Two days of SUN. Proof!

Stella here.

Here's a couple o' pictures just t' prove that we really DO occasionally get sun here in Maine!

Molly Eldredge 'n me lit out wicked early this mornin' an' we didn't get back till midafternoon. Twas a fine day, that's f'r certain!

Headin' out, we drove by Miz Gooch's - an' that ol' piano's still a-settin' by th' road. I dunno what she'll do, come snow-plowin' time... that ol' eyesore's gonna be there f'rEVER! Town's gonna have t' haul it off, I guess.

Harvey headed out with Deb's husband t' haul traps. 'Course Harvey's past his haulin' prime, but he's a gosh-awful fine navigator an' it does him a world o' good t' get out there on th' water. I swear, th' man's gonna be steerin' boats when he's a hundred!

Although, at th' rate things're goin' there won't be no lobsters, 'r maybe even FISH left t' catch by then.

Me 'n Molly stopped at a couple o' farm stands on th' way home an' now I got more veg'tables 'n I know what t' do with. I give up cannin' a while back, so maybe I'll invite th' girls home f'r a big meal an' then give 'em some veggies t' take back with 'em.

Jeannie bein' a vegetarian an' all, she oughta be some tickled!

I guess that's all f'r now.

Love,

Stella

A fog story

Stella here.
Fog!
Lookin' out th' winda I can't see th' island at all. Couldn't hardly even see th' end of th' road, let alone th' water.
Island? I know there's one out there... think I could even hear some surf breakin' there on th' rocks.
It's days like this I'm grateful Harvey ain't out lobsterin' on th' Betsy Ann no more. If he'd been out on a day like this I'd be frettin' somethin' awful till he'd get back in.

Deb's got a friend usta go kyackin' a lot. Maybe she still does.
Anyways, Deb tol' me once about th' time Luna (honest) an' some friends was out in their kyacks an' got caught in a wicked fog bank that come in all sudden-like.
They was paddlin' between a couple islands, an' one minute they could see where they was goin', next minute they couldn't see NOTHIN'!
Couldn't even see each other.
What to do?
Well, I guess they was pretty scared at first. But then one of 'em got th' idea o' hollerin' an' listenin' f'r th' echo t' come back.
An' that's what they did.
Kinda like radar, Harvey said, navigatin' by sound bouncin' back.
They all made it t' land, all t'gether. Camped out till th' fog lifted next mornin' an' they c'd see where they was.

Fog's somethin' that c'n catch y' unawares. An' it's scary if y're out on th' water.
I've always loved it, though (long's I ain't got somebody out in a boat)... ev'rything's so quiet an' peaceful. Water beads up on th' beach roses an' spider webs. Awful pretty!

We're havin' pea soup f'r supper.
Fog... pea soup... get it?
Love,
Stella

Moxie Day pictures, part 2

Stella here.
Here's th' rest o' them Moxie Day pictures I promised t' send.

T'day's another o' them best-ever days an' I ain't gonna sit here writing any longer'n it takes t' upload th' pictures... then I'm bailin'!

It's kinda like in that Ruth Moore poem, 'bout Charlie tendin' weir... "He could see across the bay, calm and still and wide..."

Well, it's just like that outside an' I ain't plannin' t' spend it indoors any more'n I hafta.

But b'fore I f'rget... t'morra's Ruth Moore's birthday. Sure wish she was still around an' still writin'!

Pat G emailed me she got an "I read Ruth Moore" bumpersticker over t' Gulf o' Maine books down t' Brunswick t'other day! Weren't she some excited! Said she'd had one long ago on her old car but that 'un was long-gone.

Hope y' have a fine day!

Love,

Stella

A visit to The Bait Barrel

Stella here.

Miz Gooch's piano's still settin' out there. Told ya nobody was gonna take it.

At least it ain't been rained on.

(Yet.)

Well, weren't t'day just th' finest kind o' day!

Harvey n' me, we drove over t' The Bait Barrel t' see how they was doin' an' t' see how Lorraine an' Chad Davis's grandaughter was makin' out.

Back on June 5 I wrote a mite about how she's up here waitressin' f'r th' summer from Connecticut.

Seems I mentioned then it looked as if she might be followin' in Rah Rah's (oops, I mean Lorraine's) footsteps regardin' th' fellas. And it looks as if she's got herself a steady stream o' fellas, alright. They was a couple of 'em hangin' around th' counter drinkin' coffee an' watchin' her an' lookin' right foolish.

