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In This Issue of The Wood Prairie Seed Piece:

Megan's Kitchen Recipes: Winter Squash Soup.

Wood Prairie Family Farm Photos.

The Turner Grange.  The Grange movement was started by a progressive farmer in Minnesota after the Civil War. Its goal was to become a national organization which would unify isolated farmers and protect their interests on both the buying and selling end in the marketplace. The Grange idea caught on in Maine in the 1870s. By the turn of the century the Grange had become very significant in Maine. Maine actually led the nation in terms of per capita Grange memberships. For many decades following, into the new century, the Grange had an enduring beneficial impact on rural society and politics in addressing such areas as supporting women’s right to vote, election reform and curbing monopoly power. Back in the 1970s, our local chapter of the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association had monthly meetings and one old-time Granger named Delmont would regularly attend meetings. He and his parents before him had been strong life-long Grange members. His stories, his friendliness and his inclusive demeanor left a memorable impact on us that the Grange had been a real force for good.

     Going way back, Maine has always been a good place to live. So it won’t be hard to understand that Maine is where a Mainer wants to be when his life is coming to an end.

A Maine Farmer

     Megan's great grandfather was a hard-working Maine farmer by the name of Arthur Libby, born in 1872. Grandpa Libby bought his family's farm in the western Maine town of Turner in 1902. At the close of WWI, he sold that farm and bought another smaller farm in nearby Turner Center where for decades he kept cattle and pigs, and grew apples and blueberries. Like most any Maine farm, the family's hard work brought about a decent living, though of course in family farming, no one ever gets rich.

     Grandpa Libby was active in his community. The Grange had been a huge movement in rural Maine and he served in the Turner Grange. Grandpa Libby was also active in the local church (it happened to be a Universalist Church) and Town government. Interestingly Julia, Arthur's wife, was fourteen years Arthur's senior. In fact, as a young woman Julia had taught Arthur in a Turner schoolhouse.

     The Libbys were happily married for many years. And then Julia passed in 1944. Shortly after the end of WWII, Grandpa Libby resettled down to Florida to carry on living with his daughter, Hilda.

Return to Maine

     The years went by in Florida. When Grandpa Libby came to realize his time was coming near, he surveyed the options ahead of him. He came to the determination that, by gory, he was not about to die anywhere except in his treasured State of Maine. So during the winter of 1959-1960, with help, he made his way back north to the farm he still owned in Turner Center. There, he was taken in by the family of his other daughter, Doris.

     By nature, Grandpa Libby was resolute and a Mainer of few words. Common to Mainers, most especially of his generation, Grandpa Libby had long, long ago effortlessly mastered the art of frugality. Frugality itself was not an insubstantial reason behind Grandpa Libby's farming success. In reality, frugality lay behind the success of many a Maine farmer.

     One morning, after having gotten settled back into Maine, Grandpa Libby decided it was time to plainly lay things out. At breakfast one morning, in order to dispel any misconceptions, confusion or speculation, he curtly revealed to all his well-established prerogative, "I change my teabag on Thursdays."

     It was late that same winter that Grandpa Libby, at the age of 84, died in his own bed, in his own house, on his own farm, in the great State of Maine.

Caleb, Jim & Megan

Wood Prairie Family Farm Photos.