All posts by Laurie Graves

I write about nature, food, the environment, home, family, community, and people.

Bitten by the Gardening Bug

June 4, 2015 Laurie Graves 8 Comments

Sherlock making sure the coleuses have been properly watered

All right, I’ll admit it. Now that all the library brouhaha is over, I’ve been bitten hard by the gardening bug, and once bitten the fever spreads fast. Modest budget be damned, what I want to do is head to the local garden centers and spend, spend, spend.

I won’t, of course. I am mindful of our modest budget. However, this weekend when I go get herbs and some tomato plants, I might slide in a few six packs of, say, begonias, coleuses, or dwarf snapdragons, all plants that do well in my shady yard. I’ll try not to look at at the garden ornaments, another one of my weaknesses, but I sure could use another cobalt blue ball to go with the bird bath out back.

Yesterday, I potted coleuses and impatiens. Today I’ll plant the dwarf snapdragons in the long bed by the patio. The cats and the dog will be nearby to give me encouragement.

Right now, in central Maine and at the little house in the big woods, the gardens are in a prebloom state and are mostly green. But the green is a vibrant green, and the slugs and snails have yet to do their worst on the hostas. Everything looks, well, so green and healthy. While I’m crazy about flowers, I’m also very fond of all the green. So fond, in fact, that I don’t think I would be happy in an arid climate where the colors are more muted.

IMG_9168-1 — More green with a spot of black

For the next week or so, I’ll be working diligently outside. Along with potting flowers—a task I just love—there is compost to spread, beds to be fertilized, and plants to be thinned.

As Katherine White once wrote, onward and upward in the garden.

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday—June 3, 2015: A Rainy June Day

June 3, 2015 Laurie Graves 4 Comments

Animals - especially dogs

A Doggone Week

June 2, 2015 Laurie Graves 6 Comments

Last week, along with the excitement of Bailey Library’s reopening, Clif and I also had the excitement of taking care of our “granddogs”—Holly and Somara. Oh, what a flurry of activity they brought to an already busy week at the little house in the big woods. But what dear dogs they are.

Holly is bold and energetic, and her moniker Hurricane Holly is a fitting one. With her long legs and her tan and orange coloring, she is a striking dog. Holly has the most expressive face of any dog I have ever known, and at times she even sneers like Billy Idol.

Holly with her "Don't mess with me" look — Holly with her “Don’t mess with me” look

Somara lived in a shelter until she was two years old, and she is sweet and affectionate but timid. Fortunately, she hit the jackpot when Shannon and Mike adopted her, and now Somara has a lifestyle that any dog would envy. A very, very loving home, plenty to eat, and daily runs in the woods. If Somara could talk she might say, “It’s a dog’s life, and I love it.”

Poor Liam was a little overshadowed by the two dogs. He is a Sheltie and a herding dog. Although Liam is friendly, he also has that aloof quality that herding dogs are known for. He doesn’t like having his head patted, he’s not a cuddly dog, and he prefers to sleep on the floor. Holly and Somara, on the other hand, wanted to be on the couch with Clif and me when we watched television. Holly often rested her head on my leg, and Somara was always ready to be patted.

But for the most part, everyone got along well. (Holly did chase the cats from time to time, but it was an occasional event rather than an ongoing one.) There were walks and doggie treats and romps in the yard.

Last night Shannon and Mike picked up the dogs, and today the house is quiet. The child gates are back downstairs, and the cat dishes are on the floor rather than on the small wooden table in our kitchen. It is a dripping rainy day, but it looks as though the rain is backing off, and I’ll be able to take Liam for a walk this afternoon.

The girls, as I call them, will be back soon when Shannon and Mike come for a backyard barbecue. How nice the dogs feel comfortable here.

And how nice the little house in the big woods is dog friendly as well as people friendly.

News

Charles M. Bailey Public Library is Officially Open

June 1, 2015 Laurie Graves

There! After a week of folderol and brouhaha, the new and improved Bailey Library is officially open. There was a ribbon cutting ceremony, with Sarah Fuller, the chair of the Winthrop Town Council, doing the honors. Before cutting the ribbon she quoted from Cicero: “A room without books is like a body without a soul.”

Hear, hear!

Edie Smith, from Senator Angus King’s office, told a charming story of coming to Bailey Library as a young girl. She would find a book and read perched on the window sill in the reading room until Mrs. Dow, the head librarian, would say, “Edith Ann, it’s time to go home.”

