New Years Eve in Moose Cove

Stella here.
Yeah, th' cat's OK. Lost a little hair from her be-hind, and she ain't too inclined t' go out t'day (see Harvey's yesterday postin'), but other'n that, she's fine - in case y' was worried.

It's snowin'. Th' Pier Road's covered over an' there's plenty more comin' from what I hear tell. I'm some glad Harvey's days o' plowin' snow are over. If y' want t' hear about 'em, y' gotta go listen t' Pat G sometime when she's tellin' stories somewhere.

T'night's a blue moon, too. Just made it under th' wire. We won't be seein' it, though, f'r th' snow.

Me an' Harvey hope y' have a happy, safe New Years Eve an' a wicked fine new year. We'll be long asleep when some folks is whoopin' an' hollerin' an' watchin' that ball drop in Times Square. Used t' be, we'd go out in th' door yard an' bang on a kettle with a couple o' wooden spoons, but now we're con-tent t' let other folks do th' rabble-rousin'.
Enjoy th' ev'nin', whatever y' do.
Love,
Stella,
An' we'll see y' NEXT YEAR.
H.

The cat sat on the mat.

This here's Harvey talkin'.
Cuss-ed wind's howlin' like a banshee!
Went t' call th' cat in from outside an' she jus' sat there lookin' annoyed.
Took me a minute t' figure out her butt was froze t' th' stoop.
Hadda pour warm water t' get 'er unstuck.
(She's OK, though.)
H.

Day after Christmas

Stella here.

Whew! I sure am glad t' have a quiet mornin' now that all th' Christmas ex-citement's done.

We had a fine day yest'day but now it's good t' just have time t' set an' re-flect on ev'rything.

I guess that's one o' th' good things about gettin' t' be older... y' have some time t' set.

I gotta ad-mit, I don't envy th' younger folks - all runnin' from one thing t' th' next with no time t' stop an' think about what's just been.

As y' c'n see, th' roads're pretty clear, so th' kids didn't have no trouble gettin' here or gettin' home again last night. And o' course, Molly's just up th' road so she was OK, just walked over.

Harvey got th' grandkids a couple slabs o' "Authentic Canadian Cougar Booger Soap" last time we was over t' Reny's. I'da spoken to him about his choice o' gifts if I'da seen him buy th' stuff - but those kids thought it was a hoot. (They're just at that age, 'y' know.)

We been mighty careful about our spendin' this year, even more'n usual. Ev'rybody agreed t' only spend a certain amount, an' we all stuck to it pretty good.

Harvey liked his nose warmer an' mittens, 'cept that th' cat run off with th' nose warmer - thinkin', I guess, it was a mouse or somethin'. Time we got it away from her it was all chewed an' kinda tore up an' one o' th' strings was halfway down her gullet, but Harvey says he'll wear it anyway - once it dries out. (Time will tell.)

Just about ev'rybody gave me yarn so's I can work on knittin' projects. Harvey give me a nice bottle o' Avon Skin s' Soft which I can never have too much of.

All in all, 'twas a good day.

Molly'd had a call from th' fella she's been emailin' to. Says he still wants t' come f'r a visit.

Jeannie had t' work t'day, so she left sooner'n th' rest so as t' get back t' Portland at a decent hour. But Deb an' her husband an' th' kids stayed till way late (9:00). Me an' Harvey was tuckered out, an' truth be told, I think they was, too, so they headed out, droppin' Molly at her place on their way so's she wouldn't have t' walk home in th' dark.

When they was gone we gathered up th' wrappin' papers an' ribbons an' shut down th' tree an' was in bed within minutes. Harvey let out a wicked yell when he slid inta bed... That darn cat had found th' nose warmer again an' stashed it under th' covers on Harvey's side. I couldn't help grinnin'. Guess 't was th' first "re-giftin' " o' th' day!

Hope y'r celebrations were as happy as ours.

Love,

Stella

Happy Christmas

Stella here.
Happy Christmas to ya!
Th' gang'll be here soon but me an Harvey wanted t' say season's greetin's t' all o' you folks who've been readin' this blog!
It's a mighty pretty Christmas mornin' here in Moose Cove, Maine. If I had more time I'd en-close a picture 'r two but the bless-ed things take s' long t' load in that it ain't worth th' stress o' waitin'... not when we got th' kids comin' an' th' grandkids, an' Molly E from up th' road.
Hope y' have a fine day!
Love,
Stella
Oh... PS - I called Pat G t' wish her a merry Christmas an' she musta been out cuz she's got th' foolishest message on her answerin' machine y' ever heard! Some kinda "Christmas frog".

Snow, and a beau

Stella here.

I ain't bakin' NO MORE Christmas cookies! That's it! I am DONE!

We had us some snow. This time o' year I c'n still appreciate it (see th' pictures) but later on me an' Harvey'll start referin' to it as "th' S-word". Pretty f'r now, though.

Molly E. come over yest'day an' we set a spell an' had us some Christmas tea an' some gingerbread (not cookies) I made. Molly confided in me that she's got herself a beau.

It's been some time since Frank passed an' I'd about figured Molly t' be con-tent with livin' alone. Frank, he was a good man an' all, an' we still miss him, but I guess Molly's been lonesomer'n we realized.

But dang, if she didn't meet up with some fella she went t' school with on that Facebook whatchamacallit that Pat G an' th' girls keep tellin' me about, an' I guess they got t' writin' an' now he wants t' come t' Moose Cove f'r a visit!

Molly's some nervous - since they ain't laid eyes on one another f'r somethin' like 50 years. Said writin's one thing, seein's another. I guess he want's ' come after Christmas. Said he can stay up t' th' Moose Cove Motel f'r a couple o' days, an' him'n Molly c'n just see what develops.

