Junior Report – December 2022

By Betty Young
207 786-2120
MSG Junior Director

Hello fellow Grangers. My name is Betty Young, and I am the new Junior Grange Director.

I originally joined in 1974 during the state grange centennial and took six degrees in one day at the Augusta Armory. After my second daughter was born, I took a demit and rejoined in 1994 when she was old enough to join. I have held several different offices in Subordinate and Pomona and am currently Chaplain of Androscoggin Pomona. I was approached this summer about taking on Junior Director since the previous directors were stepping down. Initially, I was reluctant but was concerned that the program might not continue so at the state session I told Sherry I will try.

My daughter has four children the youngest just turned five and will join as soon as we can have a meeting in person. I am looking forward to encouraging our members to participate in the CWA contests and earning badges.

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Junior Grange Meeting Canceled

Due to the weather forecast, the Junior Grange Meeting scheduled for this Saturday, December 17, 2023, has been canceled. Contact Junior Director Betty Young with any questions!

View from the Farm – December 2022

By Heather Retberg, Quills End Farm

The cold of December arrived this week, and with it a reprieve from the mud that has plagued us on the ridge for a couple of months.  In warm and wet October and November, the coming cold seemed impossible, like the present was to remain that way forever.  

No matter the season, I make adjustments that seem permanent.  I don’t think of feeding hay in June, even though that is when it is made.  It seems then that the grass will last forever.  I gleefully move the cows through the fields and watch the beauty of ruminants being ruminants. 

The wisdom of the seasons thwarts my complacency, however, and moves everything along as should be.  And so I adapt.  After a couple of days, what was new becomes normal and lends a sense of permanence in an impermanent world.

For now, the cold invigorates me and keeps me mud-free as I tend to the hogs. This is fantastic.  For now, the cold also adds time to the day, as hauling water, setting up feed, and tending critters takes more time and care than in the summer and early fall.  This calls me to patience.

Finally, the season seems as it should be.  December ushers in the cycle of dormancy to our lives with its refreshing starts to the days, its stunning late sunrises and way too early sunsets to bookend the light and the darkness.   

Editor’s note: Phil continues to write “View from the Farm” while Heather recovers from her surgery. Send her a card/note at Quill’s End Farm, 192 Front Ridge Road, North Penobscot ME 04476

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.

Communications Column – December 2022

A Nudge and a Nag

By Walter Boomsma
207 343-1842
Communications Director

When teaching adult students, I remind them they are taking THEIR course, not MY course. Of course, that doesn’t prevent me from offering an occasional nudge or nag (they get to decide which it is) when they aren’t doing their part.

There’s a parallel with the MSG website. It’s YOUR site, not MINE. That means we have a shared responsibility for it. And it also means I get to offer an occasional nudge or nag. (You can decide which it is.) There might be two this month.

First, an ongoing challenge continues to exist with the online directory of Granges. I continue to receive far too many emails and phone calls from people who have tried using it, and it hasn’t worked–disconnected phone numbers, no replies from the email address listed, etc. For those unfamiliar with it, this directory lists active Granges, the address of the Grange Hall, and a contact person with a name, phone number, and–ideally–email address. This contact person does not need to be the master or secretary. It does need to be someone who is dependable and responsible.

The online directory is consistently the most visited page on the website. (The second most visited is the Program Books and Information Page.) For various reasons, people want to contact local Granges. We need to work together to make sure that can happen. Keeping the online directory accurate should be a priority for all of us. Please make sure the information listed is accurate. Send any corrections to the webmaster!

There are too many sad (and sometimes funny) stories I could share. I was recently contacted by someone who desperately wanted to participate in a Grange event in their area but couldn’t figure out who to contact for more information. Another example was from a group that had used the Grange Hall. They found a note requesting the group supply their contact information to the local Grange, but it didn’t say who to send it to!

We can do better.

