Spring Cleaning

Well, I am pretty sure I have the deadly hantavirus as I have been cleaning up mouse poop for a week now. I do not know why the entire mouse population of Jefferson, Maine moved into my cottage this winter. I was told that it was mild this year. And, apparently, they have not heard that adage about leave only footprints because they pooped and peed everywhere. DISGUSTING. Thankfully, they had the wherewithal to drag themselves outside to die so no dead bodies.  So far.

The wind continues to blow a gale for the third day now and it is wicked cold out. 50 degrees in the sun right now. I get mad at the wind but then I think well, that is the price you pay for living right on the water so get over yourself. It kind of makes you worry though. Branches fall on the roof, cold air blows through around the windows and outlets and waves pound on the shoreline (and what remains of my dock). I had an emergency delivery of propane yesterday because I am going through it so fast to try to heat the cottage and I can't get it above 60 degrees. I was craving cold and jeans and sweaters and fires in the fireplace and baby, I got my wish!

In other news, about 60 trillion fleas hitched a ride with Lucy and Sophie from Florida to Maine so I had pest control in to treat the house. We had to stay out for 5 hours and naturally it poured rain the whole time so we were pretty much confined to the car. Then, I took them down to Animal House for baths. Now neither one is speaking to me.

P.O.'d

I can't hear you  . . .  la la la la la

In the midst of all this, for my sanity, I made this huge beach bag. Love it!  And I whipped up three more little make up bags for my friend's salon.

Hey, if I can sew, I'm happy. Yay!  

Ok, back to vacuuming up fleas and mouse poop. Such a glamorous life I lead . . .

Addendum

Rescuing the dock:

The wind howled all night long and the Lake continues to be full of whitecaps. It is not yet 40 degrees. Ahhhhhh, springtime in Maine!

The wind is a steady 50 right now - I've never seen it quite this bad. Coming right at me. When we left this morning, the Lake was like a mirror, like the picture from yesterday. When I got home this afternoon, this was what I saw.

 And, it has gone from bad to worse so that now the dock is breaking up on my shore. I called Chris and now he's gone home to get his chest waders and look for some help and then they're coming back to try to salvage what hasn't been pounded to pieces.

 I was just talking to him about trying to sell this dock and get a new one. I guess my dock heard me, told the wind and waves, and now it's out to teach me a lesson. Ha!

At least the sun is poking it's head out and the wind should die down at dusk. Well, it should. As Roseann Roseannadanna says, IT'S ALWAYS SOMETHIN'!

* * *

I want to give a shout out to my brilliant genius of a nephew, Nat today. He successfully defended his thesis this week. Yay Nat! You rock!

Lizzie Alone but not lonely

I went out before sunrise this morning to greet the dawn. The loon was there ahead of me.

Today marks the one year anniversary of my divorce. The day I had to go in front of a judge and swear my marriage was irretrievably broken. It certainly was, wasn't it? The problem was, nobody told me it was and I had to find out the hard way. That's what happens when a man is a coward and a liar. And I truly believe that most of them are.

I've been reading Elizabeth Berg and I agree with her character who says, I think you should love your children - that is necessary because otherwise you might kill them. But to love a man? It's highly overrated and I think it's too hard and will never ever do it again.

When I got home, I was sad to see the low level of the Lake, my brown grass and the little creek next to my house a mere trickle. Not any more! Not after the nor'easter that whipped through in the last few days.

Look at the mere trickle now! There's Lucy in the foreground in camo.  The sun is showing itself today so I say, Let the greening begin.

I felt a kinship with my Grandmommy today when I used her little hatchet to hack away the tree that trapped me and the girls yesterday. So, yeah a chainsaw might have been more effective but I got to spend some time in my head with Grandmommy and at least I can get by it now. My mom gave me the hatchet years ago for Christmas and I still keep the note she wrote me in the little case with it.

So, still feeling a bit at lose ends when I got up this morning, I realized what my problem was. I have not been sewing. Doh - head slap! So, Miss Elna and I went to work on this cute oilcloth beach bag that Sarah asked me to make for Genevieve. I ended up liking the lining better than the outside but it is still cute.

The little straps should allow her to carry it over her shoulder.

Soup for lunch and back to unpacking and then out and about to the grocery store. Because I can. Thanks to ME! Yay!

