Exploring Traditions – July 2023

Meandering Around the Grange Way of Life

Tradition — Resources or Restraint?

By Walter Boomsma, Guest Columnist

Warning: I am joining a Sister Granger in her Facebook Rant. As a guest columnist, I think it’s permitted.

We have several Granges here in Maine that are shining examples of what the Grange can be. Ironically, they receive a fair amount of criticism. Accusations include statements like, “They are trying to change the Grange.” (Saying it like it’s a bad thing!) and “They are not ‘doing’ the Ritual and following proper Grange procedure..” I could go on. But, as my sister notes, she is “sick of hearing this [sort of comment] with no action behind it.” The expression that comes to mind is that we must walk the talk.

The Grange is replete with rich traditions. We need to stop using them as a restraint and figure out how to make them the resource they should be. If we took the time to understand Grange tradition fully, we might realize that creating excitement with new programs that benefits our communities and members is not “changing” the Grange. It is returning the Grange to its original passion and contributions to society. If we studied the early history of the Grange, we would discover that during its first few decades of explosive growth, it made several major changes to policy and practice.

Instead, we’re like a bunch of old hippies, trying to decide whether to “hang on to the old or grab on to the new.” No, that’s not right. We’re like a bunch of old Grangers, trying desperately to hang on to the old. In so doing, we’re actually rejecting what’s great about the Grange.

Another way of thinking about it is to ask ourselves if we are embracing the important traditions and keeping our priorities straight. I have often said and written that I don’t think our forefathers created the Grange so they could create Ritual and Degree Work. I think they created the Grange to cause positive change in rural communities and members. We need to see the irony of the resistance to change—and lack of support for it—in an organization that was meant to create it.

I think I smell tar heating and see feathers being gathered. Let me assure everyone that I deeply appreciate the Grange Tradition. I think the teachings of the Grange in the Ritual and Degree Work are amazing. Just yesterday, while I was weeding and replacing some “drowned” plants, I was reminded not to fight nature but to work with her.

How appropriate! Instead of fighting change, we need to at least work with it. We might be best served by embracing it, but for some, that’s apparently too much to ask.

I have two questions we should be asking and one suggestion for you. Whenever we encounter someone from another Grange we ought to ask:

  1. What’s the most exciting thing your Grange has done recently?
  2. Who is the most exciting person in your Grange?

It hopefully goes without saying that we should listen carefully to the answers. I suggest we visit or talk to some of the more exciting Granges—and maybe some other local organizations with a positive story to tell. Then we need to start writing our own story.

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 – July 2023

For the Good of the Order

By Walter Boomsma
207 343-1842
Communications Director

Here’s a strange irony! I wrote my July Column over a week ago, stuck it into the draft of the Bulletin, but never posted it on the website! My excuse is that I’m also posting a slightly different version on my blog. Oops! A few days late, but here it is!

We recently returned from vacation—most of it spent in “Amish Country” in Pennsylvania. I do have some stories to tell, but they’ll be posted on my website. I will share that, as I do every year, I picked up a copy of the Budget Newspaper. The Budget is a weekly newspaper published in Ohio for and by members of various plain Anabaptist Christian communities, including the Amish, Amish Mennonite, Beachy Amish, and plain Mennonite and Brethren communities.

There is no online version, and they do not maintain a website. That will not be surprising if you know much about the “plain people.” What may surprise you is that it has been around since 1890 and, in spite of the failure rate of most print newspapers, shows no signs of weakening or losing “market share.”

Since this is not going to qualify as a heavily researched article, suffice it to say that the Amish are organized into an estimated 600 districts around the country and Canada. I’m mentioning that because the newspaper is structured based on those districts. A simple description is that “scribes” (reporters) from each district submit news about their district each week for publication. It appears that most articles are submitted by snail mail or fax machine. (Most Amish are not big fans of technology.)

