All posts by Clif Graves

Winthrop Gets a Peace Pole

Gallery October 14, 2013 Clif Graves 1 Comment

Yesterday was an exciting day for the town of Winthrop, which got its very own Peace Pole and memorial bench dedicated to Tom Sturtevant, a long-time Winthrop resident who died in January of 2012. Tom was many things, including a friend, a teacher, a peace activist, a husband, and a father. Here is what I wrote about Tom not long after he died: “There are many ways to promote peace, and Tom’s involvement with various peace groups was one way, but helping to make the community—in this case, Winthrop—a better place is another way of promoting peace, which starts at home. Tom volunteered at the Winthrop Food Pantry and with Meals on Wheels. He helped establish the Winthrop Community Gardens and was involved with the Inch-by-Inch Garden project for the Winthrop Grade School.” Tom was also involved with the library expansion.

Tom was tall, lanky, soft-spoken, brave, and resolute. I still remember how at the November 2011 board meeting at the Winthrop Food Pantry, two people rode their bikes on that brisk day: Me and Tom, who was in his 80s. I sure miss seeing that man biking or walking around town. I miss hearing that soft-spoken voice.

To honor this man who gave so much of himself to peace and to the community, the Winthrop Area People for Peace got permission from the Winthrop Town Council to put a Peace Pole and a bench in the Inch-by-Inch Garden at the grade school. (Here is a description of what a Peace Pole is.) All the money for this project came from private donations, and the granite for the pole and the bench came from Tom’s house in Winthrop. How appropriate!

All summer was spent planning, organizing, and raising money for the Peace Pole and bench, and yesterday the big day for the installation finally arrived. John Jennings, owner of Forgotten Stoneworks, and his assistant David Krantz came with their equipment to install the Peace Pole and the bench. Margy and Steve Knight and Clif and I were there to supervise and be enthusiastic cheerleaders. To say we were thrilled by the Peace Pole and bench is a vast understatement. Ecstatic might be a better word. Did we jump up and down a little? Probably not. But I know I felt like doing so.

All went smoothly, and within an hour so, the pole, which according to Steve, weighs about 1,300 pounds, and the bench were in place in the Inch-by-Inch Garden. The phrases inscribed on the sides are: “May Peace Prevail on Earth”; “Be the Change You Wish to See”; “Let Peace Begin with Me”; and “Inch by Inch…Gonna Make this Garden Grow.”

On Sunday, November 3 at 1:00 p.m., there will be a Peace Pole Celebration at the Inch-by-Inch Garden by the Winthrop Grade School. A reception will immediately follow in the Winthrop Town Hall. Everyone who knew Tom (or who would have liked to have known Tom) is invited to come. We are anticipating a big crowd. Tom, you are still missed, and you are certainly not forgotten.

Peace Pole Slide Show:

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News

A Pig Roast at the Vassalboro Grange

October 13, 2013 Clif Graves 9 Comments

Last night, Clif and I went to a pig roast at the grange in East Vassalboro. This grange is special to us. For years, my mother belonged to the Vassalboro grange, and our good friend Esther is still an active member. Also, our daughter Shannon had her wedding shower at the grange, and we like to think that my mother’s spirit was present at the celebration.

The Vassalboro Grange is over 100 years old and has an active core of members who have worked hard to maintain this lovely building and to make the grange a vital part of the town. All communities—small towns as well as cities—need a center, and along with the library and the Historical Society, the grange provides that center in East Vassalboro. Kudos to all the volunteers whose hard work has kept this grange going.

The pig roast was a fundraiser for the Vassalboro Grange, and a few weeks ago, Esther asked me if Clif and I would like to come. “It’s $15 apiece,” she said, “But the food is very good. We only have one seating at 6:00, and the tickets always sell out. Let me know soon so that I can reserve your tickets.”

