Where's the Vermont Gardener?

Thursday, May 24, 2012

A gray sky, 51°, windless morning here on the mountain above Peacham Pond. Karl the Wonder Dog has been out for his morning walk and although he pulled hard on the leash to walk deeper into the woods, he finally got the message that home was where he had to head. I have a ton of things going on today and the dog walking chore will become responsibility for Alex for the remainder of  today.

I have always had this really bad feeling about people who start blogs and then let them lapse. Sometimes people ask me to add a link to my blog and when I go to see theirs I see that nothing has been written for 5-6-7 months, sometimes longer. I always have this devotion to readers and feel obligated  to write about gardening and Vermont and keep people interested. This morning when I finally went to click on Blogger and begin writing,  I had to think for a minute about my password. I told myself that 5 AM was the problem but when I got to the blog I could see that my absence was all too long. I apologize folks, for this is not the way to run a blog, a business or a friendship. So what has been wrong with The Vermont Gardener?

No matter how old you are, getting older makes it a little more difficult to juggle responsibilities. Owning an agricultural business adds to it, as does being responsible for a 19 year old on the autism spectrum and a 93 year old uncle who doesn't remember much more than his name. The list goes on. and we do too. This winter we helped a good friend on her first house buying process and have been helping with renovation work. Gail has had a difficult spring learning that arthritis strikes at inopportune times. The auto start on the truck went crazy and burned out the ignition and had to be towed around Montpelier to find a mechanic that understood Chevy wiring systems. The pump house at the nursery had to be moved up the riverbank and a new pump installed to compensate for last summer's flood damage and this summer's watering needs. The 1982 Troy Built Horse rototiller blew a wheel seal in the middle of spring clean up. In between all this there was more wood to cut and split and work to finish on the writers cottage which started last fall and is finally moving to completion. When Gail ran out of things to do she worked at the Food Shelf. and I guess I just made lists of things I need to do.

A week ago I said to Gail that I needed a break to boost my spirits and prepare myself for a summer of 7 days a week nursery work. I made some reservations, packed a bag and headed to Maine, my favorite non-Vermont place. Like Hemingway, I find solace in the sound of the ocean and I needed that peace for a while. My journey was short but it did what it was supposed to do and I am ready to roll again. In days I'll write about visiting the +400 foot observatory over the Penobscot River,  watching Mrs Peregrine Falcon hit a nesting box at +100 mph with food for her young, sitting on Sand Beach at Acadia National Park, listening to the roar of the waves crashing into Thunder Hole, climbing Cadillac Mountain, visiting my favorite Asticou Azalea Gardens and Thuya Gardens at Northeast Harbor, seeing bald eagles, moose, and an elusive yellow throat,  touring the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens for the umpteenth time and .watching tides come and go at the Reid State Park. People rejuvenate themselves in different ways and this is what I did.  

So once again, I am sorry I have neglected The Vermont Gardener blog for a bit but I'll get back here on a regular basis. In the garden the Hemerocallis dumortieri have tall scapes that should begin to open by Monday or Tuesday. Primula are in bloom, hostas are getting fat and leafy, lilacs popped yesterday, dandelions are too frequent, primulas are beautiful.....the list goes on and on. The various white, pink and yellow lady slippers have replaced the passing Trillium erectum, grandiflorum, undulatum and lutuem in our gardens and the adjacent woods. Mrs Bear #1 has 1 cub. Mrs Bear #2 has two cubs and Mrs Bear #3 has 3 cubs and they have all stopped by for a visit at the house. Maybe if you get a chance, you can stop by Vermont Flower Farm and say hello too!

Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where the loons are quiet with nesting responsibilities and a doe deer feeds at the edge of the lower field, pregnant with one or more kids who should be born in a couple weeks. Life is good, busy but good. Come visit! Bring gardening questions and smiles

George Africa

The Vermont Gardener

Vermont Flower Farm

On Facebook as Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens and also as George Africa

On Twitter as vtflowerfarm

Let us help you grow your green thumb!