Tag Archives: maine

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So close….

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I took Lord Dudley Mountcatten out in the snow for round two last week and after a few false starts…

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He accepted the white stuff was cold, wet and crunchy but if one is careful, it can be navigated.

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Careful tiptoeing continued… until he spotted my nemesis.

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While I normally don’t encourage carnage or blood sport, all bets are off when it comes to that house/barn/garage gnawing red bitch.

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I was actively encouraging the stalk and made sure to stand motionless and quiet.

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But alas, she out maneuvered us and hid in the woodshed. No doubt sharpening her teeth in between chuckles.

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Lord Dudley was disheartened, not to mention cold… so round two of ‘introduction to snow’ came to a close.

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Would you like ice with that?

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Winter in Maine used to look like this:

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Oh, the good old days when it got cold and stayed that way until spring. Yes, back in the dark ages before our climate developed whiplash – it snowed, stayed cold enough for the snow to stick and then it snowed some more.

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Making for some fabulously shaped mounds of white stuff. But these days? We have a small storm, maybe an inch or two… then the temperature warms to the high 30’s or 40’s during the day and everything melts.

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And when the temperature swings back down?

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Ice.

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Everywhere.

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On every thing.

And while that does result in some rather stellar icicles…

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It also makes walking on our skating rink of a driveway seriously treacherous.

Keep your warm weather down south and out west!

It’s winter in Maine The only melting ice I want is in my cocktail.

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A recipe book for the rest of us.

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In general I’d say I’m a good cook. People like to come over for dinner, my dishes are requested at potlucks, and Lord knows my husband doesn’t complain. But every once in a while I’ll try a new recipe and things will…. how shall we say? … go astray.

I read the directions, I do just what they say… but the result is often inedible.

Perhaps I need this:

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I wouldn’t count on it, but let’s see.

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Who knew there was such a thing.

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Cheese? Good.

Kale? Bad.

Got it!

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I’m afraid I can’t follow that rule. Growing up with a father who died after his fifth heart attack… and living with a man who has had triple bypass, I don’t add salt to anything.

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Well, if the lobster says so… it must be true.

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Always read the reviews!

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After careful consideration… I decided I needed some festive chickens for next year’s Christmas display.

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I mean really, how could I not? They’re delightful.

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I have to admit I was a bit put off by the price. $63 per bird seemed a trifle much.

It was then I decided to read the product reviews and see if the clucking things were worth it.

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A bright light of nothingness? How could that be! They looked so wonderful in the ad.

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Well that is a seriously disappointing hen to be sure.

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It’s…. flat.

Exactly how flat?

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Flatter than my high C note when I’m singing in the shower flat.

And no one wants that.

🥴

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To snow, or not to snow?

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We finally got a few inches of white stuff on the ground and I figured it was time to make Lord Dudley Mountcatten walk the proverbial plank.

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He was a bit hesitant…

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But made a mad dash to the shallow patches beside the house.

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When he hit the slightly deeper parts he looked back as if to say… wtf?

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After which he plonked the Royal butt down and refused to move. A few minutes of chilly bird watching later, he called it quits and ran for the house.

I’m calling this progress.

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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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