The garden continues to do well despite limited rain. We have watered it at night as it is quite dry. The beans are recovering from their haircut by Betty the hen and hopefully we’ll have some. The squash plants have quickly doubled in size and hopefully we’ll have plenty of those as well. My Instant Pot is ready for processing. I’m waiting on cucumbers as my lettuce is ready. It was excellent in my sandwich as well as salads. I’ll have to add this to the seed list again for next year.

I took a break from baking and stopped at Mandy B’s Bakery and picked up some cinnamon buns which were excellent. It is hard to get motivated to bake in the warm weather. I did make some hard boiled eggs and have them pickling as this was a request from the boys. My hens are laying at least a dozen eggs a day right now. We had egg salad sandwiches as well as potato salad which are a perfect summer supper. The Instant Pot makes the peeling process so much easier. If only I had known this years ago. Steaming is the best way to make hard boiled eggs and have them easily peel.

I have been enjoying the pool after blowing up some new chair floats. The temperature has been perfect; even adding water as the level had dropped did not cool it down too much.

A little bit of hay was done on Saturday and Sunday we made the trip to Mercer to pick up our bull River who had been hanging out at a turkey farm. I was disappointed that the bakery was closed but so happy for Blake, the main baker, as she got engaged. We’ll definitely have to make a trip over again to grab some donuts or whatever other goodies she has whipped up.

The Comprehensive Plan Committee met on Monday and great progress is being made. The next chapter is Agriculture and Foresty which are quite limited in this area now compared to what they used to be.

The Planning Board continues to look for an alternate member. If you are interested, please contact the Town Office.

A big thank you to Heather Vail who keeps our planters and hanging baskets at the Town Office looking spectacular. The colors this year are beautiful.

All day Tuesday it looked like rain and I waited for thunderstorms and rain which I never saw. There was some light rumbling in the evening but unless I slept through it, the weather reports were extremely wrong for this area, but that is nothing new. It did however rain Wednesday morning. I was out for a run and it started to sprinkle but the sky didn’t look any different than it did 24 hours before so I kept going. The drops increased and I looked up at the sky laughed and told Mother Nature to “Bring it on!” Well, she did and I was a mile away. I still laughed and picked up my pace heading home. I got wet but wasn’t soaked and it was still a great start to the day.

Send me your news to newrynews24@gmail.com and I’ll add it to my column. Have a great week and stay cool.

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Eliot and I decided to venture to Wayne to pick strawberries at Stevenson’s. I haven’t gone picking in years and Eliot had never been. The picking was amazing and we may have gone a little overboard but it was hard not to. With six flats of strawberries, I set to work making jam using my digital canner. Although I had reservations with so many steps in the manual, it went great and I am a huge fan. I managed to can 20 jars of jam and with several flats of berries still remaining I made a couple of strawberry rhubarb pies before my rhubarb passes. While the pies baked, I set to work making a couple of loaves of strawberry bread. I also whipped up some biscuits for strawberry shortcake of course. A fruit salad was made and several quarts of remaining berries were frozen for later use. We both decided next year we better not pick quite so many.

I was convinced I could smell strawberries in the car for days and worried there was one that had rolled under the seat to rot so I decided it was a great time to clean and vacuum the car to confirm this was not the case. No strawberries were found although a few pieces of straw had escaped and possibly were where the strawberry smell came from.

The garden continues to do well besides the green beans as Betty, the pet chicken, decided they were a great snack. She has since been grounded to the barn in hopes that they can recover and the beans actually grow back. I sure do miss seeing her roaming around the yard and hopping up on my porch swing to visit.

With a stretch of good weather and a friend with hay down, we ventured to Bethel to help with square bales. Eliot enjoyed throwing hay as we only put up round bales. I was sure my dad was smiling down watching us out in the field. We used to say, “A family that hays together stays together.”

We are in a heat stretch but the mornings still start off cool which is nice for a morning run. I keep my eyes open for wildlife and so far have only seen a couple of deer.

Just a reminder that the Town Office is closed today, Thursday July 2^nd, in observance of Independence Day. The Transfer Station will be closed on Saturday, July 4^th, so please plan accordingly.

