Fair Warning: This post will not feature a gentle, upbeat piece about nature and life at our house by the edge of the woods. Instead, it is a lament about the choice too many voters made on Tuesday. If this isn’t your thing or doesn’t match your politics, feel free to skip it.
On Tuesday, the votes were cast, and I am still reeling over the results. I was convinced Harris would win. Silly me in my blue bubble with like-minded friends.
However, a week ago, I did see an ominous sign that should have warned me of what was to come on Tuesday. When Clif and I went to Lowe’s to pick up a few things for the house, we parked behind a huge pick-up truck with the most vulgar, obscene array of anti-Harris/Biden bumper stickers that I have ever had the misfortune to see. I just sat there and gaped, reflecting on how I would never, never have similar bumper stickers about Trump on my car. Never.
Hostility and anger radiated from that truck, and I thought about how I wouldn’t want to meet the driver, a man, in a dark alley. In fact, I would probably cross the street to avoid him.
I am betting, that Trump, a fulcrum of crude resentments, was the candidate of choice for that driver. Naturally, I did not ask him.
Does Trump mean this? Who knows? I guess we will find out.
I am heartbroken that so many voters—almost 73 million across the country—went for this man who is such a threat to the United States. Will he drag this country down? Is this it for democracy?
Again, we will find out.
I am taking a couple of weeks off from blogging. I need time to recover and regroup. And to figure out how to resist in my own creaky-kneed way.
I’ll end with grandfather of grunge, the great Neil Young. Let’s keep Rockin’ in the Free World.
Last Tuesday we went to Cushnoc in Augusta to celebrate our daughter Dee’s birthday. It is one of her favorite places, and I must admit that they have mighty fine pizza.
We started out with drinks, a coconut tequila concoction with a Halloween surprise.
Did I eat those gummy worms? Yes, I did. I might be old in body, but I am young in spirit, and I still have a fondness for chewy candy.
We ordered pizza
and nachos. Both were delicious.
As we ate, we enjoyed the fall decorations, the reflections inside and out.
We had a jolly good time, all the more fun for going out in the middle of the week, which we seldom do. Happy birthday, Dee!
On Saturday, Clif and I went to a craft fair with our books, and a woman stopped by our table. We chatted for a bit, and I mentioned I grew up in Vassalboro, which is where my Great Library Series begins.
“Vassalboro?” she asked, giving me a keen look.
“Yes,” I replied. “My name was Laurie Meunier then.”
“Laurie!” she exclaimed. “I’m Cristina Lewis.”
“Oh, my God! Cristina!”
In seventh and eighth grade, we were really good friends.
“Sleep-over friends,” Cris said.
Yes, sleep-over friends.
But after we graduated from eighth grade, we went to different high schools, and we grew apart. I haven’t seen her since we started high school, all those long years ago.
She gave me a hug, I gave her a book, and we are now Facebook friends.
What an absolute delight to reconnect with Cris. It was the highlight of my weekend, and I hope to get together with her sometime soon.
In the United States, tomorrow is Election Day. My blog is not a political blog, and mostly I stay away from political topics, which I know can be very polarizing.
However, this election is so consequential that I felt I must write about it at least a little. The historian Michael Beschloss has called it the most consequential election since 1860 and 1940, and at The New Yorker Festival he said, “I think Donald Trump meets most of the parts of the definition of the word ‘fascist,’ ”
Longtime readers will know that I am left, left of center, a liberal or a progressive or whatever you want to call it. In the past, my candidate of choice was the inimitable Bernie Sanders with Elizabeth Warren being a close second. I believe that the role of government is to help folks deal with the complexities and the astounding costs of modern life. I am a firm supporter of a strong social safety net, and I admire the Nordic countries that provide this.
Tomorrow, without hesitation, I will be voting for Kamala Harris and hoping that we will at last elect a woman to be president of our country—someone who cares about all the people, not just those at the top; someone who respects the rule of law and who will concede graciously if the vote goes for Donald Trump; someone who will continue the progress made by Joe Bidden; someone who does not admire authoritarian rulers in other countries; someone who believes in a woman’s right to make choices about her own body.
