Reprinted with permission from AARP’s Fraud Watch Network.
With rising costs and economic uncertainty, many of us are looking to start the new year by taking more control of our finances and tackling lingering debt. But paying down what you owe takes time, discipline, and a clear plan—not quick fixes. Be cautious of offers that promise guaranteed results or fast debt elimination.
Scammers often target consumers with significant credit card debt, claiming they can negotiate with creditors to reduce what you owe. hThese operations typically charge hefty fees and deliver little—or no—help. Some even advise you to stop communicating with your creditors, which can make your situation worse.
If you or a loved one need help getting out of debt, turn to reputable organizations like the nonprofit National Foundation for Credit Counseling (www.nfcc.org). They can offer real guidance without hidden fees or false guarantees.
I never really understood the connection between the Grange and agriculture,” was a comment I heard from a member recently. I was both surprised and not. On the one hand, that connection can be complex and, at times, overwhelming. But on the other hand, it’s also basic and helpful.
One reason we often miss that connection is that we aren’t reminded of it often enough. When was the last time you attended or participated in a degree day? Well, you’re going to if you keep reading. We only have time to scratch the surface, but let’s start with the First Degree and listen to some of what the Master teaches at the outset. I have added some bold print for emphasis.
“The ceremony you are about to witness is to introduce you to the Ritualism of the Grange. There is far more to the Grange than Ritualism. The underlying philosophy of the Grange is portrayed by the oldest and most successful method of communication known to man—the use of symbols…”
It is important to note that this is a lesson for candidates, people who, for various reasons, have decided to join the Grange—it is not an explanation of the Grange to someone who is unfamiliar with it. That’s why it sounds backward. Someone unfamiliar with the Grange should be hearing the “far more to the Grange than Ritualism” first. The Ritual was always meant to play a supporting role.
To fully appreciate that point, would you advertise an open house at your Grange so folks could “Come to see what we do” and then conduct the degrees? I hope not.
But we could, with a little effort, find in the degrees some information that would be useful during an open house. Listen to what the Master has to say in the very next paragraph.
“The chief objective of the Grange is to build a better and higher manhood and womanhood, and to develop a mutual respect and concern through brotherhood.”
Could it really be that simple? Remember, the degrees are for people who’ve decided to join. The Master is reminding them (and others attending) that they have joined to help build a better and higher manhood and womanhood, and to develop mutual respect and concern through brotherhood. If we jump ahead to the Overseer’s greeting to the candidates, there’s a clear connection.
“Additional laborers and maids are needed for work in the field and household, and we accept you as willing workers, now in waiting for the tasks to which you will be assigned: For in our fraternity there is work for all, and the idler has no place among Patrons of Husbandry.”
Here, we need to understand symbolism because the Overseer is suggesting a comparison and using it. To paraphrase, “As we work together to build and improve our collective lives with mutual respect and concern, it’s like working in the fields and homes. There is lots of work for us… we are united by our objective and will work together fraternally.” (Fraternally means friendly or brotherly. It suggests a common purpose or interest—we’re not fraternal just for the sake of being fraternal!)
Granges—any organization, really—gets in trouble when they lose purpose. Ironically, one of the hazards of ritual is that it becomes a habit, done without purpose or thought. The founders didn’t form the Grange to “do the ritual.” The Master and Overseer make that clear at the outset of the first degree—if we listen. It should be hard to miss, actually, because one of the very next things we hear from the Lecturer is a reminder that “The first and highest object of our Order is ‘to develop a better and higher manhood and womanhood.’” If you are a member who celebrated the degrees, you heard that three times in the first few minutes.
When I’m teaching adults, I often say, “If you hear me repeat something three times, that might be important—maybe even a test question.” I suspect the authors of the degree work were thinking the same. We don’t, unfortunately, test candidates on what they learn during their degrees.
Or maybe we do—just not in a traditional manner with questions. If we understand the Grange’s chief objective, the test is how relevant we are to our communities and how actively we pursue and achieve it.
Any degree or ritual quotations are from the forty-seventh edition of the 2023 Subordinate Grange Manual or the most recent edition of the Pomona Grange Manual. The views and opinions expressed in “Exploring Traditions” are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official doctrine and policy of the Grange. Information about the book “Exploring Traditions—Celebrating the Grange Way of Life” can be found at http://abbotvillagepress.com,on Mr. Boomsma’s Amazon Author Page, or by contacting the author.
