Tag Archives: maine

Miscellaneous nonsense.

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A portrait of His Royal Highness.

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Cats are such regal creatures.

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I did not know.

And honestly, I wish I still didn’t.

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Sunrise.

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Proof that sometimes it is worth getting up early.

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Quintessential Maine.

🤣

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I bought Lord Dudley Mountcatten a fleece pad because he’s always looking for warmth.

He found part of it…

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While antique shopping with the husband recently, I realized our woodchucks are just phoning it in. None of ours bring me flowers.

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Yes.

This (slightly used) stripper pole was for sale.

No.

We didn’t purchase it.

🥴

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He can let go of some things.

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When we moved to this house in 2002, the woodshed was half filled with logs. Since we have a fireplace, we burn a few now and then for ambience… but since we don’t use it as a heat source we never really put a dent in the huge stack.

Over the years (Decades. Damn, I’m getting old!) my husband has cut and split trees on our property and dutifully stacked them in the already full shed.

It’s only recently that he decided enough is enough. We’ll never burn a fraction of the stockpile and there’s literally no room for anything else so…

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He’s letting go of the birch, apple, poplar, maple and pear.

And with the current cost of firewood? He let it go at a very reasonable price.

In no time at all, a couple showed up with their truck and started loading.

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It was an 8 foot bed and they were sure they could fit it all.

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But a second trip was required.

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And when the wife saw we had a tree full of crabapples behind the shed? She asked if she could harvest some for jelly.

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Everyone was happy.

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The local couple could fill their wood stove cheaply.

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And we could finally see the interior walls of our shed.

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Which after 23 unseen and untouched years, are going to need some serious work.

🥴

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High praise for a pork chop.

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The husband and I were searching for a bakery in Windham but found a wonderful new restaurant instead.

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Stumbling in at noon right after they opened, we had the place to ourselves. For a strip mall location, it was surprisingly nice inside, kind of boho rustic.

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And the cocktails were next level good.

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I felt right at home with chickens over my shoulder.

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And we discovered their menus are seasonal as well as locally sourced.

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Everything was fresh and utterly fabulous.

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My mini beef Wellington appetizer melted in my mouth.

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Husband’s garlic and white wine mussels with saffron butter, chorizo and pine nuts were huge and flavorful .

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Naturally we sat at the bar.

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And naturally my husband made a friend.

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My cast iron chicken with mushrooms, mashed potatoes and a lemon thyme gravy was amazing and after a recommendation from the owner … who claimed they had the best pork anyone had ever tasted…

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Husband had the best pork chop he’s ever tasted, bar none.

Perfectly prepared, the chop was massive. Hard to tell from the photo but it was easily 2 inches thick. Cider brined, grilled with a char but tender and juicy inside. Topped with caramelized onions and Honeycrisp apples and served with fresh green beans and butternut squash puree.

It wasn’t an inexpensive meal, but damn. It was perfect.

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Autumn leaves and antiques.

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Another beautiful fall day called for another scenic drive.

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I’m sorry, but autumn in New England is hard to beat.

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The air is crisp and the trees give us a splendid tableau of color.

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It also means the last gasp of yard sales and antique store sales that my husband can’t drive by. This particular shop had auxiliary rooms made out of tractor trailer boxes and were filled with vintage horrors.

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Ack!

😱

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Wow.

Please note the base table of this lamp lights up as well.

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Inside, my husband combed the shelves for treasure but thankfully came out empty handed.

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I’d much rather view foliage.

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Statue of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain at Bowdoin College. Hero of Gettysburg, he taught rhetoric and modern languages as a professor and later served as the college’s president. His home is across the street.

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Danger, Will Robinson!

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Strolling around the property last week , His Lordship spotted an intruder.

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Lord Dudley is a gentle soul. Mild mannered, sweet and usually quite skittish, but when he spotted the neighbor’s cat Silas?

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Our resident Royal went full blown Jekyll and Hyde and started growling, hissing and screeching.

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He tried to give chase but thankfully his harness did its job and saved me from running for the garden hose and paying a large vet bill.

I doubt Silas will be back after that frosty reception.

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Continuing our walk, I noticed the sedum was thoughtfully color coordinating with the Man Cave/Barn Mahal.

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And some of our backyard trees were putting on an autumn show.

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My two weirdo daisies that only bloom after the first frost were doing their late season thing as well.

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With some very sluggish bees taking final advantage.

😊

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