If you have any great strawberry recipes for my frozen berries, please feel free to share them with me. If you have any news to add, please send it to me at newrynews24@gmail.com. Have a great week and enjoy the weather as it won’t last forever.

The garden is coming along nicely and it is time to weed. I actually planted lettuce for the first time. Hopefully the deer stay away. I did see a couple of turkeys walk through but they didn’t stop for a snack, thankfully.

We have had a great start to summer vacation and the haying season. I did take some …

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Haying has commenced in full force and Eliot has been an amazing help and has even learned to mow and bale this year. Pretty impressive for a ten-year-old. We hit it hard on Sunday and almost beat the rain. We had a minor breakdown with a chain on our wrapper but it was fixed fairly quickly and the last four bales finished up. It will be nice to have first crop complete so we can work on other projects.

The garden has been planted and I am just seeing lines of little green sprouts popping out of the ground. I hope I get my passion back for putting up vegetables by the time that needs to be done as well as figuring out the new electric pressure cooker. We are down to the last couple of jars of pickled beets so I definitely need to put up more of those.

I have yet to make my annual visit to Young’s or Mountain Greenery for that matter. Typically, I can’t wait to get a hanging planter but right now I really don’t need one more thing to manage so maybe I’ll skip this year and just enjoy my perennials.

The pool is up and pretty clear but definitely not warm enough for me. I attempted it on one of those humid days but only got my legs in before deciding it was too cold for me. Eliot was in quickly stating it wasn’t cold at all. Oh, to be young again. I used to be in Bear River and didn’t think it was cold at all as a child.

Another rhubarb crunch was made and some chocolate chip cookies. It won’t be long and the rhubarb will be gone so I’m making use of it while I can. I don’t tend to bake as much in the summer as I don’t want to heat the house up and we do not have air conditioning.

Just a reminder that the Town Office is closed today, Thursday, June 18, in observance of Juneteenth. The Comprehensive Plan Committee is hosting a Community Engagement Session at the Bear River Grange Hall on Tuesday, June 23, starting at 6 p.m. This is a chance for community to provide feedback to help update the Comprehensive Plan.

Have a great week and remember to take in the little things like the smell of freshly mowed grass or a hay field or for me the beautiful fields and hay bales which I am always stopping to take a picture of.

Send me your news to newrynews24@gmail.com and I’ll add it to my column next week.

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The water level in the pool is up and the filter is running again. Now we just need it to warm up as that water sure is cold.

The apple blossoms have been blown to the ground and the lilacs are in full bloom and smell amazing. We have white in the back yard and purple in the front. I love taking pictures of bees and butterflies on the flowers and take several pictures waiting for the right angle. My hostas are very full and look great except for one of my variegated green ones which something decided to snack on, possibly my chickens.

Speaking of plants, the library plant sale is taking place on Saturday, June 6^th from 9-11am. Don’t miss it as it is a great place to get new additions while supporting the library. Most of my hostas were obtained at this sale and are amazing. I’ve missed the last few years due to other commitments but maybe I’ll make it this year.

Baking consisted of another new rhubarb recipe. This time it was a Rhubarb Crunch which was a big hit. Molasses cookies are on the list next as a request from Eliot.

Baseball continues and they had a home game Tuesday night against Poland and the kids did great. Eliot had a couple of great outs, one on first and one on third and hit a triple with his new bat. These kids are so supportive of each other and encouraging. It really is great to see how they have grown and learned to work together in the last month and we still have a couple more weeks to go.

Make sure to add the Community Engagement session to your calendar for June 23^rd at 6 p.m. at the Grange Hall. This session is being held by the Comprehensive Plan Committee to obtain input while they prepare the updated Comprehensive Plan. The next Comprehensive Plan meeting takes place on Monday, June 15^th at 5 p.m. at the Town Office.

Come visit the polls to vote in the Primary Election on Tuesday, June 9^th from 8 a.m.-8 p.m. If you have any interest in being a ballot/election clerk, please inquire at the Town Office.

If you missed the Town Meeting that took place, you can still pick up the Town Report at the Town Office or view it on the town’s website.

That’s all for this week. Enjoy the weather and take time to enjoy the small things in life. Send me your news to newrynews24@gmail.com.

