Chasin' longjohns

Stella here.
Didn't write nothin' yest'day 'cause I got tied up (so t' speak) with doin' th' wash an' some other chores around th' house.
'Twas another o' them cuss-ed windy days that was SO windy I didn't know if 'twas safe t' hang out th' wash or not.

Finally I did, an' when I went out t' take in th' first load, I found that a pair o' Harvey's longjohns'd flown th' coop an' I hadta go clear over int' th' marshy patch across th' road t' find 'em!
Let me tell you, that warn't no picnic.
I hadta wade inta some mud that come up, nearly, t' th' tops o' my boots. And I tell you, I wasn't pleased when I finally got my hands on th' bless-ed things!

Hadta wash 'em all over again, by hand, since th' last load was all white stuff an' I didn't want t' turn th' whole lot pink by throwin' in a pair o' red skivies.
Pat G. sings a song sometimes from th' 1800's called "The Housewife's Lament", an' part of it goes "Life is a toil an' love is a trouble..."
Well, let me tell you, Mister Man, that's how yesterday felt!

Pat G. also told me her brother an' his wife (they're from away) just got them a computer an' are online now, so she give 'em th' address f'r this blog. Hope they find it OK an' get a charge outta readin' what H. an' I write.

Her brother an' Harvey ain't never met, him bein' s' far away an' all, but I bet they'd have a pile t' talk about, both of 'em bein' retired offa boats an' all.
'Course y' know Harvey usta fish some an' lobster some. Well, Pat G. tells us her brother usta plant oysters f'r th' state down where he lives.
Bet him'n Harvey c'd swap some inter-estin' stories!!

Well, I gotta go. Plenty t' do around here an' I can't sit around jawin' on this blog all day long.
Best t' ev'rybody!
Love,
Stella

Sunday mornin' ramblin'

Stella here.
Just gonna take a couple o' minutes here t' say hi since I didn't write nothin' yest'day.

It's been a fine couple o' days here. Weather's been s' warm y'd think 'twas almost "Summah". :-)
Harvey says he still don't quite trust it... he's keepin' his longjohns handy just in case.
"Course, I c'n remember plenty o' years when we had snow in April, but I don't think we've got anything t' worry about this year.

Pat G. called earlier an' told me she'd been yard salin'. Said she'd met a awful nice lady named Linda over t' one sale an' they got t' talkin' 'bout books an' stories an' Maine authors an' such.
Said she'd told this lady 'bout Harvey an' me an' she (Pat) even give her (th' lady) our blog address.
So Linda, if y' read this, I hope y'r enjoyin' hearin' from down this way.

Th' last yard sale Harvey'n me went to was th' one our daughter Deb had last year. She was tryin' t' clear out some stuff an' make a couple o' bucks extra t' go over t' th' Common Ground Fair.
Turns out, though, that between her kids an' her husband - an' Harvey supposedly helpin' out - she ended up keepin' most o' what she'd planned t' put out.
Said she hardly made enough t' cover th' cost o' th' ad she put in th' paper!

Well, I guess her kids come by their packrattin' tendencies honestly. It runs right through Harvey's side o' th' fam'ly! If y' ever hear Pat G's story called "Emma's Bouquet" y'll know what I mean.
I think she plans t' tell that one down t' Portland on May 13, 'long with some others.
'Pparently Linda, from th' yard sale, asked her if 'twas alright t' bring a friend or two t' th' storytellin' event that night, an' Pat told her t' bring a bus load!
She sure ain't bashful, I'll say that for her.

If y' want t' be on th' reminder list f'r that an' any other story events about Harvey 'n me, just email us at harveyandstellastories@yahoo.com an' we'll let y' know what's comin' up.

Right now, though, I'm gonna go sit out in th' dooryard an' watch th' clouds. There's a poem I always liked that starts out, "What life is this, if full of care, we have no time to stand and stare..."
Well, it bein' Sunday, I got th' time.

Talk to ya later. Them clouds is waitin'!
Love,
Stella

Harvey talkin'

This here's Harvey talkin'.
I read that piece in that old Down East magazine Stell mentioned yest'day.
That Alan Bemis fella was OK. Heard him a couple o' times, an' some o' his stories was so funny I had all I c'd do t' keep from laughin'.
H.

Runnin' errands day

Stella here.
Nothin' like a day o' wind an' sunshine/clouds... sunshine/clouds... t' make a body glad t' get in th' car an' run off n' do errands.

Harvey had a doctor's appointment this mornin' so we just kept on goin' when he was done, an' we hit all th' high spots - mainly th' garden center over on Rt. 1 t' get some loam an' a geranium.
I do purely love geraniums. We always take one t' put on Harvey's mom's grave on Memorial Day, an' I like t' get it early so's I c'n get some en-joyment outta it before we pass it along t' her.
'Parently she loved 'em, too from what Harvey tells me. I never met her, y'know, so if Harvey hadn'ta told me I wouldn'ta known.

