At Moody’s Diner in Waldoboro, Maine, they have a sign over the kitchen: Pie Fixes Everything. I finally graduated from massage school today. The school is located in Waldoboro, and I thought it was the perfect opportunity to pick up that sign for myself, from Moody’s Gift Shop.

Someone needs to tell Jodi that the sign does not actually contain pie.

Now that I’m graduated and cooking more, you can look forward to more posts, especially all about my adventures on the farm.  Often, these adventures involve chickens.  Stay tuned.

Ah’ve always depaynded upon the kaindness… of strayngers.

My little VW Golf is a great city car, in the summer. I can haul most of what I need to haul, and it’s great on gasoline. Recently, it’s had the pleasure to carry two massage tables at once, complete with bags full of sheets and blankets, back and forth to Waldoboro with my carpool buddy riding in the passenger seat. But boy, is it just not that great in the snow.

The 13 inches that fell yesterday were powdery and light, almost like fake snow. Skiiers should be happy. So should my friend who’s visiting Maine from Colorado and had been bemoaning the lack of good skiing. When I went down to the snow ban lots near the beach this morning, most cars were already out, and one guy about my age was swiping snow off of his little Honda in big sweeping motions of his arm. He pulled out of his spot without even the slightest bit of shovelling.

I got in my little Golf and did not move. The front wheel had caught some ice, and was spinning like mad.

This complete stranger came over and helped out with a dig, a couple of pushes, and I was free.

And you know what’s great? This happens all the time. I’ve had the pleasure to help out my neighbors too, people I’ve never met and may never see again.

I love this town.

It took us over an hour and a half to get both of our cars out, and we didn’t even really have to shovel too much. Of course, some of that time was spent helping other folks with a shovel, a push, or both.

Our downstairs neighbor, poor guy, parked in the driveway. He’s completely plowed in. He’s out there now, hacking at the thick layer of ice-on-snow with a pickaxe. He’ll be out there for a while. I’ll be surprised if he manages to get his car out by noon.

We got eight inches in Portland. Eight inches of powder would not be so bad, but these are eight sleety, icy, frozen inches.

From this morning’s Sunrise Herald:

Wind chill is too generous. It should be called wind freeze today. It is wicked out there, blowing easily at 20 mph with 40 mph gusts. The snow, meanwhile, has moved on, but in its place is the wind, which should be blowing all day.

Highs expected in the 20s, but you won’t know it. Sun comes out, but you won’t feel it. Keep as little skin exposed as possible, and keep the tots bundled when they go sledding. Skin can get frostbitten within minutes in these temps.

[...]

Most schools at 8 a.m. were reporting delays rather than closures. And if your town has a street, there is more than likely a parking ban.

We came in after our morning’s effort and I made us some coffee and a big pot of cheese grits. I’d found them in the bulk aisle at Whole Foods for 99 cents, much cheaper than in a box. (Though if you’re strapped, you can buy them on Amazon.) Grits are an easy savory breakfast — 1 part grits to 4 parts water, a pinch of salt, and five minutes of stirring.

Cheese Grits
Serves 2–4
Bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Whisk in 1/2 c. quick-cooking grits and a pinch of salt. Reduce heat to a simmer, and allow to simmer until thick, about five minutes. Add in about 1/2 c. Monterey Jack cheese. Dish out into bowls and top with butter pats.

Cheese grits are warm, satisfying, and perfect for a post-shoveling breakfast.

Knight headed for Staples Thursday and bought a bunch of red,
one-inch-round labels. Then he fired up his computer and
printed “WARNING Contains EGGS” twice on each one.

Then he and the rest of the family spent the day cutting each
label in half and affixing the semi-circular warnings to the cap
on each bottle — being careful not to encroach on the bar code.

“Someday we’re going to look back at this and laugh,” chortled
one of the workers.

Replied Knight, “Yeah, but it won’t be tomorrow.”

I finally had a chance to see one of these labelled bottles, and just had to share.

Be careful, or the FDA might encroach on your local family operation as well!

I love this place. Ever since I discovered their wireless internet access, I’ve gone there to work at least once a week, sometimes more. It’s homey, with overstuffed couches and a kids’ play area, and the vegetarian-friendly food is simple, fresh, and often comes from local farms. What more could I possibly want?

Oh, right. Friendly staff. Got that too.

This morning: an “everything” spelt bagel with olive oil, freshly ground black pepper, tomato, and avocado. So simple, and so delicious.

And then I stayed after chatting with my friend, and worked through lunch: A huge bowl of beans and and brown rice with red onion, cheddar, tomatoes, and avocado. (I like avocado!)

It’s so funny, you know? They bill themselves as a music cafe, a proper coffeehouse. They even have beer on tap — sip your HSA while enjoying the open mic night. But I’ve never really gone there for any of the shows. This will have to change.

On whether the short growing season in Maine makes produce more intense:

That’s a theory. Produce in Maine tends to have an extremely strong flavor…. Our plants are challenged by cool nights, a short growing season, an intensity of light in late June and July, and a lot of bugs and funguses and other attacking microbes. I did an event in Mendocino County, California… Basils were growing five feet tall. You very seldom see basil growing like that in Maine. I harvested a bunch… and I couldn’t coax any flavor out of it. [It] might as well have been lettuce.

It’s worth reading the entire interview; you certainly get a flavor (pun intended) of how people approach food here.