Friday, May 29, 2015

Moving tips

Moving can be a stressful time, but also exciting! Here are some tips to help your move go smoothly:

  1. Be sure to spend few minutes planning and organizing the basics. This can save you time and money in the long run - and headaches! 
  2. Calculate your moving costs by estimating hiring movers versus renting a moving truck, moving
    boxes, tape, padding, and supplies. If you are moving a long distance, take travel costs – gas, food, lodging, or bus/plane tickets oil change and vehicle maintenance into account as well. 
  3. Don’t forget to change your address before you move with the USPS, bank and other businesses. The fun part is letting friends and family know your new address by sending a "new address" card.
  4. Hiring Movers will save you a lot of stress and labor if you account for your time and cost of supplies. Get quotes from different movers to find good rates and be sure to read reviews. You can search for reviews on the chosen company prior to selecting them and go over their insurance policies to make sure you have adequate coverage for all your property.
  5. Try to plan and allow for some overlap time; If the new place must be cleaned or repaired before you move in, plan overlapping time or time with your belongings in storage to complete these tasks.
  6. Think about how much you want or need to pare down your belongings. If you're downsizing with the move, it might be hard to give away items of sentimental value. Start right away if you want to give away or sell belongings, rather than move them.
  7. Determine which items can be recycled or donated, and your town might have a "big item" pick up day or a transfer station where you can leave gently used furniture and other items.
  8. Label moving boxes for easy unpacking and to help you or the movers put the right boxes in the right rooms.
  9. Pack your essentials last.
  10. Pack a small moving day kit with some key components to ensure you are able to unpack boxes by your own.

Friday, March 6, 2015

The Pineland cemetery

From time to time Pineland receives queries from folks trying to find the graves of members of their family long passed. Most recently I received a request to assist a genealogical quest for the cemetery holding the remains of those who died while residing at Pineland.

The Pineland cemetery was given over to the town of New Gloucester's Cemetery Association for perpetual care in 1997.

People interested in finding family members' graves can search the Pineland interments on record here:

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=cr&CRid=2464976

The FindAGrave.com site also has information on where the cemetery is located.

I mention this because the FindAGrave.com site is a great resource for anyone looking for burial sites. As volunteers add to the site, more and more graves are available to be searched as they are indexed and photographed.  

If you find yourself using the site, think also about adding your own efforts to the database. Every little bit of information added in might be the piece of a puzzle which helps another researcher link to their past!

For more information on adding to the site: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=listFaqs#16 

Saturday, February 21, 2015

Have you tried Miyake?

Make your Saturday lunch all about sushi with a jaunt down to Miyake. A $20 Tei Shoku meal includes miso soup or salad, a starter and a main, so you get a lot of bang for your buck. Start off with the marinated salmon and follow it up with the Hamayaki (lobster, crab and scallops over sushi rice with truffle oil and spicy kewpie). You’ll get your fill of seafood and leave happy as a clam.

468 Fore St. Portland

Friday, February 20, 2015

Scarborough Land Trust's Annual Meeting
"Scarborough's Hidden  Rivers"
Thurs., 3/12, 7:00 p.m.

The 2015 Annual Meeting will be held on Thursday, March 12, 7:00-8:30 p.m. at the Scarborough Town Hall.  "Scarborough's Hidden Rivers" will be the featured talk, presented by wetlands scientist Richard Jordan (SHS '93) and geologist Chris Dorion. Scarborough has 5 rivers coursing throughout town that have a huge impact on our water, land and wildlife. Four meet at the mighty Marsh!

SLT's annual meeting is a great time to connect with the conservation community, shake off the winter doldrums, and find out about the year head at SLT, including updates on Benjamin Farm. 


Now's a great time to sign up for a 2015 CSA share of organic vegetables or field-grown flowers.  Visit the Broadturn Farm website, and check out their CSA!

Monday, February 16, 2015

cocktails at Ebb & Flow

It’s no secret we’re big fans of the cocktails at Ebb & Flow, but they launched a new drink menu that is so awesome we have to share. It’s hard to pick which to try first, but if you love a sweet drink, the Aztec Fortune is for you. Made with house limoncello (need we say more), tequila, mezcal, lemon, lime and bitters, one sip will brighten even the darkest of Mondays.

100 Commercial St. Portland

5 Seafood Shacks open in the off season

It may be winter, but Susan Axelrod reminds us of the many seafood hubs that are still serving up summertime eats (we are in Maine, after all.) We don’t care if we’re over-romanticizing when we say that just the scent of fried clam strips brings us back to those lazy, hazy days of summer. http://mainetoday.com/eat-drink/five-seafood-shacks-open-off-season/

Saturday, February 14, 2015

Happy Valentine's Day!


