Valley Grange Gram — We are meeting!

Valley Grange is located in Guilford, Maine

Friday’s Meeting!

You haven’t forgotten we have a meeting Friday, right? Let me explain that I will always make every effort to have our meetings. If you are not comfortable traveling for some reason, just don’t feel obligated to come. When we cancel meetings, we deprive those who want to come of the opportunity and start down a path that suggests a foreboding future for our Grange. Janice and I are Grange Bees for the February Meeting. Unfortunately, I will be returning from teaching in Augusta that day. I may be late for dinner. I plan to visit the hall Thursday afternoon to make sure the furnace is running, etc. Thursday is actually supposed to be a warm day with rain… yay! Between starting the furnace and the forecast, the well should be thawed. Potluck Supper at 6 pm, Meeting at 7 pm will include voting to accept our new members and a review of the hall use policy. During the supper hour, we’ll be sorting socks! Don’t forget to bring your donations! Socks have been arriving from as far away as Pennsylvania and West Virginia!

We’re Needed!

I received an email over the weekend from Carol Smith, Principal of Brownville Elementary. It seems, unfortunately, one of the third-grade students, Garrett Ames, who received a dictionary from us has been diagnosed with leukemia. He won’t be able to attend school for a while and his teacher, Ms. Cail, and his classmates are making an effort to support him. We can too, right? You can watch the news story on WABI-TV 5’s website. It’s both heartbreaking and heartwarming. Garrett has a dream of becoming a firefighter and “rescuing people from the house.” Fire Departments around the country are responding with support. (If you are associated with a Fire Department or know a fire fighter, why not pass the word along. Our member Pat Engstrom has already found some cool material and is working on a blanket. I’ll be working on this during the week and hopefully have some additional information for our meeting, if not before.  I did share the WABI story on the Valley Grange Facebook page and Mr. Boomsma’s Facebook Page.

And as Further Proof

One town office called Mary Annis and requested our letter asking for financial support! As a reminder, as town meeting season approaches, please consider attending and speaking on behalf of Valley Grange. I can help you with talking points and give you a copy of the information sent to the towns in the area. You know you’re doing something right when people call and ask for an opportunity to donate!

Say “Thanks!”

We will be sending a note of thanks to John McKusick and McKusick Petroleum for “bailing us out” several times recently. Most recently we learned a powerful lesson. We’ve been using RV antifreeze in the furnace. The label says “rated to 50 below.” Well, I don’t think it got down to fifty below but I can tell you that the anti-freeze froze! John not only patiently helped me through the thawing process, he’s donated some special antifreeze to help us out. When I offered to pay he said, “We gotta keep you going.” If you see John, let him know you appreciate his support of Valley Grange! With the support we’re getting, “We gotta keep us going!”

We Now Have a Busy Bin

I picked up a tote and “seeded” it with a puzzle and a few games. We’re looking for activities especially for kids who attend meetings and events… coloring books, crayons, board games, and puzzles. (How cool would it be to have a puzzle going on one of the dining room tables?) Whatcha got to offer? The Busy Bin, the Book Crate, and the extra remaining dictionaries are probably going to end up under the dessert table. We’re running out of room under the Bulletin Board… our blistered finger knitters are refilling those bins!

You’re Needed!

If all goes as planned, we might be able to “Obligate” our new members at Friday’s meeting. It sure would be nice to meet upstairs again, fill most of the chairs, and “do it right!” I’m going to try to “draft” a few people from other Granges… this will be a “Cabin Fever Reliever” with lots of fun!

→FLASH UPDATE!

As I was finishing this up, I learned that Garrett is starting to lose his hair as a result of the chemo. The journey begins in earnest. I also now have an address for mailing cards and other items: Garret Ames, 5690 Bennoch Road, LaGrange ME 04453. If you do send a card, mention Valley Grange so he and his Mom know who you are and where you’re from!

Exploring Traditions — February 2022

Meandering Around the Grange Way of Life

by Walter Boomsma

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Grange Heirlooms

National Grange is kicking off a program called “Grange Heirlooms.” I recently realized I’d been referring to it as “Grange Heritage.” Since words interest me and I think they’re important, I couldn’t resist wondering about the mistake. For those interested, several dictionary definitions suggest an heirloom is a “thing,” handed down from previous generations. There are several connotations, including the idea that an heirloom stays within the same family for generations.

Anyone interested in farming and gardening is probably aware of a revived interest in heirloom seeds and plants. An heirloom variety or cultivar often exhibits distinctive characteristics such as superior flavor or color.

