Bangor Metro - March 2021

TAP YOUR OWN LIQUID

GOLD

reen LIVING

S H D U RI N G Y A T R T H E R E’S A O U WO R P U R

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AT. U N R TH R FO D

LI KE T O PI

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MAINE

BUSINESSES

GREENING

$5.95

March 2021

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CONTENTS

MARCH 2021

FEATURES 46

DOING BUSINESS BETTER

Maine companies finding ingenious ways to be eco-friendly

54

GOING GREEN AT HOME

10 ways to green your home

60 A CLEANER & GREENER WORKOUT Plogging the way to better health for both you and your community

IN EVERY ISSUE 08

54

GOING GREEN AT HOME

36

THE ART OF MAPLE TAPPING

WHAT’S HAPPENING

Local news & sightings

16

OBSESSIONS

What we can’t get enough of this month

62

WOODS & WATERS

An ode to Maine’s favorite atlas

THE VIEW FROM HERE

Dinner tastes better when you make it together

ON THE COVER Green your routine.

Design by Amy Allen

2 / BANGOR METRO March 2021

PHOTOS: ©ANDREAS SCHULZE, ©SIANC/ADOBE STOCK

64

ARTS & CULTURE 10

BROAD STROKES

Meet painter Diana Young

14 THIS BANGOR WOMAN WASN’T TAKING NO FOR AN ANSWER The story of Bangor’s Abigail Hatch vs. the British Navy

FOOD & DRINK 18

IN SEASON NOW

Cooking up pies for Pi Day

20 FALL IN LOVE WITH YOUR AIR FRYER Get started with this trendy tool

HEALTH & FITNESS 24

HIKE ME

Take a snowy wilderness walk

30 TECH FOR HEALTH & HAPPINESS Apps to improve your mindset

HOME & FAMILY 34

CRAFTING WITH KIDS

Ditch the plastic with reusable wraps

36

THE ART OF MAPLE TAPPING

A DIY guide to a sweet March treat

40

PERSONAL FINANCE

Tips to build your nest egg www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 3

EDITOR’S NOTE

reen LIVING

ON MY DESK at home sits a vision board I made earlier this year. My family likes to joke that it’s just a collage, but in the words and pictures pasted together, I see hope, joy and a reminder to recharge.

Creating a vision board (or a dream board, as they are sometimes called) is putting into image the hopes and goals for the future that one has. It’s about visualising and inspiring ourselves toward the future.

But vision boards aren’t some magical concept that will dream your goals into existence. On the contrary: they only work if we do.

So I am.

WHEN I GLANCE UP AT MY VISION BOARD, IT REMINDS ME THAT I WANT TO BOTH EMBRACE ADVENTURE AND ENJOY MORE. I WANT TO DWELL IN CREATIVITY AND ALSO SAVE MORE. I WANT TO BOTH RELAX AND HUSTLE MY WAY TO A DREAM HOME. Likewise, we can both enjoy modern conveniences and do so in a way that is gentle on the planet.

In this issue of Bangor Metro, we’re focusing on green living — the kind that’s more sustainable for the environment and gentler on the Earth. From ways to be greener at home (page 54) to an outdoor activity that’s good for your body and the planet (page 60) to companies that are innovatively different in Maine (page 46), we hope this issue will inspire you to live greener yourself.

We’re also talking about maple sugaring (page 36) and making pie for Pi Day (page 18).

And there’s so much more to love.

WE HOPE YOU LOVE THIS ISSUE AS MUCH AS WE DO.

SARAH WALKER CARON, EDITOR

Connect With Us Online bangormetro.com facebook.com/BangorMetro talkback@bangormetro.com

4 / BANGOR METRO March 2021

www.bangormetro.com P.O. Box 1329 Bangor, Maine 04402-1329 Phone: 207.990.8000

PUBLISHER

Richard J. Warren

EDITOR

Sarah Walker Caron scaron@bangordailynews.com

SALES MANAGER

Laurie Cates

lcates@bangordailynews.com

ART DIRECTOR

Amy Allen

aallen@bangordailynews.com

SUBSCRIPTION & PROMOTIONS MANAGER

Fred Stewart

fstewart@bangordailynews.com

STAFF WRITER

Julia Bayly jbayly@bangordailynews.com

STAFF WRITER

Rosemary Lausier rlausier@bangordailynews.com

STAFF WRITER

Aislinn Sarnacki asarnacki@bangordailynews.com

STAFF WRITER

Sam Schipani sschipani@bangordailynews.com

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS & PHOTOGRAPHERS Bob Duchesne, Meg Haskell, Emily Morrison, Kaylie Reese, Crystal Sands, Katie Smith www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 5

6 / BANGOR METRO March 2021

MEET OUR CONTRIBUTORS

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE

Bangor Metro Magazine. March 2021, Vol. 17, No. 2.

Copyright © Bangor Publishing Company.

Bangor Metro is published 10 times annually by Bangor Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

This magazine may not be reproduced in whole or part in any form without the written permission of the Publisher.

Bangor Metro is mailed at standard rates from Portland, Maine.

Opinions expressed in either the editorial or advertisements do not represent the opinions of the staff or publisher of Bangor Metro magazine. Advertisers and event sponsors or their agents are responsible for copyrights and accuracy of all material they submit.

Bangor Metro magazine to the best of its ability ensures the acuracy of information printed in the publication.

Inquiries and suggestions are welcome and encouraged. Letters to the editor, story suggestions, and other reader input will be subject to Bangor Metro’s unrestricted right to edit and publish in the magazine both in print and online.

Editorial: Queries should be sent to Sarah Walker Caron at scaron@bangordailynews.com.

Advertising: For advertising questions, please call the Sales Director Todd Johnston at 207-990-8129.

Subscriptions/Address Change: The one year subscription cost is $15.95. Address changes: to ensure delivery, subscribers must notify the magazine of address changes one month in advance of the cover date. Please contact Fred Stewart at 207-990-8075.

Accounts Payable/Receivable: For information about your account please contact Todd Johnston at 207-990-8129.

COVER DESIGN: Amy Allen (EDITED PHOTO: ©PHOTOGUNS/ADOBE STOCK)

EnvironmentallyFriendly Change YOU'VE MADE IN YOUR LIFE?

“

Using glass storage containers has made saving (and reheating) leftovers so much better! But I am not just talking about the convenient Pyrex set I have. I also save glass jars from marinara and condiments too. They are fantastic for storing food in the fridge and for taking with you too. My daughter has even gotten into it and has big plans for using the marinara jars for on-the-go salads when she returns to in-person schooling.”

— SARAH WALKER CARON, EDITOR

“I’ve started walking everywhere within a mile radius (within reason — I’m not going to tromp along a highway), no matter the weather, and it’s made such a difference in my days. Before moving to Bangor, I lived in very walkable cities, and though I feel Maine could learn a thing or two about pedestrian friendliness, part of it was just me getting over my mental bias about walking places in the cold. Plus, think of all the emissions I’m saving by not driving! Just bundle up, snap on some crampons and you’re good to go.”

— SAM SCHIPANI, STAFF WRITER

“Mmmm. Good question. Got myself a heat pump two years ago, and it’s been the best decision ever. First, when I stand directly in front of it I feel like ten hair dryers are blowing directly on my face and second, we’re only using a third of the electricity as a baseboard heater. Plus, we’re no longer dependent on gas to heat our home — it’s a win, win, win.”

— EMILY MORRISON, CONTRIBUTOR

“My favorite environmentally-friendly change I have made is getting chickens.

Our family no longer has food waste, and we compost the chicken poop for our organic garden — creating a sustainable cycle that makes me proud and happy.

Chickens are awesome!”

— CRYSTAL SANDS, CONTRIBUTOR

www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 7

WHAT’S HAPPENING

LUCK OF THE IRISH!

Happy St. Paddy’s — let’s see what you know about this lucky holiday!

MARCH

MARCH 11-APRIL 3 WHO KILLED ZOLAN MIZE? PENOBSCOT THEATRE COMPANY

Gather around and watch this fun, interactive performance. Viewers observe two detectives question six quirky suspects then share ideas and observations with your fellow detectives along the way in the “Clues Journal,” and join in a series of in-home scavenger hunts. Once all the evidence is in, you share your thoughts on the case with the detectives and a vote is held. The suspect with the most votes wins the handcuffs! This fun show is part of Penobscot Theatre Company’s digital offerings for 2021 and will feature Rachel and Brendan Powers, professional actors based in Florida. To purchase tickets (there are 20 available for each performance), visit PenobscotTheatre.org.

8 / BANGOR METRO March 2021

Join the Bangor Symphony Orchesta for an online performance featuring Conductor Lucas Richman and Joyce Yang on piano. The BSO will premiere a new concerto by composer Reinaldo Moya, winner of the inaugural EllisBeauregard Foundation Composer Award, inspired by the art of Carlos Cruz Diez.

It will also feature works by Tchaikovsky and Arvo Pärt. The performance will be available for viewing for 30 days after the premiere. For tickets, visit www.bangorsymphony.org.

THROUGHOUT MARCH MARCH DINE AROUND ELLSWORTH ELLSWORTH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Join the Ellsworth Area Chamber of Commerce in a month long appreciation of dining establishments in Ellsworth.

Dine-in or take-out, you’re choice.

Visit www.ellsworthchamber.org/chamberprograms/march-dine-around for more information including specials, deals, discounts, contests and more.

Find answers below.

PHOTO: ©COLIN/ADOBE STOCK

Explore the University of Maine forest by way of snowshoe with the Maine Bound Adventure Center! Learn the different parts and become comfortable traveling in this style while enjoying the wintry landscape. Fee is $20. For more details, go to umaine.edu/mainebound.

MARCH 26 DIGITAL MASTERWORKS II: MOYA & TCHAIKOVSKY BANGOR SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Answers to this month’s Pop Quiz: Question 1: A; Q2: C; Q3: A; Q4: B; Q5: C.

