Category Archives: Loving

We’re going on a Moose hunt!

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Boogie is looking for a moose!

We had the most excellent adventure today! The “crazy” dog got us up before six and we were in the car on the way to look for moose up near Jackman, ME (way up north!) by 8-ish.

 

We stopped at a “closed” picnic area on the way and found a beautiful double waterfall. The noise of the water was nearly deafening. And there was some snow left over from the winter – a wonderful opportunity to throw a couple of snowballs for Ned.

Since we were looking for moose, let me tell you that we saw lots of signs of moose.

Moose like to hang out in marshy areas, knee deep in mud. If you have the opportunity to drive up Route 201, watch the edges of the the road. We saw a lot of moose tracks (not the ice cream variety!) and even a dead moose. Ned had to stop to get a closer view, of course. Too many flies for me.

We walked up the Bald Mountain Road trail for quite a ways. Tons and tons of moose tracks – some the size of my hand! We even went off the trail a

Moose Track

couple of times into the woods (and mud) to see if we could find some moose antlers. This is the time of year to find them according to the woman who fed us lunch at the Four Seasons restaurant in Jackman, ME. (Her husband is a taxidermist in his free time. You learn taxidermy by working with a taxidermist or by watching videos! Go figure.)

On the way back down the trail we picked up 17 beer cans and one Nestles chocolate milk bottle. Don’t the loggers or winter snowmobilers know to carry in and carry out!? Saw some pretty flowers and had a great walk. At the bottom Ned found some moose (we think) bones. I’ll get pictures up of them soon. Very cool, though!

 

So, we had seen a dead moose, moose poop, moose tracks, and moose bones but no chocolate moose and no moose. Even without seeing the big creatures, it was a great day. I got out my knitting for the ride home and was knitting away and what to my wondering eyes did appear?!

A moose …

MOOSE!!!

It was across the street and since they’re very shy, it didn’t wait for me to get the picture any better than this … what a great way to end a wonderful day in Maine!

 

The Crane in Maine Stays Mainly on the … Messalonskee

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Sandhill Cranes

This afternoon we were on an errand run and we drove past two young men standing by the side of the road, we thought they had cameras but they were binoculars and telescopes. They were looking out over the marshy area at the bottom (or was it the top?) of the lake; our lake! … In the snap of an eye, Ned had the truck turned around and was out of the door. Luckily it was put into park or I’d have been trying to get over into the driver’s seat! The men, apparently, were looking to see Sandhill Cranes  … who are known to roost here on our lake!

I got on the Internet to research this phenomenon and it seems that while they’re common all over Florida, Sandhill Cranes are rare in Maine. In fact, they’re listed as a rare bird sighting on the Maine Audubon Website. Suffice it to say, I am shocked and amazed that our Florida bird friends are also here in Maine.

You may not know that I’m a (almost) life long bird-lover. I grew up in Avon, Connecticut on top of Avon Mountain. Much to my mother’s chagrin, we moved from suburbia with sidewalks and neighbors, close to everything, to the woods … and with three young children mom became a taxi driver! We grew up watching the birds with our father and our most wonderful babysitter, Lucinda (Lou) Kehoe. We learned to identify birds and some of their songs and lots of wildflowers and other woodland plants.

Pileated Woodpecker

It should not be a surprise, then, that we love the birds here in Maine (and also in Florida). There are so many birds that bring me back to my childhood. The day before yesterday, we were out taking a walk with the dogs and we saw a Pileated Woodpecker.

Dad always shushed us as kids because he’d heard a Pileated.

Dad searched see the Roseate Spoonbill. These birds, to the best of my knowledge, never showed themselves to my dad but since I’ve been living in Florida, I’ve actually seen some at the Canaveral National Seashore! They remind me a bit of Jimmy Durante (if you don’t know him, look him up!) with their long proboscis! Dad would be so proud of his ornithologically-inclined daughter!

Roseate Spoonbill

The Maine Audubon guys had also seen a Bald Eagle – I’m never going to get over the excitement that I feel when I see an eagle. Once, in Florida, when on an air boat ride with my two younger kids, the driver of the boat did one of those over the grass wide turns and up from the marshy land flew not one but TWO bald eagles … side by side. Oh. My. Goodness. That was an amazing sight! (And because I pointed them out to him, he let me drive the air boat for a bit!

