Houlton, ME

When considering moving to a new area, its nice to know the hospital there has all the specialties. Houlton Regional Hospital on Hartford Street has everything from OB/GYN's to cardiac specialists to out patient clinics of all kinds. Physcial therapy is handled expertly at Positive Steps and routine industrial medicine is processed efficiently at Company Doc. Visit the Houlton Regional Hospital website here. Learn about a variety of HRH events here. The CEO of HRH is Thomas Moakler who does a fine job of keeping spirits high and running the facilty professionally. He knows the workers, their families on a first name basis and is not stuck in an executive office like some hosptial heads. Tom is very involved in the community and has a daughter that was the best Maine tennis player in the state a few years back. His wife is a nurse too so he knows the hospital from every angle with her input. The Houlton Rotary Club auctions off Boy With The Leaky Boot pewter statues that raise $1000 each to help the Houlton Regional Hospital Foundation raise additional monies for equipment and technology. To date close to 500 statues have been sold in the fund raiser. Houlton Maine and Southern Aroostook are very fortunate to have high quality health care providers and a top knotch facility here in the county seat of Aroostook. In addition to an emergency room that serves Houlton's town Ambulance, other providers in outlying towns to the north, west and south bring the sick and injured to the hospital's ER. The staff in the ER also is well know around the state, serving as instructors to keep other facilities Maine certified. Continuing education and incentives to further learning are well used by the staff that exceeds 300 at Houlton Regional Hospital. The ER also has a Life Flight helicopter landing pad and communication devices to monitor and keep the patient stable on the ground at a full care facility with the shortest time in the air offered to improve survival rate of sick and injured patients it serves. The hospital is just off Interstate 95 which makes ambulance access short and efficient which benefits the patients of all ages that HRH serves. You don't consider how fortunate a good health care facilty is until your loved one needs it.

Northern Penobscot and Washington Counties in Maine have ambulance runs to HRH. In rural parts of Northern Maine, the local communities are grateful to have such a well run, well staffed hospital like Houlton Regional in Southern Aroostook. The Presque Isle rrea is served by Aroostook Medical Center and in Caribou, Cary Memorial Hospital is part of the city's community structure and like HRH, are vital partner in the area they serve in Northern Aroostook County.

When a buyer is considering a move to Houlton Maine, there are usually five questions that get asked if they know they want to live in Maine...just not sure which town. First, tell me about your schools. Second, what is your hospital like? Third, how much snow do you get? Fourth, is there a well run parks and rec program?(Yesss!) And fifth, do you have a library and how extensive is it? We've covered the other areas in earlier blogs so Cary Library's turn on Main Street in Houlton, Maine. As a child I remember going into the old original stone library and the second floor being glass! You could walk on it, see somewhat thru it and as a little guy I thought that was pretty neat. The older section once the new large addition was added is used more for a special children's library complete with a summer reading program to get youth to know the joy of reading early on. In this section too is a large fireplace and during the Christmas holiday, there is a fire going and a special story time. When someone near and dear passes away in Houlton, there are many worthwhile charities to give funds to in memory of the loved one. When you give fifty dollars to the library, they send a nice card to the family, indicating the list of books that were purchased in memory and along the lines of what the person enjoyed. You get a real insight into the person from their hobbies and past times. Cary Library is located at 107 Main Street, on the corner of Broadway and in front of Monument Park where the Houlton Amphitheatre built by the Houlton Rotary Club hosts McGill's Band. Two sites to visit for the library...one site was set up in part by Bert Audette who worked their summers. Another site is very detailed explaining the state of Maine's extensive library network, the geneology department which is a home to rich history in the Southern Aroostook area. The original library was constructed back in 1903 with a $10,000 donation from Andrew Carnegie. The structure that is a vibrant center piece to Houlton Maine, the County Seat of Aroostook is on the Historic Register.

