Margery Niblock

Summer Strolls

Nature in the City

I have no idea what sort of caterpillar this is, but I'm sure I'll find out. It was big!

I saw it near the curb in front of my house. It looked as though he was heading directly across the street, which could be a dangerous thing to accomplish.

I ran into the house to grab my camera and when I returned with it, I couldn't see the caterpillar anywhere nearby. Finally I found it heading up the street. It had traveled quite a distance in the few minutes that I'd been gone.

I placed him in some grass, off the street, and out of danger.

This poor little frog was one of those living in Joe's water garden. Trying to solve the cause of this creature's demise, we thought that perhaps it had jumped down to the sidewalk and then became dessicated when unable to return to the water.

Poor thing! The fish are thriving and are really growing quite large. They'll be moving indoors to an aquarium when fall arrives.

The children in the neighborhood love to come to the water garden to see the fish. It has become quite the gathering place.

I go over several times a day, and the sound of the running water is soothing.

The downtown birds that hang out near the waterfront, trying to get morsels dropped by people dining outside are doing quite well also.

Here's one of our local seagulls, taken last week when I was having dinner on the deck of a restaurant right next to the water. What a beautiful, blue Maine sky there was that evening.

This sign has been posted for a couple of weeks, but I hadn't noticed it previously.

Now I'm curious to know whether the person who'd lost the rabbit ever got it back, and how it disappeared initially. That's something to ponder.

My son found a baby rabbit under a car early one morning in downtown Philadelphia. When he found out that the local animal shelter would have done away with it, he wound up taking it home, buying all the equipment he needed to care for a pet rabbit, and having that rabbit for a good many years. It got to be huge! And it had a lovely home. 

It was shortly after Easter when he saw the rabbit. Someone probably got it for the holiday and then had enough of caring for a bunny, and just let it go into the street. We do not like people who do things like that. Not at all. 

This dead bird was lying in the grass as I walked down the very steep hill on Walnut Street.

I hope it's not there the next time I'm walking on the street. Some cat will probably remove it. And there are plenty of them prowling around.

Someone changed a bleak-looking landscape into a cheerful garden that's right on the sidewalk. After passing by this area so many years and just seeing ugly bricks, it's a real pleasure to be greeted by these giant, healthy sunflowers.

What a difference something like this makes to an area.

And speaking of improvements to neighborhood views, Portland Pottery should get an award for beautifying Washington Avenue.

What a great mural! It has improved the visual aspects of walking along that street. Portland Pottery has classes for adults and children; they have seasonal sales of ceramic items made by different people, where wonderful bargains can be had. I've bought many objects at those events.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nature à la David Howe

 

You've seen these marvelous creations before, when they were all dressed up for Christmas. This is what they look like without their holiday garb; this is their everyday appearance.

I do hope that people look up to the roof and see this cat and dog. They're missing out on a truly wondrous site if they don't.

David is now working on his garden fence, another delightful aspect of this property on Munjoy Hill. I'm going to share some views of the fence with you and I hope you all enjoy them.

Here's the gate.

I love the way you're able to see the green grass through the cutout of the frog.

And don't miss that sinuous snake to the right.

In the photo to the right you can see the cat on one of the posts. And there is a tree that's sketched on another post, which hasn't been cut out yet.  

And not to be forgotten, is Iggy the iguana who resides in the hallway coming up to David's apartment; another special creature to beautify this dwelling.

 

What a talented guy! I'm sure you'll all agree with that assessment.

Summer in the City

What's in the Streets

Hey! This is a city, which is obvious from the surface that this beautiful snakeskin is lying on.

It certainly makes me wonder whether this snake actually shed his skin right in the street on North Street or if it got blown into the street from a garden nearby.

I was lucky to find it when I did, because within four days there wasn't a trace of it left. I watched it disintegrate each time I walked past. I was astounded to see something like this in my neighborhood. It was a wonderful sight for me. But I'm glad I only saw the skin and not the snake. That was enough nature for me while walking in the street.

Gloves—in the Summer?

If I'd come across these a few months ago I wouldn't have been at all surprised. People are always losing gloves during the cold weather.

However, it was slightly shocking to see these wool gloves—aside from their shocking color, which I like a lot—during very warm summer weather.