That girl's wearing about th' tightest, lowest cut jeans I ever did see, an' showin' a tattoo on her... well, I'd say it's her upper be-hind, but Harvey said 'twas only th' back o' her hip.

Harvey also said 'twas a picture of th' sun a-shinin'. I hadta take his word cuz I wasn't about t' stare, an' he was sittin' where he c'd see better'n me.

That girl better watch out, though. I got married t' Harvey when I was just her age, but we'd been sparkin' ex-clusive for a time. I don't think Cheryl (that's her name) has got any notion o' hitchin' up with anybody any time soon. I'd say girls is diff'rent now-a-days, but Lorraine was close onta 30-some when she latched onta Chad. And she run around plenty b'fore she did. I guess Cheryl's a lot like her.

Th' Bait Barrel was doin' a steady business while we was there. Lot o' cars From Away in th' parkin' lot.

It always amazes me, Moose Cove bein' as tiny as it is an' not even on most maps, how many folks seem t' stumble onto it anyway.

We had a nice time, though, an' we'll prob'ly go back t' The Bait Barrel again when we get another day like t'day.

We get cooped up enough in th' winter... gotta take ad-vantage while th' weather's good!

Harvey commented, as we was drivin' home, that it's a good thing Cheryl's goin' back t' Connecticut 'fore th' winter comes. He said what with them low-cut jeans o' hers, she'd be a sure-fire candidate f'r a bad dose o' rheumatism soon as it turns cold!

I kep' silent, but I was thinkin' that if that sun she had tattooed on her butt was what she was countin' on t' keep her warm, he was prob'ly right.

That's enough f'r now.

Love,

Stella

Moxie Day at Moody's Diner pictures

Folks sellin' Moxie "memorabilia" in th' parkin' lot. Moxie Day at Moody's Diner 2009
Th' Stanley Steamer. Harvey LOVED this! Moody's Gift Shop Th' 1935 World's Fair organ Some kind o' Moxie car.

I hadta laugh... it looked just like a can o' Moxie! As y' c'n see, 'twas a beautiful day!I just got t' thinkin'... it might be confusin' - if y'r someone just new t' lookin' at this blog - so I'll just say that th' note I wrote just a few minutes ago comes AFTER this one if y'r readin' down lookin' at that listin' o' titles over t' th' left on' th' "home page".

You c'n go all th' way back t' th' very BEGINNIN' if y've a mind to!

You'll figure it out.

If I c'n get th' hang (mostly) o' makin' this blog, you oughta be able t' figure out readin' it!

Harvey wanted me t' tell ya that if he was goin' t' go back inta th' lobsterin' business again, he'd paint his bouys orange an' black an' get our daughter Deb t' paint th' Moxie man on each one of 'em. Be a whole lot more eye-catchin' that way than what he usta have! (white bouys with some red squares painted around 'em)

That's all f'r now. I got a couple more pictures but I'll put 'em on another blog. I'm tired an' they take a gosh-awful while t' upload.

I ain't got th' patience I once had.

Love,

Stella

Pictures, at last! Miz Gooch's piano

Stella here.

Well, as you c'n see, we got th' cam'ra workin' in tandem with th' laptop again. So here's a picture o' somethin' I forgot t' mention when I was tellin' y' about cleanin' at Miz Gooch's t' other day.

First's some o' her winda box flowers. She sets great store by her flowers, she does.

But th' second's her ol' piano that th' grandkids, when they got here, put out by th' road with a "FREE" sign propped in front o' it. It sat under a leak she had in her ceilin' an - as y' c'n see, th' wood's just a-peelin' right off. What y' can't see's that th' keys're all swole up an' stuck t'gether.

Me an' Molly couldn't do nothin' with it when we went over t' clean.

It's kinda too bad. She saved up an' bought that piano second hand for her son t' practice on. Thought he was gonna be some sort o' prodigy, only he turned out t' have a tin ear just like her an' no inclination at all t' play.

He went off t' work in advertizin' an' lives in New York. Hardly ever gets time t' come home. It's the grandkids that visit as often as they can.

I'll be some surprised if that piano ain't still settin' there a month from now. It ain't good f'r nothin' but kindlin' th' way it is now.

I'm gonna see if I can't get a few o' them Moxie Day at Moody's pictures up f'r y' t' see.

I'll sign off this postin' an' set up a new one with th' pictures.

Look f'r 'em!

