This post is part of a series called Thankful Thursday, where I list some things to feel thankful for. To some extent, focusing on what is wrong appears to come naturally to most people, who tend to complain, complain, complain when they get together with family and friends. (I’m no exception, that’s for sure.) So focusing on things to feel thankful for seems like good spiritual practice, a way to counterbalance the tendency toward negative thinking.
This week, on the very top of the thankful list, is that our car, a Honda Fit, passed inspection. When you have a budget as big as a minute and a fourteen-year-old car, this is no small thing.
A few months ago, we had to have the catalytic converter replaced. I barely know what a catalytic converter is, but I do know it was expensive to replace. Still, the Fit has been a wonderful car, roomy for its size and needing few repairs. We plan to keep it as long as we can. Clif has patched some rust holes—those salted and sanded roads in the winter take their toll—and now that the Fit has passed inspection, it should be good for another year. Fingers crossed. And toes, too.
Next is an unexpected treat that came to our house on Tuesday.
Debbie Gagnon, of Maine’s famous Red’s Eats, sent the chocolate-covered strawberries as a thank you to Clif for the work he did on her book, Red’s Eats: World’s Best Lobster Shack. (Clif does book design for self-published writers, and he has a growing list of books he’s worked on.) Clif, of course, shared his strawberries with me and Dee, and my oh my, they were good. Strawberries and chocolate are a winning combination. Many, many thanks, Debbie Gagnon!
Finally, it is that corn time of year in Maine, and Mainers are absolutely crazy about fresh corn on the cob. We think it goes with anything, from spaghetti to quesadillas.
Our corn comes from our own Farmer Kev, a family friend who has an organic farm and a delivery share program, where each season, you pay a lump sum and get weeks of fresh, delicious vegetables delivered right to your doorstep. (Every week, we get to choose what we want from a seasonal list.)
Here is the snappy box the veggies come in.
And guess what was underneath the carrots, the peppers, and the summer squash? None other than corn, fresh and ready to be shucked.
We cooked it the day we got it, and how sweet it was. Holy cats, it was so unbelievably good that it almost doesn’t count as a simple pleasure.
And what is on the plate with that corn? Just happens to be a quesadilla, made with homemade refried beans.
As we Mainers would say, a wicked good combination.
Just for Fun: Speaking of a New England Accent…
Blogging friends who are Superbowl fans are probably already familiar with this commercial, but I’m guessing there are some blogging friends who haven’t seen it. And I’m also guessing that blogging friends “from away” might not know what a New England accent sounds like.
Now, the commercial below features actors and accents—albeit slightly exaggerated—from Boston. A Maine accent is somewhat different, a little softer. But man oh man, do we ever drop those Rs, and do note the use of “wicked.”
Anyway, it will give readers some idea what a Maine and New England accent sounds like. Plus it’s just plain fun to watch. Makes me smile every time.
Notes From the Hinterland 
A car passing inspection is a good thing, chocolates that look like that are better, and that ad gave me the best laugh of the day. Home town talk!
So great that the car passed. That ad is a hoot, isn’t it? Yessah! As for those strawberries…divine.
that corn looks so fresh
It was as fresh as fresh can be.
🙂
the corn…say no more!
Right?
meaning I love corn and that is all it will take to make me happy!
Oh, good fun to listen to the Ad. I think some country Aussie accents could match yours.
I love corn, especially with lashings of melted butter and salt!
That ad always makes me smile. Fun to think how a New England accent might ressemble a country Aussie accent.
Local corn and fresh off-the-vine tomatoes = the best summertime treats!
You bet!
So much to be grateful for!
I absolutely LOVE corn on the cob and agree that it pairs well with everything!
So delicious!
Hooray for the Fit! Our elderly ute’s annual check always has us holding our breath and crossing everything so I utterly identify with your joy. Strawberries don’t feature in our place as all three girls are allergic to them – a very sad state of affairs as they smell divine. As for the corn…wonderful!!
Holding our breath is a good description. A sad state of affairs is right, but if the girls are allergic, they’re allergic.
a wonderful, bounteous post; I enjoyed it 🙂
Thanks, John!
I liked the ad a lot. Very smaht. It is always a relief when your car gets a clean bill of health for another year.
Smaht is right. 😉 A big relief when the car gets a clean bill of health. Especially when that car is 14.
Boy, your arrangement with Farmer Kev sounds like a plan made in heaven! And your mention of corn on the cob reminds me that I must get up in time in Saturday morning to get to the market!!
It really is! Love Farmer Kev.
The sweetcorn looks so cood I’m drooling 🙂 I’ve added it to my shopping list for next week. I’m not sure I’ve seen it here in the markets … only in the field.
The video made me smile. You guys do you ‘wicked’ a LOT. I think I could do with a smart pack to park my car.
the choccies look wicked!