We’ve seen Bald Eagles here in Maine – the winter we came up, there was one circling over the woods at the top of the driveway where we had to park the car because the driveway wasn’t plowed (and the snow was thigh-high!) They are magnificent birds and thrilling to see outside of captivity. (The only eagles that I’d seen before moving to Florida were in a huge flight cage at the Cincinnati Zoo; magnificent in it’s own right … until I saw a wild one in flight!)

Wildlife is so much fun to witness … loons, hummingbirds, gulls, common mergansers (the boy and the girl barely look like the same species!), great blue herons, moose, deer, ground hogs (aka woodchuck) and others too numerous to mention. And right now, before the real summer season begins, we’re able to see more nature and without the aggravation of boats on the lake or noisy neighbors! It’s wonderful to get away from the “real world” and sit and watch the lake and the sky. We’re so fortunate to be able to live in this wonderful spot … even for a few months.

 

 

Crazy Socks … Northward Ho!

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An uneventful trip north this year. Orlando to Atlanta to Cincinnati to Belgrade!

Day 1- Atlanta and a brief overnight visit with the best “Roomie” in the world, my friend Carrie. She’s about the only brave soul who would have us visit with our four-legged brood. And especially with the crazy old Cushingoid cocker who is like having seventeen puppies all rolled into one – we’re never sure if he’s housebroken or if he’ll eat the paintings off the wall.

Day 2 – Cincinnati and a 21st Birthday dinner with my son, my ex-husband and his boyfriend. Long story short, my ex had picked the dinner spot and it was obscenely expensive and not the most wonderful food ever. Over $500 for five and we only had a glass of wine and my ex’s boyfriend doesn’t drink. The plus side was, however, that I got to spend a few hours with my son. He is a very special kid and I was so happy to see him.

Day 3 – Rochester, NY which is on the way to Maine and there’s nothing special there. It was so windy, however, that the Hobie Cat was blowing away (and the sail wasn’t even up!)

trying to relaxThis is a photo from the back seat on day 4 on the way to Marblehead, MA and my youngest brother and his family. Too bad my little boy isn’t getting relaxed in the back seat! He does make us laugh with his antics. We love to visit my brother and his family. My three nephews are growing taller and handsomer every time we see them. Ninth grade, sixth grade and fifth grade this year and they’re all involved in various sports, etc. Ski and snowboarding season is now over so it’s time for track and baseball. Max (our Cocker) got bitten by Caspian (my brother’s German shepherd) who he fought for a ball but still a fun albeit brief visit.

in the bag?One more photo from day 5 when we stopped at LL Bean this is what I found in the back seat. My little boy, again, this time he’s chosen to sit in my computer bag instead of the seat … go figure. We had to stop in Freeport to get a warm jacket (we also found a jacket for poor old Max who’s losing his hair and shivers or shakes all the time, a couple of gifts for later this summer, and I found a great corduroy shirt that I’ve coveted … and it was on sale! Woo HOO!) After a quick lunch, on to Belgrade and “opening camp”. It’s a lot of work but it seemed like more this year. By the time we got the first floor of the house all wiped down and disinfected and swept out (not too much mouse evidence this year and no skulls), the furniture unwrapped, sopped up the puddle on the bed from the leaking master bedroom roof, and then unpacked the car and put away the groceries, we were beat! Thank God for the good old electric blanket. We climbed into bed and slept like babies and I didn’t get up until nearly 8 am which is unusual because we have no window coverings on the windows and it gets light early here! I did hear the loons calling in the middle of the night but it’s such a sweet sound, I smiled and rolled over.

I had a lot of fun knitting a second pair of stash-busting crazy socks on the way up here. They’re really cute. The first pair went to my sister, Kathy, for her birthday. This pair will likely be a gift for some lucky soul, too. I think they’re fun and they certainly are colorful! The best news is that I still have a ton more bits and pieces of sock yarn to make a few more pairs.

Another 1976 miles of road trip adventure … (ha! That was the year Ned and I first started dating. Coincidence? Maybe. Maybe not! Life is good!