After the ribbon cutting, people stayed to chat, admire the library, and check out books and DVDs. Clif commented on the happy vibes that filled the library.

We were indeed all happy: the trustees and campaign volunteers who have worked so hard to raise the million dollars for the project; the library staff who have also worked hard to move the library from its temporary location and to make everything presentable for the opening; the patrons who now have an expanded library filled with light and oak shelves and plenty of room to sit and read.

We were all smiling, smiling, smiling.

My friend Margy Knight said, “We’re so in love with libraries that people might think we’re loony for libraries.”

Loony for libraries. Margy certainly got that right.

Later in the day…happy teens in the new teen section.

Community

Library Open House

May 31, 2015 Laurie Graves 2 Comments

On Friday, there was an open house for the newly expanded and refurbished Charles M. Bailey Public Library. Books were shelved, pictures were hung, and toys were in their places. All the packing boxes had been spirited away, and as Shane, the adult services librarian put it, the library looked presentable. It certainly did.

In the new events room, we had a table set up with cake, cupcakes, and bottled water. I wondered, “Would there be enough cake for everyone?” This was followed by the terrible thought, “What if hardly anyone came and there was too much cake?”

I needn’t have worried at all. When the doors opened at 4:00 p.m. , there was a rush of people. Shane was keeping count, and by 4:20 p.m., fifty people had come to the open house. And people just kept coming.

The library was duly admired and fussed over. Children, upon seeing the new children’s wing, didn’t want to leave.

The day was a smashing success, but there were three highlights for me. The first was when a woman whom I hadn’t seen for a while—she is part of our book group—said hi and then asked, “So what are you reading?” Was there ever a better question? I told her I was reading The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell, and for five minutes or so, we had some great book talk.

The second was a conversation I had with a bright teenage girl. She had taken out two graphic novels of The Flash, and we had a fun time talking about the Flash and Daredevil and their television shows.

Finally, and best of all, so many people thanked me for the work I had done as a trustee and a campaign volunteer for the library expansion. A simple thank you costs nothing at all and means so much.

The final count? Over 150 people came to the open house, and we all decided it was a rousing success.

On Monday, there will be a ribbon cutting, and the doors will open at 10:00 a.m. After being closed for several weeks, Bailey Public Library will be back in business.

Onward to the next hundred years!

News

Library Week: Small Pictures

Video May 29, 2015 Laurie Graves

Today is the kind of warm, dry, sunny day that makes you glad you live in Maine and nowhere else. A perfect day for the library’s open house, where there will be tours and cake. Naturally, I’ll be there, and naturally, I’ll take pictures for the blog.

In the meantime, here are some “small” pictures Clif and I have taken at the library.

In honor of our architect extraordinaire

Community

Library Chainsaw: W-H-O-O-O’S Reading?

May 28, 2015 Laurie Graves 5 Comments

Yesterday, we had a chainsaw man—aka Dan Burns—come to Bailey Public Library. But don’t worry—nothing was destroyed or cut down. Instead something beautiful and unique was created. Dan Burns, of Burns Bears, is not kidding when he calls himself a “Pro Chainsaw Carver.” How Burns manages to coax various animals—bears, eagles, and in this case, owls for the library—out of stumps and branches will remain a mystery to most of us. But coax them he does, and Bailey Library now has a charming sculpture of three owls surrounded by books.

Burns brought the sculpture partially finished and added books, letters, numbers, and another owl. For two hours he took his chainsaw to the pine branch, used various flames to give the wood depth, and did a bit of spraying as well. The finishing touches were eyes for the three owls.

I was there with my trusty wee camera—what a wonder it is—and I took pictures of the process. What a fine addition those owls will be in our newly expanded library. One more gem in a gem of a library.

Mike Sienko, a library volunteer, posing with the unfinished sculpture. — Mike Sienko, a library volunteer, posing with the unfinished sculpture

Our three owls.

Community

Library Week: An Evening of Firsts

May 27, 2015 Laurie Graves 6 Comments

Last night was an evening of firsts at the Charles M. Bailey Public Library. It was the first time the newly expanded library was open to the public. It was the first time the new events room was used, and it was the first time for the new blue folding chairs, quite an improvement over the old wooden ones. It was the first time our new town manager—Peter Nielsen—came to an event. (He’s promised to come to all of them.) Firsts, firsts, firsts.

