Hard times

Stella here.
I'm startin' t' think that God's just pulled up this big ol' gray blanket over Maine, tucked it in good, an' ain't gonna take it off no-how. Jeez, I'm tired o' fog an' rain!
Even them couple o' nice days weren't enough.

Good thing I got one o' them big wooden clothes dryin' racks. Even when it's this wet out I hate usin' th' dryer.
I just wait till things is near dry on th' rack, then pop 'em in th' dryer f'r a minute an' they soften up nice. Saves some on electric, I tell ya.

With th' economy bein' tight as it is, we just keep doin' what we've always done.
Me an' Harvey's never been ones t' throw money around (assunin' we had any t' throw). We've always lived pretty savin' anyways, so it don't make a whole lot o' difference in how we make do when things tighten up like they are now.

I worry, though, about a lot o' these younger folks who don't know nothin' 'bout how t' e-conomize. They're learnin', I guess. Tough times sometimes ain't all bad... folks get t' dependin' more on one another when times is tough. Still, it's kinda a slap in th' face f'r some of 'em, havin' grown up thinkin' they had th' world by th' tail... till it turns around an' bites 'em on th' be-hind.

Harvey an' me always got by, though. An' th' girls turned out OK, not havin' ever'thing handed to 'em on a platter.
Some o' those "Life th' way Maine used t' be" stories that Pat G tells make a point o' tellin' about some o' th' tough times. Those times wasn't exactly fun, but folks might benefit from hearin' about 'em. Leastways, they might realize y' c'n make it through stuff like that if y' just stick t'gether.

Last night I was readin' a book by that Carolyn Keene, who wrote th' Nancy Drew mysteries. This one was 1930 an' 'twas a " Dana Girls" mystery story. I picked it up at th' library book sale on Friday. Them Dana girls was helpin' a friend recover a pile o' stolen jewels an' find her lost brother besides. I expect folks liked readin' about such things durin' th' depression... windfalls an' lost treasures an' such.

Well, speakin' o' such things, I better get goin'. Got mendin' t' do.
Thought I'd found a ruby in Harvey's shirt pocket th' other day, but 'twas only a half-chewed cherry cough drop. So much f'r fantasy!
:-)
Love,
Stella

Moxie Day at Moody's Diner

Stella here.
Good thing we went out yest'day down t' Waldoboro... th' rain's back t'day.
That Flannel Shirt Festival was small but they sure had a lot packed int' it! What a fine thing that young woman, Chelsea, did - pullin' it all t'gether t' remember her brother! Hope she's some proud o' herself!

Pat G had a fine time with th' little kids at th' Fest, tellin' stories to 'em. I always enjoy hearin' stories, whether they're stories f'r kids 'r f'r grown-ups. An' those little guys was just cunnin'! Such fun watchin' 'em.
Harvey en-joyed seein' th' bantam chickens they had. I think he'd keep some if we had th' space... which we don't.
Wish we coulda stayed long enough t' see th' "dragon" th' kids was buildin', but we hadda get back home b'fore they was through.

We stopped at Moody's Diner, o' course, an' had pie an' coffee. Can't beat their pies, y' know.
I see they're havin' a Moxie Day there at their gift shop on July 9. Looks like a fun time... prob'ly we'll stop by. They're even gonna have Moxie in glass bottles, if y' c'n b'lieve that! Have t' stock up f'r Harvey an' th' girls.

I noticed that th' Moxie label's changed. Keepin' up with th' times, I guess, but I gotta say I miss th' picture o' th' Moxie guy on th' "old" labels. That swirly thing they replaced him with makes me think o' water goin' down a drain. (No offence t' th' Moxie people... guess I'm just ol' fashioned.)
Well, it tastes th' same, anyway.

Pat G says her daughter. who's livin' away, says she wishes she had some, only they don't carry it down South. Pat says she's gonna drink a can an' then squash it flat an' mail it down to her.
I gotta say, that's smart. Cuz when th' folks at th' post office ask y' if y'r package "contains anything fragile, perishable, liquid, or hazardous" Moxie'd have t' be classified as hazardous. (Can y' guess I'm not really a fan? Just never developed a taste f'r th' stuff, no matter how much Harvey an' th' girls smile an' rub their tummys when they drink it.)

Pat G'll even drink it warm! She always keeps a can or bottle handy when she's performin', too.
I think she oughta tell some stories at th' Moody's Moxie Day. But they may be all set f'r entertainment by now. Too bad she didn't know sooner 'twas comin' up.