It always makes me wonder about what sort of story might be connected to these dropped gloves. But I'll never know. That means you'll never know either. But we can all just imagine our own stories to go with the image.

How Did This Happen?

 

I counted an awful lot of cigarettes before taking this ugly picture. They hadn't been smoked. And there were more cigarettes than there are in a pack, which made me wonder how this happened.

Oh, well, it's just one more story to imagine.

Great Catch, Geep! Summer Sport

Geep went down to Connecticut to visit his family last week. He went fishing with his brother and this is what he caught.

Pretty astounding fish. He said his brother didn't catch anything. That hardly seems fair.

This is a striped bass. I don't know its length but I've been told that in Maine you can't take one less than 26 inches or more than 42 inches.

I don't know what the law is in Connecticut, where this whopper came from. I was given a piece of this delicious fish. Yummy!

I've never gone fishing. One of the many things I've never experienced. I have to wonder what it must have felt like to be trying to pull such a large fish out of the water. It seems as thought you'd be able to be pulled overboard with something that size flailing around.

Bayside Block Party Huge Success

Perfect weather and lots of hard work combined to turn Cindy's long-desired block party into a wonderful neighborhood event, enjoyed by lots of people.

It was pretty hot in the sun, but there were beverages to cool people off, and there were lots of hot dogs and hamburgers with all of the trimmings. Everything was free, including the balloons that children were hanging on to when I arrived.

The festivities began at noon and ran until five o'clock. It was the perfect setting for a summer day on a Saturday in Bayside. Lots of people donated many hours of their time in order to make this event happen.

Our famous "bike cops" stopped by several times to see how things were going. This area is part of the city that they patrol, so they were familiar with many of those attending.

Here they are, Dan Knight and Karl Geib. Even though they are in a social setting here, you can see by looking at them that between the two of them they have everything covered visually.

They're always working when that uniform is on, even when they're stopping in at a block party. They have all bases covered, all the time. Quite a duo!

I always have to give leg shots whenever I take their photos. My female readers require that.

That's Dan's leg on the left and Karl's on the right.

 

Here's Mary-Ellen Welch with Dan and Andjelko Napijalo, who also patrols the Bayside neighborhood. He wasn't on the Segway on this particular Saturday. But he'd become a real icon for several weeks as he cruised around on the unusual vehicle.

He drew adoring crowds everywhere he went. And he still was able to make arrests.

Mary-Ellen is the Coordinator for the Midtown Community Policing Center. She worked very hard at this party, making sure things were running smoothly. It was an extremely hot day and there was little shade in the parking lot where the event was being held. I can attest to that because I spent a few hours there.

I should have taken a photo of Mary-Ellen's car, a VW beetle convertible, with a license plate that says "AMORE." I tell you, she's a woman after my own heart! A real delight.

Here and There

A Real Whodunit!

LQQk! The photo at the left is the ankh, which was embedded in the macadam of Cumberland Avenue. I'd written about that a couple of weeks ago.

I would have liked to come back with a screwdriver and a small hammer, so that I could pry it up and bring this lovely silver piece home with me.

But I didn't do that. I left it there.

Today, when I was walking up the same street, I decided to cross right at that spot so that I could visit the beautiful ankh and take another look at it.

What I found in the street was the "ghost" of the ankh, which is pictured in the second photo. Someone else did what I'd thought of doing. It's gone! Now I have to wonder whether that person read about it on my blog or just crossed at the same spot and decided to remove it after seeing it.

I'll never know. One more of life's mysteries.

Today's Found Object

This is something I brought home from today's walk. Quite cute, and cute is something I'm attracted to.

I have no idea who this character is. It's a cookie cutter but I won't be baking any cookies using it, even though I did give it a good bath upon getting home.

Next week I'll consult with Janine Kaserman, my friend who is the excellent Munjoy Hill Community Policing Coordinator. She's advised me several times in the past about found objects that were cartoon characters. She has a young son, so she's up on all of these things, and she's my pop-culture consultant. I found out about Dora the Explorer and numerous others through her wisdom. 