In the 1960's there was a major movement for "back to the landers", or affectionately nicknamed "granolas" to the Northeast. Carrying new issues of Mother Earth News, brochures on Yurts (canvass covered goat hair wrapping for exterior of their new house) a couple with often a row of little ones in similiar coveralls and Mr Green Jeans clothing would seek a piece of land to farmstead or homestead on. Many locals would stratch their heads but had to admit these folks were friendly, a little naive but on the right track to eat right, live right and who were not afraid of working the land to create a living, shelter and food for their families.

Heating with wood, and not wanting to be on the grid to protect the neighborhood from too many new neighbors, these folks started food co-ops, grew organic produce, and lived a simple, humble lifestyle heating with wood. Not wanting to set the world on fire, they escaped urban areas or rural areas on the fridge of exploding with building to trek north. Strout Realty was a company started by a Maine man E.A. Strout who had a notion back in 1900 that folks lived in the cities, and flocked there for jobs when farming was not panning out, but in the back of their heads...many wanted to come back and give it another try once better bank rolled. He was right..all the Strout offices around the country peddled rural property...you would not see a Strout office in downtown LA...but in Maine alone there were 25 offices. Run by average, honest salt of the earth folks that helped sell the rural way of life "All Across America". In the 1950's there were 2000 Strout offices...the hoola hoop was big, drive in theatres the rage, Elvis excited or angers many. This was before the plethora of franchises like Century 21, Coldwell Banker, etc.

There is a strong sense of having your own 40 acres to be self sufficient. This longing is based on a number of factors. Back in the 1800's 96% of us were farmers! Small farms were the back bone of the country...feeding the nation, teaching work ethic and how to make things last because there was never much money floating around to just run out and replace it. Kick the can and heading to the lake after chores was enough to entertain and create contentment. Heck, you were happy to just be done working for the day. Early to bed as up with the crows to milk the cows, start the chores again. You saw your family thru out the day other than being at school because everyone had a role working on the farm so you could make a living to stay on the farm that may have been in your family for three generations or more. The farming lifestyle is in our genes from not so long ago. Now larger farms with monstrous equipment and automation have taken over due to smaller profits and need for agri-businessman to keep the operation in the black. Foreign imports of food...new eating habits with fast food and quick prepare meals coming into vogue. Years ago on the farm life was simpler because no money to make it anything different. You had to fix what broke or learned to go without what you could not afford. There was no extra money. Some would say we were poor but did not know it. We were all the same. Well fed, mom knitted mittens and canned, dad and the boys chopped and stacked wood. You had what you needed...a filled belly, warm place to sleep, warm homemade clothes and lots of love from knowing you were a vital part of the family...you were needed, you had a role no matter what your age. No one was spoiled...there was not extra money to lavish with...and with 11, 12 or 15 family members...no one got too much of anything...it was spread around to all the children under the roof.

Some of the granolas had the right idea but the life was too hard and they had been spoiled with earlier glimpses and knowlege of an alternative life with power, luxuries and machines to do some of the labor for us. These folks washed out. Some made it work if they were determined and hardworking enough. And some granolas became yuppies...growing organic produce and not trying to sell it at the local farmer's market alone. Heck no...with the internet..you can now have a nifty web site to promote the produce or product that is home grown and you sell a serving for eight...not a 50 pound bag of potatoes. You can ship them with the UPS brown truck cruising in daily to intercept the package rather than loading a trailer truck or like back in the 40's, 50's and early 60's growing a train car load of produce destined for the markets. Someone in Manhattan is having dinner guests this Friday night and for $48.50 they can have shipped to them baby Maine carrots and red pontiac potatoes for their four guests. Money is not an object..the time frame of "can we have it by Friday"..a few days away is the only concern.

Consider the simpler, healthy lifestyle...are you ready for a change? Above http://www.motherearthnews.com/

Or visit a Northern Maine place for organic food that is an experience located in TD R2 West of Bridgewater Maine in Aroostook County. http://www.woodprairie.com