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We never know how many deer are going to arrive in our backyard on any given night…
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Could be two, could be ten.
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They always show up at dusk so pardon the poor quality photos with reflections from the windows.
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When the snow starts to pile up?
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So do the deer.
Fourteen was the count when I took these photos.
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💕
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We’ve been having a number of small snow storms lately, 2-3 inches at a time, and thanks to some cold temperatures…
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It finally looks like winter in ye old state of Maine.
I enjoy the change of seasons and while winter can be challenging, it can be beautiful as well.
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Especially when our backyard visitors show up for a nosh.
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We usually see them in the evening, but the other morning these two showed up for breakfast.
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My husband was out front shoveling the driveway…
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And the minute they spotted him?
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Nothing but fluffy white butts.
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😊
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We had a beautiful moon the other night so I slipped out to the deck for a few photos.
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Halo time.
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I’m not sure what causes this phenomenon…
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But it sure was pretty.
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The husband and I celebrated a wedding anniversary recently.
This was my Facebook post for the day.
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Sorry, but it’s true. He’s an amazing husband, partner and overall great guy. Generous, strong willed, kind hearted and honest. Is it any wonder I’ve kept him so long?
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A lovely bouquet was delivered that morning…
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And then the happy couple took a drive down the coast for a walk.
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It was a bit brisk, so we didn’t make the whole loop…
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But we ended the day with cocktails and a nice meal.
The blackberry elderflower Prosecco spritz with fresh mint was divine.
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As were my giant crab cakes.
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These sexy swimmers of yesteryear were hanging on the wall to my right, but I only had eyes for my guy.
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Honey balsamic salmon for the husband… the sugar caramelized, but it was perfectly cooked.
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And a fabulous chicken Marsala for moi.
Here’s to another four happy decades.
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Our nightly deer herd showed up a little early the other day and I was able to snap some pictures.
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On our snowless back yard.
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I dislike the lack of white stuff this year, but the herd happily munches the still green patches.
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We started with three in the fall…
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But now have 7-9 visitors.
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So sweet.
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Over Christmas, our neighbors took a cruise on that gigantic new floating city, Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas. It’s the largest cruise ship in the world and sounds like my idea of Hell, but to each their own.
While they were away? I had cat duty.
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And drove down their long driveway every day to their house in the woods.
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Sometimes with company, which is always a nice surprise.
The nicer surprise?
The thank you gift she brought home for me a week later.
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Oh my lord!
Have you ever tried these?
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The banana was to die for. Rich, moist and perfectly rummy. I had one slice, and then shamefully devoured half the cake with a glass of cold milk.
Dinner? Who needs it.
The cake was so amazing I had to research where I could purchase another. I hoped it wouldn’t involve taking a cruise… but honestly, I’d be tempted.
From the website:
….main claim to fame is its rum cakes, which are baked in Jamaica, Barbados and the Bahamas and employs machinery that ensures long shelf lives without using refrigeration or preservatives. “We still make the cake the same way it was made years ago,” says Hamaty-Simmonds, “which includes generous portions of Tortuga Rum from the Caribbean. You have to taste it!”
Upon further sleuthing, thank you Jeff Bezos…
I shall be ordering one from Amazon today.
My third nice surprise? A green plant I’ve had in our living room for over 5 years just decided to bloom.
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With weird and wonderfully quirky little orange flowers.
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How bizarre is that!
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I love a lot of things about living where we do, but the geographic placement of our house has to be at the top of the list. In the evening we have lovely sunsets out our front door, and in the morning?
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Well…
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The sunrises over the back deck aren’t too shabby either .
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😊
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Note- photos were taken the beginning of last week, after our largest snow dump of the season. 4 inches, big whoop.
We’re back to green grass now, which is crazy wrong for winter in Maine.
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A little molasses flavored grain is always a welcome treat.
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Two bowls…
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First come, first serve.
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Unless you’re small enough to sneak underneath.
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😊
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Our local deer herds wax and wane.
Some years we have 3, some years we have 10. Our record is 21.
This year?
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It started with 4…
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And has now gone up to 6.
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Sadly we haven’t seen the big beautiful buck from last season.
I hope he’s just moved on and hasn’t fallen to a hunter’s bullet.
😰
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On a bright and sunny afternoon, we headed west.
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To a small craft brewery called Ambition.
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To be honest I think it was misnamed. Not only was it small, but the barkeeper was more interested in talking with his friends than introducing new customers to his beer. We muddled along on our own, ordered and picked up our own flight…
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And were quite underwhelmed. The only brew that any flavor? Burned your throat too much to drink.
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With this many breweries in our state… we won’t be returning to the ambitionless Ambition.
Tasting complete, we headed across the street to a favorite restaurant.
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Housed in an old shoe factory with an original boiler door that fascinates my husband..
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Calzolaio Pasta Co. never disappoints.
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An apple cider mule with a garlic, chicken, broccoli Alfredo pizza on fresh basil dough for me.
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And a fabulous ravioli special for the husband.
Sautéed shallots & local Macintosh apples finished with baby spinach in a sherry & sage cream sauce over butternut squash & pumpkin filled ravioli.
All the flavors of fall right there!
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River's world..... 