 

Three Hours and Counting …

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T minus three hours and counting …

We’re getting ready for another trip and I’ll be happy when all the stuff is in the truck and off. Atlanta tonight and dinner with a great pal, my old college roomie who always has room for us – even with three dogs (and one who’s crazy! I know it’s not his fault, he’s really sick but it sure looks on the outside like he’s kooky!) Since we’re going north, I have to think about wearing warm clothes because it’s nowhere near as summery there as it is here. Hopefully it’s warm enough that we can turn on the water and not have the pipes freeze (and I don’t have to use the outhouse!)

Life’s sure an adventure! I’m really lucky to be able to travel and blog and knit for a living … let’s hope my new designs are a big success and I can keep this up (and add a little bit of income to the picture!)

Gone knitting!

Dear Friends (better than Old Friends)

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I had the privelege of spending the weekend with my dearest (and oldest) friends … well, they’re almost my oldest friends and they’re certainly a very special group. Seven of us met at Barrie’s home in Sarasota, FL. We’ve been friends since our freshman year at Wells College in Aurora, NY. We were all in the same dorm that year.

I’m not sure how we really became friends but we did. Some were roommates freshman year, some shared classes, but we all shared Wells. I lived down the hall from Carrie who roomed with Bobbie who’s now deceased (breast cancer) who was in Spanish with Nell, who was roommates with Jennifer … and on it goes. We’ve been friends for (how can it be?) 36 years! Thirty-six years! That’s more time than some of our friends got on earth. Some of us have children who are older than we were when we met. We’ve been through a lot together. I told you already that I didn’t end up graduating with my class. We’ve been through rehab, AA, Al Anon, divorce, cancer scares, cancer (breast, colon, thyroid, throat, significant others with cancer, deaths from cancer, alcoholism, sobriety, depression, unemployment, heartbreak, boyfriends, girlfriends, children being born, children with addiction, entitlement, marriage of children, separations and reconciliations.

These are remarkably strong women. Accomplished women . Wonderful daughters, friends, wives, mothers. Business owners, consultants, stay-at-home moms, marketing whizzes (is that how you’d spell it?) Beauties inside and out.

We used to get “plastered” and “plowed” and “smashed” together and ride on the “meat wagon” back to school from Ithaca. It’s so much simpler now. A glass (maybe two) of wine and a seat around the kitchen counter or dining room table and we’re all good. We laugh until we cry. We remember our lost sisters and mothers and fathers … some of us are orphans, finally real adults after the passing of both parents. Some of us are struggling with our parents’ aging bodies and minds. Some of us are fortunate to have parents who are still (mostly) “with it”. Today we all love to sit on the beach or around a pool or wander around together while shopping, stopping to have our photos taken with the seven statues in the middle of Saint Armonds Circle in Longboat Key, critiquing the other people on the sidewalks, patting their dogs, having a coffee or a frozen yogurt or some fudge. (Did you ever get your fudge, Bets?) We can get locked out of our houses and sit together on the front porch texting silly messages to our husbands and reading them aloud. We find joy when we’re together and embrace it as sacred space and time, joyful and rejuvenating at the same time.

We had a great weekend together and I’m so grateful to have these women in my life all these years later … time picks up where we leave it after each gathering and then we look forward to the next time (which will be in August in Virginia Beach)… Woo! Hoo!

 

Loss of a Mother

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My dear friend and my children’s elementary school art teacher lost her mother recently. Since seeing this on her Facebook page, I have felt an extreme sense of sadness in my heart. My mother has been gone now for nearly two and a half years … it’ll be three years in October … and I miss her so much. I’ve missed her for years longer, though, because she suffered from Alzheimer’s Disease for ten years before she passed away.

Here are lyrics for a wonderful song that I found amongst my friend’s messages … it’s very comforting, indeed.

Look for me in Rainbows

Time for me to go now, I won’t say goodbye;
Look for me in rainbows, way up in the sky.
In the morning sunrise when all the world is new,
Just look for me and love me, as you know I loved you.

Time for me to leave you, I won’t say goodbye;
Look for me in rainbows, high up in the sky.
In the evening sunset, when all the world is through,
Just look for me and love me, and I’ll be close to you.