This same nudge or nag applies to almost ALL information about your Grange! Please send information and news about your Grange and your events! I’ve tried to make it as easy as possible. You can use the “submitting information” tab on the site or send the information in an email. If you are sending information to your local newspapers, add webmaster@mainestategrange.org to the distribution list.

By the way, once your information is posted to the website, it’s easy-peasy to share it on Facebook. It doesn’t work the other way around!

We can do better.

Lastly, I’ve been nudging and nagging myself to continue the effort to repair and reconstruct the site. One problem with providing so much information is that it becomes a real challenge when much of it disappears! If you visit the Program Books and Information Page, any link with a smiley ☺ face after it should work. If you need something specific and can’t find it on the page, let me know, and I’ll try to find it for you.

Your patience and participation are appreciated!

► FACT: Your MSG website was viewed nearly 1900 times during November 2022–and 10% of those visits were to the online directory of Granges.

Tell us why you love the Grange!

Membership Moments – December 2022

By Rick Grotton,
Membership Committee Director
207 582-5915

As the holiday season arrives, we are reminded that this is the season of giving. Aside from the commercial aspects of this season; how you choose to celebrate Christmas and whether you do or do not celebrate, the air seems filled with a sense of giving; even heightened during this time of year. A friendly smile to a stranger, a helping hand to someone in need, a pay forward in the grocery line, shoveling out a neighbor, or any small gesture in order to make someone feel good also makes us feel good. Take a moment to reflect on the good feelings we generate and how it affects others around us. Others sense our positive energies and take notice. It spreads from there. Many times we don’t realize the effects our attitudes and feelings have on others around us. No words need to be said or interaction needed. Many people do not realize that their whistling or happy mood while walking down a crowded street or at their place of work may be making the day for another and another, It goes on and on like dominoes. Imagine if we all did this!!

Now, you say, what does the above have to do with membership?  EVERYTHING! It has everything to do with membership. When talking to someone about joining the Grange, if they feel your passion, your positive thoughts, and your love for the Grange, you are more likely to keep their attention and make them feel good at the same time. They sense your happiness, and it affects them also. We all like things that make us feel good and when we share those feelings, we are spreading good cheer to many others and from the others to those around them. Most of us have a deep passion for our Grange. It can be detected by anyone who senses those feelings. The Grange has changed our lives for the better;  enhancing positive relationships with others, the giving and helping we do for others, the sense of usefulness of ourselves and our accomplishments, and most of all it has made us better people all around. It makes us feel good; it makes others feel good. Therefore, when attracting new members, be positive, show your passion and be honest and true in your presentation. Remember that others can sense your feelings and will make their own conclusions based on your attitude. Always be kind and helpful to others. Even if you do not like the person remember that giving of yourself creates rewards for all. Be a part of the solution, not part of the problem.  It’s about creating peace and harmony in today’s crazy world. It begins with YOU!!!

Enjoy the holidays and be safe!

Quick Tip – share!

Cool Idea
Share your idea with other Granges!

Facebook Fans… notice that at the bottom of every post, there are several icons representing different social media programs. (These icons may not appear on posts you receive by email; you must visit the site to find them.) If you’d like to “share” a post from the Maine State Grange site on your timeline or page, click the icon. As the saying goes, “It’s easy peasy!”

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!

President’s Perspective – December 2022

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

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. 

National Grange Session was a big success held in Sparks Nevada in November. Jim Owens and I were the delegates for a very busy schedule of Grange business and Activities. There were eight Maine folks there for the week. Maine Grangers and Granges received a good number of awards.

Highland Lake #87 and Jonesboro #357 received Granges in Action certificates. 

Twenty-four Maine Granges were recognized for a net gain in membership. The National Grange had a net gain in Membership overall, the first time in years and years.  

Rebekah Hodgson of Jonesboro won 1st and 3rd places in the photo contest and Laurie McBurnie of Willow also received 3rd place for one of her entries. Each received ribbons and a pack of note cards made from the winning entries. Our Junior members also received a couple of winning awards in photo and art contests. Mrs. Swan, Maine’s nominee for Teacher of the Year from Jonesboro Grange received The National Teacher of the Year Award. Walter Boomsma was awarded National Grange Cultivator of the Year for cultivating communications. CONGRATULATIONS to all the recipients. Great job everyone, it was fantastic to see those ribbons and hear Maine called to receive the plaques and certificates. Items will be mailed to the recipients as I won’t be traveling much this winter. 

