According to Murphy's Law, if you plan for something it doesn't happen.
The Ground Crew came in this week and did what that professionally refer to as "snow relocation procedure" or, in common-speak, moving the snow banks back from the streets to make room for more snow.
My neighbor says, according to Murphy's Law, this preparation will assure that we don't get any more of the white stuff this year. On the other hand, the weatherman man is standing as I write, on a street in Washington DC, only a few hundred miles south of Scarborough, Maine, with snow falling on his hatless head and the wind whistling through his ears. Yep, right through.
Only a couple of days ago he was saying nothing was coming our way for the foreseeable future.
So, the patio is nearly bare, the exposed lawn in the back yard is greening a bit, and the sun is warm at midday, but -------snow tonight and tomorrow? Maybe.
I have been to the shore a few times lately. It's interesting to see the changes along the beach. The washed up sea weed is black as death; there is a ton of litter churned up and delivered from who-knows-where. There are men with buckets and rakes gathering the hen clams that surface this time of year. The summer eateries are posting opening signs. Some of the Scarborough summer eateries are Ken's, Bayley's, and the Clam Bake. All have been in business for many years and are each knows for their special attractions. Bayley's also has a retail seafood market where you can be sure the lobster, shrimp, clams, mussels and fish are fresh and clean. Not to advertise for any of them, but you cannot beat seafood right out of the ocean.
All of the turkeys have survived the winter and it seems at least one Tom is among them. He was observed showing his authority this week, as well as his plumage. By my calculations there may be as many as 100 poults this spring.
Of course, the foxes and coyote may influence the count by mid-summer.
The deer herd seems to be stable at six, but that could mean a doubling this spring. Five of the herd are does.
I am suffering pre-spring blahs, I guess. I want to tell the politicians to just shut up and go to work; I want to hear more music and less noise; see more sun and fewer clouds. I want plants to begin to bloom and leaves to come out.
In desperation, I bought a gardenia plant which needs a lot of water and light.
I put it in my sun room and placed a bottle of water nearby so I wouldn't forget to tend it. It still is turning yellow, losing its leaves and the buds don't seem to be progressing. On the other hand, I have a four foot tropical green plant which is not supposed to blossom, and it recently surprised me by developing a tall spike which, while tightly closed all day, opens with a fuzzy flower at night and has a scent like night blooming stock.
Enough running on. Maine is on the verge of spring, daylight saving time, and perhaps an Easter Parade. Already I feel better.
jm
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Friday, February 22, 2013
When is enough enough?
What fun this winter has been - and we aren't done yet. Tonight the forecast is for another storm Saturday night into Sunday. The slight break in the weather has given the ground cover time to shrink and in some places disappear completely. The turkeys can walk on top of what's left because there is a hard crust. Even the resident coyote can make his rounds without sinking in. His coat is beautiful and his eyes are bright. But the turkey flock is still at 21 so he's not eating at their table.
the deer herd seems to have picked up a coup;le of strays, and the buck is now watching over five does. Recently they were at the entrance sign eating the shrubbery poking up through the snow. Some of our residents are not going to be happy about that, but if my memory is correct, they needed to be trimmed anyway.
Today was nearly 40 degrees in Portland. I went to Kettle Cove, an ocean side park, with a meatball sandwich and a bottle of ice tea. Nick and I shared our lunch and then we took a walk on the beach. The tide was at dead low, and may be a neap tide as it was rally low. There is a lot of seaweed on the beach, winter cold and the fact that it's dead has turned it black and crisp. There were several families of school age kids - winter vacation in most Maine schools. Two boys with long staffs were practicing some martial arts moves, and doing a lot of tumbling and leaping about, brandishing their weapons. When they were performing on the rocks I was a bit envious. There was a time in my memory when I leaped around on the seaside rocks, never thinking of taking a fall, or making a misstep and ending up in the water. Seeing them today made me think of how my Mom must have felt watching me. They weren't my kids, but their fearlessness gave me shivers.
Last summer my nephew and his four year old son were visiting. The youngster wanted to go on the rocks, so his dad went with him. I saw him crouch and heard him say "You see those black rocks they are the slippery ones. Stay on the gray ones that are dry so you won't fall." Of course, eventually the little one got onto wet rocks, and sure enough, he took a fall. I heard his father say unsympathetically , "Well, I told you the black ones are slippery, didn't I?" With a tremling lip the little one nodded. Good lesson I guess as long as there weren't any serious consequences.