Don't worry none about Harvey goin' t' th' doctor. It's just his regular check-up. He's healthy's a horse these days.
Once we got his blood pressure under control an' cut back on fats (he didn't like that none too well) he perked right up. Kinda droopin' some at one point, but he's A-OK now.

He needed a new pair o' pants so we stopped over t' Reny's an' found just what he wanted. Th' old pair he'd been hangin' onto wasn't hardly even decent anymore!
I was some glad they had 'em 'cause y' can't take that man shoppin' no how if it takes more'n five minutes!
I got some socks, an' that took care o' that.

We did stop at th' Salvation Army f'r a quick look-see. F'r some reason Harvey's willin' t' wander 'round there f'r longer'n most places. Got a cheap real flower pot f'r th' geranium. Now I c'n get it outta that plastic pot they sell 'em in. I never did like keepin' plants in plastic.

Surprisin' find o' th' day at th' "Army" was a copy of th' September 1987 issue o' Down East magazine with a article on th' Bar Harbor fire o' 1947, an' also a piece on old Alan Bemis who was a wicked fine downeast storyteller back a ways. Thought I'd pass it along t' Pat G. so's she c'd read up on him. Dunno if she's familiar with him or not.

Well, that's all I got f'r now. Nothin' much ex-citin' ever happens around here, an' that's just how I like it.
We got through with th' marathon, now we got Memorial Day t' look forward to. Breathin' room aplenty in between.
Gotta go transplant that geranium now.
Love,
Stella

More on the marathon

Stella here.
Molly'n me've decided we're not gonna go off on our usual Wed. "toot" t'day.
We're still recoverin' from all th' ex-citement of th' marathon!

So here I be, takin' a break from cleanin' up th' kitchen. Harvey's over t' Deb's house helpin' her husband out with some trap repairs, so I got some peace an' quiet.
(That's lobster trap, in case some o' you from away don't know.)

I like bein' able t' just sit back an' reflect on stuff... th' marathon, f'r instance.

Gussie's just fine.
That spill she took offa her bike didn't slow her down a mite! I called her last night after supper just t' check in.
She said th' thing she liked best about th' day was watchin' all th' young fam'lies walkin' th' route with their kids.
Said some o' th' little bitty ones in strollers was about as cunnin' as they could be!

Turns out, too, that old Freddie Gooch (see yest'day's blog) shootin' off th' startin' gun f'r th' marathon had a extra benefit... When th' gun went off, Freddie shook his head so hard a big ol' plug o' earwax got dislodged from one ear an' now he c'n hear some outta that one again!
Ain't that a hoot!
Th' other ear's still numb as a hake but I guess one good un's better'n none.
As old Pastor Upton up t' th' Congo church usta say, "Th' Lord works in mysterious ways."

Well, as I c'n see that th' kitchen floor's about dry, I'm gonna sign off an' get goin'.
Best to ya.
Love,
Stella

How the marathon turned out

Stella here.
Ain't I some glad we had th' marathon (see yest'day's blog) yest'day instead o' t'day!
Wind an' rain this mornin'... we'da been in a fine pickle if those folks'd hadta run in this!

As 'twas, though, ev'rybody had a fine time. Only injury was when Gussie Elder swerved her bicycle t' miss a dog that run out at her an' run off inta th' culvert an' busted her glasses. Couple o' scrapes an' bruises, but that was all.
F'r bein' 92, I'd say Gussie was some lucky.

Ambulance crew was all f'r haulin' her over t' th' hospital but she drove 'em off sayin' she wasn't gonna miss th' awards at th' end, so they just taped her specs back t'gether, slapped on a couple o' bandaids an' told her daughter 'n grandaughter t' keep her in tow f'r th' rest o' th' day.
That Gussie's a sketch!

I guess th' high point o' th' whole thing was when Eddie Fickett told ev'rybody he was gonna pedal a bike th' whole way.
Eddie's been blind since he was a kid, y' know. Don't stop him from repairin' motors, though. He's about th' best small engine guy around.
Still an' all, ain't nobody thought he was serious... least until he started offerin' bets.

Couple o' th' guys actually took him up on it. Said he wouldn't make it past th' first bend in th' road.

Joke was on them, though.
Eddie'd got a friend t' mount a bike in th' back o' his pickup - an' didn't he just pedal that thing all th' whole route, while his friend drove th' truck!
Sat up there with th' biggest s--- -eatin' grin (as Harvey said) y' ever saw.

Cleaned up, too, on them bets, I tell ya!

But th' whole thing was a grand success. Selectmen said we'd do it again next year, weather permitin'.
I dunno how many ran or walked (or biked!). 'Twas about a 3 mile course. Some folks pushed little kids in strollers an' some folks give out b'fore th' end an' called on their cell phones t' be picked up.
I swear, I coulda walked that 3 miles easy if I wasn't havin' trouble with that corn!