So the name of the program is wisely chosen. It’s an ambitious five-year program that will make it possible for every Grange to take just a few quick moments at one meeting each month to introduce a key lesson and reflect upon it – thereby passing on part of our heritage. (Maybe that’s why I got confused!) The words were written more than a century and a half ago, but they have much application and meaning to daily life today.

Words like “heirloom, heritage, tradition, and ritual” have more importance every day. Not only is the naming of this program on target, so is the timing. We need more than ever to become aware of the things in our life that do not change but offer us assurance and stability. Without that awareness, we can easily become the victims of the future instead of creating and contributing to it.

I remember a conversation a few years ago with a Granger who insisted her Grange was “not doing any ritual.” I assured her that was not true. My proof went something like this, “You may not be ‘doing’ THE ritual but I’ll bet many of you are parking in the same place every time and probably sitting in the same seats. The same person probably makes the coffee every time…”

We could, of course, explore the difference between ritual and habit. Habits have value with the obvious downside being we stop thinking. (We don’t have to decide where to park–unless someone “took our spot.” That can be very disconcerting to some. Humans like predictability.)

The Grange Heirloom Program will be an opportunity to create some predictability by tapping into our heritage and looking at some heirlooms. At least once a month we can revisit principles that have remained with us through generations of time. We won’t do it out of habit because we’ll think and reflect on one. How many times have you said, “A patron places faith in God, nurtures hope, dispenses charity, and is noted for fidelity.”

Most will realize that we say it twice during a Grange Meeting that is opened and closed “in form.” We accompany it with hand motions that help us remember. (See if you can do it sitting down without the motions.) While we’re thinking and reflecting on this “heirloom,” consider this question: “How many of those four things have you done today?” We are not just Grangers during a meeting, right?

Fifteen words make us think about what it means to be a Granger. Fifteen words that we could recite every morning. We have a lot of heirlooms in the Grange. It may be past time to explore them. The heirlooms haven’t disappeared, but we may have stopped looking at them and thinking about them.

In describing the Grange Heirloom Program, Amanda Brozana Rio said, “[The heirloom lessons of the Grange] are easily overshadowed by the business of the Grange and hampered when spoken by short attention spans and language that is beautiful but uncommon. New members often wait years to see or hear all of these words of wisdom. More seasoned members may recall the words but have not taken the time to think about them and apply them to daily life for some time.”

It’s time.

The first heirloom will be revealed in March. Are you ready?

Any degree or ritual quotations are from the forty-sixth edition of the 2013 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.

Communications Column — February 2022

By Walter Boomsma
207 343-1842
Communications Director

Planning for Grange Month

It’s not too early! How are you going to create a stir in your community? For many Granges that should ask “How are you going to create a bigger stir in your community?” I recently had an exciting conversation with a member who described the overwhelming support their Grange is receiving because the community loves what they are doing and wants to keep things happening. I don’t think that’s a Grange that will need much help figuring out what to do during Grange Month!

National Grange has offered the theme “Raised Right Here” for this year. An interesting addition is a plan for a special “Grange Spirit Week” April 3 – 9, 2022. Each day of that week is dedicated to one particular aspect of the Grange.

If that feels overwhelming, think of it as an idea starter. Could, for example, your celebration of Grange Month include information about your Grange Friends? In addition to recognizing a “Community Citizen of the Year,” why not celebrate individuals and organizations who your Grange counts on for help when it’s needed? And, while you’re at it, how about a history of your Grange Hall that includes features available to those who use or rent it? Think about posters and displays. Can you enlist a member of the local media to write a series of articles? Are there organizations you could collaborate and partner with?

The idea is to overwhelm your community with awareness of the Grange. There’s not much time, so get on the phone, schedule a Zoom Meeting, or have an impromptu meeting at your Grange Hall. Throw out some ideas–the crazier the better! You may not do them all, but you just might be surprised at the energy you’ll generate.

Remember, we’re happy to post your events on the Maine State Grange Website–but you have to tell us about them!

If you are going to celebrate a Community Citizen of the Year, don’t forget to order that award from The National Grange Supply Store.

I’ll be updating the Grange Month section of the Program Books and Information Page over the next week or two as resources become available for National Grange. Don’t wait! Start planning the party now!

► FACT: The Maine State Grange Website was visited by over 600 people during the month of January 2022.

Subscribe to the Maine State Grange Website

View from the Farm — February 2022

By Heather Retberg, Quills End Farm

“This farm is run on grit and spit and duct tape.” So said Ben when he was but twelve.  He was not wrong. Plus a little baling twine. 

