Happenings...

Spring is a busy time when you are a pet groomer.  We've been putting in long days and have had a few challenging pets to groom. And then there is general farm stuff keeping me busy. All excuses why I have not blogged much lately. However, I've been taking pictures so I can catch up, and today is a good day for that. It's raining. Again. Outside everything is sodden, but it's pleasant to sit in the quiet house and do a little writing.

The hummingbirds have returned from warmer climes, and I am so happy to have them.
Baltimore Orioles, too.

Also here on a visit from south of here was Chris' sweet sister, Meg. She spent a week with us, and Maine was cold and damp the entire time.  I think she still managed to have a little fun, though. We celebrated her birthday while she was here, and Chris took some time off to show her around.

Bravo and I went to a Wag It Games trial. I signed up for bunches of classes, and we had a blast. Bravo is such a good boy, and tolerates my sloppy handling with grace. In the hands of a better trainer he'd been unstoppable, but we still made a decent showing.

For Mother's Day Rachel took me to Brunswick. We poked around the enormous antique mall there, housed in an old factory building. I found a hilarious vintage ashtray which is now our appointment card holder. It's a dog in a bathtub, with a horrified look on it's face. It makes me laugh, and Rachel paid for it, which makes it all the more fun.

There were so many interesting things to see.

And because it was Mother's Day, they were hosting a special tea. We didn't partake, but we did nip in to put on some of the available costumes and have our picture taken on the antique sofa.

Rachel treated me to a light lunch at the delicious Japanese restaurant there, saving room for gelato down the street. On the way home we walked up to the Damariscotta Mills Fish ladder to see if the Alewives had arrived yet. Alewives (also known as river herring) spend most of their lives at sea. They then travel to fresh water to spawn, and a wonderful fish ladder has been built so they can leap from pool to pool until they reach Damariscotta Lake. If you google it you can see footage of this special place. There was not a lot of action when we were there, but it was a scenic way to end our magical day together. I brought home a few treasures, including a Maine made potato basket, a funky old wooden ladder which I will hang cozy quilts on next fall, and a small wicker hamper that we have pressed into use as a trash receptacle. Getting the ladder into Rachel's little car was a neat trick, but with the kind help of a man who had better spatial reasoning than we, the job was done.

I am very much enjoying our new ducks. My smart cousin Karen came up with the winning names,
Blanche, Bianca and Bill. They are far more tame than previous ducks here, and go nicely into their house at night, so as not to become fox food.

We are anxious for them to learn how to go through the little "chicken hole" in the fence so they can enjoy the big pasture, but they seem to be slow learners.

Now I am off to dance between the rain drops and plant some peas. More soon, I promise.