Category Archives: Uncategorized

A little rain, a lot of alcohol.

June 25, 2019 Rivergirl 31 Comments

Saturday we had tickets to an afternoon festival promoting local beer and food. It was called The Taste of Summer and was being held on the old Navy base. The band were friends of friends and we were looking forward to it. Until the heavens opened up on the way over….

It was raining, thunder was booming and people were standing on line wearing trash bags.

We sat in the car for a while, thinking it would pass… which is when it started to hail and festival goers ran for cover.

Seeing that trash bags aren’t a good look for me, and I generally prefer to do my drinking while dry…. we left and headed for Boothbay Harbor.

IMG_E5080

Which is always a good idea.

IMG_E5083

Boothbay is one of our favorite places to walk…

IMG_E5079

To sight see…

IMG_E5081

To eat…

IMG_E5086

And yes, to drink.

(Don’t be shocked, it’s been know to happen on occasion.)

First stop… The Boathouse Bistro.

Best damn food in Boothbay Harbor.

Appetizers were Coconut Lime Ginger Mussels for the husband and my friend.

Those babies were huge!

Cajun Shrimp and Cheesy Grits for me.

I hate grits. I love these.

Enough said…

A Harborside Lemonade and a Summer Bliss later, I dove into Pan Seared Scallops on Parmesan Mushroom Risotto with Citrus Wilted Arugula. You could have killed me right then and there… and I’d have died happy.

Husband had a deconstructed Beef Wellington with split lobster tail and goat cheese mushroom compote.

Girlfriend had 2 rum punches and a Bourbon Brown Sugar Glazed Ribeye with rosemary fingerling potatoes and broccolini.

We were happy campers.

But onward.

let-the-drinking-begin-

Technically it already had, we were two cocktails in… but the bar hopping portion of our afternoon/evening will now commence.

Trust me when I say a good time was had by all.

Second stop… The World is Mine Oyster. A bit of a dive, but keep walking… through the hallway, up the winding stairs, thru the restaurant and out on the deck?

One of the best views of the harbor.

And 2 sea green margaritas.

Life is good.

Third stop… The Harborside Tavern.

This was a place we’d never been before and though we sat at the bar instead of enjoying the view….

One extremely strong bourbon filled Perfect Storm later?

I didn’t much care. The bartender was so heavy handed she either loved us.. or hated us. I still don’t know which.

Fourth and final stop…. The Boothbay Harbor Inn, where things got interesting.

IMG_E5087

Needless to say we were feeling no pain by then.

This is across the harbor from where we started and has a beautiful view as well.

Our bartender was an adorable little exchange student from Romania named Meihi.

IMG_E5101

With whom my soon to be divorced friend was instantly smitten.

Of course Happy Hour Blueberry Mules may have had something to do with that.

At this point it started to pour again….

So what else could we do but stay and drink?

19ahcs

We drank. And made friends with a group that was staying at the inn.

IMG_E5106

We drank. And watched the cute bartender play bar games.

We drank. Until the sun started to set and I figured we shouldn’t drink anymore.

For this…

IMG_E5108

My cheeky friend flipped me off.

IMG_E5111

Sunset.

IMG_E5113

In Boothbay Harbor…

IMG_E5104

Is a beautiful thing.

My girlfriend trying to pole dance on the parking meter?

Not so much.

Clearly some of us had a better time than others….

Uncategorized

Sunshine Blogger Award

June 24, 2019 Rivergirl 32 Comments

With thanks to Nowhere Tribune for the nomination.

He thinks my posts are fun…

So there!

Rules:

Thank the Blogger that nominated you.

Answer the questions.

Nominate new blogs to receive the award and in this case, ask them to list 5 to 10 random facts about themselves.

List the rules and display the Sunshine Blogger Award in your post/or blog.

Notify the nominees about it by commenting on their blog post.

Since my normal blogs are already filled with completely useless, random tidbits of my life this might be a challenge…. but I’ll give it a whirl.

