Sixteen
My memories of that little girl with blond curls and sky blue eyes who loved Blue's Clues and Beauty and the Beast are so vivid in my mind that it's hard to believe that she's 16 today. In honor of this momentous occasion, here are 16 adjectives...
Summer Arrives with August in Maine
Summer has finally arrived with hot and humid weather. After waiting so long for summer-like weather, I have to keep reminding myself not to whine. I really don't like hot and humid. I don't do humidity. With cool weather just around the corner, my...
Blue Moon Rising Over the Narraguagus
A series of photos of August's Blue Moon rising over the Narraguagus River in Milbridge.
Unwanted in the Marsh
Yesterday, I enjoyed my lunch by the edge of a marsh taking in the scenery. These ducks were startled by my presence and took off in flight. A frog watched me carefully, never moving from his lily pad. Do you see him? A hawk took exception to my...
Fireweed
Controlling fireweed in the garden is a never ending battle. I am forever plucking stems of this plant from my garden. This time of year in Maine the fireweed is in bold full bloom. Weed or flower? Up close, it's actually quite pretty attracting...
A Slow Sunday
After a crazy day yesterday organizing and overseeing small town festival events, the most adventurous thing I did today was pick wild raspberries. I discovered new batches of them in an overgrown and mucky area off the driveway. Given my haul,...
Standing Watch
Yesterday's drive-by of the osprey nest in Whiting showed the proud parents standing watch over at least one baby. The sun was too high in the sky and my lens too short to get a great shot, but it's exciting to see the nesting pair I first spied...
Garden Beauty and Challenges
A burst of consistent 70s during the day the past few days has helped to nudge my garden along. Beauty is taking hold in the garden - at the same time I'm challenged with pests. There is beauty to be found in the ordinary. Like these tomato...
Greenhouse Tomatoes and Cukes
Today is the beginning of an experiment in the new greenhouse. Inspired by a photo on Pinterest, I started cucumber seeds in hanging pots. These are suspended from a shower rod fastened over one of the beds. In order to give the cucumber vines...
Violets
It strikes me that these violets in bloom by my kitchen sink look like little purple satellite dishes.
Evening Routines
We all have our evening routines. This time of year for us, it goes something like this. I head to the greenhouse to visit my plants. I'm battling powdery mildew on my spaghetti squash, something is eating my Swiss chard, and my peppers are looking...
Grilled Cheese with Spicy Green Sauce
I waxed poetic about the fabulous grilled cheese with spicy green sauce I had the other day at Chase's Daily in Belfast. I enjoyed this sandwich so much that I took a stab at recreating it. I started with this recipe for whole wheat bread. I've...
Fort Point Lighthouse
With the holiday all but upon us, and the yucky week I've had, I felt the need to get away today. Hannah's off camping with friends, so Paul and I took off for Belfast to have lunch at Chase's Daily, a fabulous farm to table vegetarian restaurant....
Farewell Ginger
My heart is broken. Ginger passed away today while I was at work. Paul found her lying outside in the afternoon sun and she simply didn't wake. Knowing that the end was near doesn't make losing her any easier. At 14+ years, it's only been the last...
Building the Greenhouse
I've been dreaming of and plotting for a greenhouse for years. The inspiration for our greenhouse came from this video on YouTube. After considering a variety of different styles (pvc, cattle panel, hoops, etc.) we opted for this design for a few...
Saturday in the Garden
It's been a most unusual spring and beginning of summer. The days have been cool - we've been lucky to break 70 degrees and the nights have been downright cold. Typically at this time of year we've got the windows open 24/7. Lately, if we open them...
Garden Lust
I had the opportunity to tour a friend's garden this weekend. The experience has me dreaming about rows of garden beds. Agribond over hoops cover a row of tomatoes started in January in their sun room. Onions planted in the fall were wintered over...
A New Perspective on Lupine
I've had fun this afternoon with this new perspective in photographing lupine in the garden. There's something very compelling about the patterns of the blossoms. The bees pull open the lupine petals with their front legs and all but climb in to...
Rainy Day Lupine Landscapes
Late spring heralds the appearance of the Lupine. Although not native to Maine, this iconic flower ties together the patchwork of the Maine landscape. Glorious fields of blue, purple, pink, and white lupine flowers always give me pause. Even on a...
The Whimsical Hummingbird Moth
The lilac's bloom heralds the arrival of the hummingbird clearwing moths. I am fascinated with these whimsical looking creatures. Clear window-pane wings, fuzzy bodies, big eyes, antenna that mimic eyelashes, and curly probiscis, they remind me of...
Purple Blossoms
Purple is the color of the day in my garden. A carpet of phlox appeals to chicken little. The lupin is in full glorious bloom, attracting big, fat, bumbling, bumble bees who shy away from my attention, and the less flashy honey bees who are...
Dandelion Seeds
I love patterns. I see them everywhere in nature - in the clouds, in the marsh grass, in the boat-shaped petals of a Lupin, in winter's drifts of snow. And in dandelion blowballs. At first glance, it's just another weed gone to seed. I have a lot...
Hidden on the Marsh
During my travels today I stopped to admire Canada Geese roaming the marsh. I snapped a few pictures, enjoying the colors and textures of the landscape. Only when I loaded the pictures on to the computer did I discover goslings camouflaged by the...
Planting in the Greenhouse
This weekend we labored on the greenhouse. And I do mean labored. Neither Paul nor I can move without whining. While we're still not finished, the top and sides are in place and fastened down - no small feat given the breezy conditions. It was like...
Phoebe Hatchlings
My last few sneak peeks at the phoebe nest with my iPhone yielded nothing but those five eggs tucked away. Until today. Perched precariously on a ladder, I slid the iPhone over the nest and snapped. What appears to be a quintuplet of baby pheobes...