Would y' b'lieve that she's even got business cards now tellin' folks 'bout her storytellin' about Harvey an' me?
First that blessed tee shirt, now this.
What next?!
She will be tellin' some stories on July 14 down 't Brunswick. If y' want details y' can email harveyandstellastories@yahoo.com an' she'll fill y' in.

That's all I'm gonna write f'r now.
Love,
Stella

Flannel Shirt Festival

Stella here.
I see Harvey told ya about th' book sale yest'day. What a mob! I guess th' country ain't in danger yet o' folks abandonin' books f'r computers.
I was some tuckered out when I got home but I'm OK t'day.

Me n' Harvey's gonna take a run over t' Waldoboro t'day... Pat G's gonna be tellin' stories f'r kids at 11:30 at this here Flannel Shirt Festival they got planned. Thought we'd stop by an' say hi.
She's been so occupied lately tellin' stories 'bout Harvey n' me that she ain't had a chance t' tell kid's stories f'r a while, an' I know how she loves t' do that.

This here festival's somethin' new. Young woman Pat G met started it up in memory o' her brother who died last year. Dunno what t' expect, but we're gonna go have a look. Maybe stop at Moody's Diner while we're there.
That festival's s'posed t' run all day t'day an' tomorra, too. Hope the weather (rain) holds off.
It's right downtown in Waldoboro off Rt. 1, down Rt. 220, I think. My understandin's that y' just follow th' signs.
I'll let y' know how t'is.
Love,
Stella

Shingles

This here's Harvey.
Stella an' Molly Eldredge's gone off t' help out with th' book sale over t' th' library.
Got th' house t' myself f'r a while.
Fixed th' shingles yest'day while th' sun was out.
Stella 'bout had conniptions but I told her 'twasn't nothin' to it.
If a man can't go up a ladder an' hammer in a few nails he ain't worth his salt.
H.

Dryin' out??

Stella here.
Chance o' some sun tomorra.
Guess I ain't gonna lose sleep bein' ex-cited. Hah! I'll b'lieve it when I see it!

Molly E. reports that th' water's gone down in her basement.
Th' drips in our ceilin's have about stopped.
Maybe we're comin' t' th' end o' this spell o' wet.
Harvey pointed out, "Good thing t'weren't snow." An' I guess that's a blessin' cuz we wouldn't be dug out till August if that was th' case!

I hear-tell th' Unitarian Church had some floodin' in their parlor durin' th' recent downpours. Had t' cancel their coffee hour on Sunday cuz th' parlor - which is downstairs - got a mite damp. Th' trio that was gonna sing in th' service stood on th' bottom step t' th' basement as folks was comin' in upstairs an' sang "Wade In th' Water". Bessie Coombs, who was there an' called afterwards t' fill me in, said th' voices carryin' over th' wet floor had a sort 'o echoin' quality that y' don't usually hear... kinda like hearin' 'em across a lake or somethin'. "Right romantic," she said.

Th' Sunday school kids had t' stay upstairs f'r th' whole service 'stead o' havin' their classes downstairs like they usually do. Bessie said t'was a mite less meditative than she' o' liked, what with th' little folks fidgitin' an' all. Minister left out a readin', cut th' last hymn short by two verses an' ev'rybody was glad when she said th' benediction.
I expect things'll be back t' normal by next week.

Hard t' b'lieve we're past th' midsummer. Days is gettin' shorter... now ain't that some de-pressin'. Wish that sun'd hurry up an' come back. I need a dose o' cheerin' up!
Love,
Stella

Rain, rain, go away

Stella here.
Confound this rain... I don't think it's ever gonna let up!
Molly E. next door said she thinks she's got sea bass swimmin' in her cellar!
Her 'n me sure ain't goin' out sightseein' this week, that's f'r sure. We'd have t' go clear t' Arizona 'r someplace like that 'fore we'd see some sun.
No point wastin' gas t' look at th' same bless-ed gray sky we got here in Moose Cove!

We had us a nice Father's Day, though.
Th' twins come over an' we had a dandy big lunch. I made Harvey a "cuss-ed pie" (custard) f'r dessert an' weren't he some tickled!
'Twas nice t' have the girls here f'r th' afternoon, an' they was right good about ignorin' all th' pots n' pans I got set around t' catch th' drips from th' ceilin'.

Deb's husband says he'll come over once things dry out a bit - if they ever do - an' give Harvey a hand replacin' some loose shingles that're th' cause o' all them leaks.
I must say I'll be happy not t' have t' navigate around th' drip-catchers anymore.