When I confirmed that Clif and I were free that evening, I emailed Esther to let her know that we would like to come. Clif and I are happy to support the grange, and we considered the money well spent, regardless of how good the food might be. Of course, as a foodie, I couldn’t help but wonder how tasty this meal would be, and I can honestly report that this is the best public supper I have attended. Ever. All the food, from the corn muffins to the glazed carrots to the mashed potatoes, was fresh and good. Then there was the pork, which had been roasting for 15 hours. (Uncle Dave’s Barbecue Service of Vassalboro roasted the pork.) The meat was moist and tender, with some served plain and some brushed with a sweet barbecue sauce. There was also sausage, which had been cooked inside the pig. Going back for seconds, I ate far more than I should have.

And dessert? Why pie, of course, baked by grange volunteers. I had a piece of Lori London’s carrot pie, similar to squash or pumpkin but a little sweeter and very tasty. The crumble-nut topping was a good counterpoint to the smooth carrot filling.

The supper was served downstairs, in the main hall, and dessert was upstairs, where the stage is. Little tables were set all around, and various people from town played the guitar or sang. As Clif and I listened to music while we had dessert, Clif smiled and said, “This reminds me of my old coffee house days.”

A nice evening at the old grange. Good food, good music, and many familiar faces. As Esther predicted, this year’s supper was sold out. Next year, you can bet that Clif and I will reserve our tickets ahead of time.

The pie ladies---Esther Bernhardt and Lori London — The pie ladies—Esther Bernhardt and Lori London

News

October 11, 2013: Bits and Bobs from the Internet

October 11, 2013 Clif Graves

Another weekend with the promise of good weather, which means more yard work. For some reason, working outside in nice weather always seems better to me than working inside. I just love being outdoors. Clif and I also plan to ride our bikes, go to a pig roast at the grange in East Vassalboro, and see a movie at Railroad Square on Monday, when the prices are $5.50 all day. As we Mainers like to put it, that’s a wicked good deal.

Thanks so much to Rhonda Hetzel for featuring A Good Eater on her wonderful blog, Down to Earth. Rhonda has a big following, and I feel very honored to be listed.

From National Young Farmers Coalition blog: A profile of two young farmers—John Wright and Sara Hodges—who live on Vinalhaven Island—population 1,000—off the coast of Maine.

From Craftivist in the Kitchen: Whole grain cheese muffins. I’ll be making them soon.

From Mainetoday.com: Around the world in 7 sandwiches, all the while staying in Portland, Maine.

From Letters from a Hill Farm: Another book recommendation from Nan. This time it’s Up, Back, and Away by K. Velk. According to Nan, the story features time travel and bikes. Holy guacamole! What could be better?

From the New York Times: A piece about the “healthy obese.” With its references to mitochondria, the article gets a little complicated. But life is like that, isn’t it?

Nature

October 9, 2013: A Golden Time of Year

October 9, 2013 Clif Graves

In Maine, this is the golden time of year, when some things end and others begin. I suppose this is true for all places that have pronounced seasons to give sharp definition to the year. In Maine in October, the air is clear and sharp, and the cool weather tugs at us, a reminder of what will be coming. As much as I love summer and warm weather, I am always taken with October and its beauty—red, yellow, orange, the glowing marshes, the mists in the morning, and the deep green of the woods punctuated by bursts of blazing color. Apples, pumpkins, soup, and pie replace peaches, salads, and grilled food.

Soon it will be too cold to eat on the patio. Soon the outside furniture will be coming in. I have already begun getting flower pots emptied and cleaned, and next week I will begin cutting back the perennials. October is here, and while austere November is just around the corner, I will put that out of my mind and revel in the colors of mid-autumn.

Pumpkins ready to be harvested from the Inch-by-Inch Garden at the grade school

People

Rob Hopkins, of the Transition Movement, Comes to Maine

October 8, 2013 Clif Graves 2 Comments

Last Friday, I went to the University of New England in Portland to hear a talk by Rob Hopkins, the founder of the Transition Movement, whose purpose is “to support community-led responses to peak oil and climate change, building resilience and happiness.” In the green world, Rob Hopkins is a rock star, akin to Michael Pollan’s and Mark Bittman’s status in the foodie world. The event was held in Ludcke Auditorium and was sponsored and supported by, among others, Portland Maine Permaculture, The Resilience Hub, and the School of Social Work of Student Organization.

