Tag Archives: maine

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She’s definitely back.

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The husband and I were chilling in the man cave a few weeks ago…

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When I noticed something on the floor…

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Knowing that he used that color insulation to block off the sliding barn doors during transformation, we investigated outside…

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And found proof that my nemesis is back.

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That little red bitch of a squirrel was back… and building (yet another) nest.

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A few pokes of the broom handle later…

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And down it came.

That’s the fourth nest in a year and a half. Two in the house, two in the barn.

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She’s persistent, I’ll give her that. But she’s also too damned destructive to let move back in.

Been there, done that. Still trying to fix the damage.

😡

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A time for reflection.

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The end of another dreadful,WTF year is approaching and it’s time to look back.

Not on anything serious mind you, but rather….

This:

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What the inside of our storage barn looked like then…

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And what it looks like now.

Before…

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And after two years of nothing to do but stay home and try to avoid the global plague.

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While I’m the first to admit 2020 and 2021 have sucked the big root, they did afford us the time and energy (not to mention the tens of thousands of dollars we saved on travel) to transform our packed with useless crap storage space….

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Into the Barn Mahal/Man Cave Extraordinaire you see today.

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We won’t mention the fact that all the husband’s “treasure” has simply migrated upstairs and forms the same giant pile of crap, just on a higher level.

No.

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We shall instead marvel at the transformation..

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And pour ourselves a drink.

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Cheers!

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At this point I shouldn’t even be surprised.

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Covid.

It’s ruined so many things, not to mention lives.

Every time we make a plan, the virus rears its ugly head like a demonic Jack in the Box and shrieks, I don’t think so!

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Our Christmas gatherings were cancelled last year and I was okay with that. But this time around we’re fully vaccinated and boosted and were looking forward to a get together/dinner/celebration with family and friends. A hesitant return to normalcy…

I should have known that was too good to be true.

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I’d made Sangria. And had gathered all the fixings for crabmeat toastie appetizers and my special Cappuccino Mousse Trifle dessert… but now, it looks like that will be Christmas dinner for two because the host of the gathering called late last night to cancel. Her (unvaccinated) visiting daughter in law brought the gift of Covid (worst houseguest ever!) so now they’re all quarantining.

First our Thanksgiving plans was cancelled due to an outbreak, now Christmas.

This is seriously getting old.

😡

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The spirit of Christmas… Maine style.

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A friend of mine shared an experience recently and it made my heart swell. Not in the ‘omg I knew I shouldn’t have eaten so much fettuccine Alfredo’ way … but in the ‘there are still good people in the world’ way.

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That’s her in front, leading a group of Christmas carolers on horseback. They were on their way to bring some holiday cheer to a local nursing facility and veterans home.

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Santa was there.

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And she said the smiles on the resident’s faces when they met the horses were priceless.

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Everyone got to pet a horse.

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Even the residents who couldn’t leave their rooms.

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I don’t own or even know how to ride a horse, but I’m tempted to ask if I can join them next year.

If nothing else, I can sing off key with the best of them.

😉

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I’m festive damn it.

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I used to go all out for the holidays. If it stood still? I decorated it… for Christmas, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Easter, Valentines Day etc.

My husband used to roll his eyes, but our neighbors loved it. Matter of fact… I never realized how much our neighbors loved it until recently.

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As I’ve said previously, this year’s decorations have been scaled down. Wreaths on windows and doors and a festive sled.

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A kissing ball.

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Candles in the windows and a ( still standing! ) lighted animated reindeer.

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The Barn Mahal has Santa in a plant pot…

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Snowflakes in the windows and twinkling trees on the porch.

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(The trees are multicolored, the snowflakes are white. But my phone apparently has a sense of humor and changes color at will. WTH?)

But even with all that I’ve done, my neighbors have repeatedly waxed nostalgic over the good old days “when you used to decorate”.

Like this year’s display is chopped liver!

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I mean, really.

There’s a feline Lord backlit by candlelight. What more do they need?

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A terrifying headline.

20 Comments

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Just when I thought the crazy lack of products was over. ..

Toilet paper is back in abundance, as is flour since the crazy Covid bakers have returned to buying their rubber loaves of Wonder Bread.

But now?

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Chicken tenders? I can live without ‘em. Cream cheese? Can’t stand the stuff. Fresh fruit? We’re not seeing any shortages up here. Maple syrup? I live in Maine… people have barrels in their cellars.

But then I read #5.

And shit got real.

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*Gulp*

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Phew! It’s not the booze, just the packaging?

No problem.

Bring your own bucket works for me.

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Happy birthday to me.

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Yes, I took another trip around the sun this month. Nothing to celebrate at this point in my life, but I woke up to a (not so) subtle gift reminder all the same.

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The large box was a present from my husband, from my very favorite store. They sell high quality handmade jewelry, pottery, art, crafts etc. and every trip we take there includes a round of oohing and ahhing . I rarely buy anything for myself as the prices make me swoon, but the husband makes a yearly pilgrimage… and who am I to complain? 😉

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This year’s gift was a fabulous mesquite wood lamp with hazed copper cut out shade.

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Both sides are inlaid with turquoise veins and it really is a lovely piece.

(If you’re wondering just how lovely? Here’s a similar lamp from the same company with much less turquoise on their website.)

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Yeah. That lovely.

😳

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Needless to say I love it, and shall enjoy its light for many years to come.

The original birthday plan was to hit my favorite restaurant for dinner, but Mother Nature said no by melting the snow and dropping a solid afternoon’s worth of sleet and ice.

Alternate plan?

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Pizza and beer in the man cave…

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With a stellar game of whip your husband’s ass with a double letter Q in ‘quay’, a triple score ‘quiz’ and an almost superfluous ‘zeal’ for a total of 102 points Scrabble.

A very happy birthday indeed.

🤣

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NOW it looks like Christmas.

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I woke up to a winter wonderland this morning as our first real snow of the season fell overnight.

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It wasn’t the 6-8 inches they predicted for our area…

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But it coated everything in glorious white… so that’s alright with me.

What wasn’t a welcome sight?

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The creature highlighted here.

The tiny devil who wreaked havoc with us, our house and our barn last year. The little red bitch with sharp teeth. I thought we’d seen the last of her after numerous evictions and nest busting this fall. But no…

She’s baaaack!

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I know just how you feel Dudley.

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Christmas chuckles.

35 Comments

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If it stood still.. I used to decorate it for Christmas. I’ve strung lights on roofs, railings, windows, stone walls, mailbox posts and well houses. I’ve had lighted reindeer, snowflakes, trees, snowmen, holly leaves and yes, an alligator.

Trust me when I say stringing lights and keeping them lit is a full time job in Maine winters. It’s not for the faint hearted and over the years I’ve simply lost the will. These days I throw some wreaths on the windows and doors, some candles in the windows and call it good.

But every once in a while I’ll see something that makes me want to decorate again…

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Christmas chickens!

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You have to admit… that’s different.

And while I don’t have a farm, I do have a large barn where those birds would look right at home.

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