Nine Days of Movies at the Maine International Film Festival

July 21, 2025 Laurie Graves 60 Comments

Well, folks, we did it—30 movies in nine days at the Maine International Festival (MIFF). Am I tired? You bet I am, but what a festival it was, with so many good movies that choosing my top three was a real challenge. We’ve been going to the film festival pretty much from when it started in 1998, and I really do think this year was the best. Others apparently thought so, too, as attendance was way up. There was plenty of world cinema, my personal favorite, and I traveled to Japan, Africa, France, Italy, England, Ireland, Iran, and Israel. There were documentaries that stunned me and made me cry. (More about two of those later,) There were movies from our own little state of Maine, and the festival was the perfect combination of local and global.

No doubt the excellent Clive Owen was a draw, and we saw all six of his featured movies, with the outstanding Children of Men (2006) being eerily prescient about the brutal treatment of immigrants.

Here is Clive himself talking about Children of Men, and his experience working on the movie with the great director Alfonso Cuarón.

Owen was charming, relaxed, and down-to-earth—in short, a perfect guest. I didn’t speak to him personally. He had quite the fan club, and at a reception for him at Front and Main in Waterville, I caught sight of him in one of the lounges where he was surrounded by an adoring circle of women. (There might have been a few men in the mix, but it seemed to me there were mostly women.) I concluded that he didn’t need one more woman in the mix.

The next day, we returned to Front and Main for chocolate martinis and their delicious mac and cheese. Also, a tasty dish of mushrooms.

Confession time: We ate out more than we usually do. We had pizza several times. Chinese food. A crunch cannoli. A flaky vegan croissant. And popcorn, lots and lots of popcorn. We were, after all, at the movies.

It never ceases to amaze me that we have the fabulous Paul J. Schupf Art Center in Waterville, Maine, population circa 16,000. Maine Film Center is on the second floor, and that’s where many of the movies were shown. The Opera House, right next door, was also a venue.

Even though I’m tired, I’m sorry that MIFF 2025 is over. Not only did we get a chance to see many movies that we wouldn’t see anywhere else, but we also met old friends and made a few new ones.

We’re already looking forward to MIFF 2026.

My Top 3 Movies of MIFF 2025

My Sunshine

This coming-of-age story, set in Japan, is quiet and poignant but never sentimental. When Takuya, a dreamy young boy, sees the lovely Sakura figure skating, he longs to skate with her. A sympathetic coach takes Takuya under his wing, and with a lot of practice, Takuya becomes good enough to skate with Sakura. Naturally, problems ensue, but they are not the problems that an American audience would expect, leading to a surprising ending.

Walk With Me

Walk with Me is a documentary directed by Heidi Levitt, chronicling life with her husband Charlie Hess and his diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer disease. Filmed over four years, Walk with Me records the challenges that Charlie and Heidi face, but also the love, joy, and support they give and receive. This one moved me to tears. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a trailer for Walk with Me.

76 Days Adrift

In 1982, when a whale hit Steven Callahan’s boat and destroyed it, Callahan escaped in an inflatable life raft that had minimal provisions. As the title indicates, Callahan was stranded in that life raft in the Atlantic Ocean for 76 days. This documentary, based on Callahan’s memoir Adrift: 76 Days Lost at Sea, plunges the viewer into Callahan’s world, using some of the most incredible reenactments I have ever seen. We see a torso, legs, arms, and hands but never a face, and this provides a tense immersive experience, even though we know what the outcome is. Interspersed with the reenactments are clips and old photos as well as Callahan himself narrating his experience, providing details of how he survived.

76 Days Adrift is a must-see documentary. Readers, if it comes to a theater near you, go see it. And if doesn’t, perhaps it will be available through a streaming service. Anyway, look for it.

Movies, News

Vacation Time—Movies, Movies, Movies

July 11, 2025 Laurie Graves 27 Comments

Outside the Maine Film Center at last year’s MIFF

July is a happy time of year for Dee, Clif, and me, dedicated cinephiles who think that going to the movies is one of the best things to do. In July, in Waterville, Maine, comes the Maine International Film Festival (MIFF), a ten-day extravaganza where over 100 movies are shown. Especially exciting this year is that Clive Owen is going to be the guest of honor, and six of his movies will be featured. Dee, Clif, and I are keen fans of Owen, and we have signed up to see all six of his featured movies, where he will be available for a Q & A after each film.

