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Flowers.
That’s what you get for the outrageously high property tax bills the town of Kennebunk sends out twice a year.
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But what lovely flowers they are.
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Every free space in the village is filled with them.
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It’s impressive and quite beautiful.
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Is it any wonder President Bush’s family has their summer home in Kennebunkport?
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We haven’t seen a woodchuck for weeks now.
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And while my flower gardens are sighing in relief…
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I have to admit I miss the fat little buggers.
( note – spellcheck always changes buggers to nuggets… and is that really better? )
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It’s ironic that now the ground is littered with apples from our trees, the apple munchers have left the building.
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This is the fourth year in a row we’ve had a woodchuck family move in.
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So I guess we’ll say so long chuckers.
( which spellcheck changes to chiclets every damn time )
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See you next year.
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The woodchucks have left the building.
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After momma chuck and her spring brood of voracious garden nibblers cut a swath of destruction through my flower gardens this spring….
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And fattened up quickly at our all you can eat buffet this summer….
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They have now moved on to where ever the hell it is woodchucks go in the fall.
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And all I’m left with is empty flower pots and leftover photos to sort through.
😊
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I’m not a fan of artichokes. I mean really, who has the time?
But I am a fan of the Jerusalem artichokes our farming neighbor across the road grows every year.
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Because when they blossom in the fall?
They are a seriously impressive sight.
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Human in far left corner for scale.
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When your flowers tower over the harvesting truck?
That’s a damned impressive bloom.
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Our town often posts announcements of items people are giving away for free. Some of them are lovely and thoughtful…
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And some of them make me scratch my head.
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This saw needs a motor, belt and blade.
Good grief, what else is there….?
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I saw this the other day and was sorely tempted.
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I totally need cherry tomato toting ants.
In other local news….
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Such a neighborly thing to do.
And lately a dip in the pool has been sounding wonderful with temps being hot, hot, hot.
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Of course this is Maine, so while it felt like 104 one morning…
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Two days later it felt like 45.
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I replanted my left over garden bed with geraniums after the baby woodchucks ate all the petunias.
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But not before the little bastards darlings chewed all the leaves off my gay feather.
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At least they left the blooms this time.
🥴
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Now I’m wondering what an appropriate beef jerky card message would be.
I wanna hold your ham?
Nice to meat you?
Don’t go bacon my heart.
I have a t-bone to pick with you?
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I don’t often catch the baby woodchucks nibbling my flowers but this little dude was quite brazen.
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Strolled right up on the deck and started chewing the bloomless petunia I’d transplanted from the garden to a pot because they were eating it.
Yeah.
That worked well….
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I really wish they were month lilies.
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Because they’re a wonderful pop of color in the garden and a day just isn’t enough.
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I have them scattered here and there around the property.
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And while this dark pink is my favorite, it’s never grown larger… though I planted it 17 long years ago.
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This line of hostas and day lilies was here when we moved in… and though it’s not a good spot, I’ve yet to relocate them.
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This double ruffle is sweet.
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But the stormy sky behind my backyard patch?
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Not at all sweet.
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This month’s calendar squirrel has his face stuffed into a dandelion bloom gone to seed.
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As far as pleasantly scented flowers go, he’s clueless.
And if our resident red bitch tries this? I can only hope she’s deathly allergic.
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Day lilies.
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Day lilies are what’s blooming at Casa River.
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Almost everyone in Maine has this orange variety, for some reason they’re prolific, hardy and can withstand our crazy weather better than the others.
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It’s a shame they don’t last longer…
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They’re a wonderful blast of color.
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These two are my favorites.
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Deep, dark…
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And gloriously rich shades.
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