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Look who’s back!
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I spotted our first woodchuck yesterday.
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And immediately tossed out some lettuce and broccoli to welcome the little guy back.
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I’m saying little guy but it might be a girl. I only know it doesn’t look like our old momma chuck of years past.
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She’s been around for a long time and sadly, I think it’s time for the next generation to take over.
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As you know, we have a few antiques and collectibles in the man cave/Barn Mahal.
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These WWII posters greet you on entry.
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But we know how old they are and how much they’re worth.
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We have a dedicated WWII corner with ration books and various ephemera as well.
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We could take the old Victorian stereoscopic viewer and cards.
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Or the quite large handmade model biplane.
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The husband has all kinds of oddities…
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From left to right –
Montamower, vacuum cleaner, wagon wheel jack.
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And a table of assorted torture devices tools… but are they Antique Roadshow worthy?
I don’t know.
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To all my friends who need a little green in their day…
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It’s a terrible time to be out of Midori.
But I can always be Irish tomorrow…
☘️
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Because all the other news is insane these days.
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Note to self – do not ask a Great White to say cheese.
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I don’t know why it’s a thing, but I do know it’s one of the myriad reasons I’m not on Tik Tok.
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At this point I don’t think that qualifies as news.
Or anything new for that matter.
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Is she surprised? Even the best birth control is only 98% effective.
Do the math.
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I so need this emoji.
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A completely reasonable response.
Ice cream theft should not be tolerated.
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A rare photo of Lord Dudley Mountcatten walking in the snow a few weeks ago.
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That winter stroll lasted all of two minutes. His Lordship does not like cold feet. 🥶
If you’re a vinyl collector like me, you’ve flipped through endless stacks of records in flea markets and antique stores looking for an elusive LP. More often than not what you find is Herb Alpert. Specifically, the Whipped Cream album. Seriously, it’s everywhere.
If you can relate to that frustration, this next bit is for you.
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Lord Dudley likes to watch television. And the other night he came running into the living when he heard a bald eagle screech.
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To say he was fascinated is an understatement.
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No. Just… no.
I love my margaritas but refuse to add beets.
Blech!
🤢
Misspellings annoy me. Which is why I joined a funny group on Facebook called the Grammar Police where people share photos of grammatical blunders.
I posted this recently.
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It was immediately removed.
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I thought it was funny.
Apparently, they didn’t.
🥴
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Maine winters can be long, and out here in the country you take your entertainment where you can find it.
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Often times, that’s on a frozen river.
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Smelt, a small oily fish people enjoy fried…
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… run thus time of year and intrepid Mainers set up ice fishing shacks.
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Sitting in a plywood box in sub zero temps staring at a hole in the ice isn’t my idea of a good time.
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But to each their own.
🐟
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You may even enjoy it.
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Clearly this feline is Jonesing for some kitty weed and had to hit the ATM to pay his dealer.
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Catnip withdrawal is real.
Now you.
Why does that cat need money?
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When it comes to wanting a weird and unusual item to bring to the Antique Roadshow, I don’t think you can beat what’s hanging on our wall.
Do you see it?
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It’s a bizarre rock crystal piece that’s been gracing my family’s homes since the late 1800’s.
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What is it? Good question.
My grandfather traveled the world at the end of the 19th century and brought this back from Egypt in the early 1880’s or ‘90’s.
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When I was a child I was sure it was pirate treasure because of the skull and crossed bones.
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But the story was it came from an ancient tomb.
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For over 100 years no one in my family knew what it was, so back in 1994 I contacted a museum curator.
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Turns out they weren’t sure either. Early Christian or ancient Coptic?
Interesting.
And in case you’re wondering, I did send photos to Christie’s and Sotheby’s… both of whom sent back replies stating it fell below their $5,000 value requirement ($10,657 in today’s dollars) for auction. And if they’re not auctioning? They’re not identifying.
So…
Another definite Roadshow possibility.
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The husband and I found a (not so new, but new to us) brewery in Lewiston recently.
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Baxter brewing is housed in the old Bates mill complex …
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And has a fabulous tasting room space.
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I love when companies repurpose old buildings. This was a hydro powered textile mill back in the day and if you look closely in the far corner of that picture you’ll see a raw rock wall. During heavy rain storms it weeps… wear waterproof shoes if you sit there.
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The beer?
Yeah, there’s lots of it on tap.
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That chocolate orange stout?
Primo!
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They also have a full bar and since I’m a sucker for fresh herbs in my cocktails…
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I sampled the thyme after thyme mule with pear and lime ginger beer. Yum!
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At the bar we spied an outdoor mural we missed on the way in.
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Along with the beer?
Food.
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Sadly it wasn’t as good as the booze.
The husband’s French onion soup was sent back because it was basically just a bowl of soggy bread.
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My dumplings were tasty but a bit overdone with hard edges.
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The generator that powered the mill.
It’s massive and would have cost a fortune to remove so they just painted it and left it in place.
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The husband liked his chicken tenders, though I thought the coating was too heavy and too dry.
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I should have known better than to order a smash burger… I don’t usually like them as they’re thin and well done… but the bartender said the maple honey cream sauce was amazing so I took the plunge.
Sauce aside, it was a dry hockey puck.
Am I the only one who hates this smash perfectly good meat to smithereens trend?
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Poor pub food aside, the atmosphere and beer were good enough to warrant a return trip.
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We’ll just order something it’s harder to screw up. Like nachos, or salad.
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😊
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If we get picked to go to the Antique Roadshow taping in Maine this summer, I want to bring something unusual.
Something you haven’t seen a hundred times before.
This might fit the bill…
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My father was of Scottish ancestry, but born and raised in England. This framed print was passed down through his family and though it doesn’t currently hang in our home…. it is interesting.
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Mine is clearly hand colored.
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And the only other one I could find on line is in the National Portrait Gallery.
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A distinct Roadshow possibility…
👍
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River's world..... 