3/15/2008 Happy Birthday, Maine!

I received the following email from friends in Philadelphia. Nobody in Maine mentioned it, but Texas friends who live in Pennsylvania did. ;-)

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Subject: Welcome to the U.S. Pine Tree State

Date: March 15, 2008 9:32:59 PM EDT

On March 15th 1820 Maine became the 23rd state. So go celebrate, eat some landlocked salmon (state fish) or snack on a chickadee (state bird). Climb a white pine tree (state tree), or smell a white pine cone and tassel (state flower). Since you have a nice voice sing their state song "State of Maine Song" ( I wonder how they come up with that name). Make some peppermint candy in the shapes of lobsters, moose, blueberries and light houses.

If you're in the state capital of Augusta say hello to Governor John Baldacci. Maybe US Senator Susan Collins and Olympia J. Snowe and US Representative Thomas H. Allen and Mike Michuad will be in town.

You might just want to find a good tavern and read a book by Stephen King or Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Or go watch a movie directed by John Ford.

Enjoy your celebration, just don't eat any Tex-Mex.

3/14/08 interesting governmental body

I took the elevator to the third floor of the building called Roberts. I usually take the stairs, but I wasn't sure where I was going and decided finding the right office was adventure enough. I'm sure other elevators have a similar certificate but this was the first time I noticed the wording on the certificate. "Department of Professional and Financial Regulation." I find that combination interesting. I've never heard of such a department before. "Board of Elevator and Tramway Safety." How many tramways do you think there might be in this state? And is someone who's knowledgeable in elevator safety going to also be knowledgeable in tramway safety? Inquiring minds want to know.

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3.14 Happy National Pi Day

I sent "Happy National Pi Day" emails to some UMF friends and I received this photo in return.

3/12/08 yesterday's damage

Today on my walk to school, I saw this pile of giant wood chips and when I looked up, I saw these odd gouges in the side of the tree. This is the tree that woodpecker was in yesterday. Wow. That's some serious damage.

3/12/08 More birds

Walking to school this morning, I heard birds. Spring must really be in the air, right? But they're crows! First woodpeckers, now crows?! Where are the red robins and the chickadees? This is an odd set of birds to be the first of the spring season. I'm guessing it's an anomaly, but further research may be required.

3/11/08 souvenirs for my students

When I was in Vegas, I held my graduate class "long distance" using Skype software across the Internet. It was pretty fun and a very good thing to do for a class called "Communication Tools for Teaching and Learning." During the Skype chat, one of them said, "Now you know we all love souvenirs." Oh golly gee. Now what?!

That night at dinner (it was Tuesday night...check the Vegas blog for details), I told all my friends what the students had said. Some of us had just received our beverages and these cute palm trees were in the fruit. Someone suggested that I collect palm trees as my souvenirs. Fortunately, I have really great friends who were willing to make the sacrifice for my students and helped me collect 14 of these. My students were appropriately appreciative of the sacrifice made by my friends on their behalf.

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3/11/08 a wonderful surprise in my mailbox

After being out of town for a week, I finally got to the Post Office to check my mailbox. I really didn't have time to check it because I needed to be in Dixfield for the graduate course I teach, but I really needed to check my mail. So I went. My box was crammed full of mail. I've learned to go ahead and flip through it there at the post office in case there's a notice to pick up a package or something. Sure enough, I had a notice that I had a package. I really didn't have time to get the package either, but I wasn't expecting anything and I didn't know when I'd get back to the post office, so I got in line. Fortunately, it wasn't a very long wait at all.

It was a package from Kathy and Steve. They're my Texas friends that live in Pennsylvania now. I was so excited! I was ripping into it on the way back to my car and finished opening it as I was driving off to the graduate class. I couldn't believe it. It was the perfect gift!

Kathy and Steve make an amazing Christmas candy that's white chocolate bark with peppermint in it. They know I love it. Usually, I only get it at Christmas and it's a plate full like of broken pieces that are delicious to eat--sort of like peanut brittle. But look what they figured out how to do! They must've poured the candy mixture while it was still soft into Texas cookie cutters. I don't know how they got it out without breaking it. And then they packed it so perfectly and carefully that none of it broke in transit. Look at those cowboy boots and hats and armadillos plus the outline of the state. What a hoot!

Texas Independence Day was March 2. It was a Sunday this year. I made all 3 of my undergraduate classes learn and dance the Cotton-Eyed Joe on the Friday before. So today, I made my graduate students do the same, but then I shared my TID treat sent by my friends from Philly. It was delicious, but it's even better when you share.

3/11/08 How much snow can one library handle?