As 'twas, though, I got t' see th' start right from our front door. An' then, when they'd all gone, Molly Eldredge 'n me headed over th' back way in her car t' th' dump where they'd set up food tables an' benches at th' finish line.
Since 'twas still pretty early in th' day we didn't try f'r no big meal 'r nothin', just drinks an' muffins an' sweet rolls an' donuts an' such.
'Twas all by donation an' I hear th' town took in over a hundred dollars toward buildin' a new shack f'r Justin Wildes, our dump man, t' sit in outta th' sun during drop-off hours.
Th' old shack's been about fallin' down f'r th' last couple 'o years an' Justin ain't gettin any younger.

I'm sure I'll hear more about th' marathon over time an' if I hear anything I think'd int'rest ya I'll pass it along.
Stay outta th' rain!
:-)
Love,
Stella

First town marathon

Stella here.
Ain't it a beautiful mornin'!

I been bakin' muffins f'r th' town marathon, it bein' Patriots Day an' all, that's gonna be startin' up pretty soon.
This is th' first year we've had one an' I hear tell there's a pile o' folks signed up t' run/walk/ride in it!

Wouldn't y' know, the selectmen decided t' have th' start of it right here at th' end o'
th' Pier Road! People been gettin' dropped off left an' right 'cause, o' course, there ain't enough parkin' space t' hold all th' cars an' trucks I seen so far... just space f'r th' "officials" an' th' ambulance (in case somebody passes out from th' ex-citement, I guess).
Wiley Cranston, th' chief o' police, is havin' a field day orderin' volunteers around an' hollerin' inta his radio t' Marge up t' communications up on th' hill.
But since near ev'rybody's up here already I dunno who she's gonna relay him to.

Biggest thing t' hit this town since th' hot air balloon festival got blown off course an' come down in th' field next t' th' water tower back in '98!

Anyways, I gotta go.
Th' startin' gun was s'posed t' go off ten minutes ago an' I don't wanta miss th' fun! Then I gotta get th' muffins over th' th' dump which, bein' closed t'day, is th' finish line complete with port-a-potties an' speeches. ('Bout th' same thing, Harvey says!)

I'll tell y' all about how it goes later.
Love,
Stella

How to read our blog

Stella here.

My friend Pat called this mornin' an' said she'd been tellin' a couple o' stories 'bout me 'n Harvey last night over t' that Side Door Coffee House she goes to down in Brunswick. Said she talked t' a couple 'o folks who ain't never read a blog b'fore an' wasn't sure how it worked.
So here's some in-structions. It's pretty easy.

If you're readin' this y' c'n see, off to yer left an' down a mite where it says somethin' about "blog archive". If y' click on that y' c'n go all th' way back even t' th' start of when we commenced writin'.
Y' see, it goes kinda backward, with today's postin' first an' then yest'day's next, an so on.
There's 2009 with a ( ) after it. That tells y' how many times we've written somethin' since we started.
Down below there's each month with a ( ) an' a number inside. That ain't a date - it's how many postin's we made that month.
Click on March an' by some magic y'll see all o' that.
Amazin', ain't it!

Don't worry - you'll figure't out. If I could start up th' thing, you oughta be able t' read it!
Now if y' want t' send us some email, y' c'n do it th' easy way by writin' t' harveyandstellastories@yahoo.com ... OR y' c'n sign onta "blogger" (that's th' same as "blogspot", I think) an' write somethin'.
If y' look off t' th' left o' this writin', y'll see we got 4 official "followers"! Ain't that a hoot! Who'da ever thought! But y' don't havta be a "follower" t' read this. (Sure tickles me, though, that we got 'em!)

Like I told Pat. Jeannie, our daughter, give me this old laptop 'o hers when she got a new one so's I could "surf th' net". I'm still findin' my way around... Harvey says it's kinda like trollin' f'r haddock... I ain't no expert - not even close.
If y' get too confused, send us an email an' I'll ask Jeannie for some help f'r ya.

Hope this gets y' started, anyway.
Glad y' dropped by.
Love,
Stella

Red Tide

Harvey talkin'.
I dunno who reads this thing but I thought y' oughta know - in case y' was figurin' to go diggin' clams t'day - that there's a red tide warnin' out.
So if y' was, don't.
H.

The Life of Riley

Stella here.
Just a quick note... Harvey's been out all afternoon workin' as stern man on our son-in-law's boat and when he gets home I'm gonna havta feed him / listen t' all about what they caught 'n who else was fishin' nearby 'n whose boat's lookin' run down / clean up / get out my bread-makin' ingredients f'r tomorrow. So I ain't got a whole lotta time.

But I gotta tell ya that I didn't do one single blessed thing t'day but read that Laurie King mystery book!
Harvey went off early an' I was pretty much caught up on my chores, so I just parked myself in th' winda in th' sun an' disappeared inta that story!
Good 'un, too.
Th' only real break I took was a while ago t' make up a mac 'n cheese casserole f'r supper an' while it's been bakin' I went right back t' Mary Russell an' Sherlock Holmes.

