Porcupine surprise!

I've came upon a porcupine in the wild - once.

It took me a few seconds to figure out what the heck I was looking at.

Shuffling along close to the ground and headed towards me on a trail in New Hampshire, in no particular hurry, at first I thought it was a dirty little dog, covered with burrs. Perhaps abandoned by its owner, or lost.

I could not really see the tail, and if you look at this photo, you might be able to imagine my confusion.

Once I figured it out, I could not believe it! Porcupine turned and waddled away, and I trailed for a while. Off he went into the forest, and I let him enjoy his life.

Yesterday on one of the Wyndham Land Trust preserves, one of the stewards came across a porcupine! He was excited, too, and in the brief video he took, you hear him say, "I have never seen a porcupine in CT!"

This rekindled my porcupine love, so I wanted to learn more.

This webpage was quite helpful and in part says:
"North American Porcupines are large, solitary rodents common in New England, but less common and rarely seen in Connecticut.
Porcupines are herbivores. Typical diet in the wild consists of tree leaves, twigs, buds, seeds, nuts, fungus and green plants. Evergreen needles and bark are eaten in the winter. A porcupine's usual diet does not supply much salt so they tend to crave it. They will obtain salt from aquatic plants or from road salt.
On the ground porcupines waddle along slowly and somewhat awkwardly. Their eyesight is very poor, they are quite nearsighted. "

After reading this description, I understand my attraction to porcupines. We have much in common (except for the fact that I am often seen in CT.)

I share this piece about craving salt, because sadly I have also spotted 2 dead porcupines over the last couple of years, up in Sturbridge on the side of the road near Wells State Park. Both times were during the winter, and clearly they were out for some road salt.

Nature and wildlife is around us everywhere in northeast Connecticut, and sometimes you just have to be in the right spot at the right time and looking in the right direction!

Brownies baking + Buddy Holly = Best Morning Ever

Brownies are baking for a friend's birthday. Smells greatttttttttttttttttt!

WINY  Radio's jukebox gold is blaring, and celebrating in part, "the day the music died" when the world lost Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens.

The Bradley Playhouse had a great Buddy Holly show last season, and this year they are bringing "Buddy - The Concert." I highly suggest getting tickets now. I have mine!

I started this rare morning off with some time to myself, with a jog and a quick cleaning of the house. Everything in that sentence is now a rarity in my life, yet before when they were routine, they made me happy, and they made me function as me. What a great glimpse to see myself again! I am still in there somewhere!

It doesn't take much to make me or you happy, so try really hard to do what it takes. I know that sounds easy, and is not always the case. But - it sure does make a difference in a good life versus not so good.

Meet Opie the Groundhog on Groundhog Day!

Happy Groundhog Day!

Recently I met a delightful person with a groundhog connection.

Attorney Michele Palulis & her hubby came upon an abandoned and orphaned baby groundhog.

They fed it and cared for it. They named it Opie. Opie thrived, and grew, and naturally figured out how to use the litter box!

Opie, a groundhog, is a hibernator.

Today on a very brisk Groundhog Day, Opie didn't see his shadow, nor did he not see his shadow....he stayed asleep. Opie is smart!

You can meet Opie and enjoy some of his adventures with his new family on youtube 

I love this story!

Blue Moon!

I love a full moon!

It may because I have always lived where you can look up into a dark sky and see stars, meteors and the moon in  every phase.

It may be because my mother's maiden name is Moone. Once upon a time it was Moon, but that is a story for another day from many years ago when one's great-great-grandparents could change names without much ado. 

The "blue moon" is not literally blue.

Simply put, it is the second of two full moons to fall within a single calendar month.
On Wednesday, January 31st, 2018, we'll have our 2nd full moon this month.

Enjoy this old, classic song Blue Moon by The Marcels, and if the weather allows, look up Wednesday night - and every night you can!

Photo courtesy of and more info on the sky available at Earth Sky.

((KG))

Everyone knows that (( )) means hugs!

((KG)) means my friend KG - Kathy Moore Guertin - Gives GREAT hugs.

She is a sweet and kind soul.

