We always worry when there are big storms, and Hurricane Sandy had us particularly nervous.  I felt better though when I returned home from work and school to John's preparations...candles, flashlights, water, and board games set up for if/when the electricity went out.  We lost the power at 10pm, and Jack (who was counting on having no school the next day) immediately ran up to him and announced that it was time to play Chutes and Ladders because the power was gone.  Nothing like a 6-year-old who takes everything literally! 

Happily, although Pratt Road was closed for a while due to some downed trees, no damages were sustained during the storm.  Unless you include having to play 5 games of Chutes and Ladders and 3 of Candy Land. 

We love fall and winter, but it's been hard adjusting to the change in seasons this year.  We had a gorgeous summer here in Maine and spent a lot of time swimming, camping, and playing in the rivers and we hate to say goodbye to those days.  But, as we wind down the rental and guest-visiting season of summer, our favorite time arrives:  The months when we get to enjoy the lodge ourselves.  With the addition of a super-efficient woodstove that my parents had no need for anymore, we're really looking forward to the warm, cozy weekends on the river.  Our anniversary was earlier this week and instead of going to Boston or Portland, we packed up the dogs and Jack and headed to Parsonsfield instead.  There's no place better to celebrate our happy lives than at the place that brings us the most happiness!  Nothing like watching our crazy dogs chase sticks that our beloved son throws into the water to remind us of why we love the lodge, and Maine, and each other so much.

Our son Jack's 6th birthday was yesterday, and we were reminded again of how much he loves the lodge--we do too of course, but sometimes we forget in our busy lives what an amazing place it is.  When planning for the birthday party that his classmates are coming to, we asked where he wanted to have it--thinking that he would answer FunTown, McDonald's (yipes!) or the Bounce Zone.  But instead, he thought about it for a minute, and said "I want it at the lodge.  All the kids in my class heard what a great place it is to hang out and they want to come there."  So while it will be a slightly different experience being there with twenty-two (!!!) six-year-olds--breaking pinatas and playing soccer instead of sitting on the deck in lounge chairs, it's all good.  After all, we would go to the ends of the earth for this boy.  :)

Every July we celebrate summer with our annual family picnic at the lodge, and this year's was the best ever.  Not only were our own parents and  all three of our children with us (the girls are busy young adults with jobs and social lives, after all), but John's brothers and sisters were all there, too...traveling from as far away as Haiti!  It was wonderful to have everyone in the Morrissey family together, happily eating lobster and corn on the cob.  Jack had a blast showing off his new swimming skills for his Aunties and Uncles, and I was reminded again after seeing all of the Morrisseys in one place that my little guy is a genetic copy of Daddy and Uncle Mike (except for the curly hair, of course).  The party was followed by a week of family vacation that we look forward to every year--swimming, relaxing, barbecues, board games, celebrating Lianne's July Fourth birthday, and of course very happy squirrel-chasing dogs. 

Perhaps the most amazing thing about our stays at the lodge is watching our daughters and all of their teenage friends have such a great time.  It's so nice to see teenage girls unplug from cell phones (well, almost), televisions and computers and just swim, tube, eat and enjoy the place that we love so much ourselves.  It's a perfect spot for everyone in our family!

So to be honest, I'm not a small-dog person.  But when Conway passed away in December and we needed a new canine buddy for Jack--and quick--we found Marlin.  He's a puggle-pekingese cross and while adorable because he's a puppy, he's not exactly stunning in the looks department.  BUT, we've discovered that Marlin has an amazing talent:  swimming!  We were at the lodge this weekend and John and Jack were celebrating Father's Day (John's favorite holiday!) by fishing in the river in the canoe.  They caught several small-mouth bass and John was absolutely *thrilled* to see that Jack shares his passion for fishing and was an excellent learner and fishing partner.  On their way back to shore, they were spotted by 12 pound, 8-month-old Marlin, who had missed them terribly while they were gone; Marlin immediately leapt into the water and started paddling at top speed.  And by top speed, we mean like a motorboat skimming across the surface of the water for 100 yards.  John said it's the fastest he's ever seen any dog swim--who woulda guessed Marlin had any talent at all, let alone swimming? 

Spring has arrived, like it does every year.  I always figure that the singing birds and chirping frogs are our reward for making it through another Maine winter, and that if we didn't have such harsh winters we wouldn't appreciate Spring nearly as much.  And maybe, just maybe, folks who live in warm climates miss out on a little bit of the Spring-arrival happiness and joy I always feel when it starts to warm up and the flowers pop out.

At least, that's what I tell myself when my car door locks are frozen and I'm shoveling snow in January.

Spring in Maine means many things for us, not the least of which is opening and freshening up the lodge for the season.  We added a deck railing this year...Karen's always wanted one, John didn't, and the insurance company made the final decision.  :)  But, when John saw that the railing made a perfect place to set down his iced teas or other refreshing beverages, he adjusted just fine.

We've spent a few Spring weekends at the lodge--in between raking, t-ball games, and other commitments at home--and they've been wonderful.  Our new puppy Marlin loved the place almost as much as Conway did (RIP, little buddy) and of course Heidi was beyond thrilled to visit her favorite place in the world.

I suppose all Maine winters are long, but this one seems especially so.  It's been fairly mild and we have no snow, only ice.  Most people around here just tolerate snow and get by--but we love it for snowmobiling and cross-country skiing so we're really out of luck this year.  Kind of the worst of both worlds for us because we always figure if it's going to be cold we might as well have fun in the snow and that helps us get through the winter.

Even though the groundhog saw his shadow we're looking forward to what we hope will be an early spring.  We've kept ourselves busy with projects at home and coaching Jack's basketball team this winter but I did just buy some seeds to start in anticipation of the wonderful Maine weather that I know is just around the corner!