I love Maine

Had a little weather event last night & I'm still taking trees off the road. (Blizzard + heavy rain + thunder & lightening). No power & not likely to get it back for a while. Just taking a break to catch up with the world.

I ~love~ Maine in winter. But I love our stalwart little generator even more today.

coldplugs said:

Had a little weather event last night & I'm still taking trees off the road. (Blizzard + heavy rain + thunder & lightening). No power & not likely to get it back for a while. Just taking a break to catch up with the world.

I ~love~ Maine in winter. But I love our stalwart little generator even more today.

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Not to worry - no, I'd better not go there.

Diary of a newcomer moving to Maine from "away".

Part I

Aug. 12 - Moved into our new home in Maine. It is so
beautiful here. The mountains and lakes are so picturesque. I have a beautiful old oak tree in my front yard. Can hardly wait to see the change in the seasons. This is truly God's Country.

Oct. 14 - Maine is such a gorgeous place tolive, one of the real special places on Earth. The leaves are turning a multitude of different colors. I love all of the shades of reds, oranges and yellows, they are so bright. I want to walk through all of the beautiful hills and spot some white tail deer. They are so graceful, certainly they must be the most peaceful creatures on Earth. This must be paradise.

Nov. 11 - Deer season opens this week. I can't imagine why
anyone would want to shoot these elegant animals. They are the very symbol of peace and tranquility here in Maine. I hope it snows soon. I love it here!

Thanksgiving
It started to snow.
The first snow of the season and the wife and I took our cocktails and sat for hours by the window watching the huge soft flakes drift down from heaven.
It looked like a Grandma Moses Print.
So romantic we felt like newlyweds again.
I love snow!

December 9
We woke to a beautiful blanket of crystal white snow covering every inch of the landscape.
What a fantastic sight!
Can there be a lovelier place in the whole world?
Moving here was the best idea I've ever had!
Shoveled for the first time in years and felt like a boy again.
I did both our driveway and the sidewalks.
This afternoon the snowplow came along and covered up the sidewalks and closed in the driveway, so I got to shovel again.
What a perfect life!

December 12
The sun has melted all our lovely snow.
Such a disappointment!
My neighbor, Bob, tells me not to worry- we'll definitely have a white Christmas.
No snow on Christmas would be awful!
Bob says we'll have so much snow by the end of winter, that I'll never want to see snow again
I don't think that's possible.
Bob is such a nice man, I'm glad he's our neighbor.

December 14
Snow, lovely snow! 8 inches last night.
The temperature dropped to -20.
The cold makes everything sparkle so.
The wind took my breath away, but I warmed up by shoveling the driveway and sidewalks.
This is the life!
The snowplow came back this afternoon and buried everything again.
I didn't realize I would have to do quite this much shoveling, but I'll certainly get back in shape this way.
I wish l wouldn't huff and puff so.

December 15
20 inches forecast.
Sold my Healey and bought a 4x4 Blazer.
Bought snow tires for the wife's car and 2 extra shovels.
Stocked the freezer.
The wife wants a wood stove in case the electricity goes out.
I think that's silly.
We aren't in Alaska, after all.

December 16
Ice storm this morning.
Fell on my a$$ on the ice in the driveway putting down salt.
Hurt like ****.
The wife laughed for an hour, which I think was very cruel.

December 17
Still way below freezing.
Roads are too icy to go anywhere.
Electricity was off for 5 hours.
I had to pile the blankets on to stay warm.
Nothing to do but stare at the wife and try not to irritate her.
Guess I should've bought a wood stove, but won't admit it to her.
God I hate it when she's right.
I can't believe I'm freezing to death in my own living room.

December 20
Electricity's back on, but had another 14 inches of the **** stuff last night.
More shoveling!
Took all day.
The **** snowplow came by twice.
Tried to find a neighbor kid to shovel, but they said they're too busy playing hockey.
I think they're lying.
Called the only hardware store around to see about buying a snow blower and they're out.
Might have another shipment in March.
I think they're lying.
Bob says I have to shovel or the town will have it done and bill me.
I think he's lying.

December 22
Bob was right about a white Christmas because 13 more inches of the white **** fell today, and it's so cold, it probably won't melt till August.
Took me 45 minutes to get all dressed up to go out to shovel and then I had to pee.
By the time I got undressed, peed and dressed again. I was too tired to shovel.
Tried to hire Bob who has a plow on his truck for the rest of the winter, but he says he's too busy. I think the ahole is lying.

December 23
Only 2 inches of snow today
And it warmed up to 0.
The wife wanted me to decorate the front of the house this morning.
What is she, nuts?!!
Why didn't she tell me to do that a month ago?
She says she did but I think she's lying.

Part II

December 24
6 inches - Snow packed so hard by snowplow, l broke the shovel.
Thought I was having a heart attack.
If I ever catch the son of a ***** who drives that snow plow, I'll drag him through the snow by his balls and beat him to death with my broken shovel.
I know he hides around the corner and waits for me to finish shoveling and then he comes down the street at a 100 miles an hour and throws snow all over where I've just been!
Tonight the wife wanted me to sing Christmas carols with her and open our presents, but I was too busy watching for the **** snowplow.

December 25
Merry freaking Christmas!
20 more inches of the **** slop tonight -Snowed in.
The idea of shoveling makes my blood boil.
God, I hate the snow!
Then the snowplow driver came by asking for a donation and I hit him over the head with my shovel.
The wife says I have a bad attitude.
I think she's an idiot.
If I have to watch "It's A Wonderful Life" one more time, I'm going to stuff her into the microwave.

December 26
Still snowed in.
Why the **** did I ever move here?
It was all HER idea.
She's really getting on my nerves.

