That's really solid advice!

Friday was gorgeous and I was off. I cleaned up some of the yard that was bare and tended my indoor seedlings. Onions will go out in the garden soon once some more snow banks clear. In the forest, I thinned trees to select larger dominant trunks. I'm selecting maples in anticipation of tapping them in the future and prioritizing the mature oaks. Maybe timber in 40 years? I also stomped down fallen branches to get them in contact with the ground so they decompose faster. No mushrooms fruiting other than the jelly fungi on deadfall. They're edible, but mostly a culinary element for their texture.

It's way too early to mow but since people mentioned it, I don't mow till late in the season so the early flowers can do their thing and nourish pollinators. I am moving towards a no-mow lawn which actually does get mowed, but only once or twice a year. Lots of wild flowers.

Ramps! I cleared a few patches and spread seed. The established patches arent coming up yet, it's too early (although I did see some cultivated alliums popping up) .

I'm plotting where to put the fruit and nut trees that will be delivered next month. Maybe I ordered too many?

I spent a lot of time just slowly walking and observing the property. It's my second summer here, so I am still learning the land. It's only 3 acres but there is a lot going on if you stop and observe.

Can't wait to get outside more!

"Bad" by Mainer standards usually means where the homeless and/or non-white people reside.

I lived in the area for a year or two and would laugh when people said it was a bad neighborhood... I used to live in Chicago though, and I've spent a lot of time in Baltimore.

Google sky maps is what I've been using for the last decade. Although I'm not sure it's owned by Google anymore at this point.

Near the border in northern Maine is your best bet.

Got a new one about a month ago and it took a bit over a week

Maine.

I went out around noon and it took around 2 hr to do everything with breaks and clearing out/off the chicken coop and cars. Just as I finished the city plow came by again. Street is mostly clear now so I shouldn't have any more massive banks at the end of the driveway. It's really heavy nasty stuff. My new Cub Cadet was struggling in some areas.

I'll make one more pass this evening and be good! It's super heavy and wet. Get on it folks, and be careful.

Duck Fat does them so well, the hype is pretty legit. I honestly have only been to the restaurant once, but I get them at Oxbow nearly every time I'm there. So good.

Frying Dutchman is supposed to be great but I haven't tried them yet. The one time I went they were closed for like a week randomly.

We have oil hot water baseboards and a pellet stove. I have the oil thermostat set to 55 at night, 60 in the day. I usually put the pellet stove on in the AM to heat up the house. The wife will turn it off at lunch (she works from home), then we'll turn it on again in the evening. When the stove is going it's usually 68-72.

I have my own flock but I saw yesterday that market basket has one of the brands at 2.99 a dozen. Everything else was at least 5.50-6.50

This was definitely the work of a little old Polish or Italian lady in Chicago. The houses are a dead give away (and the Illinois plates).

This.

Bailey works bags

Any outdoor store will carry heavy cheap camp iron.

If you want the good stuff, hit up central Maine antique mall in Bangor. A vendor there has an incredible selection of old stuff, perfectly refinished, and it's reasonably priced.

Antiques USA in Arundel usually has some good stuff. One vendor there always has a lot.

The willows flea market in mechanic falls has some good prices

I have a business card of a guy who collects and refinishes... and judging by what he was buying when I met him, he probably has an absurd amount of stuff. I'll grab his info at my lunch.

My grandpa also grew figs in ground, but in Chicago. He used a wood box filled with hay and a window on top to overwinter. He usually trimmed it back hard. It's my first year with figs in ground, but I'm growing mine in a Japanese low cordon style. For protection I made a raised bed frame with a hardware cloth border around it to keep voles out. I filled it with leaves and hay and covered it with a tarp to protect from the wind. Fingers crossed it will survive!

I've been at my house just over a year and I have apples peach, fig, sweet cherries, raspberries, blackberries, grape and blueberries in the ground. I'll be getting pears, plums, serviceberry, lingonberry, beach plum, and tart cherry on my next Fedco shipment in spring. Black walnuts and American chestnuts will be going in as well.

So far I've only harvested a couple raspberries and blueberries.

Unfortunately my paw paws failed.

Check out Edgewood nursery for odd edible plants grown here in Maine. Fedco is my go to for trees. If you haven't, also check out Mt. Joy Community Orchard in Portland!

Metal and glass, probably. Plastic? Basically no way. Only #1 and #2 plastics can be reused and only a few times at that. The likelihood they're actually being recycled and reused is very low.

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… So cut my wrists and black my eyes (So cut my wrists and black my eyes)

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Cooking Down East is a classic cookbook from the 1960s. Our friend, who did her thesis on cookbook design and their influence on culture, gave it to us. Mostly the recipes are from later than you requested, but it's a great look into the food of Maine and NE.