On the all-important front of Maine team skip-bo, the girls rallied mightily on Friday – they won 3 straight, and the boys only avoided the skunk by winning a close fourth game. That tied the vacation series all up at 4-4. Everything came down to the Saturday show-down. The boys won the first game handily (whooo!). The girls then crushed us the next two games. We refused to leave things in that state, so we played a fourth game, which we won. The series was all tied up at 6-6! It was late, but we HAD to play the tie-breaker. The girls leapt out to a huge lead, but against great odds the boys rallied valiantly to take the lead. The nail-biter game came down to this: I had one card left (a four) and Leona had two cards left. I could not play out, so the play passed to Leona, who drew many cards (I think it was four). She got what she needed, so she played out and the girls won. 13 games of skip-bo played, and the difference was ONE card (and a pretty easily played card at that). I told Leona that it was a bonus Christmas gift to her that Carleton and I let her win.

We made is safely back to Ohio after our tour of Rockland and East Livermore, Maine. We managed to put over 2,000 miles on the car. It is about a 15-hour drive from New Baltimore to Rockland, so we break that up over two days. We did do the whole thing in one shot once or twice, but the in last two hours of those drives I started seeing things that were not there and started muttering directions to myself. Mer decided this was not the most restful start to vacations, so we have split the drive the last several years.

Our kitties were most happy to see us – so much so that they all took turns waking us up, starting around 5 a.m. It was still really nice to be back in my bed – you mu-sings readers who are still on the short side of 30 will not understand that, but you really get used to being in your own bed. Also, most people do not spend lots of money on the guest beds, so they tend to support my back less than my normal bed. End of old-fart-sounding rant.

We are going to try to shorten the holiday rotation; for the last nine years we have rotated Florida/Chicago and Ohio/Maine (to try to see the scattered family). We’re going to see if a two-year rotation of Chicago and Ohio/Maine will work for everyone. Since the only people we see in Florida are Mer’s parents (who just retired and are thus mobile), we’d like to skip that so that we get to Maine and get to stay home more often. I know most folks would not be happy about swapping Florida for Ohio and Maine, but I’m not most people. I am less than impressed with central Florida – I only go to see Dale and Carlene, so I’ll be quite happy to have a fair shot at some snow for Christmas.

Anyhooway, I’ll try to update the Maine happenings shortly, to try to cover what was missed while I was computerless.

AP – A local man accidentally discovered today that the remains of the Shire are located in modern East Livermore. “I was investigating a strange-looking tree,” said a shaken Matt R. “Then it just ate me!”

When asked about the experience, Old Man Willow replied, “He was all skin and bones on the top and bottom, and all fat around the middle. But, these days, you take what you can get.”

Matt R. was saved by the timely appearance of the Wicked Good Band, which sang Old Man Willow to sleep with an a cappella rendition of
“When It’s Mud Season in Phillips.”

Mer and I got to visit with one of our college friends last night. We had a very good meal at Crystal’s house, and sat around and talked and laughed for four hours, which seemed like two. One of the odd things about growing up is that you realize that friends come and go. The high school and college friends that seem like they will be part of your life forever start to drift away, especially if you move away from home like I did. While I am happy to see old high school friends, I only stay in tentative touch with one guy from high school. My college friends were some of the best people I have ever met, but I am now only in touch with two of them. [Mer’s addition:  he’s technically still in regular contact with at least three of them – if I count – and I’d like to think I do!]  I am very happy that Crystal is one of them, AND she is a Mainer which makes her that much more cool to boot.

And yes, Sonotmu, Crystal lives in a post-and-beam house (look closely in the left part of the photo) that has an indoor basketball hoop and two rope swings.

When Sonotmu and I were growing up, there was a fantastic bakery in the next town. They made lots of things, but the two things we loved best were the classic Maine dessert, the whoopie pie, and another dessert that I have never seen anywhere outside of the Livermore Falls/Jay area – the marianne. The marianne is a small cake covered in very sweet cream and covered with sprinkles. Then, when we were about 10 or so, the bakery closed, and while the whoopie pie is everywhere in Maine, the marianne sadly disappeared.

Until a few years ago! A local grocery store started making them again.  O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay! Then, suddenly, the last couple of times we were in Maine, the store did not have mariannes anymore.