Oh geez, here he is. I gotta go.
Love,
Stella

Where we went on our "toot" yesterday

Stella here.
Mighty fine day, ain't it! F'r all o' gettin' older I gotta say that on a day like t'day I feel like I was a kid again!

That Harvey... ain't he a sketch! Checkin' up on me by readin' what I wrote.
Well, now that th' cat's outta th' bag - so t' speak - about my cookin' "adjustments" maybe he 'n I can do some talkin' about menus an' such.
Have t' admit, 't was kinda fun tryin' t' sneak healthy alternatives inta his food. Now I'll just have t' come out an' say what's in ever'thing I make.
'Course, if he don't ask - I won't say!
:-)

Molly 'n me had a fine time yest'day "rammin' around", as Harvey says. We went Tuesday cuz we were mistrustin' th' weather t' stay nice as it'd been till Wednesday. One thing I've learned livin' on th' coast o' Maine is that y' can't turn y'r back f'r a minute or th' weather'll swap around an' do just th' opposite o' what ya hoped.
F'r goodness sakes, they just had SNOW up in Aroostook!!

We went book store browsin' this time. I guess I got a mite carried away, cuz I bought a couple o' used mystery novels! Snuck 'em in an' stashed 'em on th' end table with some other books I got stacked up there. One's by one o' my favorite authors, that Laurie R. King who writes th' books about Mrs. Sherlock Holmes.
Ain't that a hoot?! MRS. Sherlock!
I havta admit, I was a triffle skeptical when I picked up th' first one. She called it The Beekeeper's Apprentice, an' dang if that woman don't have it all down pat!
I'd read all th' Sherlock Holmes stories by th' time I was 13, an' Laurie R. King's "Mary Russell" books just tickle me t' death! She's got me hooked, I tell ya! Hope she keeps writin' 'em f'rever!!!

Harvey's never been a big reader o' anything made up, so I've never even tried t' recommend these books t' him... but if y're a Holmes fan like I am, y' might enjoy Mary Russell. Just try t' read em' in th' order she wrote 'em in!

Molly, she found an old cookbook an' bought it f'r a dollar, even though th' cover's about gone. Don't seem t' make no never-mind t' her, though.

Wonder what kinda trouble (!) she 'n I'll get into next week?
Love,
Stella

Harvey's 2 cents

This is Harvey talkin'.
Stella'n Molly Eldredge's gone off on one o their "toots" so I got a minute t' write somethin'.
My 2 cents.

That Stell! She thinks I don't know she messes around with th' stuff she cooks (check out what she wrote yest'day). Well I DO know, only I don't let on. Keeps her happy an' th' stuff ain't bad... fact, it's mostly pretty good - I just let her think she's puttin' one over on me.

I dunno where those 2 women've gone this time. They just get in a car - usually Molly's cuz it's better on gas - an' head off. They got no more notion where they're goin' than I dunno what, but Stell she always comes back lookin' like th' cat that swallowed th' canary.
Geezum, all they ever do's ram around lookin' f'r things they ain't seen b'fore an' stop somewheres t' eat 'n gab. Glad they don't try t' drag me along!

Women!

That's all I got t' say.
H

Day after Easter

Stella here.
I'm sittin' here list'nin' t' th' house creak. Wind's blowin' like sixty an' th' water out on th' bay's all of a chop!
I haven't written for a coupla days cuz I been so busy.
Th' girls was here f'r Easter... we crammed them an' Deb's kids an' husband in an' Molly Eldredge came over - now that Frank's gone she needs t' get out an' see folks more instead o' sittin' home on holidays.

Deb brought a ham an' Jeannie brought a big ol' vegetarian casserole that was actually pretty good in spite o' th' fact it had tofu in it. Honestly, I'da never known if she hadn't let it slip durin' dessert.
Pat G's got a story about her (Jeannie) turnin' vegetarian after her experience deer huntin' (sorta) back when she was a teenager. Ask her sometime an' she'll tell it to ya.

I made one o' them Shaker lemon pies Deb's husband likes so much an' a custard for Harvey. I try t' make the custard low fat low cholesterol these days 'cause o' Harvey's blood pressure, an' I must be doin' it OK as he doesn't say nothin' about it tastin' funny. Maybe sometime I'll try blendin' in a mite of soft tofu like Jeannie suggested... see if he notices that!
Molly brought a tin o' them oatmeal raisin cookies she's so good at. The kids just love 'em! She was tellin' us how she'd been over t' th' Unitarians on Sat'day night f'r a Seder dinner. Them "UU's" is got a good deal goin'... they celebrate Seder an' Easter... an' th' rites o' Spring, too, f'r all I know. More food'n they know what t' do with. It's no wonder they got s'many folks joinin' up! Nice, though, t' be able t' work out y'r own beliefs 'thout somebody tellin' y' what y' gotta think.