For one interested in communication and newsletter publishing, it’s a fascinating publication on a number of points. To oversimplify it’s fascinating that it works and how it works. I’ve speculated that it works in a large part because of the absence of technology. But more importantly, the publishers understand and meet the needs of their market. A typical report from a district will include important details like which family hosted church most recently, who is getting married, who is recovering from illness or an accident,
who is visiting relatives, and who is being visited by relatives. There’s often a mention of the weather and how the crops are doing.

Amish belief and culture place a great deal of importance on the community. The editors of the Budget know the information critical to maintaining a strong community, and they provide it. I recall one article reporting a recent farm accident and listing the schedule for the neighbors who are helping.

Those who remember The Maine Granger (a monthly printed newsletter) may sense a resemblance. When it was published, each Grange was expected to have a reporter to record and submit news about their individual Grange and its members. Since technology was still not widely adapted many submissions were typed and snail mailed.

There might be a question of comparison of the two publications. But the bigger question is what communication do we need to keep our community Granges thriving? Some of the Amish Districts I am familiar with are spread out geographically. Travel is often by horse and buggy. If there are telephones, their use is highly restricted. Yet somehow, those scribes know or find out and share information important to their community. It’s not instantaneous, and it’s not available online. But it seems to work.

We, Grangers, are much more comfortable with technology. (Yes, there are exceptions.) Similar to the Amish, we value communities—our local Grange is a community located in a larger and more diverse community. How are we doing with communicating the information that’s important to our communities?

I am not suggesting we should bring back The Maine Granger. But I am suggesting with the resources we have available, we might do well to ask ourselves how well we’re doing with communicating information that
keeps our Grange Communities informed and healthy. Are there any suggestions “for the good of the order?”

► FACT: So far this year, the MSG website was viewed over 8,000 times by over 3,400 people. The two most visited items were the Directory of Granges and the Program Books and Information Page.

Tell us why you love the Grange!

Communication Shorts 7-16-2023

By Walter Boomsma,
MSG Communications Director
207 343-1842

Communication Shorts are brief (short) but important items posted for your information and use. Send us your ideas and thoughts!

July Bulletin Reminder

The July Bulletin is now available for download and printing. Remember, you can always find recent issues of the Bulletin on the Program Books and Information Page.

Questions We Get About Your Events…

We occasionally get questions about Grange events… if your event isn’t listed on the MSG website, we can’t answer them. Remember that it’s easy to list your event–use the submit tab on the site or just send an email! If do get a question we can’t answer, we’ll send ’em your way, but we recently had a question about an event at a Grange that doesn’t appear to exist!

2023-2024 Events Calendar

This is a great time to start planning your programs and events for the next Grange Year. Please submit the information for posting on the MSG Website Calendar.

Do You Love the Grange?

The world wants to hear about it! Fill out the simple I Love the Grange Form… it only takes a couple of minutes! Thanks to all who have shared so far!

Ideas for Granges

Check out the post about Mill Stream Grange’s Tool Lending Library!

Thought for You…

“I really miss complaining about the cold.”

Many people in Maine

Online Directories Available 24-7

  • The ODD Directory features all state officers, directors, and deputies with contact information.
  • The Directory of Granges features all Granges in the state with a contact person. Please make sure your listing is correct!

Do You Have FOMO?

“FOMO” is, of course, a Fear Of Missing Out. One strongly recommended treatment is to subscribe to the Maine State Grange Website. We’ll send you a daily summary whenever news and columns are posted, and we won’t share your email address with anyone!

Subscribe to the Maine State Grange Website

View from the Farm – July 2023

Webmaster’s note: The format of this column has changed a bit, with all of the Quill’s Endians participating at various times and in various ways! This month’s column is written by Phil.

There are times on the coast of Maine when a land farmer has to dress for fishing.  If one could call June “times,” it fit the bill.  

I have had to practice gratitude this last month, as day upon day of rainforest weather has grown fantastic grass and also tread upon my spirit.  So I’m remembering the Junes when all the first cutting of hay is in because of the lack of rain, which means that hay might be needed in August rather than December, and the second cut won’t amount to much.  I’m remembering dry pants after moving the cow fence in the morning when by rights, my thighs ought to be wet from wading through tall, dewy pasture grasses.  I’m remembering jonesing for rain during “perfect” weather.  A rainforest month like June sure does grow grass, and grass sure does make milk, and extra milk sure does make beautiful pork and veal.