MARCH 7 SNOWSHOE THE CAMPUS TRAILS UNIVERSITY OF MAINE

www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 9

ARTS & CULTURE

BROAD

Strokes PAINTER DIANA YOUNG CELEBRATES THE “GORGEOUS GEOGRAPHY” OF BANGOR AND BEYOND

BY MEG HASKELL

IF YOU LIVE, work, shop or dine in the Bangor area, you have almost certainly encountered the quirky, colorful and kaleidoscopic paintings of Diana Young. And, since she often depicts local street scenes and cityscapes, you’ve likely recognized a block of downtown buildings, an intown park or neighborhood.

Young’s lively artistic vision is easy to enjoy, wherever you may come across it. That’s in part because she finds her inspiration in familiar sites and landmarks, often returning again and again to paint the same scene from a different perspective, in changing seasons, with different light.

Diana Young in her attic studio.

PHOTO: ANNETTE DODD

“Sunburst House” Medium: Egg Tempera Size: 16x20 Date: 1999

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www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 11

ARTS & CULTURE

“Ohio Street Livelyhood” Medium: Oil Size: 20x24 Date: 1979

“Hilltop Roofs” Medium: Oil Size: 20x20 Date: 1979

12 / BANGOR METRO March 2021

“Above Ohio Street” Medium: Oil Size: 20x30 Date: 1977

“I used to love going up to the top floor of the parking garage,” she said. “The view across the river to Brewer is very fine.”

Other favorite subjects have included her West Side neighborhood — the historic Hilltop House daycare and school, for example, or the corner market, or the long view down Court Street toward the former Penobscot County Courthouse.

Often, it’s the view from her attic studio that attracts her palette.

“I love getting up high to paint,” Young said.

Some of her newer pieces were featured in a recent exhibit at the Rock and Art Shop on Central Street. And she is also gratified to have sold several large canvases to St. Joseph Healthcare in Bangor for inclusion in its rotating collection of local art, to be hung in patient rooms, waiting areas and other sites.

“People say it makes them feel good,” she said. She’s pleased to think her artwork may promote healing and happiness to those in need.

The urge to draw and paint has been a driving force for as long as she can remember.

“It was always there,” she said. “I started drawing the minute I could hold a pencil.”

When she was a child growing up in New Haven, Connecticut, her parents never complained about the long hours she spent in her room, contentedly listening to the radio and drawing. In elementary school, she and a friend devised a series of intricate, illustrated maps of their neighborhood.

Later, when she was discouraged by her high school’s stultifying art program, her parents enrolled her in a private, freewheeling Saturday morning class.

“It was wonderful, like play,” she recalled.

“They gave us clay, paint, mobiles, sculpture, beads, everything you could think of.”

But drawing and painting remained her passion.

When she was a junior in high school, a family friend suggested she visit the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence.

“I had never even heard of RISD,” Young said, but she applied and was accepted.

Initially, she heeded her mother’s advice and majored in illustration, which offered a clear path to employment.

“She hoped it would give me something to fall back on in case I didn’t find a good husband to support me,” Young said, laughing. “But illustration was boring. I didn’t want to illustrate other people’s ideas, and I was too snooty to do advertising.”

So in her junior year, she switched her major to painting and was much happier.

That happiness was compounded by meeting her future husband, Jim, who was studying textile chemistry at RISD. They married when Diana was a senior.

But, despite so many things falling into place, the period that followed was marked by sadness and frustration. “We had three children in six years. Having babies and raising them took the wind out of my sails for a long time,” Young said.

She struggled against debilitating postpartum depression. Even after her hormones stabilized, dark moods dogged her for years, muting and distorting her artistic impulses. “I didn’t do much painting at all during those years, and when I did it was all unhappy stuff from inside my own head,” she said.

When Jim accepted a teaching position in Biddeford, things started looking up.

“The kids were older, for one thing,” Young said. “And it was beautiful — our house was just a block away from the Atlantic Ocean. It was like going to heaven, in a way.”

But as her creativity slowly reasserted itself, it was not the ocean and its linear horizons that drew her. “I found that if I drove into town, I could paint what I wanted to paint,” she said — the blocky brick buildings of Biddeford’s industrial downtown.

Now 85, Young has lived in Bangor since 1973, when Jim’s work brought the family to the Queen City.

“I fell in love with Bangor,” she said. “It has a gorgeous geography, with railroads and streets not in a grid but running every which way, and it’s a river town.”

The city has inspired countless of her paintings and developed her signature style — large canvases, often painted from a rooftop perspective, big jumbled blocks of vibrating color arranged in pleasantly disorienting configurations.

Human figures, if they’re present, are in constant motion.

In 1988, she purchased a small, bangedup home in Eastport to use as a seasonal studio. Maine’s most easterly city has provided different vistas to paint, different venues in which to show and sell her work, and a cadre of artist friends.

“My work now is very happy, and it didn’t used to be,” Young said. “My 60s and 70s have been my very best years.”

Even now, after Jim’s recent death and during this difficult pandemic year, she continues to paint regularly.

“Not as much as I used to,” she admitted, but at least once a week a friend joins her in her attic studio in Bangor, masked and distanced, for a few hours of work.

Now, keep your eyes peeled for Diana Young’s joyful, inviting paintings. You’ll know them when you see them.

www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 13

The Hatch family gravemarker at Mount Hope Cemetery in Bangor.

14 / BANGOR METRO March 2021

PHOTOS: (LEFT) MAGGIE ALLEN; (BEHIND) ©QUERIMAGO SRLS/ ADOBE STOCK

ARTS & CULTURE

This Bangor Woman

WASN’T TAKING NO FOR AN ANSWER

IN CELEBRATION OF WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH: THE STORY OF ABIGAIL HATCH VS THE ROYAL BRITISH NAVY

BY JULIA BAYLY

IN THE EARLY 1800S, Abigail Hatch ran The Hatch House with a velvet fist, insisting on good house and table manners at all times. Every meal served at the popular Bangor inn, restaurant and boarding home was served on her finest dishes and in her best crystal brought home by her husband, a ship’s captain.

When the War of 1812 arrived on Bangor’s doorstep though, Hatch and her inn found themselves smack in the middle of the action.

Following the defeat of the Eastern Militia in the Battle of Hampden on Sept. 3, 1814, British forces occupied Bangor. The British troops had arrived on three naval ships that had sailed up the Penobscot River. British Capt. Robert Barrie demanded the people of Bangor open up their homes to provide free housing for his men.

Refuse and he’d order his men to burn the town to the ground.

He also ordered his men not to consume any alcohol while occupying Bangor but that was largely ignored. British troops found barrels of rum as they went from house to house and business to business breaking in to loot, plunder or destroy whatever captured their fancy.

Then they arrived at Hatch House.

Bursting in, the troops headed straight to the dining and tavern area. Then, drawing their swords, they swept every plate, every bowl, every mug, glass and vase on every table sending it all crashing to the ground in shards of porcelain and crystal.

Hatch’s porcelain and crystal.

With the place in shambles, Hatch was livid. It was bad enough that she was going to be forced to house and feed these invaders, but now she faced a massive cleanup and loss of some very precious and valuable possessions.

That night Hatch and her family could see the flames of the 14 American ships across the river being burned by the British. The next morning, with ships still burning across the river in Brewer, Bangor’s leaders were ready to negotiate with the British. Barre agreed to meet and hear them out.

Hoping to spare their city, its leaders offered a cash bond and ships. Four ships were being built and outfitted already

in Bangor, and they promised to deliver them to Castine for British military use.

Barre agreed — and also helped himself to five other vessels tied up in Bangor.

The 191 Bangor residents who’d been taken hostage were placed on parole, as long as they agreed to never take up arms against the British throne again.

But that wasn’t enough for Hatch.

By the third day of the occupation, the British were getting ready to move back down river and destroy what was left of Hampden. Hatch, however, wasn’t letting Barre get away without compensation.

She marched into the home occupied by Barre and slapped down a piece of paper with the total accounts and value of every item in her home his troops had destroyed.

Barre was a successful navy captain with many sea and land victories under his belt. He had faced down enemies at sea around the Atlantic and never flinched. But looking at the formidable woman across the dining room table he was using as a desk, he knew he’d met his match.

With barely a word to Hatch, he scribbled some notes on a piece of paper, signed his name to it and handed it off to a junior officer standing nearby.

The junior officer took one look at the note and ran from the building, returning 30 minutes later with the Navel Quartermaster. The Quartermaster reached into a pouch secured to his belt and handed over the exact amount of money demanded in compensation to the captain who then handed it to Hatch.

Hatch saw no need to offer thanks or any acknowledgment.

She was simply getting what was rightfully hers. And it was made sweeter when the junior officer grumbled it was coming directly from the soldiers’ pay.

Sources: Matthew Bishop, curator and operations manager at the Bangor Historical Society; The online Maine Memory Network; The Bangor Daily News; “The Battle of Hampden and its Aftermath,” Robert Fraser, Maine History Vol. 43, No. 1.

www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 15

OBSESSIONS

OBSESSIONS WHAT WE CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF THIS MONTH.

EAT BUCKWHEAT BREAD FROM BAGEL CENTRAL

LISTEN THE APOLOGY LINE PODCAST

WHY DO WE LOVE IT? I grew up believing there was only one kind of flour with which to make bread. That flour made squishy white bread with not a lot of flavor, nutrition or texture.

So you can imagine my surprise when I left home and entered a big world full of different grains and the breads made from them.

Among my favorite discoveries was buckwheat. I love the earthy nuttiness of its flavor. So I was delighted when I noticed a rack piled high with loaves of buckwheat bread at Bagel Central (33 Central Street, Bangor). I could hardly wait to get home to toast a slice of it, slather it with butter and try it. Hot from the toaster and dripping with the melted butter it was amazing. Add some sliced avocado and a fried egg and you have pretty much my ideal breakfast. Along with the intense flavor of buckwheat, the grain is also gluten free, packed with fiber and has several minerals tied to heart health. None of which the squishy white bread of my childhood can claim.

WHY DO WE LOVE IT? The Apology Line is a podcast from Wondery that I am obsessively refreshing my feed to get new episodes. The podcast tells the history of the titular Apology Line, an anonymous hotline where people could make confessions, run by the late artist Allan Bridge. His widower, Marissa Bridge, spins the tale of how this art project turned into something much darker. It sincerely gives me chills every time I listen.

