On Saturday, we headed south to Freeport, Maine—to Maine Beer Company—where we met our daughter Shannon and her husband Mike to celebrate our eldest daughter Dee’s birthday. This has become one of our favorite places. High-quality beer for the beer lovers—Clif and Mike—and really good pizza for the rest of us—Dee, Shannon, and me. (Rest assured, Clif and Mike like pizza too.)

But the best thing about Maine Beer Company isn’t just that they serve excellent beer and pizza, but also that they do good.

Here is what greets customers when they drive into the parking lot. And note the other solar panels on the building in the background.

Then there is this:

Maine Beer Company pays its staff a decent wage, and instead of leaving a tip, customers are encouraged to leave a charitable donation. Which we always do.

Now, I want to make it clear that not every business we go to operates like this. Most are just average businesses that operate the usual way. But how nice to find a place like Maine Beer Company, which is a cut above the average in every way.

We also like the casual, friendly vibe.

And Finny, the skeleton of a finback whale who died of natural causes. (Click here to read Finny’s sad story.) Although Finny died far too young, her elegant skeleton reminds us of the beauty of these sea creatures and, I hope, encourages us to respect lives beyond our own.

Finally, of course, there’s the food.

The crowning glory of the outing was this tree in downtown Freeport, where we went for tea and pastries after we had our pizza.

All in all, a beautiful October day in every way. Happy birthday, eldest daughter!

Other Matters

My Book

My upcoming novel, Darcy Dansereau and the Missing Children, is at the printers for a proof copy, which I should get in a week or so. Then the hard work really begins as I go over it to check for typos. I must admit, this is my least favorite part of the process, but it’s necessary, and I take it seriously. Once the proof copy arrives, I’ll be taking another short break. But I’ll also be announcing a contest. So stay tuned.

The Election and What I do to Calm Down

All around the country, November 3 is Election Day. It is not a year for electing a president—alas, we still have two more years of Trump—but nonetheless it’s a consequential election. Senators, Representatives, and Governors will be chosen. It’s a chance to stem the far-right tide that has flooded this country.

I am on pins and needles about this election. I obsessively listen to political podcasts and watch news shows. I hear the same thing over and over: it’s looking good for the Democrats. But I’ve heard this before, only for the country to get skunked by the far-right. And will Trump kick up a fuss if the election doesn’t go his way? Last time, we got January 6, an abomination that still gives me pain to think about.

To calm my nerves, I watch Escape to the Country on YouTube. Yes, it’s formulaic, but I find it oh so soothing. Plus, I love the beautiful countryside featured in England, Wales, Ireland, and Scotland. Another plus is that most of the time, the prospective homeowners don’t buy any of the houses they’re shown. So it feels like a real accomplishment when someone actually buys a house.

Here is a relatively recent episode. Not sure if a house is sold, but I’ll be watching tonight to find out.

Onward, ho!

For six years, I dodged the COVID bullet, but I knew that one day it would catch up with me, and so it has. On Monday, I started having symptoms; on Tuesday, I was in full swing with a stuffy nose, a sore throat, a dry cough, and a woozy head. Clif bought a COVID test, and sure enough, it confirmed my suspicions. Yesterday I felt a little better, and today I feel better still. So I’m cautiously optimistic that I have a mild case.

Still, I need some time off to rest and recover.

What kind of darned virus goes around in the summer? COVID does, I guess.

I’m hoping Dee and Clif don’t get it, but this virus is so contagious that I suspect they will.

Anyway, I’ll be back when I feel better.

But to leave on a high note, here are some pictures of my August Garden in the front yard.

See you in a week or so!

As most readers probably know, in November in the United States there will be important elections around the country. Will the Republicans, led by Trump, hold the House and Senate, or will the Democrats take control? (Because the United States has a two-party system, it always comes down to one party or the other in control, even though there is a sprinkling of independent candidates in Congress.)

I come from a long line of working-class Democrats and registered as a Democrat as soon as I could vote. Do I get disgusted with the party, especially on the national level? You bet. But here I am. With the Republicans, stretching from Regan and leading to Trump, there hasn’t been much of a choice in my voting life. At least as I see it. I guess the best way to describe me is that I am an old-fashioned FDR (Franklin Delano Roosevelt) Democrat who believes that government can and should be a force of good to help people lead decent lives.

In preparation for the upcoming election, on a hot, humid Saturday, Dee, Clif, and I went to a meet and greet for two Democratic candidates.

We met Tavis Hasenfus, candidate for Maine State Representative,

and Matt Dunlap, candidate for Maine’s 2nd Congressional District in the U.S. House.

The meet and greet was held in a beautiful old white farmhouse just down the road from us. By the house, there is a broad sweep of lawn leading to trees and then to the Upper Narrows Pond, which is big enough to be considered a lake. Truly, this spot is one of the loveliest places in town.

I’m always interested in learning what people read, and the first question I asked both candidates was “what are you reading?”

Matt replied, “The Great War in Modern Memory by Paul Fussell, The Country of the Pointed Firs by Sarah Orne Jewett, and Stolen Pride by  Arli Hoschschild.

From Tavis: The Federalist Papers and Invisible Rivals: How We Evolved to Compete in a Cooperative World by Jonathan R. Goodman. Then, somewhat puckishly, he added that Go, Dog. Go! by P. D. Eastman was his favorite children’s book.

