Maine Seasons: Hoping for Spring, Dreaming of Gardens

Have I belabored the length of winter enough?
Well, here is another sign that winter is too long.
I am listening to the Red Sox and Yankees spring training game in Fort Meyers, Florida, as I write this. If we can't be there we can dream of being there.
And if we can't have spring yet, at least we can plant!

Note the snow in the background.

And enjoy an indoor greenhouse.

Now we wait for sprouts!

At the store where we purchased this, the lady who checked us out said that many customers had been asking for two weeks for potting soil and seeds. So we are not alone in this pursuit of green.
Here's hoping for green to get through the rest of winter.

What do you do as you hope for spring?

Maine Seasons: No More Snowmen, or Maine Winter Getaways

Its Presidents Day, and its February break, the week when as many Mainers get on a plane and get out of here, preferably someplace warm and sunny. (Florida is a favorite pick.) But not me, and its snowing. But I'm thinking about spring, wishing it to come quickly.

A less wintry mantelpiece.

Over the weekend the sun was out, and while it wasn't "warm" by any stretch of the imagination, it felt "warmer" because it was in the 30s and crept into the 40s on my sun-soaked deck. There was a different feeling in the air--that tantalizing ever-so-slight warmth from the sun and not so bone-chillingly cold air. My younger dog felt it too. He wanted to be outside and acted a bit spring feverish.

The blue sky could be a
Maine summer sky
if not for the snow
on the landscape.

This is the time of year I start putting away the last of the "winter" decorations--the snowmen that stayed out after Christmas, the Christmasy scented candles, and the lingering Christmas cards taped to the wall. I did that on Saturday with high hopes that even changing out the candles from Christmas green ones to summery blue as well as dusting and decluttering would lighten the air in my home as well.

Summer and warmer days are a long way off here in the far Northeast, but at least I can spruce it up a bit and think about warmer days to come.

Our Saturday included sledding and
a bit of snow baseball. Note: Coatless
means its about 40 in Maine!

Here is a list of my favorite Maine winter getaways for a few hours, a day, or a weekend.

Get Out of the House

Swim!

The local indoor pool at the Wiscasset Community Center. The center boasts two pools in its atrium- like pool area. The Alcove pool, perfect for kids ages 0 to 99, starts in inches of water and goes about four feet, and a regular lap pool for real exercise. My son took baby swim class here and his big kid swim lessons years later. The hot tub is perfect if you have someone to watch the kids while you soak up some warmth for your shoveling weary muscles. It is well staffed with professional lifeguards and has benches and bleachers for non-swimmers. There are also locker rooms and two family changing rooms. 

Read/Explore!

The Library. Any local library will do, but mine (called Skidompha! Don't you love that name?) is open till 6 most weeknights, 7 on Thursdays, and until 1 on Saturdays. They offer loads of free family, teen, and adult activities as well. I like to browse for new reads, look at the bright, colorful quilts hanging in the lobby, take a turn at the jumbo Scrabble-like game set up in the atrium, and look at the art in revolving art gallery inside the back entrance. Even 20 minutes feels like a vacation. Most local libraries do so much more than offer free reading material, and because its generally quiet, its a nice place to get away and just think for a while.

Sleepaway

Three favorite overnight getaways, with or without kids (and all with pools) are

Harraseeket Inn in Freeport. When we go we check in early to enjoy afternoon tea. This is definitely a pricier option, but its a very lovely inn with all amenities. With restaurants and shopping all over town you can go out or stay in their cozy rooms, dine in the Inn, enjoy the pool, and early to bed. They offer "Serious Shopper" packages with a gift certificate to nearby L.L. Bean.

Samoset in Rockland. I've lived in the shadow of this fancy seaside resort for my entire life. I've swum in its pool. My high school prom was even held there, but never had I stayed at the Samoset until last year. We enjoyed gorgeous ocean views, an awesome breakfast buffet, and the pool and hot tub. Rockland, Rockport, and Camden (the Samoset claims all three towns because it is so central to all three, but the address is Rockport, although you approach from Rockland), also have sprouted dozens of great restaurants in the last 20 years. With the Farnsworth Art Museum  (winter hours are Wednesday through Sunday 10 am to 4 pm) and movie theaters nearby (The Strand shows limited-run movies that are often not in the big theaters and hosts music events, live-stream theater, and lectures) and Flagship Cinemas (typical popular movie venue), you can't go wrong with finding something to get you out of winter for a weekend.

