Is it wrong to fall in love with a vacuum?

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When we put our new flooring down in February of 2024, I bought a little Dyson stick vacuum to help keep it clean.

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It beat the broom and dust pan…was small, cute, easy to use and sucked up crumbs on the bare floors admirably.

But when we laid our new carpet in the bedrooms last year it made me realize how useless my other vacuum… an old Hoover … had become. The carpet is luxurious and quite thick and my old machine simply wasn’t up to the task.

But I’m a New Englander so if it ain’t broke? We don’t fix it…. or replace it for that matter.

Until last week when my (15 year old? 20 year old?) Hoover breathed its last. She blew up in dramatic fashion with dust and sparks flying everywhere … so even I had to admit it was time for a new model.

Enter the new love of my life.

A full size cordless Dyson V 15 Detect.

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Easy to assemble, easy to use, easy to charge, easy to clean.

She’s easy.

But in a good way.

And may I just say, her suction power is beyond impressive. ( There are a plethora of off color jokes I could insert here, but our relationship is brand new and I don’t want to insult her.)

I’ve honestly never seen a vacuum remove so much dirt, cat hair, dust, crumbs, kitty litter stuff from a carpet before.

Are we really that dirty?

I had to empty the container three times by the time I’d done three rooms, so apparently the answer is yes.

For a relatively simple machine, Vera (yes, I named the vacuum) has a few interesting features.

The Dyson V15 Detect features an LCD screen that provides real-time, scientific proof of a deep clean by displaying the size and quantity of dust particles as you clean. A piezo sensor counts particles up to 15,000 times a second, with color-coded bars indicating sizes: Yellow (allergens/pollen), Orange (microscopic dust), Pink (dust mites/fine sand), and Purple (sugar-sized particles). 

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Holy Macaroni Batman! That’s a lot of allergens and pollen… considering it’s winter in Maine and we’re not opening the windows. ( Makes me think I’d better add ‘clean furnace ducts’ to the to do list. )

No, Vera wasn’t cheap.

But I think we’ll be very happy together,

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And I’m looking forward to the day when our allergen particles fall to under a billion.

😳

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Let’s play.

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Warning – you will be required to count. If that’s too much math early in the morning, please return later this afternoon.

Today’s exercise will prove how old you are.

Out of the 20 things listed, how many have you personally experienced?

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Clearly I’m old as dirt because I’m 19 for 20… and the only reason it isn’t 20? I never owned a Walkman. Though the husband did and used it when jogging.

Talk about cumbersome tech!

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How about you?

What’s your outdated, no longer in existence number…

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Young bones, deer and Guy Lombardo.

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I’m officially old.

I must be, because I can’t see any other reason why my doctor would send me for a bone density scan.

At first I wasn’t going to have the test, but then I figured if my skeleton was about to crumble to dust I should probably be informed.

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I was unaware these things are scored by percentages of youth. But if I’m 114% of a young adult? That’s good enough for me.

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Yay for good bones.

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A few pictures of our resident buck.

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And a video.

Which I hope you can view…

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I had to laugh at this notice posted by a local water district.

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A sense of bureaucratic humor is a beautiful thing.

And speaking of senses of humor, it’s a good thing I have one because my husband went to the dump the other day and came home with this –

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I know, you’re jealous.

Guy Lombardo is the autograph you’ve always wanted to add to your collection… but my husband beat you to it.

Better luck next time.

🤣

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Maps

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The ridiculous statistics continue.

First up…America, broken down into tv show regions.

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I can’t comment on the total veracity of this map as I’ve only seen three of the shows, but let me assure you… The Sopranos is New Jersey.

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This is very sad. Though I’m happy to live in one of the few green states.

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I’ve never bought a lottery ticket, and probably never will.

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That’s just mean.

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Smoking is definitely on the decline in our area of Maine.

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Damn Australia. Your mothers must have serious upper body strength.

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Clearly there’s a cultural overlay.

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News you can’t use.

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I’m still here, and the news is still useless.

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To cat owners, this is not news.

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I can’t say I’ve ever burped my house, but I’m willing to try.

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If aliens are flying Doritos shaped ships? Surely they can’t be all bad…

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More like a nightmare I’d say.

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I would think a zombie tree would be able to resurrect itself. Geesh, what a slacker.

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People are absolute idiots.

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She’s blonde. Clearly she thought there were lamp posts in the middle of the ocean lighting the way…

🥴

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Smile, and the world smiles with you.

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Our snow melted for a while this month and it made a nice background for portraits of our resident buck.

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He’s a big fella with a nice size and shape.

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Though his rack is a little squirrelly.

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It’s hard to tell if he’s an 8 or 9 pointer as his angles are all over the place.

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But I love his little white striped feet.

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And his smile of course.

We can all use more of those these days.

😊

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Let’s play.

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And this time… bring your appetite.

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Would you choose a rich and creamy clam chowder?

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A traditional lobster roll?

(Chilled with mayonnaise or warm with butter on a grilled hot dog bun are the only acceptable choices. No celery, no lettuce, and god forbid no garlic aioli. It’s simple and delicious the way it is, don’t mess with perfection.)

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A full lobster dinner with drawn butter, corn and steamed clams?

(Beer optional, but highly recommended)

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A scrumptious slice of wild blueberry pie?

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Or a perfectly decadent homemade Whoopie pie?

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What’s first on your list?

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Random rambling.

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The husband and I celebrated our 42nd wedding anniversary recently… and there were flowers.

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We’re lucky to have a wonderful local florist just a few miles from our house.

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Or should I say I’m lucky, as the husband is rarely able to forget special occasions.

Our florist posts pictures of the arrangements she makes every week on Facebook and this recent customized request for a chef made me smile.

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How clever is that?

👍

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As seen at the grocery store.

Makes me wonder how spicy this product has to be to warrant such a violent response.

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Enough said.

🤣

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We’ve been having a strange influx of evening gtosbeaks recently. They visit in large groups and are quite a dramatic sight.

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Cold?

Yes, it’s been cold.

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Though you wouldn’t know it by the Juncos. The snow doesn’t seem to bother them at all.

Brr!

❄️

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