But, jokes and knowing smiles aside, when the twine frays and the duct tape doesn’t hold, the grit takes us only so far. 

Supportive customers and patrons have taken us a step further, and encouraged us with tangible and loving support; and grace has supplied the rest.  It’s hard for us to reckon that we’ve been juggling that salad of grit and duct tape, grace and gratitude for decades now.  
The fraying twine isn’t just a metaphor, though.  It only holds for so long.  And, then something more rugged is needed.

How could the juggling act change if there was systemic support?  We’ve been working on that question for a bit more than a decade, too.  And, in that first pandemic year, amidst the intensity of it all, we brainstormed with creative minds and hard-working colleagues across farming and food production, financial, and economic development sectors.  We came up with a proposal for greater resilience in Maine, so we could move away from the vulnerability of importing more than 90% of our food from industrial sources.  We called it the Resilience Project and used a pitchfork as a metaphor to help us make the point.  The pandemic had exposed so many weaknesses in our food system, how could we take the pile of pandemic poop and turn it into compost that would nourish a better food system right from the ground up?  We’d need a sharp-tined pitchfork and some of that farmer grit and spit.

We shared the barebones (well, tines) of our policy brainstorm proposal with Department officials from the Bureau of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry; we talked to folks at Maine Farmland Trust and the University of Maine, and legislators, too. 

Thankfully, we weren’t the only ones.   From organizations that work on food insecurity, to farms and food processors to non-profits working on hunger, farming sustainability, and getting more Maine food into Maine’s schools and other institutions, all were saying the same thing: if Maine is going to feed itself, or, leastwise, increase the amount of food we produce for ourselves, we need infrastructure.  On small farms and larger farms, in communities, and for food processors. We need food production infrastructure, storage, and distribution networks.  We need more Maine dairy, grain, meats, and fruit.
On our front, we are working hard to grow more community-based food production to increase resilience by diversifying and decentralizing food production.  Infrastructure is key.

Now in 2022, the state of Maine has earmarked some of the federal Covid relief dollars, 20 million of them, for the Agriculture Infrastructure Investment Program, a grant to start turning Maine’s liabilities into a stronger food system.

Another walloping winter storm on Friday left us with power and no good excuse not to set ourselves by the fire between chore times with pen and paper and let the ideas swirl with the snowflakes.  As the cringe-worthy rain gave way to giant, wet snowflakes, Phil and I revisited a topic long since left dusty on a forgotten shelf: if there was a budget if we had access to financial capital, what infrastructure would we add and how?  Where could it go? Would new buildings be needed?  Half of what is needed has been right front and center for years, but to actually build it and house new equipment would take some creative juice.  Thank heaven for all that snow!

We have 2 1/2 more weeks to fill in the blanks, get the estimates, and flesh out the plans so we won’t be relying so much on grit and duct tape for the decades to come, but could be broadening and deepening what we do with access to capital for equipment and more on-farm infrastructure at Quill’s End to reach more of you with a whole lot more efficiency. 

Resourcefulness is a wonderful thing, but so are resources.

The right tools for the work at hand make for better work.

From mid-winter we wish you comfort in the blanket of snow we now have covering the earth, a blanket of relief with promise. 

It’s ‘poor man’s fertilizer’ and insulation for plants; the cold, if it will last long enough(!),  a killer of ticks and unwelcome parasites and bacteria. 

A real winter means a healthier spring and summer. That blanket of snow is a canvas for wildlife escapades (foxes about!) and potential for the coming year, a portend of good things yet to come.

Heather and Phil Retberg together with 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. Heather is Vice President of Halcyon Grange #345 and writes a newsletter for their farm’s buying club of farmers in her area and has generously given us permission to share some of her columns with Grangers. Visit the Quill’s End Farm Facebook Page for more information.

Youth Report – February 2022

By Sherry Harriman, MSG Master
207 490-1029

As you have heard, the Northeast Regional Combined Leaders, Lecturers and Youth Conference scheduled for March to be hosted in Maine was canceled due to Covid concerns.  This conference was to include the Regional Youth Contests (Grange Baseball, Public Speaking – [Prepared Speech; Impromptu Speech; Grange Commercial; Youth Ambassador/Young Patron Prepared Speech], Sign-A-Song, and Grange Ritual Contest [Code Reading]).  Youth Contests are open to all Grange members: Youth 14-21; Young Adults 22-35; and Youth Alumni 36+.   See NG Youth Program Book, which has been posted to our website for complete information, details, and rules. Regional Conferences are open to anyone who would like to attend, at your own expense. 