I can't say as I like th' thought o' them climbin' about on th' roof, but unless we wanta just throw a giant tarp over th' whole house, there ain't no gettin' 'round it.
I sure hope we don't get weather like this again f'r a long time. I hear-tell Portland had somethin' like 4 1/2 inches o' rain in a short time... must be what caused our floodin' up here, too.
If th' alewives down t' Damariscotta Mills had waited just a mite longer, they coulda swum right up th' road t' th' lake, 'stead o' goin' by way o' th' fish ladder.

My pansies like it, though. I never seen so many blossoms!
:-)
Love,
Stella

Aftermath o' yesterday

Stella here.
Geez, didn't th' girls come down on me about yest'day's postin'!
"Ma, y' oughtn't t' write stuff like that right out in public," they both said!
But at our (Harvey's an' my) age I ain't gonna let a couple ol' fuddy duddy daughters spoil a good laugh!
Him 'n me's still chucklin'.

Well, it's time t' build an ark, I guess! It's RAININ' t' beat all an' it don't look like it's gonna stop none too soon.
I got rags stuffed in under th' winda sills an' a bucket in th' mudroom where the
ceilin's leakin'.
Molly called up an' said her basement's got some water runnin' through th' channel Frank dug back a-ways.
I ain't looked downstairs here since this mornin'.

Some folks we know're plannin' t' walk in a Gay Pride Parade down t' Portland t'morra IF th' rain stops by then. If Harvey 'n me was a mite spryer we mighta thought about goin' along.
We figure it's somethin' we coulda done t' remember his brother, Raymond, only it's more'n we c'n manage these days... Have t' let th' younger folks take on th' walkin'.

Raymond'd be some pleased t' know there's folks willin' t' get out an' march f'r this kinda civil rights. Hope th' weather eases up some!
If y're readin' this b'fore Saturday an' want t' know more, check out www.southernmainepride.org an' y' c'n see all th' details.

OK, well, I gotta go start a chowder.
Love,
Stella

Censored

Stella here.

I fixed his wagon.
He come in th' other day from workin' out in his shed - an' I was waitin' for him at th' kitchen table with a cup o' coffee an' a apron on over my jeans... an' nothin' else!

That'll teach him not t' complain about not ever gettin' t' th' topless coffee shop!

(He's still laughin'. Said 'twas a good thing HE come through th' door an' not somebody I wasn't expectin'!)

Love,
Stella

Harvey's 2 cents

This here's Harvey talkin'.
I'da gone t' see that coffee shop, too, only she keeps a wicked tight tether on me sometimes.
Thinkin' about it, though, reminded me o' th' old waitress slogan I saw once on a float at th' old Kennebunkport Miss Dumpy parade... "Old waitresses never die - their tips just sag!"
H.

Rainy days/ topless coffee shop

Stella here.
Geez, it CAN'T be a whole week since I put somethin' on here!
Life kinda gets away from ya sometimes, I guess!

Well, let's see.
We had some rain.
An' then some more rain.
An' then it RAINED!
Gets kinda te'geous, don't it. (that's an in joke offa old Kendall Morse record)

We had ta fire up th' wood stove t' keep out th' damp.

Molly E. come down with a nasty cold so me 'n her couldn't go off on a toot last week. I was just gonna write it off but didn't Harvey up an' suggest we go visit some friends over t' South China. He never wants t' go callin', so I guess it's a pretty good indication o' how tired we were o' bein' cooped up by th' weather!

So we hauled ourselves out one day an' headed over t' visit Burt 'n Hazel.
Drivin' along Rt. 3 in Vassalboro I 'bout run off th' road when Harvey yells out, "THAT'S IT!" so loud I expected t' see a moose run out or somethin'.
Turns out he'd spotted th' ruins o' that topless coffee shop that was all in th' news a while back an' then it burned down under "mysterious circumstances".

"Geezum crow, Harvey," I says! "What you tryin' t' do, get us KILLED?"
I hadda pull over f'r a minute.

I think he was kinda sad he never got over t' in-spect th' place while it was still up an' runnin'. Seein' what was left wasn't near as good but it had ta do.
Turns out Burt 'n Hazel'd been there once when it first opened. Burt kep' tryin' t' go back - seein' as it was so close by an' all - but Hazel put th' ki-bosh on THAT, don't ya know! Said if she hadn't o' seen it herself she never woulda believed such thing'd actually existed!

'Twasn't nothin' left when we saw it, though, but blackened timbers. I hadn't brought th' cam'ra or I'd show ya a picture.
On th' way home, mister man kep' mutterin' that life truly ain't what it used t' be. First they ban th' hoochie coochie shows at th' county fairs, he says, an' then th' only topless coffee shop around burns down.
Harvey says Kendall Morse was right... "Life gets te'geous, don't it!"

