So much awesome.

I went to see Reel Big Fish last night at The Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom, and it was utterly amazing. I loved their music before and I have to say, I love it even more now. They played both of my most favorite songs and I felt like I was in heaven! 

Today has also been good. I took my little Lucy and did a home visit in Albany, then we went to meet Auntie Jess and then to Four Your Paws Only for some puppy food and toys! After all that, we came home and went for a lovely walk not to mention that Dexter and Lucy got to go to their grammy's house and play with Bella in the big fenced in yard. 

Stellar couple of days. That's all there is to say.

The Epic Feast - Devoured

For a bunch of really skinny people, my friends Al, Jess and Paul can eat. They can eat and eat and eat like you wouldn't even begin to imagine any three people in this world can eat. I can't hold a candle to what they can put away and I am by far the least skinny out of the four of us. 

I hit the luck train big time this afternoon. After spending a lovely morning in Concord with my mom and sister, I called Jess when I got home. At the time, she wasn't home, but she called when she got home because they were headed for Portland to a fantastic vegan restaurant called The Green Elephant. We had been there before and I thought they put away some food the first time... they blew themselves right out of the water this visit!

Between the four of us, we ate: four orders of soy nuggets, an order of spring rolls, an order of tempura oyster mushrooms, veggie kabobs, and an order of fried wontons, not to mention four entrees. I was the only baby with leftovers to bring home because I just don't have the gumption to pack it all away. I have to say though, I am pretty excited to have some vegan citrus spareribs to snack on tomorrow. They are darn good!

Other than a little incident on the way over with an unfortunate dog chasing an even more unfortunate porcupine (the dog is okay, the porcupine not so much) it was an utterly fantastic trip. Aside from the intense gluttony at the restaurant, we took a trip to Whole Foods (my first trip there) and it was amazing! So much good food that is mostly good for you in one place. I am definitely going to have to go back sometime very soon for some further exploration. 

Now, I am home and trying to come down from all of the fun induced adrenaline. I feel so incredibly lucky to have such awesome friends. There was a time I didn't think it was possible to have this much fun. Boy, was I wrong! 

Full days...

Today was a fantastic day. I think that in one day, I got to do just about every single thing I love to do. There aren't many days that I can say that about. 

First off on the adventure parade was taking Dexter and Lucy hiking. We've been on plenty of walks, but never a hike, so we chose an easy one. Brook Path in Wonalancet was lovely! It was flat and right along the brook the whole way so there was plenty of water for puppies to drink and splash around in. Lucy did have one unfortunate mishap while leaping from one hummock of land to another... she sort of splooshed down into about 4 or 4 1/2 feet of water... in she went and she popped back up like a little cork! She swam a little bit and then scrambled back out onto the bank and proceeded to shake. A lot. This was the first time ever that she was successfully tuckered out. She ran pretty much the whole way and when we got home, she was out cold for the entire afternoon. It was hilarious as the picture shows! 

Next, I headed for the barn and not only got to ride Revlon, but also got to give JT a little exercise. Rev was good for the most part... only a few rearing/bucking fits. It was so much fun and I think she is feeling healthier than she has in a long time. JT on the other hand is so out of shape it is utterly pitiful. He was looking good until the grass came up and now I am affectionately referring to him as "Lard Bucket". He is in desperate need of some exercise to "trim the fat" so to speak! 

Anyways, by the end of the day I was soaked with sweat, filthy rotten dirty and had an enormous smile on my face. Chalk one up for the good side. 

Sweat trickles downward

as the sun keeps on it's path

I had so much fun. 

A fine summer day today. The sky was blue, the sun was shining and I didn't feel a single raindrop all day long. It's been a long time since we've had a day like that. Lucky for me, I got to spend nearly the entire day outside and enjoying it. Playing in the plants at BCG, walking the dogs and some quality pony time made today pretty fantastic. 

I went for a little drive tonight around the back roads of Tamworth and Sandwich... something I was very fond of doing just after I got my license and had the time to do it. I live in a really beautiful place, I have to say. Winding dirt roads, wooden bridges over idyllic brooks, and views of the mountains and the moon that would make most people drool. Honestly, looking at all of it tonight, I could have used a bib. I have lived here my entire life and I am so thankful for that. I can say that I grew up in one of the most beautiful places on Earth and really, really mean it. 

Strawberry jam

on saltine crackers

the only snack she could think of

and one I ate 

too much of. 

Summer days spent

at the Finley house

the scent of the chlorinated pool

seeping into everything

and I loved every minute.

Back then 

the game of Life

was just that - 

a game.

Played on an ancient board

on an even older floor

in a house with hidden passageways

and doors too small for a grown up

to fit through.