I heard someone on the radio today comment that the weather forecast used to be a three minute comment at the end of the news Now it's "BREAKING NEWS" and FIRST ALERT WEATHER WARNING" for a Maine snowstorm. Spring is not far away and meanwhile the ponds are frozen (but not the big lakes) and the hills have plenty of good powder, packed or otherwise, for the skiers and boarders.
jmajor
Saturday, January 19, 2013
WINTER ROLER COASTER
We are enjoying our annual roller coaster ride up and down the weather map. The temperatures go from the low twenties one day to a high of fifty-nine the next. But hang onto your hats because the prediction is low teens to sub-zero in the next few days. This means we have to make good use of the good days and enjoy our indoor warmth on the cold ones.
We have had a couple of significant snow events. The "Ground Crew" did a lousy job, leaving a couple of inches of packed snow on the driveways for an early storm and didn't come back to clean up. Then we had a nice thaw so the bare driveways emerged. Then we had another storm, and the plows came and did little better. They threw sand in clumps in front of the door, which they say they have to do for insurance compliance, but they also threw it on the door step, which they are not obliged to do. I have put a sign in the door now asking them not to sand in front of the door. This is not "sand" as beach sand or even sand pit sand; this is gravel as in what the trucks throw at you when you follow them on the highway. A person could turn an ankle on some of it.
A limb has fallen behind my condo. I am grateful it was not the whole tree. Mr. Cardinal sits in the top of that tree in the summer, telling all the others this is his territory. There have been a lot of leafless limbs at the top for as long as I have lived here. I hope he can find another as I enjoy his cheerful song.
The Ladies of the Creek met for lunch. It was the same day as my music friends meet here, so I was among the missing. The next one in February will be no problem as it is an afternoon event - coffee and cookies in someone's home. Getting together is new for this community and seems to have struck a positive note. Nice in the winter to keep everyone's spirits up. And the gossip flowing.
My daughter-in-law says her horses are snug in their blankets with lot of hay. They have access to the covered run-in and several sheltered areas, but often prefer to stay outside. Big round-about devices hold bales of hay for them to feed on. It's a good life for them.
The animal shelters are full of needful animals, big and small. A fire at one recently left them short of blanket, toys and supplies. Maine is responsive to pleas for animals so they are getting replenished. I made a contribution of toys and supplies including some shampoo, toys and harnesses. My friend was taking over some blankets, towels and other items.
From Maine
janice.major@iCloud.com
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Snow Caps
Maine has enough snow now to make the 'boards, 'bilers* and skiers happy so in my world, enough is enough! I would be happy in my old age to have enough cold days to preserve what they need, and enough warmth to melt my driveway and lower my heating needs. There are snowcaps on the fencepost tops, on the cones that cover the rose bushes and on St. Francis head. The mounds from shoveling and plowing have been freshly covered with new snow. And the Presidential Range of mountains, visible from the high points in the area, as glistening with a snowcap which will last until summer. A trip to the Western Promenade is well worth the gas and time when the weather is clear.
When I woke this morning there were scattered flakes drifting down, but within an hour they had become sparse and the sun was taking care of the few that had landed on the patio. I waited a bit to put Nick out. He was lethargic and apparently didn't have an urgent need so the two of us just took it easy for a couple of hours. Nick has not been feeling well. Too much holiday activity, I think, He was petted and played with and all that wiggling apparently set off the arthritis in his back and neck so that even bending down to eat was painful. He is stubbornly difficult to medicate, so I have been concocting hamburg, olive oil, spices and a little honey in a skillet, pounding his pill to a fine powder, and mixing it in. Poured over a portion of his dry food has him fooled for the time being. If he catches on to that ploy I have no more tricks in my apron pocket. He found the pill in the peanut butter on bread tidbits and now he won't touch peanut butter anything. He found it in a hamburg patty and spit it on the floor, much to the amusement of a visitor who has as dog that is very compliant about medication.
Anyway, all the places along the roads where I enjoy seeing the water running out of little crevices now have icicles. They are pretty. I dare not pull to the side of the road to take a picture. They are always in narrow or busy areas like turnpike ramps where the state cut through the glacial rocks to make way for men too busy to bother to go around natural obstacles like rock ledges. The watershed by the Scarborough exit - which had a beaver house a couple of years ago - is frozen over. The beaver houses were removed after some do-gooder busy-bodies reported them to the state wild life people.
They said it was a safety issue. I'm not sure if they were protecting the beavers or the people.
The turkeys, all 21 of them, were crossing the street by the entrance sign. Several were on the right, more on the left, but in the middle of the road were three having an argument about which way to go.