Speakin' o' Christmas, th' girls're both comin', Deb with her husband an' th' kids, an' Jeannie's drivin' from Portland. So we'll have a full house an' then some. Molly'll come over, too, later f'r suppah. Hard t' b'lieve it's just th' day after t'morra! Good news, though, is th' roads'll all be plowed. I got Harvey's nose-warner all done, fin'lly, 'long with some matchin' mittens. That man looses more mittens than Carter has Little Liver Pills, so I try awful hard t' keep ahead of him!

Well, that's it f'r now. Gonna do a wash an' then I expect I'm about done. One it's hung t' dry I'm gonna set back an' survey our "do-main". All th' decorations're up, so there's nothin' left t' do till tomorra.

Talk to ya later.

Love,

Stella

Harvey here

This here's Harvey talkin'.
Stell's off shoppin'.
She didn't much like th' Mexican frog coin purse I got at th' yankee swap t'other night. Real frog. Bet it's a antique.
Fella that ended up with th' petrified seagull warn't none too pleased neither.
H.

Yankee Swap

Stella here.
Brrr, it's a mite nippy t'night. I'm some glad we got all that wood in an' stacked.
Harvey's over t' th' men's group at th' grange t'night playin' Santa f'r their Yankee Swap. He's been their Santa f'r several years now.
Charlie Haskell an' Virg Brown pick him up, 'long with th' tuna casserole I send f'r their pot luck, an' deliver him home again when it's done.
Those fellas are a sketch, let me tell ya! Ev'ry year they try t' out-do each other f'r who's got th' most outlandish (ugly... unwantable) present.

This year Harvey, he wrapped up a petrified seagull he found back last August. 'Twas all dried up an' it hardly even smelled when he brought it home. I made him keep it out back in his shed, though. Lord knows, th' cat woulda had a field day with it.
Goodness knows whatever happened to that gull. Just up an' died, I guess. Harvey said 'twas just a-lyin' atop th' tin roof o' th' bait house down t' th' dock. Sun musta cooked it just like one o' them de-hydrators th' girls wanted t' give me one year.
Anyways, t'day he wrapped that gull up nice in a box with fancy paper an' a bow an' all. Wonder who'll end up gettin' it?

If y' never done a Yankee Swap, here's how.
Ev'rybody brings a wrapped present an' they pile 'em up on a table. They each draw a number outta Santa's hat an' whoever's got #1 picks out a present an' opens it.
#2 can either takes another present offa the pile, OR he can take #1's present away from #1.
#3 can take a new present, OR one o' th' ones already opened. An' it goes on like that till ev'rything's gone.
Then last, #1 gets t' pick whatever thing he wants from what ev'rybody else has.
Santa's there t' keep things from gettin' too rowdy.

Now I write it down, I guess it sounds kinda foolish, but let me tell you, it's mighty fun!
'Course this is all just fellas, an' from what Harvey tells me, some o' them gifts gets a little "risque" now an' then. (He won't tell me more'n that, though.)

While he's gone, I'm finishin' up th' cap an' nose-warmer I been makin' f'r him. Got th' Christmas carols playin' an' a cup o' tea.
Well, Mister H'll be along b'fore too long, so I'm gonna sign off. Gonna hide m'knittin' where he won't look... in amongst th' laundry soap an' all.
Love,
Stella

Coffee

Never shoulda had that cup o' coffee with dinner. Be awake till ??? Y'd think I'd know better.
'Twas awful good, though.
H.

Snow pictures

Stella here.

Here's a couple pictures BEFORE it started t' rain. Now we got a whole lotta piles o' slush an' ice instead o' what y'see in the "before" pictures.

I been list'n'n' t' Christmas carols most o' th' day. Harvey says he's about "caroled out" already, but I been en-joyin' 'em. He ain't cookied-out, though. Seems as fast as I crank 'em out, he eats 'em up. Maybe I'll make up a batch with some garlic in 'em an' see if THAT discourages him. :-)

Took a break from th' carols this afternoon, though, t' listen t' Stuart McLean on Th' Vinyl Cafe on public radio. I do love them Dave an' Morley stories he tells! I some ad-mire that man's writin'!! I tol' Harvey th' next time he's (Stuart McLean) in Portland I wanta go down an' see him do a show... even if I have t' stay over an' sleep on Jeannie's couch. Next one's in 2011, I think. Maybe she'll get a new couch b'fore then.

Pat G went t' see him last Feb. an' she said it's how come she started writin' down stories about me an' Harvey, she liked it so much. She just got wicked in-spired!

Well, I ain't got much t' report t'day so I'll sign off. Th' rain's still drippin' so I s'pect we'll head off t' bed an' hope it's done by mornin'. Long's it don't turn t' ice overnight, I'll be happy.

Hope y' like th' pictures. There'll be more t' come, I'm sure.

Love,

Stella

Cookies and birds

Stella here.
We got some weather comin'! Guess this is th' real start o' Winter.
Harvey went out an' shored up my birdfeeder cuz it's s'posed t' be windy t'morra. One time last year th' feeder I had sailed off an' we never DID find it.

Well, th' wood's in an' th' pantry's stocked so all we got t' do's set back an' listen t' th' wind blow.
Sun's out now but that could change any time.
I got bread risin' an' some pans o' cookies in th' oven right now. That's how come I got a minute t' set an' write.
Harvey's always been a fan o' havin' lots o' cookies on hand. Started when th' girls was little an' we set out cookies an' milk f'r Santa. Seemed there was never enough with just one batch o' cookies so I got t' makin' more an' more each year.
Now the girls is all grown an' I'm still crankin' out more cookies than anybody'd believe. Come th' Sunday after Christmas an' we always take any that's left over to th' church f'r th' big cookie blow-out. Coffee an' milk f'r th' kids an' ev'rybody's last Christmas goodies all on one big table.
I doubt anybody eats any more that day when they get home. But, as it's just once a year we all en-joy th' feast an' nobody worries much about calories. Molly Eldredge always says that once them cookies is ex-posed to th' air th' calories all evaporate out anyhow, so it's OK.