As this weather pattern stretches into July, a different consideration arises.  Rain gear does a great job of keeping the weather out, but it is also quite good, at warmer temperatures, of wetting you from the inside.  Now the decision to don the full gear is harder.  Rain does the job comfortably in warm weather; gear does not.  Rain requires a change of clothes and gear wets less but offends the olfactory senses. 

I have choices this summer unavailable to me in dry years, and try as I have, pleading, and later, obscenities, do not produce rain.  Logically then, too much moisture is better than drought.  Plenty of grass and wardrobe choices.  So, why do I still feel like I’m trying to convince myself?

To celebrate (despite?) this wet, wet weather and make room in our full, full freezers, we are offering a sale on smoked hams, loin roasts, veal chops, and veal short ribs.  A great meal in good company need not wait for clear skies.  Fog, mist and rain all call for comfort food.   Embrace the damp with fantastic food.  Leftover ham bone makes a great pea soup to go with the fog.  Short ribs stewing in a crock pot or Dutch oven smell divine on gray days.  Veal chops make any weeknight special.  A loin roast is an occasion to invite your neighbors in from the downpour.

When your tongue is dancing, you may forget you cannot see the end of your nose outdoors.  

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. 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.

Lecturer’s Column – June 2023

By Margaret Morse, Maine State Grange Lecturer
207 439-0413

2023 – 2024 THEME

Any theme should set the tone for the year, so after much contemplation, I have chosen to use “MANY HANDS …” as the theme. You may notice that the phrase is left open-ended; it is done so on purpose so that each Grange can complete the statement the way that fits them best.

When the majority of us look around our halls our hands are getting older and need more assistance to complete those projects that only a few years ago we could do ourselves.

Most of us would like to add younger hands by adding new members to our rosters, but sometimes it seems impossible to do. Another way for us to get things done may be to partner with other community organizations. We, as Grangers need to be visible in our communities, we need to be more than the building down the street. So let us put our MANY HANDS to work for the good of the order and our communities.

Looking ahead, I am working on scheduling the annual State Lecturer’s conference at the end of September, date and place to be determined. When plans have been solidified, letters will be sent out to each Grange.

Deadlines to submit entries for the following National and State contests are September 1, 2023. For complete rules, search the National or State Grange Websites.

National Grange:

  • Virtual Photography Contest – Categories: Farm Machinery, Potluck Activity, Gardens, Grange Family
  • Garden Design Contest

State Grange:

  • Poetry – Categories: Family, Weather, Camping, Other
  • Skits
  • Book reading- Number of books and Number of pages

CWA Report – July 2023

By Margaret Henderson, Director
Committee on Women’s Activities
207 948-2762

Committee on Women’s Activities

Are we going to get a whole week without rain this summer? I sure hope so. The farmers need some sunshine to get their haying done.

I have spoken with a manager at Michael’s craft store about having some of their employees come and judge our entries. They seemed very interested in doing this. Someone is going to contact me the week of the 17th to let me know if they can do this.

The employees that were there that day had not heard about the Grange, so I think this would be a great way of getting some positive information about the Grange into the community.

Looking forward to seeing many of you next month at the conference.

Membership Moments – July 2023

By Rick Grotton,
Membership Committee Director
207 582-5915

How are your gardens doing? Now that the sun is back from vacation, the veggie plants seem to be much happier. Mother Nature did our watering for us the past month. We have to have our veggies and fruit at our best because agricultural fairs are in full swing, especially here in Maine. Of course, it is way too early for most of our “goodies.” However, there are other wares we can display. I hope many Granges are displaying their treasures at their local agricultural fairs. It is excellent publicity and a great way to pick up some cash!