Her work email signature is "Smile and make somebody's day" - or something quite close to that.

KG gives out hugs and smiles because she believes in their power.

They are powerful, and thoughtful, and sincere.

((KG)) makes many of my days better.

Every photo I looked at just now is all KG all the way. Beaming with goodness.

Since that is the case, I could not decide on one, but share ((KG)) with all of you. She is always a smile and a bright spot of sunshine at any time of day or season.

What would my world be like without KG and ((KG))? Glad I don't have to know that!

If you know KG, you are a lucky one, too. If not, I hope you have someone just like KG in your life.

Thumbie Wars

Not that I agree with war at all, but I did enjoy teaching a little cutie pie about "thumbie wars" tonight.

You remember - "One, two, three, four, I declare a thumbie war."

Not too many years ago, I played with my pal Seth, when he was just a little guy. Seth always won.

A new victim appeared before me tonight. She loved "thumbie wars!!"

She played right handed.

She played left handed.

She giggled with delight.

She tried to cheat.

She told me I was cheating when I tickled her.

She won every time!

Kids are the best because they are honest, with their expressions, thoughts, and feelings... Even that one who put my face in her hands years ago and told me I had a great mustache. There was nothing mean there, just honest!

Love the kids, and take time to listen to them. Most of all, have fun with them. They grow up too quickly, and we all know how that can be. 

Hen life while picking a little and talking a little!

Bauckkkkkk, bauckkkk, bauckkkk....

The hens were clucking in the early morning drizzle and fog as I approached the home of my friend this morning.


You know that sound, right?

Within an instance, my friend Kat and I were soon clucking away ourselves as only we can.

We laughed about how we sound like the girls in the hen house.

Her husband agreed and turned on his heels to leave us to cluck some more.

Thinking of how my dear Kat and I can cluck right along always makes me think of this scene and song from The Music Man.

Amazingly it has a million tie-ins to "the story of Kat & Marcy" but the easiest segue is to mention that The Music Man is coming to the Bradley Playhouse in August!

Pick a little, talk a little!

Pick the Bradley Playhouse and Discover Putnam CT! 

Have fun with your friends! 

Pulling KP duty in northeast CT is always a good thing!

For people of a certain age, "KP" duty might have negative connotations.

In northeastern CT we have Kathi Peterson, known to me as "KP."

I am very lucky to pull "KP" duty once a month. I've been doing it for a few years. I would do it more if I could.

What is "KP" duty and why do I love it?

 Meet my "KP"

Ann Kathi Peterson lines up the volunteers for the Daily Bread, our local food bank, a branch of IHSP (Interfaith Human Services of Putnam).

For a few minutes a month, I get to see a great team! Cindy, Cathy, Doug, Mara, Bob. 

Karen Osbrey is the ever-giving President of this organization, who vowed to do the "job" for as long as she was needed to do it.  Karen O can spout out the numbers, the impact, the needs, the benefits. When you hear these stats, amazingness sets in.

Terri & Bill chip in a lot of their time, too, along with many other dedicated souls to "KP" duty. 

Tonight our monthly time was cut off due to mother nature and some flying critters - that is a story for another day.

Take a look at this story about "KP", look at the smile and tell me you would not be stepping up for "KP" duty when it calls for your community.

Nightlife in Putnam sometimes includes quacking ducks and deer escorts

Walking to my car after work tonight, in the dark, it was pretty quiet in town by then....

As I got closer to the river, I hear a couple of quack, quack, quacks....

It made me laugh!

I couldn't see those duckies, but I do picture them acting like a couple of silly ducks in the dark.

As I pulled into my street - a  very short dead-end street - one, two, three, four, - SEVEN deer run out in front of me and escort me to my driveway!

It is so nice to live in a community like Putnam, with everything you need in life close by, including nature aplenty!

Jay Long, born with a name to be his destiny, runs long and strong!

Frigid weather has set upon us in the northeast causing the usual mayhem of winter.

Burst pipes, no heat, slick roadways, no room to put all the snow, and in general an overall crimp in our routines.