I stopped (I don't mind and I don't blow my horn because it confuses them even more) and another car stopped behind me. We spent about three minutes when car #2 blew it's horn and just as I expected, some went one way, some the other and some that had already crossed changed their minds to recross.
If you look at a turkey from the neck down, they are really beautiful with a lot of irridescent colors in their plumage. But if you look at them from the neck up, well, not exactly ugly, but certainly not pretty. Like ladies with beautiful clothes and plain to homely faces. But those Tom's, they look at the beautiful feathers and not the faces. Which is nature's way of ensuring the population.
Our deer also cross the road with abandon. I am really afraid for them, and the unlucky driver who at dusk can't quite discern their dun colored coats until it's too late. There seem to be three does in the herd unless I am seeing different groups. Maybe we'll get a look a handsome stag one of these evenings. Incidentally, Nick challenges the turkeys, but he has little to say when the deer go through. He just stretches his body out to get a better look, no threatening bark, not even a little woof. They are after all, much bigger than he is.
January is already a week old and I am no longer thinking about any resolutions that might have passed through my conscience. That's a little ahead of schedule actually, as I usually make it to MLK day at least. I did begin a "feel good" routine I heard about on one of TV's PBS programs: you can change your negative feelings by taking 45 seconds each morning to "appreciate" some thing - not the usual things but something that you might overlook in your ordinary thankfulness. So today I am thankful that my computer is behaving and my shower has clean warm water of which I am about to take advantage.
janice.major@iCloud.com
When I woke this morning there were scattered flakes drifting down, but within an hour they had become sparse and the sun was taking care of the few that had landed on the patio. I waited a bit to put Nick out. He was lethargic and apparently didn't have an urgent need so the two of us just took it easy for a couple of hours. Nick has not been feeling well. Too much holiday activity, I think, He was petted and played with and all that wiggling apparently set off the arthritis in his back and neck so that even bending down to eat was painful. He is stubbornly difficult to medicate, so I have been concocting hamburg, olive oil, spices and a little honey in a skillet, pounding his pill to a fine powder, and mixing it in. Poured over a portion of his dry food has him fooled for the time being. If he catches on to that ploy I have no more tricks in my apron pocket. He found the pill in the peanut butter on bread tidbits and now he won't touch peanut butter anything. He found it in a hamburg patty and spit it on the floor, much to the amusement of a visitor who has as dog that is very compliant about medication.
Anyway, all the places along the roads where I enjoy seeing the water running out of little crevices now have icicles. They are pretty. I dare not pull to the side of the road to take a picture. They are always in narrow or busy areas like turnpike ramps where the state cut through the glacial rocks to make way for men too busy to bother to go around natural obstacles like rock ledges. The watershed by the Scarborough exit - which had a beaver house a couple of years ago - is frozen over. The beaver houses were removed after some do-gooder busy-bodies reported them to the state wild life people.
They said it was a safety issue. I'm not sure if they were protecting the beavers or the people.
The turkeys, all 21 of them, were crossing the street by the entrance sign. Several were on the right, more on the left, but in the middle of the road were three having an argument about which way to go.
I stopped (I don't mind and I don't blow my horn because it confuses them even more) and another car stopped behind me. We spent about three minutes when car #2 blew it's horn and just as I expected, some went one way, some the other and some that had already crossed changed their minds to recross.
If you look at a turkey from the neck down, they are really beautiful with a lot of irridescent colors in their plumage. But if you look at them from the neck up, well, not exactly ugly, but certainly not pretty. Like ladies with beautiful clothes and plain to homely faces. But those Tom's, they look at the beautiful feathers and not the faces. Which is nature's way of ensuring the population.
Our deer also cross the road with abandon. I am really afraid for them, and the unlucky driver who at dusk can't quite discern their dun colored coats until it's too late. There seem to be three does in the herd unless I am seeing different groups. Maybe we'll get a look a handsome stag one of these evenings. Incidentally, Nick challenges the turkeys, but he has little to say when the deer go through. He just stretches his body out to get a better look, no threatening bark, not even a little woof. They are after all, much bigger than he is.
