Posted inbPlus

What did telephone operators do, exactly?

The essence of a telephone operator’s job was to efficiently connect a caller to someone they wanted to call during an era when the technology was not yet sophisticated enough to allow direct connection. For many years it meant physically plugging and unplugging wires into the switchboard, connecting or disconnecting callers. The idea for a […]

advertisement
Posted inbPlus

The do’s, don’ts and benefits of composting

WHAT TO COMPOST (See related story on how to balance these materials for a successful compost.) Fruits and vegetables Eggshells Coffee grounds and filters Tea bags (no staples) Nut shells Shredded newspaper Cardboard Paper Yard trimmings Grass clippings Houseplants Hay and straw Leaves Sawdust Wood chips Cotton and wool rags Hair and fur Fireplace ashes […]

Posted inbPlus

Advice for beginning gardeners

Members of the 24,900-member Facebook group Backyard Gardeners Maine offer advice to beginning growers: GOOD READS Lea Carver: “Use resources like the UMaine Extension Service, which has numerous free bulletins for home gardeners. Read books by author Eliot Coleman and especially the “Garden Primer” by Barbara Damrosch (they both live/grow in Maine). And perhaps most […]

Posted inbPlus

Maine weddings by the numbers

AVERAGE COSTS IN MAINE $25,000: Wedding total $12,200: Venue and catering $2,000: Flowers $2,000: Photographer $1,800: Wedding planner $3,400: Live band $1,000: DJ $1,200: Wedding dress $1.2 billion: Wedding industry contribution to Maine economy WEDDINGS IN THE U.S. No. 2: Maine’s ranking among states for destination weddings in 2021 (Hawaii was No. 1) 2.5 million: […]