I would like to hear from you, our readers, on suggestions for membership topics. What would you like to share or to learn?  Fresh ideas are necessary, so send them to me! Membership issues apply to each and every one of us, so any ideas or suggestions will also help numerous other Grange members. Just one suggestion or helpful hint could be beneficial to a whole organization! Amazing, isn’t it? Do not hesitate to send me your thoughts/suggestions/tips, etc. This column could be a new helpful hints success, just like the famous one we all read in our newspapers. Who knows? If it works to help others, that is all that matters! Send your suggestions to me at ricti@aol.com.

Have a great rest of the summer! Keep healthy and cool.

    Mill Stream Grange Opens Tool Lending Library

    Mill Stream Grange Tool Lending Library
    Mill Stream Grange is located on Tow House Road in Vienna, Maine.

    Mill Stream Grange announces the start of a Tool Lending Library located on the grounds of the Hall in downtown Vienna. It will be open Saturday mornings from 8 until noon.

    Have a project and need a tool, especially for gardening? Come on by and see if we have it before spending the money to buy it. Inventory includes shovels, rakes, hand tools, some power tools, and even two Have-a-Heart traps. Get that project done!

    President’s Perspective – July 2023

    By Sherry Harriman,
    Maine State Grange President/Master
    207 490-1029

    Hello everyone. Thank you to the Granges that have invited me to come to your hall for instruction and information meetings. Things have been going very well; I want to thank each of the members who took the time to attend, your interest, attention, respect, and willingness to participate were appreciated. Your questions and concerns were well put, and I hope I provided some help.  I enjoyed myself tremendously.  Richard also enjoyed being there, plus the food, meals, and snacks you gave us, thank you.

    One of the things we discussed and I wanted to share with you. When candidates go to a Degree Day at another Grange to receive the Four Degrees, the new member needs to let the secretary of their Grange know they had done it, to keep membership records up to date for the Grange, including the date and place of degrees. Or the person who took them to the Degree day needs to let their Secretary know.  Most often, the secretary or someone takes notes as host at the degree day, so it was suggested the host secretary at the degree day meeting could notify the Subordinate Grange(s) of the new member participating there.  

    Since we are in the middle of July already, it’s time to start mentioning the State Grange session and one final reminder to you; there is less than one month to get your resolutions into the office by August 15,2023, by standard mail and/or email. Resolutions must be read and voted on In your Grange before submitting them to the State Grange for consideration.   

    The 150th Annual State Grange Session is Oct. 20 & 21 at the Auburn Masonic Hall located at 1021 Turner St, Auburn.  There is lots of parking, handicapped accessible, and a lift (sm elevator)  available in the building.  The tentative schedule is included.  Any member may attend the session. You do not have to be a delegate to attend part or all of the session. The business is conducted in the 4th Degree. Our quorum at State Session is 45 Delegates, and they must be pre-registered with State Grange Secretary and your Grange’s dues up to date.  Department sales tables and raffles will be available to all. As in previous years, there will be NO food, candy, or beverages allowed upstairs whatsoever.  Bottled water only. 

    Friday, October 20, 2023— 1:00 p.m. opening & business. 2:00 State Master’s Address.  2:45 Memorial Service,  3:45  Resolutions and National Grange Rep. guest speaker,  6:00 p.m. Banquet by Pine Cone Eastern Star Chapter here in the Masonic Hall – tickets purchased in advance. Awards will be presented upstairs after the banquet:  Junior Presentation, Community Service, Family Health & Hearing, Membership, Educational Aid and Howe’s Nurses Scholarships, and others.

    Saturday, October 21, 2023 — 9:00 a.m. opening, acceptance of budget, full election of officer(s), resolutions and reports mixed in with elections as needed & installation of officers, 12:00 Ag Luncheon – tickets purchased in advance. 1:30 Call back to order – business continues.

    Conferral of the Sixth Degree will be at 2:30 p.m. ($10 fee for 6th Degree candidates) (must have had the Sixth Degree or Fifth Degree Obligation to take the Sixth Degree).

