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My neighbors are the helpful sort and with the whiplash weather we’ve been having lately, everyone’s been posting ice charts.
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Mainers love to test the ice, but knowing your limits is important.
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Very lucky indeed. He’s a gorgeous fellow.
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A tarp wrapped plywood circle in the woods. But look, it has a porch! What a deal.
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The owner lives two doors down and says Junior here goes wherever the belly rubs lead him.
❤️
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Onward… through the never ending stalls of useless crap timeless treasure we went.
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Box of 1950’s risqué playing cards?
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Check! There were two.
Vintage hi fi speakers?
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Check! Two as well.
Absurd 6 legged patriotic corner table?
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Yup. That was there as well.
Because I don’t spend nearly as much time examining the junk unique items on sale as the husband, I’m always far ahead of him in the store. So when I see an area I think might be trouble?
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Like an entire room of rust…
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I try to steer him clear. But this time he surprised me and passed by the tool stall of horrors with nary a glance. We were halfway through the store by this time and I was lulled into a false sense of security that we would exit before dark.
And then….
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He found a pile. Actually he found pile upon piles of ephemera. For the uninitiated pickers among us, an explanation.
Ephemera –
items of collectible memorabilia, typically written or printed ones, that were originally expected to have only short-term usefulness or popularity.
There were boxes stacked on boxes, files stuffed in drawers and a floor to ceiling shelf full of ABSOLUTELY nothing worth a damn. But this didn’t deter my husband, oh no. The more he looked and found nothing? The more he was sure there was something. He just knew an undiscovered copy of the constitution or Abraham Lincoln’s handwritten will was waiting to be unearthed .
I walked the entire mall three times, sat down and blogged for half an hour, chatted with other customers and read two old Life magazines. He still wasn’t done.
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I found old shoes that made my bunion hurt just looking at them.
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And World War II German mountain trooper boots I wouldn’t want to hike the Alps in…. but still, the husband wasn’t through.
After 2 hours and 38 minutes…. ( That’s how long he stood there sorting and sifting through stinky brittle old scraps of paper. Yes. I timed it. ) I pulled him away and gave him an ultimatum. He could finish browsing the store before it closed or I was taking the car and leaving him there.
Since it was a 65 mile walk home? He deserted his giant pile of vintage grocery store lists and life insurance policies and resumed browsing.
To be continued….
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Have you ever given any thought to spaghetti? It’s not my favorite dish, but the husband loves it so I have to cook it more often than I’d prefer.
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Now I can’t stop thinking about all that back and forth. Ridiculous, no?
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Lord Dudley Mountcatten was cackling up a storm the other day. And no.. my windows are not normally that dirty, but the poor cat was positively drooling.
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That little red bitch is such a tease.
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The mere mention of Baby Shark has set that awful tune playing in my head again. If they’re going to roll out another equally as terrifying ear worm? We’re all doomed.
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We had lunch at the Muddy Rudder last week..
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Why the name?
Legend has it that many years ago the tugboat Portland slowly wound its way up the nearby Cousins River. Its destination was Yarmouth, and its purpose was to provide a place for good food, drink, and hospitality. A harsh nor’easter besieged the boat at its mooring and strong winds grounded and overturned her. The restaurant is built on that site.
But wait…. as we were sipping our adult beverages something was spotted outside.
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Do you see it?
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My iPhone camera doesn’t do him justice, but that’s one very chill seal slowly floating by on a chunk of rapidly melting ice.
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Wedge salad and clam chowder later…
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He was still floating. Though he’d flipped over on his stomach and turned to face foward.
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Fried scallops and a stuffed haddock with sherry lobster cream sauce later? He was gone, and we were full. Just another average day on the Maine coast….
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In a follow up to my fascinating post about frozen Finnish flesh…
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I would think the freezing part would hurt more, but what do I know?
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Imagine if you will…. you train your whole life, you work hard, you sacrifice, you qualify for the Olympics, your 15 minutes of fame finally roll around and instead of a gold medal? You get world wide weiner coverage.
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Well, yeah. Of course we are. It’s not something you hear about everyday.
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What is it they say… when life hands you lemons?
This guy will undoubtedly drink for free in bars around the world for a very long time.
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In an effort to amuse my recently retired husband, I took him to the largest antique in Maine. Five full floors of crap no one needs treasure housed in an old chicken barn. Okay, there was no heat in parts of it and the lights went out twice… but my spouse will tell you that’s part of the charm.
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To say this place went on forever was an understatement. Knowing I was going to lose the spouse over the course of the afternoon I made sure he had his cell phone fully charged and within reach. Many a “I’m standing in front of the walrus tusk, next to the embalmer’s table” calls were made that day.
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When you antique shop with my husband? It’s an all day affair. Each and every ludicrous piece of crap treasure must be thoroughly examined.
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And I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say this is where ugly lamps go to die.
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Good grief. That one looks like it has a tumor.
And since this is a northern Maine antique mall?
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There was the required Wall of Death.
Not being a hunter, these displays always make me cringe. Mounting trophy heads is barbaric as far as I’m concerned. I’m sure this poor fellow agrees…
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Taxidermy.
When it goes wrong? It goes really wrong.
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The juxtaposition of this World War II gas mask with the jauntily hatted little cherub defies rational explanation, but proves you never know what will be around the next corner.
To be continued….
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I remember flipping through the Sharper Image catalog in the 80’s and being amazed at the wide array of gadgets on offer. Digital answering machines! Dual cassette decks! Pagers! It didn’t get much cooler than that.
Yes, we’ve come a long way since the VHS tape rewinder… but I still find myself checking out what the new Sharper Image is selling these days.
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This is awesome. Instant photos from your phone! Not that I ever print pictures anymore, but damn it… with that gadget I could if I wanted to.
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I already have a vinyl to MP3 converter, but now it’s possible to transfer all my old mixed tapes from the 80’s? Count me in.
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Okay, it’s true… I don’t play golf. But I also never like to be far from an ice cold margarita so this is totally going on my Christmas list.
👍
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Yesterday it was 62 degrees, this morning it was minus 3.
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Yesterday we had deer nibbling on green grass, today we’re shoveling snow.
Yesterday we grilled lamb chops and ate lunch on the deck.
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Today?
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I don’t think we will.
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Silly question, right? Everyone wants pie! Pie is delightful. Pie is our friend.
Pie…. is life.
But when I was scrolling FB the other day? This is the kind of pie that popped up in my feed.
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Definitely not the right kind of pie.
But proof positive you can literally buy anything on Etsy.
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The Winter Olympics are over, but some stories are still worth telling.
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Not being born with that particular appendage, I can only imagine what that would feel like. The time I froze the Oscar Meyer wieners by mistake comes to mind, and if so? Ouch!
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I’m happy to report Cluck was adopted. Read about him here.
https://amp.charlotteobserver.com/news/state/north-carolina/article258043433.html
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There are numerous reasons I’m not flying right now. Covid, extended periods of mandatory masking which kick my hot flashes into high gear, and crazy passengers who have to be zip tied during flight… but a stranger’s bare feet on the back of my head? If this is what’s happening now, I may never fly again.
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Of course it will. The way things are going in the world these days, I expected no less.
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Sorry, you’re on your own with this one. I didn’t read the article. My life is fine just the way it is.
River's world..... 