2024 Is Arriving!
Communication Shorts 12-30-2023
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!
January Bulletin Reminder
Articles and columns for the January printed Bulletin are due before January 15th. Remember, you can always find recent issues of the Bulletin on the Program Books and Information Page.
Welcome to the New Year!
Yes, we’ll have trouble remembering to write “2024” for a while. Technology may help, but we’ll still want to pay attention to our dates!
Don’t Forget!
Don’t forget to submit the details for a website post and event calendar listing! This is not difficult and you get lots of free publicity!
83rd Annual Maine Agricultural Trades Show Gears Up
Visit the show at the Augusta Civic Center. This year’s show is set to elevate learning, planning, and networking to unprecedented levels. Visit https://www.maine.gov/dacf/agtradesshow for show news, schedules, participant directory, and venue map. Doors open daily at 9 a.m., with no entry fee.
Ideas for Granges
Swap or trade programs are becoming increasingly popular. I’ve recently seen events for musicians, readers (books), cooks (recipes), and even spices! Bringing people together with a purpose sounds like a great cabin-fever reliever!
Thought for You…
“Just when the caterpillar thought her life was over, she became a butterfly.”
Unknown
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!
2023 – A Grange Retrospective
Happy Holidays!
Communications Department
It’s been said, “You live life looking forward; you understand life looking backward.”
So, the MSG Communications Department is happy to offer you this opportunity to “look back” and reflect on Grange Life in 2023 with some brief reminders of thoughts and events that have taken place throughout Maine. These things reflect the “Grange Way of Life.”
As we look forward to life in 2024, we continue to celebrate the Grange Way of Life in our hearts and minds–and on our calendars. Use the online directory to find a Community Grange near you and the Grange Events Page to find opportunities to celebrate.
Subscribers receive a summary of posts — not more than once per day! We do not share your contact information with others. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Junior Grange December Meeting Held
By Marilyn Stinson
Maine State Junior Grange #17 met at Danville Junction on December 16, 2023, for their monthly meeting and to work on a Community Service Project.
The Junior Salutation is: “Junior Grange Members will be true to each other and keep their pledge.”
Committee members helped fill the chairs as they opened the meeting the traditional way, then worked through the order of business, stopping now and then to explain or discuss a procedure for new people, and closed with the alternative way. The alternative is a shorter form.
After the Pledge of Allegiance, the kids learned that there is no punctuation between “one nation” and “under God.” It is all one phrase, and we shouldn’t pause at that point when we are saying it. Anyone having difficulty using God’s name can just omit it.
Many thanks to Kathy Gowen for helping us with our Junior Salutation. She remembers the hand clasp and crossing the arms and hands over our chests for it. Since we seldom say or do it, we have difficulty remembering it.
In 2023, we earned $547.00 in Fair Premiums (used for the trip to Niagara) and discussed possible themes for the coming year. The National Junior Grange theme for the coming year is ‘Corn,’ and we can do some crafts and print our learning experiences for displays. Maine State Lecturer’s Theme is ‘Hands,’ and we can easily follow that theme. We use the fair displays to explain and promote Juniors and our activities and give the kids an opportunity to show off their art and craft talents. Any poetry they’ve written goes to the State Lecturer by March 1st.
Director Betty brought material home from the National Session and, during the Lecturer’s Program, shared information with us. Also, for the Lecturer’s Program, Edith recited a poem she memorized called “Dragonette Prophesy” and sang a dragon song. The kids attending the meeting shared their “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” poster and song while Director Betty signed it. Ta Da!!! Good for them!
After closing, we went downstairs to make fleece scarves for the Lewiston Homeless. Other Juniors around the state can get together in their Granges and make similar scarves for the cold in their areas. Because we are so spread out, helping their local Community Granges with their services seems the easiest way to work out that problem.
Our meetings are scheduled for the 3rd Saturday monthly, and our January meeting will be at MSG Headquarters in Augusta on January 20th.
Please let the Junior committee know about any +1 Juniors your subordinates have accepted. We need their contact information!
Mill Stream Grange Gives
Life at Quill’s End Farm
Site visitors and subscribers enjoy the monthly column “View from the Farm” featuring the adventures and thoughts of Quill’s Endians. We know them as farmers and also as dedicated Grange Members. Heather is a Past Master of Halcyon Grange #345, and the family actively supports the Grange.