— JULIA BAYLY

— SAM SCHIPANI

PLEASANTLY PAMPERED PET GROOMING IN BANGOR WHY DO WE LOVE IT? When I got my tiny dog Chiclet I figured trimming her nails would take a fraction of the time that I spent clipping nails on my sled dogs. How wrong I was. Turns out I could trim every nail on a dozen huskies in less time and with far less effort than it took to wrangle a five-pound dog convinced I was trying to murder her with the clippers. So I learned to outsource her nail trims. Most recently Chiclet visited the kind ladies at Pleasantly Pampered Pet Grooming (43 Columbia St., Bangor) for a full spa treatment. While there, Chiclet had a warm bath, her hair was blown dry, her teeth were brushed and those nails were clipped. When I picked her up, she was relaxed, smelled great and was ever so pretty wearing a new bandana around her neck. She was one happy little dog. And why not — who doesn’t love a spa day?

— JULIA BAYLY

PHOTOS: ©PHOTOGRAPHEE.EU, ©STANISLAVA, ©BRAT82/ADOBE STOCK

USE

READ Every month, many new books cross my desk. I purchase even more. These are a few that I particularly enjoyed and recommend.

WATCH WANDAVISION ON DISNEY PLUS WHY DO WE LOVE IT? Ok, many of you are probably already watching Disney Plus’s WandaVision, but if you aren’t and are generally a Marvel skeptic (like me), you should push past your biases and give it a watch. I don’t want to spoil too much, but the series basically follows two of Marvel’s Avengers — Wanda Maximoff, or the Scarlet Witch, with wild telekinetic powers, and Vision, an intelligent android — as they are plopped into different decades of television sitcoms. Not all is as it seems, of course, and as with all Marvel films, there is something absolutely earth-bending afoot. Come for the fun riffs on classic television, stay for the superhero intrigue.

— SAM SCHIPANI

“THE CHICKEN SISTERS” BY KJ DELL’ANTONIA — In a small Kansas town where rival chicken shacks — Chicken Mimi’s and Chicken Frannie’s — have spent a century vying to serve the best fried chicken in the state, reality television comes to help choose a winner once and forever.

And the promise of a $100,000 prize could mean big things for one of the chicken joints. But there’s family dynamics at play as sisters go head-to-head in the competition, and reality TV exposes more than just the winning recipe. Sisterly rivalry meets a longstanding family feud in this fun, thoughtful novel by former New York Times editor K J Dell’Antonia. I loved this book and read it in just a day or two. (FICTION) “STUFF EVERY SUSHI LOVER SHOULD KNOW” BY MARC LUBER AND BRETT COHEN — The first time I had sushi was on a dare — and since them I have eaten it at every opportunity. For Christmas this year, my daughter gifted me this book filled with so much interesting information about this favorite food. From the history of sushi to types of sushi and their origins, there’s so much to learn. And it’s pretty inspiring too — I definitely got creative ordering sushi after getting a few chapters in.

If you love sushi too, I recommend reading this book. (NONFICTION) —SARAH WALKER CARON

www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 17

FOOD & DRINK

in season now

PIES FOR PI DAY

BY SARAH WALKER CARON

OH, PI.

I learned this mathematical constant from my mother, who adores math. And when the topic came up in math class later, I proudly — if not a little smugly — recited everything I knew about it.

Now, if you remember pi, you might just get a little bit of glee out of the nerdy wonderfulness that is Pi Day -- March 14 (or 3.14). It’s a day to both remember our math prowess (or at least the first few digits of pi) and eat pie.

As if we needed an excuse to eat pie, right?

These two pies for Pi Day are an excellent way to celebrate — a fantastic and easy fruit pie and a sweet cookie pie. And no matter which one you make, you can do so with the proud knowledge that pies are circles and thus the most fitting thing to eat on a day celebrating pi.

RUSTIC BLUEBERRY APPLE PIE Rustic pies, sometimes called galettes, are an easy way to enjoy pie without the extra prep of properly forming a pie crust. This one is filled with blueberries and apples—a scrumptious fruit combination. This recipe appears in my latest cookbook, “The Easy Frugal Cookbook,” which is available locally in bookstores and online where books are sold.

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

1 refrigerated pie crust 1 cup frozen blueberries 1 Granny smith apple, diced 2 Tablespoon sugar 1 Tablespoon cornstarch

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll out the pie crust on the baking sheet.

In a mixing bowl, stir together the blueberries, apple, sugar, and cornstarch. Spread in the center of the pie crust. Fold the edges of the pie crust up and around the filling.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the fruit is cooked and the crust is golden brown.

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE PIE This decadent pie, Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie, is like a big, soft, warm cookie in a cookie. Filled with chocolate, it’s rich so you’ll only need a small piece to be satisfied.

Serves 8

PHOTOS: (TOP) ©MIZINA/ADOBE STOCK; (LEFT PIE) ©SASHKA1313/ ADOBE STOCK; (RIGHT PIE) SARAH WALKER CARON

INGREDIENTS 2 large eggs ½ cup all-purpose flour ½ cup granulated sugar ½ cup packed brown sugar ½ cup butter, melted ¼ cup olive oil 2 cups chocolate chips 1 unbaked 9 inch graham or shortbread pie shell

INSTRUCTIONS Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs by hand until light yellow and foamy, about 2-3 minutes.

Add the flour, granulated sugar and brown sugar to the mixing bowl and whisk well to combine.

Pour in the olive oil and whisk to fully combine, and then add the melted butter and whisk again. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Pour the mixture into the pie shell, set on a baking sheet. Tap gently to even out.

Bake for 50-60 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out without any batter on it (chocolate is to be expected) Cool for 30 minutes before serving.

SARAH WALKER CARON is the editor of Bangor Metro Magazine and the author of five cookbooks including the “Easy Frugal Cookbook,” released in July. Her book “Classic Diners of Maine” is available where books are sold. Signed copies are available at The Briar Patch in Bangor.

www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 19

FOOD & DRINK

Fall in Love WITH YOUR

z

AIR FRYER HERE’S HOW TO GET STARTED WITH THIS TRENDY KITCHEN TOOL

BY SARAH WALKER CARON

WHEN THE AIR FRYER first started gaining popularity a few years ago, a friend texted me, urging me to get one. She told me that the device had changed her cooking life — and her family loved the results. I eventually gave in and found that I love it too.

From heating up mozzarella sticks to making homemade donuts, the air fryer has been a fun addition to our home.

That said, it’s not as simple as plugging the device in and throwing whatever is handy in the basket and turning it on. So what do you need to know? I turned to three experts to help demystify the air fryer cooking process.

HOW CAN YOU ACHIEVE FRIED CRISPINESS IN AN AIR FRYER? While you aren’t deep frying in the air fryer, you also don’t want to go completely oil-free.

Seriously. A little oil will boost the crispiness of your food for the ideal texture.

“Don’t completely skip oil — the air fryer is famous for reducing your need for oil, but that doesn’t mean you can eliminate it completely. Due to the turbulent air in the air fryer, some [foods] can be prone to drying out. Having a bit of oil can keep your vegetables and proteins moist, and can also help the outside crisp even better,” Bustard said.

Macher agrees, suggesting a bit of spray oil or a light brushing of oil on food before cooking.

That, she said, will “make the food extra crispy.”

AVOID OVERCROWDING Another important thing: Because you want the air to circulate around the food, you need to limit what you put in the basket. This might mean cooking in batches to get it all done.

But the results? They will be so worth it.

20 / BANGOR METRO March 2021

PHOTO: ©WESLEY KIOU/ ADOBE STOCK

WHAT IS AN AIR FRYER? This is important: Despite the name, an air fryer isn’t a fryer at all. You won’t be dumping oil into the basket — or figuring out what to do with it.

“An air-fryer is not a deep fryer. I’ve seen people dump two quarts of oil into an air fryer and wonder why their food didn’t work,” said Jim Mumford, a cookbook author and chemical engineer who writes the food blog Jim Cooks Food Good.

So how does it work then? An air fryer is actually a countertop convection oven that blows hot air rapidly around food. So you are, essentially, baking in an environment ideal for fryer-like result.

“Convection ovens are very efficient at cooking food thanks to the way that the hot air circulates around the food. That circulation of hot air allows breaded food to crisp up similar to deep frying, but with much less oil,” said Melissa Macher, a Registered Dietitian and food blogger who writes A Grateful Meal.

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PHOTO: ©FRANCISCO ZELEDON/ ADOBE STOCK

FOOD & DRINK

“It may be tempting to dump a whole bunch of food into the air fryer basket, but depending on the type of food, it might need to be cooked in a single layer. Items like chicken breast, salmon patties and homemade french fries can cook unevenly if there isn’t enough space around them for the air to circulate,” said Denise Bustard of Sweet Peas & Saffron.

WHAT ARE SOME GOOD STARTER FOODS FOR AN AIR FRYER? The experts suggest starting with foods you’d typically cook in a fryer like chicken tenders or fries. This will help you get a feel for how the fryer works. You can also branch out into simple air fryer recipes.

“Try making air fryer chicken tenders, crispy air fryer chickpeas or air fryer vegetables (carrots, broccoli and brussels sprouts are all good). These are simple recipes that are hard to screw up, and they come out so nice in the air fryer,” Bustard said.

What you shouldn’t cook in the air fryer, however, is anything too moist.

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“An air fryer can’t get rid of moisture like a deep fryer; don’t put in limp wet veggies and expect a miracle. Instead, an air fryer should be used to quickly crisp up already breaded or crunchy foods (think breaded chicken tenders or Brussels sprouts),” Mumford said.

Also, avoid battered foods that are often cooked in a deep fryer. Since the cooking method is different, it won’t net the same results.

“Avoid anything with a really wet batter (like battered fish), as it can drip through the basket and burn,” Bustard said.

HOW TO GET IDEAL RESULTS When you bring your air fryer home, be sure to read the manual. Each one operates a little differently, so you want to be familiar with the workings — including recommended cooking times.

“Another thing to keep in mind is that food cooks faster in the air fryer thanks to the size and the hot air circulation. Always check the user manual or follow recipes

specifically for air fryers to ensure that you don’t burn food,” Macher said.

You’ll also want to pause cooking and shake the basket for best results.