I just got smart! I sent Janine an e-mail with this photo, and she's already written back that this is Boots the monkey, one of Dora's friends. Boy, that was easy because she's terrific! She also informed me that Boots carries a backpack containing maps to help Dora find things.

Not the Best Part of My Walk

I'm sorry! I didn't do this! I'm just showing you something I saw when I took my walk. You can just scroll down quickly if it's too difficult for you.

I believe it's called "Nature," isn't it?

And here's another nature shot, from a safari in Zanzibar that my friend Luke Flagg took a couple of weeks ago.

I just think it's such an incredible photo that I'm posting it here. I think the title should be "Alfresco Dining." Do you agree?

The photograph below should be a calming influence after that shot of gore. It's a new path that goes down a very steep hill. It was put in by Portland Trails and is a fantastic addition to our Munjoy Hill neighborhood.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chickening Out

Those baby chicks are really growing quickly. This is what they looked like a month ago.

And here's what they look like now.

They look like teenage chickens! I'm told that they should be ready to lay eggs around October.

 

 

 

 

 

June's "art of the month"

Once again I am the honored recipient of a wonderful envelope with that oh-so-special artwork from an unknown donor, that has been mailed to me for such a long time.

Upon carefully opening the envelope, here's the card that I saw enclosed.

And then I got to the good part! The art.

This month's artwork consisted of four beautiful renditions of stamps from other countries.

Each month I am amazed at the artistry and care involved in sending these surprise envelopes.

As soon as I finished photographing the stamps, I ran down to the basement, where I have a few small frames stored. I brought up a 4 X 6 and used rubber cement to glue the stamps to a black background. They are now hanging happily on a wall in my kitchen, along with other treasures.

  

Aren't they delightful? Can you imagine doing something like this? When will I be able to meet this wonderful person?

I'd always thought they were done by a talented woman who lives around the corner from me. But now that I see the post office box has been given up and there's an actual address on both the envelope and the enclosed card, I guess I'll have to take a ride over to Tyng Street and see if I can find out who lives there.

Will it be someone I know? I don't officially know anyone with an address on that street, so it certainly does add more mystery to this whole mail/art saga.

Stay tuned . . .

Meanderings

I Can't Resist a Cute Guy!

He's tall, dark, and . . . white? Okay. He is quite handsome though, don't you agree? And very cute!

That's how we like them.

I'd gone to (forgive me) Wal-Mart to pick up something for my garden, and there was the Easter bunny, allowing people to pose with him. And it didn't cost a cent. That was a good thing.

I didn't feel like waiting around for an hour and a half, so I went back the following morning and picked up my photo.

I sent this to a friend of mine who lives on an island in Washington state, and he wrote back and said "Who's that guy with the Wonder Bread vest?"

A New Critter Joins My Menagerie

There's a new addition to the animals inhabiting my garden. An opossum! I'd never seen a live one, so that was quite a thrill for me. When you've grown up in New York City, it's exciting to have contact with nature, other than pigeons and squirrels.

This creature is a welcome addition to the yard. And he makes three wild animals I'm aware of that are living here. Woody the woodchuck made his first appearance this week, at least it was my first sighting of him. This will be our third season together. I haven't seen the skunk yet, but hope that he's still in residence. If so, it will also be his third season. I'll be able to relax after I see him and know that he's made it through the winter.

Woody's Back Again

Sorry for this poor photo of Woody's first showing. That's the top of his head peering out of the front door of his cozy home. I'm expecting he'll accommodate me later in the season by posing for my camera, as he's done so many times in the past. 

How Long Will This Last?

This building is really sagging badly. I have to wonder how many more Maine winters it will be able to tolerate before collapsing in on itself.  

More from "art of the month"

With the arrival of April, another mailing showed up from the wonderful "art of the month" folks, an eight-page little booklet about sugar, titled "Around the World."

Here are a few photos of the delightful drawings included.

 

They all pertain to sugar, or azúcar, en español.

 

 

There you have it. Someone goes to an extraordinary amount of effort to come up with these little gems. I can't imagine doing all of these drawings and then putting the wonderful things together. I'm quite lucky to be on this special list of recipients.

"My" Cardinal Returns

I was thrilled to hear the song of a cardinal, rushing to grab my camera in the hope that I could get a couple of shots. I knew from last year's experience, that if I tried to get out the back door he would fly off.

