Fall is on it's way!

Hello Friends. I hate to start the conversation, but after the cool temperatures at the end of the week, I think autumn has arrived in Mooseville. My neighbor, Mr. Barker, reports that he had 37 degrees outside his back door the other morning and that is just a moose wink away from a frost. But being the eternally optimistic Mayor that I am, I think we are in for a long and warm Indian summer despite the Farmer’s Almanac. Maybe if we all just believe, it will happen and we can expect sunshine and warm temperatures through September.

September will be upon us next week and many of the kids are already back at school. Is it my imagination or does the summer seem to get shorter every year? Anyway, watch out for those school buses and kids crossing the road. Gosh, driving is hard – with moose, deer and kids all convinced that they have to cross the road because the grass is always greener there. And soon those leaf peapers will be stopping in the middle of the road to take my picture. Can’t they just buy a postcard - the photos of my cousin Charles are much better anyway?

I thought today I would mention the five crazy women that live down the road. These women make such a fuss some mornings; it is hard to believe they haven’t ended up on the dinner table. It is a good thing that they live with a vegetarian. Oh, I guess it is prudent to mention that they are chickens. Anyway, I just want to say hello to the fabulous five: Nutmeg, Pepper, Violet, Marigold and Thyme.

I am trying to come up with a catchy slogan...I'll keep you posted! Check out Mooseville for all kinds of moose goodies!

Phillips, Maine Old Home Days!

Old Home Days Starts Today!

I apologize in advance, but I just couldn’t mention everything. For a complete list of events and times, please pick up a brochure at any area business. If you see Janet White, be sure to thank her for her hard work and tireless dedication to Old Home Days.
Here are some of my favorite events coming up this week:

Sunday (8/16) – Country Music at the Old Gym and a Golf benefit for the Phillips Public Library.

Monday (8/17) – Get ready for the busy week ahead!

Tuesday (8/18) – Cruise Night at Country Delight and a Talent Show at the Phillips Elementary School

Wednesday (8/19) – Cribbage at the American Legion

Thursday (8/20) – Flower Show, Golf Ball Drop and the Fashion Revue

Friday (8/21) - Everything Sale at the Old Gym, Lawn Sales Everywhere including a benefit at the Historical House, Craft Sale at Trecartin Park, Antique Appraisals, Train Rides, Food Sales, Bingo, a Street Dance and …

THE BIG PARADE - What Can You Do With Duck Tape
Line up for the parade starts at North Franklin Park and then it heads down Main Street!

Saturday (8/22) Plane Rides, Frog Jumping, Bathtub Races and Horse Pulling

Sunday (8/23) Breakfast with the Sandy River Flying Club, Bob Parker Children’s Parade and the Duck Derby
I have to say, I do love a good parade and every year, the parade seems to get bigger and better! I can’t wait to see what people do with this year’s theme. I have to say, duct tape is so important that I hope we don’t have a shortage.
Duct Tape – it is good wet or dry…it can do if you need stitches, a new bumper for the family car or just want to keep track of your remote control, not to mention fixing up the heating duct in the basement. And I would imagine that Earl and Lorraine Berry, this year’s honored couple, have used a fair amount of duct tape over the last 58 years of their marriage.

Swimming Moose and Obama's Second 100

What a week of fun adventures…
Hello friends! This week, I decided to go out to Mount Blue Pond to try a little bit of fishing. I thought a moose, especially the Mayor of Mooseville, could surely ride in a canoe. But, that first step into the boat proved to be more difficult than I had ever expected it to be and I decided that a swim would be better. Thankfully, there aren’t any embarrassing pictures to post on Facebook – Corey sure can be merciless with his camera!

This week’s garden report finally offers some variety, but still no hope for the grapes that haven’t flowered. I do love those green beans and, finally after a few sunny days in a row, they are big and yummy. Turnips, beet greens and peas are plentiful and the lettuce is super tender, thanks to all those cool rainy days.

I think that the rain must have washed away all the potato bugs because I haven’t seen a one! And there might be a tomato ripening on those pathetic plants, good thing they have sturdy cages to hold them up.

Obama celebrated his second one-hundred days last week and there still was no news about a Secretary of Moose, but I guess he may have had more pressing things on his presidential plate than my future political career. Maybe you all could put in a good word for me!

I did also wander over the Forks for a little rest and relaxation, but I had to take a rain check on the white water rafting after my canoe experience. The fine folks at Northern Outdoors do offer a nice place to visit, but I would have to say the hot tub doesn’t really appeal to a moose like me.

So I guess since moose are really good swimmers, I'll stick to swimming! Did you know moose can swim across an entire lake? Oh that reminds me of a joke...Why did the moose swim to the other side of the lake? To get to the other side of course! The swamp grass is always greener on the other side of the lake! Well on that parting joke, I will bid you farewell for now!

Check out the website -- www.mooseville.com

Bunnies and Moose

What is a moose to do? Is it time to wander beneath the trees, hide in the tall grass or watch a thunderstorm race across the sky, but if you don’t know the right answer – all of the above will keep you busy this summer. I also love to swat the mosquitoes with my tail and stand near the road to have my portrait taken. Oh wait, I don’t have a tail so those mosquitoes just keep pestering me!

I wish you would send those funny photos of me and my neighbors to us here at Mooseville and if we look like rock stars, I might post it for everyone to see.

