ME II: errands + quiet

· Maine Event

Today was a cool and crisp day. We got up a little later than normal and went down to the farmers' market around 8am. Our goal is to go to bed earlier and sleep a tiny bit later. The shortening days and chilly mornings may help. The farmers' market was not quite as busy probably because it was rather chilly – it got down to 45° last night. In the next couple of days, we are expected to get rain and that will warm things up a bit. We did get oysters and Emily was her usual lovely self. We got a smattering of vegetables and when I was getting bok choy and eggs, I looked down and there was a sign for a "large chicken". I was planning to get a chicken to make stock with at the Co-op but hadn't made it down there yet. I asked for a "large chicken" and what I was given was a 10 lb. chicken. I kid you not, I'm still speechless. I grew up on a farm and didn't know chickens could weigh 10 lbs. Note, that this is sans the feathers, head, feet, etc. I looked it up and actually, there are breeds that regularly reach 15 lbs. There was even one that was reported to be 22 lbs. Anyway, tomorrow we will make stock and some other chicken goodness. Later we went to the Co-op and got some basics and some ingredients to make Thai Green Curry.

Another thing I've been meaning to write about is the shortage of workers here. Two years in a row there have been many "Help Wanted" signs on every kind of store imaginable. Maine has the largest (21.8%) retirement age (65 and older) population in the US, it's even ahead of Florida!! The state minimum wage is $12.75 an hour. The unemployment rate was 2.8% in July 2022 here. This article on retraining and pulling people back into the labor pool is an interesting read.

view of the harbor with sail boats
View of the harbor on Fore River. The water more accurately captures the crispness of the day. Sun is hot but the air is cold.
Fore River upstream
Another river scene at low tide.
brick building against a blue sky
I love the colors. The brick, the red doors, the green trim. The Herring Gull topping the chimney.
view down Oak Street in Portland Maine between brick buildings you see the blue Fore River
This is the view of the Fore River from Oak Street downtown. It's our shortcut from Congress the main Street down to Spring or Pleasant for our walk home from the Co-op or the Post Office. Across the way is South Portland, most of what you usually see is industry. This image is particularly deceiving.
red oak leaves starting to change
The large Red Oak tree that is my friend on Spring Street has just the fewest leaves barely starting to change color.
A bag of oysters with a tag that reads Emily's Oysters
Emily's Oysters. YIPPEEE!
black cat with green bushes behind it
As I've mentioned Portland Maine is a cat town. Lately, the cats have all been coming out to say hello to me. It is a real treat.
silhouetted houses and trees against dusky sky
This image captures how I'm feeling right now. Kind of bleary and tired. The season is changing which makes my skin and eyes dry. I'm extra tired and feel like cooking.

Have a wonderful evening.

Sending love, Tawnia

It's also a bird town - might be related to being a cat town:

  1. Blue Jay
  2. House Sparrow
  3. Black-capped Chickadee
  4. Mallard
  5. Eastern Phoebe
  6. European Starling
  7. Rock Pigeon
  8. Accipiter - probably a Coopers, just by size
  9. Herring Gull
  10. Ring-billed Gull
  11. Common Yellowthroat
  12. American Crow
  13. Canada Goose
  14. House Finch (actually not too common here it seems)
  15. Double-crested Cormorant
  16. Bald Eagle (2 of them, flying high)