1. I can’t tolerate nuts in any form. Don’t hide them in my salad or ruin my ice cream with those nasty little things. And if you come near me eating peanut butter? I will don my gas mask and cover you in Febreze … blech!

2. If I step in or on a boat…. and it moves? That boat is too small. I may live in Maine, surrounded by water, but I’ve been dumped in the ocean (lake, river, etc.) by too many canoes and punts in the past to venture out on anything tiny ever again. Uh uh. In my 50’s? It’s all about holding on to my margarita while boating. Kayaks need not apply.

3. In my teens, I snuck into a night club through a rest room window. No one was in the stall at the time… and thankfully, it was the ladies room. But I landed head first on the toilet and that’s never good.

4. I have the feet of a 90 year old woman. People say I don’t look like my mother, but I sure as hell inherited her deformed feet. Bunions, the beginning of hammer toes…. I’m prematurely geriatric from the ankles down and a podiatrist’s wet dream.

32azwq

5. As I child I never got to act in the class plays. While my friends were Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz? Or Betsy Ross on Independence Day? I was the narrator because I was always the only kid who could read quickly and correctly without missing a beat. Not nearly as much fun, but at least I didn’t have to memorize anything….

grass

Okay, he wins.

Grass is worse than narrator any ole day.

So there you have it, 5 randomly ridiculous things you might not have known about me.

Huzzah! Your life is complete.

1a1uqk

Of course having to nominate only 5 people off the long list of fabulous blogs I follow is the worst part…

I love you all equally. But rules are rules.

My 5 –

Angel Who Swears because she is snark incarnate and I admire that in a person.

Wayward Sparkles because she always makes me laugh, and sometimes snort.

The Rebel Fish because I haven’t been able to figure out how Tim’s mind works yet, but I’m sure there’s an aardvark scrambling around in there somewhere.

Actual Conversations With My Husband because she’s a little bent, and eavesdropping on their conversations is an absolute hoot.

Go Jules Go because sharing the crazy journey she calls life is a rollicking good ride.

So if you want to play along, tell us 5 things we don’t already know about you.

And if you could care less?

I get it. Feel free to ignore me…

It won’t be the first time.

Uncategorized

We will prevail….

June 23, 2019 Rivergirl 29 Comments

Time for our annual battle with the flowering quince.

My husband hates trimming this bush. Hates it with a passion.

The monster is covered in thorns and not easily tamed. Cutting a path through uncharted Amazon rain forest while being chased by pygmies with poisonous darts might actually be preferable.

Every year we do it, and every year he grumbles.

This year he suggested using the chain saw.

But I had visions of this:

And managed to dissuade him.

I started with the electric hedge trimmer…

And managed to cut smaller branches away from the house.

Then the husband brought the ladder and the muscle.

Quince bushes are hard wood, and mature ones like ours fight back.

I was tempted to suggest something like this:

But managed to hold my tongue.

While he was angrily hacking away at that, I moved over to the also out of control Burning Bushes.

These turn a vibrant red in the fall and are much easier to trim.

But I didn’t get very far because hidden in between them and the boxwood? I found a catbird’s nest.

oCIBLhs

No, not that kind.

This kind.

And I scared the poor mother right off it.

(Worry not, she’s back.)

Avoiding the nest meant the bushes are still large, but at least you can see the windows now. The top half anyway.

As for the quince…

My idea of a neatly shaped shrub differs greatly from the husband’s …

But he had a sharp implement in his hands and I figured I shouldn’t push the issue.

fat-ass-with-a-machete_o_1134483

Yes, dear.

It looks fine.

Uncategorized

I wish WordPress had Smell-O-Vision.

June 22, 2019 Rivergirl 30 Comments

I really do.

Because it’s apple blossom time at Casa River.

And next to lilacs, they’re my favorite natural scent.

We had a long wet spring….

And now even the smaller trees are bursting with blooms.

Every little branch is covered in fragrant blossoms…. and when the breeze blows?

Pure heaven.

But since Smell-O-Vision isn’t available, you’ll have to take my word for it.

It’s that good.