We all have full festival passes, which means we can go to as many films as we want. Sadly, we won’t be able to watch all of them. There’s just not enough time in the schedule to see every movie. (100 movies in ten days would be a bit much, even for us.) We do have plans to see 30 movies, which is not too shabby for 10 days of viewing. And, yes, by the end we are tired but happy.

As subtitles don’t bother me at all, I especially like watching foreign films. I love to hear other voices and other languages, to see the world from a different perspective. Around the planet, there are many other cultures, each with their own unique take on the world, and it’s good to be reminded of this. Especially now.

So starting today, I will be on vacation and will come back on July 21 with a short list of favorite movies. In today’s world of streaming services, many of them will be available to viewers all over.

See you on the flip side!

summer

Little Daughters of Jade

July 8, 2025 Laurie Graves 89 Comments

Fifteen years ago, when I was diagnosed with breast cancer, a friend brought me a sliver of jade plant, taken from her own larger one. The tiny jade was in a yogurt container, and as my friend passed it to me, she said, “This is for luck.”

Naturally, this made me extremely superstitious about the plant, whom I unimaginatively named Jade. Over the years, I have tended Jade faithfully and lovingly, watering her when needed and feeding her once a month.

I wish I had taken a picture of baby Jade, but I had no idea how she would grow. And grow and grow.

Now, fifteen years later, this is what Jade looks like.

Jade certainly attracts attention. Delivery people and friends alike marvel at Jade’s size and beauty.

A while back, when one of Jade’s branches broke, it occurred to me that I could propagate more little Jades so that if—God forbid—anything ever happened to big Jade, her spirit would live on in her daughters.

Propagating more little Jades proved to be ridiculously easy. I filled a small glass with water and tucked the tiny jade stems into the water. Within a month or so, hairy roots appeared, and I planted them in small pots with potting soil.

Readers might have noticed a cluster of babies around Jade on the buffet. Here is a closer look at the daughters of Jade, on our front deck right after I planted and watered them.

The other day, I brought a daughter of Jade over to a friend who is dealing with her own health issues. “This is for luck,” I told her, thus keeping the tradition going.

The rest will be for the young woman who delivers our weekly farm share that we get from our own Farmer Kev. Some time ago, I had given her a daughter of Jade—not because she was ill but just because she wanted one—and she recently told me that her daughter of Jade is thriving. She also mentioned that many of her friends would love to have their own daughter of Jade: “As many as you want to give away.”

We’ll see if she wants five little daughters. If not, I know I can find homes for the rest of them.

For some reason, in my mind Jade is a matriarch and her children are daughters. Why this should be I’m not sure. I suppose it must be because even though the name Jade can be used for both genders, I envisioned the original little Jade as feminine, a manifestation of the luck my friend was giving to me. And my vision for Jade’s offspring goes in the same direction.

I also like to think that luck is like love, something that grows and spreads as we bestow good wishes on others. After all, it’s a hard old world, and most of us, for whatever reason, could use the blessing of luck.

Books, Environment, Flowers

This. Is. Not. Normal.

June 30, 2025 Laurie Graves 60 Comments

Last week on Tuesday, this is what the thermometer outside our dining room window read.

To add insult to injury, the Winthrop Weather Station gave us this additional information.

This is Maine. In June. Back in the day, June was so cool and rainy that sometimes my father had to replant the green beans because they rotted in the soil. Not every year, but enough so that I remember him complaining about it.

Fortunately, during the extreme heat, we had our new heat pumps, and they worked like champs. They were installed at exactly the right time, and we are so very grateful to have them. They kept us cool and comfortable for the two days the extreme heat came to Maine.

Aside from the alarmingly high heat, the sad thing is the denial that I saw on Facebook. When the local meteorologists posted the heat warnings and noted that these were record-breaking temps, all too many people protested. There was “I remember it getting this hot when I was young.” Oh, really, I thought, did you live in Maine? Or, “It’s summer, deal with it.” As though the extreme heat were a trifling matter, and only wimps complained about it when in fact , according to NOAA, extreme heat kills more people than any other weather event.

Who are the people writing such things? Bots? Shills for the fossil fuel companies? Folks who just don’t want to face the truth?

