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Living in Maine, we have the occasional spillover from our neighbor to the north.
Canadian coins, poutine, and select craft beers float over the border regularly. But now?
I have to thank their army.
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Dessert in a glass. You can’t go wrong with that.
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So thank you Canada!
Winter never looked so good.
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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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I stumbled across an article recently that made me snort.
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And it got me wondering..
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Exactly how drunk do you have to be to think this is a good place to park your boat?
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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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Local news from the great white north.
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So yes, there are drawbacks to living in colder climates.
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But on the flip side, some lucky chickens get to live indoors.
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This happens more often than you’d think in our town.
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Perhaps they’ve started a Union and are on strike?
“No pay?
No lay!”
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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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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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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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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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I love our local Agway and the man who runs it. I go there regularly for bird seed, deer food and gardening supplies. And while the staff is always helpful and friendly… this week they were extra special.
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Best.
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Customer.
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Service…. ever!
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