I had to take this shot through my kitchen window, which is not sparkling clean these days, but it did come out, luckily.

It's a thrill for me to have a beautiful visitor like this. I cannot wait until I get my annuals purchased and planted. All the pots are out there waiting to be filled. I'll be choosing my flowers in another week or so.

I know everyone always says to wait until Memorial Day, but that's way too far off for me. I'll take my chances around the fifteenth of May, which also will be my twentieth anniversary of living in Maine.

Happy Valentine's Day to All!

February 14 Is a Special Day

For the past several years my friend Deb has hosted a Valentine's Day card-making party on the weekend before the big event. A couple of years ago I went with the intention of creating a few cards, and was surprised when I was totally overwhelmed by all of the wonderful supplies I was confronted by.

I wound up not making one decent piece, and from then on I attended with my camera in tow, content to take photos of everything without having the pressure of making something. It worked much better for me.

 

All of the special papers and stickers and "cutesy" little things were wonderful to me. I could spend hours looking at these items and not wanting to use them in any way.

I must admit I was immediately attracted to this book with the wonderful title of SEX. I browsed through it and enjoyed doing so very much.  

The hostess, (Is that word verboten now? I don't care if it is. Screw political correctness! It's fascism, as far as I'm concerned.) Deb, was planning to use this charming little butterfly girl on one of her cards. She cut away all of the white areas, which was quite a time-consuming job. I'd much prefer to watch her do the hard work while I snap a picture.

There were also some animals in attendance; resident cats and a visiting dog were moving around.

Roo lives in the charming house with her sister Bebe, whose photo I was not able to capture without it being blurred. Too bad, because Bebe is a beauty. She's a black cat with a large ruff around her neck. I'd never seen a cat with looks like that.

And then there was Ed, the pug from Massachusetts. He came for the entire weekend. He seemed to be quite taken by me, which is always enjoyable, having an animal like me. So I shouted to all present "Ed loves me!"

Look at that soulful expression. It certainly grabbed at my heartstrings. But then I was rudely corrected. "Ed's a girl!" I was told. Darn! I couldn't add another male to the list of those who love me. I like those curled tails on pugs. Very cute. They're even better on pigs though.

Just those words, "LOVE" and "KISSES," are uplifting to one's heart.

And look at all of those "XOXOXOXO"s. They're wonderful! I use them in e-mails to special people.

It makes me tired to think of putting all of those materials away. Deb should have a special Valentine's Day room to store these marvelous items. It should be a room where things might remain visible, where simply shutting a door would remove them from sight. I can't imagine having to pack all of these treasures away.

I think hearts are such a marvelous shape. Ya gotta love 'em.

I'll end with a couple of photos taken at Rite Aid. Of course as soon as Christmas was over, the Valentine's displays appeared. We are in such a damn rush in this country. Always.

 Don't forget! Saturday is the big day. Make sure you let someone know that you care.

 

 

Happy Valentine's Day Sarge!  xoxoxo

 

 

November Police Beat

Raccoon Eats Munjoy Hill Cat for Breakfast

Sorry for the gore, but I was at the scene with my camera, covering the story for The West End NEWS.

Here's the poor guy after taking a bullet or two. 

After a call came in to police that a racoon had killed a cat, followed by other calls of a raccoon menacing people, several police cars were sent to the area in response.

 

A young man who lives directly across the street from where the animal ultimately met its demise, stated that his roommate told him "A raccon ate a cat!"

That information prompted him to go outside, where he saw police searching for the raccoon. "I can verify that my next-door-neighbor was chased by the raccoon," he said.

Sergeant Robin Gauvin was one of the first responders to the scene. Captain Ted Ross also arrived at the location, and said "When we got a call saying the raccoon was chasing kids, we made more effort to locate it, because of the erratic behavior."

"We had police telling people to watch their animals and their kids. Then someone said 'There it is!'" and the chase was on.

Ted Ross and Robin Gauvin

Most of the pursuit centered around a house at 96 Vesper Street, with the raccoon running at the back and alongside the building. Police checked the residence to be certain no one was home before any weapons were fired. Five bullets were discharged before the animal was killed in the driveway.

