Sunshine!

And, here is the view from my house this morning. It's a beautiful day.

I love a rainy day

Here is the view from my house this morning.

Look at my lilac bush! I can put my nose in these flowers (my absolute favorite) and be transported back to childhood. 

And, speaking of flowers, I had my orientation to be a volunteer at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. I am going to be a shuttle driver, driving a 6-passenger golf cart - WATCH OUT! Also, will be bartending at the various events throughout the summer.

Here is their website and I hope you can visit some time as the gardens are unbelievably gorgeous.

http://www.mainegardens.org/

After my quick family fix, I continued north to my beloved Maine and it is so lovely to be here in the early springtime.



My buddy Jasper came for a visit, bringing Rita with him and they helped me unpack and settle in. Thank you guys - so much!

(After their broken engagement of a few years ago, Sophie and Jasper have agreed to coexist but that's about it . . . )

So, Miss Rita cooked us up a mess of steamers and oooooooh, were they good. We had a couple of lobsters too from Atlantic Edge (that way we didn't have to kill them) and they were wicked good, let me tell you!

The weather has been unseasonably cold so I got to have a fire in the fireplace and flannel sheets on the bed, and after the 90 degree weather in Florida, what a treat. It is quiet here pre-tourist season which suits me just fine. There are a jizillion stars at night and this morning I saw a red fox with a huge bushy tail on the beach. (Luckily, Lucy's worsening cataracts precluded her from seeing him. Could have been messy.)

So, lots to do what with opening my studio, getting the gardens in and planting the window boxes. There was a lot of wind damage in the early spring so I'll need to have a little work done to the deck and fence.

Anyhoo, that's the report from LizzieAlone in Maine. toodle loo for now

Moving right along, Stacy and I went our separate ways Thursday morning early. She to Northern Virginia and me to Lexington, Mass to see my sister and family. It was a long day of driving but the girls and I made it in time for dinner and stayed, as I always do at the Aloft in Lexington. Shout out! It is fabulous.  Here are some pics from my visit:

First up: sister, Leslie - about to be a Harvard grad, dontcha know!

Next: bro-in-law, Tom, one of the sweetest men I know. This is their cute house.

Now, two of the loves of my life: Will and Anna. Even if I wasn't related, if I were a complete stranger, I would still say they are beautiful inside and out. Really. This is their new trampoline.

Lastly, here is the beauteous Zoe with new baby girl, Izzy. How cuuute are they?? (Sophie the beast, mauled Izzy first thing, of course. oy vey.  Luckily no blood was spilled.)

So, yes I've already been in Maine for a week as of today but I need to go back and fill you in on my incredibly interesting life leading up to my arrival. haha

Stacy and I toured Gettysburg last Wednesday and when I say toured, no no no, not the battlefields. Duh! We toured the shops!  I did stop to snap this sculpture of Lincoln downtown. His hat is pointing towards the 2nd floor of the Wills House where he supposedly finished the Gettysburg Address. The dude next to him is supposed to be a 20th century tourist but I think he looks like Andy Williams.

(And, FYI, I have explored the battlefields and historical points on a previous trip.)









Wednesday night, we went to Mercersburg Academy and picked up Josh for dinner at Flannery's Pub in downtown Mercersburg. I hesitate to publish this mug shot (I mean photograph) because he always does this to me. It is rare I get a smile out of him for a picture. Here he is in all his glory. Seriously, he is a great kid and I love him dearly.

Check out his tux shirt. Thanks for dressing for dinner buddy!




Ok, so we dropped Josh off at school and Stacy and I went home to the psycho Bates Motel. When we pulled into the yard, I noticed that two of the cows were outside of the fence. Uh oh. I jumped out of the car thinking to herd them back towards the fence where I thought there must be an escape hole or something. As soon as I got out of the car, they came towards me. Now, I know they were just curious but those suckers were HUGE and getting closer. I jumped behind a tree and said, uh Stacy? As usual, my friend was the voice of reason and told me basically not to be ridiculous. So not wanting them to wander out to the road we brainstormed for a minute and then I found a gate on the other side of the house and unchained it. Then, with Stacy behind them on one side of the house and me on the other to prevent them from getting past the gate, we herded them right through the gate. While I tended to wave my arms, I noticed that Stacy talked to them in her no-nonsense mother voice. V. effective.  Spontaneous high five!!! (which really hurt my hand-ouch!)

Here is Stacy posing and me, showing those bovines who's boss!

Yeah! Who's yo daddy, cowface!!

I wanna be a cowgirl

Lucy has found a new calling. She wants to move to Montana and become a cowgirl. Check her out!

In other news, I finally got to take a shower as my friend, Stacy, has arrived for a visit. At last, someone to stand guard against Norman sneaking in and slashing the shower curtain and, by extension, me. She was initially quite impressed with the Bates Motel but now admits that yes, it is creepy (and filthy.)

We had fun yesterday exploring the little towns of Chambersburg and Greencastle. This morning, we are taking a day trip to Gettysburg and later we will meet up with Josh.