They and their farm were recently featured on Farm Drop Stories, a filming project featuring small-scale farming. We’re happy to share their story with you and provide this opportunity to “meet” Heather and Phil.
Webmaster’s Note: Subscribers may need to visit the MSG website to access the video. If the embedded video does not work for you, click this link.
Promoting the Grange Is Fun!
Craft fairs may be an untapped market for Granges–not just to sell crafts but to “sell” the Grange! People interested in crafting are great candidates for getting involved in a Grange! Mill Stream’s participation in the Mount Vernon Craft Fair gets a lot of things right! Remember, fundraising in any form is also an opportunity to promote the good work you are doing as a Grange. It’s possible to raise money and members. Congratulations, Mill Stream Grange!
Communication Shorts 12-15-2023
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!
December Bulletin Reminder
The December Bulletin is finished! Remember, you can always find recent issues of the Bulletin on the Program Books and Information Page.
Is It Suspicion or Caution?
Just a reminder to be cautious and suspicious of emails and phone calls you receive.
Don’t Forget!
Don’t forget to submit the details for a website post and event calendar listing!
National Grange Contest Guide is Available
The National Grange Contest Guide is available for download. Before printing, note that it is over 100 pages long!
ODD (Officers, Deputies, Directors)
We believe all updates are completed! The correct information is listed in the online directory, the print directory (a copy will be mailed with the Bulletin), on the Bulletin, and on the Program Books and Information Page! Please let us know if you encounter any errors!
Ideas for Granges
Could your Grange host a librarian from your local library? The librarian could bring some of the latest releases as well as other media resources.
Thought for You…
“You know how I always dread the whole year? Well this time I’m only going to dread one day at a time.”
Charlie Brown
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!
Exploring Traditions – December 2023
Meandering Around the Grange Way of Life
Playing Jenga Grange…
By Walter Boomsma, Guest Columnist
A while back, we created a “Valley Grange Busy Box” – a tote containing activities that might appeal to children of various ages. Nestled among the puzzles, play dough, coloring books, and crayons is a metal box containing a game called Jenga.
Depending on your perspective, it’s either a simple or complex game. It starts with a tower of 54 blocks. Players then take turns removing a block from the tower. The player then places the removed block on top of the tower. The tower grows taller but loses stability until it ultimately crashes.
We had two middle school-aged volunteers helping us during a recent event. Since there was some downtime, I dug out the busy box and offered them the Jenga Game. A small audience formed to watch the play.
The tension and drama that builds during the game is hard to appreciate until you’ve watched it played. Sometimes, the removal of a block creates a crash. Other times, placing the removed block on top creates it. You need a steady hand, good hand-eye coordination, precision, patience, concentration skills, and a strategic mindset while playing.
Of course, the primary objective of any game is “fun.” But I found myself wondering this: What is the objective? Is the objective to build the tallest unstable tower, or is the objective to hear the blocks come crashing down?
As each girl studied the tower and attempted to remove a block, many observers held their breaths. Many observers repeated this as she attempted to place the removed block on top. There was almost a collective sigh of relief when she succeeded.
Since I could not stay and watch the game, I found myself listening for the crash. When it came, there was a collective sigh of relief from the tension and drama that built as the players removed and added blocks.
And you thought Jenga was just about playing with wooden blocks.
We could play Jenga Grange. Or we are without realizing it. The Grange is built on many different blocks–more than 54. I think of things like “ritual” as a block. Or maybe there’s a “meeting ritual” block and a “joining” ritual block. Even those Granges maintaining the meeting ritual find it increasingly difficult to maintain the joining rituals (degree days). It’s easy to lose sight of the fact that the Grange is–or was–a learning organization. The rituals are the lessons of the Grange. Lecturer’s Programs are another block. You’ve removed a block if you have a meeting with no Lecturer’s Program. You’ve removed a block if you are not following the meeting ritual.
The Grange is a fraternal organization. Some additional blocks have been potluck and bean suppers. “Work parties” that benefit the Grange itself, community organizations, and individuals are blocks that also built the Grange. In years past, Pomona Meetings sometimes became a weekend affair. Plays and dances met the social needs and opportunities of the era.
You might see how we can compare our programming and practice to playing Jenga. If you find yourself using phrases like “Remember how we used to…?,” you’re describing a block that got removed. Chances are removing that block made the tower more wobbly.
