.
Skunks are not always black with a white stripe.
.
.
Sometime they’re white with a black one.
.
.
Our little family is proof of that.
.
.
Diversity.
.
.
Ya gotta love it.
.
A veritable skunk mosaic.
Monthly Archives: August 2025
Always up for Otto’s.
.
One of our favorite restaurants is an unassuming little spot housed in an old building in the once deserted but now having a mini renaissance, downtown area of Augusta, Maine’s capitol.
.
.
Otto’s by the River isn’t on the river per se, and the only way you’re able to see the water is if you sit on their side deck and swivel your head.
.
.
But the interior is amusing enough for us.
.
.
And we usually sit at the bar.
.
.
On this particular day peach Crown Royal slushies were on special and they were so delicious my beer loving husband actually joined me.
.
.
Otto’s makes the best crab dip I’ve ever had… so I stuff myself with that and have to give up a big meal for a chicken Caesar salad.
.
.
Husband’s pan seared scallop Alfredo was decadently rich.
.
.
So if you’re ever hungry in Augusta? Give Otto’s a try.
😊
.
I like free.
.
A year ago this week we bought Pearl.
.
.
My brand new, top of the line Subaru Forester Touring.
.
.
She’s a menopausal hot flashing woman’s wet dream with her vented air conditioned front seats.
Best.
Option.
Ever!
The dealership where we bought her is pretty sweet as well. Free car washes and free inspection stickers for the life of the vehicle and the first year anniversary service is free as well.
.
.
Free oil change, free tire rotation, free sticker and free overall check up.
.
.
We laughed when the maintenance department said they’d never seen a year old car so clean.
I love my girl and take good care of her.
While I’m not a dealership service fan and won’t be taking Pearl back there for any other work as they’re much more expensive than our trusty local guy,…
I did enjoy that $0.00 bill.
😉
.
Miscellaneous nonsense.
.
Cats.
They’re bizarre little creatures.
.
.
Ours sat like this for half an hour.
Did he see a bug… or was he pondering existentialism?
Tough call.
.
.
Driving with my husband means stopping frequently.
.
.
Especially when he sees old things for sale. That 1939 beauty was $32,000 and I had to drag him away kicking and screaming.
.
.
This was also proudly displayed, though not for sale.
.
.
I had to laugh at Downstream’s name and advertising. Two thumbs up from poo that looks like seals.
.
.
We’re having a record breaking hummingbird season and I’m filling feeders like crazy.
.
.
It’s rare to see two birds drinking at the same time without fighting here but this year we’ve had five.
💕
.
Question – does this look like a $175 bouquet to you?
.
.
Because that’s what I spent and this was what was delivered.
Maybe I’m spoiled by our outstanding local florist but when I called a North Carolina business and ordered an extra special, stuffed full of blooms bouquet this wasn’t what I had in mind. The arrangement looks almost haphazard.
.
Maps, they’re more than navigational.
.
Ever wonder how livable your climate is?
.
.
Wonder no more.
.
.
I was once written up for stepping off a boat onto a pier with a beer in my hand. Thankfully the officer was an idiot who put two different dates on the ticket and it was thrown out of court.
.
.
Maine does have a lot of older retirees so I won’t argue with this one.
.
.
I’ll blame our broken ankles on ice and slippery snow.
.
.
Uh, Mark… do we need to stage an intervention?
.
.
Guess I can thank Stephen King for ours.
.
.
This is crazy. I don’t know how young people just starting out do it. Our first home cost $45,000, at a time when my husband’s annual salary was $35,000. The numbers are much farther apart now…
😥
.
A miniature feeding frenzy.
.
There have always been hummingbirds at Casa River.
.
.
I put a sugar water feeder out (no artificial dye) as soon as we spot the first one appear in May and enjoy watching the brilliant little jewels drop by for a drink now and then.
We rarely see more than two at a time.
But this year we have three, and four…
.
.
And five.
.
.
And then?
Holy hummers Batman!
We’ve been bombarded by hungry avians.
.
.
I had to put out a second feeder and I’m refilling them every single day.
It’s been crazy…
But absolutely marvelous!
💕
A garage no more.
.
Have you ever eaten in a garage?
I mean an honest to goodness previously grease stained filling station?
.
.
Thankfully the grease and transmissions are gone and a Wiscasset, Maine landmark restaurant once known as Le Garage (clever, no?) is now Water Street Kitchen and Bar.
.
.
It’s a great place to drop in for a craft cocktail…
.
.
Fresh basil limeade with Tito’s please.
.
.
A cream of asparagus soup for the spouse…
.
.
And some spicy Cajun shrimp for me to start.
.
.
Never let it be said their bartenders don’t go the extra mile for top shelf.
🤣
We were happily drinking and schmoozing so I didn’t photograph our entrees, but dessert was a delight.
.
.
Creamy limoncello cake for the win.
.
.
On the way home?
.
.
We marveled at the tourists who don’t know any better and wait on endless lines in the heat at Red’s Eats.
.
.
Their lobster is frozen and comes from Canada.
No self respecting Mainer would be caught dead there.
.
News you can’t use.
.
Truly.
I can’t imagine a single scenario where any of the following would be useful.
.
.
See?
Useless.
.
.
Does this mean we can go back to the good old days where only winning teams received trophies, because you know.. it’s a sport? By definition a competition, where someone wins and someone loses. There’s no lesson learned when everyone wins.
.
.
That’s definitely how my husband was raised. When his father’s belt came off, they ran.
.
.
Great.
Yet another thing I’ve probably been doing wrong.
.
.
Power peeing?
Is this even a thing….
.
.
Interesting.
.
.
He’s quite a regal looking fellow.
.
.
Exactly how bad does your underwear need to be if the cat won’t steal it?
On second thought, don’t answer that.
.
.
From the way things are going in the U.S. right now? This isn’t news at all.
😥
.
Surgery… with a view.
.
A friend of ours had to go in the hospital for pancreatic surgery recently so we ordered a bouquet from our outstanding local florist to brighten up his room.
.
.
The arrangement was so beautiful I wanted to keep it myself, but I did the right thing and rode with it on my lap for the drive up the coast to the medical center.
.
.
I didn’t even know this hospital existed.
But north on Route 1, past a boat with a beard…
.
.
And a non partisan political sign…
.
.
On a peninsula in Damarriscotta, stood a waterfront hospital with rooms that really didn’t require cheering up.
.
.
Talk about gilding the lily.
He had a corner private room with a view that can’t be anything but healing.
❤️
.
Functional, yes. Attractive, no.
,
My husband comes from a long line of thrifty New Englanders who didn’t buy new if the old could be fixed.
The man who doesn’t blink at paying $200 for dinner refused to replace our broken mailbox pole and opted to piece it back together instead.
Sigh…
.
.
Yes, it worked.
.
.
Though it certainly isn’t pretty.
Could he have trimmed the wood to fit the pole’s width?
He could have.
.
.
He also could have bought a new mailbox to replace the twisted mess that drunk driver left behind, but no…
.
.
He glued and screwed and deployed his giant antique vise instead.
.
.
Does the door open completely? No.
Is there a gap in the rear where rain can leak in? Sure.
Is the pole crooked and listing slightly to the right? Yes.
.
.
But he didn’t have to buy a new one, and isn’t that all that counts?
🥴
River's world..... 