Then there is Donald Trump, a convicted felon and a Putin admirer, a would-be tyrant who uses alarming words to describe what should happen to his opponents. Someone who bragged about grabbing women and how he could get away with it. Someone who incited his supporters to violence on January 6 and did nothing to stop it. I hope this election is the last we hear from Donald Trump, that he slinks back to Mar-a-Lago and leaves this country to heck alone.
In 2008 and 2012, even though I voted for Barack Obama, I respected both his opponents—John McCain and Mitt Romney, conservatives who nevertheless would have worked with Democrats to pass legislation for the good of the country. I remember how honorable both men were when they were defeated. How different Trump is from either of them.
To conclude on an upbeat note: one of the things that I especially like about Kamala Harris is her laugh. It makes me smile every time I hear it, and on Saturday Night Live, her laugh was the focus of the opening skit. Watch it and smile.
Fingers, toes, and everything else crossed that this lady with the wonderful laugh becomes the next president of the United States.
Note: It’s that busy time of year when Clif and I go around to various holiday fairs to sell our books. Therefore, until the new year, I will neither be reading blogs on the weekend nor commenting on those posts. It seems to me that those who post on the weekend also post during the week, which means I will be mostly keeping up with the comings and goings of blogging friends. Also, I am cutting back my own posting to once a week, on Mondays. After the new year, I am planning to resume Thankful Thursday posts.
Oh, Those Leaves
Right now the leaves are falling everywhere at our home by the edge of the woods.
On our front steps,
on the chairs on the patio,
and on the table, too.
A couple of afternoons each week are devoted to leaf cleaning.
Clif takes out our trusty battery-powered lawn mower that crunches and sucks up the leaves.
Here’s the yard before lawn-mower Clif has done his thing.
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 often 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.
Late October
In Maine, peak foliage is over, and the glorious burst of orange and red has passed. But the landscape still has a glow, albeit a more modest one of russets and yellows.
When I work outside, I am smitten by this glow and am ever so thankful for October, from beginning to end.
This beauty is in the woods on the edge of our backyard
The icing on the October cake is that Dee’s birthday is at the end of the month, and to celebrate there just might be pizza involved at her favorite place in Augusta.
Tea
At our home by the edge of the woods, we are big tea drinkers, and our array on the back of the stove certainly illustrates this.
Now, after looking at this picture, you might think we are an affiliate of Harney & Sons, but I assure you we are not. We are, however, huge fans. We fell in love with this tea when our daughter Dee went to Bard College in upstate New York, and we visited a nearby Harney & Sons tea room. Over the years, that love has held steady.
The tea is a little pricey, but as we eat most every meal at home, we justify the expense by thinking about the money we save by not eating out. A meal for two at a restaurant could buy a lot of tea from Harney & Sons.
Watching
Television Series: Penelope Created by Mark Duplass and Mel Eslyn Available on Netflix
Maybe it’s because I live on the edge of the woods and witness its green mysteries every day, but I am a sucker for stories where people go into the forest not only to find themselves but also to find out if they can survive.
Therefore, when I read about the premise for Penelope—a young girl takes to the woods because there is something empty inside her that she longs to fill—I was all in. And Penelope did not disappoint.
Grounded by the luminous Megan Stott, Penelope follows the eponymous heroine as she leaves civilization behind and disappears into the Cascade National Park in Washington state. In the woods, Penelope must learn to fend for herself. This includes learning how to fish, build a shelter, and collect edibles from the forest.
Strictly speaking, this is not a realistic account of how a suburban teenager would survive in the deep woods. With few wilderness skills, Penelope learns mighty fast how to get by. Instead, this series has the feel of a fable, an odyssey that focuses not on the hero, Odysseus, but rather on, well, Penelope, who in this case is not married and is not required to be faithful to a wandering hero.
The cinematography in Penelope is so stunning that the forest becomes a character in its own right, providing beauty, sustenance, and, yes, terror. In this sense, I felt that the series creators caught something essential about nature and wilderness.
I was gripped by Penelope’s journey and when the series reached its startling conclusion, I wanted more. Fingers crossed that there is a Season 2.
Note: For the next few weeks I’ll be taking a break from featuring other posts that highlight simple pleasures. When fall chores are done, I’ll return to listing them.
Last Saturday, we headed to Boston to spend the night with our daughter Shannon and her husband Mike. It was a celebration of fall birthdays—mine and Clif’s in September and Dee’s in October.