Personally I have been known to use the weather as an excuse not to be exercising regularly. I'm probably not alone.

Meet Jay Long.

This guy is a machine, and no weather is stopping him.

Yesterday morning it was hovering close to zero, which of itself is no major deal, but the winds were HOWLING! And if you are an outside jogger, you know that as the vehicles whiz past you, there is an additional blast of air, plus the stinky exhaust.

Yesterday morning, in these conditions, with sand, ice and snow on the roads, Jay Long was pounding the pavement. He is a machine.

This is a hometown hero. Nice guy, nice family, works and volunteers in the community, and runs and runs, usually to help a cause.

The photo used is from Gerardi Insurance Services' facebook page.

Jay is one of the Gerardi Team, and this shot is after Jay ran the Baystate Marathon last October. Soon after he ran the New York City Marathon, where he ran on behalf of the Meb Foundation (Charitable Foundation of US Olympic Marathoner Meb Keflezighi).

If you see Jay out running, or any other determined soul, slow down, drive carefully and give them a friendly toot or shout out the window!

Cheers for the good guys!

Do you find the waiting is the hardest part or do you love anticipation?

Driving home tonight I sang along with Tom Petty, belting out "The Waiting is the Hardest Part."

The next song in my Putnam Ford Escape sing-a-long was Carly Simon's "Anticipation."

You might be thinking that the DJ spinning those discs was a genius by playing these songs back to back....

I mean - the waiting is the hardest part, and then anticipation....best combo ever!

However, I found these songs, played one after the other, on different stations, as I played the radio scan game!

But, the songs got me thinking.

Are you one who finds waiting hard, or do you love anticipating whatever it may be?

For one, I love some anticipation. At Christmas, you could wrap up an empty box and give it to me. I'm happy to NEVER open it, and just anticipate what it may be.... and wait for Christmas to always be in the future and something to look forward to.

As a child, my thinking was different. I could not wait to be a teenager, then to get my license, then to be 18.... My grandmother, "Nanna Moone" cautioned me that soon time would go by too quickly so don't wish my life away. She knew what she was talking about!

Currently, there are so many fun events and things to do in all seasons here in northeast Connecticut, and especially in Putnam, that it is easy to anticipate the next big thing, and sometimes the waiting is the hardest part!

But, time does fly and before you know it, the fun has come and gone and you are anticipating the next great thing!

 Check out Discover Putnam to see some of the fun waiting for you!

It's a Small World, Time Flies and other such phrases come to life!

Common phrases like "It's a small world"

 

And "Time flies" 

are common because they are SO true!

How many times have you yourself been in situations to use them.

Yesterday I had the pleasure to use both.

As my office was relocated just yesterday, to a mere one story up (20 steps) in the same building, no less, I met new people I had never met nor laid eyes on before in my life - or so I first thought.

After enjoying a lovely conversation with an attorney who clearly loves her work and mission in life to assist the elderly with complicated issues, I attended to some actual work myself.

As the day approached the close of time for a usual work day, another young man popped in to introduce himself.

He asked again if my name was Marcy. He mentioned he'd grown up in Rhode Island, too. We discovered we came from the same town, North Kingstown. Although clearly he was much younger than me, I thought maybe he attended school with my much younger siblings... Negative... that was not ringing any bells.

Next question posed to me was where I was working circa 1990. That was easy! A job I loved at the Davisville Credit Union, East Greenwich branch.

He said I had worked with his mom! Since that was close to 30 years ago, I could not recognize who this polite, handsome young man could be - until he said that his mom was Bea.

HOLY SMOKES!!! Memories came rolling back. Bea was awesome to work with, a wonderful woman overall, and clearly knows how to raise great kids!

The phrase "Everything happens for a reason" comes to me often, too.

 

Some things in life take a while for you to find what the silver lining is and why they happened, but yesterday's case was instant gratification! 

That simple move up one flight and those 20 stairs reminded me of the amazing people I have had in my life and that I still get to meet more every day. 

It also reminds me that northeast Connecticut attracts the best people! 

In 2 degree weather, the cops can't help but do their duty!

