Sunday, 2:15 pm: All’s well here in the Saint John Valley. Comfortable breezes have been blowing through the last two days, making garden work enjoyable. Even the biting insects have found better prey. I can’t imagine I’m that tasty to them.

Our friends in Saint Agatha had a close call with a moose on US Route 1 near Fort Kent. Their car left skid marks on the pavement. Yep, that sounds like motoring in northern Maine that's not in the tour books. In fact there are many paved roads up here that have curved skid marks, and small roadside memorials dot the landscape, indicating where an unfortunate motorist didn’t live to tell of their moose encounter. My wife and I seem to average about one close-call per year; sometimes way too close for comfort.

Other than that, yesterday we drove into Madawaska for Chinese food, which was good. To make our meal even better, the restaurant was air-conditioned. Ahhh creature comforts.

Current values from our
Vantage-Pro weather station:

Temperature: 72° (F.)

Barometer: 29-71 & steady

Humidity: 48%

Wind: 7 mph & variable

Visibility: 3 miles

Skies: Scattered clouds

Precipitation: None

Since midnight:

Low temp: 53.9° at 5:01 am

High wind: 16 mph at 6:57 am

Wednesday, 11:55 am: Flip a coin, the weather is so unpredictable. Yesterday we received about .50 inch of rain; most of it within an hour or so. This dismal weather has certainly colored my outlook on nature, resulting in the benign naturalist within me being tweaked with a few more dashes of cynicism. That is nothing new; at least to the people who know me. My wife, once again, said if she wanted all of this rain we should move back to Germany. I thought the Amazon basin would be better choice.

We did manage to harvest some beans and tomatoes from our garden. Our tomato plants look a but scrawny, but still bear fruit. The rest of the garden seems to be in good order. And our chipper-shredder is in for repair.

Yesterday while in Caribou for a doctor’s appointment for an ear infection, we went a little farther for shopping in Presque Isle. That was unremarkable, but the drive back was through driving rain. And as of this writing, we have scattered clouds and almost pleasant. It’s been a most odd summer.

Current values from our
Vantage-Pro weather station:

Temperature: 78° (F.)

Barometer: 29.87 & steady

Humidity: 71%

Wind: SSW at 2 mph

Visibility: > 3 miles

Skies: Scattered clouds 50-60% cover

Since midnight:

Low temp: 73.6° (F.) at 6:02 am

High wind: 10 mph 12:01 am

Saturday, 11:45 am: Another week has passed and we continue to be busy with all sorts of chores. There is very little down time to relax – well maybe some. Our chipper-shredder needs some work, and it is scheduled to be brought in for repairs on Monday.

On Wednesday we drove to Bangor. I needed an eye exam and new glasses, and our car needed routine maintenance; so we made a day of it. After all it is a four hour drive each way, so we have to combine as many activities into one trip as possible. Dutifully we got up a 4:00 am and jolted our brains alive with espresso. Being an early riser that day had its advantages; we saw more wildlife than usual. Please see the above photograph of a moose. We saw two moose by the side the road at the old Nike missile site in Connor, and a single young moose trotting along Main Street in Mars Hill. He [or she] was intent on getting somewhere – probably late for an appointment.

Weatherwise, everything has mostly dried out. The storm that was off the coast moved to the northeast and bypassed us. Yesterday, flashflood warnings were posted for parts of southern Aroostook County and other counties farther south. Here in the Saint John Valley the weather was overcast, but nothing really remarkable. I think today will be a repeat.

Current values from our
Vantage-Pro weather station:

Temperature: 75° (F.)

Barometer: 29.81 & steady

Humidity: 68%

Wind: N at 2 mph light & variable

Visibility: > 3 miles

Skies: 70-80% overcast

Since midnight:

Low temp: 74° (F.) at 7:31 am

High wind: 5 mph at 4:45 am

Saturday, 8:35 am: I hope summer is really here because I’ve put away my snorkel, swim fins and waders. Wow, what a wet spring. Yesterday was glorious with a nice breeze. A breeze is great because it keeps the flying insects grounded, and keeps it just cool enough to be pleasant to work outside. And rabbits are out in force along our road and around our property. They seem to enjoy taking it easy in our driveway, sitting in the shadow of our car or pickup truck.

As I write this blog my wife is stacking firewood. No, I am not that lazy. My wife complains I don’t do it correctly. In my mind the wood either stays up or it tumbles over. I was outvoted by her, so she’s doing it – have a good time. I was clearing red dogwood. Boy that’s some tough stuff to permanently get rid of. It’s mostly work with hand tools on my hands and knees. I look like a character from the Grapes of Wrath.

Today we drive into town for some shopping and to take care of a little business. We drive from our town of about 500 people to a town of about 6,000 people. It’s so confusing to go from a town with no traffic lights, to six or seven traffic lights and a handful of stop signs. My head is spinning now. I won’t know which way to turn.

Current values from our
Vantage-Pro weather station:

Temperature: 70° (F.)

