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them. To my sisters Heidi and Clara; my stepmothers Gerry and Barbara; my stepfather Tom; my half brother Ian and my stepbrother Chris; my mothers-in-law Jean and Barb and my father-in-law Dotson; my siblings-in-law Robbie, Kelly, Kim, Michelle, and Rich; and my nephews Bode and Hayden. And to Prill and David, Skates and Skipper, Eunie, Nell, Lyn and Lucky, Martha, and John. It was my wonderful husband, Eric, who said this was the book I needed to write and gave me the support to do so, and our twin daughters, Heidi and Emily, whose birth pushed me to understand my own childhood in order to better celebrate theirs. They are lucky indeed to have five grandmas, three grandpas, and many aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Milton Academy and the University of Vermont did their best to civilize me and send me out into the world. Ian Baldwin, an old family friend, was an early voice of encouragement on this book, along with the teacher and editor Scott Sutherland, and the members of my Friday morning writers’ group, Jen Hazard, Cathy Holley, Caroline Kurrus, Victoria Scanlan Stefanakos, and Lindsay Sterling, plus readers Catharine MacLaren and Audrey Wong and cheerleaders Basha Burwell and Peter Behrens. I could not have written this memoir without the memories of the many friends, apprentices, and Akiwabas my family has known over the years, in order of appearance: Mary, Susan and Carl, Susan and David, Keith and Jean, Chip, Brett, Kent, Michèle and Frank, Greg, Michael, Anner, Sandy and Larry, Pam and Paul, Rob, Peter and Jeannie, Mark and Mia, and the memory of Stan. Also Tony Stout and David Gumpert.

L.L.Bean provided gainful employment when I was writing this book. A lucky coincidence introduced me to the lovely editor and writer Bridie Clark, who referred me to Rob Weisbach, the dear wise agent who helped turn a draft into a publishable book and found it a great home with Jonathan Burnham at HarperCollins. Everyone at Harper has been exceptional: my editor, Gail Winston, with her gentle and always insightful touch; Jason Sack with his eternal patience; designers Christine Van Bree, Archie Ferguson, and Eric Butler; and Beth Silfin in legal, Leah Wasielewski in marketing, and Katherine Beitner and Tina Andreadis in publicity.

Thank you all.

About the Author

As a freelance writer, Melissa Coleman has covered health, gardening, food, art, and travel. She lives in Freeport, Maine, with her husband and twin daughters.

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Credits

Cover photograph courtesy of the author

Cover design by Christine Van Bree

Copyright

This is a work of nonfiction. The events and experiences detailed herein are all true and have been faithfully rendered as remembered by the author, to the best of her ability, or as they were told to the author by people who were present. Others have read the manuscript and confirmed its rendering of events. Some names have been changed in order to protect the privacy of individuals involved.

THIS LIFE IS IN YOUR HANDS. Copyright © 2011 by Melissa Coleman. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

Grateful acknowledgment is made for permission to reproduce from the following:

“Stupidity Street” by Ralph Hodgson. © 2010 Bryn Mawr College Library.

Map copyright © 1989 Jane Crosen

EPub Edition April 2011 ISBN: 9780062087355

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Coleman, Melissa.

This life is in your hands: one dream, sixty acres, and a family undone / Melissa Coleman. — 1st