Lifting Spirits

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

45° this morning. Last night's red sky has offered up a clear, cool morning and yesterday's breeze took away some of the sogginess that came with each step as Irene left us with almost 7" of rain here on the mountain. This morning's walk with Karl the Wonder Dog was uneventful but the sound of the water going over the dam at Peacham Pond and down the river to Marshfield Reservoir is thunderous and freight train-like. There's a sense of contradiction there as no trains are running in Vermont because over three hundred miles of track have somehow been compromised. The media has offered full coverage on what has become a disaster of bigger dimension than the floods of 1927. Gail's mom once told us of standing by the Winooski River in Chittenden County and watching cows float by but this year river watchers saw cars and houses and trailers and covered bridges.

All make of farmers have been devastated by the recent floods. The summer began in late May with some very serious flooding but Irene included every farmer in Vermont on her recent visit. Yes, there are some who fared better than others but everyone experienced damage, some so difficult that thoughts of career change or retirement prevail. It seemed to me as if I had just barely begun to catch up on the destruction of May 26th when Irene hit. Yesterday when it was over Gail and I went down to the nursery as soon as we confirmed that Route 2 had been reopened. It was a repeat of May only worse. I took a bunch of pictures and oddly as I scanned the SD Card later, no pictures were saved. Maybe that was good as we've seen enough for this year. Gail went back to the nursery later in the day to work but I needed a break from disaster and headed into the woods to cut woood and work on some new trails I am building. By the end of the day news reports and emails from other farmers gave all too adequate notice that we had done very well compared to farmers who had lost everything.

For us it is rebuild time and we will continue on. I am trying to connect with the correct agency to get some help with river bank management. Vermont is an interesting state and there is a group that is adament that planting trees and shrubs maintains the river in times like this but it just isn't so. Spring run off is consistently more of a problem than ever before and the rivers in some places have filled with silt and rock and the river beds have risen. At our place the Winooski River makes two right hand turns in a hundred yards and that prevents the massive water flow, pushing it instead onto our land. A new course is growing and if I cannot get some help changing the flow, much of our land and a couple acres of flowers will be lost. Sunday night Green Moutnain Power began plans for an emergency release of water from the Marshfield Reservoir. They think as a company they did a good job managing this emergency but they failed miserably in communication and management skills. Had the dam failed, Central Vermont on to Winooski and Burlington would be a different place today.

As the sun gets higher this morning, Gail is already packing for her daily trip to the nursery. I have banking to do this morning and need a few small engine repair parts while I am in Barre. Other farmers are going about their chores. Some are missing animals, equipment, land, or buildings. Some are very discouraged, most are working right now as you read this. No matter what you do today, stop for a minute and reflect on where your food supply comes from and what it takes to get food to your table. Give credit to farmers. Stop and say hello to neighboring farmers, CSAs, and offer encouragement. Encouraging smiles go a long way!


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where the honey bees are flying well this morning to the background sound of ravens discussing breakfast above the compost pile and a pileated woodpecker working up breakfast on the maple outside my office window. Life goes on! Be happy!

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
We will always help you grow your green thumb!

My Friend Brien

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Already after 6 here on the mountain. A thin layer of blue-grey clouds slides across the horizon as the sun pushes hard on eastern bedclothes and climbs above Peacham Pond. Like the sunshine, I am having a hard time getting started today..... in contrast to Gail who has already walked the dog and had a conversation with neighbor Michelle. Dishes rattle in the kitchen and it sounds like a combination of unloading the dishwasher and making pancakes at the same time.

There are many, many reasons to live in Vermont and one of them is the people who have grown up here. They're a funny lot and something that I have yet to figure out in the almost 60 years I have lived here. It's probably not different than anywhere else but people either like you or they don't and if they like you, they never seem to forget you and they always find time to help. When we moved to Vermont in the early 50's, things were not good for us. My dad had no work and my mom was sick a bunch. Two nearby farmers and their families helped us get through tough times and yet each was like night and day and had interesting things to say about each other. One farm raised holsteins and ran Farmall tractors. The other had Jerseys and a couple odd Guernseys and ran Fords. Both families worked very hard and were generous to us. But even as a little kid it appeared to me that they didn't like each other.

Back in the early 90's when we gardened at the house, Gail started having spring "potting parties" where she'd find local people to help plant and they'd come and work like crazy and have a late lunch with us. "Late lunch" to Gail meant lunch at 2 PM. She always had a theory that if you fed people early, they'd stop working and go home. One of the couples who always came were Brien (with an"e") and Jeanne Ducharme.

When we bought the nursery property and began to build gardens, I had it in my mind that we needed a good looking daylily garden adjacent to Route 2. I found a contractor down the road with a hillside full of free stone and Brien volunteered to appear with his cherry picker and place loads of stone wherever we wanted. This was back in 2007. Here are pictures of that time.....the last day Brien used his log truck before he sold it and retired. I'll never forget that day as he appeared in mid afternoon asking if we still wanted stone as he was retiring the next day. When we said we would like stone, he went to work until the job was finished. I photographed the entire event and framed up a picture of that last job for him and the picture has prominence in his house--something he really likes.

Brien and Jeanne like to garden and although Jeanne is just recovering from a serious stroke, Brien continues to garden both flowers and vegetables and he continues to be the kind, generous person he is. He stopped the other day looking for me. He wanted me to come see his native lilies which he knows I like a lot. He rescued some Lilium canadense and planted them in his garden. There are some variations of the yellow, some with a red collar, and one beautiful plant of plain red.

