Communication Shorts 9-15-2023

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!

September Bulletin Reminder

The September Bulletin is complete and available. Remember, you can always find recent issues of the Bulletin on the Program Books and Information Page.

Posting Your Events

This is yet another reminder that we love seeing your events listed on the MSG Website! We make a post of your event and add it to the MSG Website Calendar! Once they are posted, it’s easy for anyone to share them on Facebook. This is especially important when planning Officer Installations and Degree Days. We give those higher priority so other Granges have the opportunity to participate.

Is Anybody There?

I’ve recently had several contacts requesting “more information” as a result of phone calls not being returned and emails not being answered. These are often from people trying to reach local Granges with questions about hall use or events. Please check your voicemail and email regularly and respond within a reasonable period of time. You can choose whether this is a nudge or a nag.

Grange Supplies

Looking for forms or other items necessary to keep your Grange running with the correct procedures? Some are available from State Headquarters. Contact MSG Secretary Sharon Morton with your questions and to see what is available. Secretary Supplies are also available from National Grange.

Rolling Gardens?

Rory Feek of Plain Values Magazine recently wrote an article on gardening and included a photo of his daughter’s “rolling garden.” It’s a child-sized “box” on wheels with child-sized “tools” kept on a port or deck. What a great idea! A Grange could make some as a fundraiser… provide a version for senior citizens… put your thinking caps on!

Ideas for Granges

It’s not too early to start planning your annual Christmas Fair. Don’t forget to include in your plans submitting the information to the website! Use the tab on the site or send an email!

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.

Thought for You…

“If you want the cooperation of humans around you, you must make them feel they are important – and you do that by being genuine and humble.”

Nelson Mandela

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!

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

Grange Heirloom — September 2023

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

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 “leave a comment” link at the left and share your comment with us!

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

Junior Report – September 2023

By Betty Young
MSG Junior Director

The Junior Grange exhibited at four fairs this year: Pittston, Topsham, Windsor, and Litchfield. As the only Junior Grange, we got first place. However, the score sheet from Windham gave us 590 out of a possible 600. With positive comments on being welcoming, showing Grange as fun and giving a good understanding of what the Grange can offer. We were not able to do Grange Camp but will come to the State Session and plan to bring a group to the National Convention. Remember that as a State Junior Grange, we accept any child or grandchild of a Grange member. We also participate in the Plus One. So, if you know of any eligible child between 5 and 14, please let me know.

Thanks to committee members Caroline Coffin and Marilyn Stinson and her daughter CJ, who put up the booths and helped take them down. Marilyn also found the fairs and registered for them. I certainly could not have done it without them.

.

Membership Moments – September 2023

By Rick Grotton,
Membership Committee Director
207 582-5915

Sometimes it is fun (and challenging) to make a phrase out of a word. This would be a great Lecturer’s program  by the way. An acronym for the word “MEMBERSHIP” comes to mind. I thought of one, but I’m sure there are many more. Can you make one?  Mine is “May Each Member Be Excited, Respected, So Happily Involved Patrons”. Sounds silly, eh? Not if you can get your point across. New and seasoned members need to be excited and involved to keep the Grange working. They need to be respected for their diligent labor and faithful service. No matter what Grangers do, they do out of love and respect for their communities and their Grange. We are loyal subjects, willing to take on most offices, tasks or committees in order to achieve the desired results. That is a true Granger.

Others will notice and will commend you for your accomplishments. Community will notice the difference and applaud the Grange and its members. Some will want to join and be a part of your successes. Welcome them into your hall, respect their ideas, embrace their involvement and certainly your Grange will grow.

As Lecturers are taught about “RIME” (recreation, inspiration, music, and education), membership has its own version of RIME (respect, involvement, mentoring, and excitement).  Four little words with a ton of worth for you and your Grange. We need to teach our new members about our history, rituals, traditions and symbolisms. Education is vital and the new member will be intrigued by what the Grange stands for. Our Grange has been asked to contribute a column in the community’s quarterly newsletter. The first column concentrated on a brief history of the Grange, what we do, and our schedule of events. What better publicity can you get for free?

We can blame a lot of things on why our memberships are declining and our Granges are closing. This negativity does NOTHING to solve the issue. We must take the bull by the horns, so to say, and do something positive to reverse the trend. Action is needed, not words. Look at the acronym above. That is what is needed to help our Grangers grow. Why not try some new things? You have much to gain instead of a lot to lose!

View from the Farm – September 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.

When Things Break Down…

There are seasons when everything seems to break down.  In nature, in societies, and with equipment, stressed systems eventually give.  So it has been with equipment at Quill’s End this year.  Being beings of few means, we rely more on our resource and sagacity during such seasons.  This, too,  has fallen short this summer.  Our tractor (1989), which already displayed uncommon character, has sat idle at far too regular intervals waiting for proper attention. 

We have taken our cues and are refining our mechanical skills, such as they are, to meet the moment.  Animal husbandry, as we practice it, does not require daily usage of steel, diesel, and hydraulics, but they do come in handy to move, crush, turn, spread, mow, and transfer when needed.  As the season wears on, the need for a working machine, having oft been broken when needed, becomes more pressing.  It occurs to me that machinery only goes awry while you are using it, whereas the opposite applies to living beings.  The inanimate objects in our lives can only display character when in use; living beings can display character even while at rest.