Love,

Stella

Helpin' a neighbor

Stella here.
I been awful busy of late, bakin' f'r the week an' cleanin' house.
Me an' Molly Eldredge were gonna go f'r a drive yesterday, which is our usual day t' go off on one o' our "toots" around th' countryside playin' tourist (even though we both been here f'rever), only we got in-volved with cleanin' house f'r ol' Miz Gooch down t' th' Landin' Rd. an' never had time.

Miz Gooch broke her ankle a while back an' it ain't knittin' th' way her doctor thought it oughta. She's been frettin' cuz her grandkids is comin' up from down south an' her house ain't spotless th' way she thinks they think it oughta be, so me an Molly volunteered t' go an' help her out.

Well. I ain't worked s' hard since I dunno when!
I hope them grandkids appreciate th' effort cuz by th' time we got done that house shone like a beacon off a bald man's dome!
Molly started "upstairs" an' I started "down" an' we met in the middle an' it about took th' whole day. It don't make no nevermind that that house ain't all that big.

I never seen such a lot o' stuff - an' I thought Harvey an' me was packrats!
I don't think Miz G. had no notion o' all she had stashed away... an' her eyesight bein' poor, I doubt she noticed that we heaved a lot o' just plain junk.
Nothin' of any worth, that's f'r sure. Clarence over t' th' recycle center 'bout keeled over when we unloaded Molly's car!
Bottles an' jars an' newspapers an' plastic bags an' aluminum pie tins - you name it, we had it.
'T was a good day's work and that's a fact.
Miz Gooch said we'll be re-warded in heaven but I settled f'r a hot bath soak when I got home. That was heaven enough f'r me!

I only gave our own place a lick an' a promise, bein' on house cleanin' overload. Guess anything I skipped over'll keep till next week. We got no comp'ny comin', thank goodness!

That's all f'r t'night.
Love,
Stella

Stories With Soul

Stella here.
I'm sad t' say we didn't get down t' th' Moxie Festival after all. Comp'ny showed up an' we got stuck.
Too bad. I'da liked t' see that parade.

I'm also havin' problems with th' camera an' gettin' th' Moody's Moxie pictures int' th' laptop. But we'll keep tryin'. (Harvey seems t' have more luck than I do, s' maybe he c'n do somethin'nwith it.)

Pat G's gonna be tellin' some o' our stories down t' Brunswick where she lives t'morra (Tuesday) night at 6:30. She'll be at what they call "Stories With Soul" over t' th' UU Church. Folks read short stories an' then set around an' talk about 'em. It'll be at 5 Middle Street in th' buildin' next t' th' church.
I guess they been doin' that f'r a number o' years now. Somebody new reads every other week, but it's usually famous authors that they read. Pat G ain't s' famous yet but she's gonna do a coupla th' stories she's got about me an' Harvey. Might even wear th' "famous" shirt.
:-)

It's been kinda quiet around here. Th' comp'ny we got on Sat'day was - t' be honest - dreadful dull an' I wished they'd o' left sooner'n they did. Th' fella was a friend o' Harvey's from a long ways back, but his (new) wife was number 'n a hake. I'd never met her before an', by golly, it's th' first time I ever met somebody I honestly thought didn't have sense enough t' pour pee out of a boot!
Well, at least they won't be back this way f'r a long time. Harvey did enjoy seein' his old friend, so I guess 'twas a small price t' pay.
Sometimes th' social graces c'n weigh awful heavy, though. I really did want t' see th' Moxie parade.
But such is life.
Love,
Stella

Moxie Festival

Stella here.
Only got a minute t' write, but I wanted t' say that I'll get them pictures from th' Moody's Moxie Day up soon's I can.
I discovered that there's a website f'r th' big Moxie Fest in Lisbon Falls. It's www.moxiefestival.com an' it's got all th' details f'r t'morra an' Sunday (t'day's events havin' already gone by 'cept f'r th' fireowrks t'night).
I was some tickled t' see they have a "guestbook" y' c'n sign in on... so I did. Ain't I just th' social butterfly!
:-)
Me' an' Harvey's hopin' t' get down there t'morra f'r th' parade. I DO love a good parade an' we ain't never been t' that one.
Pat G said she was gonna try an' go an' she'd wear that gosh-awful tee shirt with our names on it. Maybe we'll run inta her there. Ain't seen her in a while.
Harvey says if we get there he's gonna buy me some Moxie ice cream. Can't say as I'm too wild about th' idea, since I ain't much of a Moxie drinker like he an' th' girls are. Still, if he's buyin' I guess I c'n at least try it.
Love,
Stella

Moxie Day at Moody's T'DAY!