On Tuesdays, I teach a graduate class in Dixfield, about 30 minutes south of Farmington. We haven't been able to meet for the last few weeks: we had winter break, then there was a snow day, then I was in Las Vegas. I finally had a chance to return and this was the view out the library window.

And this is the back door entrance.

Now that's a lot of snow!

3/11/08 Harbinger of spring?

Do you see it? Up in the tree? We often think of the sound of birds as the first indicators of spring. Walking home today I heard a bird. And when I looked up, I actually saw the bird! Do you see it in the tree up there?

No? Here's a close-up:

It's a red-headed woodpecker! This picture doesn't do it justice. It was spectacular with its bright red head and brilliantly contrasting black and white body and head. It is definitely not the typical first bird of spring for me. But it is definitely easily heard and easily recognizable.

3/10/08 and now the river is solid

Yep, there is one very thick river of ice out our walkway now. Most of the sidewalks are like that except where people (or the city or the university) put out a lot of salt. But there's traction! It's all very bumpy and jagged ice (not pointy sharp, just jagged) from where folks like me broke the ice when it still had water underneath and then the broken pieces froze in all different directions. It's pretty interesting. I do think that it's better this way than one smooth ice rink runway.

The sun is out, it's a balmy 32. And they're predicting another 1-3 inches (a mere dusting) of snow Tuesday tonight.

3/9/08 When it rains . . .

. . . it makes a big mess. With all this snow and the hard frozen ground, the rain water has no where to go, so it just sits there. This is the walk from the driveway to the side porch (the entrance we use all the time). That's snow piled high on either side and river inbetween the banks. The sidewalk is made of asphalt like the driveway--that's the gray color you see. But on top of that is a giant river of water. It went below freezing last night, so that's a thick layer of ice on top.

Here I am standing in the semi-frozen river.

BTW, do you like my new rainboots? Up here they call them Wellingtons or "Wellies". (The really old name is "rubber boots".) And they come in a variety of colors and prints as well as a variety of prices. L.L. Bean has some fancy designer ones for $49.99. I got mine at Reny's on the March Madness sale. Solids were $19.99 (regularly $22.99) and fancy ones were $24.99 (regularly $26.99). I wanted the lime green solids but this was the only color in my size so I paid extra money to get a print because obviously, I really need them . . . NOW. Remember, this is not just water I'm standing in, this is ice water!

3/9/08 . . . like the swallows of San Juan Capistrano

We've been waiting all winter for Gifford's to open back up. And now it's here! Friday the 14th. On that night you can stand in a very long line and get free ice cream. Last year there was a blizzard snow storm. We went to the movies to get out of the cold but I heard tale of a long line in spite of the weather. Maybe I'll be a part of the tradition this year. It's the Farmington sign that winter is on its way out and Mud Season followed by Spring and Summer are on their way. Now which harbinger of spring do you prefer--ice cream or a bunch of birds flying in?

3/9/08 try to find these at your local department store

Only at Reny's (A Maine Adventure) could you find butterfly nets made with bamboo poles that are at least 3 feet long. This is a "wicked good" butterfly net--one that would actually work to catch butterflies. And it's only 99 cents. Gotta love it.

3/9/08 The Farmington Diner is Moving on

Ah, the Diner. Farmington has had a good, old-fashioned "diner" since the 1950's. Made in that classic all-aluminum exterior, it has the booths and stools that you would expect in a classic diner. Mother and Daddy and I ate there when they came to visit last October. I've been there with MRM and her parents for breakfast. But the land was sold to Rite-Aid along with the plot next door and a new shiny sign of progress will be built in that location. There are many stories about who bought the building of the diner, but it didn't get demolished. Here it is, hooked up to a truck, ready to be moved to its new home, wherever that may be.

3/9/08 Snow Status

The yellow building on the right is the garage, the green building in the back is the cabana by the pool. If you look carefully inbetween them, you can see a chain link fence. But you'll only see the top 6-10 inches of the chain link fence because the rest is surrounded by snow! Those aren't drifts from blowing snow or banks from shoveled snow. That's the accumulated snow that's fallen this winter. And that's after we've had a few rainstorms and "winter thaw", so it's not the total accumulation, we've had some melt. It's a L O T of snow.

This looks like a path shoveled to nowhere but at the end of the path is the opening to the heating oil tank in the basement. You're required to keep that path shoveled so the heating oil delivery person can deliver your oil. I guess it's not only required by the heating oil company but pretty much self-mandated if you don't want to freeze your winter away.

It may look like trick photography . . . maybe I was laying down and taking this photo to get an angle that would create the illusion of a lot of snow. But this is no illusion. I am standing in the driveway looking at the front porch. I'm 5'9" and I can barely see over the snow piled on either side of the driveway.

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