Category: Quick Tips

Reminder! Be cautious!

By Walter Boomsma, MSG Communications Director

We’re again getting reports of people receiving an email that appears to be from Master Sherry. At first glance, this one appears to be legitimate and includes “I could really count on you to help with this important project. Maine State Grange need some gift cards for donate to Veterans in Hospice and care units. I will personally handle reimbursement.” [sic] (Grammar errors are also a clue.)

If you are thinking, “that doesn’t sound right,” you are correct. Here’s another important clue:

Your best practice is to ignore ANY email requesting gift cards. Do not click any links in it, and do not reply to it. If you are concerned about the request, contact the sender directly by some other method.

If you’ll forgive (or at least tolerate) an attempt at humor… “A patron places faith in God, nurtures hope, dispenses charity but is also cautious!”

Grange Month Supplies

What do you need to celebrate Grange Month during April? It’s not that far away!

To help with any confusion, there are at least three distinctly different Grange “Stores” or sources of Grange-related products.

While not an actual “store,” MSG Headquarters offers a number of items (mostly supplies, forms, etc.). Email Secretary Sharon to inquire. Some are also available for download from the Program Books and Information Page.

National Grange operates the Grange Supply Store.

The Monroe Grange Store offers regalia, jewelry, promotional items, awards and wearables for Grange members. 

There is some overlap of products offered, so you can “shop ’til you drop!”

Quick Tip – Important Documents

Idea light bulb

Every Grange should have a copy of these! Find the answers to your “Can I? Should I?” questions.

The National Digest of Laws is an easy-to-reference digest (book) of Grange Law and Rule. It is updated every year following the National Convention. This link is to the 2025 edition. Printed copies can be ordered from the National Grange Supply Store, but you can download this pdf for free by clicking the image. (It’s also offered on the Program Books and Information Page.)

MSG Bylaws Cover

Similar but much shorter is a booklet containing the Grange Bylaws specifically adopted by and applying to Granges in Maine. It is updated every year following the State Convention (assuming there are changes). This link is to the 2024 edition. You can download this PDF for free by clicking the image. (It’s also offered on the Program Books and Information Page.)

Quick tips from Granges and Grangers are always welcome… on any topic that might improve or make things easier for other Granges. Use the submission form or email yours to the webmaster for consideration!

Subscribe to the Maine State Grange Website

Scams Are Getting Better

by Walter Boomsma, MSG Communications Director

If you’re tired of hearing about scams, I get it. I am, too. But you might find this story interesting because of the coincidences and how good the attempt is! The perp gets an “A” for effort.

In what is undoubtedly a strange irony, I have a personal Capital One account. One thing I appreciate about it is that Capital One does an excellent job of spotting questionable transactions. Even more ironic, I made a transaction last Saturday that was legitimate but a bit weird (because I split a dinner check, it looked like I had given a 300% tip). I received an email and text message from Capital One asking me if I did make it. The system worked. Quite well, actually.

Today I received another Fraud Alert that looked like it came from Capital One. At first, I thought it was related. The first clue that something was wrong is that it was addressed to me as the webmaster of the Maine State Grange Website. As far as I know, MSG doesn’t have an account, and if it did, I wouldn’t be the contact. But the appearance of the email was almost identical to the one I’d received questioning the huge tip. (I’ve marked a few of the giveaways on the screenshot at the bottom.)

I’m sharing this because it does involve an attempt to scam the Grange. But there’s another important reason to share it. We don’t have to live in fear of being scammed. We do have to be disciplined and learn to trust ourselves when attempts are made. A simple motto is “Don’t.” A slightly longer one is “Curiosity killed the cat.” I admit, I was tempted to see where this was going. Instead, I reported it to Capital One.

Help Wanted!

Grangers help each other!

Heather Popadak, treasurer of Enterprise Grange #48 shares that she has “received notice from our insurance company that they will no longer provide coverage for their building” in April 2025.

This is not an unfamiliar challenge.

Heather asks that we solicit information from other Granges regarding any companies and coverage you have been able to arrange. Note that there is usually a difference between building insurance (fire, etc.) and liability insurance (people getting hurt).