I went on a whoopie pie run this morning to lay in supplies so that Sonotmu would not bug me about getting him whoopie pies. I went into the local grocery store, and they had mariannes again! I picked up six boxes (12 mariannes) – one box to eat and five to transport to Ohio (I did pick up whoopie pies as well). The plan is to get them to Ohio, and then see if I can get them to Indiana where my sister is going to be. Then, I can see if Sonotmu wants them badly enough to head them off before sis-der gets to them.

The message from the higher being: “Feed me!”

Happy Boxing Day! We are finally getting a little of the white stuff. It is not supposed to amount to much, and it is not supposed to stay, but it makes for a festive Boxing Day.

If this (from Wikipedia) does not put you in the holiday mood, I’m not sure what will. Those wacky Welsh!

As in most of the rest of the UK and Ireland, the day after Christmas
Day was always most significant in the day-to-day events of Wales. Some
activities that took place on this day seem peculiarly Welsh, including
that of “holly-beating” or “holming.” In this, it was customary for
young men and boys to slash the unprotected arms of female domestic
servants with holly branches until they bled. In some areas it was the
legs that were beaten. In others, it was the custom for the last person
to get out of bed in the morning to be beaten with sprigs of holly and
made to carry out all the commands of his family. On many farms, horses
and other animals were bled in a custom that was thought to be good for
the animals’ health, even increasing their stamina. These customs died
out before the end of the 19th century.

Squeak (Riordan, Maine branch) wants everyone to have a comfortable Christmas.

Some may doubt Santa’s abilities, but it appears that Dad was good this year.

Christmas was very mellow at the Riordan (Maine division) household today. I woke up way too early (my back was bothering me some) and I got to chat with Dad for about 3 hours. I took a nap about the time Mer got up (around 9:30), and we exchanged gifts about 11:30 or so. It was all very pleasant, and Mer and I will get to break any New Year’s resolutions immediately with some restaurant gift cards we received. Sonotmu and OrangeJojo supplied us with much viewing material by getting us the first two seasons of Battlestar Galactica (the new version), which they both say is very good. They also got me an exciting Spiderman electric toothbrush, which I will have to try out shortly.

Because we have family scattered everywhere, Mer and I will get Christmas part II in Rockland on Friday.

I hope everyone had a peaceful day!

We listen to CDs from The Teaching Company when we travel, and right now we are working our way through the 84 (yes, eighty-four) lectures in the Classics of American Literature series.  We are in the middle of several lectures on Whitman, with whom I have little familiarity. Anyway, so far I have liked Whitman’s city poetry, disliked his poetry on the human body, and been ambivalent about his poetry on death. But, listening to these lectures on Whitman has me thinking in poetical terms, and being home has me thinking about how much Maine means to me, so I put this together (it is meant to be read on more than one level – I am pretty pleased with it).

The Maine

This land gets in me –
Rugged rocks, granite strength.
Deep woods, bent birch.
Rolling hills
That keep sight close.
Myriad waters
Of unknown depth.
Crunching leaves
With short memory
But brilliant hue.
Winter winds
Fresh with snow.
Summer sun
Sparkling on lakeshore.
Moody spring
Come with promise.
Rough rocky coast
Rolling down
To meet the sea
And beyond.

For those who like to keep track, in two nights of playing (with various teams), the SkipBo score stands at boys 3, girls 1. Go, boys!

I feel the need to relay this story, because it is pretty funny. Carleton (Mer’s grandfather) has, on occasion, been accused of helping teammates out with significant stares, minor gestures, well placed comments, etc. On Friday, Carleton, Mer’s dad Dale, and I were on one team, and Mer, Mer’s Aunt Mary, and Mer’s grandmother Leona were on the other team. We were ahead in a tight game, and it was Dale’s turn. Dale could play one of Carleton’s cards and it would help us out in a pretty big way, but Dale was not seeing it. I was trying to send mental waves to Dale so he would see the cards, and the ladies were all trying not to laugh. Dale sighed and said, “It does not look good.” Carleton insisted that it just came out with no thought, but he burst out (in a charming Maine accent), “It may not be so bad as it looks!” and he nudged Meredith, which caused her to burst out laughing. Dale saw the card he needed and he played it. Oddly, the women all accused Carleton of cheating (after we all had a really good laugh), but none of us on the guys’ team could see how it was cheating when Meredith was the one who laughed. Women have strange notions sometimes….