Beauties Among The Boulders

There is much to do to tame our property, with the goal to honor the natural, woodsy setting. This week I took photos of two small, low to the ground, surprise finds. Both are native to our spot in the woods.

The first is a jack-in-the-pulpit, which you have to look carefully to find among the ferns ~

The second is a lady slipper, which appeared in clay soil amidst rocks, sticks, and leaves. As far as I can tell from the sources I found, this particular color is not rare or protected ~

With surprises such as these, I have renewed energy to continue with the work that needs to be done.

Vote For Me

When my daughter heard I was running for the town's select board, she bought me this "Candidate in a Box" campaign kit~
We had a good laugh and didn't think too much about it.

When I took out papers to run for the position of select person and went door to door to collect signatures, I was the only person to go to through the process to have my name on the ballot June 9.

This week I learned that a small group of townspeople are running a covert write-in campaign to have voters choose another candidate by writing that person's name on ballots. The rules are that if a write-in candidate gets the most votes, that person wins the election.

The problem with this is the word "covert." It's one of those things that people hear about through rumors and gossip. It's hard to know exactly who or how many are involved.

The good news is that it doesn't look like the intention is a personal attack on me.

The bad news is that it does look like this small group is working undercover to derail an effort to update land use ordinances that has been underway for two years and has involved committee work, public hearings, and compromise.

Originally I wanted to get involved in my community by running for local office and filling a position that it looked like no one else would step forward to fill.

Instead I am caught up in a campaign with an unseen opponent, a campaign that I didn't expect or plan for.

People are helping me with the creation of information about myself, phone calls, letters to the editor, and generally getting out the word. Tomorrow morning, at the recycling barn, a friend and I will hand out post cards that explain who I am.

In the meantime, because I am facing an unknown opponent and I have no idea to what lengths they will go, I have pulled many of my posts from this site. They are "saved in draft" and will reappear when the dust settles. I don't like feeling vulnerable. As honest as I have been in the past year, I do not want to leave myself open to the judgment of strangers if by chance they find me online.

My daughter joked that if someone googles my name the first thing that comes up is a famous porn star. That's not me, but everything on this blog is.

The election is in ten days. Wish me luck with my campaign....

Keeping Time

Finally. After two years and ten months of trips back and forth to the clockmaker's shop, this clock appears to be keeping time ~

We made the trip to Camden last August to take both of our antique clocks back in to be worked on. We explained in great detail what each clock was doing. I left an outlined list so the information wouldn't be forgotten. I spoke specifically with the clockmaker and learned that his adult daughter had started working in the shop with him. I asked that they allow both clocks to run for at least four weeks after repairs to see if the problems were fixed.

We returned to collect our clocks in late December. We were reassured that both clocks were running properly.

At home we set the time and started each clock. Uh oh. The door on the front of the Ansonia, pictured above, would not click closed. The movement was positioned too far forward and the pin that holds the hands was hitting the glass door. We started it anyway to see if it would keep time. That clock has been keeping the correct time and chime schedule.

The other clock, a Seth Thomas tambor-style mantel clock, kept time and chimes for two weeks. Then the chimes went astray, completely forgetting that they were part of a team, and developed a routine that followed no rhyme or reason.

I called the clockmaker. I spoke to his daughter. The work on the clocks continues to be guaranteed, which is why we repeatedly travel the distance to have them worked on. Bring them in when you can, she said. I want the door on the Ansonia fixed so I can bring it home with me, I said, so I will call ahead and come when your father can look at it and I will, again, leave the Seth Thomas for adjustment.

So two weeks ago I made the trek to the clockmaker's shop. The daughter did not see the problem with the door, but the clockmaker did. He fixed the Ansonia while I waited. I explained in detail, again, the problem with the Seth Thomas. He said that sometimes these things happen.