Fun fact : Every tree we’ve planted in the past 15 years?

Dead.

dead-trees-dead

I don’t know why… they just died. Some lasted a few years, others mere months.

But this apple tree?

The one I didn’t plant? That must have sprung up from a floating seed….

Grows 3 feet every summer.

And this year, it’s bee nirvana.

what-did-the-i6wffr

Sorry..

I had to.

Uncategorized

More baby chuckers!

June 21, 2019 Rivergirl 33 Comments

Remember how I warned you there would be ~~more pictures of baby woodchucks than you ever thought possible~~ future photographs of our backyard wildlife?

It starts now.

Calm down, they’re babies and they’re cute.

How bad can it be?

In the evening, it usually goes like this…

Mother woodchuck comes out to see if the coast is clear.

And must give some kind of silent signal…

85165033

Because before long….

The little ones are scampering around everywhere.

They love our deck and run back and forth so quickly it’s hard to snap a shot.

Two of them chase each other around and love hiding under the grill cover…

While the other two are busy eating deer grain.

With their mother…

Who is in serious need of an 18 hour bra.

Sorry girlfriend, but it needed to be said.

h13D3C262

I know you can’t un-see that.

Apologies.

Maybe this bit of cuteness will make up for it.

He doesn’t quite have the hang of it yet…

But he’s trying.

Uncategorized

They’re persistent, I’ll give them that.

June 20, 2019 Rivergirl 50 Comments

So I hadn’t checked my Spam folder for a while and was surprised to find 32 from the same sender the other day.

Oprol Evorter clearly wanted to get his/her point across.

It started out innocently enough:

whoah this blog is fantastic i love studying your posts. Keep up the good paintings!

Paintings?

I don’t paint… other than the occasional wall, but whatever.

l-29795-when-your-daughters-possessed-but-you-still-need-to-touch-up-that-paint-job

Excellent items from you, man. I have be aware your stuff prior to and you are just extremely wonderful.

I don’t think I’m that wonderful, but okay… if you say so.

I am impressed by the details that you’ve on this web site. It reveals how nicely you perceive this subject. You, my friend, ROCK!

Clearly he read my Arizona rock series.

djhfb

Hi my loved one! I want to say that this post is amazing, nice written and include approximately all important infos. I’d like to see extra posts like this.

Loved one?

How ’bout we dial that back a notch.

Yeah….

No.

Then, perhaps because I didn’t approve the comments…. things started getting a little strange.

My brother suggested I may like this blog. He used to be entirely right.

Okay, fair enough.

I’m not everyone’s cup of tea.

h3FBAE95B

But then…

Hello, you used to write magnificent, but the last several posts have been kinda boringK I miss your tremendous writings. Past few posts are just a little out of track! come on!

Ya gotta love it…

Everyone’s a critic. Even the spam.

Uncategorized

Who knew they could break your heart?

June 19, 2019 Rivergirl 37 Comments

We had a really wet, cool fall last year with a really wet, cool spring this year…. and it was rough on the landscaping. The blueberry bushes look punky, the rhododendrons are spindly and we had 2 deaths.

While garden deaths usually don’t make me cry, these did.

For those of you who don’t know, my mother died July of 2014 from Non Hodgkins Lymphoma, and it was rough. I’m an only child and lost my dad when I was 15. I never knew my grandparents.

She was my family. Pretty much all of it.

Mom hated the fuss of funerals and wanted to be cremated. Said it was up to me to decide what to do with her ashes. Since she loved spending time at our home and enjoyed our gardens, I planted a tulip tree with part of her nourishing the soil.

tree 5

The tree had been growing well since then, but didn’t survive the winter and spring. We had to remove it…. and I cried.

Cried.

Silly, I know. And yes, I can always plant another one, but somehow it just feels…. wrong.

Then there was the beautiful red rose our neighbor gave me to mark her passing.

Copy (1) of 005

It was stunning, and always filled with riotous blooms.

I would walk by, think of my mother and smile.

I mean damn…

The crazy thing would even bloom in the snow.