One year I did ex-periment with a new recipe f'r shortbread that turned out so heavy an' hard nobody'd eat it - even dunked in milk. So Harvey broke it up with a hammer an' I put th' crumbs out f'r th' birds. After a time, seagulls come in an' et up ev'ry bit... although Harvey said they'd had some trouble gettin' off th' ground after they'd finished.

OK, I gotta go. Th' cookies're done an' I gotta punch down th' bread dough.
Love,
Stella

After Thanksgiving... howdy t' fans

Stella here.
Ain't this just been th' ODDEST kinda weather?!
Felt more like late Fall or early Spring th' last couple days!
Harvey said he's gonna shed his longjohns if it keeps up.

Me an' Molly Eldredge went off on a "toot" yest'day once th' rain cleared out. Drove down t' see Jeannie an' her husband an' took 'em some o' th' last o' th' turkey soup I made. 'Twas good t' fin'lly see th' last o' that bird! I was beginnin' t' think we'd be eatin' turkey f'r New Years!!
'Course, wouldn't y' know... I sent Harvey off t' th' IGA t' get some butter an' he come back with... I couldn't b'lieve my eyes... another turkey! Said 'twas so cheap (it bein' after Thanksgivin' an' they was practic'lly GIVIN' 'em away) he said he thought I'd like t' have one f'r Christmas.
I will never send that man t' th' store alone again, I swear!

So now I got it stashed in Molly's freezer. Bless-ed thing's big enough t' dress up in a Santa suit an' set up in a chair at th' table!
Sometimes I purely long f'r th' days when all we had was whatever catch Harvey brought in off th' Betsy Ann!
Shouldn't grumble, though. Plenty o' folks ain't got enough t' eat as 'tis. We're mighty lucky.

*** Now HERE's somethin'! We had a note on th' blog from an "Anonymous" fan a couple days ago. Weren't Harvey some tickled! 'Twas addressed t' him an' said he'd (she'd?) liked what Harvey wrote about Thanksgivin'.
Funny... mister man (H.) was gripin' - in a low-key kinda way - about me runnin' him outta th' kitchen while I was tryin' t' get supper t'gether. He don't write often an' he don't write much.
Guess y' never know what's gonna catch somebody's fancy!
Anyways, here's a howdy t' that fan, an' also t' th' fella/gal named Sylver who wrote us back a couple weeks ago about Pete Seeger.
Truth be told, me an' Harvey's both tickled t' hear from folks! When we started this blog - kinda on a dare from th' girls after Jeannie gave me this laptop - I never ex-pected anybody'd actually read it... 'cept maybe Pat G an' Jeannie an' Deb, but they don't count cuz they know us already.

So now it's Friday an' I'm startin' t' think about Christmas. Moose Cove had its big holiday parade a week ago, an' th' stores're stayin' open late on th' weekends. No "big box" stores here, thank goodness, just th' downtown merchants tryin' t' keep their heads above water durin' tough times.
Next time I write I'll try t' remember t' tell ya about Christmas in Moose Cove.
That's it f'r now.
Love,
Stella

Thanksgiving

This here's Harvey talkin'.
Stell's politely asked me t' stay outta her way while she's cookin' so I'm writin' t' say hope y' have a good Thanksgivin'.
Th' girls're comin' over later an' we're havin' supper with them an' Deb's husband an' kids an' Molly from down th' road.
Turkey, mashed potatoe, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, pie. Jeannie's bringin' some kinda vegetarian fake turkey since she don't eat meat.
Full house.
Got a lot t' be thankful about.
H.

Woodpile and "receipts"

Stella here.

I dunno how folks do it... th' ones that're never home cuz they're runnin' all th' time, workin' an' doin' errands an' takin' their kids t' every sort o' class an' goin' t' th' gym an' never stoppin' f'r more'n a few minutes.

Our daughter Jeannie was up t'day an' she was tellin' me about some o' her friends. Made me tired just t' hear 'bout all th' things they pack inta a day.

I'm en-closin' some pictures that are restful t' look at. Just in case y've had a tough day.

Th' first one's some o' th' wood Harvey's got in. Always makes me feel more restful when I know we got enough wood f'r th' Winter.

I had a fine day t'day list'nin' t' th' radio an' throwin' out stuff. Mostly a lot o' old papers that'd piled up. It bein' fairly mild, Harvey was out tinkerin' in his shed, so I had a grand clean-out! 'Twas gettin so's y' could hardly find space on th' kitchen table t' put down plates f'r a meal!
Much better now. Old receipts an' bills make dandy kindlin'!

I remember, Harvey told me his Ma usta call recipes "receipts". I got her "receipt" book tucked away. Now an' then I take it out an' read over some o' th' things she liked t' cook.

Makes me feel almost like I knew her. Somehow, I can't imagine readin' someone's "receipts" typed in on a computer like Jeannie's got hers. Give me an old copy book full o' handwritin' an' things cut out from magazines any day!

Pat G said she was tellin' about Harvey's an' my first Thanksgivin' t'other night at that coffee house she goes to. I'll tell ya, I'm some glad th' turkey we got this year's bigger than th' dinky little one we had back then. I seen rats bigger'n that first turkey! Still, we was glad t' have it, bein' as broke as only newly-weds back then could be. 1950! Seems hard t' believe!

Well, that's about all f'r now. Think I'll get out that ol' receipt book an' have a visit with Harvey's Ma.

Love,

Stella

Hello Hospice folks!

