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The nippy season has finally made an appearance in Maine.
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And while it will be back to 30 degrees tomorrow…
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For today, winter temperatures rule.
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Hello winter.
Tag Archives: winter
Squirrelly goodness
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Since this morning’s post was about death and ridding our property of an unwanted visitor (sayonara Mr. Rat!)…. let’s pivot to some welcome visitors this afternoon.
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Lots of people dislike grey squirrels as they raid bird feeders and eat most of the seed.
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But at Casa River we applaud their bravery at crossing the wide open expanse of back lawn and let them enjoy the buffet.
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Caution is key as there are numerous birds of prey patrolling the neighborhood.
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Greys are ever vigilant.
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But once the coast is clear?
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Squirrelly smiles.
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So he’s not the brightest bulb in the pack..
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Lord Dudley Mountcatten has many endearing qualities… he’s well behaved, sweet, playful, entertaining as hell and a real cuddle bug.
What he’s not is spatial reasoning gifted.
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Because when your mother shovels you a path, and your father takes you for a walk?
It’s not necessary to hike through the snow.
Sigh.
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So close….
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I took Lord Dudley Mountcatten out in the snow for round two last week and after a few false starts…
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He accepted the white stuff was cold, wet and crunchy but if one is careful, it can be navigated.
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Careful tiptoeing continued… until he spotted my nemesis.
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While I normally don’t encourage carnage or blood sport, all bets are off when it comes to that house/barn/garage gnawing red bitch.
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I was actively encouraging the stalk and made sure to stand motionless and quiet.
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But alas, she out maneuvered us and hid in the woodshed. No doubt sharpening her teeth in between chuckles.
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Lord Dudley was disheartened, not to mention cold… so round two of ‘introduction to snow’ came to a close.
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Would you like ice with that?
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Winter in Maine used to look like this:
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Oh, the good old days when it got cold and stayed that way until spring. Yes, back in the dark ages before our climate developed whiplash – it snowed, stayed cold enough for the snow to stick and then it snowed some more.
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Making for some fabulously shaped mounds of white stuff. But these days? We have a small storm, maybe an inch or two… then the temperature warms to the high 30’s or 40’s during the day and everything melts.
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And when the temperature swings back down?
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Ice.
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Everywhere.
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On every thing.
And while that does result in some rather stellar icicles…
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It also makes walking on our skating rink of a driveway seriously treacherous.
Keep your warm weather down south and out west!
It’s winter in Maine The only melting ice I want is in my cocktail.
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I love my town.
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Local news from the great white north.
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So yes, there are drawbacks to living in colder climates.
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But on the flip side, some lucky chickens get to live indoors.
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This happens more often than you’d think in our town.
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Perhaps they’ve started a Union and are on strike?
“No pay?
No lay!”
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To snow, or not to snow?
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We finally got a few inches of white stuff on the ground and I figured it was time to make Lord Dudley Mountcatten walk the proverbial plank.
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He was a bit hesitant…
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But made a mad dash to the shallow patches beside the house.
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When he hit the slightly deeper parts he looked back as if to say… wtf?
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After which he plonked the Royal butt down and refused to move. A few minutes of chilly bird watching later, he called it quits and ran for the house.
I’m calling this progress.
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NOW it looks like Christmas.
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I woke up to a winter wonderland this morning as our first real snow of the season fell overnight.
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It wasn’t the 6-8 inches they predicted for our area…
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But it coated everything in glorious white… so that’s alright with me.
What wasn’t a welcome sight?
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The creature highlighted here.
The tiny devil who wreaked havoc with us, our house and our barn last year. The little red bitch with sharp teeth. I thought we’d seen the last of her after numerous evictions and nest busting this fall. But no…
She’s baaaack!
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I know just how you feel Dudley.
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He was not impressed.
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We had our first light dusting of snow last week and the husband thought he’d let Lord Dudley Mountcatten experience it firsthand. (Or paw, as the case may be)
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A thorough sniff was taken from the doorway.
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And tentative steps were taken…
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Then he beat feet under the table where there was no snow.
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A few seconds were spent in internal debate before scuttling out the other end and trotting back to the warm house…
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Where a not so subtle request was made to ignite the heating pad.
Impressed by snow?
I think that’s a resounding no.
6-8 inches are forecast tonight. Can’t wait to plop him in the middle of that tomorrow.
😈
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Maine, glorious Maine… part 2.
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It’s funny, but one of the most famous tourist attractions in my state is a sign.
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Yes, those really are the names of Maine towns and I’ve visited all of them. Didn’t even need a passport.
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I admit it, I partied heartily in many a gravel pit back in the day.
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Mud season was virtually non existent this year due to the lack of heavy snow last winter. Can’t say I really missed it.
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I used to gripe constantly about the cold, but with internal menopausal heating? Now I say bring it!
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Yes, if you visit Maine you must have your picture taken with the giant boot at L.L. Beans. And to be honest…. it’s not just for tourists.
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That’s the husband and our niece a few years back.
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We took her Christmas shopping and made her pose.
😊
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River's world..... 