A Tribute to Steve

Steve is gone. This wonderful, beautiful, intelligent cat has been part of our lives for 13 years. As a kitten he was adopted by Bob, named Steve McQueen, and taken off to Massachusetts to become a city cat. He spent his kittenhood there, and then came home to join us. His brother Puff had been hit by a car and didn't survive very long. Steve filled the empty spot and added his personality to this family. Who could ever forget his head butting, and putting his head under your chin as he curled up to sleep? He never forgot his cuddling nature. When Louise had her knee surgery a couple of years ago, she slept down stairs for a a few weeks as the knee healed. Steve would curl up and purr by her pillow. He seemed to love yarn, and when we came home from school he would have balls of yarn lined up in the living room. Once he took a half-knit sock down cellar and hid it behind the wood pile. Even this morning as we came downstairs, Steve waited for us. He perched on the chair arm and purred his heart out. He has been sick for a while, and couldn't eat or drink anymore. He will be sorely missed. He was the most special cat we have ever met.

A November Ride in the County

The big news in town is the burning of the McCains freezer. The smoke smells bad,

and it is still smoking away down there. We offer you two pictures of what is left of the freezer building.

We decided to go for a ride today and went to Perham and

Woodland, out the Tangle Ridge Road. We spotted a couple of interesting spots, an old potato house and some old farming equipment.

Finally on our way home on the Woodland Center Road, traffic was stopped for a few minutes by two moose who took their time going from one side of the road to the other. They posed nicely!

That's it from the Cole Corner today. Gary worked in the garden beds and Louise is still knitting.

It's November

There is not much excitement here to write about right now. The outdoor work is about done, the gardening is done, the camp is closed for the winter, and we have settled into a routine. Gary is still having physical therapy for his heel three days a week. We swim most mornings. Louise is in a knitting frenzy as Christmas gifts are in every corner. This week she was visited by RSVP to set up volunteer work knitting. When told they needed 2,000 pairs of mittens by December 1, and had just 20 knitters working on it, Louise started knitting mittens for children in Head Start, local schools, and similar circumstances. On Halloween we were visited by some interesting creatures, and captured a picture of a pumpkin! We have a Christmas cactus that has become beautiful, even if it is confused about what month it is. The snow that hit southern Maine missed us today.

It is here!

Snow! This morning it started falling, and it is now covering the trees and lawns. They predict inches of it, and yet it is so wet it melts on the pavement instead of staying. Hopefully it will all be gone tomorrow. This would be a good day to hibernate! As evening nears the snowfall is harder and faster, the snow plows have been out, and it looks like Christmas. Too early!!

The Depths of Fall

The weather forecast is for snow tomorrow. Can it be that time of year already? Today we went to Portage and finished getting it ready for winter. The water and power have been turned off, and the Decon awaits our mousy visitors. It was with sadness that we say farewell for the season. We never did find a chance to go up there and spend a few days this fall. It is a lovely time of year.

This late fall weather also stirs up the knitting process. We have a lovely picture of Jessica winding the balls of yarn for Bob's winter sweater. This was purchased last week at Briggs & Little, and Jessica quickly put it into knitable balls.

Ryan visited this weekend, and had a lovely time with his Uncle Jon. Here he is upside down, laughing as usual. Jon and Erin spent a lovely weekend with us. It is great to have seen all of the boys over the past week and to have spent some quality time with them.

It's time to bank the house and curl up by the fire with the knitting needles.

Lovely Day in Canada

Yesterday we went on our annual trip to New Brunswick with Bob. It was a beautiful day with fall colors that were stunning. The day was cool, but not cold, and the sun occasionally peeked through. We spent several hours at King's Landing, enjoying the atmosphere of going back in time to a more peaceful and simpler lifestyle. We toured the farms, visited with the people who work in the village, and had a nice lunch at the King's Head Tavern. We visited the store and had a ride back to the entrance in a horse-drawn buggy. By mid-afternoon we had ventured on to Harvey Station where we shopped at the Briggs & Little Woolen Mill store, and Bob selected yarn for a new sweater. What a great day we had! These pictures taken at King's Landing

will enable you to share the beauty of the day.

Fall Colors

Fall colors are at their peak in Aroostook this weekend. The trees and hillsides are beautiful with golds and reds. We have a few pictures that show the fall colors. Things on the home front have been very busy this week as Matthew is working on a renovation for us. He managed in a half day to remove the plaster and get rid of the mess. Enjoy a look at fall.