“The air fryer can cook hotter from the top than from the bottom, so it’s important to flip some foods like chicken breast halfway through cooking. When you have a basket full of veggies or frozen french fries, it’s important to give the basket a good shake to ensure they all cook through evenly,” Bustard said.

SEE THEIR SITES AGRATEFULMEAL.COM JIMCOOKSFOODGOOD.COM SWEETPEASANDSAFFRON.COM

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HIKE ME

BANGOR-AREA

Wilderness

WALKS SNOWY TRAILS NOT FAR FROM THE CITY STORY & PHOTOS BY AISLINN SARNACKI

A COLD WIND snakes through the trees with a swoosh. Nuthatches peep. Red squirrels chatter. And the dry leaves hanging from the branches of a beech tree start to shake, rustling against each other.

As a hiker walks along the trail, the crunch of her boots on the crusty snow add to the chorus of the woods. Swoosh. Peep. Chatter. Rustle.

Crunch. These sounds, together, drown out the faint hum of traffic on the nearby road.

Not far from the hustle and bustle of city life, the hiker finds herself in a slice of wilderness where, for a short time, she can imagine she’s far from civilization. Local wildlife, too, is attracted to this piece of conserved land.

Their tracks criss-cross the forest floor, recorded in the snow.

In Maine, you never have to go far to find a woodland trail. Even in Bangor, one of the state’s largest cities, a multitude of trail networks can be found at city-owned parks and on parcels of land conserved by the Bangor Land Trust. In neighboring towns, you’ll find many additional options for outdoor destinations, thanks to the Orono Land Trust, Brewer Land Trust and other trail-building organizations and town recreation departments.

Escaping the noise of everyday life can be as easy as stepping onto one of these trails. Once you’re there, listen closely for the caw of a crow or the creak of a frozen tree. Maybe you’ll hear the gurgle of a stream traveling under ice, or the drum of a woodpecker pecking at a stump. Let the sounds of nature carry you away as you explore these well-trodden paths.

INDIAN TRAIL PARK

IN BREWER MODERATE The 4-acre Indian Trail Park, owned by the City of Brewer, provides access to about 1.8 miles of trails that trace the banks of the Penobscot River.

With ample parking, grassy hills, picnic tables and benches, it’s a popular picnic spot. And in the winter, it’s a sledding location.

The name of the park and main trail is a nod to the land’s history. For centuries, the area’s indigenous people camped along the shore during the summer to fish for salmon, according to a plaque at one end of the trail.

The trail is surfaced with packed earth, but features rocks and exposed tree roots. Watch your step and expect a few steep sections (especially on side trails leading to the water). At the park, the

trail forms a small loop with side trails leading to the river. From there, it travels northeast, upriver, to a larger loop that circles around Penobscot County Conservation Alliance buildings and visits the Penobscot Salmon Club near the banks of the river.

Access is free. Dogs are permitted if under strict voice control or on leash. For more information, call the City of Brewer Parks and Recreation Department at 207-989-5199 or visit brewermaine.gov.

DIRECTIONS: The park is located at the end of Indian Trail Lane in Brewer, which is off of North Main Street (Route 9), just northeast of North Brewer Shopping Center and before Parkway North.

The lane is marked with a sign for Indian Trail Park.

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HEALTH & FITNESS

HIKE ME

SKLAR PARK

IN ORONO

EASY TO MODERATE The 47-acre Ben Sklar Wilderness Park was donated to the Town of Orono in August of 1985 by David Sklar in memory of his father. Today, the park is managed by the Orono Land Trust and the Town of Orono. It features about 1.5 miles of blazed trails for hiking, dog walking, skiing, horseback riding and biking.

A key feature of the property is the scenic Johnny Mack Brook, which a trail crosses over on a wide bridge built by local Boy Scouts. While much of the property is forested, it does include a meadow that’s managed for nesting birds and other wildlife.

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If you want to extend your outdoor adventure, it’s easy to do at Sklar Park because its trails connect to neighboring trail networks and landmarks. On the north end of the park, a trail leads to trails at Orono High School and trails on the Rampe Conservation Easement.

And on the southeast side of the park, a trail leads to a water tower and a nature trail at the Dirigo Pines retirement community. All of these connecting trails total more than 3 miles.

Access is free. Dogs must be under strict voice control or on leash. For more information, visit oronolandtrust.org.

DIRECTIONS: Starting at the intersection of Forest Avenue and Main Street (Route 2) in downtown Orono, drive south toward Veazie on Main Street for 0.7 mile and turn right onto a road called Maplewood, near the Big Apple.

In about 300 feet, turn right onto a road called Cedarwood, and after about 150 feet, turn left onto Mainewood Avenue. Drive 0.3 miles to the end of Mainewood Avenue, where a small parking area is located. The trail starts to the right of a kiosk, past a small clearing. www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 27

HEALTH & FITNESS

HIKE ME

PRENTISS WOODS

IN BANGOR

A NEW BALL OF FUR HAS JOINED THE TEAM! Meet Aislinn’s new puppy, Juno, who we’re looking forward to seeing featured in many future hikes.

EASY Located beside Bangor High School, Prentiss Woods is a 40-acre chunk of forestland that features towering trees and easy walking trails. The city-owned park features a network of about 1.5 miles of easy walking trails, managed by the City of Bangor Department of Parks and Recreation.

Frequently used by the faculty and students of the neighboring school, this forest is also a favorite spot for dog walkers. In fact, the main trails of the forest were recently named after local dogs: Bosco, Cooper and Tucker. Dogs are permitted under strict voice control or on leash. Keep in mind that there’s a busy road nearby.

Access is free. The forest is open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day, year round. The trails are mostly used by walkers and runners; however, mountain biking is also permitted. For more information, visit bangormaine.gov or call Bangor City Hall at 207-992-4200.

DIRECTIONS: A small trailhead parking lot for Prentiss Woods is located on Grandview Avenue, which spans between Broadway and Essex Street in Bangor. If traveling on I-95, take Exit 185 for Broadway. Turn north onto Broadway (Route 15) and drive 0.6 mile (past stores such as T.J. Maxx and Hannaford), then turn right onto Grandview Avenue.

Drive about 0.3 mile and the parking lot will be on your left.

AISLINN SARNACKI is a staff writer for Bangor Metro and the editor of Act Out, a section of the Bangor Daily News.

An expert on the Maine outdoors, she is author of the guidebooks “Dog-Friendly Hikes in Maine,” “Maine Hikes Off the Beaten Path” and “Family Friendly Hikes in Maine.” Follow her adventures at bangordailynews.com/act-out.

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HEALTH & FITNESS

TECH FOR

&

Health Happiness MIND/BODY APPS TO IMPROVE YOUR MINDSET

BY EMILY MORRISON

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HEALTH GURUS often talk about the connection between the mind and body, but they’re not the only ones who recognize that health and happiness are intertwined. People trying to avoid diving face first into a pint of Ben & Jerry’s every night also care about their physical and emotional wellbeing.

Simply put, we all want a two-fer.

If you’re looking for new ways to feel good inside and out this spring, here are a few mind/body apps that can help you put the pint down.

AppS for the Mind

PHOTOS: ©PROSTOCK-STUDIO, ©FIZKES, ©BULLRUN, ©KRAKENIMAGES.COM, ©MICROGEN, ©WAYHOME STUDIO/ADOBE STOCK

HEADSPACE If you’ve ever wanted to meditate but aren’t quite sure how to say “OM,” you may want to give Headspace a try. This app takes a mere 10 minutes of your time and in return gives you tools to declutter your mind. The listener can enjoy general guided meditations or choose more specific reflections focusing on topics like productivity, focus, sleep, anxiety, stress, relationships and the list goes on. The best part is it’s free, but if you’re looking for a little more calm for your coin, you can subscribe for $12.99/month.

TALKSPACE Another good “space” app is undoubtedly Talkspace. While therapy has become a widely accepted way to improve your mental health, it’s not always widely accessible. And it can be pricey for those without insurance. This is where Talkspace comes in. Talkspace is an affordable, text-based therapy app for your phone, tablet or computer. The app connects you with a licensed therapist, then has you choose how you’d like to communicate (through text, voice, photo or video) and when (day or night).

Unlimited chat therapy starts at $32/week.

FIVE MINUTE JOURNAL A little bit of gratitude goes a long way, and this app is the perfect way to tap into your appreciation. The Five Minute Journal app consists of short prompts that help you focus on the big picture and find both perspective and the positives in your life — something not easy to find in today’s troubling times. On average, these prompts take (you guessed it) five minutes to answer.

Journaling in the morning helps you set your intentions for the day, or taking five minutes at night is another way to reflect on all of the good that happened in your day. Either way, at only $4.99, this app is a steal.

AppS for the Body WATERMINDER Staying hydrated throughout the day seems like a no-brainer, but with WaterMinder you don’t have to remind yourself to keep chugging. When you download WaterMinder this app helps you track your water intake based on your body weight and/or your own personal goal.

Visual cues and reminders are sent throughout the day to encourage you to stay hydrated. WaterMinder costs $2.99, but currently compliments of Apple, the first week’s free. Also, the app requires at least an iOS 8 installed on your device otherwise it won’t work.

SLEEP CYCLE If you’re looking to improve the quality of your sleep, don’t fear — Sleep Cycle is here. This app tracks your sleep and helps you find your “perfect wake up window.”

Its smart alarm clock goes off after analyzing your slumber and wakes you up in your lightest sleep phase. The app provides a thorough analysis of your sleep patterns from the second your eyes close to the moment the smart alarm sounds. In the premium plan users have access to relaxing sleep sounds, a story library and even info on how different weather affects sleep quality. This app is available only on the App Store for iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch, and the optional premium subscription costs $39.99/year.

MEALTIME If you’re always eating on the go, Mealtime is just the app for you. Mealtime helps you prepare fast, healthy meals with under 30 minutes of prep-time. This app helps you make grocery lists, keep track of your recipes and ingredients, and you can even add in your own personal preferences and allergens. Designed to take the stress out of cooking, Mealtime also includes a list of kitchen utensils needed to prepare each meal along with easy to follow instructions. If you really like a meal, you can mark it as a favorite.