Harvey an' I're what y' might call "marginal Unitarians"; I still go once in a while, although I ain't been f'r some time. Nice new minister they got, but it's hard f'r me t' get outta th' house of a Sunday - an' Harvey, he ain't much o' one f'r crowds.
We started in goin' when th' girls was just small an' I needed t' get free o' th' house now an' then. Th' UU's was where we landed an' we liked 'em enough t' stick.

Pat G's got a story 'bout that time, too, when we first went church shoppin'. That's what she calls it, "Church Shoppin' ". She'll tell y' stories at th' drop of a hat, so hang on tight when y' see her or she'll talk y'r ear off! She's some entertainin' though. Gonna be in Portland on May 13, a Wed. I think, spinnin' tales about Harvey an' me at th' North Star Cafe on Congress St. I'll remind y' when it gets closer, case y' wanta go hear her.

Well, I better go. Th' wash is about done an' I'm tryin' t' decide whether or not t' try hangin' it outside. Partly I'm afraid ever'thing'll whip off th' line an' off inta outer space. Maybe I'll wait a bit - see if th' wind dies down some. I hate chasin' clean clothes all over creation!
Sure is nice t' have th' sun shinin' though!
Catch y' later.
:-)
Love,
Stella

full moon & frost

Stella's out rakin' th' hell outta th' yard. Woman's got more energy than I dunno what!
Gives me a chance t' put my 2 cents in, though.

Didja see th' full moon comin' up last night behind th' tatters o' clouds? Some pretty. Didn't surprise me atall that there was frost this mornin'.
H.

Where we went f'r lunch

Stella here.
Sun's out again! Spring's really bustin' out... crocuses, johnny-jump-ups (almost)!
Molly'n me ended up over t' Moody's Diner yesterday. www.moodysdiner.com 's their website if y' want t' check it out, although y'd do better t' hop in th' car an' drive there cuz it's much better in person!

I c'n remember stoppin' there with my folks when we all was drivin' north f'r th' Summer each year. My brothers'd about run outta bein' able t' sit still by then, all bein' crammed inta th' back seat o' th' station wagon.
Warn't no video games then, nor none o' these DVD player things built inta the backs o' seats. Y' sat an' looked out th' winda or y' had some toy t' keep y' occupied. Or in the case o' those boys it'd be seein' who c'd get away with causin' th' most aggrivation t' th' other ones without gettin' caught.
Sometimes I hadda sit in the back seat between 'em, an' let me tell you - that was some painful! Bein' s' much older'n they were I was supposed t' help keep th' peace. Didn't I just hate that!

But we'd hit Moody's an' they'd purely explode outta that car! Them boys'd run around th' parkin' lot yellin' an' hollerin' an' my ma'd be yellin' that they was gonna get run over an' kilt.
By that time, 'f I'da had a car I'da run over 'em myself!

Then we'd go in an' pig out on lunch, with pie'n ice cream usually t' finish up.
'Course I'd be tryin' t' act ladylike, bein' in m' teens an' all, but them boys musta been a trial t' th' waitresses - although they never once let on.
I found out later, when I was doin' some waitressin' myself, that y' don't get tips if y' let on somebody's kid's a pain in th' be-hind.

Yest'day Molly'n me had pie... an' y' know, 'twas just's good as 't always was... maybe better, 'cuz there wasn't no little kids climbin' all over th' booth!
Molly, she had a cup o' th' chowder, an' I got th' hot pork sandwich. 'Twas almost more'n I could finish but it'd been a long time since I'd had breakfast, so I managed OK.
She had th' chocolate cream pie an' I had th' berry. An' then we headed home.

Moody's's changed some since I first remember it. Bigger, o' course, but I still remember th' first time I went inta th' rest room a couple years back an' discovered they'd put in them hot air hand driers. Y' coulda knocked me over with a feather! What next, I thought, valet parkin'???
But it's still Moody's an' th' food's still great an' folks just pile in no matter what time o' day y' go.
Y' oughta try it sometime.
Love,
Stella

Nothin' much

Stella here.
Sun's out f'r a while. I'm noticin' more cars'n usual cruisin' down th' Pier Road here.
Guess it's folks wantin' t' see if things is still here after all th' ice an' snow o' Winter.

Molly'n me's gettin' ready t' head out ourselves on one o' our "toots" (as we call 'em) 'fore th' clouds roll back in.
She'n I try t' go off explorin' in th' middle o' th' week if we ain't got nothin' better t' do.

Harvey's off helpin' our son-in-law (Deb's husband) tinker with his engine. Been givin' him some grief, I guess, an' Harvey's just been itchin' t' get his hands on a wrench 'r a mallet ' whatever 't is they use t' mess around with boat engines.
I never cared much f'r that sort o' guy-stuff... although goodness knows, I've listened to enough of it, times I was waitin' tables down t' th' old Chaw 'n Chat Restaurant! Guys'd come in an' rant 'n rave about their boats 'n their engines n' their trucks 'n such till I was ready t' heave a coffee pot at 'em!
An' gossip??
People say women go on... well, I'm here t' tell ya that men're a whole lot worse when there's a pile of 'em t'gether swillin' coffee an' killin' time! I don't know how some of 'em ever kep' a job, they'd be in there so often n' so long!

