The Portland Masonic Temple Grand Lodge and the Abyssinian Meeting House have made Greater Portland Landmarks' first Places in Peril List.  The list calls attention to prominent and historically-significant properties in greater Portland that are in danger of being permanently lost or diminished.

The Yankee Crafty B*tch shares with us how to make the beautiful tiled tabletops created for a summer wedding, but would be a great addition to any New England home.


What you’ll need:

The Yankee Crafty B*tch teaches you how to make fish-designed notebooks

The Yankee Crafty B*tch teaches you how to put together a Maine-inspired planter.

Late summer and fall weddings are such a wonderful time with family and friends. From the picturesque coastline to the Great North Woods, Maine is a major destination spot for weddings. The warm breezes of the afternoons are wonderful for the ceremony and the cooler nights allow dancing to continue until sunrise.

In the December 2011 Down East article "Chez Renee" Susan Derector said she completed "Le Tour De Renys," meaning she stopped at every single Renys store across Maine. That's sixteen in all, and they stretch across the state from Wells to Ellsworth to Dexter to Bridgton.

If you're expecting a repeat of Maine's 2011-2012 winter of unseasonable warmth, the Farmer's Almanac says to cool your jets. According to mysterious forecaster Caleb Weatherbee, the North East is in store for a cold and snowy winter in 2013. Last year was the fourth warmest winter since records started being kept in 1895. The Almanac, which has been published out of Lewiston, Maine since 1955, says:

The Yankee Crafty B*tch tells you how to dress up your baby for an upcoming wedding.

It's the last weekend of August, and there's a ton going on in Maine. Here are seven things to do on the weekend before Labor Day.

American Folk Festival: August 24–26, Bangor Waterfront, $10, americanfolkfestival.com
Enjoy this three-day event in downtown Bangor with music and dance from many cultures that make up America today.

        

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I have never compiled a bucket list — a list of the things I want to do before I kick the bucket. But this Saturday I realized perhaps I have had an unofficial one in my mind. I accomplished something I had been promising myself I would do "someday" for the past twenty-five years: I walked the Knife Edge on Katahdin.

A retail version of Muddy Bean Boots, a specialty flavor of ice cream created by Giffords to honor L.L.Bean's 100th Anniversary, is being launched at the Scarborough Hannafords on Monday. The flavor consists of vanilla ice cream, caramel ripples, and small chunks of brownie. Governor LePage will be on hand for the event. Despite a name that evokes the feeling of stepping in mud, it actually sounds quite delicious. So check it out if it comes to your local grocery store.