December 27
Temperature dropped to -30 and the pipes froze; plumber came after 14 hours of waiting for him, he only charged me $1,400 to replace all my pipes.

December 28
Warmed up to above -20.
Still snowed in.
The ***** is driving me crazy!!!
It hasn't stopped snowing since Thanksgiving.
I have been inside since then, except of course when that idiot "Snowplow Harry" comes by. Can't go anywhere, cars are buried up to the windows. Weather man says to expect another 10 inches. Do you have any idea how many shovelfuls 10 inches is??


Jan. 1 - Happy New Year? The way it's coming down it won't melt until the 4th ofJuly! The snowplow got stuck down the road and the idiot actually had the nerve to come and ask to borrow a shovel! I told him I'd broken 6 already this season. And why don't they use more salt on these roads to melt this crap??

Jan. 4 - Finally got out of the house. We went to the store
to get some food and a **** deer ran out in front of the Blazer and I hit the the poor thing. It did $3,000 in damage to the truck. Those beasts ought to be killed. The hunters should have a longer season if you ask me.


Jamuary 5

10 more inches.
Bob says I have to shovel the roof or it could cave in.
That's the silliest thing I ever heard. How dumb does he think I am?

January 6
Roof caved in.
I beat up the snow plow driver, and now he is suing me for a million dollars, not only the beating I gave him, but also for trying to shove the broken snow shovel up his a$$.
The wife left for the Caribbean.
Nine more inches predicted.

January 10
Took the Blazer to the local garage. Would you believe the whole underside of the car is rusted away from all of that **** salt they dump on the road? Truck looks like a bashed up, heap of rusted cow patty.

February 1
I set fire to what's left of the house.
No more shoveling.

February 8
Feel so good.
I just love those little white pills they keep giving me.
Why am I tied to the bed?

Do I detect a theme?

And here's another Maine winter story (this one is true).

The city of Bangor hired a new high school vice principal who was from Massachusetts. Since he was to be in charge of discipline, his new students asked him if it would be ok if they brought their sleds to school once it started snowing. Having Currier & Ives visions of kids pulling their Flexible Flyers to school, he readily agreed. Come the first snowfall, a wild cacophony greeted the new VP and after seeing the school parking lot he ran to the Principal and asked him who allowed the students to do this. The Principal coldly advised him, "You did."

This is a "sled" in Maine:

Rick - it all rings true.

You made the national news.

Basil said:

You made the national news.

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Wow! The big time! Do we get a prize?

coldplugs said:

Wow! The big time! Do we get a prize?

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It's in the mail (might be delayed due to snow)

This all sounds a bit like our recent weather here in western Canada, maybe not quite as much snow but we did have a snowfall warning on Christmas Eve, lots of driving "fun" over the Christmas weekend...

Sherlock said:

This all sounds a bit like our recent weather here in western Canada, maybe not quite as much snow but we did have a snowfall warning on Christmas Eve, lots of driving "fun" over the Christmas weekend...

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We've had some snow, but not a great deal. Still expecting to have 1 or 2 big storms hit before the winter is over.

Great post! But, I thought it would be more proper to have put it in the HUMOR section!! :highly_amused: PJ

If you've ever dealt with real New England snow, you'd know why this post is *not* in the humor section!

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Today it's warmed up to 19 by 8am!

Edit: Rick - that "newcomers to Maine" narrative is hysterical!

NutmegCT said:

If you've ever dealt with real New England snow, you'd know why this post is *not* in the humor section!

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Those plows always manage to time things just "right", don't they.

Still no power here but the weather's been decent since the storm.

Meanwhile in western Canada... I'm eyeballing a long term forecast for here and it looks frigid!

Some are even predicting that most of the month will be frigid, I see a very slow start to my year of photography... *sigh* Winter is back with a vengeance after taking a year off...

I can see snow in the distance when driving on the freeway in shorts and the windows down.

Ah, a great story about the beauties of Winter. I have to tell ya, I HATE WINTER. Now there is a long precedence as to why I feel that way. First off, I'm here in Pa. we don't get the snows that Maine gets or the Lake Effect stuff of upper NY. But we get enough. And I spent 40 years intimately involved with it. Being retired from the electric company I spent every winter for 40 years working the storm emergencies. I was the guy out there sleeping in my nice warm, constantly running diesel bucket truck while you guys were freezing in your dark, cold, no electric houses. Naw, you know I'm just kidding. But I did work all those storm emergencies. I loved it then. At a younger age. Snow skied anytime I wasn't working, even took winter vacations to New England to ski at Stowe, Killington, etc. I even became a Ski Patroller. I was out in the stuff all the time. Played in it, worked in it. Not anymore, I HATE SNOW. But the wife still likes it. Can't get her to move further south. I don't want to go to Florida, too humid. But maybe South Carolina, I could do that. Up here, as soon as they salt the road for the first time, my toy cars get put away and when the lake freezes there's no more fishing for me. Don't even suggest ice fishing. Like I said I spent enough time in the cold. So its a long cold, grey winter till that first clear, warm, blue sky day when the Healey or the Vette comes out of hibernation. At least I can sequester myself in my shop, because I have grown up, grown old and grew out of winter and snow. My sympathies for you folks further north.

vette said:

... I have grown up, grown old and grew out of winter and snow.

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The western Pennsylvania winter of 1978 convinced us we had a future in Florida. Lost several nice cars to the rust mites up there, escaped in 1980. Am currently sitting in my garage with the door up, a balmy 71°F outside. Skiing on water is an acceptable substitute for snow, I grew up doing both in season. And humidity is my friend. :highly_amused:

Oh well, 20 here this morning, getting warm later today, 29! One thing good though, snow is rare around here.