Every spring, mud comes to Maine as regularly as the tourists do in the summer. Usually mud season begins Mid-March. But this year we had so much snow that the mud has not only come later but also with a vengeance that is astonishing even to this Mainer, who has seen her fair share of mud seasons.
Yesterday, I almost lost my shoe in the mud by our house, and Liam hates to walk through it to get to the backyard. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have any choice, and he comes back quite literally as a mud puppy. We wipe him as best we can, but oh, my kitchen floor.
Behold the muddy walk in the backyard, which is ever so much worse in reality than it is in this photo.
Clif and I were starting to despair, but last night, salvation came from an unlikely place—Facebook. One of my Winthrop friends, who breeds dogs, wrote about how her dog yard was so muddy that she needed to get bales of straw to cover the mud.
Bales of straw? Immediately, the idea appealed to me.
Where, I asked, did she get the straw?
Paris Farmers Union, came her reply. Right in town.
This morning, lickity-split, Clif went to Paris Farmers Union for a bale of straw. The clerk who helped Clif told him that one man had come to buy five bales for a driveway that was so muddy it was nearly impossible to walk on it.
This just goes to show that things could be worse. Our driveway is all right. It’s the walkways to and around the backyard that need help.
The bale was loaded in our trusty Honda Fit, one of the best little cars we have ever owned.
Clif removed the bale and was ready to go.
And how did Liam like the straw walks in his backyard? He liked them very much indeed, and Liam has resumed his rambles around the backyard. (Liam had such an aversion to walking in mud that he reluctantly did his business and then immediately wanted to come back in. Don’t blame him a bit for not liking to trot through the mud.)
The straw doesn’t entirely eliminate muddy paws, but it sure does help. We still have to wipe Liam when he comes in, but at least he doesn’t track all over the floor.
Take that, mud!
Notes From the Hinterland 
A straightforward way to easing the mud problem, good advice.
It is working so well.
Great advice about the straw! Please make sure Liam does not get any cuts in his paws or legs where bacteria from the mud can get into his bloodstream. I hope the mud clears away soon! ☺💖 xxx
Will do!
Good plan. Well done.
We are thrilled with the results. Hardly any muddy mess in the house.
I’m glad that worked easily and ecologically. Our earth here is very shallow in dirt, very rocky, lots of lichen and moss, and our house is on a slab and has no basement, so it just doesn’t get supermuddy. That’s a help at some times, and then again there’s no depth to plant things in–
Me, too! Oh, the mud Raised beds?
I’m sure that Liam is very grateful for your solution to the mud. Fingers crossed that mud season is over soon.
I sure hope so. What a miserable season. Do not come to Maine in March.
Wow – aren’t the best ideas so obvious that you wonder why you hadn’t thought of it sooner? That happens to me all the time. Thank for the tip!
You got that right! As soon as straw was mentioned, I was interested. It’s working beautifully. So grateful for the tip.
That looks like a great solution. We used to have a dog called Kelly who looked similar to Liam but a bit bigger. My sister bathed him and from his attitude afterwards we could tell he thought he smelt disgusting. She took him for a walk and he promptly found some green pig muck and rolled in it, to his evident satisfaction.
Oh, those dogs!
When my sister lived in Maine, every March they would get out many of their plank walkways (2 planks nailed with 2 cross pieces) and they stayed until the ground dried out (sometimes as late as May). Your post just made me remember those days!
March, Maine, and mud! Unforgettable.
I guess e.e. cummings did not experience Maine mud when he talked about the world being mud- luscious and puddle wonderful! I’m happy to see you found a solution for man and beast! Hang in there and have a Happy Easter!❤
Tee-hee!
What a good solution.. And quite simple! I bet Liam is happy about that .. …you and he must be very glad not to have the major mud cleaning exercise any more!
It works like a charm! So glad my friend made that suggestion.
Yankee ingenuity. 🙂
Good old straw–I remember this solution from our farm, when I was a kid. You’ll be needing more bales, I suspect . . .
So far, so good! But I know where I can get more if I need to.
Seems like a sensible solution.
What a difference that straw made!
The simplest ideas are the best! I am so glad you have eased the mud problem and that Liam is a happy dog now!
Yes, indeed!
It’s good to see Liam happy. Sweet boy, I expect he will appreciate a little warm and dry weather.
For sure! We all will.
I’m smiling as I write this, Laurie, because of your closing to the post. Doesn’t it feel good to put one over on “mother nature?”
To triumph over mud is always a good feeling. 😉
Nice solution – and it’s “Liam Approved!” 🙂
A terrific solution, one we will keep in mind for next year.