Autumn is here and it’s by far my favorite time of year. Crisp air, brightly colored foliage, pumpkins, apples… what’s not to love?
Of course if you’re my husband, who just spent countless thousands turning his barn into a man cave, you might not fully embrace the season.
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Because nothing says ‘private domain of men’ more than a strategically placed fall wreath.
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And speaking of turning leaves….
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Ours are just beginning to put on a show. It’s the season I starting twitching for a road trip to the mountains. Whether that will happen is still up for debate.
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Weren’t expecting that?
Neither was I, but it popped up on my FB feed all the same.
🥴
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A photo of Lord Dudley Mountcatten meeting my new toy. He was not impressed, but I am.
Since blowing out my knee last year, getting on all fours to scrub the kitchen floor has been a no no. Enter the Bissell steam mop. Cheap and surprisingly efficient.
How well did it clean the floor?
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So well that I literally gasped at how filthy it had become.
In my defense, I mopped right after a rain storm and had to erase an artful array of the husband’s muddy boot prints, but still.
Lord Dudley Mountcatten sleeps in some odd positions.
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I look, and think he must be uncomfortable… but the wee beast sleeps like that 19 hours a day so I must be mistaken.
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Have you ever tried a recipe and had your hopes for decadent dessert deliciousness dashed?
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That’s what happened when I found a recipe for caramel banana upside down cake. I painstakingly followed the directions… and while it looked and smelled wonderful?
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It was a banana topped brick. I swear I could have used it as a doorstop… or to bash in someone’s head. The husband and I took one bite a piece and heaved it in the trash.
Tres disappointing.
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But I passed this woodpile later in the day…
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And had to smile.
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Be sure to ask for an extra stabby grabby the next time you go out to eat…. and think of me.
Interesting. The 6th picture on my phone takes us back to July of 2013 when the husband rescued a baby robin from the middle of our road.
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He lived with us for almost a month and we named him Little Cheeper. As you can see he was also a little pooper.
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He was a sweet little guy and I fattened him up with worms, canned dogged food and fruit. I hand trained him, and before long he was flying all over the house.
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It was tempting to keep him as a pet…
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But in the end I couldn’t, and we let him fly free in our backyard.
And this time we picked Sebasco Resort in Phippsburg.
There are two restaurants on site, but unfortunately the nicer one with the full menu was closed due to Covid era short staffing.
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So we made do with The Ledges pub.
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The outdoor patio area was filled with tourists so we had to sit inside… but the views were just as nice.
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As were the cocktails. Two basil refreshers later, it was time to order.
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We both started with the clam chowder which was good, but I’m a Mainer and quite picky about giving two thumbs up to chowder.
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Husband had a perfectly prepared baked haddock with white wine and butter…
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But my fried scallops were less than satisfactory. The batter was thick and way too crunchy… and Holy Hell, dripping in enough grease to lube two cars and a pick up truck. Blech.
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If I’d been able to open the window I would have fed them to this fellow.
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Thankfully the pub redeemed itself with a nice wild Maine blueberry pie a la mode.
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After our meal we attempted to walk off the pounds.
Because we were chatting a while back about the ridiculous old station wagons we had to drive as teenagers. Here’s my husband and I posing in front of my parent’s ‘62 Ford Falcon.
Complete with wood on the side… because we stylin’.
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If you look closely you’ll see the entire passenger side is crumpled from me side swiping a telephone pole when I was 16.
Oops.
This baby had a top speed of 51mph by the time I got her…. complete with vacuum wipers, a manual choke, and AM radio. I was the envy of exactly (count ‘em) none of my friends.
Please don’t judge the head to toe stone washed denim… it was the late 80’s. We had to.