Category Archives: Creatures great and small

A licking time bomb

Posted on January 30, 2018 by

If by some Christmas miracle the ghost of my Nana could have visited Kineo, she would have gently cradled his head, met his big brown eyes with her own, and said: “If it ain’t your hip, it’s your ass or your … Continue reading →

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Back where it all began

Posted on June 22, 2017 by

Heading north toward Rockwood, Tom slowed the Subaru to a crawl. I’d been peering out into the steady rain since way before Greenville, picking faded memories out of old landmarks, retracing my way through the steely blues and mottled greens of … Continue reading →

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Talking about Toby

Posted on April 2, 2016 by

I knew this time would come. I knew it a few months ago when I taped Christmas bows on Toby’s crate and made him Facebook famous for recovering from surgery “at the Bemis Mountain Home for Aged Beagles.” I knew … Continue reading →

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Beware the packin’ kraken!

Posted on May 3, 2015 by

Kraken (kra-khun): Noun — A legendary sea monster that, when provoked, is believed to have devoured helpless voyagers. Just when I think it’s safe to get back on a plane, to venture away from mud season in Rangeley, I hear its primal … Continue reading →

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The Beagle Loser

Posted on April 7, 2013 by

“Let’s get you on that scale, Toby!” she ordered. Suddenly, the room filled with as much drama as could be mustered on a March morning in Rumford. Tom and I held our breath, waiting with hopeful trepidation. Watching the flashing … Continue reading →

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Songs of warmer weather

Posted on May 29, 2012 by

South of here, the sounds of spring would call me out of my seasonal semi-stupor even if I  was still hunkered down and had barely cracked a window yet. I’d be driving somewhere in a fog or maybe stuck in … Continue reading →

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Out like a lamb-eating Yeti

Posted on March 23, 2011 by

Good thing nobody said it, at least not within earshot and, in particular, not while I was looking outside on the first full day of spring. Watching fresh snow pile up on the glaciers not yet receded from my yard, … Continue reading →

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Welcome DecemBear!

Posted on December 3, 2010 by

Anyone eavesdropping lately would swear I’d already gone woods queer. “So, it’s December 3rd! Do you know where you’re going today, little fella?” I’m in the diningroom in my PJs, paused at the cellar door on my way to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Creatures great and small, Seasonal celebrations and observations | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Creatures stirring

Posted on November 28, 2010 by

So, if there was a creature stirring all through the house, how would you know? Living in the Maine woods on cold, pre-winter’s nights gives me ample opportunity to ponder that age-old question. The challenging part comes in never knowing the … Continue reading →

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Surprise visitors

Posted on August 25, 2010 by

“Yep, I seen it. Long about dusk, it come creepin’ alongside the woodshed, eyes shinin’ through the trees. Wasn’t actin’ like any racoon, no suh!” Tales like this are the stuff of cabin folklore and, since staying at a tiny camp on … Continue reading →

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