Before I write about Rob Hopkins and Transition, I’ve got to come clean about the food. Margot, of Sustain Wayne, organized this trip, and her friend David and his daughter Vanessa came as well. Margot registered all of us, and I didn’t pay too much attention to the details other than the time—6:00 p.m. Because of Hopkins’s high profile in the green world, we knew the place would be packed—it was—and we all agreed we should be at Ludcke Auditorium early. I also had a vague awareness that there would be some kind of reception before the talk.

In fact, the reception was a potluck, and what a potluck it was. There were pickled beets with goat cheese—I could have easily eaten half of them; a kale salad; cheese biscuits; sushi; the sweetest homemade apple sauce, made from wild apples, that I’ve ever tasted; a roasted eggplant spread as well as many other delectable items. When a woman dropped off a plate of sliced carrot cake, I decided it was time to move away from the table, to return to my seat and start taking notes.

But because I didn’t realize there would be a potluck, I didn’t bring anything to contribute, and I hang my head in shame. “Never mind,” Margot said. “There was plenty of food.” This was certainly true. But still! If I go to another event sponsored by Portland Maine Permaculture and the Resilience Hub, you can be sure I will check to see if a potluck is part of the program and then duly bring something to add.

Rob Hopkins is from Totnes, England. He is attractive, smart, articulate, and funny. Then, of course, there is the accent. All his qualities ensured that he would receive rapt attention from most of the women—I certainly don’t want to speak for everyone—in the audience. Few American women can resist a cute, smart, funny chap with an English accent.

However, attractiveness aside, what is most important about Rob Hopkins is his message of how community and local work can address the biggest challenge of our time—climate change. While Hopkins made it clear that there is a definite need for government action on every level—from national to state to regional—he also made it clear that communities shouldn’t wait for government to lead the way. “We” can do something now, and it is crucial that we get started. (The Transition movement came about with that realization and with many years of teaching. Hopkins started the first two-year permaculture course at Kinsale Further Education College in Ireland.)

Using a slide show, Hopkins gave examples of the various projects that different communities around the world have started, from community gardens in public spaces to solar panels in a London inner-city neighborhood to the design and use of local currencies. The Transition movement’s philosophy is that because all communities are different, the projects will vary from community to community.

Hopkins also spoke of the myth of endless growth that seems to have taken hold in the minds of too many economists and politicians; of how dangerous it was to have our food production and distribution in the hands of so few; and of how we cannot burn all the remaining fossil fuel without disastrous results. Hopkins even stated, during the Q & A at the end of his talk, that he didn’t see how we could continue driving cars the way we do, especially here in Maine, where there is rural “sprawl.” (Naturally, we don’t like to think about our state that way.)

Because I am so familiar with the Transition movement and Rob Hopkins, none of what he said was exactly new to me. However, as someone who cares very much about climate change, it was good to be reminded of the various points—the dangers of climate change, how our current system is ill equipped to deal with the challenge of a new economy, and the importance of community work.

And speaking of community…before the talk, David, Vanessa, and I were looking at the crowd. “There is such a range of ages here,” Vanessa said. “Young, old, and in between.” Yes, there was a range of ages, and it was notable. All too often at such events, the age of the audience is either heading toward retirement or already there. But not this audience.

“The event is also well organized,” I said.

“Yet relaxed,” David said.

Diversity of age. Organized yet relaxed. A timely, important message delivered with humor and passion and an English accent. All in all, a very good event.

News

Friday, October 4, 2013: Bits and Bobs from the Internet

October 4, 2013 Clif Graves 2 Comments

This Saturday is supposed to be warm and sunny, just like the rest of the week. As always, there is much to do around the little house in the big woods. Clif will begin replacing a rotten door sill, and I will do yard work—the start of getting things ready for winter. I will also be baking an apple pie—one of my favorite pies to make—on Sunday, when the weather is supposed to turn rainy. Our friends Joel and Alice have agreed to come over and help us eat the pie. Really, they will be doing us a favor. Clif and I do not need to eat a whole apple pie. Best of all, to borrow from Gladys Taber (see the last link), we will gather around the table, and the talk will be merry.

