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Nothing earth shattering, just a woodchuck family having a nosh.
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Carrots and broccoli are their favorites.
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And they make short work of it.
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Momma had five children…
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But we rarely see them all together anymore.
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Just chucks.
Tag Archives: maine
The one where His Lordship examines the progress.
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Lord Dudley Mountcatten is not happy with the constant remodeling noise, but his curiosity gene is strong enough to warrant a quick exploration of the project when my husband takes a break.
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Checking out the missing siding.
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Walking balance beam.
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Attacking a clamp.
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And looking in the window he usually looks out are all on the menu.
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As is using the new pea gravel for a litter box.
Though we probably won’t share that part with my husband.
😉
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What’s blooming?
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Let’s take a walk around the garden, shall we….
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Candy cane dianthus.
Almost good enough to eat.
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A tri color pot of begonias on the kitchen porch.
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A red astilbe, clashing with the barn red barn.
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Pink astible out back.
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I love the blooms on these flowers. They’re delightfully weird.
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I can’t remember what kind of daisies these are, but they’re doing well and no one is eating them… so I really don’t care.
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Purple bee balm.
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A fabulous magenta shade.
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Something purple.
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Something red.
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And something wonderful the woodchucks nibbled down to a nub shortly after I took the picture.
😩
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My tootsies are tickled, even if my wallet isn’t.
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Weeee!
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Bye bye flat and awful industrial grade dusty rose horror the previous owners laid….
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Welcome soft, plush, hella expensive but worth it Karastan Instinctive Flair Renoir Bisque.
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Seriously, until you walk on this barefoot you can’t begin to know what I’m talking about. It’s smooth and silky and sheer perfection.
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The installers were here for 6 hours, working nonstop… and they did a really nice job.
So nice, my husband took them out to the man cave/Barn Mahal for a cold beer.
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And then proceeded to show them all his treasures.
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They were a captive audience.
🤣
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Good riddance!
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The furniture has all been moved.
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And the rooms are ready for the installers.
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We’ll be sleeping on couches tonight..
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But I’m more than happy to be uncomfortable if it means getting rid of that awful dusty rose nightmare with which the previous owners of our house chose to cover the floors.
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I’ve hated it for way too long and can’t wait to see it go.
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I elected not to completely strip our closet. They said they can wiggle the poles without having to cut seams.
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Bye bye horrid pink carpet.
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Can’t say I’ll miss you…
🤣
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Otto’s, part two.
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Did I mention Otto’s By The River was a funky little restaurant?
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I think their furniture proves it.
But aside from lovely cocktails and the owner trying to make my husband vomit (see previous Otto post), the reason we’ll go back is the food.
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My crab dip was literally one of the best I’ve ever had… and I love crab. I’ve had a few.
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The husband’s butternut squash soup? Thick, hearty and a meal unto itself.
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Butterfly pea tea lemonade? Tasty and pretty.
I forgot to photograph my chicken Caesar wrap but it was equally as good as the special my husband plowed through.
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A perfectly cooked venison filet with mushroom and caramelized onions, garlic mashed and green beans. To say we were too full for dessert is an understatement, we positively waddled out the door.
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Next to this fabulous building.
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It was a post office, then a state government admin site … but now it’s for sale. A developer is thinking of making it into condos that would go for $750k each.
Must be nice.
But hey, for that price at least you get a great view of the sturgeon.
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Though not all of them look thrilled at the prospect.
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🤣
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A great day for moving furniture. Not!
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When the husband and I had moved as much of the bedroom furniture as we could without help, we called for help.
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And a local friend came over to assist in the ‘make room for new carpet’ clear out.
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Navigating our two narrow hallways with 90 degree turns isn’t easy.
Did I mention the weather was not cooperating?
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This is Maine. Older homes don’t have central air and our house isn’t set up for heat pumps.. not unless we installed 5 of them, which is not happening. Our window units only cool certain rooms and only down to a certain level of comfort. With the outdoor temperature at 104 degrees, moving furniture was not comfortable.
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But it was done.
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Slowly and carefully.
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I hope the new carpet is worth it.
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Otto’s On The River.
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We discovered a new restaurant last week that is definitely going on our ‘must return’ list.
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Located in downtown Augusta, Maine’s capital… but nowhere near most attractive city.
There’s been a rejuvenation movement in the old section of town for the past few years. New businesses remodeling old buildings, fresh plantings… and most importantly, whimsically painted sturgeon.
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Otto’s was indeed by the river.
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And if it hadn’t been so hot we might have sat outside.
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This is a fun and quirky place.
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And though the main dining room was closed for lunch, we had no trouble bellying up to the bar.
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One fabulous summer sangria in…
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We were enjoying the vibe and chatting with the owner’s sister who was mixing drinks.
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Before long the owner came over with menus, and seeing that my husband was drinking beer… asked him if he wanted this little bit of ale that was just poured. They only have bottles and cans, nothing on tap… he said it was just the extra that would otherwise be tossed.
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Never one to turn down free beer, my spouse took a large swig… and almost threw up.
Turns out it was the olive juice the bartender was using for dirty martinis
Omg. I’m sorry… but I laughed.
I laughed hard.
The poor owner was beside himself apologizing and felt terrible. He was worried we’d leave a bad review and never come back.
To be continued…
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A new chucker trend.
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Bowls are for eating.
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But if you’re a woodchuck in our backyard….
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They’re also for sitting.
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And there’s a lot of that happening lately.
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🤣
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Here we go again….
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New dining room furniture? Check.
New living room furniture? A painful process, but.. check.
Now?
The den needs an update.
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The furniture in there is… I’m ashamed to admit, 35 years old. ( What can I say, we’re frugal New Englanders. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it) And while this ugly old set ain’t broke, it’s definitely seen better days. Decades of cats have split and torn the fabric and the cushions are just plum worn out.
It was time to go furniture shopping.
Again.
I know my husband was looking forward to it.
Not!
The den is the only room in our house that has a wallpaper border above the chair rail moulding.
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It’s shore birds with shells and wildflowers in a soothing blue and beige tone. I thought about ripping it off to have a clean color slate , but I have fond memories of my late mother helping me put it up. She always called our den “the blue room” and I simply couldn’t bring myself to erase that… so blue was on the menu.
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Here’s my husband, once again looking thrilled to be part of the process.
But I had a surprise for him. Since we were pleased with the quality of the Flexsteel we purchased for the living room and overjoyed with the low price and great service we received from the little family run store in Waterville … it was a one stop shopping trip.
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I came home with blue samples.
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And found a perfect compliment to the wallpaper.
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This is the couch.
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The chair.
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And the ottoman.
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Chair and ottoman will be done in the pattern. Couch in the blue (which is a bit lighter in person) with coordinating patterned pillows.
Easy peasy.
My husband was amazed. Not to mention relieved.
Delivery in 6-8 weeks.
😊
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River's world..... 