Yessah, we sure do use wicked a lot. I would like a smaht pahk, too. 😉
The sweet corn and veggie delivery looks wonderful! And the strawberries too – the bounty of summer!
Great list of thankful things! I like the white chocolate letters on the strawberries. Nice touch.
Cawhn 🌽is one of those New England words too. Yours looks great!
Congrats on your car longevity and your yummy produce and chocolate strawberries. Lots to be thankful for! Fun ad, I hadn’t seen it!
Oh the corn has been so good this year. I’m thrilled that my Mainer friends are all buttery happy too! So glad your car is still ticking. Your Prius is doing well too, I hope! And thanks for sending along that car commercial. It’s hilarious!
Utterly delicious! Yes, that ad is hilarious while managing to catch the essence of a Boston/New England accent.
Laurie, you make me want to move to New England! That commercial totally cracked me up. I also love Clif’s business! That’s what I would have done if I decided to freelance after I retired. What a great gig, and I’m sure the authors appreciate his skill and care in making their books beautiful.
A fun ad! Although it’s a bit exaggerated, it does manage to catch the essence of New England accent.
Thanks for the kind words! Yes, the authors do appreciate his skill and care.
Also, that desire to move there stops in about, oh, after the leaves fall! You are welcome to your winters, snowgague Clif notwithstanding. 🙂
I’m enjoying your Thankful Thursday series, Laurie. It’s nice to look back at he week and reflect on the positive. I’m happy to see you’re receiving a farm-fresh box of produce on a regular basis. I agree with you on fresh corn-on-the cob. It is delicious. I feel the same way about garden tomatoes. I hope your car hangs in there. I’m a Honda owner as well. They are work horses.
I agree with your chocolate strawberry assessment. Yum!
Yes, those Hondas are work horses. Love that! Fresh corn and fresh tomatoes are utterly delightful. I am really enjoying writing my Thankful Thursday posts. So much to be thankful for, even when you lead a simple, quiet life. And oh those strawberries!
For the past three years, I’ve planted corn (six plants, not a field). I’ve learned along the way (the need to pollinate, timing, etc.), and this year my goal was to have something in the way of edible corn. I did indeed have two edible ears (one picked too soon, and one picked too late), and about eight non-edibles. But those two ears were tasty, and the experience taught me to appreciate what’s required of our corn farmers. Hope the Honda does its part for another year at least.
Yes, those farmers work hard. Fingers crossed that the Honda makes it for another year or two. Or three. 😉
Oh my, the picture of your corn on the cob (which we call mealies 🙂 ) is mouthwatering! My farther used to grow maize and how we loved eating it straight from the land! I enjoyed the advert – it would take my ear a while to get tuned to that accent, but then, you might well laugh at mine 🙂 🙂 🙂
I would never laugh at your accent or anyone else’s. As a Mainah, how could I? 😉 Besides, I LOVE accents! Viva la difference!
Although I travelled in your part of the US when we were completing our 50 States Challenge the local accent passed me by, so many thanks to you for sharing the ad. I’ll listen out more carefully when we watch US television shows in the future, to see if I can pick out your regional “twang”.
Congrats on the car passing its test. We also drive Hondas, and find them reassuringly reliable.
And oh, those strawberries. Yummy!
Yes, Hondas are reliable. A very good thing. The accent in the ad was exaggerated for comic effect. Still, there is some truth to it. I drop Rs all the time. And I add them to words, too. I pronounce “drawing” as “drawring” and “sawing” as “sawring.” We New Englanders have a complicated relationship with the letter R. Might make for a good blog post.
I love this idea of thankful Thursday posts and the veggie box looks great. Enjoy!
Good to make a regular habit of counting our blessings.
True
Good simple pleasures – the car rates higher than simple; what a good result. I’m confused about the accents 🙂
Yes, you are right about the car. As for the accents…the actors exaggerated the Boston/New England accent, but there is still quite a bit of accuracy there in the way we drop our Rs. And use “wicked” to mean “very.” Yessah by God, that smaht pahking is wicked good. 😉
That sounds a gopod week! And the advert made me giggle!
The ad is so much fun!
That’s a great commercial. Cheers to the Fit passing another inspection. Gotta love fresh, local corn. Yummy!
That commercial makes me smile every time I see it. Local corn is the best!
Lots of good things to be thankful for. I can’t eat chocolate any more and boy do I miss it!! Those strawberries look divine. I drive a 14 year old Honda Accord that’s still going strong and I’m definitely thankful for the reliability of Honda vehicles. Your CSA sounds like a good one. Corn? Oo-la-la, tis the season. I like it absolutely plain, no butter or S/P. Just corn. How about you?