12 Pick-Up Lines in 6 Languages—Just in Time for Valentine’s Day!


If love isn’t quite in the air but you’d like it to be this Valentine’s Day, we’ve gathered some (hopefully) effective and definitely entertaining pick-up lines for you to employ on your quest for romance. 
Here are 12 pick-up lines in 6 languages:
Quién fuera bizco para verte dos veces!
I wish I were cross-eyed so I could see you twice!
Tu papá debe ser pirata porque tú eres un tesoro!
Your dad must be a pirate because you are a treasure!
J’aimerais être une larme pour naître dans tes yeux, vivre sur tes joues et mourir sur tes lèvres!
I would like to be a tear to be born in your eyes, live on your cheek, and die on your lips!
Bonsoir, savez-vous que le flirt est l’aquarelle de l’amour?
Good evening, did you know flirting is the watercolor of love?
!תזמיני מכבי אש כי אני שרוף עלייך
Tazmini mekhabei esh ki ani saruf alaikh!
‪Call the fire department cause I’m burnt over you! (In Hebrew “burnt over” means “crazy for.”)
.‪הגעתייש לך עוד שתי משאלות
Higaati, yesh lakh od shtei mishalot.
I’ve arrived, you have two more wishes.
Nossa, que olhos bonitos você tem. 
Wow, what beautiful eyes you have.
Vamos beber alguma coisa na minha casa? 
Let’s go drink something at my place?
Ich schicke dir tausend leidenschaftliche Küsse. 
I send you 1,000 kisses/a tender kiss.
Ich würde gern der Grund für Deine schlaflose Nacht sein.
I’d like to be the reason for your sleepless night.
Il tuo viso ha illuminato la mia giornata.
Your face brightened my day.
Lo sapevi che oggi è la giornata mondiale contro la solitudine?
Did you know that today is World Day Against Loneliness?

Thursday, February 12, 2015

Warm up with soup

While it’s better than subzero in Maine, it’s still pretty cold. Pop on over to the Congress Bar & Grill for their famous black bean soup and a slice of fried cornbread. When is spring going to arrive??
617 Congress St. Portland

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

February Greendrinks

February Greendrinks


What: Greendrinks Monthly Networking Event featuring Environmental & Energy Technology Council of Maine. 21+, bring your ID!

When: 5:30pm Tonight! February 10th, 2015 

Where: TideSmart Global

Cost: $5 BYOV, $10 Corn Cup


Short and sweet.
Environmental & Energy Technology Council of Maine (E2Tech) is this month's non-profit. Clean energy, green tech. We love it. All of it.

Of course, we're celebrating this awesome cause at TideSmart Global. Their commitment to sustainability is only rivaled by their ability to create incredible experiences for clients across the globe. Maine's first net-positive, passive house? It's being built right on the TideSmart campus and oh yes, there will be tours. 

Oh, and the always incredible AllagashPeak Organic, and Sebago, will be pouring their brews alongside Urban Farm FermentoryBanded Horn and Green Bee Soda. So, boom.

PS.—but this is in Falmouth, how will we get there (and get back)? FREE Maine Brew Busshuttles.  
 
Pick up/Drop off Location: The Craft Beer Cellar, 111 Commercial Street.

Shuttles to Falmouth: Will leave The Craft Beer Cellar at 5:005:155:305:45 and 6:00pm

Shuttle to Portland: Will leave from TideSmart at 7:007:157:307:45 and (if necessary) 8:00 & 8:15pm.

Wednesday, December 31, 2014

10 Fun activities to enjoy with your Grandkids!

Bake a cake:

There is nothing quite as fun messing up the kitchen in the company of grandchildren – and hopefully managing to get their parents to clean up later! Baking a cake is a timeless activity that allows you to teach your grandchildren some kitchen skills, as well as have fun working together on an activity that can end with an edible, and possibly delicious, result! The fun of measuring and mixing ingredients, the setting of the cake, the anticipation and endless peeking through the oven window, the excitement of the baking cakes smell wafting through the house, and finally the proud presentation of the end product to the rest of the family as the result of the grandparent grandchildren enterprise is shared over tea makes for a priceless activity with your grandchildren.

Read a story:

On snowy winter days, or chilly winters evenings, pull out those old books, or if you are a more tech savvy grandparent, your Kindle and read an old fashioned fairy tale or story to your grandchildren. You can plan the occasion the previous day if you like to build up the anticipation, and if your grandchildren are with you for a few days, you could even select a longer story and break it into say three parts so there is more excitement at the start of every reading. Reading is a great way to engage children's imagination, and a good story - whether read from a book/Kindle, or told by you, can fire up a young imagination, and make for a warm intimate occasion to be shared with grandchildren. Light a fire in the fireplace and gather them around, perhaps a hot chocolate break in the middle of the story, or perhaps even some popcorn. Its a great way to spend quality time with grandchildren, and most grandchildren love hearing a story told or read by their grandparent!