We headed to Brunswick to take the Amtrak Downeaster to North Station in Boston. (None of us are city drivers.)
All aboard!
On the way, Clif enjoyed an apt beverage for our Boston trip.
In Haverhill, halfway to Boston, I spotted this sign—Brunswick, Maine, on one end and Boston, Massachusetts, on the other.
We only had to wait a short while for our Uber ride to take us to Shannon and Mike’s apartment. What a sky!
Once at the apartment, the feast began. First, appetizers.
And drinks, which for me included a martini made by Mike. So cold and snappy. I might have had two.
For dinner, Shannon made an utterly delicious chickpea curry. I could have some right now.
Then, of course, cake.
The next day, after a lovely brunch that Shannon prepared, we sadly headed home.
With the upcoming election, times are stressful for a lot of people, including me. Here’s a peppy little song to start off the week and lift the spirits. This video, with its wonderful diversity, sure makes me smile.
And if you like Pharrell Williams’s music and enjoy quirky films, put his Piece by Piece on your to-be-watched list. After all, it’s not every biopic that is told using Legos. In this case, it was absolutely the right thing to do.
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 often 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.
Begonias
Confession time: When I first started gardening, begonias were not my favorite annuals. Instead, I was drawn to flashier flowers such as cornflowers, cosmos, and dianthus. Ignoring my shady yard, I planted these bright beauties, and I got a very poor showing. After a few years of throwing my money away, I finally turned to begonias, an unassuming yet lovely flower. And I haven’t looked back.
In my back garden, I plant a begonia border the end of May, and those sturdy little flowers bloom nonstop until the first frost gets them. Time was, that would be late September in. Now it is mid-October, and we have yet to have a killing frost. Times certainly have changed.
Begonias don’t get leggy, and they hardly need any dead heading. Who could ask for anything more?
Begonias, I salute you, and I’m sorry I ever snubbed you.
Cards from Blogging Friends
Every once in a while, I get a card from a blogging friend, and this always makes me smile.
Last week I got one from Carol Ann from Fashioned for Joy. How I smiled when I saw that sweet panda. Thanks so much, Carol Ann!
The card on the right is one I received from from my blogging friend Alys from Gardening Nirvana. Alys is a crafter extraordinaire, and knowing that chickadees are Maine’s state bird, she made that card for me. Many thanks, Alys.
Both cards will go on the metal bulletin board I have by my desk, where I can look at them whenever I want. And smile as I reflect on how grateful I am to have blogging friends.
Plant-Based Chocolate in Target
Clif, Dee, and I are all vegetarians, and the majority of our diet is plant based. We try to live as lightly as possible and to do as little harm as possible. As I mentioned in a previous post, we are far from perfect. We occasionally eat dairy—not too often as Clif and I are lactose intolerant—and sometimes eat eggs. I know I should be shopping at thrift stores rather than ordering online, but with creaky knees, I all too often give in to the temptation of online shopping.
Another confession: I absolutely love chocolate, but I am not a fan of dark chocolate. The texture always seems chalky to me, and I am not one who enjoys bitter food. (Brassicas, I’m looking at you.) For someone who wants to adhere to a plant-based diet, milk chocolate is problematic.
But glory be, things change and sometimes for the better. Hershey now makes plant-based chocolate that is available at Target. I have had other plant-based chocolate, but never Hershey and never from Target.
So yesterday, Clif and I made our way to Target to pick up some of that chocolate—almond mini-bars and peanut butter cups—along with a few other things. While the store had plenty of the almond mini-bars, they were out of the peanut butter cups. Although I was disappointed, I was also happy that the plant-based peanut butter cups were sold out. People are buying them! In Augusta, Maine, no less. There are some hip places in Maine, but Augusta is not one of them.
And how are the almond mini-bars? Readers, I am happy to report they are delicious. They are, however, a little pricey, but that might not be such a bad thing as it will encourage me to use some, ahem, restraint.
In Maine in mid-October there is a certain chill in the air, letting us know that we are edging into a time of colder weather and long nights. In mid-October, we can no longer be sure that it will be warm enough to eat outside even when the sun is shining. In mid-October, we start bringing in some of the patio furniture. (The big table stays outside under cover.) In mid-October, the leaves are falling, falling, falling. Hence, the use of fall as another word for autumn.