You can add a comment to this post (see the link at the bottom of the post), use the submit information tab, or send an email to the webmaster. We’ll collect and summarize the information. (Let us know if you’d prefer to remain anonymous.)

Beans at Ocean View Grange

by Larry Bailey, Master

We at the Ocean View Grange #463 have always used Great Northern Beans. We had a Bean Supper a couple of weeks ago in conjunction with our local Odd Fellows group. They always used Yellow-Eye Beans, and we may try them the next time we have a Bean Supper. This one was a great success thanks to our very hard-working Grange members and the help of the Odd Fellows.

Webmaster’s Note: Followers may remember “Beans, Beans, Beans,” a post published back in June looking for feedback on the preferred beans at Granges. While tradition is essential, is it time to experiment? The Chef’s Resource leans towards Navy Beans, and at least several sources claim smaller beans tend to be tastier!

Almost Got Me!

By Walter Boomsma, MSG Communications Director

Well, it wasn’t that close! Fortunately, I follow my own advice which includes “Think before you click.” By sheer coincidence, shortly after sending three emails, I received this one.

I’ve given you the advantage of highlighting the issues.

  • The subject of the email is wrong! If it was legitimate, the subject should have been “Unsuccessful Mail Delivery Report.” Oops!
  • The “from” email address isn’t legitimate and doesn’t make sense.
  • People (or bots) send email. Servers do not.

In what might be a strange irony, I am the “Mail Administrator” for the mainestategrange.org email. So, there’s very little about this email that makes sense–if we think about it. In fact, I’ve had issues with unsuccessful deliveries and the notices look nothing like this.

I’m confessing “they almost got me” as a reminder that bad people are getting more creative, but fortunately not much smarter. They don’t have to be smart–if they can hook (that’s why it’s called “phishing”) one or two people, they’re ahead of the game. Don’t get caught.

Think before you click!

I Doubt It!

By Walter Boomsma
207 343-1842
Communications Director

I wonder if I’ll ever cease to be amazed by the number of scams being run on the Internet and Social Media. I can’t resist sharing this one because it might actually be considered funny.

So “Commander Kirkland” has reached out to “whom it may concern” with what might initially appear troubling news. He informs us “...you and your organization,  that the Federal Law Enforcement agencies of the United States of America in conjunction with Interpol, the World Security Council and the United Nations Amnesty International Program, are announcing a series of arrests and investigations concerning various Religious and Social organizations using a psychological torture, and brainwashing technique known as a ‘forgiveness tatoo’.

I’m reminded a bit of the old joke “You know it’s not going to be a good day when you find the Sixty Minute News Team waiting for you at the office.”

By the way, “forgiveness tattoos”(spelled correctly) are a real item readily found on the Internet. I don’t pretend to fully understand their value, but as far as I can see, they aren’t about brainwashing or torture.

“What is the scam?” you ask. I don’t know, I didn’t fall for it. But I suspect the first step was to get me to reply to the email. It’s interesting that a Federal Law Enforcement Commander is using a Gmail address. I’ll admit, I almost did reply out of curiosity.

You can fool some of the people some of the time and all of the people some of the time, but you can’t fool all of the people all of the time.

Attributed to Abraham Lincoln.

The updated version is

You can fool enough people some of the time to make a decent living.

Unknown

Just don’t be one of those people. And, perhaps more importantly, don’t let these attempts get you down. Think of them as an opportunity to demonstrate how smart you are. Just slow down and think! Wouldn’t you think a high-ranking federal law enforcement official would (among other things):

  • know how to spell the “tattoos” he is investigating
  • have an email address associated with his agency (and identify it)

No worries. Now, if you see the CNN News Team standing in front of the Grange Hall…

Soil Your Undies Challenge

As seen on the USDA website.

This is just too funny and too creative not to share! The USDA in Montana has developed a fun way to test the fertility and health of your soil. “Just bury a pair of cotton underwear around June and dig it back up after at least 60 days. It’s the quick and dirty way to test the microbial activity in your soil. The more the underwear is deteriorated, the healthier your soil!” Complete instructions are available here. There’s even a guide for judging the results.

I could see this adopted as a local Grange Promotion, with results being brought to the hall for judging. It would certainly be fun to create a certificate of accomplishment for the winner and a great way to generate curiosity about the Grange!