“I go down to the shore in the morning
and depending on the hour the waves
are rolling in or moving out,
and I say, oh, I am miserable,
what shall-
what shall I do? And the sea says
in its lovely voice
Excuse me, I have work to do.”      Mary Oliver

I’m outside just about all the time these days, “working” in the garden as it explodes into green and blossom around me. They say that in the first year newly planted perennials sleep, second year they creep, and third year they leap. This is the 3rd year and everything is coming up enormous, helped no doubt by this year’s mild winter and strange spring. May was, by all accounts, the hottest in memory, and of course, the main topic of conversation in our town (the weather, no matter what it is, is always the main topic of conversation). “Isn’t this great?” people say. “This is July weather!” June has continued in the same way. And yet, despite all the warmth and glorious sunshine there is an undercurrent of unease to it all. The record highs also mean record rainfall lows.

I look up at Arrowsmith Mountain behind us to see that there is not much snow left on its peak. By the end of May It looked as it usually does in August, and now, there is no snow to speak of. River levels are low. Acutely aware of the drought problems of our neighbors to the south, we already have some water restrictions in effect including, get this, a prohibition on washing your driveway. Duh. Continue reading →