From the Portland Press Herald: A list of dairy farms that will be participating in Open Creamery Day on October 13.

From Sustainable Blog: Is your state locavore friendly? Vermont rules, but Maine does pretty well, too.

From the Maine blog Mignardise: Delicious recipes for all those end-of-summer and beginning-of-fall veggies. I’ll be giving her roasted ratatouille a try this weekend.

From the laist: Doug Rauch, past president of L.A. based Trader Joe’s, has started a program called The Daily Table, which “will sell prepared food, along with fruits and vegetables, that are past their labeled prime but are still deemed safe to eat.”

From the blog Letters from a Hill Farm: Nan posted a beautiful quotation from the writer Gladys Taber. Here is the part I like best: “For no matter what heaven may be like, there is no use just waiting for it. I’ll take mine now, with an open fire and apples toasting on a stick and good friends gathered around the hearth. Bowls of popcorn, and nuts to crack while the talk is merry.”

Nature

Backyard Report: October 3, 2013

October 3, 2013 Clif Graves 3 Comments

What a beautiful fall it has been so far. We’ve turned the corner to October, and the lovely warm weather continues with sunny days and cool nights. I do believe that September and October have made up, to some degree, for the 20 straight days we had of rain in June and July. Despite living in Maine, I love warm weather, and every day that it is warm means that there is one less day that I will be cold. (Sorry, Shari—you lover of cold weather—to borrow and twist your words.) More important, every day that it is sunny and warm means there is one less day that we have to use the heat, and with the price of fuel, this is no joking matter. Not for Clif and me, who live on a modest income, and not for the many Maine families who live on far less than we do. So may the warm weather continue through October. There is plenty of time ahead for colder weather and high heating bills.

Despite the warmth, things are definitely winding down in the yard at the little house in the big woods. The gardens look frayed and tattered, and there are few blooms to cheer things up. If I had a sunnier yard, then I could plant more colorful annuals to tide the gardens through this period, but alas, there is simply too much shade here for most annuals to thrive. Well, I live in the woods, which has its own beauty and consolations. Cool, green, and mysterious. Full of creatures that cautiously skirt our house as well as birds that are regular visitors, drawn by the feeders. The squirrels also fall into the latter category, and I must admit I am not as enthusiastic about their visits as I am about the birds’ visits. Still, squirrels are creatures of the forest, and they, too, must earn their living. I just wish their appetites were not so robust.

Thanks to the warm weather, I still have lunch on the patio every day, and I have noticed the absence not only of the hummingbirds, which have left for warmer climes, but also the yellow jackets, which are a real pain, sometimes literally, in the fall. They are drawn by sweet food, and usually in the fall I have to eat quickly—not a hardship for this good eater—and set my plates on another table when I am done. But not this year. What could have happened to the yellow jackets? Did the rainy weather kill them off? While I can’t say that I miss them, their absence does make me uneasy. They are part of the natural cycle of things here in Maine.

Today, another sunny day, I will have my lunch on the patio. There are clothes drying on the line, and after lunch, I’ll clean the big feeder, so that it will be ready for winter and the constant refilling of birdseed. Tonight, there will be homemade chicken soup and cornbread for supper, and I have to admit that even though I love warm weather, it is a fine thing to have soup on a cool night.

Scenes from the backyard with a quick trip down cellar:

Stocked up for the winter with vegetables from Farmer Kev

People, Recipes

Carrot Ginger Soup with Esther

September 30, 2013 Clif Graves

Last week, I went to Esther’s house for lunch. Esther doesn’t like to drive very far from her home—our houses are about 25 miles apart—which means I go to her house when we get together. Therefore, I offered to bring a ginger carrot soup, and Esther readily agreed.