    Why a Printed Dictionary?

    By Mary French, Director of the Dictionary Project

    Communication Director’s Note: Now is the time to start planning your Words for Thirds Project–or, if you’ve never done one, consider starting it! If you need some help or information, just let me know!

    Reprinted from the Summer 2023 Issue of the Dictionary Project Newsletter

    The Dictionary Project is about giving people value in their lives. We are helping children build their lives one word at a time. The purpose of an organization is to help people have lives. Giving people lives refers to many characteristics that
    are the result of education, support, work, and relationships.

    This year the Dictionary Project has confronted the reality that hundreds of thousands of children in schools are discouraged and prevented from using a paperback dictionary because school administrators do not think they are beneficial in this age of technology. It is a disservice to the clubs that want to improve literacy in their communities by providing dictionaries to the students
    and letting them know what a civic organization does and looks like. Presenting the dictionaries in the classroom lets the students know that they are valued and supported and that the club members want to see them succeed by giving them an essential tool for a quality education.

    We often hear that children don’t need dictionaries because they are tech savvy and they won’t use a dictionary because it is old fashioned. Nothing has been created to replace a printed dictionary. Children who do not have a dictionary
    will not understand the “world they live in. They will feel confused and angry because they cannot comprehend their surroundings and describe what they see. It is putting children at a disadvantage in the world when educators leave them in front of a screen eight hours each day. Children cannot learn how to approach and solve problems without using their five senses. They need to learn what their five senses are telling them and how to use this information to live a better life.

    A dictionary is the fastest, easiest and most cost effective way to learn new words. lt teaches children sequential learning; there are steps to take to reach a goal. It is important to know the meaning of words and that most words have more than one meaning. Children are curious how our world works. To collaborate with people to solve problems they need to learn new words to contribute solutions to improve the world we live in.

    Everyone comes from a different place and they see things from where they stand. This diversity of thinking enriches our country and expands our ability to create new tools and make the best possible use of our resources. It is disappointing that lead educators are not encouraging children to learn new words by using a printed dictionary to expand their frame of reference; this is the most beneficial way to grow and live. By not giving children a dictionary, they are deprived of fulfilling their potential by teaching themselves new words. Giving children a dictionary is giving them their lives, because their lives depend on their ability to express themselves with words. The thoughts of children are important and they need to know that they are innate gifts to be shared because they are unique.

    Albert Einstein said, “If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what then is an empty desk a sign?” An electronic device cannot replace the activity and knowledge that a mind can develop by using it to solve a problem. If we do not teach children to approach a problem with words they will approach it with a weapon. If children do not have a dictionary they will not feel empowered by words. They will not have the words to defend themselves.

    The idea for the Dictionary Project came from Annie Plummer. At the time she was looking for people to expand her initiative by giving everyone a dictionary in 1995. A middle school student in Charleston, South Carolina shot and killed his classmate in front of the school. Everyone was shocked that this would happen in our community and we never wanted it to happen again. School leaders said that mentoring would help the teenagers in the school. I was handed a young man who was I5 years old who was in the sixth grade. He had recently been released from the Columbia detention center where he spent six months after being arrested for pointing a 357 magnum at a woman in an embroidery shop to rob her of $20. I went with him to his home and met his mother who was illiterate and recently widowed. She supported her family by cleaning bathrooms at night in the mall across the highway. She walked to work in the dark every night. When I entered the cafeteria to meet Tyrone for our mentoring session, I saw him slapping girls who were talking to him, he hid in the bathroom when he saw me. I asked him several times in our meetings to apologize to the woman he had assaulted. He refused to acknowledge that he did something wrong. I told the principal that I could not help him because he had not learned to respect women. He wasn’t avoiding me he was avoiding the humiliation of being illiterate.

    When I saw a letter to the editor asking readers to expand the Dictionary Project in Savannah, Georgia, I jumped at the chance to put a dictionary into the hands of children where I live because I knew that it is the antidote for illiteracy. It has been for hundreds of years. Reading is still the only way out of poverty.