The summer is going by so quickly –it is only a few more weeks till Old Home Days in Phillips. This year’s theme makes me laugh because I just love Duct Tape and you can use it in so many ways. I can’t wait to see the parade floats look like – a creative bunch those Phillips folks are! The list of events seems to get longer every year – but this year I am looking forward to the Everything Sale at the Old Gym and wandering by the train tracks to wave at the people. I might dress up as the four-legged Ghost of Duct Tape just to keep things interesting.
I do want to send out a hello to Charlie – he is my new little buddy who moved up to Mooseville from Wilton. He thinks he is going to grow up to be a lion, but really he is just a rabbit with a big head of hair and likely won’t grow to be more than three pounds.

The garden seems to be emerging from the mud now, but after such a slow start, I am not sure if there will be any tomatoes. The potatoes seem happy, but it is hard for me to dig those up with two left hooves, so I am hoping for a little help. Charlie and I do love the carrot tops, but we have learned that if we eat too many carrot tops, there aren’t any carrots left for the winter! That was a tough lesson for both of us to swallow!

Well, I guess that is all of my moosely wisdom for today! Check out our website www.mooseville.com!

Happy Summer and Moosecellaneous!

Hello Summer!

This week we welcomed back the sunshine to Mooseville!   It was a strange phenomenon – blue sky and  warm temperatures, but it sure had everyone in good spirits, including me. Everything seems to be drying out and despite my optimism, I would have to admit that I am getting ready for the next batch of thunderstorms and clouds.  The nice folks at the Farmer’s Almanac even went so far as to apologize last week for being right – but being right isn’t always a good thing.

In other news around the Moose state, the legislature decided to prohibit smoking in state parks, beaches and historic sites.  The law, put forth earlier this year by Senator John Nutting,  was passed just before most parks opened for the summer season.

As the mayor of Mooseville, I try not to be too political, but I am pleased with this new effort to reduce secondhand smoke for the animals and people who enjoy the parks and it will eliminate those ugly cigarette butts from littering our favorite places.

Now if I can just convince people to stop throwing trash out of their cars – there was already is a law against littering, so stop already will you! We don’t even have any fast food restaurants in Mooseville, but I am always stumbling over Burger King and McDonalds bags and wrappers.  I do fancy those new Frostys from Wendy’s, but there never seems to be anything left in the cups except rain water and that is a real disappointment for me.

I also wanted to talk up the new section of Mooseville for a little bit. It's called Moosecellaneous! It is going to be growing into something for you to be entertained and have a good laugh when you visit! So if you are having a bad day, this will definitely be a place to go to help lift your spirits! It will have things that are not moose from fun signs, t-shirts, lights, oddball items and plush animals. Keep checking it out weekly for fun new products! Here's a link to it now!

Don't forget your sunscreen and have a great week ahead!

Doing the Moose Walk

Here we are on the verge of summer -at least, we are hoping that the monsoon season is coming to a close in the mountains of Maine. June was rumored to have been the rainiest in decades, maybe ever, so we aren’t hoping for a drought, but a sunny day would be a nice change of pace.
Family, Fun and Fireworks - I hope you had a great day yesterday to celebrate Independence Day!

The barbecues were fired up in Madrid (pronounced maaaa-drid - you have to draw out the a) for the annual picnic and they even had a deep fried turkey. Those ladies sure do put out a nice spread of snacks – salads of every kind, decadent cakes and pies and my favorite - sour pickles.

Micah turned the big 4 years old yesterday and he is convinced that all the fireworks are just for his birthday. And being four, you can’t argue with him.

There have been lots of photos in the news of my nephew Buckey. He is my sister’s youngest boy, but even he is having trouble competing with the news about Michael Jackson. Out of respect, I have been trying to learn how to do the moon walk, but having four legs rather than two makes it quite a sight. I will spare you the photos.

Do I like turnips? It is a question that has been on my mind for a while - you know one of those deep philosophical questions to consider on a long rainy afternoon. I would love to hear your thoughts on turnips or any other thoughts you might have for that matter.
Until next time – be careful with those leftover Sparklers!

Catch Up!

You have probably been wondering what happened to me these last few months… the new grass, the flowers and spring fever had me in the mood for traveling!

I know we live in a high tech world, where I could tweet my every move, but I decided that you don’t really need to know what I am thinking about in between mouthfuls and the answer to the Facebook question of what’s on your mind would likely be too scary.

I will humor you with a recap of my spring adventures. It might just keep you curious humans on the edge of your seats. In the heat of the April summer, I went to Massachusetts to welcome little Julianna – she will be a heart breaker in a few years. To get away from the mud and black flies, I dropped by to see Corey in New Jersey and took a little vacation at the Star Barn Bed and Breakfast. I do love Toothaker Pond for a relaxing swim.

Lately, I have been busy slowing the traffic at my favorite spots along Routes 4 and 16. June proved to be a cool and rainy month, good for growing bugs but somewhat challenging for tomatoes, so I have been checking the progress of the new asparagus.

Did you know they are building a new road up to Rangeley and they are straightening out the S – curves along the way? It is supposed to be done later this year, but we shall see…wasn’t it supposed to be done last year? If you are inclined to drive up to Rangeley, be sure you make a pit stop at the Bear Hill Variety store before you head north because it might take you the best part of an hour to get there from Madrid.

But as my mom always said, the road to a friends is never long…I look forward to your visit soon!