Maine

After reasonably recovering from our 11 hour trip home (thoughtfully broken into 2 days), I have time to think about what I like so much in Maine. My parents house, it's goregeous. Still a work in progress, but amazing. Giant windows overlooking the ever-changing bay. Who could get tired of that view? The gardens. Again, amazing. My Mom's hard work and talent (of course, made possible with help from my Dad too) really shows. There is a saying they use to describe Maine- The way life should be. I agree. You should be able to hang laundry, walk a few feet to pick blueberries, then eat them while watching the bay. While sitting on my Dad's amazing creation from wood - a bench, table, even the cabinetry inside the house. Yes, now that my parents are free of children, they have been able to do amazing things. Which is how life should be. What don't I like about Maine? Hmmmmm..... the sheer overwhelming scope of poverty. It's so in your face almost everywhere you look. The bugs. Oh my gosh, it must be the reason why Maine is still so rugged and rural. The short summer season. Yet, the short summer season only seems to multiply the number of gardens you see. Yes, there are so many people with flower gardens. Not the maincured grass and shrub lawns from New Jersey. Wild, beautiful gardens peeking out of wild, unclipped bushes. Climbing out of windowboxes. As if people truly relish the summer and celebrate with flowers. Yes, the way life should be.

August

I'm not really sure what August ever did to me, but I really don't like August. Sure, there are some good things happening in August like my brother's birthday, my parent's anniversary, and typically a vacation. My garden is pretty happy, with tomatoes coming in and cucumbers galore. But... I guess it's just that September is looming. All of a sudden, the kids are tired of swimming. The baskets of flowers in the pool even seem... leggy and spent. The thing I dislike the most about August is the shrinking amount of sunlight. In July the sun would greet me in the morning when my alarm clock went off at 4:50, and it bid me good night around 9pm. Now when I wake up, I have to turn the lights on outside to let the dogs out. It's dark around 8:00, just when I would like to have quiet time in the garden. I can't sit out on the back patio in my springey chair and chat on the phone.

I guess it isn't all bad... after all, September is around the corner. My jeans will be out of the drawer soon (and fitting much better after months at the gym). Sweaters will emerge from the cedar chest, and best of all... time for boots!!!

Dogs

Dogs really are a mans best friend. They bring laughter when you need it, and will do anything to protect their families. I love my Diesel. Not only does he run like a gazelle, he's now the neighborhood super pest control hero. Not too long ago, he beat a squirrel from a neighbor's living room to the tree. Deftly, he picked it up in his mouth mid-chase. With two simple, quick flips side to side, he killed it and flopped it on the ground as if to say "so, what was the problem here?". My neighbors happily rewarded him with a GIANT box of GIANT sized dog biscuits. With a measly squirrel under his belt, Diesel was up to the next challenge. Little did we realize the next challenge would be bigger than him! We let him outside after eating breakfast at 5:15 (did I mention we are early risers?) and he started barking and barking. Very unusual for "D" to do that. So Mike heads out in his boxer briefs and a flashlight to see what's up. What's up was a 250 pound bear in the next door neighbor's driveway happily munching on garbage! Mike gave him one "go get it" command and off went the 100 lb. gazelle. I think he picked up so much speed, expecting the bear to run like the squirrel. Only the bear was engrossed in the garbage, head almost buried in the can. Diesel ended up body slamming the bear! He chased the bear all the way down the street, into the cul de sac and then the woods as if to say enough! You were much too close to my family! Yes, we are proud of you D-man. And we need to re-focus you from bears to the gopher hole up by the compost pile!