I'm back and inspired - I'm painting like crazy - here are a few!

This one's called Thursday's dinner. There were a billion art galleries in Provincetown and I made Donna go into each one.....so inspiring. The styles were all over the place but I really liked the loose, colorful ones and once I got home, I couldn't stop!

ooops - sorry. I'll have to call this one "tipsy tulips!"

A self portrait.....

And home sweet home - the sunset over Cobscook Bay from Lubec Friday night.....this one needs no explanation.

More vacation photos tomorrow! But suffice it to say: I HAD A BALL!!!

and she's off!

Won't be posting for a little bit - BFF Donna and I are heading to Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard for a week's VERY NEEDED vacation.....I'm sure I'll have adventures to share when I return!

sad news...Bob the Builder has gone away.

The floor project has officially been halted....to be picked up at a later date.
He got about 1/2 of the floor sanded and his son became desperately ill. Something to do with breathing - oh yeah, that's important.
I told him I was not FIRING him but rather POSTPONING the whole job. He picked up his gear, I've been clearing out the sawdust and putting furniture back in.

We'll try again when I get back from vacation...oh did I not tell you?
BFF Donna and I are headed to Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard on Sunday morning! WAHOO!

I'd like you to meet Chico.

He's a little man with a VERY big temper....he moved into my yard a couple of days ago and has harrassed my poor dog ever since. He is Fearless and chitters at all who come and go: the dog, me, the mourning doves, the gray squirrels.

Saturday he tried to move into the bat box but the little slots are WAY too small for him!

I wish my floor sanding guy had as much energy as Chico - If he did, he would be done by now. Unfortunately, Bob the Builder disappears more than he sands. He is only about 1/4 done and he started Friday. He comes late, leaves for lunch, leaves early....you get the picture. Yesterday he claimed he didn't feel well. Today he has only been here two hours.

Normally I wouldn't care - I'm paying him for the job, not by the hour, and the floor is starting to look amazing.
But I'm expecting special company and I'm starting to panic.
I leave Friday for vacation on Cape Cod with BFF Donna and my special company is coming the next Thursday - the same day I'm coming home.
That means that everything - furniture, drapes, art - has to be back in place BEFORE I leave. And THAT means that I have to get all the sawdust off walls, ceiling, brickwork.......yuk...before I get to put everything back where it goes.

So, the bottom line is that the final coat of poly needs to be down by Thursday noon at the latest! Backing up, if the first coat goes on Wednesday noon, it means he must be done sanding by Wednesday mid-morning, Tuesday would be better.

I'll keep you posted....I may end up hiring Chico to finish the job.

It is not going well...

The floor, that is.
Bob the floor sander has been in and out all day (more out than in, actually). He's having a really hard time with the floor. It seems the brilliant former owners put tiles (which I removed, one by one) over the wood floor without sealing it. That means that the tile adhesive has been absorbed into the wood. As he sands, the glue gums up his sandpaper. He has gone through a TON of sandpaper and has only completed about one fifth of the floor - which looks amazing, by the way.

This is his first day:
He arrived at 11 a.m.
He left to get a different sander.
He went to lunch.
He went to get more paper.
He left at 2:30 p.m. for an appointment.
He might be back later.

I'm discouraged.

What a disaster around here!

This is my kitchen - chuck full of living room furniture. My bedroom is full of art and lamps and the spare room is all aclutter with odd chairs and ottomans. And why, you ask?

Because a lovely young man named Bob is coming in the morning to sand my living room floor!
WAHOO! I have been waiting more than a year for this and I cannot wait to see it done.

I got a jump on things this morning (before breakfast!) and sanded my nice deep windowsills - look at the difference! The finish was reallybrittle and so it came off quite easily. In some places, however, I had to sand a bit deeper to remove cat scratch marks. But once they are poly'd they will be lovely.


So cleaning up all this will take me days - a week? But it will be so worth it. One more project I can cross off my list! I promise to show off the finished floor with pictures....

And speaking of pictures, I'm working on a really different art project. Lubec is hosting a contest this summer for art made with ocean debris. I've been beach combing for weeks and a have a pile of "sea trash" that I'm working with - ropes, plastic jugs, metal pans, bait bags, lobster elastics, an orange buoy, crockery and sea glass.

I'm going to document the process and will put up the pics when it is done. I think you are going to like this one!

back from my trip to Connecticut....

well, that was an emotional roller coaster - too complicated and personal to delve into here but suffice it to say that the next month is going to be incredibly hard for my family. Sorry I can't provide too many details but please keep my heart in your thoughts - it feels a bit broken right now.

My new granddaughter is beautiful - Arianna, nicknamed Ri, is a sweetheart. She is a quiet crier right now (I bet she gets some powerful lungs soon, though) and has wonderful coloring. Her mother says she is a good baby, a good eater and a good sleeper. She has deep dark eyes and dark black hair and the softest skin imaginable. Holding her, my second oldest son's child, was like holding my past and my future at the same time.

Usually it is hard to see everyone when we head to CT - lots of family and friends around - but we went to a lovely wedding shower for my niece on Saturday and got to see some special kin. Just a few raindrops and a soft breeze at the shower but discovered major storm damage as we drove just to the next town to my son's home. Trees were down everywhere: across roads, on power lines, into houses. It was a microburst, not a tornado, and luckily my son only lost one very large branch which crashed down on top of his rose arbor.

Most of my family came to my son's home on Sunday: my sisters, brother, nieces and nephews, and all their special people....it was really fun and so fulfilling to see them all....it always seems like too much time goes by between visits. I won't see any of them now until August. StinkyPooPooCaCa.....I hate this distance between us.

