I hope you can find a way to get good food. I think it helps the body and the mind. It's been a long hard winter in Maine this year. I enjoy it because I'm my own kind of crazy, but I totally see why no one else is happy.

My local supermarkets are $2.99 or free if you buy more than $125. It has added workers to this store just for this service.

Can you try some smaller places like your co-op or a neighborhood market?

I've always disliked grocery shopping, so ordering to go has helped me in a lot of ways.

It requires planning, but I love to order my food online and pick it up without getting out of my car. It's kept me sane for the last five years. I basically get the same thing every time, but my family hasn't starved yet.

Kennebec Pharmacy in Rockport was just bought out. So far all the good people are still there, but who know how long that will last.

I've worked in boutique yarn stores on and off for almost 20 years. I think that in the last few years the "standards" have totally gone off the rails. I mostly work with suggested gauge, but continually remind people to make swatches to check the final fabric.

I can't get up to Bangor today, but kudos to you for holding a town hall!

If you use it a lot (like the one in the yarn store!) you'll need to take it apart from time to time and clean all the gears. I've never had to do it at home, but the winder at work does dozens of balls a day, 7 days a week.

That sweater may be in a timeout f.o.r.e.v.e.r. :-)

I don't know about "average", but I hate knitting sleeves, too. I've got a sweater from 2 years ago that I forced myself to do the 1st sleeve, but it was too small; did the 2nd sleeve with a bigger needle; but it was too small too. Now I have a finished sweater that needs to have both sleeves reknit

Stanwood winders are the best! I've had mine for over a decade and only got a new one because the yarn store where I work "borrowed" mine and kept it (my boss bought the new one for me).