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Tis’ the Season for Annoyances

June 20, 2011 - Oxford - Maine is known as a four-season state with activities and scenic views for spring, summer, fall and winter. The current season also has four seasons too.

For one, it’s black fly season. Those annoying little buggers certainly bug me. I have a grandson who plays baseball and my husband and I try to take in as many of his games as possible. I’m sure Tristan plays quite well, but it’s hard for me to see him through all the black flies swarming around my head.

It’ amazing to me that my husband can be sitting right next to me and isn’t bothered by the little pests at all while I’m sitting in a cloud of black flies. What’s up with that?

Another season in Maine is road construction season. I fully understand that road construction cannot be done in the winter, so now is the time. I also fully understand that once completed the roads under construction will be greatly improved.

What I don’t understand is why a half-mile stretch of road may be all torn up and then a mile or so later another half mile stretch is also torn up. One can assume that curves are being removed to make the road safer and the two construction sites will work toward each other and become one. That is rarely the case.

I’m all for road improvements, but it would be nice to go on a trip without running into orange and white barrels, delayed travel and torn up roads. That also rarely happens.
Amid the black flies and road construction comes tourist season.

The tourists are vital to the Maine economy and I truly hope the high gas prices don’t keep them away this year. It can be make or break for many businesses. And while they are here swatting the black flies and driving on torn up roads, I hope they remember this is not the San Diego Freeway.

Yard sale season is my favorite. My daughter and I get out as much as we can to go look for bargains that we don’t really need, but just absolutely have to have. I love browsing through other people’s stuff and always come away with a great deal.

This weekend my daughter and I are going to have a yard sale of our own. I have been busy organizing and pricing items that I think other people will just absolutely have to have. My dining room table is covered with yard sale goods and I have five closets, seven cupboards, two porches, an attic and cellar that I haven’t even checked out yet.

I try to keep reminding myself that I’m the one who has to pack all this stuff up and get it to my daughters. I further remind myself that when the sale is over I have to repack the stuff and bring it home, though I certainly hope the return boxes will be far fewer than I started with.

If all goes well the black flies won’t be too bad, there will be no road construction on my daughter’s street and the tourists will come to shop. The way I see it I’ll have all kinds of money to spend at other yard sales.

Sharon Bouchard, Sun Journal, June 2011

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