The trip home was LOOOOOONG - we left CT at 9 a.m. Monday and got home to Machias in time for supper. Kiley was amazing - have you ever tried to make a 7-hour trip (not counting any pit stops) with a two-year old in the midst of potty training???!!!! She was great - hardly complained and ate everything we could feed her... my car has more crumbs, broken crackers, spilled juice, than you could imagine. And we learned that "I'm bringing home a baby bumblebee" can indeed be sung 23 times in a row....................

another new start...

it seems as though there are a lot of changes under way here. I became a grandmother again on Saturday with the birth of Arianna Eilzabeth Masse Marinone. She is beautiful, 7 pounds, 13 ounces, and I hope to meet her this weekend when my daughter, granddaughter Kiley and I head to Connecticut for a wedding shower. My heart soars with the possibilities for this sweet bundle.

But this is also such a heartbreak.
My son and the baby's mother, Chris, are not together. I do not know Chris - I only met her once - and I understand that her financial situation is dire. It breaks my heart but I know that she cannot rely on my son, Mark, for assistance of any kind. What is this baby's future, I wonder. How much of a role will Chris allow the rest of Mark's family to play in her life.....
I am terrified that I will not get to know this baby girl nor will she get to know me and mine.
This baby has four uncles, four aunties, and several grandparents, two half-brothers and cousins, that are ready willing and able to shower her with love.
Well, today I will make contact and hopefully begin to build a bridge of love to that sweet baby.

I also start today with a new editor. I am broken-hearted that I have lost the editor that I had been working with for the past three years. This new journey will be interesting...

I also start a new resolution to only work my assigned hours. No more 12-14 hour days. No more working on my day off and my weekend off. ha....this one I'll have some real trouble with....

the view from the dike.....

On the way home from a meeting in Calais last night, Mother Nature really embraced me. In Baring, at the Moosehorn Wildlife Refuge, a male bald eagle kept me company for a bit - sailing along, white tail feathers spread, headed to his nest...
In the Meddybemps area and then again around Cooper, small herds of deer were in the fields - their coats were all shaggy from their winter shedding and the bright red of their summer colors were shining through.
With the windows open, I could smell the apples blossoms and the lilac bushes, heavy with flower cones.
I even stopped to take a picture of bee hives in a blueberry field and the quiet sounds of the evening were so soothing.
As I drove into Machias, the picture above is what greeted me from the dike. The dike protects the Middle River (in the pic) from the salt water of Machias Bay, and nearly every summer day it becomes a place of commerce - a living breathing flea market. From one end to the other, vendors stretch along the parking area on the fresh water side selling flowers, fish, antiques, junk, wooden Adirondack chairs, handmade toys and a thousand other bits.
If you stand at the dike and look west in the evening, this is your view.
Turn around at dawn and there is a similar postcard picture of the dawn.
ahhhhhhhhh.....

The feeling is amazing when I take a risk...

At first it is almost unthinkable. I weigh the pros and cons. I have a little argument with myself about the worth of the risk. I feel alternately giddy and terrified.
And then I decide to go for it, and it becomes very, very scary - putting myself out there, opening myself up to rejection. I think we are all just like Sally Fields, seeking validation: "You like me! You really like me!"
When it is my art I am risking, it's like putting a piece of myself out there, a little bit of my soul, a little chunk of who I am. My art is what I am on the INSIDE - the part I too often keep hidden. A reflection of both the joy and pain in my life; it's my heart.

And so, at precisely 9:12 a.m. this morning, I did it.
I entered three pieces of my art in a JURIED art show and - can you hear the chorus of angels singing Hallelujah? - they were accepted!!!
WAHOOOOOO!!! I gambled, I risked, I took a chance, I walked the tightrope and didn't fall!!
I have never entered a juried event before and really was on pins and needles all day. This was a BIG stretch for me. I even put the paintings in my car last night so I wouldn't chicken out.
But then, pulling into the arts center parking lot this morning, I felt waves of nerves again. Two of the paintings were VERY large and I thought possibly - with limited space at the center - they might be too large. Then I thought they might not fit the theme of spring. Then I thought the colors might be too bright. Or too dark. Or....whatever, just not right somehow.
Then I caught sight of some of the other entries and my heart really sank. Boy there are some AMAZING, let me say it again, AMAZING artists in Eastport....
I dropped them off in Eastport at the Eastport Arts Center - They will be part of the EAC's Festival of the Arts - Rite of Spring. A reception will be held this Friday and the show runs until June 26.
Are you proud of me? I am feeling quite full of myself this evening ...
Now we'll have to see if I have enough courage to go to the reception......deep breaths, Sharon. Listen to your mother - "Nothing ventured, nothing gained" - and go for it! And most importantly, what should I wear?

P.S. For those of you who are interested and familiar with my paintings, I submitted "My Grandmother's Dresses," "Forget Me Nots," and "Ghosts of Herring (a version similar to the one Russ and Lyn bought last fall.)"

I haven't forgotten you , dear readers...honestly.

I just have been working so hard and long that I have been in a spin. I promise a post tomorrow....tomorrow...tomorrow.

Another whirlwind weekend! Woot! Woot!

What a great weekend - I feel like I was immersed and drowned in love and friendship!

My bff Donna hosted a girls' gathering Friday night, and there my best friends were: sitting cross-legged on couches with a bit of food and plenty of wine. There is such depth of conversation and laughter when women who have known each other for decades relax in each other's company. Many of us were young mothers, or younger mothers, when we first met and now, all our children are grown and gone. Graduations have been held. Weddings celebrated. Grandchildren adored.

When we gather, we don't have to explain ourselves. Our history is a shared one. We have cried together, laughed as one, and as the years rolled by, almost became one. One unit: the Goddesses. When my children were little, there was a list of the Goddesses and their phone numbers on the fridge - they were instructed to call any one of them if they couldn't find me. What better example of total trust and faith is there than to hand over your childrens' well being to another woman?

We stayed too long and talked too late...but it was wonderfully spectacular.

