Environment, Gardening, Spring

The Smoke Blows and the Garden Grows

80 Comments

Last week, the East Coast had quite a time. Smoke from Canadian forest fires blew down, making New York City look like something out of a post-apocalyptic movie—the air was so thick with smoke that the Statue of Liberty was barely visible in the harbor, and the street lights were turned on at 2:00 p.m.

Incredible as it might seem, Maine—right next to Canada—escaped the smoke. A low-pressure system stalled off the Gulf of Maine kept our air clear. Thank you, low-pressure system.

Fortunately, our eldest daughter Dee, who lives in Brooklyn, decided to come to Maine last Sunday, right before the smoke filled the city. She will be working remotely on a permanent basis and has decided to make her home in Maine. Such a delight to have her here.

Over the weekend, the weather patterns changed,  clearing the smoke away from the East Coast. But the Canada wildfires rage on. We can only hope that the smoke doesn’t travel south again.

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On a happier note, at our home on the edge of the woods, my gardens, with their various shades of green, are flourishing. After a very dry May, we had a week of rain, too much for some people, but I was delighted with the wet weather.

Here are some scenes from the garden.

In the front yard, the chives are in pink blossom,

the blue gazing ball rests between two toads,

and the hostas make a pleasing sweep of green.

The hosta that Judy—from New England Garden and Thread—sent me is thriving.

Now around to the backyard.

The patio is once again an inviting place to sit and listen to the birds sing their spring songs. Last night we heard the ethereal song of the hermit thrush. Such a delight.

And irises, my favorite of favorites, are in bloom.

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This summer is shaping up to be a really busy one filled with events, family, and friends. Therefore, I’ve decided to take the weekends off from reading and commenting on blog posts. But never fear, from Monday through Friday, I’ll be reading and commenting, and come fall I plan to go back to my regular reading.

 

80 thoughts on “The Smoke Blows and the Garden Grows”

  4. What beautiful pictures! Our chive has white blossoms and blooms in August. Your chive is stunning. Congrats on your daughter’s return to Maine. The ability to work remotely is life-changing. My son-in-law says he will never return to an office; he loves working remotely. I also like your methond of taking the weekends off; it’s nice to have a demarcation of our days.

    1. Thanks, Lorna! I, too, like the color of our chives.

      Yes, the ability to work remotely is life-changing. So many people really love working from home. When you add in the commute—for my daughter it was an hour each way—you really have a lot of extra time. My daughter feels exactly the same way as your son-in-law.

  8. Glad you missed the smoke We just had haze for several days. Still, it’s sad that there is that much fire going on up there! I have friends in Nova Scotia who had to evacuate. She’s home now, but it’s apparently still very scary. Love iris! Your yard looks wonderful!

    1. Thanks, Dawn! Very sad that there are so many wildfires in Canada. Best to your friend. How terrifying it must be for her and for everyone else who lives near the wildfires.

  12. So happy for you to have Deedee staying in Maine! Will she foto live with you and Clif?

  13. What a lovely garden you have. I’ve heard about the fires in Canada, they must be devastating for the people involved. Do you still get smoke from there ?

  16. Nothing like a good downpour to rejuvenate….both botanically and spiritually. Heart goes out to those affected by the fires and hooray for the friendly weather system that kept you smoke free

  17. I am glad that you avoided the smoke. It has been much reported in our news so I thought that the whole area had been engulfed by it.

    Your garden is looking very fresh.

    1. Thanks, Tootlepedal! Perfect word to describe my garden.

      As for the smoke…Just the luck of that low-pressure system, which kept the smoke from Maine. Weird but wonderful!

  18. Your garden looks so lush and lovely, Laurie. Hugs to you and Dee. It will be a big change from Brooklyn to The Hinterlands for her. My youngest moved home last year and it was SO good to be living in the same house again. There’s really nothing like it.

    1. Thanks, Jodie! I loved reading about how good it was to have your youngest move home. Wonderful when children and parents enjoy being together.

      1. There’s just nothing like the day to day (seemingly meaningless) talk that goes on to really understand someone. And, as we are all imperfect, understanding is everything.

  19. Your yard looks fabulous and how wonderful Dee will be staying in Maine!!!🙂 Keep reading articles about the changing workplace and that’s great her remote work is now permanent. Our weather and air quality were bad all last week, but things have improved and it was actually wonderful to have it rain yesterday. Enjoy all your weekend plans!!🙂

    1. Many thanks! We are thrilled to have Dee back in Maine.

      Glad you weren’t too badly affected by the smoke and that you had some rain.

      Fun to be back in our old groove of summer fun.