How bad does it have to get before there is a general consensus about climate change and the will to do something about it?

***********************************************************************

On a happier note…it is peak garden time at our home by the woods.

Here is a view of our backyard from above, taken from the dining room.

A closer look.

And even closer.

Now to the front, for a froth of astilbes.

With such visual delights, the extreme heat can be forgiven. But not forgotten.

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Reading

Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.
–James Baldwin, 1962

During the heatwave I ordered Mike Berners-Lee’s A Climate of Truth, a much-needed look at how denying the truth about climate change has not only held us back but has endangered us as well.

Even though I haven’t finished the book, I can highly recommend it. It is clear, well written, and moves right along. The book has also made me think about what I can do in my own life to reduce my carbon footprint. There is plenty of room for improvement even for this family of green beans.

Celebrate, Food

All about Clif

June 23, 2025 Laurie Graves 81 Comments

In the United States, June 15 was Father’s Day, but we decided to celebrate it a week later on June 21. Our daughter Shannon, who lives in Boston with her husband Mike and their dog Holly, took some time off from work to come midweek. (Mike, who recently started a new job, couldn’t join us until Friday.)

A mini-vacation, with much eating and some drinking, ensued. (Because of the merriment, I couldn’t keep up with reading blogs and then commenting. My apologies! This week will be better.)

On a cool, misty Thursday morning, Shannon, Clif, Holly, and I went to nearby Hallowell to sit by the river. By gum, the sturgeon were jumping, but unfortunately I wasn’t fast enough to get a picture.

The next day there was a trip to Newcastle, a lovely little town by the Damariscotta river in Midcoast Maine. We got sandwiches at Salt and Pepper, a vegan cafè overlooking the river. Because we brought Holly, we decided to go to what must be one of the prettiest picnic areas in Maine, one that overlooks a salt marsh.

We all enjoyed our sandwiches, but the winner was Clif’s beet pastrami on foccacia. We liked it so much that I’m going to try to replicate it at home.

Then came Mike, on Friday night, and on Saturday, the beer boys were ready for a brew at Cushnoc in Augusta. (Shannon, Dee, and I are more cocktail girls.)

This was followed by a pizza palooza. (Don’t worry. We took some home for our Sunday night supper.)

On Saturday evening, stuffed with good food and drink, we sat in the screen house as dusk came to our home by the edge of the woods.

As well as being treated to delicious pizza and beer, Clif got some lovely presents, but as he noted, the best present of all was everybody getting together.

That’s the way of things, isn’t it?

Environment, News

Our Electric Journey

June 17, 2025 Laurie Graves 55 Comments

Longtime readers will know that Dee, Clif, and I take climate change very seriously. While we know that a system-wide change is absolutely essential, we believe that individuals have a responsibility, too. As such, we are doing what we can—actually, what we can afford—to stop burning fossil fuels for energy. In short, we are going electric. This is the first time in human history that folks have this option, and kudos to all the engineers and designers who have made this possible.

To date: We have one electric car and a charger, which is right in our yard. The car’s range is over 200 miles, even in the winter, and the car has worked beautifully. (We have had it about a year now.) In our electric car, we have driven to southern Maine, a round trip of about 170 miles, without a single hitch. Our second car is a traditional gasoline engine car, and we hope to get another electric one when it’s time to trade it in. (As our gasoline car is 15 years old, that time will soon be coming.)

For heat, as is typical of many Mainers, we have a variety of systems. We have electric baseboard heat, which works well but is expensive. This came with the house. We have a wood furnace in the basement, which puts out the coziest heat ever, but hauling wood is a lot of work, and Clif is no longer a spring chicken. Then, about twenty-five years ago, we had propane heaters installed. They work well, but they still use fossil fuel and recently, they have become expensive to run.

A few weeks ago, we had the propane heaters removed, and in their place, two heat pumps were installed. Here is the one that will heat (and cool!) our kitchen, dining room, and living room.

This morning was a cool June morning, not unusual for Maine. Inside, the temp was about 64°F. We turned on the heat pump, and it didn’t take long for the dining room, kitchen, and living room to reach a comfortable 70°. At which point, the heater shut off.