A police evidence technician gathered the spent bullet casings. There was some minimal damage to a portion of the building's siding, but no other damage appeared evident.

 

An animal control officer from Scarborough's Police Department, who has expertise handling rabid animals, arrived at the scene to remove the body. It was taken to Gray, Maine, then sent to Augusta, to be tested for rabies by the state lab.

Falling Leaves

The squirrels are busily storing away their winter supplies. With several oak trees nearby, they have plenty of acorns to stock up with.

This guy's just surveying the scene in the backyard, deciding what to do next.

Halloween

A house across the street had a charming display for Halloween. I can see it from my living room window, and I'll be sad when it's removed. It's very cheerful!

 

My snazzy neighbors, Dottie (Dori Marsh) and Geep (Gary Amara) had great costumes for Halloween. They knocked at my door so I could get a look, and I'm so glad they did.

 

Dottie made the lovely dress and helped Geep with the sewing necessary to create his costume. Lots of talent between the two of these people.

 

Isn't Geep a fantastic look-alike for John Travolta?

Here's a little toddler celebrating in Ireland. She's my friend Kate's niece Jetta.

 

Such a cute little bug!

Some Gifts from Philly!

My dear friend Felix Tartaglia stopped in Portland with his nephew, on their way to Aroostook County to go deer hunting.

He wanted to have a meal at Becky's Diner to fortify himself for the ride up to Millinocket, where they were planning to spend the night.

Philly pretzels! What a treat. And here's a little story that it brought to mind from the old days.

I'd been delivering transcripts downtown and noticed a man with a pretzel cart outside the building I was about to enter. I decided to treat myself to a nice salty pretzel upon leaving the building. I don't like "bald" pretzels. Bald men can be very sexy, but bald pretzels are not.

I looked the wares over very carefully and saw that there were many pretzels with lots of salt on them. It was a lovely spring day and the man greeted me: "Lovely day, isn't it?"

"Yes, it's beautiful," I responded. "And I'd like a pretzel with a lot of salt on it, please."

He then proceeded to hand me a bald pretzel. I was astonished, since my request had been quite specific.

"I asked for a pretzel with a lot of salt, and this one doesn't have any."

This man, who had started out being so pleasant, became very surly. He reached across the cart and snatched the pretzel (which was on a napkin in my outstretched hand), then put it back behind the glass in the cart, saying "They're all the same."

I was shocked. In one of those unthinking moments when you just say or do something without even giving it any thought, I responded: "Go f***k yourself!"

I must say it made me feel a hell of a lot better. And I found another cart on the way home where I was able to get my salty pretzel. Hah!

 

These cookies are from The Famous 4th Street Cookie Company, owned by David Auspitz, a former neighbor and friend from Queen Village. Dave used to own Famous Delicatessen, a great place, where all of the politicos could be seen having breakfast and lunch. The cookies were part of Felix's care package.

"art of the month" for November

The big question still is: Who sends these wonderful, time-consuming pieces of art each month?

This little booklet had beautiful ink drawings of acorns, a stinky ginko (sic), maple wings, a mystery spikey pod, and pine cones.

The last page says "other books in this series: roofs; bikes; cats; mittens; fences

available upon request!"

For some odd reason the photos that I kept taking of these pages containing the drawings did not turn out as well as I would have liked.

I'm going to post two of them anyway.

Summer Is Over!

"art of the month"

The latest art of the month was four charming postcards, each of which had a different pattern on the back. The one above is shown on its mailing side.

It seems as though I'll never be able to find out who sends me these wonderful treats. 

Bold Pigeon

 

If you look toward the bottom middle of the photo above, you'll see pigeon feet and the shadow of the pigeon that is standing on top of the umbrella.

This was taken at Gilbert's, while dining out on their deck at the end of the summer. The pigeon spent the entire time we were there flying and lounging on one umbrella after another.

I guess he had an interest in what people were chowing down on. He certainly had a great view of all the plates.

Welcome Interloper

 

This hydrangea took root in the crotch of a giant sycamore tree. I'd never seen anything like this before. There is a hydrangea bush across the street from where this volunteer landed, so I assume that's where it originated.