Stella here.
Pat G emailed us an' said it might be nice if I said hello t' th' nice folks she told th' "Tupperware" story to down in Brunswick at th' hospice volunteer appreciation night. She said some of 'em might be checkin' out this blog.
So here's a howdy from Moose Cove.

It rained t' beat th' band last night! 'Bout washed th' paint offa th' house trim!
Seems t' be about done now, but I feared f'r the roof f'r a while. Guess, though, th' last time Harvey tightened up th' shingles he did a good job. There was nary a leak.

I'll write some more soon's I can, and try t' put a couple o' pictures in th' next postin'.
Meanwhile, if y're new t' th' blog, y' can go back an' read some o' th' earlier stuff by checkin' out th' blog archive over to the left o' this page.
Y' can email us, too, if y've a mind. It's harveyandstellastories@yahoo.com
We en-joy hearin' from folks, an' we can pass along messages t' Pat G, too.
Y' can also make a comment right here on th' blog.

That's it f'r now. Harvey's just made a pot o' tea an' I'm gonna go have some.
I hope Pat G explained that this blog ain't very ex-citin', just me, an' occasionally Harvey puttin' in his two cents, writin' about what's goin' on here... which ain't usually very much, but it's what we got.
Love t' all,
Stella

Mailbox woes

Stella here.
Another week's gone by and it ain't snowed again... although we've had a couple good hard frosts.
Things in Moose Cove's slowed down plenty, now that th' leaf peepers've stopped driftin' in. We may not be on most maps cuz we're so small but I'm always amazed at th' number o' outta staters that manage t' wander offa Route One an' end up drivin' through town an' end up down here on th' Pier Rd.
'Course once they get here t' th' end where our house is, all they got left t' do's turn around an' head back t' th' highway. "Bloody lot o' nuisance," as my friend Elizabeth from England usta say.
I can't tell ya how many times Harvey's hadta put th' mailbox back up after some honkin' big SUV's busted off th' post an' driven off with nary a notice!
Harvey's said more'n once he's thought o' in-stallin' a fog horn an' puttin' flashin' lights atop th' mailbox.

One Christmas, our daughter Deb's husband made us a wicked cute mailbox that looked just like one o' th' old-time lobster traps. It lasted till Spring when somebody ripped it right off th' post an' drove off with it.
Why folks set s' much store by lobster traps is beyond me!
We had a neighbor once who had a skunk get caught in a old trap they had setting on their back porch. Had one heck of a time gettin' it out, too! I guess skunks ain't much smarter'n lobsters.

That's about all I got f'r now. I got a soup simmerin' on th' back burner. We're just gonna set back an' do nothin' this weekend.
Hope y're havin' a good day.
Love,
Stella

Weather

Stella here.
It appears some local folks wasn't too im-pressed with that little piddley bit o' snow I sent pictures of. Over t' Sydney they got six inches.
Up country a ways I guess folks was slidin' all which-way offa th' road.
Sometimes it pays t' be close t' th' coast.

Weather don't surprise me none, though. Been here long enough there ain't nothin' much I ain't seen.
Snow, fog, hurricanes, nor'easters, mosquitoes, black flies, heat waves...
It always makes me chuckle, though, t' hear folks from away gripin' about how cold / hot / buggy / or whatever it is! What'd they expect... a carbon copy o' where they come from??

Oh well, 'tain't up t' me t' critisize... bein' from away, myself. 59 years in Moose Cove still don't make me even close t' bein' a native, y' know.
But like I said t'other day, long's Harvey's got th' wood in, we're doin' OK.

That's about all f'r now.
Hope t' be talkin' to y' again soon.
Love,
Stella

Pictures o' snow!

Stella here.

Th' first two pictures're from votin' day. It was one pretty mornin', regardless o' how th' votin' went.

Th' second two are t'day... SNOW!!!

Harvey was grumblin' about his arthritis when he woke up. Soon's I looked out the winda I knew why. Who'da expected snow?!

Good thing we got th' woodpile in.

I'm bakin' bread t'day an' don't plan on goin' nowheres. I doubt th' snow'll amount t' anything but it sure put me in mind o' winter a-comin'.

'Fore I forget I wanted t' tell ya that Pat G's tellin' th' Tupperware story on th' 11th down t' th' North Star Cafe in Portland at that "Tellebration" thing those storytellers do every November. There'll be a whole slew of 'em. Y' c'n look it up at www.northstarmusiccafe.net t' get directions an' all. I think th' whole thing starts at 7:00.

Gotta go now an' punch down th' dough.

Love,

Stella

Vote response from H & S

I am some disappointed.
H.

Stella here.
We're both disappointed. Th' only good thing I can think of is that a whole lot o' folks voted th' way we did, an' that shows that there's a lot o' hope f'r another votin' time.

Th' Moose Cove votin' place was mighty busy when we was there first thing. Whatever they voted, I was mighty glad t' see s' many folks out expressin' their opinions.
Love,
Stella

Harvey's 2 cents - Vote!

This here's Harvey talkin'.

I'm goin' out t' vote in a bit, soon's th' polls're open.
My brother Raymond an' his friend Bill lived t'gether f'r nearly 40 years out in California.
They was good men.
That's all I got t' say.
H.

Hello retreat ladies!

Stella here.
Pat G down t' Brunswick asked me t' say hi t' any ladies who might be readin' this blog who was at th' women's retreat she was at over th' weekend.
She wanted me t' say that th' whole blog, all hundred n' some postin's, is available t' read - although why y'd want t' read any o' Harvey's an' my old postin's is beyond me - if y' look t' th' lefthand side o' this page where it says "blog archive". Click on that an' y' can check it out.

Pat G called up t' tell me she'd told th' story about th' time I got t' sellin' Tupperware an' all o' th' ladies here in Moose Cove got caught up in th' Tupperware craze.