I tried to visit the other day just as a big storm was starting to blow. I had to leave in haste but got back there yesterday. These are some of the nicest examples of canadense you'll find. The red variety is very uncommon around here and I'm hoping it sets good seed so Brien can get more going. He knows a lot about soil and has a good aged manure source down Hollister Hill Road way that he taps into each spring. He keeps the soil friable and damp and the canadense think they are home along the Winooski River.

Not everyone gets a personal invitation to see these flowers and that means a lot to me. I like Brien and I'm happy Jeanne is making good progress. This is a couple who has traveled around the world, square danced with the best, cooked meals for local seniors and worked real hard. They are part of what I like about Vermont and I'm pleased to be able to say they are my friends. I hope you have Vermont friends like this too. They're special like their lilies!!


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where two ravens are chastising me for not getting to work yet. I have to get going. You should too!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
On Facebook as Vermont FlowerFarm and Gardens and also as George Africa
On Twitter as vtflowerfarm
Visit us in Marshfield. We'll help you grow your green thumb!

Amphibian Migrations

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Just back from checking the nursery after last night's storm. Heavy rains pounded us and at about 3 AM there was lights and noise from a giant t-storm that sent Karl the Wonder Dog into serious dog frenzy. The Winooski River is up four feet since last night and the small brooks are all over their banks and into farm fields. I knew it was wet this morning when I opened the back door and there was a woods frog sitting on the top step and the ground was covered with night crawlers and worms.

We have been waiting for spring rains to arrive and melt the snow that remains +6 feet deep on Mt Mansfield and 3-4 feet deep here in Marshfield. This has been an unusual spring and the temperatures have been colder than in previous years. The sight of the frog this morning reminded me of the year 2007 when Gail and I attended a program at the community center on amphibian monitoring for salamanders and frogs. I wrote about it on the Vermont Gardens blog that I used to write parallel to The Vermont Gardener. Take a look at what I wrote back then as we first learned about spotted salamanders like the one pictured above. Maybe tonight we can get out on a couple back roads and get a sense of how healthy the amphibian population is this year. Check out the North Branch Nature Center and view the pictures under the Nature News section. The "Big Night" in Central Vermont was Monday night for the lower elevations around Montpelier but I'll put my money on tonight in this part of Vermont as snow pack is still heavy in the woods and some amphibians are probably in that suspended state that only a woods frog with a personal supply of frog anti-freeze experiences. Very interesting animals!

Gotta scoot! Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where Karl the Wonder Dog wants to go for yet another walk. He loves the smells and sounds of spring!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm: Opening May 7th.
On Facebook as Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens and also as George Africa
On Twitter as vtflowerfarm
Remember that we will help you GROW your GREEN THUMB!

First Snow

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Returned home late yesterday, but fully aware that a big storm was coming. It was billed as a possible nor'easter and I knew that this time of year that could mean about anything. One forecaster had the Adirondacks of New York lined up with 12-14 inches of snow and high winds so I decided I'd try one last time to grab a few pictures and enjoy the fall scene.

The list of things to clean up in the gardens before serious snow arrives is quite long and this apparently is not the year to challenge Mother Nature. That reminder was confirmed when Vermont Public Radio mentioned a major storm of over a foot of snow on the same day in 1952. Although quite young, I remember that year well because that was when we were fairly new to Vermont and depended on a vegetable garden for food. Let me leave it that there was just not a lot to go around. Unlike the melting snow, those memories have never left me.

I changed quickly and got Karl the Wonder Dog and the camera and away we went with Karl's nose pointed out the truck window, sniffing and snorting fall smells of interest. We arrived down at Ethan Allen Corners and the view I wanted was perfect, although the rain didn't help the photographer much. The tamaracks are a beautiful yellow right now and they contrast against the rusty browns and yellows of the swamp grass. This valley opens with wildlife this time of year as large game cross back and forth and waterfowl follow the small stream southwest to where it meets the Winooski River. This is an area that makes you want to stop and stare and enjoy.

We turned around and headed back home as I wanted to walk the shade garden again. That garden has been a part of me since I began to build it years ago. It presents a tranquility, a peacefulness that I thrive on. I miss it when I can't find the time to enjoy it.

We made it to the garden bench and I spread out my jacket and sat down. Karl chased a chipmunk that was missing an inch of his tail. Rain fell, but the smell of the leaves on the air was refreshing just the same. In front of me were dozens of hostas, topless and well trimmed. Deer on fall maneuvers had diligently eaten each leaf, flower scape and seed pod, leaving only spiky looking affairs that could have served as models to Dale Chihuly's beautiful glass art. Oh those deer...what an unusual relationship I have with them!

I couldn't sit as long as I wanted. Karl was impatient and I wanted to walk a little more. The power of the granite foundation blocks looked stronger than ever, their color enhanced by the rain. The Christmas Ferns were beautiful and the adjacent groupings of European Ginger contrasted so well with the fallen maple leaves.


As Karl and I walked up out of the sunken garden, the Japanese primroses and the various hellebores were obvious. The wet summer days had set the year's seed crop well and gave last year's new plants a good jump start. Next spring Gail will have a good selection to dig and pot for sales.

We reached the yard and I noticed a crab apple tree shaking with a flock of robins devouring the seeded fruits.For some reason a line from an old Johnny Cash song came back to me, not the song's name, not the whole line, just a piece, hopefully correct, kind of appropriate to the view.

"Did you ever see a robin weep, when leaves begin to die?"

We grabbed the mail out of the box, waved to a passing neighbor and headed for the house. Our brief mission was complete.



Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where geese are resting for the night, hopeful for clear skies tomorrow.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Gardens
Vermont Flower Farm