Behind the wheel, on a frigid day, with temps just above a degree and winds starting to whip, you can't wait to get home to your cozy abode.

Then, your car dies, leaving you stranded on the side of the road.

DOOM!

Knights is shining armor?

Yes - they do exist.

A CT State Trooper, on his rounds -  or going somewhere - sees you, puts on his lights, and pulls over to assist.

Thankfully this situation was not mine today, but I saw it unfold before my windshield and then in my rear-view mirror.

Thankfully there are good guys that do their duty, even when it is just above zero degrees!

Fly like an Eagle ~ at least watching them soar is a benefit of frigid temps!

Winter in northeast Connecticut can be many things.

Recently it has been frigid!

Temps barely into the teens, and lots of times not even that high.

An amazing benefit to day after day of these sub-freezing temps is that as the smaller bodies of non-moving water start to freeze, the faster moving rivers stay open.

The Quinebaug River, running through the middle of Putnam, is one of these rivers. Paired with scenic Cargill Falls, waters remain open when other areas freeze.

Eagles, now members of our  community, must move to the limited open waters in order to eat and survive.

Recently these eagles can be seen often perched in a tree or soaring over the Quinebaug River.

They. Are. Huge! Looks like a person sitting up there in a tree!

What a pleasure! What a treasure!

After a few years of the eagles becoming more common sights in our neighborhood, the best part is that people are still excited to spot them! I hope we never take such sights for granted.

As a team member for The Last Green Valley that participates in the annual mid-winter eagle survey for the state, I'm thinking our chances are good to spot one of these miraculous beauties along our designated area - the Quinebaug River in Putnam.

Learn more about the bald eagle.

Enjoy Steve Miller Band's Fly Like an Eagle - because there is a song for every thought!

Come and Discover Putnam, take a walk, and see the eagles!

Rockin on in Teenage Wasteland - when you are almost 60!

1971.

The Kids are Alright. By the Who.

Where were you?

I was rocking out! Just starting at 11 years old for a full-fledged rock and roll loving diverse music life, from Barry Manilow to Metallica!

The 70's - Tom Petty, Steely Dan, Meatloaf, Styx, Aerosmith, Foreigner, Def Leppard, Billy Joel, Aztec Two-Step, CSN (Crosby/STILLS/Nash), Pink Floyd  - and so many more!

Tonight I sat working away at one of my three jobs, on Main Street in downtown Putnam, next door neighbor to River Bottom Records.

Typing. Concentrating.... then music...  the piano chords sang ... and ..... JAM! Teenage Wasteland!
In 2 notes I named that tune!


I don't need to fight - to prove I'm right!

I am partial to Pete Townshend, but can you name your fav who?


Music takes you away!

Like, seriously - put a few minutes a day into your schedule for good old rockin' roll!

Icy sidewalks make great friendships!

Yesterday we had a bit of the usual winter weather that can happen in New England.

Overnight some icy sleet.

Early morning brought lots of big heavy snow that fell on top.

Being Christmas Day, it sure did make a wonderful white Christmas!

A frigid night followed, and next comes a very slippery day after.

Today as I was treading lightly down Main Street, carefully crossing over icy patches, I noticed a car pulling up.

A passenger door opened, and a little lady with a cane and a pocket book the size of a suit case began to emerge, looking a bit unsure of her footing.

Without thinking I sprang to her side, asked if I could help and took her arm.

Her driver parked, and came out to assist me get her down the slippery section.

He asked me to join them for lunch to repay my kindness. I bowed out, told them to enjoy, and went on my slippery way.

This is a perfect description of every day life in Putnam! Strangers give aid to strangers. People accept help from strangers. Strangers become new friends if only for a moment!

Putnam is a community where acts like this happen often. It is not unusual, and you never know which side of the situation you will be on - the giving or the receiving. How sweet is that?

Everyone feels like George Bailey once in a while - tinsel yourself & carry on!

Quite frankly, even the most chipper and positive people in the world once in a while feel like George Bailey.

The young dreamer.

The responsible soul.

The angry and frustrated moments.

The realizations. 

All I can say is that you are never alone.