Astrid was born on a cold November day 5 years ago.  A daughter of Teeter and Freddy, she was immediately destined for incomparable character.  Marked by a white star on her forehead,  her name was her destiny as well.  I had to save writing about her for last, as the words to describe her are more complicated.
 

A magnet for human attention, Astrid is usually the first in any given paddock to approach.  She demands attention and gets it as her coloring, health, and shiny coat endear even the most inexperienced bovine observer to her.  Oh, but it doesn’t stop there.  She loves proper attention, and scorns being slighted.  She can come to the barn in a mood for perceived slights, discomfort, or…nothing at all.  She will refuse to be milked until such efforts are made to mollify her and assure her of most favored status.

Having her is a pleasure as her personality brims over and spills out when interacting.  Her health and vigor makes you think you know what you are doing.  She is a one of a kind that you’re OK with, as a barn full of Astrids would probably be unmanageable.  There is only so much farmer to go around.

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 permitted us to share some of their columns with Grangers. Visit the Quill’s End Farm Facebook Page for more information.

Exploring Traditions – September 2023

Meandering Around the Grange Way of Life

Where do I find a Manual? (Part Two)

By Walter Boomsma, Guest Columnist

Last month, I briefly covered the contents and use of the Subordinate/Community Grange Manual. Several questions triggered a bit more research on my part. While I haven’t seen an official announcement, apparently, a new edition (Forty-seventh, 2022) has been approved and released. I’ve not yet seen any announcement but have been able to piece a few things together.

The 2023 Manual is available in two ways. You can (at least as of this writing) download a free PDF copy from the National Grange Store. (I’ll provide the link at the end of this article.) You can also order a printed copy from the National Grange Store for $15. plus shipping. Note, however, that both of these will be 8½  x 11 (letter-sized). If you order the printed copy from National, it will come in a looseleaf notebook. If you download the PDF, it will print 8½ x 11. It is set up for two-sided printing—the entire manual is 80 pages. I printed one and spiral-bound it—it looks about 3/8” thick.

The good news is that the print is large and easy to read. Also, using the PDF, you can print just the pages you need. The bad news is that a smaller, perfect-bound edition is no longer available. This will obviously be a problem when performing rituals and ceremonies that require walking around and standing in different places while speaking (reading) a part. I’m still thinking about that. The larger size and print will be great when working from a station—much easier to see and read, and if you do use a looseleaf edition (either by purchasing or making it yourself), you’ll love it.

For those who are technically inclined, the PDF can certainly be added to a tablet or laptop. I haven’t checked on this, but I think it could be made available on a Kindle! There are, of course, PDF reader apps available for smartphones—I’m not sure how practical that would be from a size perspective.

You may know that, at least in theory, manuals are not sold to individuals—only to Granges. The official policy is that they can be loaned to individuals, but the steward is responsible for ensuring copies are returned to the Grange. As a publisher, I can tell you that controlling digital copies (which includes PDFs) is a huge challenge in general. I’m not sure how this will work with Grange Manuals, but I did want to make you aware of the “rules.”

Questions come up most often regarding some of the “new” items such as alternative opening and closing, welcoming ceremony, obligation ceremony, etc. These alternatives tend to be shorter and use more contemporary language. They were introduced in the previous edition (Forty-sixth, 2013) and remain present in this new edition. The vocabulary deserves some attention. Let’s see if we can simplify it using the newest edition.

The “traditional” Opening, Order of Business, and Closing of the Grange is found on pages 5 – 7.

An “alternate” Opening, Order of Business, and Closing of the Grange is found on pages 8 – 9. This alternate opening is sometimes used (or a version of it, at the master’s discretion) for what are commonly called “open meetings.”(It omits the “taking up” of the word.)

Both versions include welcoming guests, but the procedure for that is given separately on page 70. Okay so far? There is a large section starting on page 11 with the traditional version presented with English and Spanish side by side.

Membership potentially involves three sections: Obligation Ceremony (page 44), Welcoming Ceremony (page 47), and Ritual of Degrees (page 15). The manual makes it clear that of upon completion of the Obligation Ceremony, members are “considered Patrons and eligible to participate in all the benefits of the Order.” It is not clearly stated that the Welcoming Ceremony achieves that result.

The “traditional” Installation (of officers) Ceremony starts on page 57. The “alternate” Installation of Officers Ceremony starts on page 65. Since the traditional version requires a “team,” more and more Granges are opting to adopt the alternate version for a “do it yourself” approach. The Manual notes that “Any Master, Past Master, or Fifth Degree member may install officers.” In either case, the installation instructions will be extremely helpful in both deciding and executing the installation.