Purity Spring Resort, Madison, New Hampshire. Years ago before we were parents and we lived in New Hampshire, we stayed a weekend here. (Its still only about 2 hours away from Midcoast Maine.) We had a very lovely dinner and enjoyed a tv-less weekend (the resort now has Wi-Fi but still no tvs it appears!), and the pool. With winter skiing, tubing, and sleigh rides, it sounds likes a fabulous place to enjoy a winter getaway with kids. It is located at the base of King Pine Ski Area and along Purity Lake. They offer many packages and simple and comfortable lodgings at great rates. Its a nice getaway without leaving the region.

Many folks take their kids to Massachusetts to Great Wolf Lodge. I've never been there but it seems to be a popular getaway location with a large indoor water park. 

Day Aways

Two Portland-based getaways we've done are the popular indoor trampoline parks Get Air and Urban Air followed by Otto Pizza or Portland Pie for pizza. There is also the Maine Children's Museum in downtown Portland for younger kids and the Portland Museum of Art. This time of year during school holidays and Saturdays these spots can be very busy and crowded, but I think of it as a cheap alternative to a Disney vacation!

What is your favorite Maine winter getaway, whether its for a day, weekend, or an hour?

Maine Seasons: Two-Dog Days

The first three weeks of the year were cold, filled with colds, and a busy school and work schedule. It was a bit of a downer after the holidays. All we wanted to do was stay home, stay in bed. Then the last weekend in January we took in a second dog from an older friend who is no longer home to care for his best friend. While we had our concerns about bringing another older dog into our home with our energetic two-year-old lab, it has worked out better than expected, and everyone is settling into the routine.

Becoming a
 two-dog home:
I can't resist smiling
when these two happy
dogs greet me with their
enthusiastic tail
wags and cute faces.

Having this second dog has saved my winter from the complete doldrums it was in. Because we live in a rural neighborhood far off the road, Merlin goes in and out without our direct supervision every minute. He usually stays in the yard and returns back to the door within five minutes or within a call out or two. But Ramsay is used to being put on a leash or a run, and because this was a new environment, we've been going outside with him on a leash. Being older and less frisky (although he has a lot of play left in him!), Ramsay takes a slower pace, and he has different habits that require patience. This has made the going-outside routine to take ten minutes rather than the two it was before. Walks have changed from fast and furious five-minute run-rambles up our dead-end road to 15 minutes of sniffing, shuffling, and maybe some light jogging on a fast day. So being Ramsay's caretaker requires a bit of patience.

A two-dog ramble.

At first I dreaded going outside in the cold, but I've bundled up heavily for predawn, mid-day, and late starry night rambles around the yard.

After two weeks of this I realized I wasn't as down about winter as I was before. Having another dog to think about as well as getting outside with the dogs rather than just being a doorman has helped me enormously. The fresh air, exercise, and looking at the stars and snow and hearing the little birds that stick around Maine in winter has helped my perspective.

But oh the hair! I thought our house was dog-hair infested with one, but two has produced infinite amounts and has required far more regular vacuuming than my usual once-a-week sweep-through. Benefit? More vacuuming equates more exercise! (And maybe a cleaner house? Probably not!)

The dog toys have accumulated
with the dog hair!

Ultimately the dogs are happy, and they are making me happy as I watch them adjust and become friends. Ramsay is getting more limber and playful, and Merlin has a companion, and he enjoys the company of people and another dog outside. He's getting more exercise than he was earlier this winter as well. So far, its been a win-win bringing another dog into our home.

Check with me during mud and tick season, which are are just around the corner. (One day at a time, I guess!)

Get outside and play with your dog! Its one of the best remedies for the winter blahs.