Something New I have been walking on the old farm for many years, now, and thought I had completed the list of animals that are here. I’ve seen turtles, possums, all kinds of song birds and raptors, great blue herons, skunks, red and gray foxes, deer, turkeys, well, you get the idea. But now there is more. I was down by ...
A Time for Love The birds are singing again! That means spring will come, no matter how hard winter tries to hold on. This winter has been more like the winters I remember as a child. There was lots of snow and much colder weather than we generally have now. I remember that early spring was cold, and no one planted until the end of May. Now we seem to go directly from winter to summer, with no in between weather.
Let It Snow I’m writing this column in the middle of the second snowstorm of the weekend, hunkered down and planning to not go out until I have to. I hate driving in snow. I’d rather look at the snow out my window than my windshield. The first snow that came added up to about a foot and it was pretty heavy...
If You Feed Them They Will Come I was down at the Plymouth Pier on a recent cold, windy day. As I drove through the parking lot, I saw what seemed to be mounds of wet newspaper stuck to the curb. I wondered how it got there, but as I drove closer, I could see it was a fl ock of cold, wet pigeons huddling close to the curb as a wind break. They didn’t even move as I drove by. The gulls, as usual, were out in the wind, some fl ying, some fi ghting for a spot on the breakwater. Nothing seems to faze these birds...
Moss Heaven I visited the Evergreen Cemetery a few days after Hurricane Ike and all that rain had passed, and found myself in an emerald fantasy land. All that water had brought out mosses and lichens of all descriptions. It looked more like forests that I have seen in coastal Maine than Kingston. Every inch of ground that was not covered by grass was covered by a tight carpet of moss. Mosses also were inching their way up monuments and stones. Lichens in jewel tones inched their slow way across headstones in their monumentally slow progress. Being a moss lover, I was thrilled.
Nature’s Bounty No one has farmed this old plot for many years, but nature does provide. There is an ancient pear tree in the front yard, which, most years, puts out a few feeble flowers, and later, a couple of moth eaten fruits. Once every several years, though, it flowers fully, and glistens with light green fruit. This is one of those years. The tree is literally covered with pears, branches hanging low with the weight. I can’t wait until fall to taste them.
Gone to the Birds I might as well put aside being a botanist again. It's all about the birds for today. For one thing, my yard has been full of birds; robins, orioles, wrens, hawks, great blue herons, and blue jays to start. More birds than usual and all singing loudly. Orioles nested in a tree right over my back door. I watched them build the nest, sit on the eggs, and raise their babies. Part of the reason for extra birds was from the disturbance of the sewer hookup. It takes a lot of digging to find and crush a whole septic system. All that fresh turned earth is full of beetles, seeds, and grubs.
Spring Into Summer Spring has sprung, the grass has ris. I wonder where the birdies is? That’s a little poem I remember from my childhood. Fortunately, the birds are here. Some species are disappearing, but many others are OK, or actually increasing numbers. Habitat loss accounts for fewer barn owls. There are so few barns around now; there are not so many places to nest. Other owls are better off, nesting in tree cavities or other bird’s abandoned nests.
The Cedar on the Corner As a naturalist, I like to visit places over time. You can see how plants grow, what animals may have come and gone, and what changes people have made to the place. This is a habit I have, that I guess I was born with. I like to garden the same way, putting in small shrubs and bushes so I can watch them grow. I have been watching one red cedar tree for over fifty years, the one that grows on the south west corner of Summer Street and Route 53 in Duxbury...
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April 2009 Book Reviews Never Give Up by Joyce Meyer, Faith Words, spiritual, 251 pp., $21.99Joyce Meyer is the mega-popular Christian televangelist and author with about 80 books to her credit. At the core of her teachings are practical applications of Scripture in everyday life. Thousands attend her conferences both here and abroad. In this latest book, Meyer speaks to those whose dreams ...
Says Reason for Increase Was Justified For Mobile Home Park
The Town was notified at the end of March that the Rent Control Board, consisting of Shawn O’Donnell, David Gavigan, Jr., Joseph Casna, Tom Calter and James Farrell, are being sued over their denial for rent increases at Town & Country Mobile Home Park. The filing seeks an appeal of
April Informed Sources GRAVEL GAME: It may be hard to imagine what is really going on in our fair town, but one thing is certain…gravel is at the heart of it. For those who watch these things, 40-R czar Lloyd Geisinger and his carpetbagger sidekick R. Lindsay Wilson appeared before the selectmen ...
