Tag Archives: maine

And we’re back to the window nightmare.

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Work moved on to the three remaining windows that needed replacing in our bedroom and as with every single other project we attempt in this house, it was a monumental f*ck up.

These are the old windows, stripped of trim and ready to be removed.

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Yes, that’s snow you see outside.

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Ideal conditions for exterior work.

Not.

The trouble began when the first small window was removed and its replacement was fitted.

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The problem? It didn’t fit.

Because it was too big.

Incorrect measurements by our contractor? He says no and has the paperwork to prove it.

Incorrect measurements by the retailer? They say no and have the paperwork to prove it.

Incorrect measurements by the manufacturer? They say they built what they were told and refuse to refund and replace.

Solution… (other than pulling my hair out, stripping naked, dousing myself in tequila and running down the road cursing the home renovation Gods?) … cut bigger holes in the wall.

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It wasn’t that much bigger. Maybe and inch and a quarter on each side but it meant (what has now become my mantra) more time, more work, more money. Not to mention a tighter fit when it comes to trim.

And after that first window rough opening was enlarged and the slightly larger window fitted and secured?

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An ice storm.

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Which coated everything that stood still.

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Good times.

😩

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A whole lotta nothing in particular.

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Let’s take a look at what’s been clogging up my photo files.

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My pickle algorithm has been on vacation lately, but this showed up the other day. I was hoping it was a joke… but sadly it does exist.

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I totally need this. And actually already have a little makeup case like the one in her left hand. Unfortunately mine is a lovely shade of mustard instead of green.

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This poem always gets me.

😰

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From my local FB page.

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Never a dull moment here.

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One thousand and two uses.

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These aren’t my pictures but they were taken in Maine and are too fabulous not to share.

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I’ve never seen a sunrise or sunset like this.

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There’s probably a meteorological term for it, but all I can say is… wow.

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Giving him a little taste of the frustration.

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My husband rolled his eyes and scoffed at the idea of me not being able to choose a fabric for the sofa he liked among a hundred and fifty choices so I decided to let him experience the joy of fabric selection first hand.

Since we needed to find a different brand of furniture, shopping began anew.

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Can you tell how thrilled he was?

He didn’t mind that couch, but vetoed the square arms.

The salesperson said it could be ordered in a rolled arm style….

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And we were off.

Standing in front of that brand’s wall of fabric, I started pulling patterns.

The following comments are his.

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Too swirly.

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Too wavy.

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Too blotchy.

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Too hippie dippie.

45 minutes later, he started wandering around and picked these.

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Too bad they belonged to a brand that didn’t sell a couch he liked.

The designer in residence took up our cause at that point and pulled this.

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The husband?

He said it looked like television static.

Almost an hour and a half in, he was done…. and pointed at this.

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“That one.

Get that one.”

I thought it an odd choice, but the salesman plugged it into the creation app and the husband was so sick of the process he approved.

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I argued that it would be too light a pattern for an ottoman not to mention our white walls and opted to take the swatch home.

The husband? He opted for a bar because the whole thing had driven him to drink.

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Cranberry gin fizz for me.

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Two beers and a disappointing French onion soup for him.

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My crab cakes with spicy remoulade were wonderful.

Fortified with lunch and alcohol… we kept shopping.

😉

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A finished renovation project! Well, almost…

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Both of our new doors have been installed. Rotted wood and sub floor sections have been replaced and our contractor made double and triple sure they’re sealed up tight against the weather and rain proof.

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Hallelujah.

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Bedroom and living room door, respectively.

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It took an awfully long time, but I’m pleased.

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But as the title says, while it’s done…

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It’s not exactly finished.

Since the new flooring is next on the renovation list, there didn’t seem to be any reason to put the interior trim back on only to take it off again…. so for now I get to live with a rough insulation filled border.

There are worse things.

I can deal.

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And I’m loving the built in blind.

Progress is a beautiful thing.

👍

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The furry, four legged escape artist.

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Lord Dudley Mountcatten likes to look out the back door and that hasn’t been possible with the plastic barrier in place.

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His Lordship was not pleased.

Just after it was erected, the old door was removed…

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So of course, it snowed.

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We haven’t had snow all winter… but let our contractor start working and bam. White stuff.

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The rotted sub floor and framing was replaced and as work continued with a giant hole in the living room …

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Lord Dudley plotted.

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I guarded against it and tried to keep a close eye on him, but naturally the little devil found a weak spot and made a run for it.

Thankfully His Lordship is not a fan of snow and after a few cursory steps that resulted in wet feet… he just sat on the doorstep and watched birds.

After hustling him back inside?

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He decided a warm sunny spot was more to his liking.

And at least someone was using the treadmill.

😉

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It’s the Amish for the win…

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Though I really wanted to purchase living room furniture first, we seem to have put that on hold (due to ugly ass fabrics) and moved on to the dining room.

This is what my husband fell in love with.

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An extremely high quality, Amish made, Mission style table and chairs made of elm and maple. He surprised me by liking the black contrast but was so impressed with the quality he may not have even noticed.

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A feature he really liked? The leaves store in the table itself.

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He also like the table base which has an odd… shelf? Place for tablecloths? I don’t know what it is but I can totally see Lord Dudley Mountcatten claiming it for his own.

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This is the arts and crafts style hutch we also purchased, though it will be in the darker stain like the table and have glass sides on the top cabinet.

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It’s unusual to see my husband so thrilled with furniture… but the man couldn’t stop rubbing his hands all over this so I guess it’s worth the jaw dropping price.

Delivery in 12 weeks.

😊

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The fishing life.

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Maine is a coastal state and has a rich fishing heritage. Lobsters are our mainstay but we also harvest scallops, crabs, oysters and numerous deep sea fish.

The men who work the ocean are a hardy bunch. Strong, stoic, and weatherbeaten. They also have a quirky sense of humor.

So when a local apparel outfitter started a big catch contest giveaway and asked fishermen to submit pictures, you know it was going to get interesting.

Here are a few of my favorite entries.

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This is the son of a friend…. with an extra large lobster roll.

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In case you ever wondered what scallop dragging looks like.

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And that is one monster scallop!

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I believe this is a Mahi…

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I have no idea what these are, but they’re definitely plentiful.

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This is your typical – man with fish – proud catch photo.

This, on the other hand….

Is not.

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🤣

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Random rambling…

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In case anyone was wondering I didn’t buy one of those pooping animal calendars I blogged about earlier, no…

I went with hedgehogs instead.

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Life is good.

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And if you’re Lord Dudley Mountcatten, it’s better in a box.

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Yes, the wicked witch of the west in the original Wizard of Oz movie, Margaret Hamilton, lived in Maine…. and now they’ve written a play about her.

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Another beautiful sunrise at Casa River.

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It almost makes waking up early worth it.

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No.

And again, no.

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Is a little color too much to ask?

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Remember how thrilled I was that my husband found a living room set he liked?

Well, I went back to the store to pick out the fabric before ordering, and sadly …. I wasn’t thrilled for long.

Oh, they had plenty of decent solids, but when it came time to choose a pattern for the coordinating pillows, chair and ottoman I was seriously underwhelmed.

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They were ugly.

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They were colorless.

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And I didn’t want a single one of them in our house.

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WTH?

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These were the only two out of what seemed like hundreds that even came close…

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But neither of them gave me the warm fuzzy I need.

Matter of fact… the only real color in the entire store was this pillow of what looked like grass.

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Lazy Boy doesn’t allow fabric substitutions so I can’t buy material elsewhere and bypass their awful selection.

This is not good news.

We finally found the furniture… but we hate the fabrics.

Damn it. The search continues….

😩

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