maine District Court,  taxes are due on the 27th, so people are going in and out, and a few people are walking along the street.  Many of the "walkers" have just come from or are going to the AT Cafe.  The occasional through hiker walks by, probably on their rest day before

 MONDAY STILLNESS AT THE LAKE TUESDAY RAINY MORNING WITH HYDRANGEA It is just too bad that I am not being a stay at home retiree today.  It is supposed to rain all morning,  dreary looking and cool in low 50's.  We need to the rain so I am not complaining.  Today is a library day.  Operations Committee meeting this morning.  Then a little break.  I am going to go to the chiropractor before I go back to the library for my shift.  The afternoon will be a little brighter and the forecast is that we will have absolutely beautiful fall weather.   For now I am enjoying my cup of tea,  taking as much time as I can before I leave the house.  A friend posted a poem this morning, such a good start to the day I am going to share with you all:  Mary Oliver a modern mystic and a great read anytime of the day.  Hope you can sing loudly today.  I am "Singing in the Rain" to start my day.

I still am on "hot spot" functioning" here at camp so no pics for blog today.  ( I have now gotten back on wifi and here are pics!)  What a beautiful day it was -  a brisk morning that had coolness in the air and such beautiful warmth from the sun.  I sat out on the porch and watched amazing light show on the lake, felt the sunshine on my cheeks, and just basked in my gratefulness.  Today is the first day of Jewish High Holiday, RoshHashanah starting at sun down today.  It is the Jewish new year, the beginning of time for going within, reviewing one's action and atoning for wrongs.  Being here, watching the water, observing the cycles what a wonderful way to end a year and begin another. Today has been a time of connections and enjoying wonders in my life.  I did have a nice paddle in the kayak.  I had a wonderful connection with the hydroponic tomato grower just a few doors done (it is a wonder to behold and he gets about 50 lbs of tomatoes per plant and has

I am almost off the grid so my photo's are not downloading from my phone to my laptop!  Photo's may need to be inserted later...  AND HERE THEY ARE!!!! What a fine fall day.  The weather was beautiful, the sun brilliant, the angle of the light so very fine.   Started the day in Bangor, had lunch at Sea Dog Brewery with the SAGE group.  Then headed back to Millinocket.  Dropped off things at "camp" on South Twin. Picked up Meghan, and I drove us to Stacyville for the Farm to Table Suppah'.   Started with an amazing squash soup.  Then braised short ribs with smashed potatoes and loads of Gardiner Farm veggies:  yellow and green beans, broccoli, sweet corn and carrots.  It was so yummy.   Dessert was Chocolate Zucchini Lava Cake.  Oh my. The drive home was such a beautifully painted sky and landscape and I arrived back at "camp" before it was really dark. I have great pictures of my evening but they are not going to download with my hotspot.