Happy Thanksgiving!

In case you haven't heard, New England had a huge Nor'easter go through yesterday.  In 24 hours, we received 10" fresh snow in our back yard.  

Here's what we woke up to this fine and sunny Thanksgiving morning. 

10" new snow on our deck benches.  I measured.

From my kitchen windows

Backyard creek shot from 2nd story window

New Englanders Are Tight As Ticks...but everybody knows that!

As this article points out, New Englanders donate the least amount of dollars to charity of any region in the U.S.  My state, New Hampshire, is lowest on this totem pole.  If the national average is 3%, the New England aggregate of six states, MA, RI, CT, NH, ME, VT, comes in at 2.04% with NH bringing up the rear with 1.74%.  (philanthropy.com)

Why am I not surprised?  I've been living and working in New England since 1997.  As a region, New Englanders are tight with a buck, suspicious of newcomers, probably the last to let go of a quarter (and the eagle screams when they do so).  I sell broadcast advertising on television.  Getting a New Englander to trust me takes time...and I'm very trustworthy!  Once they do trust you, you're in.

And, for the most part, they pay their bills on time, unlike the other parts of the country in which I've lived (especially California where it should be cash in advance 90% of the time).

This fascinates me and I wonder if the New England native's standoffish suspicion towards organized religion has anything to do with it?  You'll notice the most generous areas are where Mormons and Baptists live.  They know they're going to Hell if they don't tithe.  I know this because I was raised in the Baptist church. And, believe me, I tithe!

If you're curious as to how you're neck of the woods stacks up, here's the list.

Happy Memorial Day!

Live Maine Lobster by Laura Trevey

My husband and I are on our way to dinner in the darling coastal town of Ogunquit.

It's Memorial Day weekend and he surprised me with five days in a cottage in one of the most picturesque and quaint towns of coastal Maine.

The cottage is a converted barn, three levels, two decks, one covered where we eat and one on the top level on which to sun.  The place was rehabbed a few years ago.  A large lovely multi-paned window with old wavy glass serves as the frontpiece to the living area.  The kitchen is galley-style, fully equipped, the decor is early American and there are three bedrooms in the upper reaches of the barn all quite nautical in decor.  Two bathrooms make this a perfect getaway right in the middle of a lovely little cove on a peninsula.  Everyone walks or bikes or drives by on the street below.

The weather has been spectacular and promises to continue which is a great beginning to what we northern New Englanders hope will be a sunny and satisfying summer.  Fingers crossed!


Can you guess what we're going to eat tonight?

Last Leaves of Fall

 "Autumn Birches" by Cole Scott Photography

Doesn't get much prettier than this.  Fall is winding down.  It's truly my favorite season in New England. 
I will miss it but there's always next year.

Rain Rain Please Get the @!*#! Outta Here!

Just finished nytimes.com article "In New York, It's the Summer That Isn't" and it's chock full of interesting tidbits, historic and ecologically.

1) Depending on today's high, "this will be the second or third coolest June and July recorded.." since 1903 or 1881.

2) July's average temperature, as of yesterday's high, was 72.6 degrees, "nearly four degrees below normal."

3) In June 2009, Con Ed produced 5.5% less power than June 2008. There were no
black-outs, brownouts or conservation calls.

4) Daily peak use average 10,934 megawatts. The projected high was 11, 945.
Electric bills have shrunk by 6%.

5) Attendance at city beaches through July was down 30%, from 7.1 million to 5.5.

6) In July 2008, the EMS answered 134 heat-related calls. This year there were
41.

7) Seattle, on the other hand, hit a record temp of 103 degrees last Wednesday.
It's been hot hot hot up there.

While the overall consumption of kilowatt hours, water resources and the like are down in a big city like New York, they are soaring in the usually more moderate climates of the country.

The meteorologist referenced in the article said most scientists attribute the cooling patterns to a "persistent high level jet stream" of cool air from North to Northeast as well as the heating and cooling of the atmosphere by the ocean temperatures. But he doesn't think they understand things all that well.

All I know is, it rained all of June. It rained all of July and if it rains all of August, summer will be over and I'll be living in a tropical rain forest. I hear tell of mountain trails usually clear and bushwhacked that have completely closed up and grown over again...much like the maze in the Harry Potter movie. The Shasta Daisies in my garden grow in large beautiful clumps and are divided by a footpath of granite stepping stones. I keep clearing the path by cutting flowers but no sooner is that done then it closes again.

My annuals are drowning, there are slugs everywhere, we're having an infestation of Japanese beetles which may have, hopefully,drowned by now. My dogs and cat are listless, cranky and full of gas from lack of exercise. The only good thing is the bugs seem to be drowning too. I think the super cool nights are killing them as they hatch. We don't have standing water around our home. Others who do say the mosquitoes are ferocious.

Photo is of one of my Gerbera Daisies from last year. This year's should look so good.