Mainelife...thru the eyes of someone from away

Primrose In The Rough

I found these beautiful primrose on a walk down to inspect the dock. They're right by the path to the sleeping cottage and they look so much better than the primrose I keep trying to cultivate in the garden in Cushing.

Catching My Breath

 
Happy Mother's Day. 

Dinner is simmering.  The "camp" as they say in Maine is cleaned and open for the season. Sheets are washed, beds made, floors scrubbed, rugs swept, bathrooms spic and span.  We are ready for visitors. 

There's a slight drizzle and it's a low gray sky, but across the river the trees are misty, seafoam green and our daffodils are still blooming.  We have a great swatch of them in the middle of the blackberry brambles.  I thought that they'd be gone but they're still in perfect form and they make such a nice splash of color in an otherwise still early in the season landscape.  

Yesterday, we were in Connecticut for a bridal shower for Miss S., my step daughter.  It was a really lovely affair, and if I do say so, the Bride-To-Be was even more lovely.  It's been a while since I've been to one of these shin-digs and I forgot how uncomfortable it must be for a young woman to sit, with all eyes on her, open gifts and make the proper exclamations of thanks.  She did it with grace and style and I was really proud of her.  I had nothing to do with her raising up so I'd like to acknowledge what a great job her mom and dad did. I love you, Miss S.,  like you are my own.

Ok, personal interlude over. 

We finally found an opening in my work travel schedule and RG's golf calendar and we headed out to Cushing first thing this morning.  I've not been up since Super Bowl weekend.  RG has come up a few times to check for squirrels and leaks (none of either, thankfully), so it's good to be back. 

TWC-Maine turned on the internets as promised and I'm able to work from the mid-coast for the next two days.  Weather permitting, we'll also try to neaten up the grounds (I swear we raked leaves in the fall, but you surely wouldn't know it), and maybe put together the bunk beds in the sleeping cottage.  So far, we don't have any 14-person weeks planned for this summer but you never know when we'll get lucky. 

Finally, if you're looking for a good book recommendation I have two--polar opposites:

Blind Side: The Evolution of The Game.  Even if you're not a huge football fan, there's a human interest story here that's so compelling it's hard to put the book down.

The Sweetness At the Bottom of the Pie.  1950's England and a precocious 11-year old narrator who is trying to solve a murder in her garden.  Delightful--she's like Harriet the Spy, only English. 

Today In Maine.....

....LD 1020, making same sex marriage legal in the state of Maine,  was signed into law by  Governor  Baldacci,  less than one hour after hitting his desk. 
There was some question as to whether the Governor would sign the bill, as he was on the record as opposing the idea (he was supportive of civil unions).  The Governor has evolved his thinking about this issue.  I applaud his evolution.  

Governor Baldacci's statement:

“I have followed closely the debate on this issue. I have listened to both sides, as they have presented their arguments during the public hearing and on the floor of the Maine Senate and the House of Representatives. I have read many of the notes and letters sent to my office, and I have weighed my decision carefully. I did not come to this decision lightly or in haste.

I appreciate the tone brought to this debate by both sides of the issue. This is an emotional issue that touches deeply many of our most important ideals and traditions. There are good, earnest and honest people on both sides of the question.

“In the past, I opposed gay marriage while supporting the idea of civil unions. I have come to believe that this is a question of fairness and of equal protection under the law, and that a civil union is not equal to civil marriage.

“Article I in the Maine Constitution states that ‘no person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law, nor be denied the equal protection of the laws, nor be denied the enjoyment of that person’s civil rights or be discriminated against.’

“This new law does not force any religion to recognize a marriage that falls outside of its beliefs. It does not require the church to perform any ceremony with which it disagrees. Instead, it reaffirms the separation of Church and State.

“It guarantees that Maine citizens will be treated equally under Maine’s civil marriage laws, and that is the responsibility of government.

“Even as I sign this important legislation into law, I recognize that this may not be the final word. Just as the Maine Constitution demands that all people are treated equally under the law, it also guarantees that the ultimate political power in the State belongs to the people.

“While the good and just people of Maine may determine this issue, my responsibility is to uphold the Constitution and do, as best as possible, what is right. I believe that signing this legislation is the right thing to do."

Weird, Wild Week

This week in Maine has been a roller coaster of weather.   Last Sunday we had a high of 82 degrees.  On Tuesday we had a high of 59 degrees. Wednesday it was a record setting 93 degrees and Thursday we had a high of 59.  Without a drop of rain and hardly a cloud in the sky. 

 The weather woke up our forsythia, which went from nothing to spectacular in two days, and it's made the wild turkeys in the back 40 especially vocal.  We've been woken up every day for the last five by turkey gobbles very close to the yard. 
It's enough to make me consider a turkey hunting license. 

Turkey hunting or no turkey hunting, I may have to give up tennis and take up golf. Tennis has gotten very dangerous lately.  Have you ever been hit in the eye by a served ball?  It's not easy to let that happen and it doesn't feel very good when it does happen.