Those Were The Days

Harriet and Chuck Vaughan in March 1977

photo of Harriet and Chuck Vaughan in 1977 by Steve Cartwright

I am loving the major multimedia “The Good Life, the Movement That Changed Maine” published today in the BDN. My husband and I were part of that movement. Chuck served as President of MOFGA and I handled membership during that very time when the big influx of back-to-the-land people occurred. This was way before there were personal computers. I would receive letters along with membership subscriptions from people living outside of Maine describing how they were going to become better people by moving here. I also watched the ads in the MOFGA  newspaper a few years later saying “for sale organic farm, complete with owner-built home and Troy-Built tiller thrown in”. We traveled all over the state attending MOFGA meetings wherever they were held.

We were featured in an article by Steve Cartwright in The Lincoln County News in March 1977 when we were organic farming in Boothbay. Our children and their generation refer to parents like us as “Granolas”, meaning college-educated but choosing an unconventional lifestyle. We are now living in the Whitefield area and are surrounded by farms operated by the newer version of the back-to-the-land movement.We are often the go-to people for advice, especially when it comes to repairing or updating obsolete farm equipment. I was telling Chuck about the retrospective in the online paper today while he was putting together the shredder attachment to go on our 1970’s Roto-Hoe tiller so we can prepare a new compost pile. He reminded me that a lot of what is in his Packrat accumulations date back to that time in our lives. He also pointed out that the vehicle he drives is an 1980 VW diesel Rabbit. Our life style required moving away from the coast where our former farmland now has several high end houses because of the view of the river.

Harriet Vaughan

About Harriet Vaughan

I am a Senior Move Manager, working with Senior Citizens and their families when it is time to downsize or just make the home safer and more comfortable for aging in place. I help these people make decisions about what to keep, throw out, donate, or sell. I also offer workshops on "Getting Things Done When You Are Over 60". I write about how to overcome memory lapses and how to use your physical energy well. I have a degree in Home Economics from the University of Maine. I live in Coopers Mills, about 14 miles east of Augusta. I have been married for almost 50 years to my husband, Chuck Vaughan. Our business is called Legacy Years Transition Services.