Free on iPhone, Android and Web and for $5.99/month, Mealtime Pro allows users to access previous meal plans, nutritional details and more.

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HOME & FAMILY

CRAFTING WITH KIDS

BEESWAX FOOD WRAPS DITCH THE PLASTIC WITH REUSABLE FOOD WRAPS

STORY & PHOTOS BY AMY ALLEN

MY FATHER HAS BEEN KEEPING BEES at Penobscot Shores retirement community in Belfast with some of the residents there for the past few years and it really is a pretty cool hobby. My kids and I have had the chance to get up close and personal with the hives, meet the queen and sample lots of honey. When the group harvests the honey, they like to get creative with the leftover wax and make lotions, lip balm and more.

So when the kids and I decided to try our hands at making eco-friendly beeswax wraps, I knew just where to go to source the beeswax.

Beeswax food wraps are available premade at shops like The Rock & Art Shop in downtown Bangor, or you can buy kits to make your own with the ingredients all pre-measured and ready to go. Or you can go fully DIY like we did. It takes a little trial and error and you will get sticky, but the end result is a reusable product to use for months and hopefully even years to come. You can even re-wax them to refresh as needed.

We found lots of inspiration online and tried a few ideas to figure out the best way to make it work. You can use just beeswax, but we found that it cracked when dry. The addition of a little bit of pine resin (which we bought in a small quantity online for just a few dollars) and coconut oil made the fabric more pliable and easy to use. One note we saw online and thought helpful to share: Do not dump leftover melted beeswax down your sink (cool and scrape into the trash instead to avoid clogs).

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WHAT YOU’LL NEED: • Beeswax • Pine resin (available in small quantities from craft stores and online) • Coconut oil • Cotton fabric squares • Paint brush (dedicated to just this purpose) • Parchment paper

DIRECTIONS & TIPS 1. Decide what types of wraps you want to create and cut your fabric shapes accordingly. Sandwich bags will need to start as rectangles that you'll later fold over to create a pouch, while squares are perfect for covering the tops of bowls.

Bonus tip: Pinking shears will help prevent fraying and add a decorative edge.

2. Lay your fabric on parchment paper on a baking sheet.

3. Create a double boiler by placing a bowl (or a recycled tin coffee can or other heatsafe vessel) over a small pot of simmering water. Melt the beeswax, pine resin and coconut oil together. Use a popsicle stick to stir. The following recipe yields enough wax mixture for about 3 wraps: • 1.5 oz bees wax • 0.3 oz pine resin • 1 Tbsp coconut oil 4. Brush the fabric quickly and evenly with the melted wax mixture. Remember a little goes a long way and you can rewax any spots you missed later if necessary.

5. Place in the oven for 2 minutes at 250°F. Remove and check to be sure the wax seeped through the fabric evenly. You can use another piece of fabric to help absorb any spots that are too heavily waxed.

6. After drying, you can wash your wraps with mild soap and cool water (hot water will melt the wax off so these should not be use for wrapping meat) and reuse over and over.

Create a simple pouch for sandwiches and snacks by folding the edges of your wrap and using a binder clip to secure.

HOME & FAMILY

The Art of

MAPLE TAPPING W

BY CRYSTAL SANDS

hen the temperatures shift and the snow and ice begin to melt near the end of our long winter, when the nights are still cold but the days warm to above freezing, the sap in the trees will start to run.

It is during this time, usually around the end of February or the first of March here in Maine, that we can tap maple trees and extract the most delicious, sweet gift — sweet sap — which is used to make maple syrup.

The art of making syrup from the sap of trees goes all the way back to Native American tribes in New England, who used both the sugar and syrup in a variety of ways. According to the Maine Maple Producers Association, the sugar and syrup was so valuable that it was often used as a form of currency.

THE ART OF MAKING SYRUP FROM THE SAP OF TREES GOES ALL THE WAY BACK TO NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBES IN NEW ENGLAND...

THE SUGAR AND SYRUP WAS SO VALUABLE THAT This sweet gift from the trees remains readily available to us today, and you do not have to have a sugar maple in order to tap and get delicious syrup. Black, red and silver maple trees can also be tapped. It is important, however, to make sure the tree is healthy and at least 10 inches in diameter. Trees between 10 and 20 inches in diameter should have just one tap per tree. If a tree is larger than 20 inches in diameter, a second tap can be added.

Jebediah Beal, of Beal Family Farms in western Maine, has been tapping trees with his family since he was a child. Beal said it is best “to get everything together and set up before our start.” Beal emphasizes that buckets will work well if you are tapping trees on a small scale. A more complicated system with lines is necessary only if you are tapping on a large scale.

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PHOTO: ©JIM PINTAR/ADOBE STOCK

IT WAS OFTEN USED AS A FORM OF CURRENCY.

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HOME & FAMILY

The Art of

MAPLE TAPPING TRY IT AT HOME SUPPLIES: • Maple syrup spouts (spiles) • Buckets to collect syrup at trees (with lids to keep out rain and debris) • Food-grade five-gallon buckets or other large, clean bins for storing sap collected from tree • Drill • Pliers (for removing spiles when finished) • Large pot for boiling (think 50 quart if possible) • Access to outdoor burner for initial boil is ideal • Maple syrup filters • Filter stand • Candy thermometer • Jars for storing syrup

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REALTORS

TAPPING AND COLLECTING PROCESS: 1. Drill a horizontal hole in a healthy tree to fit the size of your spout or spile. Be sure to drill on a day when the temperatures are above freezing.

2. Insert your spile and tap it in until it is sturdy. Hang your bucket with a lid on the hook of the spile.

3. Check your buckets at the trees a couple of times a day. When the bucket gets full, transfer the sap to your food-grade five-gallon buckets for storage until you are ready to boil your sap.

4. Pull your taps when you have enough sap to reach your goal or when the tree first shows signs of budding. It is critical to remove the taps when the budding starts. Keep in mind that it takes, on average, 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of maple syrup. However, the sap-to-syrup ratio will vary depending on the type of tree you are tapping. Sugar maples have the highest concentration of sugar.

PHOTOS: ©KATE WILCOX, ©MARC BRUXELLE, ©TOSCA M WHITE, ©MONKEY BUSINESS/ADOBE STOCK

BOILING PROCESS: 1. It is best to do the initial boil of the sap outside, as the process takes some time and produces a lot of humidity, which can damage walls and cause wallpaper to lift and peel.

Though it is possible to boil inside from start to finish, most try to do the initial boil outside. As you boil, the liquid will start to thicken and change to a darker color.

2. The sap can be boiled completely outside or transferred inside to a smaller pot for the final boil. The syrup is ready when it reaches 219 degrees Fahrenheit or 7 degrees above the boiling point of water.

3. Before your syrup can be put in jars, it must be filtered to remove the sugar sand. Use the filter and filter stand to filter your syrup.

4. Your maple syrup should be canned hot (185 degrees Fahrenheit) and put into sterilized jars and sealed. Store your sealed jars in a cool, dry place and be sure to refrigerate after opening a jar.

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For first-time tree tappers and syrup makers, Beal said to make sure the temperatures are above freezing during the day before you set your taps, and to stop when the trees bud.

“When the temperatures are above 65 degrees during the day for 4 to 5 days in a row, your season is probably over,” Beal said.

Beal also said to be sure to pull your taps then to “make sure your trees can start healing.”

The process may seem intimidating at first, but taking each step one at a time can keep you from feeling overwhelmed. Many Mainers tap their trees and take advantage of the beautiful gift our maple trees offer us because the rewards are great. Home-grown maple syrup from your own backyard is a treat to be treasured. www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 39

PERSONAL FINANCE

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Build your Nest Egg PREPARING YOUR FINANCES FOR HOME BUYING

BY KAYLIE REESE

PHOTO: ©TANYAJOY/ADOBE STOCK

BUYING A HOUSE is among the biggest financial decisions you will make during your lifetime. That’s why it’s crucial to start planning early. Whether you build, buy a move-in ready home or a century-old fixer-upper, there are many costs to consider long before you put in your offer.

My husband and I are in the process of preparing to enter the housing market. It likely will be a couple of years before we hold the keys to our first home, but one reason for that is because we are taking the time to ensure that the decisions we make now will prepare us well for our financial future.

Here are a few financial tips we have been using to guide us as we move forward on this journey.

TAKE A SERIOUS LOOK AT YOUR FINANCIAL SITUATION The first thing you will want to do is to figure out your finances.

Remember, when you apply for a home loan, lenders look at where your finances stand now and not where you think you will be in the future. Further, your financial situation includes income, your credit score and identifying outstanding debts you may have, such as student loans, vehicle or credit card payments, as well as your plan for repayment.

When applying for a mortgage or home loan, it’s important to know that your debt-to-income ratio will

come into play. This ratio is a calculation of monthly earnings to the estimated payment toward debts. The lower the number, the better, in lenders’ eyes.

Another important number to monitor is your credit score. Certain lenders require a minimum credit score in order to be eligible for a mortgage loan, so it’s good to have an idea about where you’re starting. A credit score, loosely, is an estimation about how likely lenders are to repay their debts on schedule. The closer your score is to 800, the more likely lenders presume you will repay your debts and on an established schedule.

This year, through April 2021, you are eligible to get a free credit report each week from all three national credit reporting agencies, according to consumer.ftc.gov. These credit agencies (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion), otherwise permit you to check your credit report for free once every 12-month period. Other ways to monitor your credit score without a hard inquiry, which can affect the score, include apps such as CreditKarma and Mint Money Manager.

TALK WITH A MORTGAGE LENDER Many banks have in-house financial and mortgage counselors who provide services that include looking into your specific financial status, which can help you plan ahead for a future purchase or prepare to sign on the dotted line to official homeownership. Talking with an expert is particularly important for first-time

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PERSONAL FINANCE

BE REALISTIC ABOUT WHICH CORNERS TO CUT Before we go any further, I must confess that I am a huge fan of home-improvement shows and have some experience in working with a few basic power tools, patching materials and paint. The consequence of this could be that I may be more willing to bite off more than I can chew when it comes to spotting a fixer-upper with a low upfront cost. On other days, I will admit that a move-inready home sounds fabulous — even if it comes with a much higher price tag.

