Some of my fondest memories of my early childhood were the times my father and I would take walks after supper.  My father would hold my hand as we walked and he would point out the stars and talk about all kinds of things with me.  One of those evenings he tried to explain to me how small the world really was.  Being a whole 5 years old, I'm pretty sure I had a hard time grasping that concept, and while it took me some time to understand it and recognize it, I've never forgotten those times with my dad.  Although my father passed away almost 30 years ago, and far too young, I've always been so grateful for those walks.

Fast forwarding almost 50 years later, I am once again seeing how small our world really is.

If you were to ask me who was the one person who mentored me the most when starting out in sales/marketing/advertising, I would say without a moment's hesitation, Joan Toenniessen.  Joan was the publisher of both the Main Line Times and The News of Delaware County and I was blessed to work with her at the The News when I first started out in newspapers.

If I learned nothing else from Joan, I learned two very important lessons that I have never forgotten.  The first lesson was about being humble and children.  Although she was kind enough to never actually say my name when stating this lesson, it was hard to miss her pointed look at me when saying it.  The lesson was that God gave people children to keep them humble.  Now, having 6 children at the time, it didn't take much imagination to understand the implications of what she was saying!!  And if I didn't fully grasped the concept, she would then kind of mumble something about Him giving to some more than most for a good reason.  I know it's crazy, but I still laugh out loud when I think of her saying this!!  It was SO true and so necessary for me to remember that my talents were gifts, and while I needed and should use them, my talents were gifts and I needed to be thankful for them.  And she was right on all accounts - boy oh boy, did my kids keep me humble and they still do.  I wouldn't have it any other way.

The other lesson she taught me and the entire staff at the paper was this - Work is just work, real life is with your family.  When the day would get hectic and tempers would flare, she would gently remind everyone of this simple lesson.  Although she worked as hard or harder at her job than anyone else, she was a true leader who led with love and compassion and who valued the truth.  There was no doubt in any of our minds, we all were privileged to be her family.

I just learned yesterday that Joan has a summer home here in Maine, only 18 miles from where we live.  Wow!  I'm planning to email Joan today and I'm praying I will hear from her.  I feel my dad smiling at me.  He was right - the world is a small world indeed. 

Have a great Monday, everyone!

HAPPY FRIDAY!

I'm not sure if I've ever mentioned before how wonderfully kind and cordial we have found the people in Maine to be.  We were very surprised at how quiet, mannerly and really very very sweet everyone is.  Unlike what we have been led to believe about New England folk, we have not found them to be overly cautious or suspicious of newcomers.  We have really had a very nice reception here!

One thing I will say, however, about the people is that they will say what is on their mind.   As we have been traveling around the state, visiting different areas and learning about the people, we have come across some pretty amusing signs that I thought I would share.  Maybe it is their frankness I love so much.  Here's a few examples of what I mean:

Well, there you have it!  While most areas in the country feel that a simple no parking sign would be sufficient, clearly not this particular owner in Portland, ME.  Obviously for good reason.....

This is another sign we found totally amusing.... JUST in case you don't know where you've stopped, the sign above crafts and antiques says it all:

I know it is hard to read - the store is called Wayside Tea Room.  However, once you park the words on the right hand side let you know, "We are not a restaurant".

And for all of you with sticky fingers, when you come to visit do NOT shop here:

If you can't read it, here's what it says..."ABSOLUTELY NO STEALING ALLOWED" (we just really don't like it!).

Honestly, these people are awesome!!!

Have a great weekend, everyone!!!!

FUN FACTS WEDNESDAY!

Hi everyone!  This is being posted a bit later than usual, but as usual, life has been hectic and I'm a bit behind. 

After writing on Brunswick, I became in interested in Maine's participation of the American Civil War.  For all you historians, this might be a bit boring, but for all the rest of you, hopefully you will find this as interesting as I have! 

Here's what I found:

While no land battles were fought in Maine, Maine was a large supplier of military manpower, supplies, ships, arms, and political support for the Union Army. Maine was the first state in the northeast to be aligned with the new Republican Party, partly due to the influence of evangelical Protestantism, and partly to the fact that Maine was a frontier state, and thus receptive to the party's "free soil" platform.

SIDE NOTE:  I was really surprised to read that, being that present day Maine is considered to be very liberal.  While there is a very liberal group here, we have been very surprised at the number of Christian believers we have met and the large amount of Republican bumper stickers and signs supporting the Republican Party.   Ok, back to the facts!

Abraham Lincoln chose Maine's Hannibal Hamlin as his first Vice President.

Maine was so eager for the cause that it ended up contributing a larger number of combatants, in proportion to its population, than any other Union state.^[2] It was second only to Massachusetts in the number of its sailors who served in the Union Navy. Colonel Joshua L. Chamberlain (later a major general and Bowdoin's College President here in Brunswick! and Maine's Governor) and the 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment played a key role at the Battle of Gettysburg, and the 1st Maine Heavy Artillery Regiment lost more men in a single charge (during the Siege of Petersburg) than any Union regiment in the war.