January is already a week old and I am no longer thinking about any resolutions that might have passed through my conscience. That's a little ahead of schedule actually, as I usually make it to MLK day at least. I did begin a "feel good" routine I heard about on one of TV's PBS programs: you can change your negative feelings by taking 45 seconds each morning to "appreciate" some thing - not the usual things but something that you might overlook in your ordinary thankfulness. So today I am thankful that my computer is behaving and my shower has clean warm water of which I am about to take advantage.
janice.major@iCloud.com
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Old fashioned snow
Christmas came and went with very little evidence that Maine was four days into winter. But the 27th blew in with snow and wind and falling temperatures. No one should have been caught off guard, it is after all, winter in Maine. But the plows were late getting around and the careless car owners forgot about parking bans. It's an expensive experience - leaving your car on the street costs around $270 to retrieve your car from the "storage lot". Parking ticket, towing, and storage fee add up fast. Anyway, just about when the supermarket parking lot got cleared another storm is passing through, expecting to give us another four to eight inches, depending where in the state you are. I am near the coast so may get extra, or not as much depending on the direction the storm comes from.
Nick isn't so crazy about the snow anymore. Nor am I. I went to the recycling "bullet" to leave old catalogs, news papers and lots of Christmas envelopes, wrapping and boxes. The containers were overflowing, they had not been cleared of snow, and thoughtless creeps had piled trash bags, boxes, old clothes and toys up outside. Since the trash collectors also took a holiday, and then could not operate in the storm, it was a disgusting mess. But it brought to mind that the victims of Sandy were facing that multiplied a hundred fold.
I put a live tree (well, truthfully a dead tree since it had been cut down) in my patio room, with the help of my son Tom. I put a few ornaments and a string of white mini-lights on it. My family came on Sunday before Christmas. Some extended family joined us and I think everyone just likes being together. I cannot do sit-down dinners and the roast beef was first not done, and then done too much.
I finally made a pot roast from the remainder. We had the traditional lobster and shrimp. Salad and deserts. Lord, give me one more chance to do it right. NO more uncooked/overcooked roasts. No more have done roast vegetables. Next year lobster, shrimp, cold cuts and a veggie platter (home cut, of course),
Tom came again to take the tree out. Now the room is a little empty, but I'm sure I'll find a way to fill it. It's in my nature: an flat surface, and empty space - I'll find something to put on/in it.
Have a great New Year's weekend. Have a great 2013.
janice.major@iCloud.com
Nick isn't so crazy about the snow anymore. Nor am I. I went to the recycling "bullet" to leave old catalogs, news papers and lots of Christmas envelopes, wrapping and boxes. The containers were overflowing, they had not been cleared of snow, and thoughtless creeps had piled trash bags, boxes, old clothes and toys up outside. Since the trash collectors also took a holiday, and then could not operate in the storm, it was a disgusting mess. But it brought to mind that the victims of Sandy were facing that multiplied a hundred fold.
I put a live tree (well, truthfully a dead tree since it had been cut down) in my patio room, with the help of my son Tom. I put a few ornaments and a string of white mini-lights on it. My family came on Sunday before Christmas. Some extended family joined us and I think everyone just likes being together. I cannot do sit-down dinners and the roast beef was first not done, and then done too much.
I finally made a pot roast from the remainder. We had the traditional lobster and shrimp. Salad and deserts. Lord, give me one more chance to do it right. NO more uncooked/overcooked roasts. No more have done roast vegetables. Next year lobster, shrimp, cold cuts and a veggie platter (home cut, of course),
Tom came again to take the tree out. Now the room is a little empty, but I'm sure I'll find a way to fill it. It's in my nature: an flat surface, and empty space - I'll find something to put on/in it.
Have a great New Year's weekend. Have a great 2013.
janice.major@iCloud.com
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Maine is green! We have had only two significant snowfalls in this early winter season, which doesn't officially begin until tomorrow anyway, so they don't really count.
Several weeks ago we had just enough to bring the plows into the Creek, and then last Sunday, there was a 3+ inch covering which brought them in again. Monday it rained and most snow washed down the drains.
The only remaining visible evidence was where the plows heaped it up beside the roads and driveways. The plows are too big for the job, and all they accomplish besides heaps on the lawns, is leaving behind a hard packed skim which can be very slippery if not scraped off by hand. Monday's rain washed the skim away, so my son needn't have worried that it would be come hazardous. The ever zealous shovelers threw coarse sand (read small rocks) be the doorways in spite of signs asking them not to. Insurance issues, they tell us. Personally, I think walking on small rolling stones is more likely to cause twisted ankles. Yes, the rocks are that big.