At a recent zoom meeting of the Northeast Connection (State Masters/Presidents &  Overseers/VPs), we discussed the regional contests and how we can make that happen.  The discussion included the possibility of a one-day in-person and/or zoom event.  It was decided to have a zoom meeting with the NE Presidents and NE Youth Directors to make a decision and plan an event.  As an alternative option, participants from our region have been invited to participate at another region as a possibility.  

Before we start the discussion I would like to know if anyone is interested in participating or attending?    I would like a response within the month at:  SHarriman@twc.com or my home phone.   

Is there interest in participating in the contests?

  • The 2022 Northeastern Conference has been cancelled by the host state Maine. In order to allow members in this region the opportunity to still partake in a regional conference they are being invited to attend the Eastern Regional Conference in Delaware. Youth and Junior Grange members who are competing in the different regional contests will be judged according to their region. Best of show winners from the Eastern and Northeast region will be allowed to move on to National Convention.
  • The Mid-Atlantic (DE, PA, NJ, WV, MD, DC) and Southeast (NC, SC, VA, TN, FL) regions have now combined to one regional conference that will now be referred to as the Eastern Conference.  This regional conference will now be held the third weekend of June, June 17-19, 2022 in Delaware.  (Details will be provided when available.)

I will keep you informed of the plans. 

Notes from National – January 2022

National Grange Contest Deadlines

Most departmental contest deadlines have been changed to June 30, 2022. This is to allow ample time for judging ahead of the National Grange Session. This deadline will stand for future years, and new department program guides will be released in July. Please consult the individual contest guidelines on the National Grange website or the program guides from the Youth, Junior, and Lecturer’s Departments.

New Member Recognition in Good Day Magazine

Want to see your new members recognized in Good Day Magazine? Anyone who has not been recognized as a new member in the past year can be included. Use this link to share the news. The deadlines for each issue are:

  • January 31, 2022
  • April 30, 2022
  • June 30, 2022
  • August 30, 2022
  • November 30, 2022
This image, designed by National Grange, makes a great Facebook Cover Photo for Grange Pages and Groups! Right-click to save and use it!

Scholarship Info Updates Due

We have the following scholarships listed as available. Since students will soon be looking for support, it’s important our information be current and accurate. If your Grange is offering financial support, we’d like your current information soon! We especially need deadlines for applications and who to contact for additional information. You can use the submit tab on the website or simply email the webmaster. Thanks!

National Grange Scholarships

Sponsor: National Grange GROW Club
Scholarship: National Grange GROW Club Academic Scholarship

Maine State Grange Scholaships

Sponsor: Maine State Grange Ag Committee
Scholarship: Maine State Grange Ag Scholarship (2022 information has been submitted)
Sponsor: Maine State Grange Educational Aid Fund
Scholarship: Maine State Grange Educational Ed Scholarship
Sponsor: Maine State Grange Howes Nurses’ Fund
Scholarship: Maine State Grange Howes Nurses Scholarship

Local Grange Scholarships

Sponsor: Hollis Grange #132, Hollis
Scholarship: Hollis Grange #132 Scholarship
Sponsor: Kennebec Valley Grange #128, Madison
Scholarship: Carroll Dean Memorial Agricultural Scholarship
Sponsor: Mill Stream Grange #574, Vienna
Scholarship: Dorothy Waugh Memorial Scholarship
Sponsor: New Norland Grange #580, E. Livermore (closed)
Scholarship: New Norland Grange Memorial Scholarship
Sponsor: Parkman Grange #305, Parkman
Scholarship: Minnie Welts Bridge Memorial Scholarship
Sponsor: Somerset Grange #18, Norridgewock
Scholarship: Somerset Grange
Sponsor: Winthrop Grange #209, Winthrop
Scholarship: Winthrop Grange Scholarship


Exploring Traditions — January 2022

Meandering Around the Grange Way of Life

by Walter Boomsma

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Climb into the Time Machine

Sometimes the idea of traveling back in time seems like a great idea, doesn’t it? Wouldn’t it be fun to travel back 106 years to attend the Installation Ceremonies held at Ocean View Grange? Before you say “Yes,” when Larry Bailey, current Master of Ocean View Grange, sent this photo, he commented, “It must have been very cold in January 1916.  These folks had stamina as there was little heat and no running water but in those days the indoor ‘outhouses’ we had were still functioning.”