But the joy and laughter wasn't over - not by a long shot. On Saturday morning, three of us headed out to Belfast for a bit of retail therapy and art appreciation....that was after a fabulous pedicure early Saturday (that was sort of ruined when the pedicurist talked all about politics when all I wanted was to loll my head back and revel in the feeling of the massage, whirlpool and lotions)..... Lots of art and beautiful things at Belfast and a lovely lunch.

Saturday night we celebrated a 25th anniversary at a local golf course clubhouse....good stories around the table with true friends. I got to see LOTS of people that I haven't seen in months and even learned there are exploding lakes in Cameroon, Africa. (WHO KNEW??)
Sunday morning Donna treated me with homemade, steaming popovers with raspberry jam...how lovely is that! And after church, my dear friends the Burgesses gave me all the innards to a piano: a bucket of ivory and ebony keys and the wonderful hammers and wires and STUFF - I can't imagine the assemblage art I can make with this!!! YAHOO!!! The whole weekend was topped off with a great visit with my son, daughter-in-law and baby Karlin (who is trying to sit up all by himself already!!)
The usually boring ride home along Route 9 was filled with thoughts of art and those piano guts: ideas are swirling, fueled by some fabulous pieces I saw recently at the Bangor Art Museum. I can't wait to get started...

So, back to reality today but carrying a bit of that cloud of love with me. Thank you my friends, for filling my heart and spirit and letting me know - with words and hugs and conversation and laughter and buckets of piano innards - that you care about me. Because I sure care about you. Margaret said Sunday morning that we don't say it often enough - so here, to you, my dearest ones: I LOVE YOU!

Oh Good Lord, I think I'm a JUNKIE!

I have been suffering from serious allergy issues this past week - for the first time in my life - and yesterday I finally gave in and bought Zyrtec. I was really afraid it was going to make me sleepy...

WELLLLLLL

I cleaned my office, that means moving five pieces of furniture and 7,000 cans and bottles of paint, swept and vacuumed the entire house, fed and washed and walked the dog, hauled an 8 x 10 rug out to the clothesline and washed and rinsed it with the hose, did a load of wash, dried the load of wash, wrote two stories ......

all in 30 minutes.

What an effect that medication had on me - it's like I'm a hopped up, buzzed out, meth head. I can't move fast enough, I can't think fast enough. I think I could get addicted to this - what are the symptoms?
I took one of the pills last evening and was worried that I wouldn't sleep - Ha Ha and another Ha - I slept like the dead, but had the most vivid of dreams.
In the last one I remember, I was a master carpenter and was building my dream house; literally building it myself, showing others how to raise the walls, put in the plumbing, electrify it. I was strangely competent in this dream and very, I say VERY attractive. (After all, it was MY dream!)
There were three horses living in the kitchen and a boy I went to high school with (and haven't seen since 1966) was the foreman. He was tiling the kitchen ceiling with floor tiles and told me that it would be easier to clean.
Richard Nixon kept coming by and I kept throwing him out - he was pretending he was the code enforcement inspector. PALEEEEEEZ! Nixon? Following the rules?
Ella Grasso, who was the governor of Connecticut once, was installing my hot tub but the "Don't Squeeze the Charmin" man (whoever he is) was already inside it!!!
I cannot wait to turn my brain on again tonight...

Today is my 350th post....can you imagine?

and I'm completely at a loss for some superb, pithy remarks. So I've sent you this tree. That's my shoe, out there in front, to give you some perspective on its size. Remember, my shoe is an enormous size 10. Can you imagine all that tree has witnessed? It sits next to a house built in 1883 which sits on the shore of the Saint Croix River in Calais. Today the view is lovely - soft green trees rolling down to the river's edge. Trails and red beaches. When the house was built, though, it was surrounded by quarries and factories that sold the stunning red granite of the area (it puts that pale pink Acadian granite to shame for depth of color.)
When you look at the history that must have surrounded and unfolded around that tree, it really puts my pitiful blog to shame, doesn't it? Not to mention that my shoe isn't looking all that hot either.

But, it is the 350th anniversary of me getting mouthy, so I'll offer this....

Before the sun had even cracked the dawn, I was awakened at 4 a.m. by a dog - not mine, one that I'm dog-sitting for someone else = Duke, a fat, tongue-lolling, black pug with a MASSIVE underbite - who was apparently spooked by some passing deer.

When the visiting dog barked, I jumped out of my sleep, scaring the hell out of my dog, who jumped off my bed, landed in her dish of water and began barking at the visiting dog.

Duke, apparently a bit disorientated by it all, ran headlong into the wall.

My dog sat down and just looked at him.

Of course, we were all having breakfast by 4:30 a.m. and now I'm ready for a nap. I hope the mutts are too. Out under that tree would be a fine place for a snooze...

Kiley's party - for the second time around! And the latest cupcake trial:

Of course there were cupcakes - Faye's friend Amanda made little cupcakes with sugar pictures of Kiley's face on top! Faye offered a little craft - painting sailor caps. They loved it!
The guests were all from Kiley's day care at the University of Maine. There is Reilly, a tiny little girl, Jamal, Kiley's best friend, and Luke, Reilly's sister. Judah came a little late and was a bit young for this project.

Jamal is surrounded by bubbles - the hit of the party! Jamal is Kiley's best, best friend and she was ecstatic to have him at her home. "This is Kiley's house!" she kept shouting to him.

And Kiley couldn't get enough of the bubbles herself!

And discovering she actually had pockets was a sure highlight of the day!


The perfect cupcake quest continues....This weekend I made Twinkee cupcakes. They were wonderful but didn't taste like Twinkees. The filling was near perfect but the recipe called for using a pound cake recipe and gently lifting in four whipped egg whites. Sounds like it would be light and spongy but it wasn't - it was heavy like pound cake. It was a good cupcake but not what I was going for.