Some People . . .

 

My neighbors at the corner spent many hours planting and grooming a fabulous garden, so that everyone who passed by might also enjoy it.

Their favorite flowers were roses, which were thriving in the sunny location. Instead of cutting the flowers off to bring into their home, they left them on the bush so that all walking by might get pleasure from their beauty.

They were quite horrified to come out one morning and find their roses had been cut off. The note below was a response to that vandalism.

What a JERK indeed! Amen to that note.

Curbside Memorial

This curbside memorial was something I noticed as I was driving past. Very sweet and very sad.

Memorial Garden

This garden was created by my neighbor Joe, a magnificent memorial to his daughter Roan. It's a joy to behold each time I walk by. I've seen many people stop there and become captivated by its charm and beauty.

The running water adds sound and motion to the site. It will be exciting to see it return to life next spring. The only way I can describe this is as a true work of living art.

 

Nice Undies, Neighbor!

See the "HANES" writing on the waistband? Quite nice.

This neighbor spent lots of time working outside in shorts, and topless. It was a good summer show as far as I was concerned. I'm very easily amused and into visual things, so this worked well for the warm weather.

One day Mr. Neighbor drove up in his snazzy car, dressed in a beautiful yellow shirt and a very nice tie. He'd just come home from work. It took me a few seconds to realize that I knew this person. When he got out of the car, I walked over and said: "You look terrific! This is the first time I've seen you fully dressed."  

 

Sitting Duck

Coming Soon . . .

 

Kevin's neatly stacked wood is ready to accommodate his wood stove for the oncoming cold weather.

Maxine at the Maine Mall

I was out at the mall with my son and his wife. I mean where else would you go when you're here from the Philadelphia area visiting Maine?

If I go to the Maine Mall three times a year it's a lot. But my daughter-in-law noticed that Maxine was sitting in car parked very close to ours. Luckily, I had my camera with me. I wouldn't have wanted to miss this photo op.

                        An Artist with a Green Thumb

 

Jill Atkins is an artist who has a studio that welcomes passersby. She also opens the studio up a few times a year for special shows that are announced with signs outside.

Aside from her artistic talents, Jill also is quite a gardener. Have you ever seen such a huge salvia? I hadn't. Jill had come along while I was snapping pictures of the gigantic plant. She informed me that the reason it was so large was because she had used a growth promoting bacteria in the soil.

And evidently it worked extremely well, judging from the profusion of redness in the photo below.

 

Local Felines

 

This unusually marked cat was hanging around near Gilbert's, the day we had the pigeon watching us eat our lunch. I like those wonderful patterns, particularly the face.

I leave my watering can filled, because Malachi likes to come over every morning and drink from it. He lives next door and spends a lot of time in my garden, where he's quite welcome.

Waterfront Personality

August Ambles

Artistic Advertising

Elizabeth Fraser is a prolific neighborhood artist, whose home also serves as an art gallery. The wonderful palette on her front door defines the building's interior.

She has wonderful openings, delightful art, and is an asset to the area.

Beautiful Window Boxes

I've enjoyed these lovely window box displays for the past several years, and have complimented the owner when I meet her as she's walking her dogs.

This is the first time I'd been able to take a photograph that was acceptable to me. It seems that whenever I'd passed by with my camera previously, the light was never quite right.

The couple living in this house have also done amazing things with stones in their garden. I've watched their hard work and have admired their diligence and artistic ability. It's always a joy to walk past their home.

Shocking Arrest of Daisy Duck

When I looked at the police department's arrest log for the week of 7/23/2008 to 7/31/2008, I was stunned to see the name of "Duck, Daisy" under the column headed "Arrestee Name." I pick up these arrest logs each Friday, check them over the weekend, and highlight the ones that might produce an interesting story for The West End NEWS. On Monday mornings I talk to the person assigned with the task of dealing with the media regarding these issues, and hopefully by the end of that conversation I have at least one story to write up.

Daisy Duck was arrested on July 31 at 11:03 in the morning for "Criminal/Traffic/Civil/Offenses." Her home address was given as Portland and her age was 58. Daisy lied about her age, because she was actually born in 1940, so she chopped ten years off to reach that number.