Esther has a large, bright kitchen with a long wooden table. She made biscuits to go with the soup as well as a tomato and cucumber salad. For dessert we had apple cake with ice cream. As we ate, we talked about the volunteer work we do—the Winthrop Food Pantry (me) and the Homeless Shelter in Waterville (Esther). We both agreed that working with people who struggle opens the mind and the heart, and Esther spoke of a discouraged young mother who didn’t see any way to improve her situation. To get a job, the young mother would need training and education, but to get that training and education, she would need childcare, which she couldn’t afford. Certainly, it would have been a better plan to wait to have a child until training, education, and a job were already in place, but life doesn’t always go according to plan. And then what? Give up? The young woman’s situation illustrates the need for additional programs to help mothers who are in her situation.

After lunch, Esther and I went to Waterville, to the Colby College Museum of Art with its new Alfond-Lunder Family Pavilion. This is the third time I’ve been to the museum since the new addition opened, and each time I go, I notice something different. On this visit it was a painting by Louis Comfort Tiffany, who is best known for his stained glass work. The painting—Tin Peddler at Sea Bright—was painted in the late 1800s, and it is a slice-of-life painting that captures a time when peddlers went to people’s homes. What makes this picture interesting is that the customers are African-American, and Tiffany does a terrific job of portraying their modest circumstances without making the people seem desperately on the edge.

As Esther and I walked through the museum, I was once again reminded of how lucky we are in central Maine to have an art museum that not only has first-rate art but also has free admission. This means that viewers can come whenever they want without feeling that they have to look at everything in one visit. Such a gift!

In the collection, there were some Maine seascapes, of course. Esther asked, “When you think of Maine, do you think of the ocean first?”

“No,” I answered. “When I think of Maine I think of forests and fields. Lakes and streams. Factories and rivers.”

Esther nodded. “That’s because we’re both from central Maine.”

Yes, we are, and while we might love the ocean, it was not our first impression of Maine.

The view from Esther's house — The view from Esther’s house

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Community

Sunday Bike Ride: September 29, 2013

September 29, 2013 Clif Graves 3 Comments

Today was one of the finest days of the year. The sky was a heartbreaking blue, and the midday temperature was 75 degrees with nary a hint of humidity. After breakfast, Clif and I went for a bike ride through town and by Maranacook Lake. I brought my trusty camera, as I often do, so that I could record this beautiful day in pictures.

Margy Burns Knight, one of the founding mothers of the Inch-by-Inch Garden

Food for Thought, People

On Apple Picking and Generosity

September 27, 2013 Clif Graves 3 Comments

Yesterday, I picked apples with my friend Debbie and her friend Dot. We went to a lovely, private orchard that belongs to Chuck Acker, also a friend of Debbie’s. Because of the rainy summer—annoying to humans but great for apples—Chuck has an abundance of apples and invited us to come and take as many as we wanted. We picked for ourselves, we picked for friends, and we picked for the Winthrop Food Pantry, which received 35 pounds of Chuck’s apples.

Chuck’s orchard is a green avenue lined with apple and pear trees bearing red and green and yellow fruit. The avenue was spotless. There wasn’t one drop, not one rotten apple on the ground. “The deer and the turkeys take care of the drops,” Chuck said. As we picked, he told us about the varieties—-Cortlands, Empires, Wolf River, to name the few that I remember. He brought us proper bags for picking, the kind that you sling across the front of your chest. Slim and calm and unhurried, Chuck gave the impression that he had nothing better to do with his time than herd 3 women around his orchard while encouraging them to pick as many apples as they wanted. While it’s true that Chuck is retired, it’s also true that along with tending his orchards and gardens, he teaches courses at the Senior College in Augusta, and he is taking an advanced Spanish course. He is not an idle man.

Chuck reminded me that there are different kinds of generosity. There’s the kind of generosity where an actual thing is given—in this case apples, which will feed many people besides Chuck and his family. But there is also the generosity of patience, time, and attention, which Chuck gave to us in his orchard. In our hurried world, this second type of generosity seems rare and somewhat precious, and I must admit that I am sometimes stingy when it comes to being patient and to giving time and attention.

This weekend, I will be making apple pies with Chuck’s apples, and his generosity will continue to ripple forth. There will be pie for me and Clif, and I’m also going to make a pie for Farmer Kev and his family as well as for our friends Dawna and Jim.

Ah, apple time!

Scenes from an orchard: