The View From Wilder Hill

  • Post published:08/29/2008
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Lilian Jackman, owner, grower and general factotum of Wilder Hill Gardens, invited me over to see the late summer garden. I found her at her shady potting bench, situated so that she could keep working in the heat of the day. I admired the thought that went into the design and siting of the potting bench, but did not feel up to the concept of working all morning, having a little lunch and digesting time and then setting…

The Sourwood Is Finally Planted

  • Post published:08/27/2008
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Earlier this summer I bought this sourwood tree at the New England Wildflower Society's (NEWFS) nursery at Nasami Farm. It was an impulse purchase, but I was sure we would find a place for it. No brilliant ideas until a couple of weeks ago when we decided that our ornamental plum is diseased and needs to be taken out. The sourwood would be a perfect replacement, but it meant breaking sod and enlarging the Lawn Bed to give…

Eating the Blues Away

  • Post published:08/25/2008
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One of the many joys of blueberries is that they don't have to be picked the instant they are ripe. We've been picking since early this month, but there was something of a hiatus during the days of the Heath Fair, and immediately after. It takes us a while to recover from the Fair, but since we are regaining our energy my husband joined me at the blueberry patch yesterday where the berries hang thickly, all big and…

International Kitchen Garden Day

  • Post published:08/23/2008
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I’m celebrating International Kitchen Garden Day, August 24, by picking beans in my garden and then eating them. The celebration would be even more festive if I had a ripe tomato but up here in the higher elevations there is no such thing. Yet.It is a sad comment on our times that there has to be an organization to encourage people to plant a little kitchen garden so they can enjoy many days of harvesting food, grown with…

Annie Cheatam

  • Post published:08/22/2008
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Pam Porter (R), co-president of the Heath Agricultural Society, arranged for Annie Cheatam (L) to come to the Heath Fair and talk about local agriculture. As the former owner of a garden center, and most recently retired after 9 years as the Director of Community Involved in Sustainable Agriculture (CISA) Annie knows a lot about local farms, local gardens, local gardeners and farmers and what they, we, and our communities are doing and what we need. CISA developed…

A Double Celebration

  • Post published:08/20/2008
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The Exhibit Hall with its displays of sewing, knitting, canning, baking, quilting, flowers, vegetables, fruits and assorted collections is a center of activity all through Heath Fair days. These exhibits are one of the ways that we celebrate life in our town, the skills of the residents, the creativity and purposfulness of our children, the fertility and beauty of our landscape, and our devotion to the town and its institutions and organizations. The grandsons and I won lots…

Do You See the Problem?

  • Post published:08/11/2008
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It's all very well to say that you can grow tons of vegetables in a 10 x 10 foot garden. The question is will you be able to harvest those vegetables without wrecking half the garden in the process. My husband will tell you I like to think big and that this is not always efficient. I agree on both counts so, forced by a wet garden site several years ago and a bad hip that would soon…

A Perfect End. . . .

  • Post published:08/08/2008
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A perfect end to a perfect week with grandson Tynan Matthews. Even the heavens put on a farewell show his last night in Heath. The weather has been tropical with storms almost every day. Will we ever be able to mow the lawn again? Happily it doesn't take good weather to have a good time. We went to Mass MoCA (Museum of Contemporary Art) and saw lots of Badlands exhibits about the depredations of Man and Nature of…

Boy Number 4

  • Post published:08/06/2008
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Tynan Matthews arrived for his turn at End of the Road Farm. Anthony and Drew took him out into the field to show him the tree fort. Tynan made himself right at home.Of course, Tynan wanted to do everything the other boys did. He made chocolate chip cookies. Why is it that boys always want to bake chocolate chip cookies. Ty made one that was six inches across. We ate it so fast we didn't even get a…