Monthly Archives: January 2021

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Enough already.

28 Comments

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It rained again, in January, in Maine. That’s not supposed to happen. Most years we’re positively buried in snow.

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And I have to say I’d much rather be doing this…

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Than dealing with this…

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It rained…. and our roof sprung yet another leak.

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In yet another brand new spot. Every time the husband thinks he’s fixed it? It leaks somewhere else. And while the temperature has been mild (for us) it’s still not warm enough to strip and replace a roof. So while we wait for spring and pray for snow, our ceiling is being ruined. I’ve bleached this 3 times …

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And it still bleeds through.

Kill me now.

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25th is silver, so 37th must be …. platypus?

42 Comments

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The husband and I recently celebrated 37 blissful (read – we haven’t killed each other yet) years of marriage.

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And because he’s a sweetie, a bouquet of flowers was delivered.

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And to my most divine pleasure, it contained colors other than green.

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Required cheesy old photograph of the happy couple.

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And yes, along with the lovely flowers was a platypus.

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Because after 37 years? He gets me.

💕

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A little out of my league.

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While I adore the Drinking With Chickens blog and Facebook page…

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And was thrilled that the author published a cocktail recipe book…

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Loaded with fabulous birds…

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And beautifully crafted drinks…

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I have to admit her concoctions are a little out of my bartending comfort zone.

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And as much as I’d love to dazzle our friends ( if we ever see them again post plague) with these truly gorgeous creations..

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I fear the barn bar, which will be fully stocked with assorted liquors and accompaniments, will more than likely be devoid of fresh persimmons and kumquat thyme syrup.

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Calendula blossoms and cardamom pods? That might be a bridge too far, even for me.

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Bird brains.

8 Comments

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Part two of the Photo Ark for birds.

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Black Crowned Crane

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Those are magnificent hairdos, no doubt about it.

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Verreaux’s Eagle Owl

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Sleepy owl is not amused.

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Wattled Curassow

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This poor guy looks like he’s balancing half a walnut on his nose.

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Purple Starling

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We have starlings, but they’re nowhere as impressive as these.

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Palm Cockatoo

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A beak that could crush cocktail ice in no time flat.

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White Naped Cranes

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I totally want to want to animate that photo to music.

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Tawny Frogmouth

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The little guy looks pissed. Whoever stole his mouse? Give it back…

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Northern Bald Ibis

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Wow. If anyone was ever in dire need of a toupe, it’s that guy.

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Common Bay Owl

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Owls.

They’re da bomb.

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Forgetful… or preparing?

18 Comments

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So it took a solid week but the husband finally finished cleaning up the den and put everything back in his closet.

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Well, almost everything.

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I’m hoping he just forgot to put those away.

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But the way things are going in this country? I could be wrong.

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* Disclaimer- the husband isn’t a paranoid prepper and this is probably the only ammunition he has. But since he does have a giant live round in the barn window, I thought the placement was comical *

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One tequila, two tequila….

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Because if you need a cocktail recipe book?

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It might as well have a literary slant and begin with one of my favorite quotes.

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Ole Dorothy knew her stuff.

But seriously, this is a great little addition to any bar with easy to make classic cocktails.

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The play on titles and snippets of fun facts will amuse even your drunkest friends.

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You can’t go wrong with Gin Eyre, trust me.

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Cheers!

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Not worthy of their own posts.

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We drove through a small town the other day where I saw a building named after me.

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But it was a gym and not a bar, so clearly they have no idea who I am.

In news from the grocery store, it looks like there was a run on kitty litter.

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Are we hoarding that now? Damn. I didn’t get the memo.

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Ha! You have to love clever ad men.

And finally, I bought a calendar for the barn bar.

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It’s appropriate as fork.

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Hey bartender….

24 Comments

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https://youtu.be/PknRSaRq6l4

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Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.

While the husband was teleworking yesterday, I laid claim….

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And started bringing glasses and accessories out to the barn bar. Wine, whiskey, mule, margarita, pint and martini glasses… check! Shot glasses, strainer, muddler, shakers… check! Two more shelves need to be installed on the left, but I made a dent.

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And noticed the husband had beat me to the rubber mat and Marine Corps coasters placement.

No matter, I stashed my cheat sheets…

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And my favorite cocktail recipe books.

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And then I found a prominent spot for what I’ve been dying to add to the barn bar ever since my husband began sputtering about building one.

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No bar should be without one.

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Word of the day – adaptation.

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Adapt or die, you’ve all heard the phrase. And never has it been more crucial for small businesses to do just that.

Bars and restaurants have been especially hard hit by the pandemic and though take out food helps them stay afloat, it’s in the bar that establishments realize their largest profit.

Enter The Great Lost Bear.

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A veritable institution of alcohol and beer consumption in Portland, Maine for the past 40 years. With 80 rotating taps…

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And a large creative menu, it’s worth the hassle of trying to finding a parking spot on the always crowded Forest Avenue.

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(If you’re a fan of John Connelly’s books? This is the bar Charlie Parker uses as a makeshift office.)

Sadly, we haven’t visited this paragon of drunkenness for quite some time but I was pleased to see they’re adapting.

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With outdoor drinking during good weather…

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And cocktails to go when Mother Nature says no.

Brilliant!

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Some of them sound quite tasty.

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And now that we have our own bar, I might have to mix a few.

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Pie in a glass?

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Who doesn’t love that?

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