But that was a long time ago. I kinda miss it ev'ry now an' then. Th' Chaw n' Chat's been gone f'r years now, though. I won't go inta that fancy place they made outta it. Too pricey an' lah-di-dah f'r me.
My friend Pat's got some stories she c'n tell ya, 'bout th' old Chaw 'n Chat. Y'oughta ask her some time.

Guess me 'n Molly'll go drive around an' talk about old times. See'f we c'n find a road we ain't been down yet.
If we find somethin' good I'll tell y' about it tomorra.
Love,
Stella

Stella's chicken soup

Stella here.
Nothin' much t' report except that it's cloudin' up again an' gonna rain... again.
If that ol' "April showers bring May flowers" thing pans out, we oughta be up to our bustles in posies come May!

I hadta run in t' th' IGA earlier cuz I run outta de-tergent. Pain in th' backside an' annoyin' t' boot. But I called up Molly Eldredge an' she rode along cuz there was some things she was out of, too. Seems she'd had comp'ny over th' weekend, some cousins from away who was headin' up t' check on their camp. Wanted t' see how it'd fared over th' Wintah.
So we each grabbed a shoppin' cart an' fetched what we needed an' was back here t' th' Pier Road in under an hour.
Only thing I splurged on was a package o' store-made hot cross buns. I do enjoy all them little bits o' colored fruit they put in, although I know they're all loaded up with colorin's an' chemicals I can't pronounce. Still, ev'ry now'n then I'll break down an' buy somethin' like that cuz it'd be more trouble'n it'd be worth t' make up a batch m'self.

When I was a kid livin' down around Boston, my ma'd buy Easter buns from th' Eye-talian bakery ev'ry year, an' my wasn't they some good! Wish I had that recipe! I might tackle makin' 'em in spite o' th' extra effort.

Dropped Molly off at her house an' now I got th' wash just about done an' some chicken bones cookin' up in a pot f'r soup.
Y'know, I wish I could understand some o' these folks wailin' 'bout how ex-pensive things are - an' yet they'll throw out a what's left of a perfectly good chicken they had f'r supper without usin' what's left t' make some soup that'd last 'em a couple o' days.

"Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without" 's what I learned real fast when I married Harvey. 'Round here we don't waste nothin'. I'm happy t' say that both th' girls is still like that, even though Jeannie's got a decent-payin' job an' Deb'n her husband're still doin' fairly OK 'tween his fishin' an' that antiques business they run.
Deb told me recently that in spite o' th' economy bein' what it is, folk'll still put money inta antiques.
Go figure!

MY CHICKEN SOUP
So all y'gotta do's take time once y'r chicken bones're all stewed up (use enough water t' about cover 'em in whatever pot y' got handy) is t' let 'em cool down so's y' c'n take off whatever meat's left on 'em... an' if' y'ain't done if y'd be surprised how much meat y' c'n find. Y' learn a whole lot about how a chicken's put t'gether, too!
'Course Jeannie won't do that, bein' a vegetarian an' all, but Deb's a whiz at it.

Int' th' stock y' put th' meat (watch out f'r them little neck bones... y' always use th' neck) an' any skin. Y' c'n scoop out th' skin later if y' don't like it but it adds t' th' flavor.
Then y' chop up an onion an' some celery an' some carrots. Toss 'em in with a pinch o' oregano an' a little pepper.
I ain't gonna tell y' how much 'cuz y' need t' decide f'r y'rself. If y' got one carrot, use one carrot. If y' got two, use two. Same f'r th' other stuff.
Go easy on th' oregano, though.
I don't use no extra salt 'cause o' Harvey's blood pressure, but you c'n use however much y' like 'r let folks add their own when y' serve it.
Y' c'n add peas or green beans or whatever else y' got around (fresh, frozen 'r leftovers, it don't make no never-mind) that y' like. Sometimes I'll open a can o' tomatoes an' dump 'em in.
Noodles is good, but so's rice or potatoes. I don't peel potatoes if I use 'em, just scrub 'em good an' cut 'em up.

Back when we still had th' wood stove an' I was cookin' on that I kept that soup pot on th' back an' just added more things an' some water when th' soup started t' run low. 'Cause it kept simmerin' th' whole time it never spoiled. My ma'd had a fit if she'd known I done that, but I never had a mite o' trouble. Wouldn't try that on th' stove we got now, though!

Some folks say they like dumplin's but I never got th' hang of 'em so I stick with th' rice or noodles 'r such.
An' that's how I make chicken soup.