This coming weekend I'm going to try Hostess cupcakes - filling, chocolate smooth frosting and the little squiggle. I'll keep you posted.
Today I head to St. Croix National Park in Calais, where they are building a new rangers' station. It is not too bad out but it is overcast - if I'm headed to the sea I am selfish enough to also want the sun! And tonight there is a free concert at the university by the Town Band, a group of local folks who play Americana-type music. Should be a hoot! Wanna come?

The bbq recipe, as requested:

Here is the sauce I ended up with last year:

1/2 to 3/4s cup Jack Daniels
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 c ketchup
1/3 c vinegar
3 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1/2 c brown sugar
3/4 c molasses
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tbsp salt
1/4 c tomato paste
1 tsp liquid smoke
1/2 tsp hot sauce
You can add a little cayenne powder to taste for a little kick.

Cook it for several hours on very low heat, allowing it to thicken it up. It is best to make the day before you are going to use it, refrigerate it and allow the flavors to meld together. It is so much better the next day.

Enjoy - and if you try it, let me know if you liked it!

It's going to be a cupcake summer.

This one is a Chai Spice cupcake (sorry it is out of focus) - which tasted wonderful! I just substituted a cup of VERY strong Chai tea for the water in a spice cake recipe. It has cream cheese frosting with cinnamon sugar and vanilla crunchies....
Every summer I pick a food challenge for myself. Two years ago it was 1950s cocktails (Boy was THAT a fun summer!) Last year it was barbecue sauce, and this year it is cupcakes and salad dressing. So far I've only been concentrating on the cupcakes while waiting for local spring greens to be available.
At Kiley's birthday celebration last week, it was a cupcake bonanza: white frosting, cream cheese frosting, spicey Chai cakes and Red Velvet, lots of sprinkles and decorations. Kids (and all the adults) love cupcakes!
I made minis for the kids and big ones for the adults, but I kept catching grown ups popping the minis in. Check out the little cupcake plates I got at TJMaxx a couple weeks ago - some are shapped like cakes and then there are the sweet ones with ruffled edges...I Love Them!

When we weren't eating cupcakes or lobster or other stuff, we played in the back yard. Here is a shot of half of my kids. There is (from left) my son Russell and his sweetie Taryn, Kiley, my daughter Faye and her husband Matt, my son Daniel, Karlin and Daniel's wife Amanda. What a group! There are three children and their spouses/others that are missing....one of these days we will all be together - but I'll need a very wide lens to fit them all in the picture!

This was Karlin's first trip Down East and Kiley was so happy to have him here (not to mention how happy this grandmother was!) He is absolutely precious and Kiley is so sweet with him.

It was hard to say goodbye to Russ and Taryn (it always is so heart wrenching.) I don't think we'll get to see them again until a family wedding this summer. I love them both so much.... They got back to Bayonne all in one piece after a fun stop in Freeport for a bit of shopping.

So, is anyone willing to share their absolutely favorite homemade salad dressing recipe? I'll keep everyone posted....this weekend I'm going to try making Twinkee cupcakes, complete with a good filling. I'll share...bonfire is at 7 p.m. Saturday night!

Work, work, and more work...

I've been working so hard this week, attempting to bank a couple of stories so I'll have some free time next weekend - half of my kids are heading up here to celebrate a birthday. We're planning a little cookout and probably at least one outing to the beach - depending on weather.
Oh - I should disclose that one of my stories was at a distillery and I was sipping raw rum at 10 a.m. in the morning.......it was so strong that my lips tingled all day! WHEW!

Not only will that be a special weekend, but on Thursday I'm headed to: first, a writers' workshop at the NEWS (that should be fun), and second, an art opening at the Bangor Art Museum. My friend Hazel, who is an extraordinary artist, took some pictures while on a windjammer cruise and one of them is being used in the museum. It has been reproduced in large format - 4 feet long - and shows a pod of whales swimming in a circle with lots of lot reflecting off the sea. It is beautiful! She is from UK and is so much fun that I know she'll make the evening memorable! A group of friends from central Maine will be on hand and we plan on going out to dinner afterwards. I smell an adventure!

I'll stay the night in Bangor - I learned my lesson last year trying to drive home at 10 p.m. after the American Folk Festival.
There were parts of my (2 hours) ride home that night that I don't really remember....it is so rural with no streetlights...incredibly exhausting. So I'll spend the night at the Charles Hotel (so 1920's-ish) and head back Friday morning.

I have Fri. off from work so I'll spend the day cooking and baking (red velvet mini-cupcakes and chai large cupcakes) and waiting for Russell and Taryn to arrive. They will be coming from Bayonne, New Jersey, and will be the first to arrive. Danny and Amanda and Karlin will arrive Saturday.

It sort of feels like Christmas around here, the anticipation is so thick in the air. I am unbelievably excited. We get this visit from R & T just once a year and it always seems like it is over before it begins. They are city kids - living where dinner gets delivered to the door every night, subway is the main mode of travel, ALL the women wear stillettos and ALL the men Italian leather shoes....but I know that Russ feels his roots when he is here. He's a pig farmer's son, after all, who was raised with fields and woods and a river in his backyard. He jumped from the loft of the barn, climbed the trees in the yard and raced snowmobiles through the field. He always comments on the quiet and the incredible number of stars when he is here....I miss him so and always have the sense that something is amiss in my life...like I've misplaced something, or forgotten to do something, or can't remember a key appointment.

And then I remember that it is Russ, my big laughing Russ, whose hugs are something to remember and whose humor kept our whole family going through some dark times. It is Russ that is missing. My Big Russ, BRussell sprouts, the Bus, Muscle Rack, number 77....I'll be holding my breath until Friday, and baking with my heart, not my hands.

It's 11 p.m. and I'm just finishing work....