It’s January in Maine, which means it’s cold and snowy and the Maine Legislature is returning to work. Officially opened on January 7, each party had dueling press conferences at the same time to lay out their priorities for the session. Why did they have dueling press conferences, because in 2026 in my humble opinion there are no “adults” leading the political parties. It worries me that politicians’ main goals are stopping the opposite party, even more so than advancing their own plans or agendas. It’s seeming to me a cultural shift, which applies to most legislative bodies, and Maine is by no means alone, Washington, D.C. is another prime example. How sad, and how far we’ve fallen from the days when the goal was to advance the common good, not stopping the opposition at all costs. We have great problems and issues in this State and Nation. I’m a firm believer that the best possible solution comes when the politicians of both parties work together to create common sense solutions. “We the People,” are much better off when the Republicans don’t get everything they want and when the Democrats don’t get everything they want. The best solutions are a combination of both ideas.
Using Google Gemini A.I. I asked it what the priorities for the coming Maine Legislative Session are and this was the response: Energy Costs & Affordability, Housing Reform, Budget Rebalancing (apparently they found and additional $250 Million to spend), Filling Federal Funding Gaps, Immigration Enforcement, Healthcare Workforce, Tribal Sovereignty, Environment and Industry Support. These all seem like reasonable areas to address. The question is will they be able to work together to accomplish some of these issues.
Healthcare Workforce seems very timely, although I couldn’t venture a clue on how to fix what is obvious Doctor shortage. Since returning to Maine, my previous Doctor’s office I had closed, when I called to get appointment with a doctor at local office, I was told it would be at least a 6-month wait. There were more than 8 practitioners at this office, I told them I didn’t really care which one I saw. I also explained that for me personally I was looking for mental health support, the polite receptionist told me that I would likely be an additional 12 months after my first appointment with my new doctor to be connected with mental health services. I’m reasonably young and healthy, so I will just have to cope. On the other side my mother, who has some minor ongoing health issues, was forced to change providers when her Medicare insurance changed. Her previous doctor was no longer accepted by the plan, and she went searching for a new doctor that took her plan, she called and asked for appointment, the next available appointment was in 2027!! She has medications that require refills etc., so that worries me. These are just two simple examples of pending healthcare crisis, without easy solutions. I’ve been trying to produce a resolution to address this but can’t come up with the “resolve” although I got about a 25 “Whereas” statements I could use. Any suggestions?
Webmaster’s note: The format of this column includes all of the Quill’s Endians participating at various times and in various ways! Phil writes this month’s column.
Rings of Growth
Heather and I had a chance to walk along the shore on Saturday. The trees in those woods along the harbor hold up a mirror, I think, about the people, too, who inhabit the rugged coast of Maine.
A clear, cold January day in the single digits with a biting wind and little snow cover shows the struggles. Some of the trees seem to have taken wrong turns before beating a path toward a “success” that is not wholly guaranteed. One bad storm, one poor year and… the experiment changes.
The tree becomes forest floor duff. In the meantime, hold on to that ledge with all you’ve got. Send out another root to catch an inch of soil. Nourishment and anchor all in one and a better chance to stave off the inevitable. It’s hard living along the coast.
But the beauty of the struggle is inescapable. The stone, stacked by God to hold just enough back from the open jaws of the Atlantic. The rockweed, placed just so that the tide delivers food for the stretching roots. The crooked, crooked shoreline to offer just enough windbreak to hold on. The clear, cold sky, reading stature and form like an open book, laying the natural history bare for any and all to see.
This winter has come off just right. It’s a reminder that another ring of growth comes with scars from the wind and the waves. This winter also shows us what is necessary for survival. A good roof over sturdy walls. Plenty of laundry layered on a body to be outdoors. Woods to break the wind. A full pantry to keep you. A farmer to fill it.
Heather and Phil Retberg and their three children run Quill’s End Farm, a 105-acre property in Penobscot that they bought in 2004. They use rotational grazing on their fifteen open acres and are renovating thirty more acres from woods to pasture to increase grazing for their pigs, grass-fed cattle, lambs, laying hens, and goats. Quill’s Endians are members of Halcyon Grange and publish a newsletter for their farm’s buying club of farmers in her area and generously permit us to share some of their columns with Grangers. Visit the Quill’s End Farm Facebook Page for more information.