Well, that's all f'r this time. I expect I won't take so long writin' again.
But then... y' never know. Life's funny like that.
:-)
Love,
Stella

More pictures... and some Moose Cove gossip

Stella here (with Harvey readin' an' commentin' over my shoulder).

Here's some more pictures from Molly's an' my "toot" on We'nsday. Hope ya en-joy 'em!

I'm s'pposed t' tell ya that if Lorraine Davis ever found out I called her "Rah Rah" in print (see yest'day's post), she'd have my hide!

Lorraine's a well-known real estate person hereabouts. Still sellin' properties even though she's a great-grandmother several times over an' coulda (maybe shoulda) re-tired years ago... except she won't ever. Gives her an excuse t' get all dolled up an' drive buyers around, gossipin' about th' "locals", as she calls th' rest o' us here in Moose Cove. "Lorraine D's D'lightful Properties" is what her business cards say.

She's been tryin' t' get me an' Harvey t' sell this place f'r years.

Fat chance!

They called her Rah Rah back in high school (she was a year behind Harvey) cuz she was a cheerleader, an' th' name kinda stuck.

She don't like it none, though, cuz it don't match up t' th' "image" she likes t' pro-ject.

Harvey says she had a couple o' other nicknames, too, back in high school... only he won't tell 'em to me.

He says she had kinda a reputation - if y' know what I mean - b'fore she settled down an' married Chadwell Davis. Once she got inta th' real estate businesss she got sorta huffy an' stuck up. After they wed Chad always had a kinda peak-ed look to him. I think she musta run him ragged.

It looks like that granddaughter o' hers that's up here from Connecticut f'r th' summer workin' at th' Bait Barrell shows ev'ry sign o' bein' a carbon copy o' Rah Rah... oops, I mean Lorraine... in her younger days.

Like I say - time'll tell.

OK, that's all I got time for t'day.

Maybe some day I'll write a book! :-)

Love,

Stella

First "toot" in June (pictures)

Stella here.

It's been a couple o' days since I wrote but I been some busy!

Catchin' up on th' washin' that piled up over all them rainy days we had's kep' me from doin' much o' anything else.

An' then yest'day Molly Eldridge 'n me lit out wicked early an' went off on a grand "toot". We both felt like it'd been years since we went anyplace! Up above's some o' th' places we saw.

Oh, 'twas a FINE day!!

She drove an' I hung outta th' winda an' took pictures. I guess maybe Harvey's right - we're just a couple o' tourists at heart even after all these years.

But how can ya not be, livin' in a place like this!

Most o' th' seasonal eatin' places we come to are opened up. We made a point o' stoppin' at a couple an' just gettin' a bit o' somethin' 'fore we took off again.

'Course, th' restrooms're a welcome sight anytime f'r a couple old ladies like us!

Kinda nice seein' what some folks is done t' spruce up their eatin' establishments. With th' e-conomy s' bad an' all, it's a wonder anybody's done anything in th' way o' re-decoratin'!

Over t' th' Bait Barrell right here in Moose Cove Harold's gone an' added a couple o' outdoor tables. He's restacked th' old lobster traps he has out in front an' done a right nice job of it, too. Any tourist from away'd be pulled right in by th' sight o' them traps... an' th' big ol' painted plywood bait barrell by th' door.

It's so life-like I expect it t' stink ev'ry time I pass it!

Harold's got a new waitress, too. It's Rah Rah Davis's grandaughter, an' if she's anything like Rah Rah, ol' Harold's gonna have a time makin' her keep her mind on waitressin' an' not on th' th' fellas.

She's a cute little thing. Up from Connecticut on school vacation.

Harold's coffee sales oughta shoot right off th' chart once th' local guys catch on t' th' fact she's here f'r the summer!

I dunno, though, if she'll last.

She was limpin' somethin' fierce in them little flip flop things she had on her feet, an' 'twas only 11:00 or so when we stopped in.

Back when I was workin' waitressin' I learned real fast y' gotta wear shoes that ain't gonna kill yer feet! But kids now-a-days seem t' be more worried about bein' in style than I was.

Time'll tell.

I'll keep ya posted.

Well, Harvey's just come in from outdoors. We're gonna go hit th' IGA an' get our groceries f'r th' week.

Hope I didn't f'rget anything... I got a list as long as y'r arm!

Gotta go.

Love,

Stella

NOAA

This here's Harvey talkin'.
Stell musta been some rattled yest'day, what with that tornado warnin'. 'Twas a bust, though.
F'r anybody wonderin', it's NOAA. National Oceanic & Atmospheric Admin.
www.noaa.gov if y'r curious. They got a TON o' good stuff.
H.