A weekend in Maine in the fall calls for a scenic drive to enjoy the glorious foliage, so that’s what we did.
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Stumbling on a covered bridge was a happy surprise.
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On our travels, the husband saw a sign for an antique tractor show and craft fair at a local farm so we detoured there.
Not our best idea.
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Yes, there was a farm.
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And yes there were some old tractors.
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Some in use.
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And while there were two miniature horses…
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And a “dining room” with the worst fried dough I’ve ever had…
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(Hard as a rock, crunchy and tasteless)
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The “craft show” consisted of fresh vegetables, a few tables of American flag boards, patriotic signs and multiple tables of right wing propaganda. There were candidates handing out pamphlets and political ephemera, trying their best to swell the MAGA base.
These are just not our people y’all. And while I respect their right to be there, I have to admit I wasn’t expecting to be arguing about restricting voting rights and ICE roundups at a craft show.
My husband is a veteran of a certain age. He has grey hair and wears a Marine Corps hat. That’s usually all it takes for people to assume he loves the Mango Monarch … which couldn’t be further from the truth.
They kept trying to draw him into discussion but my guy just brushed them off and didn’t engage, other than to make it clear where he stood.
As long as stinky doesn’t get too close the buck doesn’t seem to mind.
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It’s hunting season so I’m always worried about these guys, even though our property and our neighbors is posted.
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A deer’s home range is usually one square mile and while our neighbor’s properties on both sides are 4 times bigger than ours… that still leaves us about 600 acres short of a safe from bullets zone.
On our way out to lunch the other day my husband saw a yard sale sign and had to follow it for miles and miles… and honestly? Too many miles out of our way.
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Yes we passed cows, which is always nice. But the sale was a disappointing collection of junk no one would want …
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Except my husband who found a box of old wooden hangers.
Can you see my eyes rolling from there?
Hangers in hand, he turned around and headed back towards the restaurant but found a small flea market on the way and had to stop.
I swear… even though we made a nice amount of money at our yard sale this summer? The success of that weekend has rekindled the bargain shopping flame under my spouse that I spent years putting out.
Damn it!
Thankfully he didn’t buy anything worthless there and we did find a wonderful local woodworker who customized a nice multi grain board we’re going to give to our daughter of the heart’s southern husband for Christmas. He fell in love with Maine on his first visit and we constantly promote the idea of them moving here.
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From left to right the woods are:
Red oak, Purple Heart, Hard Maple, Sapelle (mahogany family) and Black Walnut.
After that it’s more of the same mixed and alternating.
When the husband was finally done shopping?
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I needed an apricot sangria.
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We split a big spinach salad with goat cheese, candied walnuts and a lemon poppyseed dressing..
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As well as a fabulous garlic white sauce mushroom and spinach pizza.
But Casa River finally has fiber optic high speed internet.
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When we moved to our house in the country in 2002, the only option was dial up. Anyone out there old enough to remember that screeching nightmare?
The next step came ten years later, but it was only Broadband and if a few of our neighbors were online at the same time? It was buggy and slow as molasses.
When streaming became popular, we were out of luck and I ended up watching shows on my 7 inch cell phone screen. Not great, but better than nothing.
And then Fidium came to town, laying their magical lines and hooking up all us speed deprived residents.
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To be honest, Fidium would not have been my first choice. Their website and apps are shite, full of error messages and links that go nowhere. Their customer service is awful, with wait times of an hour to speak to a human. The installers were supposed to bring a WiFi extender so we could connect the man cave /Barn Mahal tv… but they didn’t.
We live in Maine, hence our home is part of Red Sox Nation. We’re loyal and devoted fans, though the team breaks our hearts more often than not. And while we tend to think of Lord Dudley Mountcatten as a full fledged member of the family, until recently we were unaware of his affection for David Ortiz.
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Case in point –
The other night my husband was watching an interview with one of the most beloved players in Boston history and as soon as Dudley heard David’s voice?
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The silly cat was mesmerized.
Up on the television stand (where he’s not allowed) for a closer look.
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He even checked around back searching for his (heretofore unknown) favorite player.
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When the show went to commercial and David disappeared?
So did Lord Dudley.
⚾️❤️⚾️
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Where there's only one step from the sublime to the ridiculous.
River's world..... 