Best of all, the heat pumps will cool the air and remove the excess humidity. For the past few years in Maine, July has been a horrible hot month, with effective temperatures in the 100s. I can only imagine what my parents and grandparents would think of these temperatures. Back in the 70s, when it reached 85°, we thought the heat was unbearable. But it only reached 85° a few days at the end of July, and hardly anyone in our town had an air conditioner.

That has all changed, and we are ready with our heat pumps. Good friends have heat pumps, and they love them. Best of all, the heat pumps are much cheaper to run than electric baseboard or propane or oil.

A post about our electric journey would not be complete without mentioning a blogging friend, Tom from Tootlepedal’s Blog. He and his wife, Alison, have gone the extra mile with their electric journey. Not only do they have an electric car but they also have installed solar panels in what they call their garden. (Here, we call it a yard.) Bravo, Tom and Alison! You two are an inspiration to me.

Finally, I do want to add that going solar and electric can be expensive, and I totally understand why it is out of the reach of some people. With our combined incomes, Dee, Clif, and I have more leeway than many folks do. But what’s important is to make what effort you can.

In the end, small things add up.

Our little solar lights definitely come under the “small things” category, but we do love the glow.

And here’s a song by MJ Lenderman reminding us that we all got work to do.

News

Over the Moon

June 9, 2025 Laurie Graves 78 Comments

June, June, June! Exit Spring and enter Summer. Officially, in the northern hemisphere, Summer begins on June 20 this year. But in Maine, Summer always arrives the beginning of June. The bright green blush of the trees and bushes is gone. The leaves are full sized. Pine pollen no longer coats cars and patio furniture a hazy yellow.

The time of intense gardening is done. Do I miss it? Yes, I do. There was something thrilling about getting up each morning and planning to spend as much time outdoors as my knees would take. Housework? What’s that? My book that’s coming out in the fall? Editing will have to wait until June. May gives northern gardeners a sense of urgency and purpose that pushes most other activities to the side. And nothing brings zest to life like a sense of urgency.

Yet, how good it is to settle into summer. Clif put up the screen house, which means we can enjoy sitting on the patio after 4 p.m. when the mosquitoes come out in hordes to plague us. It has been a wet spring, perfect breeding weather for those dratted little biters.

June is also the time I get together with my blogging friend, Judy of New England Garden and Thread. It is a treat I always look forward to. Last week, we met at Stonewall Kitchen in York, Maine. They have a lovely patio where Judy and I can sit and chat for hours, where none of the servers will give us pointed looks suggesting that we have outstayed our welcome.

We arrived early, at around 11:00, just after breakfast had ended and just before the lunch crowd arrived. We had our choice of seats.

I had a fig jam and brie grilled cheese served with homemade chips. My oh my, was that sandwich ever good. I could have one for lunch today. And tomorrow.

Judy and I talked about gardens—she brought me aster and lupine seedlings—and family. We tried to solve the problems of the world, but as they are so big and numerous, I’m afraid we didn’t get very far.

Our next plan is to get together with blogging friend Dorothy from The New Vintage Kitchen. The distance is more of a challenge, but we hope we can make it work.

Stay tuned!

News, Spring

I’m Back…Sort of

June 2, 2025 Laurie Graves 66 Comments

Hello, all!

Beautiful May rushed by in a green haze of gardening. It was a wet month, but as long as there wasn’t a downpour, I was outside working. I was worried about how I would be able to garden with such creaky knees, but as the old saying goes, where there’s a will, there’s a way.

Clif did all the heavy lifting as well carting away leaves in the wheelbarrow. I set a chair wherever I was working so that I could sit down when the knees got too achy. And by gum, I got quite a bit done. Not as much as I would have liked, but enough to have a thriving garden. There certainly is a lesson here, isn’t there?

Although I still hobble a bit and use my cane when I am out and about, my knees are slowly improving. (I was on medication that made my bad knees even worse. I am no longer on that medication.) When the intensive gardening is done, I plan to go back on the exercise bike, and I’m guessing my knees will improve even more. Biking has always been a big help.

I still have one more week of extra busyness in the garden, and after that it will be just maintenance. This is why I added “Sort of” in the title of this piece. I will try to keep up with blog reading as best I can, but I think it’s going to catch-as-catch-can until the last push is done.

Also, I am taking time for a little fun. On Wednesday, I will be meeting Judy of New England Garden and Thread for our annual lunch out. What a treat it is to get together regularly with a blogging friend. I wish more of you lived close enough so that we could do this.

