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This month’s calendar factoid introduced me to a strange bird.
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I dare say a lot of wives have the same problem.
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On seeing that cartoon I thought, that can’t be right.
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But it turns out they weren’t far off.
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That’s one strange song, for sure.
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(Title should be sung to Lesley Gore’s ‘It’s My Party’ melody for full effect)
This is a scraggly flowering plum tree my husband transplanted to our backyard a few years ago.
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It’s hanging on to life but isn’t nearly as full as it used to be…. so when I saw a brown tail moth web in one of the top branches, I carefully gloved up, cut it out and burned it.
If you’ve never heard of these evil little bastards, read on…
The browntail moth caterpillar has tiny poisonous hairs that cause dermatitis similar to poison ivy on sensitive individuals. People may develop dermatitis from direct contact with the caterpillar or indirectly from contact with airborne hairs. The hairs become airborne from either being dislodged from the living or dead caterpillar or they come from cast skins with the caterpillar molts. Most people affected by the hairs develop a localized rash that will last for a few hours up to several days but on some sensitive individuals the rash can be severe and last for several weeks. The rash results from both a chemical reaction to a toxin in the hairs and a physical irritation as the barbed hairs become embedded in the skin. Respiratory distress from inhaling the hairs can be serious.
The browntail moth is an invasive species found only on the coast of Maine and Cape Cod. This moth is an insect of both forest and human health concern.
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I’ve been covered in their nasty rash multiple times before and trust me it is beyond awful. No amount of Benadryl, cortisone or calamine lotion can relieve the itch. It’s like poison ivy times 50 and makes you want to take a wire brush to your skin. So when I say I was careful? I was careful. Gloves, long sleeves, limited contact and proper destruction.
But still….
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I got a mild dose and am completely miserable.
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Both my arms, stomach and back are speckled with rash because once those little microscopic hairs find you and you take a shower? You’ll gladly take sandpaper to every inch of your flesh.
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Another missed opportunity and this time it was entirely my fault. When walking his Lordship I usually keep a loose finger grip on the leash but the other day I had it looped around my wrist and wouldn’t you know it… that was the exact moment our resident red squirrel b*tch darted right out in front of Lord Dudley Mountcatten.
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He ran to give chase but was jerked back by the leash I couldn’t drop just as he reached for her.
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It was a close call… but damn it, she escaped.
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Up the cedar tree she went… and sat there for a good 20 minutes teasing my boy.
And me for that matter.
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He could have had her.
It was so close….
😫
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When your husband is newly retired and it’s a beautiful spring day? You take a drive along the Maine coast just because you can.
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Cape Porpoise is a small village in the town of Kennebunkport on the southern coast.
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It’s quintessentially Maine and therefore ruggedly beautiful.
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No words necessary, just enjoy the ride.
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Is it any wonder we live in this state?
❤️
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Let me just throw this out there… I love dinosaurs!
Always have, always will. While other little girls were playing with baby dolls and decorating Barbie’s stupid dream house, I was waging a life and death battle with my T Rex and Brontosaur. When other children wanted to go to Madison Square Garden to see the circus, I begged my parents to take me to the Museum of Natural History to see the Stegosaurus skeleton. In a perfect world I would have grown up to be a fossil hunter, endlessly scouring
the Black Hills for remnants of the Cretaceous. The best I can do now? Live vicariously through documentaries my husband thinks are dry as toast. Until this one –
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Tomorrow on Apple TV, the dinosaur documentary to end all dinosaur documentaries will begin. Hosted by David Attenborough…. All Hail Sir David! …it’s the dino version of Planet Earth and I can’t wait.
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*note to self – buy copious amounts of popcorn and butter*
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Now that’s tv worth watching!
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Trees are being planted at Casa River at a rapid rate.
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Along with two more Autumn Blaze maples, another Japanese flowering cherry was purchased for yours truly…
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And though it wasn’t placed exactly where I wanted …
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Technically I can see it from our back windows so I have to call that a win.
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Now how gorgeous is that!
❤️
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Momma Chuck has been visiting off and on for a few weeks now and while I’m not sure if she’s moved back in under the man cave/barn… it’s a distinct possibility.
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I threw out some carrot shavings for her yesterday when low and behold…
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Junior showed up as well.
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Last year when Momma had her babies, there was a runt who was constantly by her side. We worried that he wouldn’t grow big enough to make it through the winter, but it looks like he did.
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Although having a pesky teenager following you around could get old quickly.
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More trees were replaced/planted yesterday…. this time as far away from the house as is possible.
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And after all the rain we’ve had, I don’t think watering them will be necessary for a while.
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There’s a reason none of the trees my husband plants in our far back yard live and it’s called clay. While there’s nice topsoil near the house, our property slopes down to the woods and eventually to the banks of a river…. and around here that means clay. Saturated with water in the spring, cracked bone dry in the summer… but that doesn’t deter my husband. No sir.
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Two of these beauties were purchased and planted.
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Marrying an eternal optimist makes for a lot of work.
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Whether theses trees will last any longer than the previous elms, oaks or apples he planted is any one’s guess.
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It’s official… Momma Chuck is back, fresh out of hibernation and voraciously hungry.
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It seems she had no trouble remembering where the salad bar was located.
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And if you’re wondering how I know this is Momma Chuck and not one of the four babies she had under the barn last year…
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I’d say it’s the decided lack of that 18 hour bra I recommended last season.
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🤣
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Hard as it is to believe after the apple tree planting fiasco of 2021, my husband was back at it the other day … ripping up the dead apple twigs and filling the holes with bigger and better new trees.
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He came home with a beautiful flowering cherry I would have loved for the back lawn where I could see it every day….
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So naturally he planted it on the far side of the barn where it’s completely blocked by the building and out of line of sight from our house.
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It will however be prime viewing when playing pool in the man cave.
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It’s a pretty tree and was an immediate bee magnet. In no time flat they were circling and we were stepping away.
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I might just have to buy another for my viewing pleasure.
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River's world..... 