Go, Dog. Go!? That was a favorite of our youngest daughter, Shannon. After all, who could forget these punchy lines between two dogs, one with a hat and one without?

“Do you like my hat?”

“I do not .”

“Good-by!”

“Good-by!”

But I digress. Outside on the patio, everyone chatted casually for a while, and Tavis told us that if he won, this was going to be his last term as a state representative, and he was thinking of running for state senator. Then we went inside for a more organized Q&A. Unfortunately, Tavis had to leave early, and Matt Dunlap had the floor to himself.

Dunlap noted that these are uncertain times, and we can do better than we are doing now. Repeatedly, he spoke of the notion that government should help people, with services such as health care and childcare. Music to my ears, of course. When I asked him if he would be in favor of a public option for childcare, he said he would.

Good. What a huge benefit this would be to single mothers and to families on a tight budget. Somehow, most of the industrialized world has managed to offer subsidized childcare to its citizens.

Dunlap went on to talk about open borders. He emphasized that without borders, there are no nations, but we need laws that make sense. Right now, ours are too complicated. And law enforcement needs to be held accountable. (No small thing, as recently in Maine, an agent murdered a twenty-five-year-old man, who turned out not to be the target of the investigation.)

Dunlap insisted that taking care of people should be our priority rather than worrying about labels such as socialist, communist, or radical. He praised young people for being more engaged than they ever have been. And he maintained that a lot of people are homeless because they simply can’t afford homes.

He spoke easily and well about many other issues and about his own career, but I think I have summed up the essence of his values. Of course, if Dunlap wins, he will be one of many in the House, and as a new representative, he will not be setting the agenda. However, it’s nice to know that Dunlap’s inclinations will at least be heading in the right direction, one that will benefit everyday people rather than those at the top, the way it is now.

And come November, I will without hesitation be casting my vote for both Tavis Hasenfus and Matt Dunlap.

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Listening

NPR Tiny Desk Concert: Shaboozey

To balance a rather heavy post, here is some music that will make you tap your feet. I love Shaboozey’s easy charm and rich voice. Lately, I have been listening to this Tiny Desk Concert as I begin my writing work. What a great way to start the day.

Even though Clif and I are retired, we follow a work-week schedule because our eldest daughter Dee, who lives with us, has a traditional forty-hour a-week job. We arrange our schedule to match hers so that we can eat together and go to the movies on Saturday and Sunday. Therefore, after a  free and easy weekend, Monday always comes with a bit of a thud

This Monday’s thud hit us a little harder. We woke up to find that our hot water heater had stopped working. No hot water for showers or for doing dishes. No hot water period.

It could be worse, and indeed it has been. We still have cold water, and we can flush our toilets.  (Trust me, this is no small thing.) However, not having  water has thrown a bit of crimp into our usual routine.

Therefore, this week’s post is shorter than usual as my husband and I tend to this and that. But hot water or not, the gardens are thriving, and a couple of pictures of green and growing plants seems like a good place to end.

Somehow, I posted this week’s piece when I was only halfway done. Here is the rest of what I intended to post.

On Saturday, I went to a lovely poetry reading at my library. Jeri Theriault was the poet, and as she read, her husband, Philip Carlsen, accompanied her on the cello. This was a striking combination, with the words and music enhancing each other. I especially liked the way Jeri wove art and the classics into her everyday experiences, giving the poetry depth and a larger meaning.

Sunday was Mother’s Day. Did we celebrate? Of course we did. We met our daughter Shannon and her husband Mike in York, a halfway point for both of us.

First, we had Chinese food.

Then we went to Stonewall Kitchen.

I particularly liked this fine fellow.

After shopping in the store, with its many temptations, we had tea and dessert, which included my favorite, a whoopie pie.

After that, it was on to the movies, to see the fun and charming The Sheep Detectives. Quite a change from the past couple of movies we’ve seen, which have been more on the horror side. What can I say? We have eclectic tastes.

We went to a cinema in New Hampshire, and to get there we had to cross The Bridge. Every Mainer who heads south to New Hampshire and beyond knows this bridge. It is a solid demarcation that gives Maine the feeling of an island. A true Mainer crosses that bridge with a hint of sadness and then returns with a feeling of joy, a feeling of coming home.

Here, we approach the bridge.

Getting closer

and closer.

And then we were in New Hampshire.

But we were back home again in the same day, as my mother might have said.

A perfect trip for this homebody who thinks home is best and loves sleeping in her very own bed.

There is so much going on right now—at least for this homebody (I can’t hold a candle to many of my lovely blogging friends)—that I’m going to touch on several things rather than just focus on one or two the way I usual do.

First, the incredible growing ferns that grow so fast I swear I can see them shoot up in real time.

Here they were two weeks ago:

Here they are now:

What will they look like next week? Never a dull moment at the home by the edge of the woods.

Last week, most of my free time was spent gardening. Because we live by the edge of the woods, leaves blow into my beds in the fall, and it takes a fair amount of time to remove those leaves. (All in all, those leaves are a good thing as they help protect the perennials from the cold that Maine winters bring.)

I am happy to report that I am down to the last leafy bed.

With any luck, the last of the leaves will be gone by the end of the week.