The pond was again frozen over for a couple of day, but the mild temperatures have melted it once more, and although the ducks have left, the seagulls, ever opportunists, have been seen floating around, and I heard the deer are going down to it and getting drinks. Awfully steep banking, meant to discourage people from getting into the water, would seem to be hazardous for the deer. I have no idea how deep the pond is. It would seem to me it would make a lovely skating rink, but there are signs that say no to going there. One of my neighbors told me when she first moved in her son was delighted and was skating on it, when along came the local lawmen and shoeed him off.
My dog has gotten very reluctant to venture off the patio for his business. I have told him repeatedly going on the patio is bad, but if I don't stay out there with him, he takes advantage. Last night I stood and goaded him into going into the wet grass and he was like a timid ballet dancer mincing his steps and looking over his shoulder at me asking if I was serious. Hind quarters still on the patio, he squatted like a girl dog and watered into the grass. Sissy. Today it is nice and mild. I put him out and left him while my friends were here for music.
If you're interested in know about the music group, go to Musiclife-janice.blogspot.com (you might be able to get it that way, I'm never sure if it works or not).
So, tomorrow is he first day of Winter and the days will begin to lengthen which is always welcome. We are the first to see the sun rise, and the first to see it go down. There are still only 24 hours in each day, it just matters how they are divided into day and night.
Merry Christmas to everyone. Hanakkuh is over; I hope it was pleasant for all of our Jewish friends. I don't quite understand Kwanza, although I did a little research on it. It seems it was created recently and is a symbol of freedom. Happy Kwanza to all, Freedom is precious.
jmajor2@maine.rr.com
Several weeks ago we had just enough to bring the plows into the Creek, and then last Sunday, there was a 3+ inch covering which brought them in again. Monday it rained and most snow washed down the drains.
The only remaining visible evidence was where the plows heaped it up beside the roads and driveways. The plows are too big for the job, and all they accomplish besides heaps on the lawns, is leaving behind a hard packed skim which can be very slippery if not scraped off by hand. Monday's rain washed the skim away, so my son needn't have worried that it would be come hazardous. The ever zealous shovelers threw coarse sand (read small rocks) be the doorways in spite of signs asking them not to. Insurance issues, they tell us. Personally, I think walking on small rolling stones is more likely to cause twisted ankles. Yes, the rocks are that big.
The pond was again frozen over for a couple of day, but the mild temperatures have melted it once more, and although the ducks have left, the seagulls, ever opportunists, have been seen floating around, and I heard the deer are going down to it and getting drinks. Awfully steep banking, meant to discourage people from getting into the water, would seem to be hazardous for the deer. I have no idea how deep the pond is. It would seem to me it would make a lovely skating rink, but there are signs that say no to going there. One of my neighbors told me when she first moved in her son was delighted and was skating on it, when along came the local lawmen and shoeed him off.
My dog has gotten very reluctant to venture off the patio for his business. I have told him repeatedly going on the patio is bad, but if I don't stay out there with him, he takes advantage. Last night I stood and goaded him into going into the wet grass and he was like a timid ballet dancer mincing his steps and looking over his shoulder at me asking if I was serious. Hind quarters still on the patio, he squatted like a girl dog and watered into the grass. Sissy. Today it is nice and mild. I put him out and left him while my friends were here for music.
If you're interested in know about the music group, go to Musiclife-janice.blogspot.com (you might be able to get it that way, I'm never sure if it works or not).
So, tomorrow is he first day of Winter and the days will begin to lengthen which is always welcome. We are the first to see the sun rise, and the first to see it go down. There are still only 24 hours in each day, it just matters how they are divided into day and night.
Merry Christmas to everyone. Hanakkuh is over; I hope it was pleasant for all of our Jewish friends. I don't quite understand Kwanza, although I did a little research on it. It seems it was created recently and is a symbol of freedom. Happy Kwanza to all, Freedom is precious.
jmajor2@maine.rr.com
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Thanksgiving
If the there are crops left in the field, they will be turned to compost by next spring. We have had several frosts, one plowable snow, and lots of cold mornings. But today, it is sunny and God willing, I will finish what little I do in the back yard - covering the roses and unhooking the hose. I have already shut the water off inside, but probably should open the tap outside.
Yesterday I picked up a sandwich at a local deli, drove Kettle Cove and walked the dog a little. I didn't go on the beach as it was littered with seaweed in huge heaps, the residual of the big storm a couple of weeks ago. I saw a very brave and hardy young woman coming up out of the water. I used to do that - swim in late fall if the weather was nice. It gave me shivers to just watch her. She tossed a couple of towels around her shoulders, pulled on a pair of pants that had been in the sun, and left in a neat black SUV. For a few minutes I was envious, and sad for my "lost youth." But for just a few minutes. Memories should not diminish the moment, and the moment was sweet.