Another noteworthy Mainer was Augusta newspaperman and U.S. Congressman James G. Blaine.  Blaine was a powerful voice on Capitol Hill and dominated post-war politics during the Reconstruction period. The Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was substantially Blaine's proposition, and later he was the 1884 Republican nominee for President.

There is so much more information on Maine and it's contribution to the Civil War that I would need to write a book!  LOL, I'm pretty sure that's already been done!  So, for the sake of being a blog, that's it for today. I hope you all enjoyed the information!

Of course, Happy Birthday today to my darling first granddaughter, Alex!!

HAPPY MONDAY!!

If the above seems a bit optimistic, well, maybe it is.  There are several things to celebrate this week, the most being my granddaughter's 10th birthday on Wednesday, September 12th, exactly one year and one day from 9-11.  I often think about the one time her mother actually listened to me, and it was on the birth of my granddaughter.  But, before that story, I just have to get this off my chest. 

The expectation of a grandchild is amazing, and this being my first grandchild, it was AMAZING!!  Choosing the colors of the unknown sex of the child's bedroom, the layette, all the baby clothes, decorating .......sigh, what a wonderful time, well, at least in my dreams.  My daughter lived in Ohio, an 8 hour drive at best, and she pretty much had all that figured out way before I got there to give her my expert, motherly advice.  I have to admit, I was a bit disappointed it was all done.  After all, I myself had given birth to 6 babies and had spent many hours pouring over "What to Name Your Baby", color swatches and reading books on how to make your baby happy, even before giving birth.  I mean, there I was, a WEALTH of knowledge, just waiting to be heard!  And, I was FREE!  I mean, how could someone pass up that kind of opportunity, just begging to be asked! 

Whew, that felt good.  Ok, back to the story.

Now, in all my posts, I've been very careful not to mention politics, even with it being an election year.  I was considering doing a Fun Facts Wednesday just on politics in general in the state of Maine, and I'm interested enough to check it out so within the next 6 to 7 weeks, I probably will do so.  I must admit, it's been tough not to mention politics, although probably not for the reasons you might think.  I have looked at Mitt Romney so many times and I can't help but wonder, what mother, when first holding her brand new baby, came up with the name, "Mitt"? (yup, that's the political stuff I've been holding back on!!!).  I just can't get passed it.  Ok, so maybe it is a nic name, but didn't his mother think of that before naming him???  I mean, where on earth was grandma when that name came up??  I'm pretty sure, she probably wasn't asked.....   I guess fair is fair, I mean, "Obama"?  Whoa.  I've been thinking about this, and I'm pretty sure both men were born during the time that women were dropped off at the hospital and the father went on his merrily way to buy cigars and have a beer or two to celebrate the birth.  Given that women were generally given drugs strong enough to make them pass out, I've decided that in both instances it was probably a man who named both of these men.... maybe even grandpa!  Really, it's the only thing I can come up with that makes any sense at all....... 

Now, back to the tale.  The one thing I really didn't want for my darling granddaughter was to have to share the anniversary of 9-11 with her birthday.  And my daughter listened.  It was not long past 9-11 that little Alex was born, but it was definitely on 9-12, not 9-11, that the world became a better place to live.  And it's been better ever since.

Happy birthday week, Alex.  I love you. 

 Happy Friday!

I advised my daughter, who surprised us all with a  move to the Gulf Coast less than 6 weeks ago, of the need to watch the weather when you live on the coast, especially during hurricane season.   With so much activity going on in the Atlantic Ocean right now, I decided to investigate how many hurricanes have hit the eastern coast of Maine, and even, perhaps, take my own advice!

Since the 1938 hurricane which devastated New England, Maine has been seriously affected by  seven other hurricanes in the last 74 years, most recently by Hurricane Bob in 1991. Here's what I found:
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September 21, 1938 Hurricane of ‘38
August 31, 1954 Carol
September 12, 1954 Edna
September 12, 1960 Donna
October 29, 1963 Ginny
September 27, 1985 Gloria
August 20, 1991 Bob
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Hurricanes can strike at any time from June through October, but for the past 74 years, all except two have hit Maine in September or close to it. Of course, hurricanes and their tracks are highly erratic, and there is no assurance that the next one will arrive in September.

I was curious to see what had happened last year with Irene that hit New Jersey and the Philadelphia region. Apparently by the time Irene traveled to Maine, it was downgraded to a tropical storm.  

With Leslie looming near Bermuda, I will be keeping my eye on this storm this weekend, just in case.  Rumor has it when you live on the coast, you need to be watchful.

Have a safe weekend! 

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National Hurricane Center