Patrons of Husbandry – a website dedicated to the Granges located in Maine
Family Health and Hearing Committee and Information
Suicide is a leading cause of preventable death in the United States. Today, our knowledge about suicide has evolved, as have conversations about mental health. We know that we save lives when we work to #EndTheStigma around seeking help. In September and always, we stand together in strength, dignity, hope, and purpose
During the month of September, the MSG Communications Department will be featuring brief weekly resources for suicide prevention. We’re Grangers. We help each other.
Suicide is a leading cause of preventable death in the United States. Today, our knowledge about suicide has evolved, as have conversations about mental health. We know that we save lives when we work to #EndTheStigma around seeking help. In September and always, we stand together in strength, dignity, hope, and purpose
During the month of September, the MSG Communications Department will be featuring brief weekly resources for suicide prevention. We’re Grangers. We help each other.
Suicide is a leading cause of preventable death in the United States. Today, our knowledge about suicide has evolved, as have conversations about mental health. We know that we save lives when we work to #EndTheStigma around seeking help. In September and always, we stand together in strength, dignity, hope, and purpose
During the month of September, the MSG Communications Department will be featuring brief weekly resources for suicide prevention. We’re Grangers. We help each other.
Friday, September 19, 2025
A potluck supper will take place at 6:00 pm. Our meeting follows at 7 pm
No, we won’t be having sandwiches for supper. Again this year, we are supporting Bangor Savings Bank’s PB & J Drive. Since 2012, the Bangor Savings Bank Peanut Butter & Jelly Drive has collected more than 146,000 jars and donated them to local food insecurity programs. That’s nearly 2.5 million peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for children, families, and individuals. That’s the power of community!
Please bring your donations to the meeting on Friday, September 19th, or drop them off at the Hall. Note that we must receive donations by September 25th. You can also drop off donations at any Bangor Savings Branch until September 30th. Tell ’em we sent you!
Here’s a short message for kids and parents everywhere. Things don’t always happen the way they’re supposed to. Let me explain.
I recently stopped for a school bus. That’s not big news. It is an example of things happening the way they should. I was facing the bus and could see past it, noticing that the cars behind it had also stopped exactly as they should.
The lights flashed, the stop sign on the bus opened, and the safety arm across the front of the bus swung wide.
Four or five kids got off the bus. They ranged in size from tiny ones with outsized backpacks to some older ones. They came around the front of the bus. So far, so good.
Some ran, some walked in front of the bus and across the highway.
When they started across my lane, I started yelling at them even though there was no way they could hear me. They didn’t stop or even pause to look up and down the road. Fortunately, everything was working the way it should. Well, almost everything. I think the kids were supposed to look both ways.
Safety shouldn’t be delegated; it should be shared.
“Mr. Boomsma”
Sometimes, things don’t work the way they should. I can think of several ways that might have been the case. Several days later, there was a headline from a distant state where someone didn’t stop for a school bus, and a child was injured.
If we want kids to feel and be safe, we need to involve them in the process. It wouldn’t be so bad for them to learn they have some responsibility for staying safe. A few seconds’ pause to look up and down the road is just plain smart.
At the start of the school year, parents should consider meeting the bus and ensuring their kids do this. I’d be happy if the bus driver kept the window open and told the kids to stop and look — at least until they got into the habit. It’s been a few years since I’ve attended a school bus safety program, but I’d be thrilled if crossing in front of the bus was part of that curriculum. Safety shouldn’t be delegated; it should be shared.
Make this part of your Family Health and Hearing Program?!
The five Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) in Maine serve as “one-stop-shops” to answer questions from older adults, individuals with disabilities and their care partners about a wide range of in-home, community-based, and institutional services.
Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) are experts at answering questions about in-home care services and other types of long-term support. Maine’s five AAAs are also Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs) that:
Maine’s Aging & Disability Resource Centers (ADRC) are designed to serve all older adults, people with disabilities and their care partners who have long-term care community or program needs. To see which center serves your area, visit the Office of Aging and Disability Services’ website.
Can you stand one more reminder to use caution during the heat we’re experiencing in Maine? Here are some resources we’ve found. (If you receive this post as an email, you’ll need to visit the site to watch the video.)
The American Red Cross offers a fairly complete page of resources including a guide to the three types of heat illness and a complete Extreme Heat Safety Checklist.
This is a great time to be a good neighbor by checking on others. Something as simple as handing out bottles of cool water can help. Staying hydrated is important. If your Grange Hall can serve as a “cooling center,” send us the details and we’ll post an annnouncement.
The Maine Bureau of Highway Safety is launching a speed reduction awareness and enforcement effort to help prevent speeding-related crashes and save lives. Law enforcement agencies across the state will be increasing high-visibility patrols throughout July as part of this initiative. As part of this campaign, the Maine Bureau of Highway Safety is calling on all drivers to recognize speeding as an aggressive driving behavior that endangers all road users.
In 2023, there were 43 traffic fatalities that involved speeding in Maine. Young drivers and motorcyclists have a higher chance of being involved in speeding-related crashes. In 2023, 23 percent of those involved in fatal crashes were between the ages of 15 and 20.
Law enforcement agencies from Aroostook County to York County will continue to conduct high-visibility speed enforcement to reduce speeding and aggressive driving. Law enforcement will be out reminding drivers to slow down and drive with care. Spend your time on the way to your destination taking in the beauty of our wonderful state, not speeding by it. From the lighthouses across Maine’s coastline to the lakes and mountains to the rural beauty of The County, slow down and safely enjoy your drive.
By Walter Boomsma and Larry Bailey
Larry is Master of Ocean View Grange in Port Clyde. He and I occasionally exchange “odd and curious emails.” Since this exchange might qualify as “Family Health and Hearing,” we agreed to share.
Larry wrote: I like to have toast in the morning and have gotten really tired of seeing the bread with green spots all over after a few days. We stored it in the bread bag it came in in the pantrach (Irish for pantry). I did some looking around and found out that a very old practice helped bread to last longer. That old family practice was using a “Bread Box.” I bought a bread box which was delivered yesterday. Let’s see how well it works.
Walter replied: We usually buy our bread from our friendly Amish baker, six loaves at a time because that’s the size of her pan, and freeze them. We keep the loaf we’re working on either in the microwave (our bread box) or in the fridge. (She doesn’t use preservatives.) I shall have to ask her how she stores it!
🥖 Should You Store Bread In A Bread Box?
“Bread, after all, is a food that connects us all.”
Henry T. Black
Maine is a beautiful place to ride, with thousands of miles of scenic trails winding through peaceful forests and small rural towns. Always check with the local club to make sure the trails are open. You can also find trail news and notices on the Bureau of Parks and Lands website.
Many ATV trails in Maine exist thanks to the generosity of private landowners who allow access. Here’s how you can do your part to keep Maine’s ATV trails open for generations to come:
ATV registration renewals can be completed online. New registrations must be done through a registration agent such as a town office or the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIFW) main office in Augusta. For more information about ATV rules and laws in Maine, visit MDIFW’s ATV webpage.