When it comes to looking for a home, you need to be realistic about what you are capable of doing and are willing to do, when it comes to home repairs and maintenance.

Further, safety is crucial, and many home updates require permits and inspectors for large projects to ensure you and future homeowners are out of harm’s way.

BUILD YOUR DOWN PAYMENT It goes without saying, but the more you can pay upfront for your home, the better.

When saving for a big-ticket item such as a home down payment, it’s important to take a look at your budget. First, identify what your monthly expenses are compared to your income. Separate your expenses 42 / BANGOR METRO March 2021

into categories: recurring bills or debt repayment, which are necessities, versus your weekly lunch habit. A great way to track your spending is through secure phone apps that are linked to your bank account, such as Mint, EveryDollar and Honeydue. If you aren’t left with much money after the expenditures, consider cutting back in areas that you can.

When working on your budget, identify how much you can comfortably set aside each month toward that down payment. Categorize that amount like you would for recurring bills. Finally, stick to that commitment.

One way to ensure that amount is set aside each week or month is through automatic deposits to a separate savings account or a club account. Most employment billing offices are willing to help you set up where your paycheck goes, including how much toward one account or another. This is a great way to set it and forget it, when it comes to saving toward a house, reducing that extra step of transferring money yourself.

Another option to consider is looking at how to increase your income. Maybe it’s time to ask for that raise, start a side-hustle with low overhead costs or pick up another part-time job on the weekends for a while.

Also, consider investing some or all of a one-time income boost, such as a holiday bonus or tax return, toward your down payment.

The traditional rule of thumb has been to save roughly 20 percent for your down

payment — an amount that has held many prospective homebuyers back from taking that next step, according to NerdWallet’s 2020 Home Buyer Report, the results of which were analyzed from an online survey conducted by The Harris Poll.

However, there may be other options for first-time homebuyers, according to the Maine State Housing Authority.

Several options that offer low to no down payments for first-time homebuyers include the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loan, which helps lower income individuals and families to buy a home; loans backed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), for American veterans and spouses; and Rural Development (RA) loans, which are backed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for homes in rural communities.

In addition to setting up your down payment, it’s crucial to set aside a portion of your savings for closing costs and other “hidden expenses,” including but not limited to setting up utilities, home maintenance and repairs, and homeowners insurance.

EYES ON YOUR OWN JOURNEY It can be really easy to fall into the trap of comparing others’ home-buying experiences with your own. My last bit of advice? Don’t do it.

We all have different opportunities and misfortunes that pave the way to this next step, and the housing market is always changing. While your path to homeownership may be easy for you, it may be challenging for others, and vice versa.

PHOTO: ©BRIAN JACKSON/ADOBE STOCK

homebuyers, who may be eligible for certain tax exemptions or other flexible lending options.

If you’re looking for resources on where to start, consider The Maine State Housing Authority (www.mainehousing.org).

FEATURE

Doing Business

BETTER

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MAINE COMPANIES THAT ARE FINDING INGENIOUS WAYS TO BE ECO-FRIENDLY

B

BY SAM SCHIPANI

PHOTOS: ©KAMILPETRAN, ©MELINDA NAGY/ADOBE STOCK

eing eco-friendly as a company is hard. Taking extra steps to make less of an impact on the environment can be costly, which is a risk in the sink-or-swim entrepreneurial world.

In Maine, though, there are a number of businesses that are finding creative ways to incorporate environmental friendliness into their ethos, from finagling financing for renewable energy to inventing new materials with less of an impact on our oceans. Not only are these ingenious entrepreneurs paving the way for a brighter, greener future for Maine, but prove they that innovation in sustainability comes in many shapes and sizes.

MAKING SOMETHING NEW Ariadne Dimoula grew up on the banks of the Penobscot River in Orono, where her mom, Claudia Lowd, worked as a pulp and paper engineer at the University of Maine. Dimoula loved swimming in the Penobscot, but throughout her childhood, she watched as students would come and trash her favorite spot along the river — and, eventually, the places she traveled to and loved.

“Scuba diving in Mexico on reefs, sailing from Newport, the problem that kept rising to the surface was all the plastic everywhere,” Dimoula said. “It was just like I couldn’t ignore it.”

When she started studying at the University of Maine, she thought she might tackle the issue of plastic waste through policy and international affairs, but quickly fell in love with marine technology. She graduated and worked for a sonar company with offices in Portland, where she not only learned about applying marine technology, but also how to apply for grants for small, innovative businesses.

In 2018, Lowd went to the University of Maine Pulp and Paper Foundation’s annual Paper Days conference and started learning more about products that look and feel like plastics but break down over time, like those made of cellulose. Dimoula, unable to shake the prevalence of plastic in her experience with the ocean, decided to team up with her mom to develop a plantbased, ocean compostable product that would act like plastic without hurting the environment.

Thus, Paramount Planet Product was born.

There are other biodegradable plastics on the market, but Dimoula saw room for improvement.

For example, Paramount Planet Product has committed to not use per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, better known as PFAS, which are often used to coat other plant-based “plastic” products to protect them from, say, grease stains if they are used as food containers.

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FEATURE “Bioplastics that are corn-based THEY DECIDED TO START WITH won’t dissolve in nature,” Dimoula COFFEE LIDS — IN PART BECAUSE said. “They actually need an industrial composter, and there are very few of ... MAINE HAS, AS DIMOULA SAID, those. Corn-based plastic doesn’t use petroleum, but it uses corn and it takes “A SORT OF COTTAGE INDUSTRY up a food resource [and] growing space.

AROUND COFFEE [WHICH MADE] IT I don’t want to kill good in the pursuit of perfect, but they’re a half step.”

A GREAT FIRST PRODUCT Existing biodegradable plastic proTO LOOK AT.” ducers rarely weigh how their materials impact the ecosystem where many plastics end up, either: the ocean. As Dimoula and Lowd have developed their plant-based plastic, they have been testing it on zebrafish to make sure it doesn’t poison the critters as they are exposed to or ingest the degrading product.

The material that they have developed so far (at least, in Dimoula’s opinion) also feels better than other materials on the market — and, perhaps, even plastic itself.

“It’s smooth and snaps like plastic,” Dimoula said. “I would even say a little bit smoother. When you fold plastic, it’s crinkly.”

Dimoula said Paramount Planet Product’s goal is to create products that are in the top 10 plastic products that end up in the ocean. They decided to start with coffee lids — in part because there are some similar products on the market that prove there is an existing demand, but also because Maine has, as Dimoula said, “a sort of cottage industry around coffee [which made] it a great first product to look at.”

With the material prototyped, the next step is to form it into the lids themselves, which mother-daughter duo plan to do in the upcoming year in recently acquired lab space. Plus, she said, early cost analysis suggests that lids will be less expensive than those that already exist on the market.

Dimoula said that their goal is to have their products out on the market by 2021, and already have a few potential contracts in the work. Dimoula said that Paramount Planet Product’s vision doesn’t end there, though. As they grow, they hope to take advantage of — and revitalize — the heritage paper industry in Maine through their innovative products.

“There’s a lot of closed mills here that are just ripe to be multiindustry community centers,” Dimoula said.

MAKING IT WORK While splashy innovations are a great way to address the environmental problems, a fair amount of technology already exists for companies to be more eco-friendly — using solar panels to power a factory, for example. Sometimes, the true innovation is in figuring out how to sustainably implement that technology into your business, no matter what you sell.

Such is the case with GrandyOats, an organic granola company based in Hiram.

Since the 1970s when the company was founded by two women inspired by a camping trip in Baxter State Park, GrandyOats has been an innovator in sustainability as a vanguard of the zero-waste movement, opting out of most conventional packaging and serving mostly bulk natural food stores.

Aaron Anker, who bought the company in 2000 with his business partner, Nat Peirce, said that the new owners wanted to maintain 48 / BANGOR METRO March 2021

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PHOTOS: ©WILD BITE, ©FARKNOT ARCHITECT/ADOBE STOCK

that legacy. They started by making the product entirely organic in 2004.

“It took four years to find ingredients back then,” Anker said (honey, he added, was the hardest ingredient to find). “We didn’t do it because it was in vogue — it was going to cost us more money — but we were holding to that ideal and we haven’t wavered from that.”

When the company outgrew their space, they purchased an old elementary school in 2015. The building was a veritable environmental disaster, filled with old gas radiators and asbestos tiles in the school gym. He and Peirce spent hundreds of thousands of dollars renovating the school to meet their environmental standards.

Anker and Peirce wanted to be more ambitious than simply making a space that wasn’t a biohazard, though — they wanted to make their granola production completely solar-powered. It required a bit of creativity to fund the project. Anker explained that banks require collateral for loans, so it is easier to get a home solar loan, where your house serves as an asset.

“It’s a school that’s going to be a granola factory, so it’s kind of tough,” Anker said.

“I was able to get the bank and our solar provider in the same room. The bank brought up that we don’t have collateral and ReVision [Energy] said, ‘Well, [a solar panel] lasts 40 years. Will you write a letter saying if GrandyOats doesn’t work out, you can use them?’”

It worked. Since then, GrandyOats granola has been made exclusively using solar power (though Anker admitted that they have to get solar energy from other sources these days to keep up with demand).

GrandyOats even received recognition from the Environmental Protection Agency in 2008 for their renovations.

“We were one of the first businesses to go solar power, certainly in Maine,” Anker said. “What’s so nice about solar is it’s sustainable in so many ways. You’re doing something that’s good for the planet, but you’re going to ultimately own those solar panels. It’s about a seven year loan, and at the end of the seven years, you own those [solar panels]. It’s a smart move, environmentally and financially.”

FILLING A NEED Sometimes, innovation is about building the infrastructure for a community to be more environmentally friendly when those mechanisms do not exist. In 50 / BANGOR METRO March 2021

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FEATURE

August 2012, Tyler Frank was living in an apartment in Portland with a couple of close friends, who were frustrated by the lack of curbside composting in the city. Not long after, Frank set up a service he called Garbage to Garden, where he would gather food scraps with a pickup truck and compost them in his mom’s backyard in North Yarmouth.