Sitting on my bed, too tired to even go and get my camera to get the pictures off it tonight but wanted to check in - I think because I am so completely cut off right now. I decided to go out this morning early to do some errands but there is a tree across the road. I tried to move it but it is a big huge live tree and I can't get around it and I can't move it. Went back with some clippers and my saw and my trusty little hatchet and I can almost creep around it now. Tomorrow I'll work on it a little more and I should be able to get out. It made me realize that the girls and I are the only ones here - feels like the end of the universe.

So, this is how big the tree feels but it isn't really.
Oh, and that guy is not in my road either. haha

I've unpacked the car and the rooftop carrier and have been unpacking my stuff and trying to find places for it all in my little cottage, making separate piles for the consignment shop, the thrift store and storage. I've got way too much.
At times I pride myself on being so self sufficient but pride goeth before a fall and today my neck hurts, my back hurts, I think I need to find out how to replace the works inside my toilet because it keeps running and there is mouse poop all over the place (like my underwear drawer!) in spite of (or maybe because of) the poison I put out when I left last Fall. Very discouraging.
Things will be better in the morning.
So thankful to have the internet here. My little connection to the rest of the world.
Going to take half a sleeping pill and listen to Deva Premal - and the loons of course.

My last night on the road at Extended Stay America or something like that (more like Excruciating Stay America) in Manchester, Connecticut.

road weary travelers

 I am pretty sure this is where they removed bloodstains from the murder and patched the carpet.

wacko

driving in to Maine - woohoo!

Home!

Maine is in a drought and I've never seen the Lake at such a low level or the grass so brown. We're supposed to have rain for the next three days though so happy about that. It's nice to be home and this morning I got up and fed the dogs and let them out and went back to my bed for 2 hours. Heaven.

Holy Crapoli!!

Ok, first and foremost I have to tell you what happened when I went to the liquor store today. OMG. So, I go in to buy some wine for cocktail hour tonight and I look up at the blackboard behind the cashier and it says “Seniors 55+ get 10% off on Tuesdays.”  Seniors. 55 years of age. Seniors. Excuse me? I am 55. I am not a senior! Hello? So I say to the guy behind the counter. Excuse me? I am 55. I am a senior?? He says, you’re not a senior! (My brain works furiously, lie about my age and lose the deal or admit that yes I AM a senior and get the discount. Well, of course I have to go for the deal. Ha.) So, I say do you want to see my ID? And, he says I can tell you’re not a senior but you don’t have to show me your ID.  Hmmmmm. Liar. I’m telling you, it was traumatic!

So anyhoo, Stacy came over last night and we cooked steak on the grill with charcoal briquettes which I don’t think I’ve done before. It took a while to get going but it worked out great and I had a good I am woman hear me roar moment. Yay for us. This morning we went to Frederick, MD and went shopping. Fave shop: The Muse. Shout out! Great little shop with handmade gifty things. I think my oilcloth stuff would sell really well there. Look what I bought for my cottage. I’m going to put it on the front door:

We went to the historic part of Frederick. Super nice old brick row houses and lots of antique shops. There are trompe l’oeil paintings everywhere. On bridges, the sides of buildings, alleyways. Here is one:

Bet you can’t tell what windows are real . . .  We had a wonderful fresh local organic lunch at The Orchard on Market St. and then sinned at The Candy Kitchen. I have enough food left over for the road tomorrow and the next day.

The girls were happy to see us and we had another nice long walk so Sophie could find a muddy place in the creek to make a real hot mess of herself. Oy vey – what else is new. Pleasantly tired now and a little neighborhood bear was kind enough to stop in and give Stacy a foot massage. Sweet!

We’ll be having a fire tonight because the temps will be in the 40’s here and I am LOVING IT!

I title this next picture The Bad Influence!

And, if you want to see what a senior actually looks like, here she is.

Too funny.

My affirmation from Louise Hay for yesterday was “I have the ability to embrace all of Life’s experiences.”

Another long day of driving but on smaller roads so it was quite pleasant and the 8 plus  hours went by fast. I got the heck out of dodge at daybreak before the bedbugs could claim me as their own, got out of the Carolinas (whew) through Virginia and West Virginia and have landed at a little cabin in the Middle of Nowhere, Maryland. Very rustic, cute and guess what? NO HEADS!  Yay!  

The girls are happy; there is a little creek running by and we’ve spotted a doe and a fawn. Sophie looked absolutely stunned when she put her feet in the creek. A little cooler than she’s used to. We needed a long walk in the woods and came across a few unexpected items. Check it out.