That is too bad that you can’t eat chocolate! Dang! Hey, we’re in the same Honda club. I, too, love their reliability. The Fit is a great little car. I’m afraid I must admit that I like to slather lots of butter and salt on my corn. I know it would be healthier if I didn’t, but I can’t seem to help myself. 😉
I had to laugh at the video, so true! The Vermont accent is fast disappearing though. We tend to drop a lot of t’s (if you listen to us, you’ll discover Vermont has no t on the end) and often lose our r’s and other ending consonants as well, like when we go ‘down cella.” . But we make up for it by adding extra consonants to words like cow and I, which sort of sounds like ceow and oy!
Interesting! I did not know that about the Vermont accent. I love regional differences. To me, they add spice to life. Yessah by God, as the old Maine farmers used to say. 😉
Ayup!
The veggie box looks awesome! Enjoyed the accents, too.
Those veggies are delicious! The accents, while exaggerated, do capture how those from Boston, and to some extent Maine, speak. Yesah! 😉
There is so much to be thankful for in life, and I always appreciate the reminders. Feeling thankful is indeed a good spiritual practice.
Yes, yes! Griping about things seems to be second nature for most of us, and I am no exception. Good to count blessings, which are many.
Wow, I need Smart Park, for sure! “Wicked good” is a great expression for it, too. Looks like you’ve got a lot to be thankful for this week, Laurie (and weren’t you the one who didn’t believe she could come up with a Thankful Thursday post every week when this thing began?!?)
Yes, a smaht pahk would be handy. I will have to go back and read my first thankful post to see if I expressed any doubts. Whatever the case. I am not running short of things to be thankful for in my quiet, simple life.
My goodness: we share a thankfulness this week. My car inspection isn’t due until October, but I had to have my catalytic converter replaced — done the same day as my AC! — and I’m more than thankful that I’ll be able to pay it off relatively soon.
As for the sweet corn: yummers! For me, sweet corn and tomatoes are the very essence of summer, and they just haven’t been available this year. However, as a consolation prize, I found some Pecos cataloupe, which are the sweetest in the world, and rarely shipped out of state. They’ve been hard to find the past couple of years because of drought, but they’re back, and I have eight quart-sized bags filled with cantaloupe chunks in the freezer!
We recently had our catalytic converter replaced so I feel your pain. Our Fit’s AC also needs to be replaced, but since we live in Maine and are homebodies, we decided to forgo that expense. If we lived in Texas, we certainly would have made a different decision.
Oh, those cantaloupes sound so good! I can almost taste them…I am sure I would love them.
Oh
Such a good idea. We all need to savor the small things, which are really the finer things in life.
We certainly do.
That’s all wonderful! Your car looks GREAT! Wouldn’t know she was a day over 10! And corn! Corn is the reason I love this time of year!
The Fit is a good car and has maintained her looks as she aged. 😉
Wish I could visit to try the best lobster roll in New England and enjoy those chocolate covered strawberries!!! I love that commercial and it’s definitely a Rewatchable!!😁
If ever you come to Maine…
It truly is a great thing to remember what we are grateful for. How awesome that the car passed the inspection!
The corn looks so delicious. I’m going to try to grow corn next year.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
Many thanks! Yes, those Thankful Thursdays really make me realize how much we have to be thankful for.
So much indeed!
Dear Laurie
our car needs a service as well next month. We like it very much as it is comfy and roomy nevertheless we think about to change it for a e-car.
This corn looks so typically American for us.
Lobsters and strawberries with champaign is what you eat and drink here right now. That’s quite similar to New England, isn’t it?
All the best
The Fab Four of Cley
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
Similar, but generally we don’t have champagne. That’s a little fancy for most Mainers. 😉 Our daughter Dee has an e-car and loves it. When our Fit finally reaches the end, we hope to get an e-car.
Those strawberries look so yummy. I love corn. Corn on the cob is my favorite and yours looks delicious. What a cute commercial I have not seen it. That is the kind of car I need lol.
Yes, I think many of us could use smaht pahk. 😉
Farmer Kev’s box (and Barbara’s Wonky Box) are a source of such curiousity & delight for me! That corn looks spectaular! and that quesidilla …. yum yum yum!
Congratulations on your Honda Fit passing inspection. It’s so funny but we drive a Yellow one of those (exception in our part of the world, they are called Honda Jazz).
Fun to get vegetables in a box! I love the name “Honda Jazz.” I have always thought our little red Honda looks very jazzy.
That’s a wonderful list of things to be thankful for, Laurie. I can relate to older car troubles! Hooray for your locally-grown produce, too. We used to belong to a CSA here in Colorado and split our share with another household. This year, my spouse frequents local farmers markets. Wishing you and yours a good weekend!
Many thanks! Love those farmers markets.