April Fools! But not…

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Two things happened yesterday that should have been April Fools Day pranks but weren’t.

First… we had our taxes done. This is always cause for mutual grumbling and groaning because we never see a refund and always pay, pay, pay.

So when the preparer tallied everything up and handed us this?

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We were stunned.

Yes, it cost us $410 to find out, but … refunds! Not one, but two. We almost fell off our chairs.

It was also the first time my husband had to admit that this full time retirement thing might not be so bad.

😉

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The second thing that I was sure was a prank was this…

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Okay Oreo, ha ha. Funny joke.

But no….

They actually sold this monstrosity.

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For one day only. On April 1st.

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Blech!

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A complete abomination and one that is sure to kick my dormant pickle algorithm into high gear.

Sigh.

🥒

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Lights, indoor and out.

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I can’t remember who it was, but someone requested photos of our newly installed wall sconces when lit.

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Seeing that it’s rarely going to happen due to the stupidly placed switch, this will be a one off.

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I started with 40 watts which was way too bright, then dropped down to decorative 25 watt bulbs …

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Which honestly, I still think is too bright.

Oh, well.

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The sunrise light is always prettier.

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And much more colorful.

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☀️❤️☀️

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Maps

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Another batch of silly maps, because someone has too much on their hands… besides me.

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In Maine, it’s woods. Which could be charming… or slightly terrifying.

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Yay for Maine.

Even our big cities are small.

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Florida residents, please chime in here.

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Yup.

Dinner out is precious here.

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Maine used to have one, and it had a lovely waterfront location not far from us.

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The Maine Yankee Nuclear Power Plant was a 900-megawatt, single-unit pressurized water reactor in Wiscasset, Maine, that operated from 1972 to 1996. As the state’s largest electricity generator, it provided significant power but was shut down due to economic unviability and safety concerns. Decommissioning was completed in 2005, though high-level waste remains in dry storage on-site. 

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High level dry nuclear waste storage… on the ocean.

No. Nothing can go wrong there.

😳

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Hard to believe in today’s world, but yes… places that don’t lock their doors still exist.

It’s wonderful.

🩷

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News you can’t use.

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It’s totally useless, as promised.

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Proof positive there’s a how to manual for everything.

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With the state of the world right now, this isn’t surprising.

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Oregon had to enlist a hawk.

Because no one wants to drown in crow poop.

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I wish he’d hurry up.

Washington is in desperate need.

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Look at that expression.

If it’s not on purpose… we should probably run.

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One, two, three…

Go!

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A few leftover snowy pics. Critters and sunrises…

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Our snow has melted but I had these kicking around the photo files and thought I’d share.

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Squirrelly sentries.

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I know there are people who dislike them, but we welcome our harmless grays.

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They’re acrobatic and quite entertaining.

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Mornings have been beautiful of late.

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With lovely sunrises …

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And colorful skies.

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😊

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Dinner out, and in.

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After running some errands the other afternoon we ducked into one of our favorite spots for an early dinner.

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Every time we go I try and talk the husband into getting a giant free floating raffia fish for our dining area, but he always says no.

Such a killjoy.

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Round one for me…

To drink – a Cran-apple margarita with cranberry infused tequila, triple sec, apple cider, cranberry juice, sour mix & dehydrated lime.

As appetizer – some arancini. Those crispy stuffed risotto spheres with slow-braised beef, parmesan, mozzarella, tomato vodka sauce & pea tendrils were scrumptious.

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Husband started with a rich and creamy bisque…Maine lobster, cream, sherry, smoked paprika and chives.

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My second round cocktail was a winter spiced sangria with blended red & white wines, spiced brandy, pama liquer, orange infused simple, topped with lemon lime soda.

Then I went with the prosciutto tartufo brick oven pizza which was positively decadent.

Alfredo, stracciatella, truffled pecorino, prosciutto & baby arugula… it was so good I forgot to take a picture of the husband’s bolognese.

On a more down home note, I tried this copycat recipe recently.

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Putting milk in a meatloaf seemed a little odd, but it was surprisingly tasty.

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I haven’t tried this cake yet, but it sounds right up my alley.

As did this.. though I’m happily married so we’ll skip the proposal part.

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Have I made y’all hungry yet?

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P.S…. I tried this orzo dish and was disappointed. It wasn’t nearly as creamy as I’d hoped and even though I chopped the broccoli in small pieces, it didn’t steam properly. Good flavor, but it might need a little tweaking for a repeat.

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No comment.

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For some reason my latest post about squirrels and a woodchuck has its comments closed.

I didn’t do that.

I’ve gone back to edit twice and reposted… hoping it would clear up, but the WordPress gremlins still say no.

Then I tried posting this, telling people to comment here… but this one comes up with no comment section in the reader, though I can comment from my end.

WTH?

Maybe you can comment from here…

https://riversworld.live/2026/03/26/impressive-core-work-and-the-first-chuck-sighting/

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Impressive core work and the first chuck sighting.

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Our gray squirrels are quite acrobatic and during a recent snow storm… when I brought in all the bird feeders except the one from which they have trouble stealing… this little guy went above and beyond for a snack.

I’m guessing he has six pack abs under that fur.

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He fell quite a few times, but finally found a stable perch.

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In other wildlife news, our first chuck of the season arrived.

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In the middle of the storm with nothing to nibble but fallen seed.

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Poor chuck.

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I doubt that was the meal he dreamt about all winter.

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