Put some tinsel on your head and carry on!

It always gets better, and the world is a wonderful place because of you!

Home Sweet Home - thanks to one artistic Kat!

I love houses!

I love buying houses, and making them mine all mine, then moving on leaving them for someone else to make their own nest.

My home loving comes in all shapes and forms.

Wooden cut outs, birdhouses, pixie homes, elf doors...

Paintings....

 

See that nice red house on the upper right, with the fall tree?

YES - that is the newest to my "house" collection - added tonight. 

Painted by my sweet friend, Kat. 

On the back: "Marcy, dear friend, love Kat."

Kat loves red!

Kat's house is red!

When I see red, I think of Kat and all the fun we've had, all the walks & talks we've had, all the cries we've had - and I can't wait for many more of them. 

If you have a friend even close to as special as my friend Kat, then you had better count yourself in the lucky side of life. 

KPRD + WLT + JG = sunshine in my life, every time!

If you don't live in northeast CT, you may not know what KPRD + WLT + JG are.

Let me fill you in on how no matter when I see them, or what I am doing with them, they bring sunshine into my life. Today, I was shined on by all three!

KPRD = Killingly Parks & Recreation Department.

Recently I had the pleasure to dress up as the red-nosed reindeer for the Town of Killingly's "Frosty's Night Out!" Kids hugged me, I hugged kids, we high-fived, we had photos taken. Inside the costume I smiled from ear to ear, although no one could even see my face. It was sincere pleasure to take part in that community night. With all things that I have done with Tracy & Anthony and the entire KRPD team, it is always a wonderful experience!  

WLT = Wyndham Land Trust.

This group does some of the coolest things each year, like the Summer Solstice Gathering and the Winter Solstice Gathering. Today, the shortest day of the year, we celebrated the Winter Solstice as we generally do, at the Lyon Preserve in Pomfret. It was rather mild today, and with some snow on the ground we found HUGE turkey tracks, and lots of deer tracks. Chit-chat, a warm fire, snacks, hot chocolate, and welcoming smiles were shared. It was hard to get this group to stand still, but what a great shot of some awesome folks!

JG = Jimi G.

Jimi Gothreau is a great guy, well-known and loved throughout northeast CT and beyond. Every single time that I see Jimi G, we have a valuable, sweet, touching, thoughtful conversation. He sees things in life that we can overlook or let slide by without treasuring them.
We've talked about witnessing the port-o-john guy doing his job with sincere pride.
We've seen a new mom bend down to fuss over her new baby in a stroller.
Tonight we talked about a really nice old fellow recently passed that I only knew of, but one that Jimi had the pleasure to have spent some time with.
All in all, we can laugh and be silly, but when it comes down to it, I wish I had more conversations like the ones I have with Jimi G. They are ALWAYS the best.

So now you know the A, B, C's of sunshine in my life! I hope you enjoy much of the same in the things that make you tick!

Main Connections to life ~ Enjoyed at 85 Main

Can you believe that this Putnamaniac has never been in the "Cellar at 85 Main?"

 

Well, live and learn - and explore! What a treasure! Treasures are around every corner, and down stairs, and up stairs, too! Be sure to seek all of them out. Near and far.

My friends from Chase Graphics had their holiday celebration at 85 Main tonight, in "The Cellar at 85 Main"", and I am so happy to have been a part of it. 

Of course, since I got invited to join the Chase Graphics team some years ago, I have found a lot of pleasure in many ways.... 

...the things that I have learned! The people I have met!  The stories that they tell! The laughs we have had... and  their memories over many years - some of these folks have worked together for more than 30 years.... I love to listen to them reminisce!

They are family! We are family!

Imagine sitting around the workplace holiday dinner with your coworkers and the boss telling you that every night as he prays to his parents, he includes his staff, his friends, his family. 

Awesome.

I can compare the Chase family easily to my "tree farm family," since we've been together for 30 years and more ourselves. 

Step away from the every day drama and drag of work to remember how important you all are to each other!

More about Chase Graphics

More about 85 Main

PS - the Ratatouille is DELICIOUS!