MainelyHome on BlogHer

I'm super excited to report that one of the posts from Maine-ly home is now appearing in syndication -- on Blogher.Check it out - and please leave a comment (here or on the Blogher site, preferably!) if you are inspired.

July: By John Updike

In keeping with tradition, here's what John Updike had to say about the month of July....And, in case you've missed my previous pitches, I highly recommend this book -- A Child's Calendar -- accompanied by beautiful illustrations that depict Vermont life.

July

Ban-bang! Ka-boom!

We celebrate

Our national

Independence date,

The Fourth, with

Firecrackers and

The marching of

The Legion Band.

America:

It makes us think

Of hot dogs, fries, and Coke to drink.

The shade is hot.

The little ants

Are buys, but

Poor Fido pants

And Tabby dozes

In a pool

Of fur she sheds

To keep her cool.

Heritage Days Are Coming!

It is hard to believe that Independence Day is just around the corner. It frightens me really as it means summer is well under way...and in my life it has barely gotten started.

But, anyhow....

I don't know of a town (though my dear friend Heidi would probably argue that Vinalhaven, Maine does it better) that celebrates Independence Day better than Bath, Maine. It is good old fashioned Americana at its finest, Maine-style. A four day festival that boasts:

• Maine's largest parade (Better get there early to get a good spot!)
• A boat parade--on the Kennebec River, of course!
• A Carnival--the kind we all have a love/hate relationship with...games, rides and, yes, cotton candy and fried dough.
• A Chili-Chowder Fest--a local competition between some of the area's finest restaurants)
• Fireman's Muster--an event which pits teams from five states with antique fire pump rigs)
• 5K Fun Run -- a fun run through the town's historic district
• The Front Street Shuffle--more than 125 antique cars will line nationally acclaimed Front Street.
• Strongman Competition--trolley pulling!
• Arts & Crafts Fair--features more than 30 Maine artisans!
• Fireworks over the Kennebec River.
• Children's Activities--a day just for kids, includes face painting, arts and crafts activities, bounce houses and more.
• Outdoor concerts--featuring Bath's Municipal Band (More on this another day...but this is one of my favorite Bath activities all summer long.) and good old fashioned American ballads on the lawn by the town's gazebo.

Find out more about Bath Heritage Days.

If you are within driving distance, I highly recommend checking this festival out. If not, well, I'll try to share some highlights (in photos, of course!) here.

Ice Cream Season

It is without a doubt, ice cream season. To celebrate, we took Baby R. for her first ice cream (My food rules have clearly slipped with child #2. I believe child #1 was denied all refined sugar until 2. Sigh.). Clearly, she needs a little help on the eating technique. But, boy was she a happy little girl.

I hope you are enjoying ice cream season.

4th of July Style

Perhaps you already known Betz White? If you don't, you should. Betz is a super creative designer, blogger, author and crafter. You can find her on her blog or via my Blog Favorites list.

Just look at what she's made for Independence Day! Oh, how I want one of these! (And, I love her idea of using them as awards/medals for 4th of July activities.)

{photo via Betz White}

She calls it the Libby Brooch and she's shared the how-to here.

Like craft books? I recommend Betz' books. The books are fun to read and the projects are not only cute and original, but have easy-to-follow projects. I personally own Warm Fuzzies: 30 Sweet Felted Projects -- it has some great projects. I (and I'm not a sew-er) have even made a few of the projects.

 

A Really Sustainable Marriage

 {photo via Portland Press Herald/Tim Greenway}

Got your attention, huh?

In the fields of Washington, Maine, a young couple (pictured above) is busily tending their 7,500 square foot garden in preparation for their wedding. Yes, preparing their garden for their wedding. But, unlike the image you might have of a couple making sure the flowers look "just so", this couple is busily growing the food that they will serve to their wedding guests in September.

Very cool, huh? Well, I think the even cooler thing is that they are enlisting the help of friends and family the day before the wedding to help transform the harvest into the wedding dinner. Now, this is what I call the ultimate pre-wedding bonding activity.

Their is certainly a green wedding trend - and even a more homemade wedding trend. For example, some caterers now offer organic menus or 100-mile menus - and brides and grooms are giving away homemead favors such as self or locally-made jams (We did this at our wedding 7 years ago...way ahead of the curve, I tell you...). But, this takes it to a whole new level for sure.

For the budget conscious wedding planner, this couple's approach is a winner. So far they've spent less than $600 growing the vegetables and chickens. Their wedding budget is about $6600 (about $1500 earmarked for food) -- that's half the national average!

Join me in following Julia and Andy as they approach their really green wedding and embark in what will surely be a sustainable marriage (afterall, a couple who can embark on such an endeavor clearly has what it takes!). Here is their blog, A Local Food Wedding from see to Plate

In the meantime, look at what they have on the menu:

APPETIZERS:
Veggie sticks (carrots, cucumbers, cauliflower, green peppers, etc.)
Homemade hummus
Fruit (cantaloupe, watermelon, apples, etc.)
Bread from a local bakery
Cheese
Homemade pesto

DINNER:
Roast chicken, raised by the happy couple
Autumn gold squash soup
Oven fries
Cubed hubbard squash with kale
Green salad
Caprese salad (tomatoes, basil, mozzarella and olive oil)
Asian cabbage slaw
Pickles made from Davis' great-grandmother's recipe
Bread from a local bakery

DESSERT:
Pie made by the bride and groom's moms
Ice cream from John's Ice Cream Factory in Liberty, Maine

This Weekend: Hands Across the Sand

 {photo via Hands Across the Sand}

Okay, WARNING, this is a BIG switch from my last post.

From Whoopie Pies to an around-the-world movement (taking place on the SAME day as the Whoopie Pie Festival) protesting offshore drilling. Quite a switch, eh? Well, that's the kind of thing that you can expect here at Maine-ly Home - especially when it is important stuff. Well, this i important so listen up.

This weekend(Saturday, specifically), all around the world, people will be joining hands on beaches (and in cities) in a peaceful moved called Hands Across the Sand. This international movement is made of people of all walks of life and crosses political affiliations and designed to send a positive and powerful message about the importance of protecting our coastal economies, oceans, marine wildlife, and fishing industry.  Its about protecting all of the above from the devastating effects of oil drilling.

Finding an Event Near You
Whether you live near a beach or not, it is likely a Hands Across the Sand event is happening near you. Look here to see.

Planning an Event in Your Neighborhood
Any person in any country may plan events--and this website provides all sorts of helpful tool including templates for flyers, press releases and advertisements. And, not to panic, it's a pretty simple event, just:

Go to your beach on June 26 at 11 AM in your time zone.

• Form lines in the sand and at 12:00, join hands.

The image is powerful, the message is simple.  NO to Offshore Oil Drilling, YES to Clean Energy.

Send a Message
Whether you plan to stand on a beach this weekend or not, consider sending a message to President Obama expressing your support for stopping offshore drilling and moving towards more clean energy. This site makes it easy -- really easy -- just a click of a button.

See you on the beach!