We spent mornings at the barn

and afternoons on the hill

inventing games and playing with toys

that belonged to some other child

who lived in some other time. 

That house is gone now,

and so is the pool.

Torn down and re-built into something

nowhere near

the original. 

So many pieces of childhood

gone in that very same way. 

Gotta love independence...

First off, I had one of the best days I have had in a very long time yesterday! It was Jess's 30th birthday and I got to spend most of the day celebrating with her! Our friend April and I took her out for some brunch and cool coffee/smoothie drinks and then a whole mess of us went out for dinner at The Thompson House in Jackson. It was so much fun and the food was utterly amazing! Not to mention the fact that we walked out of the restaurant after dinner and got to enjoy some fantastic fireworks! 

As you may know... today is Independence Day. I enjoy the concept of independence. Being about to do things as you choose to, seems like a pretty darn good deal to me. I know that I appreciate my independence, though I think there are some pretty shady parts of our journey to reaching it. We won't go there today though... it's a day for celebration!

As is tradition, I watched the Tamworth 4th of July Parade today with my family. It was actually pretty excited because both of my grandparents came to the parade, something that hasn't happened in a few years. It was a gorgeous morning with sunshine and everything and we had an awesome spot to watch from. The parade was much shorter than usual, mainly because there weren't a million fire trucks at the end of the line and that was totally okay with me! There were some decent floats and some lovely horses, so that made it good for me!

After the parade, we attended the "Family Day" events for a couple of minutes. The black clouds were rolling in and the obligatory 4th of July shower was going to happen any minute. After that, we grabbed some lunch and then went to pick up my mom so we could go to my friend Caroline's book signing! If you are interested in learning more about her amazing novel, check out: http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/ride-on-the-curld-clouds/6870856

I was the lucky recipient of an advance copy, so I've read it and loved every minute of it! I would especially recommend it to those who love both Shakespeare and horses. It's full to the brim of both!

All of that goodness, topped off with a family BBQ at my grandparents house rounded out my 4th of July celebration. I think we'll be attending some more fireworks this evening and then it's back to reality tomorrow. Hopefully a reality that continues to include that big, yellow, bright thing in the sky. I missed it while it was on vacation for the month of June and would like to see it back full time for the rest of the summer. 

Torrential Thursday

It's official. The little stream in my back yard is now a raging torrent. Even though I love on a hill, I got something about my homeowner's insurance today asking if I want to add flood insurance. It has been raining... a lot... but let me tell you, if my house gets flooded, we are all in big, BIG trouble.

Both of my puppy dogs are currently sitting on the end of the couch watching it pour. I would totally get my rain boots on and take them walking in the rain, but I'm lucky if Dexter will go out to pee when it's raining! He is not all about getting wet. As soon as he comes inside, he wipes his head down on the carpet because he can't handle having a wet face. I have to say it's pretty cute watching him crawl around with his derriere up in the air, all the while dragging his face across the carpet. 

I guess I don't have all that much to say. As I believe I have mentioned before, the lack of sun is really, really, really getting to me. I am feeling drained and sad and blechy in general. I do have to say though, I'm excited to go see my dad play some music tonight at The Brass Heart Inn and then to spend some quality time with Jess tomorrow on her birthday!! Birthdays are awesome. I'm having one in just a little more than a month. I was scared of it for a while, but I think that 27 has a nice ring to it. We'll see... maybe it will bring good things, like a little bit'o'sun! 

Day One

Technically speaking, today is day one of a brand new month. July is supposed to be a month of sun and warmth and awesome summery stuff. Unfortunately at this point, July is starting out the same way June left off... wet, dark and chilly. None of those three things connotes summer to me. I don't know about you. The one thing I know for sure, is that this weather is starting to seriously bum me out. I'm ready for sun and warm weather and haying! It's hard work and you sweat like crazy, but I enjoy the satisfaction of knowing the hayloft is slowly filling up with food for my ponies for the winter. 

I had another pretty good day today. I got a lot done around the house this morning, spent some quality time with my puppies and then spent the afternoon with the amazing Jessica. It's almost her birthday and though she might not be excited about it, a bunch of other people are. Friday is bound to be a good day, full of celebration of an awesome person and the day she came into the world. What better reason to celebrate? I can't think of one. 

I get super jealous hanging out at the shop with Jess. All sorts of people are getting tattooed and it makes me want to get tattooed. I have some ideas... some things I'm planning on. There's just something about the idea of art permanently inked into my skin that puts a smile on my face. It's not always the most comfortable situation, but anything worth anything is bound to have a little discomfort involved in one way or another. You just have to keep your eyes on the prize. Watch for the benefit at the end as opposed to the pain in the middle of it all. That way, you have something good to focus on.