Another Little Bird Tweets

My husband and I are approaching our five-year anniversary of moving to Maine. This event will not spawn any celebrations with any friends, since we haven't made any friends here. We do have plenty of acquaintances, and that's always nice. People who say "Hi," and some who even lift a hand in a wave or stop for a chat on the road. But friendship is simply not something extended to people like us. According to several reliable sources, Mitch and I talk too fast and use big words, two things that are just not done around these parts. (There's simply no good reason to say "distribute" when you could say "hand out.") Also, we are originally from New York, and compounded the problem by living in Washington, D.C. for many years. Like the septic guy said as he was pumping out our sewage, "D.C.--now that's a hellish place to live."

The Bean Boot: Right for any occasion, all year long!

But we'll stay here, for so many reasons. Clearly, with so few people--the state's population is 1.329 million--there's virtually no crime and literally no traffic. The only bumper-to-bumper situation you encounter here is on a car dealership lot, except in summer when the "out-of-statahs" come, and then it's damn annoying. Our house is twice the size for half the cost of the one we sold in order to move here, and roughly a thousand times prettier. The hospitals are great, and in fact much better than in a crowded city. Here in Maine, the doctors actually know why you're in there.

Still, when recently an old friend of mine began working on a website about fashion in D.C., I felt more than a few pangs of jealousy. It's called mylittlebird, and you'll want to check it out if you live anywhere near there, or in fact anywhere. (www.mylittlebird.com) The plain truth is I wish I could participate. It's a start-up covering the world of fashion, home design, culture and more, in and around the nation's capitol, and it's sure to be an instant hit.

The first time I read it I laughed out loud thinking of a similar website for the ladies of Freeport, Maine. Fashion here is on an as-needed basis. Boots, wool socks, long underwear, heavy sweaters, puffy hooded parkas from November to April 1. After that, bug netting, yellow rain slickers, Tevas, backpacks and vests from L.L. Bean take the ladies through the summer. And then it's time for those sweaters again. Of course there are choices to be made, certainly boot-wise: Uggs vs. Bean Boot, Keene vs. Merrill, etc.

Truth is, I would rather be surrounded by a gaggle of dowdy, gray-haired ladies in sensible shoes than a crowd of well-coiffed, sophisticated fashionistas if it means I can always park right in front of the CVS when I pick up my blood pressure meds. Still, the thought of working with a bunch of talented, witty, sharp and creative women on a new venture is appealing. It's something that simply can't happen here, and that's kind of sad.