Two middle aged men were sitting on a bench. One had ridden his bicycle there, clad in flashy blue biker suit, helmet and all; the other had arrived in a somber gray sedan. If I had a camera with me I would have asked to take their picture just because it was quite classic.
Going back toward home, I drove around the "other waterfront" where you cannot park unless you get there very early because it is the best location in the area for surfing. There I took advantage of the five minute "drop off" area and watched a man with graying hair, skinny as a stick-drawing, don a full body wet suit, get a surf board which, as he carried it completely hid him, and head for the waves. I did not waste even a minute of time envying him! Getting dumped and washed over by angry ocean waves would not ever have been my favorite pasttime.
The trees are bare, except for those oaks which hang onto their brown leaves until heavy snow brings them down. The crop fields are brown with stubble if they were planted with corn. Other gardens are bare rows of earth waiting for planting next spring. As I drove along through Cape Elizabeth I saw two does running across the low land. I have seen three deer in our condo area this year, two gray foxes and the neat little red one that likes to take his nap in the sun on the berm in the back of the property. We have some "city folks" who have moved in here who would like the foxes trapped and disposed of - humanely of course - but they are welcomed to live here as far as I'm concerned. The pair of grays were standing in the road as I drove in and I stopped to watch them. They stood and looked at me and then with what seemed like a shrug of their shoulders they wandered off into the woods. I saw a gray cat walking in the neighboring development. I hope he and the foxes don't meet up on a day when the foxes have not found a turkey or a squirrel.
The farm stand at Higgins Beach is boarded up. The little farm stand at the corner of Black Point Road is also closed. The sign, which will sit by the road all winter, still reads "IN GOD WE TRUST" . I hope the lady who runs it for her son is there again next year. She is somewhere around 90 years old.
I will be with family this year as usual. Not always the same family, but I am grateful that some one always "takes me in" their circle. Happy Thanksgiving. (Which should be the last Thursday in November).
jan major
Yesterday I picked up a sandwich at a local deli, drove Kettle Cove and walked the dog a little. I didn't go on the beach as it was littered with seaweed in huge heaps, the residual of the big storm a couple of weeks ago. I saw a very brave and hardy young woman coming up out of the water. I used to do that - swim in late fall if the weather was nice. It gave me shivers to just watch her. She tossed a couple of towels around her shoulders, pulled on a pair of pants that had been in the sun, and left in a neat black SUV. For a few minutes I was envious, and sad for my "lost youth." But for just a few minutes. Memories should not diminish the moment, and the moment was sweet.
Two middle aged men were sitting on a bench. One had ridden his bicycle there, clad in flashy blue biker suit, helmet and all; the other had arrived in a somber gray sedan. If I had a camera with me I would have asked to take their picture just because it was quite classic.
Going back toward home, I drove around the "other waterfront" where you cannot park unless you get there very early because it is the best location in the area for surfing. There I took advantage of the five minute "drop off" area and watched a man with graying hair, skinny as a stick-drawing, don a full body wet suit, get a surf board which, as he carried it completely hid him, and head for the waves. I did not waste even a minute of time envying him! Getting dumped and washed over by angry ocean waves would not ever have been my favorite pasttime.
The trees are bare, except for those oaks which hang onto their brown leaves until heavy snow brings them down. The crop fields are brown with stubble if they were planted with corn. Other gardens are bare rows of earth waiting for planting next spring. As I drove along through Cape Elizabeth I saw two does running across the low land. I have seen three deer in our condo area this year, two gray foxes and the neat little red one that likes to take his nap in the sun on the berm in the back of the property. We have some "city folks" who have moved in here who would like the foxes trapped and disposed of - humanely of course - but they are welcomed to live here as far as I'm concerned. The pair of grays were standing in the road as I drove in and I stopped to watch them. They stood and looked at me and then with what seemed like a shrug of their shoulders they wandered off into the woods. I saw a gray cat walking in the neighboring development. I hope he and the foxes don't meet up on a day when the foxes have not found a turkey or a squirrel.
The farm stand at Higgins Beach is boarded up. The little farm stand at the corner of Black Point Road is also closed. The sign, which will sit by the road all winter, still reads "IN GOD WE TRUST" . I hope the lady who runs it for her son is there again next year. She is somewhere around 90 years old.
I will be with family this year as usual. Not always the same family, but I am grateful that some one always "takes me in" their circle. Happy Thanksgiving. (Which should be the last Thursday in November).
jan major
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