Frank signed up Garbage to Garden’s first 17 participants at a First Friday Art Walk in Portland, but interest in the service skyrocketed from there. Now, the company services around 8,000 households and hundreds of businesses in communities in southern Maine and greater Boston.

Not only do they have partnerships with Maine farms to use the compost locally, but the compost they make is certified by the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association for use in organic soils.

They also accept all kinds of normally non-compostable waste like meat, bones and weeds. Their composting experts incorporate that waste into massive piles called windrows, which, unlike your average backyard compost piles, reach temperatures

that are high enough to break down bones, weed seeds, pathogens, and even toxic chemicals.

ANKER AND PEIRCE “The food scraps we collect are brought to farms that WANTED TO BE MORE are considered industrial facilities,” said Anne AMBITIOUS THAN SIMPLY Mello, office manager of Garbage to Garden. “It MAKING A SPACE THAT has to do with the scale of the composting taking WASN’T A BIOHAZARD, place, achieving the perfect conditions for the THOUGH — THEY WANTED composting action, and the types of bacteria that TO MAKE THEIR populate the piles.”

Mello said that Garbage GRANOLA PRODUCTION to Garden also makes efforts to make composting more COMPLETELY accessible to the general public by providing waste management SOLAR-POWERED. for events, recycling for businesses and a volunteer program to give people first-hand experience with composting (and, she added, free access to the Garbage to Garden service for the month following their service).

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FEATURE

THE MAINE PART OF THE STORY Maine has been an important part of all these companies’ stories. First, there are the technical reasons that Maine is good for innovative environmental projects.

For example, the state, despite popular perception, is a great spot for solar power.

“Maine is one of the best states for solar on the East Coast,” Anker said. “We get quite a bit of sun in the winter [and] if it’s cold out, that sun on the panels is going to be more productive. You’d be surprised.”

On top of that, the culture of the state is conducive to environmentally-friendly projects. Mello said that, aside from the fact that no such service existed yet in the area, Portland was a perfect place to start Garbage to Garden because it was a service that resonated with residents.

“Southern Maine has long been home to residents with an environmentally conscious mindset,” Mello said.

“Although the Portland area is the most populous, urban part of Maine, residents have a strong connection to the food they eat and the agricultural activity in the state of Maine and participating in Garbage to Garden’s composting program strengthens that by closing the loop and bringing the food from farm to table and back to farm.”

This culture of caring about the environment is what will keep these ecofriendly entrepreneurial innovations coming.

“I think in Maine, we’re open to innovation, open to new ideas and we’re ready and hungry to try new stuff if it’s keeping our environment in mind,” Dimoula added.

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PHOTOS: ©IMRAY, ©FARKNOT ARCHITECT/ADOBE STOCK

Years later, Garbage to Garden is still finding small ways to innovate and make YEARS LATER, GARBAGE TO their service even more environmentally friendly GARDEN IS STILL FINDING SMALL and accessible.

WAYS TO INNOVATE AND MAKE “The soap we use to wash the buckets is THEIR SERVICE EVEN MORE from Maine Standard ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY Biofuels,” Mello said.

“This soap is particularly AND ACCESSIBLE. great because it is made using leftover grease and cooking oils that our participants leave out in jars on route for our field operators to collect. It’s important for us to accept these items as we want the service to be as accessible and comprehensive as possible.”

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FEATURE

Going

GREEN AT HOME

54 / BANGOR METRO March 2021

10 L

WAYS TO

GREEN

YOUR HOME

BY JULIA BAYLY

iving simply, getting back to basics, reducing your carbon footprint, going green. Whatever you call it, taking steps to make your home and life more environmentally friendly just makes sense. But what exactly is sustainability? And what can you do to green your home?

From an environmental standpoint sustainability at home means you are incorporating practices leading to a more ecologically responsible lifestyle.

You are making choices that help protect the environment and its natural resources.

From a practical perspective, incorporating a green lifestyle in your home can make good economic sense. Green homes tend to use less energy which translates to lower utility bills. Green choices are often good for the health of you and your family by helping to create living space with fewer chemical toxins and supplying fresh food you grow yourself.

Here are 10 ways you can go green at home.

RETHINK LAUNDRY Set your wash and rinse cycles to cold on your washing machine. Using cold water means less energy is needed, plus cold water is gentler on your clothes which means they will last longer. When it’s time to dry your clothes, instead of tossing them into a dryer, hang them from a clothes line either strung inside your home or — better yet — outdoors so they will dry with a natural, fresh air scent. If you are using a dryer, instead of using chemical dryer sheets, toss in wool dryer balls which naturally soften clothes and get rid of static.

GO WITH A LOW FLOW TOILET The average toilet uses up to seven gallons of water per flush. Over time that can add up to a lot of water — and money — going down the drain.

Converting to a low-flow toilet can save you gallons of water per flush.

You can purchase a low flow toilet to replace your existing toilet, or convert your existing toilet by installing an adjustable flapper in the tank that lets you control how much water is used. You can also reduce the amount of water in the tank by putting a solid object in it to displace the water. Bags designed for this purpose are available from most hardware or home improvement stores, but you can also use a plastic jug or large glass jar filled with water.

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FEATURE

CUT DOWN ON PAPER USE Paper is a renewable resource made from trees or recycled materials. But manufacturing paper requires energy, so using less means you are helping to reduce that energy consumption. One way to do this is have all of your bills, bank statements and any other documents delivered online instead of by mail. You can also

pay your bills online, it’s a breeze. As for other paper in your house, try to get the most out of it by using both sides before you toss it out.

REUSE GLASS JARS Instead of throwing out empty jars that hold things like mayonnaise, jams or sauces, clean them thoroughly and use them to store leftovers or items you may buy in bulk like nuts or oatmeal. Glass jars can also help get and keep you organized. They make excellent containers for everything from loose nails to spare change to random buttons you want to keep for future clothing repairs. In the bathroom, use jars to hold and organize toothbrushes, hair brushes and cosmetics.

DITCH SINGLE USE PAPER PRODUCTS FOR CLOTH In the kitchen instead of reaching for a roll of paper towels to wipe your counter, use a cloth that can be washed and reused over and over. You can even repurpose old

t-shirts or towels to use as cleaning cloths.

At mealtime use cloth napkins instead of paper napkins. And get disposable diapers out of the wastestream by switching to cloth diapers.

CONDUCT A HOME ENERGY AUDIT It’s not always obvious where your home is wasting energy. An energy audit will look at a home’s overall energy use and pinpoint areas of inefficiency or that create potential health issues. An audit will also provide recommendations for cost-effective fixes for any problems. In Maine an audit — which can take up to six hours — can be arranged by contacting Efficiency Maine [www.efficiencymaine.com, 866-3762463]. Efficiency Maine also has programs to assist with the cost of a home energy audit which can run up to $600. You can also do your own audit using electric monitors that can detect where your home is wasting electricity either through phantom loads — things that still pull

PHOTO: ©REGINA FOSTER/ ADOBE STOCK

TURN DOWN THE HEAT No one wants to live in a cold house, but take a look at your thermostat and you might discover you can lower it a few degrees and be just as comfy by throwing on a sweater. Likewise, hot showers are wonderful but you can quite likely lower the heat on your hot water system a few degrees and never notice the difference.

Both of these steps will cut back on the amount of energy you use.

power even when shut off — or that are operating inefficiently. While you are at it, check your faucets to make sure there are no leaks wasting water.

GO NATURAL WITH CLEANING Swap out those harsh chemical cleaners in the bathroom, laundry room and kitchen for natural environmentally-friendly products.

You can find eco-friendly cleaning products at most natural food stores and in many supermarkets. Better yet, make your own cleaning products with natural ingredients like baking soda, white vinegar and natural soaps. You can also add essential oils to get any special scent you would like.

GROW YOUR OWN FOOD Few things are tastier or satisfying than eating food you have grown yourself. You can go small by starting an indoor kitchen garden growing salad greens or herbs potted in organic planting soil and placed on a sunny windowsill. You can also purchase www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 57

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FEATURE

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small, self-contained units that have special places for soil and seeds, installed grow lights and wells for water. These units do require electricity to power the lights, but they can be placed virtually anywhere in your home and can grow vegetables including greens, herbs, tomatoes, peas, cucumbers and green beans. If you have the outdoor space for one, put in an outdoor garden. Depending on how much room you have and the configuration of your property you can plant a traditional row garden or build raised beds. If your outdoor space is limited, consider container gardening and plant vegetables or herbs in large pots or hanging baskets on your porch.

COMPOST Compost is the end product of decomposing organic materials like food scraps, leaves, lawn clippings and weeds.

When done properly you end up with a nutrient rich material that can be turned right back into your garden. To compost at home you will need a container in which to place your compostable materials.

This can be as simple as a length of wire mesh fencing fashioned into a cylinder and placed on end or you can get a commercial home composter from a home improvement store. To start your compost bin you need to layer brown materials like livestock manure or old compost with green organic material. As you add more organic materials you want to stir them in with what’s already in the bin. It takes about six months for scraps to turn into compost, but your garden will thank you.

COLLECT RAINWATER Collecting — or harvesting — the fresh water that falls from the sky is a great way to supplement the water you use from your home taps. It can be as simple as placing a barrel or buckets near your garden to capture rain that you then use to water your plants. Or, you can invest in a commercial rainwater catchment system that is capable of harvesting enough rain for you to wash clothes, shower and cook. Just be sure you properly filter or boil any rainwater before consuming it.

This is the place for you. Imagine hundreds of exceptional bath, kitchen and lighting products from trusted brands, in settings that help you envision them in your own home. Classic styles alongside the newest trends. A friendly, accessible staff offers guidance and detailed coordination to ensure that your project goes smoothly.

Find details and hours for more than 40 showrooms at frankwebb.com.

BANGOR, ME 1156 Hammond Street 207-947-6333 • frankwebb.com

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FEATURE

A Cleaner & Greener

WORKOUT PLOGGING THE WAY TO BETTER HEALTH — FOR YOU AND YOUR COMMUNITY

BY KATIE SMITH

FOR YEARS, I’ve been running the backroads of my town.

While it’s fairly rural, there is always a piece of trash or two that I see on my route. My routine has been to grab it on my way home, tuck it into a pocket and throw it out when I return home.