Walk in the park:


Put on your cold weather gear, make an occasion of it, clown around a bit in your warm woolly hat, help them get dressed in their warmest winter gear, and once set, head out to the park. Winter may not be the best time to go to the park, but whether it be snowy or just a bit bleak, it doesn't matter. Sometimes just getting out of the house can be fun. Make an adventure out of it. Plan a route with them, make it out to be a hunt for the elusive (and entire fictitious!) Giant-winter-park rabbit! Examine possible leads during the walk, investigate, feed their imagination...and once you get home, possibly after having been led on a wild Giant-winter-park-rabbit chase....feed their hungry bellies as well, hot cocoa perhaps, and possibly some of that leftover cake from the one you guys baked earlier!

Go on a sleigh ride:

It’s winter. Chances are there will be snow somewhere around either at your doorstep, or not very far from where you live. Organize a Sleigh ride! Maybe Rudolph is a resting after his Christmas exertions, but it may be possible to get a horse drawn ride somewhere. Nothing quite as magical as gliding and bumping over snow, drawn along on a sleigh, wrapped up in warm warm blankets/furs, and discussing the merits of sleigh over airplanes with your grandchildren, as you slide across a winters landscape. Maybe carry a few apples to feed the horse/reindeer later! If no horse/reindeer powered rides are available, you can innovate.....nothing delights children as much as a sleigh drawn by their parents dressed as reindeer! You can make it happen...and hopefully your children will forgive you the indignity inflicted by next winter J...your grandchildren will of course be laughing with delight all the way with you!

Help build a snowman/woman

It's winter, again the assumption is that you live amongst snowy landscapes or are a reasonable distance from that powdery stuff. So a timeless event associated with snow is snowmen/women! Collect your gear, the snow shovels, buckets, facial feature elements like carrots for the nose etc, and of course your warm and well-dressed-for-cold-weather grandchildren! Do not forget to dress appropriately for the cold yourself...often, in the company of little children, one tends to forget one is not as sprightly as them, and the fact that you probably require more careful dressing than the little ones!

Once kitted out, head out to the snow and select an appropriate and safe area to begin your joint venture. As a senior citizen, you’ll probably be in charge of directing the process, but if you can, it can be lots of fun to actually do some of the construction. Especially fun will be assisting the grandchildren stick in the arms and the facial features.....and for the grand finale, a selfie with you and the grandchildren and your snowperson..for the family album!

Watch a cartoon or a children’s movie

Jungle Book or Bambi may be a bit dated for most children nowadays as far as animation goes, some old classics such as ET still hold their own with a young audience. Your choice of film will depend on the age and the preferences of your grandchildren, but ideally will be a film that you yourself may have watched and enjoyed – or at least think your grandchildren would enjoy. Even going to the theatre for a new release childrens movie can be fun, but ideally it would be a family occasion at home where you and your grandkids would sink into the sofa, dim the lights, and watch a film, with homemade popcorn and warm drinks from your very own kitchen. Its not a very active activity, but can be a relaxing and very enjoyable afternoon or evening spend in the comfort of your home.

Build a birdhouse

A project requiring the cutting and assembly of woodwork needs to be carefully supervised but if executed under careful supervision, can result in a lasting creation that you and your grandchild can be proud of. It is not even necessary to actually cut and shape wood to make birdhouses and kits can be bought that only require assembly. Either ways, the making of a birdhouse can be a simple but fulfilling task that you can undertake with your grandchildren, and once placed in an appropriate location, can provide many subsequent hours of entertainment in the monitoring and care of birds that may take up residence in your and your grandchild creation!

Play a video game

Instead of teaching your grandchildren what you know better than them, a great way to spend time with the little ones is to learn a little bit about their world, and video games is very much a part of their world. Select a game that you know they play and enjoy, then if you have the time and don't want to test their patience too much, take the time to learn and practice the basics on your own. Then you can ask your grandchildren to teach you how to play and with their lessons, and from what you have secretly already learned before, you can challenge them to a game (if it is a competition one!), or just indulge in the digital world of videogames and let your grandchildren be your guides and mentors for a change!

Put together a play for the rest of the family

Select a short story that can be enacted, or better still, write one together with your grandchildren. Practice the lines and scenes, and now, if you want to have more fun with the story, make props and create costumes. How much work you put into it is not important, it's how much fun you and your grandchildren have fun doing it! Move furniture, create lighting and a stage using sheets if you like, let their imagination and creativity run wild! In the evening, perhaps some time after dinner, you and your troop can put on a show for the rest of the family. Call a few neighbors if you like! Remember to appoint someone as a prompter...both young and old can often forget their lines!

Help with Homework Assignments

Ever so often children come home with an assignment from school and most of the time it is the parents that help out where required. Take over that role from your children and help your grandchildren with their assignments and projects occasionally. This can prove to be a learning experience for both of you in some cases and in many others, they will find your inputs and insights interesting. It’s a great way to spend unhurried time with your grandchildren and it even helps them improve their grades.