Gotta go now. Wash is done.
Love,
Stella

Book sale

Stella here.
Just back from th' library where they're havin' th' annual Spring book sale.
If this house was bigger I'd prob'ly get inta a heap o' trouble, but as 't is I can't load up th' way I'd like to.
But you'd think books was becomin' an en-dangered species, th' way folks was lined up out in front waitin' in th' fog an' damp f'r th' doors t' open!
Saw just 'bout ev'ryone I know... an' a couple o' people I didn't.
Book dealers, I 'spect. From outta town.

Th' thing I love t' see, though, 's th' little kids goin' through th' kids' books. Jeannie an' Deb usta do th' same thing when they was small.
Once in a while I'll see a copy o' some book that they read when they was younger an' I'll remember all th' times I read to 'em at night an' on rainy days.

Only thing I did buy... an' I was some tickled... was a copy of Billy Whiskers at the Fair. It's somethin' Harvey once told me he read when he was a kid. I f'rget how we got talkin' about such things. He don't usually say much about stuff like that.
This copy's got 1909 on th' inside an' f'r all that it's in pretty good shape. Better'n I'd be if I was that old!
It's a book about a goat called Billy Whiskers. Looks like it mighta been one of a series; I'll have t' ask around.

Anyway, I thought I'd give it t' Harvey f'r his birthday as a surprise, if I c'n find a place t' stash it till then. Mostly all he reads is Working Waterfront an' such's that. I do enjoy readin' some o' th' stuff they write about in that paper - even though a lot o' th' news ain't s'good these days. They've even got news o' th' islands an' a cookin' column. I see that they got a website, too, http://www.workingwaterfront.com/ f'r those as can't lay hold of a regular copy.

Oh, look! Th' sun's peekin' out! Yest'day 'twas out f'r a good hour'r more b'fore th' clouds come back an' th' chill.
I'm outta here t' go have a gander at th' sky 'fore it disappears!
Love,
Stella

Clarifyin' & a story excerpt

Stella here... again.

Now don't go thinkin' this is gonna be a regular thing, me writing more'n once a day. But I want't clear up a question that was just asked.

Seems someone wanted t' know (referin' t' my last postin') why they oughta haul themselves out someplace t' hear our friend Pat G TELL stories about us when they c'n just sit back all warm'n cozy an' read th' blog. "Ain't it th' same thing," they asked?

Well, no, deah, it ain't.

Y'see this blog's about what's goin' on in Harvey'n my's lives right now. I mostly write, an' I notice Harvey chimes in now an' again when he thinks I ain't lookin'.
But th' stories Pat G tells is almost all about stuff that happened back a ways... anywhers from 1955 when Harvey an' I run off an' got married up through maybe the 1970's or '80's, mostly.
Pat likes t' say they're about "Life th' way Maine usta be."

She tells stories, me an' Harvey write th' blog.

I went an' asked her an' she said that in the interest o' clearin' up th' confusion it'd be OK if just f'r once I put in a excerpt from one o' her stories.
I'm gonna type it in green, so's y'll know it's her talkin', so t' speak, an' not me 'r Harvey.
This bit's from th' story she calls "Snowplowin' ". Here goes:

"I remember the time Harvey worked on th' road crew one Wintah.
He was catchin' hell from Stella 'cause things were pretty tight in th' money department - well, tighter'n usual - and Christmas was comin' up.
The twins was five or six that year... I forget which, and even though they didn't own a TV set, those girls had their hearts set on two o' them baby dolls that wet their pants and cried real tears.
I can't imagine where they got the idea... maybe some little girls at school.
It's a fact their parents never took 'em shoppin' in stores where they'd see such things. There just wasn't th' money.

So there's Harvey, boat laid up 'cause somethin' was funky with th' motor, an' two little kids lookin' forward t' Santa bringin' 'em dolls he knew he couldn't afford.

...Well, Harvey got wind o' the town needin' men t' work on th' road crew, as it was another o' them years when th' snow started early and looked like it was gonna hang around till Memorial Day. There was drifts piled up clear t' the window sills.
Stella said those drifts made her think o' piles o' diapers - so she didn't look out the windows very often."

Y' c'n see, I hope, from this that she (Pat's) doin' th' tellin', not one o' us. Mostly she writes down stuff she's heard about over th' years. Harvey'n me'd never go on about our lives like that - 'specially him! In fact, it took her (Pat) a heap o' years t' convince us t' let her go ahead an' write some o' this down an' then read it out loud t' folks. What surprises me is that anybody'd care!
Maybe they think it's like some kinda reality TV show like Molly Eldredge an' Jeannie 'n Deb (th' twins) 're always talkin' about. I wouldn't know. Me'n Harvey's never yet gotten around t' ownin' a TV set an' it scares me t' think about what I hear folks're watchin'.

Well, I hope that helps y' see the difference b'tween this blog an' Pat's stories.
"Clear as mud," Harvey'd probably say, but it's th' best I c'n do.
Love,
Stella

Fog an' bakin' bread

Stella here.
Foggy mornin'. I can't see th' water, let alone th' islands. Nobody's goin' out checkin' traps t'day, that's f'r sure!