I figured nothing would kill it… and then we had a really cool, wet fall and a really cool, wet spring.

Yeah.

The beauty that I’d been enjoying for years…. gone. Just like my mom.

And I cried.. again. I couldn’t help it.

But I decided to replace the rose.

With this flashy lady.

The blooms looked almost painted….

Which made sense when I removed the tag.

I’ve always loved impressionist paintings, so that felt right.

Fingers are crossed this one does well.

I think my mother would have approved.

❤

Uncategorized

Judge not lest ye be judged.

June 18, 2019 Rivergirl 30 Comments

Excellent advice…. which I clearly don’t take.

I have a friend who’s always talking about her Meyer Briggs test results. She had to take the quiz when she wanted a promotion at work because her employers needed to know if she was management material.

If you’re not familiar…

The purpose of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator^® (MBTI^®) personality inventory is to make the theory of psychological types described by C. G. Jung understandable and useful in people’s lives. The essence of the theory is that much seemingly random variation in the behavior is actually quite orderly and consistent, being due to basic differences in the ways individuals prefer to use their perception and judgment.

Not being considered for promotion, (unless being upgraded to your favorite blogger counts) I decided to find the free versions online and take a stab at finding out what kind of personality I am.

i-dont-know-who-i-am-but-i-will-find-you-and-you-will-tell-me

Test #1

My results:

IMG_E4611

None of my preferences were strongly one way or the other, which must mean I’m drab and quite tedious.

hF15D8C8D

A breakdown –

IMG_E4612

Hmm… I’m a benevolent pedagogue who manipulates others with my unique salesmanship.

The definition of a pedagogue is a dull or pedantic teacher. Not exactly how I see myself, but online quizzes can’t be wrong.

gfhdjksl

Test #2

My results:

IMG_E4615

Not sure that’s the best likeness…. but I’m carrying cake and a book, so maybe it’s not too far off the mark.

IMG_E4616

Quiz #2 shows me to be extroverted as well…. and feeling over thinking, though by much wider margins.

IMG_E4617

Not quite sure what they mean by a turbulent identity, but it sounds badass…

So I’ll take it.

Test #3

My results:

IMG_E4618

Another extrovert result, and apparently I talk too much.

Sorry… but that’s not exactly shocking.

IMG_E4619

This quiz had me going both ways for cognitive style.

some-legends-go-both-ways

And dead even for thinking over feeling.

IMG_E4620

But the last part?

IMG_E4621

Wow….

I’m a judgemental bitch if ever I saw one.

I also sound uptight and anal.

IMG_E4624

Good thing I don’t take these things seriously, because from the sounds of that profile I’m a robotic taskmaster with a whip.

Of course, the whip thing could be interesting…

its-that-time-again-to-whip-that-a

Or not…

Uncategorized

Random things I saw today….

June 16, 2019 Rivergirl 29 Comments

In the parking lot of a restaurant I saw –

The best damn car seat covers…

Ever.

IMG_E4678

If these don’t stop your mother in law from asking you for a ride?

Nothing will.

At Goodwill I saw –

Technically no, Richard…. no one said sale.

It’s just thrifting.

But may I say…..eeewww.

Clearly there is no quality control in the thrift store business.

This was a sleeve of a blouse with hair covered velcro on the end.

Why did it have hair covered velcro on the end?

It’s Goodwill. How the hell should I know?

And finally I saw…

A full grown pregnant doe terrified of a chipmunk.

He was sitting on the edge of the stone wall, chipping… as chipmunks are wont to do.

And she wouldn’t come any closer.

I don’t speak chipmunk, but maybe….

funny_ground_squirrel_mouse_pad-r627c2acfbdfa464598d698c08256374e_x74vi_8byvr_307

He’d had a bad day.

Uncategorized

Because I promised I would….

June 15, 2019 Rivergirl 29 Comments

Squirrels.

Love ’em or hate ’em, you have to admit they’re marvelously clever and acrobatic creatures. Entire industries are built on deterring them from raiding our bird feeders, but squirrels?

They train for it.