We had about twenty Grangers come for the instruction meeting on Saturday the 3rd. I was hoping for more but was happy with those who did come out in the rain. We covered some of the floor work for opening and closing, provided and reviewed an assortment of “how to” paperwork on a whole variety of subjects, and answered questions. Sharon Morton, State Secretary explained about Secretaries duties by providing written information also. Thank you to everyone who attended, Richard for setting up, Sharon for the workshop, and Henry for making the coffee & and picking up the doughnuts. 

I am planning to do the same instruction meeting at several places around the state. The State Secretary has agreed to come also, but probably in the spring when the weather isn’t so iffy. Please invite us to your area and get a date set up. I have a couple already. The secretaries will receive a list of available materials I provided on Saturday that can be requested anytime. 

From the Deacon’s Bench – December 2022

By Clay Collins, MSG Chaplain
207 837-0564

“Give thanks unto the Lord, call upon His name, make known His deeds among the people.”

1 Chronicles 16:8

 

We are now in the Advent season of the Christian calendar. Have you ever really thought about what Advent is? Many will correctly answer that it is the four Sundays leading up to Christmas day (the day that all Christians celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus) and begins this year on Sunday, November 28th.

Each year as December draws near, many of us try to commit to finding rest in a season notoriously wrought with materialism, busyness, and exhaustion. We try to focus on what really should matter, and try to prepare our hearts and minds to remember the birth of our Savior, Jesus, and all that it means to us, the believers. One way we do this is by celebrating the season of Advent, which for centuries has been tied to the first coming of Christ.

Other ways we celebrate is by building crèches depicting the nativity depicting the manger scene with the baby Jesus surrounded by Mary, Joseph, and the animals along with the Wise Men (who actually came later). Most importantly (or we sometimes think so) the presents! But are the presents really that important?

Think about it for a minute. What are we actually teaching our children about the true meaning of Christmas? I can remember as a boy growing up Christmas meant getting as many presents as I could. I didn’t know much about the birth of our savior until I was in my teen years (my parents were not church-goers). I did know that it was Jesus’ birthday, and we should be reverent to this fact, but that was about it. I did not know or understand much about Advent. For the longest time, I got the seasons of Advent and Lent mixed up! I did not fully understand until I started attending Church on a regular basis and got involved with Grange.

You might think that is strange and you are probably correct, but the Grange charges that we hear every meeting (especially the Chaplain’s charge) mirror a lot of the teachings you hear in Church.

Mainly, be thankful, thankful for the birth of Jesus who took all of our sins to the Father and asked for forgiveness for us. Be thankful for your loving families who, more often than not, overlook our misgivings and misjudgments. We all should take time to thank the Lord for everything that we have around us; the trees, lakes, oceans, mountains, and all the wildlife in the forests, without which we would not be able to survive.

 I wish you all a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a very Happy New Year! I hope the new year brings you all a bit of relief and a busload of happiness!

 Until the next time, remember, “Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.” Amen.

Benediction: “Gracious Father of us all, thank you for the greatest gift of all, Jesus Christ. May we all learn from this miraculous birth.  Amen.”

He who loses money loses much;
He who loses a friend loses more;
And he who loses faith loses all.                                        

An Irish Friendship Blessing

Grange Heirloom — December 2022

Use the icons below to share this Grange Heirloom on social media and help others understand what the Grange stands for! If this heirloom has a particular meaning for you, click the responses link at the top right and share your comment with us!

Grange Heirlooms are snippets from the lessons of the Grange as taught in the Rituals and Declaration of Purposes.

For additional information and resources regarding the Heirloom Program, visit the Heirloom Resource Page on the Maine State Grange Website.