Stella here.
SUN'S OUT!!!!!!!
I feel kinda like Mrs. Noah musta felt when they fetched up on that Mt. Ararat!
It's about time!

I dunno if I should run around out in th' dooryard whoopin' an' hollerin', or just set on th' stoop an' soak up "some rays" (as th' grandkids'd say).
An' t'morra's s'pposed t' be even better!

Well... me an' Molly's goin' off on a toot t'day f'r sure! Harvey's goin' over t' help out our son-in-law with his boat, so Molly's pickin' me up in a while an' we're goin down t' Moody's Diner where they're havin' Moxie Day from 11:00 t' 5:00.
Gonna take th' camera an' get some pictures. I'll post 'em next time I write.

They're gonna have a 1935 World's Fair organ playin', th' Moxie Mobile, an' a whole lotta Moxie stuff like them orange tee shirts, an' hats, an' magnets, an' such. Oughta be some fun!
Drop on over if y' can.

This weekend's th' big Moxie Festival, too, but y' gotta go down t' Lisbon Falls f'r that.
Still, it's Friday an' Sat'day, an' Sunday, so y' got a lot o' time to get there.

Well, I'm gonna go now. Gotta get ready. Maybe find m' sunglasses!
Just wanted y' t' know we hadn't washed away, an' was still alive an' kickin'.
Love,
Stella

Stella on July 4 & a recipe

Stella here.
Oh, my achin' feet!
'Twas worth it, though, t' be in th' Moose Cove July 4th Kazoo an' Comb Marchin' Band.
Wish I had some pictures t' show y', but y' can't march an' hold a comb 'n tissue paper t'gether, and take pictures, too.
That's right, I was in th' comb section. Actually, I used wax paper, not tissue paper. It holds together a whole lot better. Gives y'r lips a wicked buzz, though. I tol' Harvey he better not kiss me f'r a while afterward.

Th' good thing about playin' a comb is that y' don't got t' in-vest in no fancy instrument cuz y' already got ev'rything y' need right at home. Y' don't have t' be able t' read music, either.

Th' rain held off long enough f'r th' parade t' get all th' way from one end o' town t' th' other an' back again, Moose Cove's downtown not bein' big enough f'r us t' only go through once. That way folks on th' sidelines get a "nearly-instant replay" when they come back through, an' nobody has t' hike back t' their cars. They're already back to 'em when th' parade ends.

Th' school band was in fine form. They even got a tuba this year, although if that little bitty high school girl that plays it ever fell in th' big end, I doubt we'd ever find her!

Perley Edwards was right decked out, him now bein' th' oldest service man in town. They had him sittin' up in th' back o' Marvin Sanford's big Cadilac. An' didn't Perley look some fine, what with his Purple Heart pinned on an' all, wavin' a flag an' grinnin' like he'd won th' lottery!

Good thing I'd made up all th' food f'r when we got home cuz I was, like Harvey told ya, some tuckered out by th' time we got back.
Here's what we had f'r our 4th o' July picnic...
Hot dogs
P'tato salad
Baked beans
an' Apple Toot.

That Toot's somethin' I make ev'ry 4th o' July. It's a ol' recipe o' my Ma's. It's a old Massachusetts recipe.
Y' beat 2 eggs in a bowl with a half cup o' maple syrup.
Then y' beat in 1 1/2 tablespoons o' flour, 2 tablespoons o' bakin' powder, an a half teaspoon o' salt.
After that, y' stir in a big apple that y've peeled an' cored an' diced.
Add a half cup o' raisins an' mix it up good.
Pour it inta a buttered 1 1/2 quart bakin' dish or casserole an' bake it in a preheated 350 oven f'r about 35-40 minutes till it puffs up an' turn's gold.

Harvey likes it with whip cream, but I like a custard sauce. Try it sometime an' see what y' think.
Well, that's all f'r now.
We're gonna sit in th' open winda later an' try t' hear th' fireworks over on th' other side o' th' cove a-ways.
Love,
Stella

Harvey checkin' in on July 4th

This here's Harvey talkin'.
Stella's gone off t' put her feet up for a bit.
She marched in th' Moose Cove 4th o' Ju-ly parade this mornin' an' she's some tuckered out!
Got herself inta th' Moose Cove Kazoo an' Comb Band an' wasn't THAT a hoot!
She'll prob'ly tell ya about it later.
H.