  20. There is something really amiss when there are fires in Canada and rain in Australia…our best wishes to all Canadians and fire-fighters.
    Your garden looks lovely Laurie I’m sure you are enjoying your garden and most importantly your daughter being at home again. Being able to work from home has brought positive change to many families. My son-in-law sees so much more of his children since the Covid years.
    Enjoy your weekends, good idea to have some days off.🌞😊

    1. Gerrie, so well put.

      Wonderful to be outside on the patio and have Dee home with us. And yes, working from home has been good for so many people, especially those with a long commute. Can we put this in the category of it’s an ill wind that blows no good?

  21. Laurie, it’s so nice to see all that green! I’m glad you are set up for summer fun with your patio and fire pit, lots of birds to keep you company, and more regular visits from Dee. I’m amazed to hear that you escaped all that smoke. What a terrible start to Canada’s summer. I have a friend in Edmonton, and she said that she barely goes outside its so bad. Your iris is stunning!

    1. Thanks, Alys! We do love living on the edge of the woods. It is still amazing to me that we escaped the smoke. And, yes, a terrible start to Canada’s summer. How awful for your friend. Hope the fires soon die down.

  24. I’m so glad you missed out on the smoke. We get smoke from agricultural fires in Mexico and Louisiana from time to time, depending on the wind direction, but never anything like the northeast experienced. Skies like that come to us compliments of Saharan dust!

    I’m glad you got rain, too. Your garden is looking so beautifully green, and those irises are gorgeous. It must be such pleasure to spend time on your patio now and enjoy it all.

    1. It still seems incredible to me that the smoke went around us. Very grateful.

      We are enjoying our patio and this lush season. Very dear to us as we have such long, cold winters.

  25. It is remarkable that you were spared that ominous smoke, Laurie. One can only hope that the burning areas in Canada will receive rain to drench those horrendous fires.
    It’s nice to see your garden thriving and to hear the otherworldly music of the hermit thrush in my mind–I also love that song.

  26. Laurie, your garden is beautiful, the plants look so healthy and colorful. The smoke made it all the way down to Arkansas, but it was nowhere near as bad as places north of us. We finally got a good rain and now there is no smoke. I hope those fires come to an end some way soon.

  27. Your gardens look lush and lovely, and I’m so glad you’ll have all of your family back together within driving distance. We had some smoke, but not too bad, and we received rain last night which keeps me from watering this morning which is good. See you Thursday! I like saying that. 🙂

    1. Thanks, Judy! I am so glad that the hosta you sent is doing well. Yes, always good not to have to water. See you Thursday is a very fun thing to say.

  28. Wow, that smoke! If East Coasters didn’t know it before, we know it now: what climate change does in a distant place can affect us all.

  30. You must be thrilled that Dee is going to be able to move nearer and still keep her job! While Covid had many downsides the discovery by firms that ‘working from home’ worked and productivity didn’t plummet has been a great change for many. Enjoy your garden which looks lovely.

    1. Yes, I am thrilled that Dee is back in Maine. Wonderful to have her here. And your so right that working from home has been a great change for many. When Dee lived in Brooklyn, her commute was one hour each way. That was two hours out of her day, five days a week. Now, her commute is well, nothing. So great, and as you noted, productivity didn’t plummet.

  31. Everything looks so cool and lush and green! Glad you dodged the smoke, wish we had in Maryland. Enjoy your summer.

  32. I’m glad you’ve been smoke-free. Poor Canada is getting the brunt of it from coast to coast. Your garden looks beautiful, Laurie. I’ve been adding chive blossoms to our salads and my husband thinks I’m nuts, but they are delicious! And so colorful. Enjoy your weekends off. What a fabulous idea. Happy Summer!

  33. Your hostas are looking healthy; mine have been ravaged, yet again, by the local snails and slugs. But a couple of days ago I was advised to douse the plants with garlic-infused water – apparently the ravenous beasties hate garlic! Who knew?

    Hopefully your part of the east coast remains smoke free. Those wildfires made the news on this side of the Pond – they must have been terrible

  34. What great news about Dee – you & Clif must be thrilled to have her closer!

    Horrendous these fires – we have been watching them at the edge of our seats here too. So frightening the effects of El Nino

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  37. We’ve had DAYS of hazy weather and can’t seem to beg for a drop of rain. The grass, flowers, and crops are starting to suffer, as are the folks with allergies and breathing problems. It’s been pretty rough. Glad your daughter is moving closer to home — and that your gardens look so beautiful. I don’t usually gravitate to hosta, but the one you received looks like a dandy! Good for you, Laurie — recognizing that you need weekends to regroup.

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