Barometer: 29.87 & steady

Humidity: 76%

Wind: Calm

Visibility: > 3 miles

Skies: Scattered high clouds

Precipitation> None

Since midnight:

Low temp: 54.2° at 4:48 am

High wind: 6 mph at 7:08 am

Saturday, 8:50 am: Currently it’s foggy with limited visibility, but overall the weather has dried out. Here, during the summer months, we normally have fog which burns off by late morning. By midday our visibility will be back to normal, usually three or more miles.

We have been busy in our yard and garden I even managed to cut our lawn without too much clumping of the grass clippings. And our chipper-shredder has been humming along turning red dogwood into piles of mulch.

Last night before turning in, our dogs alerted us to some animal out by our birdhouses. I got out our battery-operated spotlight and voila there was a young bull moose enjoying a late snack before strolling off down the road. He seemed to be unconcerned about all the barking.

Also the last three or four days we have heard coyotes howling down the road. Normally we hear them at night, but they have been active recently during the day. As I write this blog one of our dogs, Sandy, is sitting on her chair next to me. She really enjoys watching me type and occasionally puts her paws on the keyboard. My wife says I am a big softy and spoil our dogs – hmmm, can this be true?

Current Values from our
Vantage-Pro weather station:

Temperature: 67° (F.)

Barometer: 30.10 & steady

Humidity: 87%

Wind: W at 2 mph light & variable

Visibility: < 2 miles fog burning off,
Heavy fog earlier

Skies: Dissipating fog

Precipitation: None

Since midnight:

Low temp: 52.3° (F.)

High wind: 5 mph at 8:30 am

On US Route One near Parent Rd.
Van Buren, Maine

Independence Day, 11:10 am: We were lucky yesterday, it didn’t rain, and we got many things done outside. Today, already, it has rained about .25 inch. In June we had 3.89 inches of rain. Since the beginning of July we have had .80 inch of rain. I think evolution is in reverse here; soon we’ll be crawling back into the ocean. Help, I am not an aquatic type of person, I like walking upright!

In my previous weather blog I wrote about a little Jack Russell terrier we rescued literally off of the Trans-Canada Highway near Perth-Andover, New Brunswick. The next day we made up some flyers with our computer and we drove back to the area and the first place we stopped to ask if we could put one up in their window, the clerk said one of their customers lost his dog when he jumped out the window of his car when he stopped in to buy some things. She described the dog right down to the coloring and size. The store was a few miles from where we picked up the dog from the highway. She gave us general directions and the name of the road where the man lived. We passed this information on to our friends, the Brewers who live in Limestone, Maine, which is right across the border. They drove over with the dog and drove along California Settlement Road for about ten miles and asked people at different houses until they located the right house from neighbors. The man wasn’t home, so they left the dog tied to a chain on the front porch. That was one lucky dog! Many thanks to Jim and Gabi Brewer, who took the time to locate the dog’s home, and return him safely to his human.

Weatherwise, we are still keeping our fingers crossed that all of this rain will end soon. I’d like to think that the enormous amounts of rain are behind us, and soaked well into our water table. Until then here is our weather:

Current values from our
Vantage-Pro weather station:

Temperature: 64° (F.)

Barometer: 29.83 & steady

Humidity: 100%

Wind: SE at 3 mph light & variable

Visibility: < 3 miles

Skies: 100% overcast

Precipitation: .25 inch rain

Since midnight:

Low temp: 50.1 °(F.) at 2:19 am

High wind: 10 mph at 9:39 am

Saturday, 8:40 am: No surprise, it’s still raining. Yesterday we had over half an inch of the wet stuff. At this rate not much work is being done in the garden. Our swallows that live in the bird house, by our kitchen window, had their eggs hatch, and now they are busy flying about getting food for their chicks. Every so often we see the babies poke their heads out of the hole in the birdhouse. I am just guessing that there is more than one baby bird in there.

Yesterday while driving on the Trans-Canada Highway we saw a little stray dog wandering in and out of the roadway near Perth-Andover. We quickly pulled off to the side of the road. After a few minutes of dodging cars and getting motorists to slow down we managed to coax this little Jack Russell terrier mix into our car. The poor little guy was soaked to the bone, and obviously had a recent run in with a skunk. Luckily we carry towels in the car, so he was dried off and immediately fell asleep in my wife’s lap. He had a collar but no dog tags. He is now staying with our friends in Limestone, Maine, who have connections to local animal rescue groups on both sides of the border near where the dog was found. They telephoned the RCMP to let them know they have this little fellow, in case his owners are looking for him. Today, or early next week, they will take him in to their veterinarian to see if he is micro-chipped. For the foreseeable future he is in safe hands. If no one claims him he will take up residence, and will be available for adoption, at Charley’s Strays Animal Shelter and Refuge in Clinton, Maine.

On topic once more, our weather is, well, just plain wet. The mosquitoes seem to enjoy it, and I am starting to grow gills behind my ears.

Current values from our
Vantage-Pro weather station:

Temperature: 62° (F.)

Barometer: 29.82 & steady

Humidity: 100%

Wind: SSE at 2 mph & variable

Visibility: > 3 miles

Skies: Scattered clouds ca. 50% cover

Precipitation: .03 inch rain

Since midnight:

Low temp: 56.5° (F.) at 5:18 am

High wind: 10 mph at 6:26 am