Anyhow, that's all I got time t' write just now. Me an' Molly Eldredge is goin' off on a toot t' drive around an' see th' last o' th' leaves an' th' Halloween decorations. She'll be pullin' up out in front any minute now an' leanin' on th' horn.
If we get any good pictures I'll put 'em in th' next postin' in a day or so.

I hope any o' you retreat ladies that's readin' this is recovered from th' stress o' bein' fed all that good food an' havin' t' dress up in costumes (yeah, Pat G told me ALL about it) on Sat'day night.
Wish I coulda seen it!
PS - Y'r secrets is safe. I ain't told Harvey nothin'!
Love,
Stella

Stella here.

Halloween's comin'... how's THIS f'r scary?!

It's th' leaf blight that's got hold o' th' maple trees down t' Brunswick where Pat G. lives. She sent us this picture an' said these black spots're all over th' trees in her neighborhood.

I guess, from what she told us, it ain't life-threatenin' t' th' trees, but it sure looks awful.

Harvey made up one gosh-awful story 'bout th' Black Finger Man who goes around grabbin' at souls that're flyin' around. He says th' black spots're what's left behind when th' Black Finger Man grabs at a soul an' misses, leavin' only his fingerprints on th' leaves o' trees th' soul flew up inta to es-cape.

I tell ya, it about kep' me up nights, even though I knew 'twas only made-up.

Next time I'll send ya some cemetery pictures!

Love,

Stella

Fall scenery

Stella here.

Here's some more pictures t' add t' the ones Harvey sent t'other day. Some mighty pretty sights.

Moose Cove may be so small y' can't find it on most maps but we got SOME scenery!

Me 'n Harvey's been drivin' around appreciatin' th' leaves an' all.

It rained like blazes Sat'day night but t'day (Sunday)'s been spec-tacular! I was likda afraid th' leaves'd be all gone by now, but if y' know where t' look it's just like drivin' through th' October picture on th' calendar th' hardware store gives out.

Hope ya enjoy these. I'll send some more t'morra.

Love,

Stella

Some Fall pictures from Harvey

This here's Harvey.

Stell's tuckered out. Thought I'd send a couple pictures.

Fall around Moose Cove.

H.

Punkins!

Stella here.

Oh my, it feels SO good t' be done with runnin' around waitin' on folks!

Th' Bait Barrel's just gonna have t' get along without me.

Here's some pictures I took t'other day when me an' Harvey went f'r a drive t' see the sights an' ended up at one o' th' punkin stands up country a ways.

We bought one that looked like President Eisenhower an' it's settin' out on th' front step even as we speak. I chuckle ev'ry time I go by it!

I do love gettin' ready f'r Halloween! Th' grandkids always come by an' show off their costumes a couple o' days before. They're gettin' a mite old f'r goin' out trick-or-treatin' but we load 'em up with homemade donuts an' candy apples so I guess they'll be showin' up again this year, just like always.

Last year, Harvey took out his teeth an' met 'em at th' door with his face all lathered up with shavin' cream an' they about had fits! I never know what that man'll do next!

It reminds me o' th' time he an' a couple o' his buddies greased themselves up with glue or grease or somethin' an' stuck horsehair they'd scraped from a old sofa all over their faces and scared th' bejezus outta th' ladies at th' Tupperware party I was havin'. Now THAT was somethin'!!

(We're STILL using some o' that Tupperware, even though 'twas near forty years ago. That stuff just won't quit!)

I'm bakin' t'day. Got a batch o' bread in th' oven an' th' house smells SOME good, let me tell ya.

I'll send out some more Fall pictures in a day or so.

Love,

Stella

Bait Barrell job and a Tupperware story

Stella here.
Again, a long wait since th' last postin'. Sorry. I been waitressin' over to th' Bait Barrell, servin' up lobster rolls an' chawdah t' th Leaf Peepers, an' I been too beat t' do anything but eat some supper an' go t' bed.
But th' leaves are past peak here in Moose Cove. In fact, they're about gone by. So I'm about done workin'. An' about time. Harvey says he's wore out listnin' t' me gripe about m' feet.
That break I took after th' Summer crowd left gave me just enough time to lose th' shape I'd got back inta. When I started back I'd lost all my stamina an' my feet hurt like blazes again!

But I'm done this weekend. Whew! I think maybe this is my last time helpin' out at th "Barrell". Made some pretty good tips, though. Either I did OK, or folks was takin' pity on a ol' lady trottin' around with a tray (even if it was a small one)!
Soon's I find th' cable to th' camera I'll put up a couple o' pictures for ya.

Pat G's plannin' t' tell a Halloween story about me an' Harvey an' th' time I got t' sellin' Tupperware. I guess it's kinda amusin'... Harvey thinks it is, anyway. She'll be at that coffee house they do at th' UU Church down t' Brunswick this Friday (th' 16th) from 7 to 10.
Stop on over if y' get a chance. They're also havin' some folks singin' pirate songs... call themselves Roll & Go... in th' second part after th' open mic.

That's all f'r now. I'm all in.
Talk to ya later.
Love,
Stella

Back again! Catchin' up.

Stella here. Finally.
Been shut down th' last couple o' weeks cuz th' blankety blank laptop took a notion t' go t' sleep an' not do nothin'!
Harvey said maybe it'd decided t' hibernate f'r th' Wintah.

But we got it straightened out now. I still dunno what th' trouble was but our daughter Jeannie hauled it off to somebody she knows that works on 'em an' it came back good as new.
I hope.

Anyways, here I am. Some glad t' be back. I hadda laugh at how much I missed sendin' out these here posts.