Daisy Duck was one of my childhood "friends," along with Donald and the rest of the clan. I actually pulled out the Portland telephone directory, to see if there is anyone with that name residing here. There wasn't. But in relaying this event to friends in Philly, I've discovered that there are two people down there with the last name of "Duck." One is Donald and the other is Joseph; however, there are no Ducks in Portland, Maine.

I noticed that there was no name listed for the arresting officer, which caused me to think that someone might have added the name as a joke.

When I delved a bit further into the entry, the person I deal with regarding these matters said: "Oh, I see the case number isn't a valid one. The number for this is much higher than any numbers we use." He said the narrative stated that Daisy had caused a disturbance at the farmers' market.

He then postulated that during computer training for the managing information system (MIS), where names, charges, and other information are entered during practice sessions, this particular entry had somehow gotten into the actual arrest log.

First I thought it might have been done just to test me, to see if I would notice it. It's all about me, you know! That wasn't the case in this situation.

My Peach Lover Poses

That darling woodchuck still can't resist his peaches. I haven't eaten a peach in a long time because they taste like cardboard to me. But I'm always purchasing peaches at the supermarket for Woody.

He's grabbed it! He usually won't eat it outside if I'm around. He brings it into his home and then he'll leave the pit near his front door. And a nice, clean pit it is.

This is our third year together. He looks a lot plumper than he did last year. He has to really squeeze himself back into his entrance, which is what he's doing in the picture above.

This was taken the next day. We were just looking at one another. There's a peach outside, which isn't in the photo. He's trying to decide whether he should come out to retrieve it or if he should just wait for me to go away.

He stayed with his head by the entrance for about 20 minutes and then backed off. I waited a bit longer and then left. The next time I came back, the peach had disappeared.

What's Wrong with This Lighter?

There's not a thing wrong with its lighting capacity. But the spelling does leave a lot to be desired. It should be "KENNEBUNKPORT." It was a gift, and it's quite a collector's item.

"art of the month club" Origami

The mailing this month contained this lovely origami crane, accompanied by a sheet of instructions.

There were also three pieces of paper included in the mailing, which are to be used to make cranes.

At the top of the page it says: "According to legend, if you make a wish and fold one thousand paper cranes, the wish will come true."

I certainly have a long way to go in order to get my wish, but there's no rush.

It's June in Maine

Old Port Festival

The first Sunday in June is always the day for the Old Port festival, a wonderful downtown tradition.

This year's weather was perfect! The parade by the Shoestring Theater, headed by Nance Parker, was well attended and much enjoyed.

There was also a petting zoo.

A Bit of Country in the City

A neighbor of mine has created a wonderful pond in her backyard. It's deep enough for a frog to hibernate in over the winter.

This bullfrog is quite happy with his new digs.

She also has three chickens, who seem to be quite content in their new urban setting.

House Portraits

I've been doing scratchboard house portraits the past few months. It's a lot of fun doing my artwork, and I really enjoy when the owners pick up the pictures. They've all been quite happy with the representation of their homes, so that pleases me, in turn.

Praying Mantis Babies

The specks in that container are baby praying mantises; they'd hatched two days prior to my taking this shot.

My young friends Andrew and Henry are in charge of this nature experiment. They'd sent away for a praying mantis egg case that had instructions about what to do after the eggs hatched, which was supposed to be in about four to six weeks. Andrew had just about given up hope after eight weeks of waiting, when they hatched the following day.

The egg case is the round brown object on the stick, toward the right. The mantises are eating aphids until they go out into the garden to start working there. Some of them have already been released into the garden at the boys' home and some will go to the community garden they participate in.

I hadn't seen one of these insects since I've been living in Maine. I had been quite excited when one appeared in my Philadelphia garden.

Another City Bird

This pigeon has made a nest in a wonderful spot.

june "art of the month club"

It was exciting to receive my June envelope, with an apology for being late; May never produced an "art of the month" mailing.

As you can see, there was a charming little envelope decorated by hand, which contained flower seeds. I planted them immediately. I'll be checking them often and will take pictures of whatever sprouts in the area I've placed them.

If you click on these two photos to enlarge them, you can read about the guest artist. It's pretty funny.