You are talking about a huge portion of the state, but considering some Mainers have never even been to The County, I appreciate where your head is at.

I'll just make a list:

Baxter State Park The Golden Road North Maine Woods The County when the potatoes are in bloom Long Lake The St. John River valley

I hope that helps!

I love this on so many levels. This just screams Maine to me.

I can relate. I lost my wallet last week and subsequently ran out of weed. Come to find out, you absolutely need an ID to buy weed in a store.

I bet most people that work from home don't have chain saws....

If you think getting a picture of a lynx on a trail cam is as easy as tying a camera to a tree, then obviously you have never tried to photograph wildlife

This reminds me of a childhood story: My siblings and I always got tasked with shoveling the driveway as kids. It wasn't a big driveway, but we always dreaded doing it. One day we were about half done shoveling after a big storm, and one of the neighbors comes over with his snowblower and starts helping us out. After about 5 seconds of that, my mother comes running out of the house waving her arms and says something like "No, no. The kids can shovel. They don't mind." So he turned around and headed home, and we picked up our shovels and finished. I grew up in The County. Go figure.

Respect for that driver

I think if you're young and ambitious, you could bypass college or tech school. If you're willing to knock on the doors of some tradesman business owners, I bet you would not be long finding someone willing to pay you and give you on the job training. I turn wrenches and operate equipment on a farm and make $50k/yr and get offhand job offers all the time. I started doing general labor at a different farm (a big farm where I could learn things other than pulling weeds and scrubbing carrots) right out of high school and jut made it known that I craved knowledge and experience. 10 years later, I'm pretty happy with my gig.

Also, consider your interest in living in a rural community. I know all kinds of folks from rural Maine that ran downtown Portland or Boston after college to get high paying jobs as insurance salesman or whatever and have painted themselves into a suburban corner because they can't get an equivalent salary in the country.

I fish up here in the Belfast area. I've been out Saturdays and Sundays for the past 3 or 4 weekends. There isn't a ton of ice, but it's definitely safe on the small ponds.

My suggestion would be go to IFW's website and look up the stocking reports for your county (if you're looking for trout). You'll notice the bodies that get fewer numbers of stocked fish are often tiny ponds that provide lots of opportunity to catch some fish and lock up far before the big lakes that are often more popular.

Does anyone else calls these Gorbeys? I was in my 30's before I learned that they were also called Grey Jays

I'm not sure if it matters for your study, but I am willing to pay a lot more for something that is locally grown in soil. I will choose a local, aquaponic product over a conventional product, but I will not pay more for it.

This is super sad. The folks that survived must be truly traumatized after witnessing the death of a friend and then being unable to contact anyone for any hour. Regardless of stupidity, they certainly didn't deserve this.

Wrist protection

Realistically, a lot of people can't afford a generator. It is definitely a lot cheaper to rig your water lines to be drained and blown out by an air compressor. Keep some RV antifreeze on hand to dump into your sink traps, and your house essentially winterized.

Yeah, I get wanting to stay home. It's always good to fill some pales or cans with water, or at least fill your bath tub,if you think you're going to lose power. But really, it sounds like a bigger generator is going to be your best option.

Wire your house up to receive a generator.

Learn how to fully drain your pipes.

Be ok with staying with the in-laws that do have power.

What are you trying to say about The County and potatoes? The valley has been a historic blue region, thank you very much.

Gardens take more time than most non-gardeners think. My suggestion is start small and keep it simple. Tomatoes and peppers can be tough. Greens and herbs can be pretty simple. Also, seriously consider buying transplants at a nursery or small farm and use those. They are much easier than direct seeding, to start out.

Just get all of the layers. To survive winter, you will need a winter hobby, and that requires outdoor clothing. I typically wear up to 5 layers on the coldest of days, one of which is a vest! Also, fleece lined pants are super clutch if snow pants feel too bulky for walking around town or whatever.

Wait, isn't RSV an issue BECAUSE of a lack of early immune system development in kiddos? Why does this have to be so politically driven? If you are fully vaccinated and boosted, why wear a mask? Also, I don't think anyone judges anyone else for wearing a mask in public. It is a personal choice. I think people that wear a mask may just be sensitive because they judge the 90% of the population that doesn't wear a mask. Finally, I'm all about people wearing masks if their doctor recommends it. Something tells me most people that wear a mask are asking Dr. Google or Dr. CNN.

I bought a Webber Smokey Mountain at Aubuchon this summer. I do a fair bit of hunting and fishing, so it was a no brainer. They are like $300 once you get all the paraphernalia, but they are so worth it if you're into smoking your own food. There are countless opportunities for smoking. Anyway, I spatchcocked a turkey I shot this fall and smoked the halves and it was freaking delicious.

I saw one dead on the side of the road the other day. I'm sure it wouldn't mind being held

There are still lots of general stores in Maine...