However, last summer I noticed more people out walking or jogging with trash bags while they get their daily burn. Turns out, the practice has a name: Plogging.

The moniker for this new trendy sport was coined by Erik Ahlström in 2016.

Ahlstrom moved to Stockholm and was bothered by the amount of litter he saw while getting his daily exercise. He started picking it up each day and called it plogging, which is a combination of jogging and the Swedish word for pick up, plocka upp.

Other days she’ll drive to a different location, gathering even more trash on her walks — enough to sometimes fill a few full-sized trash bags.

Ned Swain of Portland said he grabs whatever he can find when he goes out for his runs and has spread the word by posting about it on social media.

“I’m out on the roads anyway so I figure why not? It doesn’t cost me anything to pick up the trash. It may not ever be a lot but over a year it adds up to over a 100 lbs of plastic litter. I’ve found gallons of oil and hydraulic fluid too. I’m pretty glad I kept them from going into the watershed,” Swain said.

Swain, who has been plogging for about two years, said the most common things he picks up are Dunkin Donuts cups and little alcohol bottles, known as nips. “I think my record is 37 empty nips in a single 3 mile run.”

Thanks to social media, this exercise trend beneficial for the environment and your body, is sweeping the world.

Peggy Brown of Brunswick has been heading out for over two years to gather trash during her workouts. Her daughters and a few friends have also joined in.

“I bring a recyclable shopping bag with me, the kind that you use for groceries at Shaws or Hannaford and I wear gloves. When my bag is full I head back home and drop it off. Sometimes I fill the bag pretty quickly, so I head home, drop the bag off and head out again to get more of a walk in,” Brown said.

60 / BANGOR METRO March 2021

Not only can you get a little bit of an extra workout in by carrying around the weight of the trash on your walk or run, some people will squat or lunge to pick up the trash and get a little strength training in there.

However, the biggest benefit of all is getting outside and picking up all the extra trash on the side of the road that would otherwise stay, get blown around or flow into our lakes, rivers and oceans.

Next time you head out, grab a bag and see how fast you can fill it up. Like Swain said, it’s free and he’s headed out there anyway so, why not?

PHOTO: ©TATYANA A./ADOBE STOCK

“I’M OUT ON THE ROADS ANYWAY SO I FIGURE WHY NOT? IT DOESN’T COST ME ANYTHING TO PICK UP THE TRASH. IT MAY NOT EVER BE A LOT BUT OVER A YEAR IT ADDS UP...”

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MaiFAVORITE ne's ATLAS WOODS & WATERS

EVERY MAINER receives two things at birth: a name, and a Delorme’s Maine Atlas.

The atlas is so ingrained in Maine culture that a car feels empty without one. Sure, nowadays there are GPS devices and apps that modernize direction-finding, but there’s still a comfort in leafing through the pages of an old-fashioned atlas. Torn pages and coffee stains testify that its owner has actually gone somewhere.

Each atlas page has secrets. Tiny symbols invite exploration of recreation areas, family outing opportunities, and unique natural features. And there are ghosts on these pages — ghosts of places that once were — places where only the name survives.

Many of the ghosts have funny names. A drive from Rockwood to Jackman takes motorists through Taunton & Raynham Academy Grant, which is just north of Misery Gore.

When Maine became a state in 1820, part of the separation agreement with

BY BOB DUCHESNE Massachusetts required that the two states divide up any land that hadn’t already been granted to someone. Massachusetts could then sell its share of the land, and pay off its debts for the War of 1812. In reality, a lot of Maine land had already been sold while the state was still part of Massachusetts, helping to pay off debts incurred during the American Revolution.

Historically, the act of fighting the British moved a lot of Maine real estate.

EACH ATLAS PAGE Several grants around Moosehead Lake were made to fund educational institutions. Taunton is so old, it was founded HAS SECRETS... THERE ARE by the original Pilgrims. This southern Massachusetts town GHOSTS ON THESE PAGES — is closer to Providence than Boston. The original Taunton & Raynham Academy is barely a footnote in history, but GHOSTS OF PLACES THAT ONCE the name survives, printed on the Maine map just west WERE — PLACES WHERE ONLY of Rockwood.

THE NAME SURVIVES.

PHOTO: BDN FILE

INGRAINED IN CULTURE AND NECESSARY, BELOVED ATLASES ARE A MUST FOR MAINERS

Likewise, Sandwich Academy Grant was given to a school founded in 1804 on Cape Cod in Sandwich, Massachusetts.

The academy is long gone, but its namesake ghost is on the Maine map just west of the Taunton & Raynham Academy ghost.

Days Academy in Wrentham, Massachusetts was founded in 1806. It disappeared 64 years later, but its ghost survives. The Days Academy Grant Township sits at the entrance to Mt Kineo on the east side of Moosehead Lake.

Bowdoin College was a Massachusetts institution for 26 years before Maine gained statehood. The Massachusetts legislature considered it important enough to double the usual donation. In 1812, it gifted the college with two townships, now on the map as Bowdoin College Grant West and Bowdoin College Grant East. They lie just east of Greenville.

Some of the land was sold to subsidize other Bay State priorities. In the 18th Century, canals moved large quantities of goods. Erie Canal may be the most famous, but the Middlesex Canal lasted

half a century, connecting Boston to the Merrimack River. To help fund this early Big Dig, two parcels of Maine land were granted, one on each side of Moosehead Lake’s north end. Little remains of the Middlesex Canal, but its name still lingers on the Maine map.

Massachusetts Gore is a small piece of land just beneath Coburn Gore, along the New Hampshire border in Franklin County. The first part of its name is a relic of the fact that Massachusetts retained the timber rights. The latter part means the parcel was a mistake.

All of Maine is divided into townships.

Southern Maine towns tend to be irregularly shaped, corresponding to historic settlements. Northern Maine townships are evenly square, six miles on a side. Early surveying was good, but with different companies in the woods doing different survey work, sometimes

lines didn’t exactly match up. Gore is an Old English word for such mistakes.

Rather than resurvey, gores were simply marked on the map and given a name.

Misery Gore in Somerset County is 17 miles long, but just a half mile wide.

Hibbert’s Gore in Lincoln County is a tiny sliver of a mistake — totaling just 640 acres, in the shape of a flagpole. Altogether, there are eight gores on the Maine map.

Most unorganized townships are simply designated by letters and numbers.

T2 R3 corresponds to Township 2, Range 3. But the map is full of anomalies. A northbound trip to Rangeley travels through Township E. Although Township D lies just west of it, and Township C is west of D, there is no Township A or B. And how does one explain E Township in Aroostook County, 175 miles away as the confused crow flies? The Maine Atlas: a book of ghosts and mysteries.

BOB DUCHESNE is a local radio personality, Maine guide, and columnist. He lives on Pushaw Lake with his wife, Sandi.

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Z

j

Maki n g i t Together z B THE VIEW FROM HERE

BY EMILY MORRISON

B

two consider themselves cooks when they open the fridge or the cabinet and put something already made on a plate.

I pried the 15-year-old from her phone, my son lugged in the groceries, and then I started barking out orders like a short order cook.

“You, turn on the oven. You, get out a frying pan. You, wash your hands.”

After instructing them on how to cut a pepper, fry up some meat and microwave the corn, a funny feeling came over me as we bumped elbows and backsides and reached around each other.

Peace. Calm. Wonder. Why have we never done this before?

Is this what I’m going to miss when they’re all gone, this feeling of fullness and barely controlled chaos? Will it still feel like this when they come home to visit? Will they say, “Mom, remember that time we made tacos together, and it was the best Maco Monday ever?”

I don’t know how you can miss a moment even when you’re in it, but the closer my kids get to that magical age of goodbye, the more I miss them. I can be fully immersed in the present and then the thought creeps in, “Wow, how lucky am I that at the end of my day and all of the things I have to do, this is one thing I get to do?”

How many people are surrounded by so much happiness, even during these little things? Maybe it’s because of the little things.

Maybe happiness isn’t in the big stuff, but in the small, quiet moments when one child asks the other, “Did you really just pour half a thing of chili powder into the frying pan?”

I don’t know if they’ll remember these Mondays the way I’ll remember them, but I hope they remember this. I hope they remember that everything we made together tasted better than anything I ever made them on my own.

I hope they remember how we made it together.

PHOTO: ©NDABCREATIVITY/ADOBE STOCK

ON ANY GIVEN MONDAY afternoon you can find me in the grocery store looking like I’m about to run an old lady down with my cart as I attempt to buy 30 items in a 14 item check out. You can see that sense of panic in my eyes, that deer in the headlight look while I stare at the numbers hanging above the aisles like they’ll magically tell me what I’m forgetting.

Damn all those people who make lists and color coordinate their produce, meat and dairy needs on spreadsheets I can only dream about.

I’m just not that person, not yet anyway.

I’m the gal who prefers to frantically ransack her brain as she bumps into bacon displays asking, “What in God’s name are we having for supper tonight? Bacon?”

On Mondays, I almost always jump the gun on Taco Tuesdays.

In my family, we are bold food rule breakers. We have tacos on Mondays and Tuesdays. In fact, Maco Mondays have become the norm in our household.

One of my children is vegan, another is an extremely picky eater and the third will eat anything that’s not nailed down, so our list of essentials has exponentially multiplied. Maco Mondays now require vegetarian refried beans, black beans, tofu, hamburger and turkey burger for those who no longer eat red meat.

It’s a whole big thing and getting bigger as the kids, well, get bigger.

Usually, at the start of the week, I’m relatively caught up with the weekend’s grading. I’ve got a jumpstart on lesson planning, and there’s a little more time in the evening to do the grocery shopping, the housework, the kids’ homework, the whole shebang.

Oh, who am I kidding? I’m still hopelessly behind. There’s just no end to the vicious cycle that is working momhood. On this particular Monday, I had too much to do: too much grading, too much writing, too much whining, and I decided to do something totally crazy — I asked my children to help me in the kitchen.

My oldest has been making her own vegan meals for the last six months, so she’s no slouch with a spatula, but my other

EMILY MORRISON is a high school English teacher, freelance writer and editor from coastal Maine. She is living happily-ever-after with her handsome husband, three beautiful children and two beloved dogs. And a cat.