For those who live in a warmer climate, October in northern New England might sound like a time for alarm—this is just the beginning of the cold and the dark? But we Mainers mostly take it in stride. We have known snow and cold weather from the time we were born, and to us it seems like the natural order of things.
However, I do want to add that when cold weather comes, a fair number of folks hightail it to warmer states. Snowbirds, they are called, and I will never be one of them. To me, winter means snow.
But before the snow comes October.
Here are some photos of what it looks like in our yard at the edge of the woods.
This weekend, Clif and Dee took down the screen house and tucked it down cellar until next spring. The round table and umbrella were also stored down cellar. After which, Clif moved our fire pit onto the patio, which stops the backyard from looking so lonely. But still. I miss the screen house.
In the woods, there is a flash of red, a blaze of glory, red against green.
In our new driveway, leaves aren’t the only things that fall.
And sometimes the leaves fall in a very fetching way.
All those falling leaves mean that the great leaf clean-up will soon begin. In the meantime, we will enjoy nature’s art.
First, a disclaimer. Even though I come from the land of Stephen King (his Maine home is about an hour and half from where I live), I am not a fan of horror. The answer for this is simple: I get too scared. I have what might be called an overactive imagination, and horror taps right into it.
However, from the jump, I was hooked on From, which is billed as a horror/mystery show. Yes, there are strong elements of horror in From as well as some gore. However, the emphasis is on the characters and how they react to the terrible situation they are in.
And what is that situation? There is a town in the middle of the woods somewhere—it could even be Maine—that traps folks. While the exact method is a mystery, it involves a back road with a fallen tree and circling crows. That fallen tree spells trouble. When the series opens, a vacationing family encounters this tree and quite naturally tries to find another route. After Dad (Elon Bailey) turns the vehicle around, the family arrives in a shabby town with a smattering of inhabitants. Dad drives through the town but somehow finds himself circling around to that very same town. Again and again. The family is trapped.
As if that weren’t bad enough, the family is stuck in a town where monsters emerge at night and devour people if they are out and about. Steps have been taken to protect the houses, but I can tell you right now that accidents, bloody ones, still happen. Regularly.
Presiding over the town is Sheriff Boyd Stevens (played by the excellent Harold Perrineau). His job is to protect the town, to provide hope, and to figure out how they all might escape. Let’s just say that uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.
There is a wonderful cast of supporting characters, all flawed but all very human in their frailties. Bit by bit, the episodes provide clues as to what this mysterious place is and how folks might escape.
In season 3, the cherry on the sundae is a reference to Camden, Maine. Clif, Dee, and I have found that in most of the horror or supernatural series we watch, there is some reference to Maine. It always takes us by surprise although by now we should be used to it.
No doubt in honor of Stephen King, that master of horror.
Even if you think you don’t like horror, From is a show to watch.
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 often 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.
Bouquet Garni
A few years ago, it occurred to me that when I used herbs in a soup or stew, I did not have to go through the bother of chopping them. (For some reason I hate chopping herbs.) Instead, in a nod to my French heritage, I could bundle them together with thread and make a bouquet garni. I have learned that the bouquet needs to be big for enough flavors to seep from the herbs into the stew. This year my herbs have grown incredibly well, which means a big bouquet is not a problem.
After tying the stems with thread, I put the herbs into a slow cooker filled with tomatoes, onions, garlic, salt, a bit of cayenne pepper, broth, white beans, and green beans. Later, mushrooms would be added. With a big slotted spoon, I pushed the herbs into the mix. As the slow cooker heats, the herbs sink and infuse their lovely essence into the soup. When we are ready to eat, the bouquet garni is removed with the slotted spoon.
Such a lovely warm dish for a fall night.
Meeting Friends at Absolem Cider Company
Long time readers have heard me enthuse about Absolem Cider Company, which is about five miles from where we live. Absolem comprises a beautifully restored barn converted to a tasting room, a large deck, a few acres of lawn where chickens roam, and beyond that, woods. Along with their homemade cider, they serve beer, cocktails, and soft drinks. Parked along the walkway, there is often a food truck. There are also snacks for sale in the tasting room, but customers are welcome to bring their own food.
