July 18, 2009
In 6 and a half weeks it will be September. There's a reason for me mentioning this (I start my blog with the weather anyways), this has been an exceptionally rotten season! Since April to the present, we have had more than our share of rain. Summer is either delayed or, it just ain't gonna make it this year. However, I did get to enjoy some time with my family in June, and that is my silver lining around these dark clouds. Melony, Hailey and Caleb were here for two weeks (June 5-21) and Mom (Nana) flew up from Florida June 15 and stayed for three weeks. Melony and Josh took a lot of pictures and they are all posted on Facebook. Mel decided she's going to build me a patio, after I had the old well seat torn down. Mel asked her friend Lance to teach her the how-to's before she came here. She did an excellent job. Mom and I found a little "bistro" patio set and assembled it ourselves. That wasn't easy. It looks very nice on the patio, but I haven't been able to sit outside with my morning cup(s) of coffee yet!

This is the first time Mel and kids have here in June. They got to watch the fire-flies almost every night. Hailey and Caleb even caught some! My little grandchildren are so sweet, and they also had a lot of fun with their Uncle Josh! We had one sunny day, our first weekend, so we went to go play miniature golf at The Pirates Cove,MDI. And afterwards, we stopped to get sandwiches for our picnic at Sand Beach, ANP. It was a little cold and breezy down there, so I was truly amazed that Hailey wanted (she was determined!) to play in the ocean water! It took her about a half hour of running to and from the waves, till her lips turned blue, when she wrapped herself in a towel and called it quits! Caleb got his feet wet, and that was enough for him! When we walked back to the car and headed home, it didn't take long before they were sound asleep. God they're cute :)

Josh, Mel, kids, and Nana spent a lot of quality time together while I was at work. I always got a warm fuzzy feeling every night when I'd come home from work. The house would be all lit up. Nana and Mel would be playing cribbage, and sometimes (OK, most of the time) Hailey and Caleb would be crashed out on the couch with the TV on. I loved it! :)

Hailey was my early riser. I'm usually on the computer when I hear her coming down the stairs. It was our alone time, very special, and that girl can talk! Once Caleb gets up, I make them breakfast. Everybody's favorite was waffles with blueberries and syrup. Unfortunately, blueberry season hadn't started, so we had frozen blueberries. I would warm the berries up with the syrup and then pour that over the toasted waffles. Yumm! The little moments we shared each and every morning, was so much fun! Nana had had a wonderful time with the kids too. They didn't wear her out as much this year. I'm sure it's because it's been two years since she saw them last. That was in August of 2007. Matt and Aron were here then too. And we had a fantastic family reunion. Matt couldn't make it out this summer. And Aron is in Quatamala this year. I hope we can all get together for another reunion, soon!

2/4/09

Today is my little "Hailey Boo's" birthday!! Hailey is now 5. How is that possible?! Caleb turned 3 in December. I try to visit Melony, Matt and grandchildren every spring. But this year, Feb. 19, we are having a big family get together on a Carribean cruise, and Hailey and Caleb will stay in AZ. It's Ruth's (mom) 80th birthday, and we are going to celebrate in style! Josh and Aron cannot attend, unfortunately. Josh gave me his Pentax, so I will take lots and lots of pictures!

Not a whole lot has happened since my last blog. Winter time, for me anyway, is not an active season. Taking Skye out for a walk is the extent of my outdoor excursions, and a risky one at that! Skye is a Husky mix. She's 8, but strong as an ox when she starts pulling. I recently bought coil treads for my boots to get better traction. Hope it works!

Last week my computer quit on me. The repair man said it will take two weeks before he can even look at it. I am renting a 'tower' for $30 a week. It's slow. :-( I will have to get a new tower if the damage is too expensive to fix. Now, this is what really disappoints me. It's so (too) easy throwing away and buying new. I had to do that with a projection TV a while back and I honestly felt so guilty when I handed it over to the city recycle dept. But, I could not afford to put another $300 into it.

Now my car is screwed up. Does anyone know the effect Ethanol mixed with gasoline does to cars? My Toyota Matrix originally got 32 mpgs. I have complained to Toyota for over 2 yrs. that my gas mileage is getting lower and lower and now I'm getting 10 mpgs. What's the problem? Toyota says, each time they have looked, the tests find "Nothing Wrong". Well, I called the service manager last week, and he said that it's not so uncommon, and besides, drop in gas mileage is not covered in the warranty. Hmmm. 2009 hasn't started off too well for me. I'll blog again, when I (hopefully) get my little "Maxi Matrix" fixed.

OK, this is it for now. Take care everybody! :-)

Cold in Brewer, ME

It's 30 degrees below zero, at 6:30 am! Broke the record of -28 in 1971! I haven't seen the local news yet, but Aroostook County (way north) is supposed to reach @ 40 below. Luckily for us, cold snaps don't last long. Hope I don't have to eat my hat for saying that!

snowstorm!

Red sky at night, sailors' delight. Red sky at morn', sailors' be warned....the storm started early. I don't know how, but the little finches and chickadees were not fazed by the strong wind and blinding snow. The sky cleared late afternoon. Just in time to see a gloriously red sunset. It's like Heaven on Earth! I love sunsets.

The first time I visited my sisters in San Raphael, CA, they took me up "Mt. Tam" just before sunset. There were a lot of people on the slope overlooking the Pacific. We had a bottle of wine, enjoying the serenity of the moment. And after the sun had set, everyone applauded. This is a ritual every night, I was told. I hope it still is to this day.

1-9-09

Yesterday there was a female cardinal at the feeder. In the ten years, I've seen cardinals twice in my yard. The male's bright red color is so vibrant against the snowy background.

It is 7am and +2 degrees. My little propane fireplace is cranking out the heat. Thank goodness I have a little house. I made a unique investment this past fall by insulating the whole house. Zoning off and draining the hot water baseboard upstairs, now makes it perfectly cool enough to sleep. And no more drafts! What a relief!

Enjoy your day! :-)

Happy New Year

I stayed inside all day Thursday. It was minus 2 degrees at 6am. We had horrific winds all day long, which drove the 'wind chill' temps as low as 30 below!! I wouldn't even go out and get my paper. According to: www. noaa.gov, it was dangerous for man and beast. When I read the weather alert to" shelter domestic animals", I always feel sorry for the wild critters.

I have 3 bird feeders. And as I watch smaller birds fill their tummies, I wonder how a tiny body can stay warm enough in this cold. There were a hoard of birds at the feeders yesterday. I guess now's the time to hang out the suet.

Here's to a wonderful and healthy 2009!