Sometime in the first ten days of August, fresh, dry, and cool, or even chilly, air sweeps in to Maine.
This morning I awoke to that cool air. Yes, it is August, but it is like a small tap on the cheek… fall is coming. The sun is rising around 5 am, sunset is around 8 pm. The days are getting shorter, the sun is not as high in the sky… fall is coming.
In August, in Maine, there is something to do every day. One can go to blue grass festivals, blues festival, or other musical happenings. If theater is your passion there is there are many theater organizations. There are art gallery openings and craft fairs. Many towns have town wide gallery openings where, in one night, one can go from opening to opening, food and wine in hand.
And then there are the festivals- blueberry fairs, lobster festivals, clam festivals, and more prevail. And there are the agricultural fairs that sweep across the state, culminating in the end of the harvest fairs in late September. Some are small, some are huge- such as the Common Ground Fair, which is sponsored by MOFA- the Maine Organic Farmers Association.
Towns also have their celebrations- where the town and the towns history are celebrated. One can go to Waldoboro Days, or up to Lubec to take part in Pirate Days, where Eastport attacks Lubec in the middle of the night!
All in all, Maine is a busy place in August.
Some of us like to be calm and quiet
during all of this frenzy.
Instead, a quiet walk along the river is enough!
The meadows are full of Queen Anne’s Lace.
A sense of peace and calm prevails.
MONDAY- August 5, 2013
NEW DOG FABRICS
We got in three new dog fabrics last week.
Check the Fabric Blog!
WEDNESDAY- August 7, 2013
The last few days here have been interesting. First, the maples have grown up so close to the house that part of it gets no sun at all. And that part also does not dry out, especially with the wet summer we have had. So, the decision was made to cut out most of the maples, which are very dense, allow no sun, and no air flow. So, Joe and a helper arrived with a pulp truck to start on the job. We are on day two of chain saws. But, the house is brighter, and it is a big improvement!
A TALE OF TWO SQUIRRELS
Where the fabric is stored is called the shop. It is in the barn. And the outside barn door opens into a small entry way, where bird seed and things of that nature are stored. Then there is a heavy door to the shop, which has an inner screen door. The two doors are usually left open in the summer, with just the screen door pulled to.
Anyway, some bird seed had spilled, and with the tree removal, a small baby red squirrel decided to investigate! Spot spent an exciting day- the squirrel was in a corner, under a large wooden box some lace had been shipped in, which has become the primary bird food storage bin. Spot lay there, all day, tail wagging… the squirrel would chirp, Spot would bark.
Spot and red squirrels have a lot of fun teasing each other. They will stand for hours- one high in a tree, the other on the ground, and chirp and bark…
RED SQUIRREL
They will do this for hours…
it is almost like a game…
the one who stops first is the loser!
In the late afternoon, I took Spot for a walk, leaving the outer barn door open. When we returned, he had gone, to Spot’s disappointment… but the baby was seen in the oak that stands just outside the barn door… so there was the usual game played, right before dinner.
AMERICAN RED SQUIRREL
The night before last I heard a lot of noise downstairs around 3 am… Spot was sleeping peacefully, so I thought it might be a squirrel in the walls of the house. But, if I turned on a light it stopped, and if I turned the light off, the noises would start… and they seemed to move quickly. Well, yesterday evening, I opened the pantry door… and found the reason for the nocturnal noise… a large flying squirrel was there…
NORTHERN FLYING SQUIRREL
Flying squirrels are very cute. But, one does not want them in one’s house! They live in colonies in attics, in nests that can be five feet tall. At night they are loud, jumping, running, twittering…
I think this one came in via a chimney. But, it needs to go back outside. Right now, there is a trail of raisins to one corner of the pantry, where he has hidden. I put a Have-a-Heart trap in, baited with peanuts, but have little hope that it will be effective. The flying squirrel can squeeze through holes as small as a dime. They can easily get out of a trap with mesh the size of this traps…
I will keep you posted!
Thursday- August 8, 2013
Well, the Have-a Heart trap is unsprung. I called another animal control person. Their magic recipe for catching squirrels was a smashed Kit Kat bar mixed with vodka and almond extract, topped with apple. I will be getting going to the market soon! Christine thinks she has a smaller trap… Meanwhile, the little critter is in the corner of the pantry, warm, and happy…
BIG NEWS at BRICK HOUSE FABRICS
We are going to have a
phone line!
People have wanted phone support here.
But, being a one man show
until recently, that was just not possible.
But, by next week, a phone line will be in place!