Maisie Sturtevant, of Switchback Farm in Nobleboro, has deep roots in Damariscotta Mills. She grew up summering at the well-appointed Wriggins farm on Bayview Street, where her grandparents, Ada and Tom Wriggins, lived and farmed.

I am not sure I would have guessed April would have been dubbed dairy month in Maine. However, it makes me happy that dairy farmers get a month of celebration through Maine Harvest of the Month!

After the war the U.S. was booming with a new consumer-based economy. Maine and Bristol remained pretty much stuck in the past. Taxes were inequitable, many roads were still dirt and others were out of repair. Much of our infrastructure and institutions were antiquated. Most people returned to their previous jobs or became a “jack of all trades.” It’s interesting that so many of these people lived into their 90s.

Every once in a while, an emergency call provides unique conditions and becomes a great teaching aid. This week, such a call happened in Damariscotta.

Seth Hall dropped out of high school when he was 16, walked into the local Mercedes repair shop and talked his way into a job in Newton, Mass. He went on to be a steel worker and a tool maker.

I’ve long been a fan of the Damariscotta River Grill. Between the happy hour deals to the meal that I’m pretty sure convinced my parents I made the right choice moving to Maine, the River Grill cemented itself near the top of my list of local eats pretty early on.