But I wanted to share some pictures with you before I crash...sweet daffodils in the window. Can you believe how early spring is this year? I've seen green grass, the peep frogs are shouting and all the trees are in bud - I love it! And speaking of love.... look at my grandson Karlin being held by his daddy Danny. Isn't that the most beautiful boy (both of them, I think!) Karlin is five months old now and growing like a weed - Amanda said he outgrew all his clothes at once! I wish I lived closer - I don't get to see him nearly enough. But when he does see me, I get a great big smile every time!

It took all my strength!

But I was able to do a story today at The Ark, a no-kill animal shelter in nearby Cherryfield, and I did NOT come home with any new dogs or cats.

I tell ya - it was hard! There were wet little noses, very wiggly behinds, purring, licking, and a dozen soulful eyes looking up at me....

What a temptation! There were rat terriers, a big shepherd, a black lab, both a short and a long haired Daschund, and a woefully skinny tickhound. There were cats of every color, size and temperament.

But Emma the-dog-that-hates-water is already have a rough spring and I think I need to concentrate on her needs. She is the poster girl for allergies. Right as we speak, she is worrying a red patch on the inside of her back leg. Something bit her or she backed into a bush that her system doesn't like or it could have been a little devil floating in the air - Who knows? But I'm already heading for the drug store to stock up on children's benadryl. Does anyone know of a pet friendly lotion I can use on her belly, which is sooooooooooo dry it is flaking?

AHHHHH spring - Poor Emma.

Today I interviewed worm harvesters....

And I've never been so humbled in my life.
For three to six hours a day - sometimes twice a day - this past-middle aged couple digs in the flats (the part of the ocean revealed when the tide recedes) for worms. They spread their legs a bit and bend over, using a long-tined fork to turn over the mud and find the worms. Sometimes they are working mid-day, other times at the crack of dawn. Sometimes they have to use the headlights of their car to illuminate the mud. It all depends on the time of the tides.
They get 24 cents for each worm, which are frozen and shipped by dealers to Europe as bait or food for shrimp farms.
This couple does this back breaking work 12 months a year = snow, sleet, rain, hot sun.
When they arrived at our meeting place in their car, there were three people, a dog and their weeks' laundry in the tiny sedan. The back window was shattered out when they tried to load a sofa they found on the side of the road onto the car. The left front blinker cover had been replaced with duct tape and a plastic milk jug. They laughed about it and called the battered car their "mud buggy."
They have so little, so incredibly little, and even what they have is worn and tattered and of a quality that you or I might toss away.
Yet they are so blissfully happy doing this hard, dirty work.
"I have freedom," the woman said.
"I am my own boss," the man said.
They get to see eagles, ospreys, deer, sea life and their view "at the office" is most days breathtaking. They laugh easily and speak to each other with kindness. Recently they took $150 that was meant to fix the car and exchanged it for a small dog that was being abused.
I spent several hours with them and walked away jealous.

Not of their possessions, but of their peaceful view of life, of the world, of their values. Of the way they put their own needs secondary to a little dog that was suffering. Jealous of the simplicity of their work, of their world. Of their ability to find the beauty, the joy and the laughter in their tiny corner of Maine.

We should all be so lucky.
And so I offer a toast to Anna and Dickey, who taught me a lot more this morning than how to dig worms.

Happy Easter...There were wonderfully magical cupcakes to eat.....

Didn't I do a superb job decorating those red velvet treats?

There was unbridled joy that the Easter Bunny came and left cracker-filled eggs!

And that the shiny eggs contained chocolate!!


I left Sweet Pea Cabin this morning at 4:30 a.m. - I had to cover a sunrise service on the pier in Eastport. It was a bit foggy so we didn't actually see the sun rise, just a sort of graduated lightening from black to dark, rich periwinkle to a lovely soft light blue.
Wrote the story, sent the pictures, wrote another story, sent more than 2,000 words worth of briefs and rewritten press releases, called the 11 police departments that I need to check in with each day on the weekend, and now I'm taking the wonderful book I'm reading (The Help) and sitting in the sun in my new Adirondack chair in the back yard.

I'll probably fall asleep...Happy Holiday, everyone!

Chapter three...

Apparently this is where my adventure novel bogs down and gets really boring.....It is almost 5 p.m. and no one has set off a fire alarm, no one went to the hospital and no one crashed their car in a drunken stupor.

I'm bored now.

Chapters one and two...

Oh - before I start my story, check out my very cool new glasses! (which won't be here for two weeks.) I bought them at the coolest optician's in St. Stephen, New Brunswick. I knew you'd like them.

Anyway, back to my story...
I think my life is becoming an adventure novel.

Chapter One: Last night, I made a quick trip to the grocery store for lunchmeat and cheese and fabric softener. It ended up taking almost two hours because while I was rummaging around at the back of the store by the baked beans and spiral sliced hams, the fire alarm went off. The store had to be evacuated and then the crazy strobe lights and piercing alarm triggered seizures in a young girl and the ambulance had to be called. The fire turned out to be smoldering microwave popcorn. Isn't it always?

ChapterTwo: This afternoon on a return trip from Bangor, a drunk driver nearly rear-ended me. Then she passed me going about 70 and then I said "Ha Ha!" when she got stuck behind a dump truck. There was no more laughing, however, when she missed a curve, slid through the soft shoulder, overcorrected and crashed into a stand of trees on the other side.
Someone really does protect drunks - she was unhurt. I called the police, kept her from walking into the road every time a vehicle passed, filled out my statement and watched her get handcuffed and taken off to jail. The whole thing - mostly the waiting for the cops to arrive part - took almost two hours. Oh, and when she kept complaining that she had to pee, the officer said she could go in the bushes if she really had to so she walked in front of my car - right in plain view on the side of the road - squatted down on the shoulder and let it go. Geez. I had to absolutely agree with her when she walked over, put her arm around my shoulder and drunkenly whispered in my ear "I'm fucked."

I just can't wait for tomorrow.

Today starting off dreary and rainy.