Then I asked him if he ever met clockmakers from other parts of the country. It had occurred to me that maybe he met my father years ago. He said no, that he meets colleagues from Maine but rarely from elsewhere. I explained that my father was an amateur clockmaker who kept both clocks in good repair until he died, but he didn't recognize my father's name. We've had trouble with the clocks since we moved, and I joked that the thought crossed my mind that the karma in the house wasn't good for the clocks. The clockmaker said that's not the first time he's heard that.

In any event, he will set the Seth Thomas, keep it wound, and watch it for the next few weeks.

I continue to wonder why the simple task of getting two clocks to work has turned into such a monumental undertaking. I wonder what the lesson is and who is supposed to learn it. I lose my patience and put the problem away for a time. Then I have the thought that I need to follow up and see this project through. For some reason the issue is not resolved, the case is not closed. I review the details and evaluate the process. I ask questions and listen for answers. Something is not finished.

At this moment one clock is keeping time and chiming on cue. Maybe if I put it down in words it will remain to be true. Knock wood and fingers crossed....

It Was A Long Week-End

It actually felt like spring for the last three days. The trees have new leaves, and the light has changed. More than once I caught myself staring out the window, watching the sun shine through the green.

I haven't been anywhere in three days. When the week-end started I didn't intend to stay put. I had lots of things to tend to around the house, things that have needed doing for months that I haven't felt like doing. Once I got started, it was easier to keep going.

It's been quiet. I talked to P in Boston and got emails from my daughter, but other than that it's been just Ken and me all week-end.

We cooked good food and watched good movies. It feels like we got caught up with each other. We sometimes need time to be together without plans and expectations. This week-end there wasn't one thing that had to be done.

And that meant my focus could be elsewhere, or nowhere. Things have shifted, ever so slightly. I'm not sure what has changed, or why. I have some new ideas and new energy to think about them.

It will be interesting to see what tomorrow brings.

Leo Wants Out

Outside that is. Leo loves to go outdoors. We started taking him out when we had something to do in the yard, but he has gotten more adventurous with each outing and no longer stays close to the house. There is too much wildlife around to leave him to his own devices, so we only take him out when we can keep a close eye on him. That is not often enough for Leo. He tried sitting on the window sill, but it just wasn't the same as being outside ~

He figured out how to use a nearby chair to get on a table near the door ~

but he can't figure out how to work the doorknob ~

So for now he will have to settle for looking longingly out the window ~

Post Plant Sale

The plant sale was a huge success. I don't have any numbers yet, but I heard this year's sale had the largest number of plants in 36 years. Just before the doors opened on Saturday I snapped this photo of geraniums sitting under a window~

The bagpiper, who entertained those waiting outside, led the line of people into the hall~

In an effort to clean up our "yard" so we can someday plant, Ken has been periodically burning brush in our fire pit in the front~

I was feeling optimistic, so I bought violets and daisies to plant on either side of the steps to the deck and a ground cover called Emerald Gaiety for the slope beside the walkway~

Plant Sale

Thank you, friends, for your support.
It means more than I can say.
It helps to stay busy. In January my book club friends invited me to join the Friends of the Library committee. Several weeks ago I made a commitment to help with the library plant sale, the proceeds of which provide half of the operating budget. This is the 36th year of the sale, and I had heard that it was a big event. I had no idea how big. In mid-April women started digging up and potting perennials intended for the sale, which is held in the town hall. Three days before the sale the potted plants are brought to town hall in trucks and trailers. One truckload ~


after another~

after another is delivered to town hall as trucks make repeated trips to local gardens ~

The side yard is designated for trees, bushes, and shrubs ~

while plants of all kinds fill long tables inside ~

along the back wall ~

and along both side walls ~

The whole operation depends on many volunteers. Yesterday I unloaded trucks and trailers. Today I labeled and priced plants. Tomorrow I will help unload a delivery of vegetable plants and annuals from a local greenhouse. Before the Saturday sale an inventory is made so we know how many plants we have to start, and a count will be kept so we know how many are sold. Records are kept each year to plan for the next year. I have no doubt that the women in charge of this event could run a small country.