My friend Stacy is coming tonight for our now traditional shopping/eating/talking break from the road visit. I don’t have internet out here so will post this tomorrow in town.

Survived the long slog of a second day on the road, only to find ourselves in a piece of crap La Quinta and if it doesn't have bed bugs, I'll put a knitting needle in my eye, that's how sure I am. If we hadn't spent 8+ hours in the car today, we would have slept in it. Got lucky yesterday and stayed in Palm Coast, land of the bluehairs, but very upscale bluehairs. This was the view from my window at the Days Inn last night. woohoo. And, compared with tonight, that was a paradise. (I am so spoiled, I know)

 Found an abandoned RV park just over the Georgia border so we stretched our legs for a bit.

 Here are the bug infested (I'm sure) beds. Look at the base - it's peeling plastic. Gross! I NEED AN RV. I AM SHOUTING. CAN SOMEONE PLEASE BUY ME AN RV? I would like a new one please.

So, I've said it before and I'll say it again. I. Hate.The. South. These are not my people. I was so hungry and finally pulled off 95 in South Carolina at a Burger King. Trust me, I thought it was the best choice - the others were Huddle House (don't know what that is and don't want to-scary looking) and Shoney's (been there once-gross-never again.) So, I go in and someone with a nametag that reads "Starshay" is serving trays piled high with burgers and fries and onion rings, etc. to gargantuan relatives of the pillsbury doughboy that spoke as though they had marbles in their mouths and were arguing over who was going to fill the extra large drink cups with coke (because the frozen snoothie-like machine was out of order!!!) . holy crap. I got out of there (they might have said I "hightailed it outa thayah."  haha
So, wish me luck tonight - with no place for the girls to run and the yucky room, happy to say we'll be making an early exit.
Zoiks!

Addendum: I read this over a few hours after the fact and it sounds so negative. I am just tired and feeling a bit well, sarcastic, maybe? The girls and I are fine and will feel much better once we're in yankee territory.  :)   I cannot deny that it is tough doing what my husband and I always did together - especially the packing and lifting part. And the driving part. And the doggie care part. And and and  But, really I am so much better off without that son of a bitch and the girls and I are just fine - REALLY!

Greetings from Palm Coast tonight

So, allow me to catch you up on my busy little life. We last spoke on Sunday and here you see brunch at Snappers (aka Our Lady of Perpetual Mimosas) It was a windy warm gorgeous day on the ocean.   I will miss you, my friends.

My beloved Lu and Tom (see you in Maine!)

Mick and Ellie, my Sunday brunch mates, love them.

And the beauteous Janene. Look how sweet she is! 

* * *

Ok, so Monday after work, I started packing up. Moving all of my STUFF to the garage and Tuesday, Happy Hour at Bayside with the gang from water aerobics. Could not miss that - no way. Such a bunch of lovely people. Lucky me to know them. 

Wednesday, Johnson (yes that is his first name - last name, Vargas) came over to help me move my stuff up to Florida City to storage. Here he is hard at work. He is a great kid, funny and strong. I was able to go down a size at the storage place so I continue to sell and give away my STUFF but these things take time . . . Johnson and I moved everything out of the garage and in to the storage space in only 3 hours - so thankful for him (and his truck) moving all of the heavy stuff - especially my buddha head which weighs oh, about 3 tons. I moved the wimpy stuff.

Then, Thursday and Friday, packed up everything to go to Maine, extremely judiciously as the little princesses need to have the whole of the back of the car for their beds. I canceled a sunset cruise as I had to take a box - only one - to UPS to send to myself in Maine, and a huge bag of stuff I either forgot to move to storage or couldn't fit in my car to Gloria's shed (thank you thank you thank you I love you Gloria!) And, my three sweet friends came over last night to celebrate another fabulous winter.

the lovely Katrina (I forgive her for bringing some really disgusting wine)

The two musketeers, Sue and Florence

And, I have to say OMG!!!!! Florence brought over caviar with chopped hard boiled egg, onion, lemon and sour cream. My FAVE. I have not had it since my husband left and oh the memories. So wonderful of Florence. And, as I am always trying to do, erases the memory of him and makes a new one in it's place. A lovely new memory of friends and food and wine and laughs and love and CAVIAR! 

I'm on the road again . . .