But it brightened a bit as the morning wore on.
I had an interview in Jonesport and as I pulled into town, with the ocean to my left, fog enveloped me. The sea was a bit angry after days of storms and the scene was so incredibly beautiful: fog shrouded islands offshore, black rocks being struck by waves, white foam crashing on the beach.

I walked on the town pier for a while - arriving a bit too early for my story - and as I stood looking into the reach, at all the lobster boats, the scallop draggers and the pile of small dinghies on the dock, the sun weakly pushed its way through.
Suddenly, all at once, as if someone had snapped their fingers in a mystical magic trick, the fog vanished and the sun poured down.

The gray water turned a gorgeous blue/green. Men hanging around the pier suddenly began talking a little louder and laughing more often. Gulls wheeled and a family of ducks flew by.

It was if everything breathed a great collective sigh of relief.
Sun.
Light.
Promise.
Hope.

difficulties...

My best friend is going through the hardest time of her life.
Someone she loves deeply is dying of cancer. There will be treatments, attempts to put off the inevitable, but in the end, she will likely lose this dear person.

I brought her bread and chocolate this weekend and spent the day giving her hugs and support. What else is there to do? You can look in her face, her eyes and see the pain she is feeling.

There is no way I can make this journey easy for her - no way I can salve her pain or ease her worry. I just want her to know she is not alone and that there are arms to hold her and hearts to love her during this horrific of times.

Sunshine and horses and nice young ladies....

I worked on a story in Cherryfield this morning - and I met a wonderful woman who loves horses and children; In the barn at the stables she operates, she was surrounded by women of various ages, all grooming their Appaloosas, getting into high boots and helmets. The horses whinnied, stomped the barn floor and swished their tails. The girls giggled, passed stories back and forth, and finally walked the horses to the arena.
Around and around they went. Back and forth. Walking the horses at a canter; having them sidestep. Not a grumble. Not a complaint. Just smiles.

There is something right in the world when a young girl is riding a horse. She is tall. She pulls her shoulders back. She is confident. She is powerful. She is in control.

I wish the girls could hold that self-awareness, that confidence, always, on and OFF the horse.

Spring arrived in Washington County!

And what doesn't say spring more than a little lady with a bright bow, a lovely tutu and high tops. It doesn't get any better than this......unlessssssssss
we are talking about our "Celebrate the First Day of Spring while Kicking Winter Goodbye Right in the A..." party here at Sweet Pea Cabin and the rest of the hill on Saturday night. We had friends in for a bonfire and treats - unbelievable food. It was pot luck and I told everyone to bring their best appetizers. Well, they certainly did! We had pulled pork sliders, meatballs, hot wings, cheese fondue, at least three different kinds of MAJOR dips (cold and hot), antipasto, roasted veggies with a superb peanut sauce, a sandwich and wrap platter, the best oatmeal/raisin/walnut cookies we have ever eaten, and red velvet cupcakes.

Matt and Faye had a bonfire in their yard and we kept all the food in my kitchen so guests didn't disturb the sleeping Miss Kiley. It was a very eclectic group of guests - from a college president to teachers to artists to Coast Guard wives to retired deputy sheriffs to a fisherman to professional photographers .... very diverse. This made for fun conversation!

It was so wonderful to have a house full of friends again, even though these are NEW friends and some of them I hope will become better friends. We laughed and talked - a lot! The hole in my heart that I always seem to walk around with because I miss my OLD friends was filled a little bit. I truly felt at HOME and a part of the community. I can remember going to the grocery store a few months ago and coming home in tears because I didn't know anyone. Now, just a short time later, I can pack the house and that is a wonderful feeling.

I recognize that these new friends can NEVER replace or even match the 25-year friendships from central Maine. But that is okay, because they don't have to. These are my Down East friends: different, vibrant, intelligent and unique. It will take years for me to get to know some of these folks well but isn't that going to be a fun process? Learning about a new person - their experiences and activities that make them who they are. Like the woman I met cashiering at the grocery store who I discovered is working on her masters in special education. See what I mean? Surprises and little joys! This is all part of this new journey.

And after the wonderful time I had last night, this journey seems to be going really well!!!

Happy Spring to you all - may the sun be shining on you wherever you may be. May you peek outside and find crocus or daffodils or tulips or robins. May the length of the day inspire you to go for one more walk. And when the cool nights help you snuggle under your covers and dream, I hope your dreams make you smile in the moonlight.....

My ship has finally come in....!!!

Now isn't she beautiful - all decked out in shamrock green.....I can imagine sitting on her deck, watching a Downeast sunrise, sipping my black tea.......ahhhhhh.

I was a bit early for a meeting in Eastport this week so I took to wandering through a boat graveyard. There was something so mystical, almost other-worldly about these neglected, forgotten vessels. The was a majesty in their rust, their peeling paint, their empty decks. Who rode the waves on these boats? What did they carry - was it lobster or other seafood? Or maybe it was other cargo, people on vacation trying to get from here to there. My imagination wandered as I passed boat after boat. Empty and forgotten. Like this one - now who would feel confident sailing on a boat named "Iffy?"

Look at her wooden rudder, her tiny metal propeller...surrounded by rust and rot. Where did Iffy go? North? South? East? and where is her captain and crew....

The peeling paint and rust was sometimes as hypnotizing as the sea itself, creating patterns and swirls and whorls of beauty.

Rust buckets - what cargo did this monster hold? Tons of herring to ship to the sardine factories for canning?

The wind shreds an old tarp, once laid over this cabin to protect it from weather....

There is such beauty in this shredding paint, this peeling wood, the ravages of time.


The graveyard was quiet as the sun prepared to set. A gull would scream and then the silence would settle again, borne on a soft wind. They have served their captains well. Their crews have stormed the seas and made it safely back to port.

Rest in peace, my beauties. Rest in peace.

ah sun, oh beautiful sun

There is a stranger in my home this morning. It began as a slight glow on the horizon, strengthened as its fingers slipped through the evergreens outside my window and finally poured into the studio.

