Have you ever visited a military cemetery and wondered why there are coins on top of the headstones? I get asked this a lot and thought I’d share.
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I once saw a bratty little boy removing coins from graves in a veterans cemetery and while I don’t normally interfere with parents and their children…. you can bet I did that day.
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Judging from the ad photo, I’d say that one.
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I could do without a lot of things in this world, but never my books.
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This is one of our large backyard apple trees. It’s a Granny Smith and has provided us with 20 years of spectacular autumn pies. But last year a massive wind storm ravaged the right side of her and we had to have an arborist in to give her a massive prune. He assured us all would be well but the harvest will be nonexistent in 2022. Sadly there wasn’t a single solitary bloom this spring …. which means a lot less pie this fall.
The forest of trees my husband recently planted need to be watered and I’ll give you one guess who has to do that….
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Twice a week I man handle 300 foot of hose down to the back forty to give them a drink.
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And once that sucker fills up with water? It is HEAVY.
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But I’ll do it, despite my bad knee and pinched neck nerve because I refuse to let $700 worth of trees die. The husband loves to plant them, but never offers any follow up care.
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After that I was down on my hands and achy knee to plant. It hurts, but is so rewarding.
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Sadly, the mice are at it again. They live under the floor of the baby barn/shed and damned if they don’t chew the blooms off my marigolds and drag them through a hole.
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I plugged it with some stones, hopefully that will stop the raiding.
Not content to watch David Attenborough’s new series Prehistoric Planet on my phone I headed out to the barn and began the mind numbing, hair pulling process of setting up Apple TV in the man cave. It took a while to make the connection as our internet service is sketchy at best… but oh, was it worth it.
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The colors, graphics and scenery in this show are stunning …
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And I happily settled in for hours of uninterrupted viewing.
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All Hail Sir David! The passion with which he narrates stirs my very soul. 96 years young and still finding wonder in the natural world. I love him.
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If you’re a dinosaur fan? You really need to watch this show.
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Yes, there are T Rex and Brontosaurs and Triceratops, but it’s the weird and wonderful little known dinos that will steal your heart.
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The giant reptiles really come to life.
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As does our Cretaceous world.
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At times it feels like a sci fi movie….
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And I was loving every minute of it.
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I zipped through part one..
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And was halfway through part two with a big smile on my face when it happened.
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Our *#%”ing internet connection broke and no matter how hard I tried or what I did I couldn’t get it back.
I’ve never understood why my calendar thinks the animals it features are sad. Weird and quirky beats cute and cuddly any day of the week in my book.
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Resting in clouds sounds pretty effing fabulous to me.
It’s the only bird that is known to intentionally enter into a cloud,” Weimerskirch says. And not just any cloud — a fluffy, white cumulus cloud. Over the ocean, these clouds tend to form in places where warm air rises from the sea surface. The birds hitch a ride on the updraft, all the way up to the top of the cloud.
A veritable frigate bird roller coaster.
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I’m giving this drawing an A- for likeness to the real thing.
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They’re a little off on the tail and overall color, but all things considered it’s pretty damn close.
Along one of the prettiest stretches of Maine coast.
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Many private homes line the Cliff Walk and while they all have stunning views, I can’t say I’d want a constant throng of tourists marching past my back door every day.
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A quick video to give you a feel for the place.
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When you near the end of the 1.25 mile stroll you enter Perkins Cove.
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Once a thriving artists colony…
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It now houses two waterfront restaurants and a large parking lot.
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We took advantage of the former, Jackie’s Too.
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Our table was perfect.
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The basil lemonade? To die for.
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Unfortunately the chowder was sub par. Creamy and clam filled, but completely bland and flavorless.
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Husband had tiny and completely over cooked soggy mussels while I fought my way through a husk filled Caesar salad with dried out grilled chicken. $112 later we vowed never to return… to eat. The bar had a great view and the cocktail was fabulous.
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Fueled up, we turned around and headed back to the Cliff Walk.
Living in the country probably gives me the advantage here, but you never know… some of you have backyard alligators and I can’t top that.
My list of chasers;
A chicken. Don’t laugh, they’re quick and vengeful little buggers.
A billy goat. I barely escaped with my posterior intact… although now that I think of it, a little less of that wouldn’t be a bad thing.
A skunk. Thankfully they don’t have very good eyesight … I lost him behind a shrub.
A mockingbird. Never underestimate the ferocity of this bird. He used to dive bomb our poor cat on a daily basis.
A snapping turtle. Granted I didn’t have to run very fast with this one, but those jaws can snap your finger like a twig.
A bat. Was he actually chasing me? I don’t know, but he was trapped in our house and I didn’t take the time to find out.
And finally, an elk who chased me around our car. I was photographing a herd in the Smoky Mountain National Park from a far off, safe distance when a lone female came up from behind and let her displeasure be known.