It won’t be forever, the day will come and then
My loving arms will hold you, when we meet again.

Time for us to part now, we won’t say goodbye;
Look for me in rainbows, shining in the sky.
Every waking moment, and all your whole life through
Just look for me and love me, as you know I loved you.

Just wish me to be near you,
And I’ll be there with you.

Music and lyrics: Conn Bernard (1990). Vicki Brown


Yarn Harlot

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Reading the blog today by the Yarn Harlot, Stephanie Pearl McFee, made me laugh my head off. She blogged about having to make a new hat because the old one made her head look like a penis. What a riot! It made me laugh because I, too, have a penis story …

When my eldest daughter was car-seat age or a little bit older, she was very inquisitive and extraordinarily verbal. On a regular basis, she asked questions repeatedly and made comments from the back of the car that we still tell stories about. (“Where is that darned McDonalds? Oh, dis makes me soooo angry”)

Anyway, on one particular day, she may have been in pre-school or maybe even up to first grade. I may have had a baby boy by then. (Can you tell that my memory for when things happen isn’t so good?)  But I had to run into CVS to find something and when she asked what I was looking for I replied, “penis lights. A string of penis lights”. Ha! Go figure … why I came up with that response, other than that I knew she wouldn’t ask about it any further because body parts were simply “gross”, I have no idea. But it still tickles my funny bone.

And, Stephanie, your new hat is lovely!

Lacey Thong on the Beach – Merry Christmas!

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And what a Christmas it was!

You’ll notice I wasn’t blogging because I was trying to finish all the knitting projects for gifts and get everything purchased, wrapped, packed and mailed to my family all over the country. Big brother in LA, sister in AZ, brother in CA, brother in MA and kids in OH, IL, and GA/NY. I love having a growing family! Who knew that it would be increasing exponentially after I turned 50!?

In addition to all that Christmas buzz, my younger brother decided to get married in CA on the Winter Solstice. He’s only 51 years old and never been married! We were all invited to share the nuptials and a week of family time at Stinson Beach, CA.

This is my handsome brother (who wore a suit!) and his lovely bride. My new sister. I still get all teary-eyed when I look at them together. They are truly soul mates. They met in a coffee shop and Abbie tried to match my brother up with her friend Julie. Three years later, they were a match made in heaven. It was the most beautiful wedding ceremony that I’ve ever been privileged to witness – intimate, personal, every bit a reflection of them as a couple.

They aren’t Jewish but with respect for all cultures were married under a huppa (chuppa) which represents the home that the couple will build. Sweet! My brother, the bridegroom, and my son (who wears a different name in California) built the huppa in the garage. When it was time to bring it to the beach-side patio wedding site, it was too big to bring through the house and to wide to bring around the house. So, in typical fashion, it went over the house! Here are my brothers and my sweetie on the beach side of the house after much finagling!

And this is our sweet bride-to-be with her underwear that someone found on the beach. You can imagine the giggles that went on after that find! Abbie handled it all with her wonderful sense of humor and ability to laugh at herself. One of the seven shih tzus (yes, seven! … my two, my brother’s two, my new sister’s two and her sister’s one) who attended the wedding had stolen the pretty lacy panties and traipsed off to the beach to hide them from our bride. She handled the ribbing with grace and humor. What a good sport – and we’re so lucky to have her as the newest member of our family!

We woke up extra early on the first morning we were there (the Winter Solstice, the full lunar eclipse and the wedding day) and watched a beautiful sunrise over San Francisco. Awesome is a great word to use for this experience. The power of the surf, the sound of the sea birds, the breeze (well, perhaps wind is more appropriate!) along with the beautiful sight of the sun rising was a once-in-a-lifetime treat!

I look forward to sharing the new local yarns that I found out there on the left coast! But for now, I hope my photo of sunrise and the pathway to the house will encourage you to take a deep breath, sit back and think of how lucky we are to witness the glory of this earth. With the Pacific Ocean on one side and the mountains on the other, this was a perfect setting for a wedding and a week of family time. I am truly blessed. It was a merry Christmas.

Wishing you peace.
Wishing for peace on Earth.