By Rick Grotton, Membership Committee Director 207 582-5915
I will be attending the annual Agricultural Trade Show in Augusta this week to talk to people about grange and to try to get some new membership. Each year I attend, emblazed in my Grange attire, either wandering around talking to the vendors or seated at the Maine State Grange booth, enticing new membership and explaining what Grange has to offer. People from all over the state attend and check out the agricultural exhibits, eager to find new ideas or products to help with their gardens and food production. Events like these offer a great opportunity to add new membership. We have people sign up who are interested, and the list is passed to Granges based upon the geographical location of the person’s residence. Applications and other information are readily available.
By attending this event, I am achieving three things that are mentioned in my columns over the years as in the following:
Visibility, by letting yourself be shown and making yourself known.
Approaching others and having pleasant conversations about Grange.
Wearing clothing that proudly displays Grange emblems and creates conversations such as, “My parents (grandparents or myself) used to belong to Grange” and “Do Granges still exist?”
I encourage all members to attend any kind of event in their jurisdiction where there may be interest in Grange membership. There are so many people who have not heard of Grange, so get out there, make yourself visible, talk to others and wear Grange apparel!
Submitted by Sherry Harriman, MSG Master/President
Our Grange family has once again lost a lifelong member.
Sister Edith Cunningham of Oakland passed away December 31, 2025. She is a former Musician of the Maine State Grange.
Services will be held January 17, 2026, at the United Baptist Church in Oakland at 2:00 with a time of visiting after the service. Edith’s family would like to invite all to join them. If you can’t attend the service, please share a memory at edoakland@myfairpoint.net.
Obituary submitted by Mary Colson, Benton Grange #458
OAKLAND – On Dec. 31, 2025, Edith Sturtevant Kerr Cunningham, passed on from this life to meet and spend eternity with her Lord and Savior.
A forever resident of Oakland, she graduated from M.L.Williams High School, Coburn Classical Institute, was an alumnus of Colby College and graduated from Bliss College. She was a Grange Member for 87 years and a former Maine State Grange Musician.
Predeceased by both parents; and husband, Ted Kerr and husband, Alfred Cunningham; brother, Eugene Sturtevant.
Funeral service to be held Jan. 17 at 2 p.m., at the United Baptist Church, Oakland, followed by a gathering with everyone in the vestry for a time to share remembrances, old and new memories, and celebrate her 103 years of living
Reprinted with permission from an enewsletter published by Maine Representative James White.
The 2025 tax filing season in Maine begins January 27, 2026, with returns due by April 15, 2026. Maine Revenue Services (MRS) has updated its filing guidelines this year, including the introduction of the IRS Direct File System, which allows taxpayers to file their federal and state returns directly with the IRS for free.
Additionally, due to last year’s state budget process, the tobacco tax increase in Maine by $1.50, from $2 per pack to $3.50, became effective January 5, 2026. For more information, including filing instructions and resources, visit the MRS website
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”
Matthew 5:4
Happy New Year to one and all! I hope you had a very nice and rewarding Christmas season. Please remember that the season just doesn’t end on the sixth of January.
The Lord God did not want us to just worship Jesus’ birth; He wanted us to carry the feeling of love into the world every day. He wanted us to help the downtrodden. By helping those who are mourning, you will be helping yourselves.
Until the next time, remember, “Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.”
Benediction: “Gracious Father, help us to be better people. Teach us to learn how to help those who are sad and mourning. Amen.”
Thought for the month:
“May good luck be your friend in whatever you do, and may trouble be always a stranger to you.”
While Chaplain Christine is burdened with technology challenges, she has invited Past MSG Chaplain Clay to share some spiritual thoughts with our Grange Flock.
Reprinted with permission from AARP’s Fraud Watch Network.
If your New Year’s resolutions include finding a new job, work-from-home opportunities may sound appealing. While many remote positions are legitimate, some aren’t what they appear to be. Criminals often pose as legitimate employers on job boards, social media, or send unsolicited texts, promising easy money, flexible hours, and a quick hiring process.
What they’re really after is personal information or our money by asking to pay upfront for “training,” purchase expensive equipment, or provide sensitive details—such as your Social Security number—as part of the application.
Be cautious of sudden, unusually high-paying opportunities that require little to no experience. Avoid sharing personal data until you’re certain the job offer is legitimate and take time to research the company by searching its name along with the words scam, complaint, or fraud. If you see concerns from other job seekers, consider it a clear red flag.
