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The nippy season has finally made an appearance in Maine.
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And while it will be back to 30 degrees tomorrow…
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For today, winter temperatures rule.
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Hello winter.
Monthly Archives: January 2022
Strange but wonderful.
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I bought an interesting desk calendar for the New Year last week.
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It’s filled with bizarre facts about animals you didn’t need to know, but now will.. because I’m going to share all the weirdest.
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Buttered popcorn scented musk glands?
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That qualifies as weird in my book. And since I’d never heard of this creature I wasn’t going to take their drawing as proof…
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But you have to admit..
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They nailed it.
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What part of the word “new” doesn’t he understand?
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My husband has a truck.
An old truck.
My husband loves his old truck, has spent considerable money restoring his old truck and uses his old truck as a …. well, truck.
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He’s loved this 1990 Ford F150 XLT truck long and hard. No matter how much time it spends at the shop nor how many thousands of dollars of repairs it needs, he consistently refuses to buy a new one. So imagine my surprise when he came home the other day and said he was thinking about buying a new truck.
I was thrilled!
I was ecstatic!
(His mechanic will be even more thrilled and ecstatic)
And my thrill continued..
All the way up until he drove me to see the “new” truck.
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Technically, he’s not wrong. It is “newer” than his old truck….. by a whole 4 years.
Old truck? 1990
“New” truck? 1994
I was not thrilled.
His mechanic will not be thrilled.
The husband? Beyond thrilled that he’d found another Ford F150 XLT with a long bed in good shape with only 74,000 original miles.
*sigh*
The asking price was $11,800 which I thought was beyond ridiculous for a 28 year old truck….. but then I looked online.
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What!!!
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Holy Mother of God…. I know used car prices are nuts right now but that is positively insane.
Because the dealer is a friend of a friend the husband talked him down to $10,000… and got him to replace the shocks, brake lines and ball joints so I guess in reality that’s a good deal. But rest assured old Black Betty will be going out on the lawn with it’s own overpriced for sale sign in it as soon as the husband drives the “new” one home.
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Squirrelly goodness
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Since this morning’s post was about death and ridding our property of an unwanted visitor (sayonara Mr. Rat!)…. let’s pivot to some welcome visitors this afternoon.
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Lots of people dislike grey squirrels as they raid bird feeders and eat most of the seed.
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But at Casa River we applaud their bravery at crossing the wide open expanse of back lawn and let them enjoy the buffet.
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Caution is key as there are numerous birds of prey patrolling the neighborhood.
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Greys are ever vigilant.
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But once the coast is clear?
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Squirrelly smiles.
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With a nod to James Cagney.
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In response to the recent rat sighting at Casa River, steps have been taken.
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While I will never use poison on our property, this was recommended to me as an alternative.
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While killing any creature is not a pleasant thought, I’ve seen what happens when rats are given free reign and it’s not pretty. This products interacts with the strange digestive hairs rats and mice possess and blocks thirst receptors. Basically it tells the animals not to drink and they dehydrate. A State animal control officer assured me this will not harm birds of prey or mammals if they happen to eat the dead mice/rats.
So with a nod to Jimmy Cagney …
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Bye bye rat.
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Just so you know…
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I’m doing my part.
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Save the birds!
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So he’s not the brightest bulb in the pack..
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Lord Dudley Mountcatten has many endearing qualities… he’s well behaved, sweet, playful, entertaining as hell and a real cuddle bug.
What he’s not is spatial reasoning gifted.
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Because when your mother shovels you a path, and your father takes you for a walk?
It’s not necessary to hike through the snow.
Sigh.
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An unwelcome visitor.
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Lord Dudley Mountcatten alerted to us to a new visitor at Casa River the other day….
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And I can’t say I was pleased.
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In the 20 years we’ve lived here, we’ve never had a rat.
Until now.
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I shouldn’t be surprised. We live in the country with horses for neighbors on both sides and an organic farm across the street.
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But as much as I love all the wild creatures who stop by for a nosh?
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Having a rat dig a tunnel and move into our woodshed will not be tolerated.
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Because if there’s one… there could be one hundred next month.
Sorry bud, but your days are numbered.
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A preoccupation with poo.
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What is it with poop these days? It seems to be everywhere…
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A song book devoted to poo?
I’ll pass.
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Prank poo?
Again, pass.
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I suppose this might come in handy identifying the various piles in our backyard, but as a night’s entertainment?
I’m still going to pass.
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Things you’ll only find in Maine.
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Maine is well known for its lobster and blueberries, but here are two other regional items with which you may be unfamiliar.
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Yes, we put mashed potatoes in candy. And if you’ve never had one of these delicious treats? You won’t believe how tasty chocolate covered taters can be.
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I admit I’ve never tried this.
And to be honest, I probably never will. If you’ve ever walked the clam flats of a Maine beach at low tide in the summer?
The smell is not what you would call tea worthy.
Trust me on this.
🤢
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River's world..... 