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The little chucks love their carrots.
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And there’s one baby who holds his high in the air.
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So high it tips him off balance.
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I never manage to get a picture of him falling over while nibbling …
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But trust me, it happens.
😊
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Every spring Maine has a pollen problem. The trees explode with new growth and yellow powder covers everything. And since winter hung on a little longer this year? The pollen season has stretched into summer.
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This was I-295 southbound a week ago.
Not fog. Not smog….
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Pollen. Choking the air.
Makes me glad I don’t have allergies.
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It’s rare, but woodchucks do climb trees. As evidenced by this photo I took of a youngster checking out our apple tree branch.
Even rarer?
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Capturing a picture of the young woodchuck kamikaze diving off said branch.
He was fine and wandered off shortly after the drop.
😳
Warning – little bit of grossness ahead.
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I bought a rotisserie chicken for a chicken and dumpling casserole recipe the other day. But as I started carving it?
Eewww …
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I can honestly say I’ve never seen whatever the hell this was before.
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A big blood spot on the breast and something disgusting that looked like pumpernickel bread in the meat.
What the hell!
Was it an infection? A tumor?
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Either way, it was disgusting and completely off putting.
Needless to say we ordered pizza that night.
🤢
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It isn’t often the entire woodchuck clan shows up for a nosh at the same time.
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But I managed to snap a few quick shots of momma and siblings vying for carrots the other day.
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A bit of squabbling took place among the kids.
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But no one got in mommas way.
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😊
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Momma Chuck and two babies showed up for broccoli yesterday.
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The little guys look so funny trying to maneuver their veggies.
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They watch mom sit up and eat so they try to mimic her stance.
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One little fellow holds his broccoli too high…
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Which throws him off balance.
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His brother says to hell with that and just sits.
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But baby number one is determined.
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And more than a little crooked.
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Momma chuck and one baby snacking on some carrots is a sweet sight.
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But when she turned around?
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All I could think of was that awful song from the 90’s… Baby Got Back.
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Even when another young chuck showed up.
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Yup.
Momma got back.
🤣
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One of the baby chucks is visiting daily now.
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And learning the correct carrot consumption stance.
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He’s a little wobbly…
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And sometimes he tips over.
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But practice makes perfect.
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❤️
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Just when I was getting worried we hadn’t seen any baby woodchucks?
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One brave little guy followed momma out of the shed.
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At first he didn’t know what to make of the carrot buffet…
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And wanted mom to feed him.
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But momma chuck isn’t exactly a hands paws on parent…
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And let him figure it out for himself.
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Before long he was happily munching alongside her.
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Let’s take a walk back in time to my childhood.
I’m a tail end boomer and remember every one of these questionable gastronomic delights. My mother didn’t allow them in our house because she was determined her only child would eat healthy food. Which is one of the reasons I enjoyed spending time at my friends, whose parents weren’t nearly as vigilant.
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A taco shaped artificially flavored banana sponge cake with overly sugared cream filling. A heavenly treat for my 7 year old self.
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Cheese in a can! This was the height of cool when I was young. The fact I’m still alive after consuming it all those years ago is a testament to its high level of preservatives.
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Required lunch box dessert when I was growing up.
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The pungent aroma hit you as you walked past Spencer’s gifts and Sam Goody’s… half a mile away. And it was guaranteed someone in your family would receive a gift box filled with inedible sausage for Christmas.
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My parents never ate a frozen dinner in their life but when they went to the city for the evening and I had a babysitter? Swanson fried chicken with that horrible little apple cobbler was my consolation for having to stay home .
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I remember eating the vanilla version of these when I was a teenager. God only knows what they were made of. We questioned nothing back then.
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And finally, the only product I might still eat today. I remember them being quite tasty.
Do any of these items bring back nostalgic food memories for you?
And if not, what were some of your favorite childhood horrors?
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Our grey squirrels are determined fellows. As evidenced by the never give up attitude of this little guy during a recent rainy morning attempt at reaching the bird feeder.
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Wet poles be slippery.
🤣
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If you like shrimp?
Give this recipe a try.
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In a large stainless steel skillet over medium heat, melt 1 Tbsp. butter. Pat shrimp dry; season all over with Old Bay.
Arrange shrimp in a single layer in skillet and cook, turning halfway through, until translucent, about 1 minute per side. Transfer to a plate.
In same skillet over medium heat, melt remaining 1 Tbsp. butter. Add shallot and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to soften, 2 to 3 minutes .
Add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until garlic is fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.
Add wine to deglaze skillet, scraping up any browned bits, and cook, stirring, until liquid is almost completely evaporated,
Stir in broth and bring to a boil over high heat.
Stir in orzo and return to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low to maintain a simmer and cook, stirring frequently, until orzo has absorbed most of the broth and is almost cooked through,
Add cream and cook, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened and reduced,
Return shrimp to skillet along with any accumulated juices.
Stir in lemon zest and lemon juice; season with salt. Top with parsley.
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My tweaks – I didn’t have vegetable broth but used low sodium chicken broth and it was lovely. I used salted butter, so I left off the salt at the end. And since my husband isn’t a spicy food lover, I ignored the red pepper flakes. There was plenty of flavor so I think that was overkill anyway.
Use large or jumbo shrimp. You won’t be disappointed.
Yum!
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Mother Chuck is back and her runt from last year’s litter is still here.
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Though not for lack of trying to kick him to the curb.
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There are daily squabbles over food and squealing arguments over bolt holes.
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Momma isn’t subtle, but Junior refuses to take the hint.
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There’s beauty in living in wide open spaces.
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Sunrises out your back door and sunsets like this out your front.
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❤️
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We tried a new pub recently.
Front Street Tavern and Grill in historic downtown Bath, Maine.
The building was old but lovingly restored with lots of exposed brick.
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The garlic Parmesan wings were so good we had to order two batches.
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And sometimes you just have to go for the tots with your turkey club.
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Sadly the menu was a bit too “pub food” heavy for my full meal wanting husband so I doubt it will be on our regulars list, but they made a nice raspberry margarita and I’d recommend it for lunch.
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Momma Chuck is back.
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And making up for lost winter meals.
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She’s a great salad/veggie scraps recycler.
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We don’t throw much away when she’s in town.
❤️
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River's world..... 