I live in Maine. We have a lot of trees. I noticed the power company cutting back the trees and branches two years ago and asked them out of curiosity, why haven’t they been doing it for the past 5 years. I was told every county is on a rotating schedule; they don’t have the manpower to cut in every area, every year. Seems to me it would be better in the long run to hire a full staff and act preemptively rather than have to import workers from far away at huge overtime wages. Meanwhile, I advise you to get an emergency generator.

I live in Maine, and when I moved here, I had in my mind the terrible ice storm that took out the power for a week and a half back in the 1990s. Maine is beautiful, but neither the individual towns nor the power companies take responsibility for taking down trees and branches closest to power lines. I bought an emergency generator. I paid for it by not going to the Oxford casino and by not smoking and by not buying liquor. Maine is beautiful, but they’ve lost their minds when it comes to liquor. You can get liquor at every gas station, every convenience store, every pharmacy and every supermarket. You can afford to gamble, smoke cigarettes, drink liquor but you can’t afford to buy an emergency generator?

I can’t help thinking there was negligence or carelessness involved. Unless it was the intentional act of an enemy of the occupants.

I’m old and have owned 5 homes in my lifetime. They all still stand. The newest was built in the 1970s. I’ve had gasoline and gas powered generators. Never had a fire of any kind in any of them. Some were rental properties. The renters never created any hazards.

Maybe I’m being unjust, but I believe if you do proper maintenance, hire professionals for your electrical, plumbing and heating work, you’ll avoid having a fire.

I feel terrible about the irreplaceable loss of this piece of history and the death of the poor dog who saved the occupants lives but was unable to be saved.

I have an emergency generator. How is it possible in this day and age that there are homeowners who don't have one?

You can buy an emergency generator and have it hooked up by an electrician for the price of a low end refrigerator. My advice is to have it done before you need one. The big box stores like Lowes and Home Depot usually have them for about $800 for one that'll power a 3 bedroom home and cheaper generators that just run the fridge and heating system. However, once there's a power outage for more than 1 day, the generators sell out.

You cannot count on huge power companies anymore to keep you supplied with electrical power. They're too busy looking for ways to cut expenses like not cutting back trees or trimming branches when the weather's good.

Get a propane generator if you have a large propane tank. If you have municipal natural gas, get a gasoline generator because you can't always count on natural gas flowing to your home.

If you're allowed to, have your own well dug for water, because you can't always count on city water. Try not to depend on bureaucrats who are never accountable.

Many of the families in Hamilton Beach have lived here for several generations and don’t have plans to leave.

I could not afford to buy a home in the town where I grew up, so I bought a home in a location I could afford. I don't have a college degree but I was smart enough to buy in an area that's not in a flood plain. I don't have oceanfront property and I believe these people have been counting the generosity of other taxpayers (cleverly disguised as the government) to insure that they can continue to live there. They may have no choice and all the money spent over the decades will have been wasted. Money that could have gone to combat climate change.

Too bad this guy doesn't live in Alameda County CA:

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The Alameda county board of supervisors in the San Francisco Bay Area voted Tuesday to adopt a Fair Chance housing ordinance, which would prohibit landlords in private and public housing from using criminal records when considering prospective tenants.

The Estwing hatchet is so beautiful, you don't even want to use it.

Does he like like cheese? Some high end cheese with a cutting board.

Binoculars so he can check out what’s happening across the lake.

A nice camp hatchet like the Estwing with a stacked leather handle. Useful, beautiful, and made in USA.

A Buck knife. Usually made in USA, lasts forever and whittling is a good way to pass the time by the fire pit. Even when friends are with you.

Nice flannel or chamois shirt.

Wool blanket.

A mechanical mantel or wall clock that chimes the hours.

A painting of a lake scene.

A freeze alarm that calls you when you’re away to let you know if there’s a power outage or if the temperature drops below a certain level. Some even let you check the temperature of the cabin while you’re away.

It’s not just NH. First house I ever owned was in Massachusetts. Two family with coal burning furnaces that had been converted to gas. The furnaces and steam pipes were covered with asbestos. Bathrooms had claw foot tubs. 60 amp electrical service with fuses.

Eventually, I had to replace the furnaces and my contractor refused to do it unless I had the asbestos removed first. That was expensive. I sold that house long ago to a flip this house type who converted it to condos!

Do you miss seeing billboards?

This is just posturing. Golden voted with Biden over 90%.

Biden carried Maine in2020, and despite the stupid stuff Biden does and says (like his recent comments on guns), Biden will carry Maine again in 2024.

Did the railroad workers initially have sick days which were taken away, or did they take the job knowing there were no sick days?

Probably stuff that a wife has threatened to throw out and the husband put into storage in order to save it from her ire.

It's not junk, its stuff that you may need someday or stuff that will be collectible and worth a lot of money.

I also hate the games they play. Never mind the game pieces or stamps. Just give me the lower price.

Shaws is on their way out.

As a lifetime resident of the northeast, I would advise thermal underwear instead of a sweater. I find a long coat to be to physically restrictive, and a short coat wont protect your legs.

Get a hankerchief or soft napkins in your outside pockets. Your nose runs more in the cold and you don't want that crap freezing on your face. You'll be blowing your nose a lot.

Those aviator headgear with the rabbit fur linings are great, even if you look goofy when you bring the flaps down.

Get good warm socks and foot wear. Your feet will get numb before your body does.

Buy those chemical warmers in plastic paks. they work.

I don’t care if Bezos is at heart a good person. Amazon is a good company. I’ve used them. Henry Ford was a rabid anti semite and probably drove his son Edsel to an early death. He’s not remembered for that. He’s remembered for Ford Motor Co.

Why does anyone care if Bezos got a tax break for his philanthropy? Isn’t that the purpose of the tax break?

I wonder if amber colored beverages were involved.

News flash: Poor people aren’t the only ones hurting by inflation. The cost of liquor is far far higher if you buy it in nips. It’s like buying one M&M candy at a time instead of in a bag.

You don’t buy nips to take home and enjoy a quiet drink.

So buying a nip is economical stupid, and dangerous because you’re buying it to drink and drive and toss the evidence out the window.

“I’d take a nobody, see, teach him what to say, get his name in the papers. Then I'd pay for his campaign expenses. Get my boys to bring the voters out. And then count the votes over and over again 'til they added up right, and he was elected.” Edward G. Robinson in “Key Largo”

I drink but I've never bought a nip. The only purpose is to drink while driving and then toss the evidence.

Proof positive that poverty in Maine is overreported.

If this is how you buy liquor, you have money to burn.

Like when your baseball coach tells you to get on base for the team regardless of how you do it, even if you have to get beaned!

I call them rural shopping centers. You can get gas, food groceries, liquor, even t shirts and sweatshirts with the stores name on it.

Not for a while. I got a new snow thrower.