Since Valley Grange had one of those until just a few years ago, I remembered a January meeting when one of our “old-time” members returned from a trip to the indoor outhouse rubbing her arms to get warm and saying, “Well, that was a trip down memory lane.” Maybe a trip isn’t such a bad idea.

Before we leave for another time, what was life like for our Grange Brothers and Sisters in 1916? For starters, only 8% of them had telephones, so they didn’t call each other to find out who was going. As Larry points out, there was no running water and probably not much heat. They probably had some hot coffee–it only cost $0.15 per pound–but they most likely pumped the water by hand and heated it on the woodstove.

It’s interesting to note that the scheduled start time was 8:00 pm, a bit late by today’s standards. A reasonable guess is that this was done to accommodate completing chores on the farm. There’s no mention of refreshments; people truly came for the installation and not the food.

They probably hadn’t watched the second-ever Rose Bowl on January 1st, but they may have talked about it before and after the ceremony. (Washington State beat Brown University 14-0.) According to at least one major newspaper, the biggest threats to America in 1916 were the number of unmarried men and women (17 million), an increase in divorces, a declining birth rate due to “birth restriction” by parents, an excessive infant life waste (due to illness and disease), a large number of “defectives” in schools and “increasing idiocy and insanity.” The next problem on the list was “Enormous number of drug and alcohol victims.” Are we really describing life 100 years ago?

We can guess it was a “younger crowd” making its way to the Grange Hall on that day than it might be today. The average life expectancy for men was 49 and for women 54. Wouldn’t it be interesting to know the average age of Grangers then versus now?

So after completing the farm chores, harnessing the horses or cranking their Model Ts, these Patrons arrived at the hall hoping someone got there early enough to start the wood stoves and put the coffee on. Our time machine has allowed us to join them. We arrived during a light snowfall and parked between the buggies and Model Ts unnoticed.

We feel a bit like guests and remain in the background even though we are, by definition, fraternal brothers and sisters. Conversation ceases as we find our seats in the upstairs hall. Then we hear the words, “We have met on this occasion to install the officers of this Grange; let us first invoke the blessing of God.” We are not startled by the three raps calling us to stand; we expected that. We notice it’s a bit difficult because we are still wearing our heavy winter coats as we listen to the Chaplain’s invocation. The installing master starts things in earnest with the familiar words, “Since God placed man on earth, agriculture has existed. There is no occupation that proceeds it, no order or association that can rank with the tillers of the soil….”

We notice that many in attendance are nodding their heads in agreement. They know that truth first hand. They are part of it, and it is part of them. We can hear the children downstairs playing. Some of those who have joined us upstairs pretend to smoke because they can see their breath until the hall warms up.

We are in is a strange time and yet not. We find comfort in hearing familiar words. “The Order of Patrons of Husbandry is the only association whose teachings accompany its members in their daily pursuits…” They are more than words. Our attention drifts to look around the room and consider how true that is for our brothers and sisters over 100 years ago. The tired looks and calloused hands offer us an explanation. The faint “earthy” smell is not objectionable. They brought the earth with them in much the same way the teachings accompany them as they work the earth.

Caught up in another time, we realize how well it all fits. We might just as easily have visited their farms and homes to experience the meaning of the Grange. Yet after a long day of work, they left the comfort of those homes and farms. The first to arrive saw a cold and dark Grange Hall. But they came not out of obligation. They came for a reason. They knew the hall would light up and warm not only from the crackling wood stoves and kerosene lamps but also from the Grange Ritual and teaching and the bond it creates.

Hopefully, on the return trip, we’ll consider how true it is for us 100 years later. Some of us want to stay in this time, perhaps because life seems simpler. How long would we need to stay before we realize that it is not simpler; it’s just different? Will our halls not be brighter and warmer thanks to the comforts we now have? What have we gained, and what have we lost?

Some of us are anxious to return to the present time where things are familiar and more comfortable.  We are grateful to our ancestors and our visit in time for the reality we experienced and shared with them. And we are more deeply committed to the Grange way of life with its teachings that accompany us not only through time but also, if we choose, to wherever and whenever we travel.

“The Order of Patrons of Husbandry is the only association whose teachings accompany its members in their daily pursuits…”

Some resources used for this post:
https://dailygenius.com/facts-about-the-year-1916/
https://www.theodysseyonline.com/america-1916-what-happening-100-years
https://mashable.com/article/american-perils-1916 is the source of the biggest threats to America in 1916. It does an interesting comparison to 2016, one hundred years later

Any degree or ritual quotations are from the forty-sixth edition of the 2013 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.