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We’ve had a single fox visitor on and off all winter, but the other evening?
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He may have brought his wife.
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Or husband, or brother, or second cousin.
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No matter who the plus one was,…
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He was fit, healthy and beautiful.
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And now there are two.
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Which is twice as much viewing pleasure.
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❤️
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Our herd was back again for their nightly snack.
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This time with the funky antlered buck.
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His horns were oddly shaped all year… and now that’s he losing them, they’re even odder.
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He’s the leader of the group and doesn’t like it when the kids beat him to the food bowl.
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A well placed kick scatters the youngsters.
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And he has the bowl to himself.
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For a little while anyway.
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😊
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A new Sicilian restaurant opened recently and you know we were all over that.
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Small and unassuming, it was packed tight with hungry customers and upon entry we were asked if we had a reservation.
For lunch.
On a Tuesday.
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We didn’t, but happily snagged the last two seats at the bar…. which is where my husband always wants to sit anyway.
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The Limoncello spritz was lovely and fit the decor perfectly.
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My arincini was too die for. Light, pillowy and perfectly prepared. The bread was freshly baked and the husband’s meatballs were juicy and correctly spiced.
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The husband had –
Canneloni Al Forno
Lacinato Kale + House Ricotta + Marinara + Mozzarella + Pecorino + Lemon Zest.
It was light and flavorful and even though it contained the devil’s weed… I liked it.
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I opted for –
Porcini Marsala*
Local Wild Mushrooms + Pecorino + Pistachio + Thyme + Busiate Pasta.
Which was absolutely divine. The flavor was amazing…rich and layered.
This place may be small and hard to get in, but we’ll definitely be back.
Yum!
😊
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After an odd winter disappearing act, the deer are back.
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And they are just the sweetest things.
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We’ve had herds for two decades now…
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But it never gets old.
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Living where we do has some drawbacks.
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But this isn’t one of them.
❤️
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Spring is just around the corner and though the temps are still cool in Maine, 90% of our snow is gone.
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Of course that doesn’t stop His Royal Highness from finding the one batch left in a shady corner and getting stuck in the middle of it.
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And since the snow has melted?
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Lord Dudley Mountcatten was rolling.
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In some stinky fallen bird seed and loving every messy minute of it.
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Needless to say he got a thorough brushing and wipe down before re-entering the house.
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Eggs.
It literally hurts to buy them these days. $9.09 for a dozen, $12.75 for 18.
Damn.
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The husband and I took full advantage of this primo parking spot at the grocery store the other day. Hell, with what they’re charging for eggs they should offer valet service too.
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Easter is coming.
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You’re welcome.
( hollow out eggs and mix filling with above ingredients )
😊
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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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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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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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These winter pictures popped up on my Facebook memories recently and I thought it would be fun to share.
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Backyard deer on their path. They don’t stray very far from it once it’s cut.
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That’s my husband shoveling out our neighbor who thought she could make it down her driveway in her car before plowing.
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She couldn’t.
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And here’s my husband a year later pushing his snowblower next door….
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To help dig out her husband’s plow truck.
My husband is a good neighbor to have.
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This is Mr. White, a beautiful boy who is no longer with us. He always wanted to go outside in the winter…
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But didn’t really like it once he got there.
❤️
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River's world..... 