Me an' Molly Eldredge is goin' out in a bit t' drive around an' look at th' trees. They's just about perfect up this way. I'll take a couple o' pictures an' put 'em in th' next postin'.
Moose Cove's had a couple o' frosts an' it's been real good sleepin' weather at night... you know, th' kind where y' almost consider closin' th' winda all th' way. But I just hauled out another blanket an' mashed up nexta Harvey an' kep' th' winda open a crack th' way we like.
Harvey said he kinda misses th' days when I was goin' through th' change o' life. He said I was as good as a hot water bottle back then.
('Course he didn't think so them hot Summer nights! But I expect he's forgotten that part.)

Me an' Molly's been some busy! Couple days ago we went off t' Waterville t' go to an education day f'r hospice volunteers. Molly's signed up t' be one an' she's tryin' t' talk me inta joinin' up, too.
Anyways, at th' end o' th' day we got t' see "Ida Who Runs With Th' Moose", also known as Susan Poulin. Wasn't that woman a hoot an' a half! Molly said 'twas a good thing she was wearin' her Depends cuz she was laughin' s' hard!
Th' thing that surprised me was that in th' beginnin' o' th' day Susan P. was also th' keynote speaker an' talked about losin' her mom t' cancer. She read outta a diary she wrote about th' whole fam'ly an' what it was like goin' through th' time her mom was sick.
I was mighty impressed! Who'd o' though a person c'd be so movin' AND so funny?
I'll tell y'some more about that later, but Molly's comin' over in a couple o' minutes an' I gotta get ready t' go.

Harvey's fine. He's got used t' usin' his readin' glasses, fin'lly. He's out seein' t' th' cord o' wood that got dropped off t'other day... stackin' it up so's it's easy t' get to.
We got one fine day t'day so we're takin' ad-vantage of it!
I'll talk to y' tomorra.
Love,
Stella

Bingo!

It's Harvey talkin' now.
Stell's gone t' bed.
This here's # 100.
BINGO!
H.

Blog 99!

Stella here.
This here's blog number 99! Ain't that just somethin'!
I never thought I'd see the day when me an' Harvey'd have nigh onta a hundred postings on a blog!
Why a year ago I hardly even knew what a blog was. Sounded kinda like somethin' you'd burn in th' wood stove!
An' here we are, comin' up on 100.

Speakin' o' wood stoves... ain't it gettin' some chilly! Th' big old sugar maple down by th' turn-off t' RT. 1 is colorin' up pretty good. It's been lookin' a mite peak-ed these last couple years so I dunno how long it's good for, but it's gonna be pretty again this year - that much I can tell.
I guess trees has got a limited number o' years just like folks do.

Them pumpkin seeds I planted didn't amount to a hill o' beans (excuse th' contradiction) this year. I think maybe it was all th' rain we got. Oh well, there's always next year. I DO like a pumpkin 'r two growin' out back next t' th' compost pile come Fall.

I see in th' paper they had a couple o' cougar sightin's down t' Bath. I hadda chuckle cuz it remended me o' that old Smothers Brothers routine about PUmas in th' creVASSES. Me an' Harvey usta get a good laugh outta that, but I can't remember how th' rest of it went. Gettin' old, I guess.
Saw, too, Mary (o' Peter, Paul &) died. Harvey wasn't much o' one f'r folk music back when they was popular, but I always en-joyed 'em an' so did th' girls. I hear she was a right nice person. Too bad t' lose her like that.

Well, I gotta go. Earlier t'day, when I was too busy t' get online, I was just a-buzzin' with stuff t' tell ya, but I've run outta steam. Guess it'll keep till number 100. I'm off t' bed.
Love,
Stella

After Labor Day

Stella here.

Well, I ain't gonna say I'm th' best fill-in waitress th' Bait Barrel ever had... but I'm sure I ain't th' worst!
An' here's th' funny part... I been asked t' come back durin' leaf peepin' season!

Th' agreement was that I'd help out a couple hours durin' th' lunch rush up t' Labor Day. I'd forgot, though, how much I en-joy feedin' folks! Those years I worked at th' old Chaw an' Chat restaurant musta got inta my blood, cuz I took t' th' Bait Barrel like a duck t' water! Seems I hadn't forgot nothin' ('cept how rough it is on yer feet!).
But even then, after a few days (an' some o' them gel insoles) I got right inta th' swing o' things an' had a ball!

Harvey grumbled some - 'bout me bein' wore out. Truth is, though, I think he was lonesome, he's got s' used t' me bein' around all th' time, mostly.
Good f'r him, I say. Now he's just as pleased as punch t' have me back under foot!
An' anyways, he was out helpin' some now an' then on th' tour boat. (But that's another story all t'gether.)

So all in all, we had a pretty good end t' summer. Th' weather was fine, an' wasn't it about time! Him 'n me made a bit o' extra cash, an' now we c'n set back an' take stock.

Bet y're wonderin' about what I been doin' since Labor Day.
Well, th' day after, I just sat an' didn't do much besides a couple loads o' washin'. Felt some good, let me tell ya!
But th' next day Molly Eldredge calls up an' says, "Wanta go t' th mall?" An' so we up an' went. Walked a couple o' miles, I bet. An' y' know what? My feet didn't hurt a bit!
Guess all that runnin' around carryin' platters at "th' Barrel" paid off in more ways than one!
Molly an' me hadn't been nowhere t'gether f'r some time. 'Twas mighty nice spendin' part o' th' day with her an' catchin' up on things!

I'm kinda lookin' forward t' th' leaves turnin'. It'll be here b'fore we know it, too. But that won't last long an' then we'll get back t' normal.

Hope y'r fall is shapin' up OK. We got a mite o' wet weather comin' in. I'm gonna make up a big pot o' some kind o' soup an' we're gonna have soup an' real bread again!
The one thing that bothered me most about workin' was that I couldn't get in any bakin' an' we was forced t' eat store-bought bread. Yuck. It just ain't th' same!
That's all f'r now.
Love,
Stella

Labor Day weekend

Stella here.
Well, it's Labor Day weekend and I ain't had a minute t' write to y' since more'n a week ago. Listen t' this...