I’ll end with pictures of the beauty that can be found in our little one-acre yard. Some of the flowers are there courtesy of Mother Nature, and others are from garden.

First, from my gardens.

In the backyard, the garden abutting the patio

And courtesy of Mother Nature.

See you next week.

News, Spring

Spring, Spring, Spring! Time for a Blogging Break

April 25, 2025 Laurie Graves 36 Comments

Oh, those red buds against the blue sky.

Finally, spring has arrived in Maine. The air is warm but not too hot. The perennials in my gardens are coming up green and strong. When the day is fine, out I go to clear my beds of leaves and other debris and then spread rich black compost on them. This will be followed by some organic fertilizer.

Longtime readers know how much I love winter—I’m a northern woman, after all—but when spring finally arrives, I am absolutely smitten by this lovely time of year, despite all the work it brings. Maybe because of all the work it brings.

Also, while I still have creaky knees, they have improved by quite a bit. (I was on medication that unfortunately affected my joints. I am no longer taking that medication.) Clif is willing to help with the wheelbarrow and fetching bags of compost from the local feed store. Between the two of us, we are making good progress with the yard and gardens.

But spring in Maine is brief, and I have one month to get things sorted in my gardens. Therefore the time has come to take my yearly break while I garden as fast as my sixty-seven-year-old body will allow. I will keep up with blog reading as best I can. If we have a rainy spell—pray God we don’t—I’ll post a brief piece.

But until June, my posts will be far and few between.

Happy spring to all who live in the northern hemisphere, and happy fall to those who live in the southern hemisphere.

Hummingbirds have been spotted in Maine. I will be ordering another red feeder for the other side.

Celebrate

A Birthday and Earth Day: Living in Accordance with Nature

April 22, 2025 Laurie Graves 62 Comments

As longtime readers might recall, April 22 is a special day for our family. It is the birthday of Shannon, our youngest daughter. How long ago it seems when she first came into this world, and how thrilled we were to greet her. I remember her little baby body and face, immediately so dear to both Clif and me. (We felt exactly the same way about our eldest daughter Dee when she was born.) So a very happy birthday to you, Shannon. Even though it’s a weekday, I hope you slide in some kind of special treat.

Today is also Earth Day, its 55th anniversary. With another administration, this might have been a time of great celebration, a time to honor and love this beautiful planet that gives us life. However, I have not heard that the Trump Administration has anything special planned for Earth Day’s 55th anniversary. (Unless of course, you count trying to roll back environmental protections as a hateful kind of reverse celebration.) Gone are the days when both Democrats and Republicans worked together to create the first Earth Day, which in turn gave rise to the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and other environmental protections.

While cities, especially, benefited from the Clean Air Act, the whole country benefited from the Clean Water Act. I am old enough to remember when the rivers in Maine were a polluted mess, seemingly dead zones that most folks avoided. In central Maine, the Kennebec River ran dark and dirty, winding through Waterville and Augusta as it made its way to the ocean. I don’t recall ever seeing a bird on the river. Now, the Kennebec is filled with life from both within and without. Sturgeons, that prehistoric-looking fish, leap and splash in the waters. Bald Eagles and Osprey have made their homes by the river, and you can hear their calls as they talk to each other and hunt for food. (I was an adult when I saw my first Bald Eagle. Now they are common in central Maine.)

At our home on the edge of the woods, we do our best to live, as the Daily Stoic put it, “in accordance with nature.” The lawn is left to its own devices, our philosophy being if it’s green, it’s good. My beds are nourished with compost and organic fertilizers, and I have never used pesticides on any of my plants. This means, of course, that my gardens are far from perfect looking. Insects and other creatures will nibble, and by August my hostas look like green lace.

Never mind. The dark mysterious woods that abut our yard have so much life that flutters, jumps, and creeps. What pleasure it gives us to be part of this, to watch baby chipmunks make their first cautious forays out of their burrow; to watch the various fledglings—nuthatches, cardinals, and chickadees—as they pester their parents for food. We smile at the little leopard frog that has taken up residence in our garden fountain.

In the summer, on the patio at night, we listen to barred owls hoot to each other. Bats fly in a swish over our roof and disappear into the woods. From the nearby Narrows Pond, we can hear the lonesome cry of loons: “Where are you? Where are you?”