The sun has returned.

Despite the wind and snow cover, the birds are busy being merry at the feeders - chickadees, juncos, sparrows and four soft gray mourning doves this morning. Mr. and Mrs. Squirrel, who have been exhibiting a lot of hanky-panky this past week, appear to be sleeping in. Even the little bit of snow on the feeders' roofs seems to glisten as it reflects the light.

I think I actually heard the houseplants on my desk sigh.....

This gift of sun is like food or water - it refreshes me, settles me, puts an instant smile on my face. As I search myself for a feeling, I recognize hope. Winter sucks me dry, stealing my spirit and taking away all hope of better days, longer days, more sun. I feel claustrophobic, trapped by icy roads or my fear of them.

So today I am almost giddy. The sun on my face is salve for my soul. I'm traveling to Pleasant Point, the reservation at Sipyak, for an annual Polar Bear Dip (No, I am not dipping!!) and then to a shellfish meeting and ending the night at the Cobscook Community Learning Center for a music and pizza night.

For now, though. I'll sit here with my steaming coffee, sipping in the brilliant shine of the sun. Ah sun, beautiful sun.

What is going on?

It is now 3:23 a.m. and I am unable to sleep.

Sleeplessness is nothing I have ever struggled with - I'm the kinda gal who is sound asleep five minutes after I snuggle in bed. Occasionally I'll wake really early and be ready for the day, but I have no idea what is going on tonight or, I guess I should really say, this morning.

I tossed and turned for about two hours. Then I got up and walked around. Looked out the windows. Took the flashlight and checked to see if the skunk was in or out of his vacation home under my house. Watched infomercials for stuff I had no idea they even made (or that I needed so badly!) Went into the studio and primed two canvases. Sent a few emails. Studied the two new nautical charts of the Down East coastline.

Still I'm awake. WIDE awake.
So I think I'll plant some cucumber seeds and if I'm still not sleepy, I'm cleaning the refrigerator.

Anyone have any tips for a very sleepless night/morning?

furniture revealed...

Emma has already claimed her favorite spot on the back of the couch - I need your feedback on this room. I'm getting the floor sanded and refinished. Do you think I should stay light? or go dark?

Here's the loveseat and the odd chair. Both are soooooooo comfy!

This sort of shows the whole room - t.v. is off camera to the left, and the furniture company is still searching for the missing yellow ottoman for the odd chair.

My weekend of painting went to hell but in a spectacular way! My son Russ drove up to Maine from New Jersey to buy a car that his Maine brother found for him. So of course I dropped everything and drove down to meet him. It was so good to see everyone and watch as Russell met his new nephew Karlin for the first time. We all went out to dinner and had a wonderful visit. Then I drove back to Machias Sunday morning and began cooking for Matt, Faye and Kiley's return from their six-day trip to Disney World. Kiley hasn't stopped talking about Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Daisy.. she was in heaven. They also went to Universal where Kiley met one of her favorites - Curious George! The weather was chilly but they had a ball.

Nothing but work, work, work ahead this week....town meetings, missing elderly man, high speed chases and arrests, fire at a boatyard...seems like it is all bad news.....good thing I can forget it all by napping on my new furniture!

of gulls and beaches and a very long drive...

Now that is a BIG ship! See the tractor trailer to the right - it is dwarfed by the size of the ship. It was loading pulp from one of our paper mills to take to Japan. I drove one hour and 15 minutes in spitting snow to take this picture.
I actually went to the port in Eastport yesterday to do the interviews but the ship was delayed at sea and didn't get in until around midnight. So the return trip......and then I had to head to Lubec and cross the Roosevelt International Bridge to Roosevelt Park.

I was a bit early so I stopped at a small beach.
I walked a bit - it was debris covered from winter storms: kelp and rockweed, driftwood, bits of colored ropes off fishing vessels, shells, sponges.

Out in the water are salmon pens - large circular cages, each about the size of a half of a gymnasium, and the fish are raised inside. This attracts gulls and I surprised this flock on the beach. I could actually HEAR their wings as they rose.


When I returned home, I found TWO boxes of canvases that I had ordered last week. Oh boy - you know what I'll be doing every spare moment this week! My daughter and her family went to Florida this morning so it is going to be pretty quiet up here on Sweet Pea Cabin's hill....It is also supposed to be crummy weather. Just the atmosphere for painting......

So I started out to meet some ladies for breakfast....

and ended up buying a chair, and then another chair and a couch, and then, while loading the first chair, the passenger side window of my NEW car suddenly slid down inside the door.

The only good things about this whole scenario are:

1. I was not even 1/2 mile from the dealership where I bought the car and they were ready to repair and very accommodating, although they have to order the motor part that makes the glass go up and down and so they used a piece of wood to wedge the window up and taped the edges to make it watertight. I look so white trash now...

2. I got some kick ass new furniture.

I'm starving.

I'm sitting here working.....my long-term piece on Lubec's fishermen is almost complete, there is a second story about the Port of Eastport and a third about migrant labor....and I am starving. At 6:30 I had a cup of coffee and two pieces of rye toast.

I had an iced coffee about noon.

See? This is the problem with working at home. I get so busy that suddenly I'm hearing my stomach rumble louder than Mount St. Helens and I've missed lunch and it is still three hours until dinner time....

Normally I would go scavenging for something quick: candy, snacks, a bowl of cereal, some noodles, or my very most favorite: a bag of Smartfood.

Okay, you've talked me out of it. I'm going to take the high road here and make a quick salad.
Then I'm going to Helen's tonight and stuff myself with a steak.

Oh yeah - rewards.

oooops

My son-in-law Matt, who lives next door, said this morning that as he was trying to fall asleep last night some loud party music from a house nearby kept him awake.

Do I dare tell him it was his crazy mother-in-law in her new Jeep listening to the amazing sound system blast Led Zeppelin as performed by the London Symphony Orchestra?????

remember this little face from last spring?