There’s much more in the manual, more than can be reviewed here. One of my favorite reviews of my book included, “It answered questions I didn’t know I had.” The same can be said of the Subordinate Grange Manual. At times, the manual covers what may appear to be minute details. But it also leaves us with this closing paragraph:

“Attend to every duty promptly, and keep constantly before the minds of the members the important fact that the great object and crowning glory of our organization is to ‘educate and elevate the American Farmer and improve the quality of life in rural communities.’”

Link to the 2023 Manual on the national Site

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 – September 2023

Updates Continued

By Walter Boomsma
207 343-1842
Communications Director

Can you tolerate a little more information about the mechanics of communication and the website? For those who are suspicious or even hateful of technology, you’ll love this!

Some will recall about a year ago, the Maine State Grange was “hacked” by someone in Turkey (we think). A lot was involved in fixing the hack, including the need to rebuild much of the site after correcting the damage that was done.

A year later, Phil Vonada, National Grange Communications Director, by sheer luck, stumbled on to a post attributed to the Maine State Grange Website. It clearly was not something we’d posted.

After some investigation, it appears to have been made during that hack a year ago. These hackers are both smart and sneaky. They obviously back-dated the post to 2016 in the hopes it would escape notice. It did! It’s now been removed.

Several things can be learned from this. First, one can’t be too careful. A healthy degree of suspicion and mistrust is necessary when using the Internet in general and social media in particular!

Second, back when the breach happened, a lot of history was both lost and deleted. Understand that as part of ongoing maintenance, I continue to delete history as my time permits. This accomplishes a number of things–most importantly, it keeps the site current and makes it much more manageable.

To create perspective, as of this writing, there are over 1,000 posts on the site, some dating back to 2016. While they can be interesting, they really do have little value. My ultimate goal is to keep posts and pictures limited to the past three years. This seems to be more than sufficient. This will be a reduction of approximately 25%. That also represents a huge reduction in server space and the potential for erroneous, outdated information.

Certainly, if you have any questions about this, I’ll be happy to try and answer them, either in a future column, comment, or email.

This is certainly not meant to discourage anyone from submitting events, news, etc. If anything, it means there’s room for more! As Dean Martin used to say, “Keep those cards and letters coming in!”

► FACT: During the first week in August, there were 513 emails delivered to website subscribers. (The most subscribers get is one email per day.) A big advantage for subscribers is that they don’t have to remember to check the website and can choose which posts they are going to read entirely.

Email the MSG Webmaster
Subscribe to the Website

We’re Back! FOR REAL!

Remember the old song, “Like a rubber ball, I’ll come bouncing back to you?”

I am truly sorry that it took longer than expected–and longer than it should have. It’s been frustrating, an education, and–frankly–expensive in terms of both time and money. That’s the limit of my whining.

For those nerdy Grangers, we have a few loose ends. Most won’t be apparent, but one that involves our friend Google. People searching for the site using Google may not find it for a while–it’s hard to tell how long, but at least a few days. The good news is that historically, not many visitors come from “googling” the site.

From a more practical perspective, I do have a backlog of columns and posts to handle. Again, the good news is I’ve been working on the Bulletin, so it’s mostly a matter of now posting from the Bulletin–exactly the opposite of my usual procedure. Barring something unforeseen, I should be caught up by the weekend. This could mean subscribers will be seeing more than the usual number of posts over the next few days.

If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know!

Feel free to join me in a little happy dance!

Subscribe to the Maine State Grange Website

We’re Back!

Since my confidence level is, at the moment, relatively low, I will add that I’m not sure we’ll remain back. The current solution has been labeled “temporary.”

UPDATE: I’m reminded of the line in Jurrasic Park, “We’ve spared no expense,” but the good news is the fixes should be permanent by Monday at the absolute latest.

I am “gathering rosebuds where I may, ” catching up with posts, etc., and also continuing to work on a more permanent solution. Your continued patience is appreciated!

One thing I’ve learned that you might find interesting! When we experience website issues, I can still contact website subscribers by email. Those who are subscribers know that because you received an email explaining that the site was down. Some who are not subscribers emailed me asking what was going on.

So you can see there’s an advantage to all of us for you to subscribe. A couple of important facts about subscribing:

  • We do not share your email address with anyone, and the only email you receive will be an occasional summary of website posts.
  • Except for very rare emergency situations, you will not receive more than one email per day.
  • Subscribing is free, and you remain in control of your subscription. You can easily “unsubscribe” at any time.

If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know!

Subscribe to the Maine State Grange Website

New Ventures Maine – Free Courses

Reprinted from an e-newsletter by Stacey Guerin, Maine State Senator, District 4

New Ventures Maine, a statewide program of the University of Maine at Augusta that has helped Maine residents venture in new directions for over 40 years through tuition-free programs for career, business, and financial education, has announced its next set of fall classes and workshops.

Offered at no cost to all Maine adults, the program includes in-person and online options as well as one-on-one coaching. They offer one-day programs and course-length classes that encourage and empower those thinking about making a change to take the next step towards financial security, a new career or even a new business.

With topics ranging from job searches, resume strategies and money management to career choices, interviewing and building confidence, the classes and workshops are easy to enroll in and some can even be taken at your own pace. For more information about course offerings and how to sign up, as well as success stories and other resources, please visit their website.