Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Almost 8:30 PM and this gardener is a tad tired. The day was another day of rain and wind. I am glad I never invested in a new water gauge as the five gallon white buckets are doing quite fine this year. It is amazing to me that 2/3's of the surface of the world is covered in water and yet here in Vermont it has still been raining since Spring started and ended. A maple tree on the edge of the Winooski toppled into the river today and this is another bad sign as more of our land is heading west to Lake Champlain. Nothing we can do but watch.
Some days start better than others. Gail and I vowed that today would be a positive day. It was raining when I headed for the shower just before five this morning and when I made it to the kitchen Gail said that we had a visitor. Me and the towel did a quick rearrangement as I looked around for the visitor. In our house you really never do know what to expect. Gail smiled and then explained that as she left the front room for a second cup of coffee from the kitchen, a black bear was standing outside the kitchen window looking in. Gail said the bear looked and looked, then walked around to the front room and glanced in before casually walking over the bank and down into the old daylily nursery. This siting confirmed for me that Gail, often accompanied by Karl the Wonder Dog, has seen more bears around here than most Vermonters.
When I left real work in Waterbury today, it was with the understanding that I had the day off from nursery duty. I was prepared for a nice late afternoon to catch up on some paperwork here. Just about the time I got two computers in update mode this afternoon, the phone rang. It was Michelle with bad news from the nursery. The port-a-potty man had elected to take the truck into monsoon season's no-man's zone and he had gotten stuck big time. Michelle said the good news was it was 20 yards from my tractor.
As I arrived at the nursery (so much for a nice late afternoon to myself) the truck represented a problem. It was stuck to the rear bumper in clay and was a couple feet from sliding into my deer fence and was on top of a portion of the hosta garden. I had brought 25 feet of tow chain and a 100 foot wire rope cable. Although I knew I should try to get the truck out, I also knew it was pointless and the driver needed a big wrecker. What I knew best was that the same driver did the same thing last summer. My dismay at this repeat performance was a close match to last year's expletives. An hour and a half later the tow truck arrived, extracted the tank truck, and away they both drove, leaving me with an assortment of ruts that will take until late August to smooth out. Not all days that start nicely end the same way. That's part of business, part of life. My day still had a better ending than for the port-a-potty guy as last time the boss told him repeats were on his nickel. Big truck probably translates to a big bill.
On a slightly brighter note, Elizabeth Killian from East Montpelier left a showing of her artwork at the nursery. She's a good friend, a great landscaper and a talented artist. She is also a skilled picture and photo framer having owned a fine shop in Bradford. Her landscape work has taken her from here to Long Island, the Maine Coast and several places in Vermont. If you are interested in purchasing any of her work or having a landscape done, let me know and I'll send out her contact info.
Some days start better than others. Gail and I vowed that today would be a positive day. It was raining when I headed for the shower just before five this morning and when I made it to the kitchen Gail said that we had a visitor. Me and the towel did a quick rearrangement as I looked around for the visitor. In our house you really never do know what to expect. Gail smiled and then explained that as she left the front room for a second cup of coffee from the kitchen, a black bear was standing outside the kitchen window looking in. Gail said the bear looked and looked, then walked around to the front room and glanced in before casually walking over the bank and down into the old daylily nursery. This siting confirmed for me that Gail, often accompanied by Karl the Wonder Dog, has seen more bears around here than most Vermonters.
When I left real work in Waterbury today, it was with the understanding that I had the day off from nursery duty. I was prepared for a nice late afternoon to catch up on some paperwork here. Just about the time I got two computers in update mode this afternoon, the phone rang. It was Michelle with bad news from the nursery. The port-a-potty man had elected to take the truck into monsoon season's no-man's zone and he had gotten stuck big time. Michelle said the good news was it was 20 yards from my tractor.
As I arrived at the nursery (so much for a nice late afternoon to myself) the truck represented a problem. It was stuck to the rear bumper in clay and was a couple feet from sliding into my deer fence and was on top of a portion of the hosta garden. I had brought 25 feet of tow chain and a 100 foot wire rope cable. Although I knew I should try to get the truck out, I also knew it was pointless and the driver needed a big wrecker. What I knew best was that the same driver did the same thing last summer. My dismay at this repeat performance was a close match to last year's expletives. An hour and a half later the tow truck arrived, extracted the tank truck, and away they both drove, leaving me with an assortment of ruts that will take until late August to smooth out. Not all days that start nicely end the same way. That's part of business, part of life. My day still had a better ending than for the port-a-potty guy as last time the boss told him repeats were on his nickel. Big truck probably translates to a big bill.
On a slightly brighter note, Elizabeth Killian from East Montpelier left a showing of her artwork at the nursery. She's a good friend, a great landscaper and a talented artist. She is also a skilled picture and photo framer having owned a fine shop in Bradford. Her landscape work has taken her from here to Long Island, the Maine Coast and several places in Vermont. If you are interested in purchasing any of her work or having a landscape done, let me know and I'll send out her contact info.
Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where even the pond has set new height records and the current rain is going to make more to write about for the morning news.
Best garden wishes,
George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm A place with fine perennials and oversized daylilies, dug from the garden and delivered by mail order for those who cannot visit in person.
