Best Life

 Happy anniversary to us!!!!  Two years ago we sold our home, Paul was laid off and I quit my job at Women and Infants.  Two years of growing, exploring and figuring out how to fill our days.  How we ever managed to work and raise three kids, I have no idea.  The days fill up fast and seem to end before they even begin.   Today the plan was simple.  Go to the dump, library, and hopefully go on a hike.  But like most of our days - it went sideways.  On our way to the dump we received a call from Mike Koob.  He had cancelations and wanted to pick up Paul's tractor today.  Easier said than done.  There is little signal on the dump road for the cell phones to work.  After completing our "dump" we managed to coordinate the pickup after driving back to town.   Then the library for movie swap. Then we wait for the delivery.   Paul managed to finish repairing the chipper.  (Testing to take place tomor...

 Partly sunny with mostly clouds and spits of rain.  Perfect weather for a ride.  Today led us to Berlin, New Hampshire.  Paul has been searching for a small tractor for use here in Rangeley.  After dickering back and forth - we headed out to check out a possibility.   Such a pretty ride down Route 16!  And the tractor was exactly what Paul was looking for.  Now the logistics of moving it to Rangeley.  When we left the house this morning, I packed lunch, the dog and the essentials for heading back to RI to grab the truck and car trailer.   And then Paul had a brainstorm.  He called Mike and then Koob's Garage in Oquossoc.  After a short interval, we hired the garage to pick up the tractor and transfer it to the house.  Awesome!  We turned around, stopped at a bank (teller super nice!), paid for the tractor and headed back to the house.  A very productive day! The ride back was much more relaxed knowing ...

 Today brought lots of wind and rain.  When we left for our afternoon jaunt away from the cabin, we headed to Oquossoc.  Coffee from the "supermarket" was very welcome in the wet and cold.  The sun did come out briefly during our ride.                                               Mooselookmeguntic Lake From the Height of Land overlook on Route 17:                                                  Bald Mountain                                                   Looking towards Rangeley               Pan...

 We puttered this morning.  A little cleaning, reading, some sanding (hope chest), some painting (discs), vacuuming (flies by the dozen) and shopping (new paddleboard life jacket!).  Paul repaired the top of my wooden trash can (cracked in half) and ordered extra parts for Quiet Time.  Then... cabin fever again.   So we headed to town. First stop the library.  I have a library card to the Rangeley Public Library!  And I did not even have to show ID!  They trust everybody! While Paul utilized their printer - I found a couple DVD movies we haven't seen in years.   Then onto the hardware store for water softener salt.  It has been working fabulously and the water is crystal clear with no iron taste.  So we will continue to use until the last minute of the season! Fenway has settled nicely into our routine up here except for trying to catch the flies and swallowing the ones he does catch!  Gross.  The plan - waiting ...

 This morning started gray, wet and cold.  It didn't help that I found the back door wide open.  Apparently I did not latch it tightly after Fenway's last trip outside and the wind opened it.  Thankfully (?) Fenway was still with Paul in bed and no strange animals entered the house.   After some coffee and a bit of cleaning, we headed to Farmington to pick up a few things at Walmart.  I don't know if it was because it was a Monday, or it is Maine or maybe just because - but the people at Walmart were friendly!  And courteous!  Not a bad ride either despite the weather.  Besides the few groceries, I have more art supplies!                                                            Rangeley Lake (view from the car)              ...

 Another stunning fall day that we enjoyed immensely!  Our walk this morning took us by lots of neighbors who have dressed up their yards for the holiday.  The details! I finally cleaned off the coffee table (made by Alan > 30 years ago!) before placing it back on the newly fixed rug.  I cannot remember the last time it was empty! I found a box of Christmas stuff in the basement hidden behind helmets.  Best guess - last used 2012!  Unfortunately because it was in a cardboard box, not all the pieces survived.  But I cleaned and repackaged what I could save. The rest of my day was spent cleaning the yard, raking etc while Paul futzed in the garage.  First, the generator.  Best guess - last use 2020?  He cleaned it, changed the old fuel out and made sure it was ready to be put to use building the garage.                                  ...

 We took full advantage of the gorgeous day (So grateful for this fall day!).  Laundry on the line (not sure how much longer I will be able to do this!) and clean up of the driveway debris.  When Mike opened up the driveway to make room for his equipment, many branches needed to be cut.  These were then stacked in piles along the drive.  The goal today - clean it up and chip as much as we could. We had a significant chip pile when finally completed.  It just took a bit to get started.  The chute to feed the larger branches into the blade has been wobbly for years.  Today Paul decided to repair it.                                                              The exterior view - functional.                   ...