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As I was cleaning the bird bath the other day I spied momma chuck.
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She’s made under the Barn Mahal her home for the last few years, so needless to say she feels comfortable there.
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She also seems to enjoy the porch.
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Whether it’s taking a bath on the steps…
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Or chilling on the deck.
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I’d say comfortable is definitely the right word.
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The rough work on the driveway repair was coming to a close.
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Small loads of the top layer of dirt were finessed.
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With numerous wheelbarrow trips.
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Though not everyone was hard at work.
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Lots of dumping. Lots of spreading by hand.
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And then the crew whipped out a big power saw and started cutting away part of the road.
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I didn’t realize they were allowed to do that, but clearly they are.
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And when I say cut, I mean rip up big chunks as well.
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Nest step? Smooth and pack the dirt.
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And at the end of the day we were left with this.
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Which we were told was a little too wet to pave so it would have to sit for a few days to dry.
We were also told not to drive on it. And since a lot of people use our driveway to turn around?
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The husband built a blockade.
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You can’t use it, but keep reading anyway.
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Giving new meaning to their slogan “we’ve got the beef”.
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And I’m supposed to care about this why…?
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How glad are you to be a loyal reader now?
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Approachable size. 
I’m dying.
🤣
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I can barely stand myself in this universe. Meeting another 100 versions of me is not on the top of my bucket list.
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I don’t envy that town’s Chamber of Commerce. Spinning cannibal crickets to the tourist trade has got to be tough.
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Woke up on Friday to rain, so I thought driveway repair work would be postponed.
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I was wrong.
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There they were, not bright… but definitely early.
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And working in the rain.
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Dirt was dumped.
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Dirt was spread.
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And mud was made.
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Lord Dudley Mountcatten was on the move the other day and headed right for his favorite pear tree.
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Please note His Lordship is actually airborne in the next photo.
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As usual, once His Lordship achieved tree grip…
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He was clueless about the next step and simply hung there.
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For quite a while as it turns out.
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But finally, he ascended.
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And posed nicely for the photographer.
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What to do once he’s up there or how to get down proves a bit more difficult.
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Work continues on the driveway.
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Dirt and gravel are brought in, dumped, spread …
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And smoothed.
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At times it looks like some weird sort of race.
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Bigger boys, bigger toys.
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Was my husband out there chatting during the process?
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I think you know the answer to that.
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It’s a good thing I don’t like to nap during the day.
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Because when they do the section in front of the garage, they’re literally right on the kitchen porch doorstep.
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A storm was rolling in and made for nice background skies so I snapped a few iris shots.
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I really should plant more of these.
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They’re such a lovely pop of purple.
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On the other side of the property ….
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Momma chuck was hanging out on the barn porch.
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Probably looking for some more marigolds too munch.
😖
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When the paving crew reached the end of the driveway tear down, it was time to remove the rusty old culvert.
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How rusty was it you ask?
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Rusty enough that it literally fell apart in their hands. Mind you, this was the same culvert the state deemed perfectly serviceable last year when a road improvement project skipped by our property with nary a glance.
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In the middle of the removal process?
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Someone had to go out and chat.
Please take note it wasn’t me.
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Old rusted culvert out, new plastic culvert that should last for 50+ years in.
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And since my husband was supervising?
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He had them lay and cover the full 40 feet instead of the 25 originally planned as not to waste the extra length he’d paid for.
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Naturally, this required more chatting.
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Because it beats working that’s why.
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I was shopping the outlet stores in Freeport, Maine with a girlfriend one summer a few years back. We were strolling in and out of the clothing stores… just browsing for the most part. But once we walked into Banana Republic I knew I was going to have to try a few things on.
Which is where, on my way to the dressing rooms I ran into –
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Alec Baldwin.
Alright, technically I didn’t run into him. There was no bouncing off a celebrity, but I was looking at something on a rack to my right instead of directly in front of me and if he hadn’t swerved out of the way? I would have run right into his chest.
He smiled.
And I apologized before I even realized who it was.
Missing a prime ‘River almost collides with a movie star’ selfie.
How about you…
Run into any celebrities lately?
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Every morning when the work crew shows up?
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My husband has to chat.
I truly believe the worst torture imaginable for this man would be to lock him in a room by himself with no one to talk to.
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When conversation halted…. fabric was laid, bad dirt was removed and better dirt was delivered.
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It’s a good thing our neighbors are morning people and far away, because things be noisy up in here.
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Dirt was delivered.
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Dirt was spread.
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And about mid day?
Things started to go wrong.
I noticed it got quiet and figured there had to be a reason.
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While I’m no expert on heavy machinery, something looked a little off here … even to me.
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Definitely an oh sh*t moment.
One broken hydraulic hose brought work to a standstill.
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River's world..... 