Ever'thing's beaded up with little drops o' water. That ol' lilac bush out by th' door looks like somebody come along an' hung beads an' crystals on its branches. Perty'st thing I've seen in a while.
"F y' go up close t' them water beads an' look through one, y'll see th' whole world turned upside down. Don't b'lieve me? Y' just go try it an' see.

I got bread bakin' an' th' house is startin' t' smell mighty good. Two loaves o' anadama - my favorite. 'Course I do like anything with cornmeal in it.
Long's I had th' cornmeal out I made some muffins, too.
I can't abide them store muffins they got, seems they're nothin' but sugar an' chemicals. Wouldn't eat one if y' paid me... unless, o' course somebody served me one when I was visitin' an' then it'd be rude not to.
But if I had my druthers I'd leave 'em alone.

I 'member th' first time I tried t' make biscuits... Harvey'n me'd only been married a couple o' days... Oh, t'was comical! If y' want t' hear more about it y' c'n go hear my friend Pat G tell about th' whole mess. I b'lieve she calls that one "Beans", cuz I also tried makin' baked beans at th' same time.
(I've improved some since then.)

She's plannin' t' be over t' Portland next Wed. - I think it's th' 8th o' April - down t' th' North Star Cafe there on Congress Street at some meetin' calls 'emselves "MOOSE".

Naw, 'tain't like th' Elks 'r none o' that, it's some group o' folks tells stories t' each other an' anybody else they c'n rope inta goin'. "Maine Organization o' Storytellin'
En-thusiasts" is what they call themselves. I ain't ever been, but Pat she says they're pretty good an' I'd enjoy m'self if I went. But it's kinda a far piece t' go of an evenin' an' anyway, she's only got time t' tell one story this month.
But in May she's gonna be th' "Featured Teller" which means she's gonna tell a whole bunch o' them stories she's wrote down about Harvey'n me.

I guess them MOOSE meet ever' month there at 7:00pm an' start out with differn't folks each tellin' somethin' short, an' then th' Featured Teller gets up an' goes on f'r longer.
Some fella this month's gonna be talkin' about th' Underground Railroad - sounds like 't oughta be real good!
Then, like I said, in May Pat'll be doin' most o' th' talkin'.
If y' want' t' know more y' c'n email us at harveyandstellastories@yahoo.com

She's from away, y' know. 'Course I am, too, when y' come right down to it. But she's from further away than I was an' ain't been here's long's I have. But she talks OK f'r all that. :-)
Haul on over an' see what she has t' say if y' can. I'm sure she'd enjoy seein' ya.

Well, I've run outta time. Bread's about done an' I gotta go tend to it.
Love,
Stella

Two pies

Stella here.

Rainin'. Perfect day t' set f'r a minute an' ponder th' state o' th' world.
Only I got better things t' do that're a lot less scary.

So yest'day's come an' gone. Pretty funny, now, lookin' back on it. Somebody new lookin' f'r this blog misspelled Harvey an' come up with Harry... that's how that whole mix-up came about.
I still gotta laugh, though... Harvey gettin' all in an uproar thinkin' I had some fella stashed away on th' side!

Made him a pie alright, t' settle him down - but I fixed his wagon. Made him a pickle pie.
Served it up after suppah an' I wish you could o' seen th' look on his face when he bit inta it!
"Mister Man," I told him, "that's what y' get f'r bein' a sour ol' cuss an' thinkin' such things o' your poor wife!"
'Course then I got out th' other pie. 'T was a custard, his favorite. (He calls 'em "cuss-ed". Always has f'r some reason.)
So we made up an' had a good laugh.
I prob'ly shouldn't o' wasted good ingredients makin' that pickle pie, but gosh-amighty if y' can't do somethin' foolish now an' then, what's th' point o' livin'!

Tossed that pickle pie out th' back door an' y' know, even th' seagulls wouldn't eat it. Hadda go out this mornin' an' pick up soggy crust an' sour pickles. But it was worth th' effort!

Anybody wants it, I'll send y' my "cuss-ed pie" recipe. I doubt anyone'd be interested in th' other.

That's all f'r now. Talk t' y' later.
Love,
Stella

No Harry

OK, I got him calmed down. Hadta promise I'd make him a pie, though, t' do it.

Have to admit it's kinda flatterin' t' know that after all these years he c'n still get jealous. That man never fails t' amaze me at times.
But it made his blood pressure go up - him tearin' all over th' house lookin' f'r evidence o' some guy named Harry. Good thing it's April 1, otherwise it coulda been worse.
I got all I can do t' handle one husband! I'm just gettin' this one broke in... what'n blazes would I do with TWO???
Love,
Stella

Harry?????

Geezum, who's Harry??
This better be some kinda April Fool joke, 'cause there ain't room in this house f'r Stell t' be hidin' another husband!
H