Notes From the Hinterland
Sixty-nine on the Fifteenth - Tuesday, September 15, was my 69th birthday. Regular readers will know that our motto for birthdays and other special days is to celebrate early, celebrate often with simple pleasures. And that is exactly what we did for my birthday. On Saturday, we went to Buen Apetito, one of our favorite restaurants in Waterville. We always … Continue reading Sixty-nine on the Fifteenth
That Splendid Season plus August’s Book Log - The calendar has flipped to September, the month that brings fall, Maine’s splendid season. In our yard, the goldenrod is abloom by the edge of the woods. The air has a delicious, nutty smell as plants mature and form seeds. At night, the temperature drops to 50, and I put another blanket on my bed. … Continue reading That Splendid Season plus August’s Book Log
Back in the Swing. Plus, One Year with Bolty - Well, that was a long two weeks with COVID, and I had a mild upper respiratory case, which meant I had no trouble breathing and never felt as though I had to go to the hospital. But I was tired, achy, feverish, with no sense of smell or taste, and no appetite. As families do, … Continue reading Back in the Swing. Plus, One Year with Bolty
Taking a short Break Because of…COVID - 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 … Continue reading Taking a short Break Because of…COVID
A Meet and Greet - 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 … Continue reading A Meet and Greet
A Time of Crickets and Warm Nights - The calendar has flipped to August, high summer in Maine, and right on cue, the crickets have begun singing their sweet, sad song. There is no better place to listen than in our gazebo, which protects us from mosquitoes. During the day, we are surrounded by green, and it feels as though we are being … Continue reading A Time of Crickets and Warm Nights
Late July, 2026 - At the beginning of the month, we had a horrible heatwave, and I whined about how we don’t have summers in Maine the way we once did. Well, either the weather gods heard my lament and took pity on me, or they decided to pull one of their little tricks. The heatwave lasted for a … Continue reading Late July, 2026
The 29th Maine International Film Festival - The 29th Maine International Film Festival (MIFF) is over, and Dee, Clif, and I are very slowly making our way back to reality. We saw twenty-seven movies in nine days, and yes, dear blogging friends, that is a lot of movies to see in that amount of time. By the end, my creaky knees and … Continue reading The 29th Maine International Film Festival
Enter Yellow - It has been hotter than heck lately, by anyone’s standards, I think. With the heat index well over 100, plenty of heat advisories were posted on weather websites. In my heart of hearts, I know this is the new weather pattern for Maine in July, and I have to accept it. But how I long … Continue reading Enter Yellow
The Desolation of Clif - Before I describe the Desolation of Clif, I need to provide a bit of backstory for readers. Item one: crappy siding Our house was built in 1969, and in an extreme effort to pinch a nickel until the buffalo screamed, the builders put a kind of paper/cardboard siding on our home. (We, of course, did … Continue reading The Desolation of Clif
Notes From the Hinterland 