The apple blossoms have smelled amazing and are so beautiful. Let’s ho…

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The weekend was a busy one with moving some of our cattle to their summer field. When we first arrived to drop the cattle off in the luscious green field, there was a moose hanging out in the field pacing back and forth trying to figure out how to get out. After many back and forths, it finally decided it would have to jump the fence which it did without any damage to the fence. We’re hoping it stays away but it was kinda neat to see. Our home herd is five lighter for the summer.

Top priority currently is fence repair so the remaining cattle can go out on pasture. There is always so much to do this time of year and the deer sure were hard on the fence over the winter. At least there has been a breeze which has kept the bugs away. The ticks are out so remember to check when you come inside.

We’re hoping we can shut the outdoor wood boiler down soon but the nights still seem to cool down quite a bit. I’m thinking in the next week we’ll begin opening the pool up. I snuck a peek under the cover and it actually looks quite clear besides some debris on the bottom but it is encouraging.

Baking commenced on Friday and consisted of strawberry rhubarb pie and an old fashioned rhubarb cake which I had never made before and was quite good. I’ve attempted freezing rhubarb in the past but didn’t feel like it held up well so I may try again but use the FoodSaver and see if it makes a difference. If you have any good rhubarb recipes I should try, please feel free to share.

Just a reminder that the Town Office is closed on Monday, May 25^th in observance of Memorial Day. There are only 6 chairs remaining from the Grange Hall. If you are interested, get them before they are gone.

Send me your news to newrynews24@gmail.com and I’ll happily add it to my column next week.

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Just a reminder that the bears are out and looking for food so be sure to bring your bird feeders in at night and secure all trash. The one in this picture was caught by a Newry firefighter and had just exited a fellow firefighter’s truck bed as they were able to snag a treat from the back.

The mornings are still cool but for a change of pace I decided to go for a walk instead of hitting the elliptical. It was nice and refreshing and I saw seven deer. It was neat to see those white tails flagging as they ran across the field and splashed down across the river. I’ll definitely be doing this again soon.

Tuesday night was Eliot’s first scrimmage and it was a great game. We left the house in t-shirts and having applied sunscreen but we really needed an umbrella and sweatshirts. It went from 81° to 61° in 3 hours. We got soaked and were cold but the kids did great. It started off with a bang and I have a feeling it’s going to be a great season. While drying off and warming up I made a list of things I need to pack in the car for future games: chair, umbrella, bug spray, and warm clothes.

Just a reminder that the Newry Town Office is closed today, Thursday, May 7, as staff is attending a conference in Bangor. Code Enforcement will be available. The Annual Town Meeting is Tuesday, May 12, at 6 p.m. at the Bear River Grange Hall. The town warrant and material can be viewed at newrymaine.org or picked up at the Town Office prior to.

That’s all for this week. If you have something to contribute, please send it to me at newrynews24@gmail.com. I can even include a picture, if you send one.

I did get to rake out my flower garde…

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With the propane tanks filled, we have done some grilling but I did resort back to a beef stew on the cold Sunday when I was under the weather. Pancakes with locally made syrup along with some sausage gravy were on the menu this past weekend. I also whipped up a couple of loaves of pumpkin bread in an attempt to use up my stock in the freezer. I think pumpkin tastes good year round and I definitely don’t save it just for the fall.

We took a trip to Colebrook, NH, to check out a Marketplace find. It was a lovely ride and thankfully it was before the rain as it was on some dirt back roads which were quite bumpy but not muddy. Eliot would love to live there as they are ATV friendly and he could do lots of riding. There were some beautiful views and lots of tree farms which was nice to see. I was hoping to see a moose but they were nowhere to be seen. It reminded me of childhood when we would bake up some pizzas on a Friday night, watch a movie and take a trip to Grafton and hope to see a moose on what we called a “moose cruise.”

I sure am thankful to my mom for running my kid to baseball practice and getting him where he needs to go. The game schedule came out and she’s willing to help me with that as well. I couldn’t do it without her.

Monday the office was closed in observance of Patriots’ Day and although I was feeling better, I still was not feeling great and it went from sunny with blue sky to snowing and no visible mountains so I stayed inside and did some spring cleaning. It really was more sorting, throwing, and organizing than anything but it made me feel good. It sure is amazing how much stuff we accumulate from old papers to gadgets we don’t need but don’t want to throw away as they are still useful. That closet is still waiting but I did do one shelf which is at least a start.

