Heirloom Apple On The Tree Photo

Along the crumbling stone wall,

beyond the back fields,

grows the persistent remains of an old Apple Tree

with ripening newborne fruit on ancient gnarled branches.

Camping in Maine – The Way Life Should Be

There is a special enjoyment that is derived from camping. I’m not talking camping with hot showers and MSNBC on your flat screen in your RV, I’m talking about sit-around-the-campfire, Coleman lanterns, Marshmallows burning on whittled sticks, and the laughter of family punctuating the night air.

The glow of firelight on a child’s cheek, the settling into your seat as fire-cooked food settles in contented stomachs and the lightheadedness from fresh air and simple joy brings a smile to your face.

The stars are brighter in the black velvet sky and the calls of Owls and Coydogs pierce the silence of the night reminding us of our fear of the unknown in the dark.

By dawn, the cold has settled around the sleeping, making them aware of the thin stretch of cloth between their bedding and the crisp greying of day.

The sounds of morning activity signals the start of another meal being prepared around a campfire. The snapping of the kindling in harmony with the sounds of tent zippers and yawning, disheveled campers emerging from their lairs.

We circle around the fire again.

York Beach Maine Rocks

York Beach, Maine Summer Art Photos

Tomato Hornworm Season – Check your plants for damage.

As the Tomato plants thrive in this beautiful weather, the Horn worms are back to desecrate your green Tomatoes.

Damage is evident as they attack the leaves on their way to the fruit. A cursory look through your plants is enough if there is no evidence of chewing. Stubs of branches with no leaves is proof of their presence.

Don’t be squeamish. The best way to remove them is to pick them off by hand. If you can’t bring yourself to do this then break off the branch they are on. They can get quite big. Big as a finger. And they hold on. They will rear their head at you when you try to pry them off. They have lots of legs.

I can’t tell you what to do with them. I used to destroy them, but I wasn’t happy about that. I then got great joy out of throwing them into the road to fend for themselves among the cars. Now I am too lazy to walk that far, so I throw them as far as I can into the field. Will they crawl back to my Tomato plants? I don’t know, but they must be a tasty treat for some bird out there.

I made the mistake of assumption many years ago. I destroyed a Hornworm that’s back was covered with rice-like pods. I was later told these pods would be moths that would hatch and eat Hornworms. I guess I don’t destroy them anymore in case there is still time for them to be host to these moths.

Check your plants every day. Twice a day is best. It is surprising how far they can munch along. Once they get to your beautiful Tomatoes they will skim over the surface, eating just a bit before going on to the next Tomato. They are not satisfied to just commit to a Tomato and enjoy it completely. No. They have Wanderlust and move from fruit to fruit. Plant to plant.

Hornworms can be difficult to spot. They are usually on the underside of a branch or leaf. You will see evidence of their crap piles that are strange squarish blocks that begin green and darken. If you know you have a Hornworm but still are unable to find it, Crouch down and be silent. You can hear Hornworms eating. They have a constant crunch crunch crunch that will help you hone in on their location.

The Lame Carrying the Lame

A recent leg injury has me limping at best and unable to put weight on my right leg at worst. Now add a lame sixteen pound poodle, a long flight of stairs and you have a comedy.

I think of those movies that have a little dog lowered to street level in a basket. Off the dogs scamper to do their duty, then happily jump back in the basket to be hauled back up to their home. It’s sounding like a pretty good idea, at this point, but I can’t see my dog all that anxious to come back home. He’d find a bicycle to try to chase or a patch of shade too inviting to pass up a nap in the cool grass.

For now, we will limp on, the two of us, in abstract cadence.

Original 1840’s Maine Barn Boards Photo

As my father says, “Still holding on…” Original 1840’s boards on the barn at my parents home in Maine.

Hosting No More

We  have hosted an annual party for fifteen years. It began as a celebration shared with family and friends and morphed over the years into a reunion of distant relatives, neighbors, former classmates and the usual suspects.

Last year, the last year, we had our youngest guest who joined us at age one week old and our oldest guest ringing in at 100 years old.

The nephews have never known a life without the lawn party. I’m told they believe it is a national holiday.

We have had great fun, good food, played games that don’t see the light of day any other time of the year, and enjoyed seeing everyone have a good time.

Thank you to all that helped us with the annual lawn party over the years.

Beyond the tree line…

you never know what you will find.

Spring Fenceline Photograph