This is exactly what we did when we met our friends Dawna and Jim last Sunday afternoon at Absolem. Although the afternoon was chilly, it was warm enough for us hardy Mainers to sit on the deck. Dawna and I are both Franco-Americans, and we were raised to believe that while it might not be a mortal sin to have a skimpy amount of food at a get-together, it is certainly a venial sin.
Behold our spread.
Was there dessert? Of course there was. Dawn brought pumpkin whoopie pies with a maple cream filling. As we Mainers would say, they were wicked good.
While we ate, we enjoyed the lovely view from the deck.
And a beautiful young rooster came to visit.
A finest kind of evening.
Music: Underdog by Alicia Keys
I am a huge fan of Alicia Keys and her music, which spans R & B, soul, pop, and hip-hop and gives rise to a unique sound that is both stirring and heartfelt.
As a Franco-American in Maine, I grew up as part of an underclass. Because of this, “Underdog” really speaks to me as it celebrates those who are either overlooked or scorned.
Thankful Posts and Simple Pleasures from Other Blogging Friends
Xenia from Tranature writes about a walk to lovely seaside village. What makes this unusual is that the village is only accessible when the tide is out.
Rupali from Mazeepuran shares a picture of magnificent scenery. Really, being there in person would make you want to burst into song.
Maria of Green Dreams celebrates her allotment. Her kale(?) is nothing short of magnificent. And, oh, that bike! Makes me think there might be hope for the world.
Last Friday, Clif and I drove to Brunswick to have lunch at Wild Oats Bakery & Café with two special people—my blogging friend Carol Ann of Fashioned For Joyand her husband Kevin.
Carol Ann and Kevin live outside Washington, DC, and they had come to Maine for a wedding. A while back, Carol Ann had let me know they would be in Maine in October and asked if we would like to get together.
My answer? Yes, indeed! I love meeting blogging friends, who prove to be just as delightful in person as they are on their blogs. This time was no different, and the four of us immediately fell into an easy conversation as though we had known each other for a long time.
We talked about family—we each have two children—and our jobs. Carol Ann has read my Great Library Seriesand had kind words to say about Maya, the main character, and the rest of the gang. Thanks so much, Carol Ann.
Carol Ann and Kevin have a Tesla named Natalia, which they drove to Acadia National Park, where they spent a few days before the wedding. Carol Ann noted that at the motel where they stayed, there were two Tesla chargers as well as two chargers for non-Tesla EVs. As Clif has observed, we are reaching a tipping point with EV charging points being pretty much everywhere. With the recent ferocious weather, it’s about darned time. (For those interested in the discouraging history of Evs, Who Killed the Electric Car is an excellent doc.)
Recently, Kevin drove Natalia to Iowa for a class reunion. He made it there and back again without any troubles. Clif and I have been EV enthusiasts for a long time, and it warmed our hearts to hear this. We are very much hoping to get an EV when our Honda Fit is past repairing.
We also spoke about home, for us a rural town in Maine and for them a neighborhood outside DC. Both have advantages—our town is in a region where there are many lovely lakes and ponds. It’s a quiet, down-to-earth community, and there is no keeping up with the Joneses. Their community, just outside DC, has many cultural opportunities, including some of the best art museums on the East Coast. Two hours in the other direction, there are sandy beaches with roaming ponies. (I sure would love to see those ponies.)
For me, the conversation took an especially pleasant turn when Carol Ann quoted from the excellent 1995 BBC television seriesPride and Prejudice. I have watched this series many times, and it is one of my favorites. (I’ve also read the book several times.)
When we got home and I mentioned Carol Ann’s and my mutual love of Pride and Prejudice, Clif replied, “You two are birds of a feather.
We certainly are. And here’s a picture of the two of us, both smiling with our eyes closed. And note the similar color of our hair—Carol Ann, on the right, is Italian American, and I, on the left, am Franco-American.
At Wild Oats, we chatted for about three hours, and when we parted, I said “Au revoir” rather than goodbye.
Until we meet again.
From left to right: Kevin, Clif, Carol Ann, and Laurie
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This post is dedicated to our blogging friend Platypus Man of Now I’m 64. He follows both our blogs and wished he could have joined us. Alas, an ocean separates us. You were there in spirit Mr. P, and if ever you and Mrs. P come to the East Coast, Carol Ann and I would be so thrilled to meet you.
A blog about nature, home, books, movies, television, food, and rural life.
Notes From the Hinterland 