What a wonderful feeling to walk through this library and admire the wood, the layout, even the light. One man said, “Bravo, bravo!” as he wandered through the stacks in the adult section. After all the hard work—and, yes, the setbacks and the criticisms—how good it was to hear this.

Shane at the grand new circulation desk in the adult section

The children’s section, once housed in the basement, is now on the first floor, and simply put, it is a magical place. I know. Magical is a word that can be overused, but the children’s area is now so delightful that no other word will do. It has everything that children and the young at heart will love—large stuffed animals, giant planes, a play area, a reading nook, and lots and lots of books. Lucky Winthrop children!

The first event of last night was a concert by the Winthrop Handbell Ringers. The bells’ tinkling, ethereal notes seemed like a welcome and a benediction.

After the concert, Earle Shettleworth, the state historian, spoke about the history of the Blaine House, the governor’s mansion in Augusta. Shettleworth was articulate, informative, and funny. He spoke for an hour, but I could have listened to him for even longer. Along with his talk, there was a media presentation—what would have once been called a slide show—of stills about the Blaine House and its occupants through the years. Best of all, Shettleworth was quick to name the various dogs in the photos, and he apologized when he didn’t know a dog’s name. He also praised the design of the new addition and noted how well it tied in with the original building. (Thank you, thank you, Phil Locashio, architect extraordinaire!)

What an auspicious way to begin the second hundred years in our newly expanded library.

Nature

Spring Departs Lickety-Split

May 26, 2015 Laurie Graves 4 Comments

Today I’m going to take a break from gushing about our beautiful library and its new addition. But never fear! There will be several posts this week about the goings on at Bailey Public Library.

Instead, I am focusing on the astonishing speed in which spring turns to summer in Maine. And I have the pictures to prove it. Three weeks ago—on May 3—our friends John and Beth came over for brunch. We happened to hit a sweet spot where the day was sunny and warm but the black flies had yet to rear their ugly little heads. After the meal was over, we had blueberry cake and tea and coffee on the patio.

The sun was warm on our faces. The birds fluttered from the trees to the bird feeders, and this is what the trees looked like on May 3:

A scant three weeks have passed, and this is what the trees look like now. The leaves are nearly full grown, and summer is tapping on our shoulders.

Every year, I am flabbergasted by how spring rushes headlong to summer. In Maine the change happens so fast it almost seems that if you stood quietly and watched for several hours, then you could actually see the leaves and the plants growing.

Let’s just say that winter does not depart with the same haste. And neither does summer nor fall. Instead, it is spring, spring, spring—the wayward child—that grows up and leaves so fast. But what a beautiful child she is, and how we love her while she is here.

As a Maine native I wonder, does spring pass as quickly in other places where winter is not as long? If so, then perhaps spring knows that she needs to hurry to make way for sister summer. If not, then perhaps it is just the nature of spring to rush and hurry.

When I started this post, I did not intend to personify spring and summer, but I have a fanciful mind that turns easily to such things. Besides, when you live on a wooded road in Maine, you are very much aware of the seasons and all that they bring—the beauty, the joy, and, yes, the hardships. It’s not much of a stretch to think of each season as a real presence and, at times, a force to be reckoned with.

At any rate, spring is nearly gone. Farewell, farewell, you lovely season.

News

Library Week: Our Beautiful Expanded Library

May 25, 2015 Laurie Graves 4 Comments

This week begins the celebration of the expanded Charles M. Bailey Public Library, with June 1 being the official opening day. For the next few days, there will be special events to mark this grand occasion.

This project was spearheaded by the library trustees, who in turn worked with a terrific group of people on a campaign team. This is our gift to the town. Collectively, we will have raised over one million dollars for this project, and all the money will be coming from grants and donations. (The town did generously allow us to borrow $300,000 as part of a larger municipal bond.)

All the construction work was done by local people, even the bookshelves and the circulation desk. As a result much of the money stayed right in Winthrop. Now that’s what I call an economic stimulus!

Not too bad for a town of 6,000. Not bad at all.

Notes From the Hinterland

All posts by Laurie Graves

Bitten by the Gardening Bug

Wordless Wednesday—June 3, 2015: A Rainy June Day

A Doggone Week

Charles M. Bailey Public Library is Officially Open

Library Open House

Library Week: Small Pictures

Library Chainsaw: W-H-O-O-O’S Reading?

Library Week: An Evening of Firsts

Spring Departs Lickety-Split

Library Week: Our Beautiful Expanded Library

A blog about nature, home, books, movies, television, food, and rural life.