Just a reminder that the Select Board meets the first and third Tuesdays at 5pm. Agendas can be seen on the town’s website: newrymaine.org. Town meeting is on Tuesday, May 12, at 6 p.m. Just a reminder the office will be closing on Wednesday, May 6, at 4 p.m. and will be closed all day Thursday, May 7, for staff to attend training in Bangor. The code enforcement officer will be available.

That’s all for this week. Send me your news to newrynews24@gmail.com and I’ll happily add it to my column next week.

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Saturday, we ventured to Lewiston for a birthday party at the trampoline park. All the kids had a great time and were able to burn off a bunch of energy which was nice. We’ve had birthday parties the last 3 weekends but I think we get a break next weekend.

I decided to host Easter Sunday lunch at our house. It consisted of ham, mashed potatoes, peas, squash, green beans, homemade rolls and pineapple upside down cake. I know my grandmother, dad, and mother-in-law are all smiling down on us getting together and sharing stories. We sure do miss all of them but they will never be forgotten.

The Comprehensive Plan Committee met on Monday and reviewed the Housing chapter and summary of the Economy chapter. Erica and Ethan from AVCOG are helping put together the chapters with feedback from the committee. They both bring so much excitement and really make the process easy.

A public hearing was held at the Town Office on Tuesday regarding changes to the Unified Development Review Ordinance that will be voted on at Town Meeting on May 12^th at the Grange Hall at 6pm. For more information, visit the town’s website newrymaine.org.

While this hearing and Select Board meeting were taking place, Beauty decided on this snowy day she would bring a bull into this world. That makes number 3. We’re waiting on one more and then a short break before the next bunch arrives.

That’s all for this week. Send me your news to be included next week to newrynews24@gmail.com.

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Baking consisted of an ice cream cake, requested for the birthday boy.

With the snow on Sunday, we decided to stay home and relax; although I really wanted to go to Maine Maple Sunday in Berlin, NH to Patry’s Sugarhouse. Maybe next year or it sounds like they may have some other events which might work out. I sure would like to try their maple butter on some freshly baked bread.

The next couple of weekends have more birthday parties on the books. It sure makes the weekend go quick when there is a plan. I guess I better make good use of my Fridays off. I still have yet to tackle that crazy closet as before it gets better it is definitely going to get worse as everything has to be removed. I have to be in the mood to take on a project like that or I will either keep everything or throw things out that I probably should keep. So for now, until the mood strikes, it will stay as is.

My hens have been enjoying the warmer days and laying steady and eggs just keep rolling in. Thankfully I have a bunch of neighbors who contact me and buy dozens at a time. It is nice to see them and visit. Sometimes we chat about baking or even getting our gardens started and what we plan to plant. Speaking of that, I better getting ordering my carrots and onions soon but I better add it to my to-do list as the days get busy and things get forgotten.

That’s it for this week as it’s time to do some laundry, go to work and then a meeting. Life sure is busy lately.

Send me your news to newrynews24@gmail.com and I’ll add your news to my column.

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I wish the warm weather would continue but I’m sure there will be colder temperatures and probably even some snow or rain. I can, however, see our firepit, which is a great sign. I even sat out on the porch swing. I will need to dig out the cushions soon.

Daylight saving time sure does take time to get used to. I enjoy it staying light later into the evening but I’m a morning person so I’m missing the daylight in the morning.

Cooking was limited this weekend with corn chowder, biscuits, and pumpkin pie. I’m so thankful to have put up so many great vegetables that I am still able to enjoy and feed my family with.

My hens are enjoying the warmer weather and I’m getting a dozen or more eggs per day. Reach out if you’d like to purchase some eggs.

The Town of Newry has posted its roads. For further information, check our website at newrymaine.org or feel free to give the code enforcement officer a call.

Boat stickers have arrived at the Town Office. Register early so you are ready when you want to go out.

The next Select Board meeting is Tuesday, March 17 at 3 o’clock.

Enjoy the little things. Take time to be with your people as life is short and I’ve been reminded of that lately. Do what makes you happy. Make a plan as it is nice to have something to look forward to.

Send me your news to: newrynews24@gmail.com

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