I been working over t' the Bait Barrell! 'Member, I tol' about how Cheryl, their summer waitress, run off with th' yoga instructor? Well, it seems they couldn't find nobody with ex-perience t' fill in, an' so fin'lly I took pity on 'em an said if they was desperate enough t' hire me till somethin' better turned up, they c'd have me f'r a couple o' days.

Well, I shoulda known better... I been runnin' my feet off an' ain't had a second t' set down an' write cuz ev'ry time I'd set, I'd fall asleep!
I ain't as young as I usta be.

Still though, I been havin' a grand time! Harvey says he ain't seen me s' perky in a long while - at least when I ain't sleepin', or soakin' my feet!
I'd kinda forgot how much downright fun it c'n be, waitin' tables!
'Course it ain't ALL fun! I tell y', some folks just ain't got no more manners 'n a flounder!
There's th' locals - they're pretty OK. But some o' them folks from away! I'll admit that I come close a couple o' times t' "accidentally" spillin' their food right down their backs, they made me s' ugly!

Y'd think, bein' from away an' bein' on vacation an' all, that they'd be on their best behavior, but it seems that either they ain't GOT no best behavior, or else they left it settin' t' home when they packed up th' car!
'Specially th' kids! Why, I ain't NEVER seen such out o' control children in all my LIFE!
An' their folks seem t' think it's just cunnin' what some o' them little so an'so's do!

But be that as it may, I been havin' a grand time... AND I been comin' home with tips that I'm saltin' away f'r Christmas shoppin'!

First couple o' days, though, I was like t' die, my feet ached s' bad! Swole up like somethin' y' find lyin' above th' high tide line after a storm!
But I got me some o' them gel things t' put inside m' shoes (I borrowed a pair o' Deb's cuz she's two sizes bigger'n me), an' tried out some salve from th' health food store, an' it all helped enough I was able t' keep goin'.
Now I'm kinda back in th' swing o' things.
Who'd ever 'a thought!

I'm gonna write a whole lot more about th' last week, but it may take me a while. First I gotta make it through t'morrow which is Labor Day.
Wish me luck!
Love,
Stella

Glasses

Stella here.
Well, you'll never guess... Harvey's got readin' glasses!
Let me tell ya, he was fit t' be tied when th' eye doc told him he needed 'em! I been th' last two days just tryin' t' get him t' simmer down about it.

He said he never needed no help seein' all those years he was out on th' water... said he c'd see now just as well as th' next fella.
Only I know f'r a fact he can't. An' th' eye doc confirmed it.
But he got off easy. Seems he c'n get by with just a cheap pair from off o' th' rack at th' drugstore. I'm mighty glad 'cause a fancy prescription woulda cost an arm an' a leg!
Now that he's got 'em maybe he won't complain about th' computer needin' adjustin' anymore.

I think he looks kinda dis-tinguished wearin' glasses. Th' girls ain't seen 'em yet but they say they'll be up just's soon as they can.
Well, that's all f'r now. It's been a mighty fine day here. Temps in th' sixties... perfect!
Love,
Stella

Didn't it rain!

Stella here.

Ain't that Harvey a card! Sendin' a picture o' frost t'other day, of all things.
Well, maybe it worked - it's cooled off a mite. 'Course, along with th' coolin' off we got a pile o' rain!

Me an' Molly was over t' th' IGA yest'day when th' sky just busted loose and we thought we was gonna be stuck there f'r th' afternoon! 'Tweren't no way we was gonna try makin' a run t' her car... no sir!
We just hunkered down along with a pile o' other folks an' waited it out.
Folks that got caught 'tween their cars an' th' storefront looked like a bunch 'o drowned rats!

I was afraid th' Pier Rd. was gonna be under water when we got back, but we made it OK. Th' rain'd let up an' 'twasn't as bad as it mighta been. Still, I was some glad t' get indoors an' not hafta go anywheres else!
I was sad t' see, comin' up th' steps that th' rain'd beat my sunflower right over till her stem broke. So once it stopped rainin' I snipped th' stem an' brought'er indoors. Now she's in a jar on th' winda sill.

Here's somethin' new... Harvey happened t' mention t' me that while he was "trollin' " around lookin' f'r pictures o' frost an' such he noticed he was havin' t' squint some at th' screen. Said maybe I oughta get Deb t' come have a look an' see it th' laptop needed adjustin' somehow.
After he said that, though, I recollected as how he's been squintin' at th' paper, too.
I don't think it's th' laptop.
So I called right up t' th' eye doc an' made him an appointment. They had an openin' f'r t'morra an' so he's goin' in t' get his eyes inspected.
He was some annoyed at me, I tell ya, but I didn't pay him no mind, just went ahead and signed him up.
I'll let y' know how it goes.

That's all I got f'r now.
Talk to y' later.
Love,
Stella

Frost, y' say?

This here's Harvey talkin'.

Just thought y' might like a picture t' remind y' that cooler weather's comin'.

This here frost one's from th' picture file I found while trollin' around on this thing while Stell's out shoppin'.

Th' good news is, we're missin' th' hurricane... Or it's missin' us.

H.

A sunflower an' thought's about waitressing

Stella here.

Well, it ain't gettin' any cooler, so I figured I'd set down an' send ya my sunflower.

Ain't she some fine?

Cheers me right up ev'ry time I go out an' see her!

Heard from Pat G. earlier. Said she'd been over t' Lewiston an' it was 96 degrees there!

That's too hot f'r me! Lucky we get a little breeze now'n then off th' water, so Moose Cove's a trifle cooler'n 96.

Ten degrees cooler in summer an' 10 degrees warmer in winter than if we was livin' inland. That's what we always say. An' that's OK in my book!