This was Kiley, about last July or so - just learning to love water at the UMM pool.
Well.....take a look at that little fish now!

She's swimming! She's got the kicking and hand movements down - she can even float and turn herself around in a circle using her legs.....amazing. She's 20 months now.

And she really loves the water...

She even thought it was pretty funny when she got stuck in the VERY stretchy top of her bathing suit! What a cutie patootie!

uh oh...it's snowing.

As I awoke this morning to find snow on the ground and big flakes still wafting down, a feeling of doom surrounded me.

I was really scared. My accident has apparently affected me a bit deeper than I thought. I am absolutely terrified at the thought of driving anywhere today. How long will it take for this to pass?

This is a very special day in my life.....

Thirty-two years ago a bundle of energy and sweetness, my third son, Daniel, was born. He arrived with a huge curiosity already in place and a zest for life that has never abated. He was a precious baby, a wonderful toddler, a challenging teen and now has become an amazing father. Along the way he broke rules, broke cars, snowmobiles and motorcycles, once or twice he broke himself, broke a few hearts...
Today he is a master plumber. He has built a beautiful home, stayed loyal to friends and family, works incredibly hard and many long hours, and has done it all HIS way. He is the guy that stops and helps turtles cross the road, gives a hurting friend his last dollar, and his laugh is a sound no one can forget.

Three years later, while preparing for Daniel's 3rd birthday party, I went into labor and delivered Faye (Jenny), my daughter. She arrived with eyes wide open, softness and beauty surrounding her. She was gentle and precious. As a little girl, she never got or gave enough hugs; she dressed her puppies in dolly clothes; and smiled at every turn. Her sweetness provided a balance in our family of five boys...Her sensitivity became our barometer. She is the glue that holds all her brothers together. She is an amazing mother to her daughter Kiley - I am in awe of her parenting skills. Today she has put her education degree on hold and owns a blues' themed deli and pizzaria. She is a part of her community and can be counted on for everything from a hug to a hot meal.

I am in awe of my adult children. They didn't always have it easy. There were times in our life together when we truly struggled - not just emotionally, but financially as well. They can tell stories - now with laughter - about needing sneakers, about eating rice and ketchup for supper, about getting only a 50-cent coloring book and crayons for a birthday gift.

But even these challenges shaped and molded them; taught them respect and honesty and gentleness; taught them never to take anything for granted, nor to look down on anyone who had less, from belongings to education; it taught them to share, to appreciate, and to forgive.

My children love with ALL of their hearts - unconditionally. They are good people with good values and common sense. My heart bursts and my eyes shine when I think of them.

So Ground Hog's Day holds a very special place in my heart - happy birthday, my two piglets. I love you more than all the stars in the sky, all the snow in Maine and all the tea in China. XXXX Mom

An accident...

Most of you know by now that I totaled my beloved Chevy early Friday morning. My daughter Faye and I were in the car and are both alright. Bumps, bruises, some black and blues and stiffness but we will heal.
The car, however, is totaled. A complication I certainly didn't need right now.

We were on our way to a farmers' market convention in Belfast. The hotel room came with pool and hot tub and I offered Faye a little getaway from her role as wife, mother and restaurant owner. But Route 1 in Jonesport was ice covered and not sanded. Luckily, we were going only about 35 mph. I'm convinced that slow speed and our seat belts saved us.

As we approached a curve, a school bus came around the corner with yellow lights flashing. They immediately turned red and I barely tapped the brakes. We began fishtailing and for just the tiniest of moments, I really thought I brought it back under control. It slipped again, though, and we slid off the side of the road where there was a very steep embankment. We rolled completely over once and then half way again, landing on the passenger side of the car. Strangers who had been following us stopped and pulled us out of the car - they were there instantaneously and we can't thank them enough. They put us in their car to be warm while we waited for the police and a wrecker.

This was incredibly frightening. If I had been alone, I think it would have been easier, but to be responsible for my daughter and possibly hurting her and knowing that I scared her to death (she was so nervous that she vomited repeatedly after the crash - no, she never bumped her head. It was all nerves.) If she had been seriously hurt I could not have withstood it. Even though I have gone over and over the accident and know that I did nothing wrong - I wasn't speeding, we were belted, I was paying close attention to the road and the other cars - I still feel terribly guilty for putting my daughter through that.

We should hear from the insurance adjuster tomorrow about where to go next. Right now I have a rental and that last thing I wanted to be doing right now is car shopping - talk about stress. I have Tuesday off and I guess it will be spent test-driving.

Meanwhile, I will be thanking the universe over and over again for keeping us safe and virtually unharmed.

A few photos from the trip....

Talk about a melting pot! This is the ATM near my son Russell's home. Here in Machias, we get two choices: English and French. I don't even know what all of these languages are!

Jackson Pollack at the Museum of Modern Art. I love his creations and was struck by the sheer size of them...

Diego Rivera...

Pablo Picasso...MOMA had several rooms of Picasso, an amazing, varied collection that really showed much more than just his lines and crazy faces....

And the best of all - the only painting in MOMA with its own guard: Van Gogh. This has always been my favorite painting of all time. I got tears in my eyes standing in front of it, seeing his brush strokes and the movement...absolutely unforgettable.

A view of the whale skeleton from above at MOMA.

How many kinds of omelets does your restaurant serve for breakfast? This was at the Brownstone Diner in Newark, which has been featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, and other programs on The Food Network. What a great place!


Taryn - what a sweetie!

My Russ - we were waiting in the subway and the lighting made everyone look ill.

This was a fabulous mosaic down in the subway tunnel. Please notice the HUGE dust bunny sitting on Maine.

We exited right through the spot where the World Trade Center buildings once stood. A very emotional experience...

And my last night in Connecticut - my grandsons James and Joseph after dinner and ice cream!