When we moved to our house in 2002 most of the back yard was waist high fields. Over the years my husband… aka the Lawn Ranger… turned the fields into lawn. And in the middle of that lawn?
Nine high blueberry bushes. (So named because the famously sweet low bush Maine blueberries are literally ankle high.)
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We’ve had good years and bad as far as harvesting goes. Sometimes the birds eat them all, sometimes we have a late frost and they never grow properly.
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Pruning is important but sadly this year we lost two bushes.
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The blossoms smell divine and everywhere there’s a bloom?
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There will be a berry…
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Like this in mid to late August.
Not wanting to miss out on summer pie, the husband and I went to a large nursery and purchased two replacement bushes.
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I was a bit shocked at the sticker price of $49.99 each, but fresh blueberry lemon pound cake with lemon glaze can not be denied.
My husband has taken up a cause. He’s printing fliers, setting up forums and talking to any one who will listen.
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It’s an initiative that’s going to be on our state ballot come November and is in direct response to our electric company literally doubling their rates at the beginning of this year.
In January our monthly power bill went from $160 to $310. And we weren’t the only ones. The man who owns the local store saw his increase from $2,500 a month to nearly $6,000. It’s been crazy. Central Maine Power has the monopoly in this area and they’re choking us.
If this was a Maine owned company it would be bad enough, but this corporation is owned by an entity in Spain with its major stockholder being Qatar. Why is a middle eastern oil rich country interested in little old Maine? Because we’re a cash cow.
Enter an ex state representative who’s been working tirelessly to oust foreign investment in our power grid and turn it over to the people.
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The man is also a neighbor which is how my other half got involved. We attended a presentation he gave last weekend on consumer owned utilities and it was eye opening.
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There are currently 10 consumer owned utilities (COU’s) in our state. They’re non profit and provide more reliable power at a lower rate. Hard to argue with that.
The ballot in November will question if we should oust CMP completely, take over the grid and start our own cooperative called Pine Tree Power.
Sadly in this era of partisan politics it’s become a sticking point for a lot of voters because a Democrat is leading the charge. But COU’s are most prevalent in red states and actually originated in the farm belt at the turn of the last century.
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CMP has deep pockets so they’re flooding the airwaves and our mailboxes with millions of dollars in false advertising to sway the vote. Our side? It’s run by donations.
David vs a multi nation conglomerate.
Maine has the 7th highest rates in the nation and are number 1 in outages. It’s time for a change.
Lately we’ve just had the junior woodchuck visiting the backyard. He was the runt of last year’s litter and though momma chuck is famous for booting all the kids out of the den as soon as they’re grown, this little guy is still living at home.
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But momma is not pleased.
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Every time he gets near her she barks and bites and drives him off.
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Watermelon is not to be shared with deadbeat kids who live in the basement.
We dropped by to see my husband’s brother the other day and that always mean peaking into his garage to see what antique vehicle is in the rotation.
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The vintage police car is a favorite. Tres Mayberry.
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This 1970 pick up is a new acquisition. All original, hardly any rust. The only thing he had to replace was the master cylinder. Brother is a sly one and manages to talk people into selling him things at well below fair market value.
The weather is getting warmer, the grass is getting greener, and Lord Dudley Mountcatten wants to go out for a walk every afternoon.
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Not to say that he actually wants to walk on the grass. No. His Lordship will do almost anything to avoid that. Nearly three acres of groomed lawn… and the wee beast sits on the concrete cover for the septic tank. WTH?
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He’s a very delicate walker.
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Hiding in the iris, hoping a bird will land nearby.
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Get lost mom. You’re blowing my cover.
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Face planting in the grass.
I have no idea, don’t ask.
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Giving the pear tree a good once over, but no attempt at climbing today.
My husband likes this new restaurant called the White Duck. I’m not sure why as every time we’ve been there the food has been mediocre at best.
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The cocktails? Not much better.
This trip the lavender margarita sounded interesting.
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And though it was a pretty purple… it tasted more like the sugar shaker ran amok than lavender. Sickeningly sweet which is not what I want in a cocktail. Sadly the cup of clam chowder wasn’t any better. Thin, watery, full of potatoes with very few clams. Boo to that.
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I hate when the cocktail list is just phoning it in.
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The husband ordered the supposedly home made baked mac and cheese. I make this at home and never think to call it a meal. Theirs was dry as a bone with virtually no flavor. Boo to that as well.
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I stuck with the pub burger because it’s one of the few things they do correctly here. Charbroiled, perfectly cooked with melted cheddar, bacon and served on a brioche bun. With a cold Down East hard cider of course.
Now that the apple tree (I didn’t plant but grows better than those I do) is spreading it’s branches we have more squirrels coming to visit our feeders.
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We have a wide open backyard and they prefer tree cover for safety. Like this hefty momma hanging out on the garden bed border.
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What a chonk!
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This my friend, is the perfect bowl of chowder. Found at the Freeport Cafe, an unassuming little place on Route 1.
Thick, rich, creamy and loaded with clammy goodness. It doesn’t get much better than that.
Driving along Maine’s back roads you never have to wonder where the rednecks live.
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They tend to leave their calling card.
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Smaller than the pileated, but still pretty.
He’s called the Red Bellied Woodpecker. Though I never have figured out why.
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Where there's only one step from the sublime to the ridiculous.
River's world..... 