Pat G said she's gonna go tell another o' our stories t' some friends on Thursday. She was asked t' tell one a while back after dinner at one o' their birthdays. Well, I guess those folks liked the first one, cuz she's gonna go back an' tell another!

It's a pure mystery t' me why anybody'd want t' hear about our borin' lives - but there's lots o' things in this world I don't understand.

Molly an' me's gonna hold of goin' anywhere till Thursday. With any luck it'll cool down some by then.

We both agreed that th' mall - even if it's air conditioned - ain't our idea of a good time. Maybe we'll just run over t' Th' Bait Barrel an' see if they got a new waitress yet.

After Cheryl run off with th' yoga instructor they been pretty short-handed.

If my feet'd permit it, I'd apply f'r th' job m'self. It'd be a bit of a come-down, though, f'r th' guys who usta hang around drinkin' coffee an' watchin' Cheryl bend over in them tight jeans o' hers.

:-)

But I usta waitress, over t' th' old Chaw an' Chat restaurant, back when th' girls was kids. I loved it most o' th' time an' I'd do it some more if I could. Feet won't let me, though.

We usta have a couple o' ladies worked there when I did... both of 'em musta been pushin' 75 'r more, an' let me tell you, they was hell on wheels! I learned a lot from 'em back when I first started. Prob'ly wouldn't o' made it past m' first day if it hadn't been f'r Helene.

I'll tell ya about her sometime, but right now I'm runnin' outta steam.

I'm gonna go see what Harvey's up to.

Love,

Stella

Too hot!

Stella here.
Well, ain't it just hotter'n blazes!
I emailed our cousins from Texas yest'day an' told 'em I felt like we was right there with 'em, what with all o' this heat! Felt like we was in a sauna... or at least what I think a sauna'd feel like. Harvey'd pitch a fit if I ever said I was actually gonna go t' one!

Molly Eldridge come over yest'day an' we sat out back drinkin' ice tea an' hopin' f'r a breeze. Still, 'twas cooler, I guess, than some places inland. We was talkin' about where we might go on one o' our toots (sightseein') but th' only place we could think of was th' mall cuz o' th' air conditionin'... an' what fun'd that be?
I guess we'll hold off until it cools down some.

I took a picture o' my sunflower by th' side door but I'm gonna wait to load it in cuz it's already too hot t' do more'n say hello an' I hope wherever y're sittin' t'day's cooler'n here.
Stay cool.
Love,
Stella

A rainbow, and lots of news!

This here's Harvey. Stell's gonna get on in a minute an' talk y'r ear off. Just wanted y' t' see th' rainbow we saw t'other day.

Wicked clever, those digital cameras.

H.

Stella here.

Harvey's right. I got more news than Carter's got Little Liver Pills, s' hold onta y'r hat - here's goes!

First off, we been busier'n a one-armed paper hanger around here! Comp'ny from away... some cousins o' mine we ain't seen in ages! They was up here all th' way from Texas, if you c'n believe that. 'Twas a mighty fine time, seein' 'em again after all these years!

It's too long a story t' tell y' how they got t' livin' down there. I'll save that f'r some other time. I'll just say that they looked mighty good an' we was happy t' have 'em visit.

...But I ain't gonna post no pictures of 'em. They'd be wicked embarassed!

So - like Paul Harvey usta say - here's th' rest o' th' story:

Ol' Miz Gooch up an' died not too long after they hauled off her ol' piano (see th' pictures in one o' th' Ju-ly postin's) to add t' th' fire dept. trainin' "burn". 'Twasn't like she'd been ailin' or nothin' - just didn't wake up one mornin'.

But I think she was OK with that. We'd had some conversations while Molly Eldredge an' me was cleanin' her house while Miz G. mended from that busted ankle, an' she seemed like she'd made peace with about ever'thing she needed to.

As one o' her grandkids said, "I bet when Nana woke up an' found she was in heaven an' not Moose Cove, she musta been some surprised!"

Her church put on a fine funeral service for her, an' that son o' hers actually come up from New York f'r it, but he spent th' whole service checkin' his Blackberry 'r palm pilot - 'r whatever them things is called - an' lit out soon's it was over. 'Course, her grandkids was there, decked out some fine. Harvey'n me went, an' that church was packed tighter'n a sar-dine can!

I dunno what'll happen t' her house now. Molly'n me's been stoppin' by t' water her flowers, an' they're doin' fine.

Then Cheryl... you may remember, she's Rah Rah's granddaughter up here from Connecticut who was waitressin' over t' The Bait Barrell f'r th' summer... Well, she up an' disappeared - didn't show up f'r her shift one mornin' - an' only turned up three days later, married t' th' Pilate (pi-lattie) an' yoga instructor down t' that fancy spa they got down Rt. 1 a-ways.

She ain't workin' at the "Barrell" no more. Now she's teachin' exersizes an' how t' stretch an' keep fit along side o' her new husband.

Rah Rah 'bout had a coronary over it! She's simmered down some now, an' she's actin' like she's pleased about it... had their picture put in th' paper an' all, but I ain't seen her (Rah Rah) visitin' th' spa like she usta.

Oh, yeah, that's how Cheryl met Philip - droppin' by t' give Rah Rah a lift home one day when her Town Car hadda be towed after some BMW from Rhode Island smacked inta it in th' spa parkin' lot. Stove th' back end all t' heck an' gone! Folded up her vanity plate like a napkin!

Rah Rah came boilin' out in her yoga outfit an' she lit inta that RI woman somethin' fierce! Musta set her meditatin' back about six months.

So anyways, we've had a funeral, an' a disappearance an' a weddin' (sort of), an' visitin' relatives... T' tell th' truth, I'm startin' t' look forward t' Labor day.

Love,

Stella