Tag Archives: nature

Man vs tree (s).

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On an overcast and dreary day, my husband went out back to battle the trees.

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If you remember, we planted 6 trees in the north forty 2 years ago. Four maples and two cherries. The maples are thriving, the cherries are dead… thanks in no small part to the deer who apparently see cherry wood and think “snack time”!

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Dry and brittle, my husband thought it would be a simple thing to rip them out of the ground.

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He was mistaken.

Our miserable backyard clay was not letting go.

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He pulled, he tugged, he dug, and finally resorted to sawing them down.

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Take that you stubborn dead tree.

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Healthy maple tree on the right.

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Dead cherry #2.

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Just as difficult to remove as #1.

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A hard fought battle.

But he was victorious .

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Blooming things and a close squirrel call.

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The hostas by our kitchen landing are having a good year.

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A really good year. Tall and full of pale purple blooms.

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The day lilies that were dug up by our neighbor’s tractor when our water line burst a few years ago have finally come back to life.

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Half are yellow, half are this interesting double ruffle peach and coral.

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Sadly these two by the road are full of weeds..

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But the colors are spectacular.

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In other news… His Lordship almost caught the dreaded red b*tch.

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That rotten red rodent was sitting on the stone wall chattering at him, taunting him … swishing her tail and daring him to lunge.

So he did.

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But sadly, he missed… and she disappeared into the wall.

Almost, Dudley.

Almost.

🥴

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Interspecies communication takes patience.

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Lord Dudley Mountcatten heard something in the woodchuck burrow .

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Lord Dudley Mountcatten investigated.

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On the other end of the woodchuck burrow?

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A woodchuck.

Lord Dudley Mountcatten switched sides and waited on that end.

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Which meant a woodchuck popped up on the first side.

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So His Lordship switched sides again and waited.

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And finally, after Lord Dudley’s servant was tired of standing in the heat and about to drag him back in the house….

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Interspecies communication.

Disclaimer – no woodchucks (or cats!) were harmed in the making of this blog.

😊

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A lakes region road trip.

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When the thermometer is reading temperatures this high?

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You ditch yard work and take a road trip west.

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To the lakes region, over the Naples causeway.

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Through Bridgton…

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Past ski slopes that look a little strange in the summer.

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To a premier pub in Lovell, Maine.

Any similarities between my husband and the pub sign mascot are purely coincidental.

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Ebenezer’s is famous for its extensive beer menu and hand blown glass taps.

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It also has a buzzard on the bar.

It’s hard to top that.

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They’ve won multiple awards and though they’re small and off the beaten path… those in the know, know.

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Belgians.

A white for the husband, a geuze boon for moi.

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I love their vintage signs.

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And their coconut shrimp with sweet Thai chili sauce.

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Some signs are prophetic.

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Good beer, beautiful lakes.

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A perfect summer day.

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“But what do I do with it..?”

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This is Lord Dudley Mountcatten surveying his domain.

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Here’s Lord Dudley Mountcatten noticing an interloper in his domain.

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Lord Dudley Mountcatten’s reaction was priceless.

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After some closer inspection?

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And a positive baby woodchuck identification…

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Lord Dudley Mountcatten was clueless.

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And looked back at me as if to say, “What am I supposed to do with that?”

🤣

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