That’s not to say that removing things is always wrong–it’s to say that removing things impacts the stability and structure of the organization–either positively or negatively.
It might be a different subject, but adding things also impacts the stability and structure of the organization, and not always in a positive way. Remember that sometimes the tower crashes when a block is removed, and sometimes it crashes when a block is added.
The early day founders and leaders of the Patrons of Husbandry were disciplined and thoughtful when building the organization. By design, every member, every community, Pomona, and state Grange builds and maintains the organization by removing and adding blocks–even those that may seem minor. A question we might consider is, “Will what we are about to do (or not do) make this tower taller and stronger?”
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 – December 2023
How are we going to talk about this?
By Walter Boomsma
207 343-1842
Communications Director
“I left my leash in the car,” explained a recent guest at a gathering. I sensed a kindred spirit. The leash he was referring to was, of course, his smartphone. (I think someone had asked for the latest weather report, and he explained that he couldn’t provide that information.)
His announcement did, however, serve as a spark igniting an interesting conversation regarding addiction. Since we’d met for the first time, we’d found a common ground—we are both working in addiction counseling at the university level. We ended up having an energetic and engaging chat about the spiritual aspects of addiction.
Later the same evening, I had a slightly different conversation with a fourteen-year-old working on a school paper regarding the Electoral College. I delved into her thinking, genuinely and gently curious. The first time, she said, “I don’t have my facts with me…” I teased, “Why worry about the facts?” She laughed and expressed some of her thoughts. If she had her smartphone with her, I didn’t notice. At least she didn’t immediately reach for it to access her facts.
This article is not the beginning of an anti-smartphone crusade. It’s a column on communication.
The commonality between those two conversations was they both were an exploration of thinking, not a discussion of facts. In the first, neither of us cared much about the current weather forecast, but we were interested in what we allow to control us as we journey through life. In the second, we were willing to explore a political topic from both the head and the heart, and the conversation drifted from whether or not the Electoral College was a good thing to the importance of considering both sides of a question. I suspected I knew why she thought the Electoral College should be eliminated, but I still wanted to hear her reasons and understand her thinking. Unlike a text or social media post, actual conversation creates opportunities for engagement. Engagement is fundamentally different from arguing. (Social media gurus know that a post creating controversy tends to get the most clicks because we are reacting instead of probing. The context (how) of dialog becomes very different.)
Join me in a time travel machine. Imagine sitting in a Grange Hall 100 years ago, enjoying a potluck supper. What’s the conversation like? I doubt we’ll hear anyone say, “Oh, darn, I left my phone in the buggy.” We may not hear anyone complaining about all the political advertising. But someone might mention that there are more and more cars on the roads these days. (In 1925, there were 115,229 cars and 23,794 trucks on the roads in Maine.[1] One interesting bit of trivia is that painting lines on roads first caught on in 1926, inspired by someone watching a leaky milk truck make its way down a road. I digress, only to note that might have been a conversation at a Grange supper. Later, under “new business” during the meeting, someone may have suggested a resolution petitioning the government to consider developing a protocol to standardize line painting…
Communication is about content (what we talk about) and context (how we talk about it). I’m only kidding a little when I speculate that we might consider giving the Gatekeeper an added responsibility to monitor the content and context of communication at Grange events. I have attended Grange suppers and meetings where the content has been almost exclusively complaining—sometimes loudly and specifically. Sadly, sometimes there are guests (non-members) present.
“Traffic is horrible—there are too many cars and trucks on the road, and it’s getting out of control.”
“Yeah, my horse got spooked when a big truck passed us on a hill going too fast.”
“I’d never own one of those car things. They’re too expensive and too noisy.”
“I passed one stuck in a mudhole. Thought about pulling him out but decided he deserved it.”
Did the invitation to the meeting say, “Here’s your chance to complain about cars and traffic! The person who has the biggest and best complaint wins a framed certificate of accomplishment!”
Or maybe one person shifts the context from complaining to positive action. “I was following a milk truck leaking the other day and noticed it left a white line on the road. That got me to thinking maybe we could…”
[1] For an interesting history of Maine Roads, read A History of Maine Roads 1600-1970. https://digitalmaine.com/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1006&context=mdot_docs
► FACT: By the time the calendar year 2023 ends, the Maine State Grange Website will have had over 8,000 visits.
