Wild Gem

Jewelweed, Fort Point State Park, Stockton Springs, Maine.

A few weeks ago I got into a discussion about poison ivy with Dirk, founder & spectacularly gifted massage therapist at MassageSpecialists.com.

I mentioned that jewelweed, which often grows near poison ivy (in the East, anyway), is a natural antidote to it. My stepfather is, in medical parlance, "exquisitely sensitive" to P.I. and would get it all over himself, just from petting the cat. My mom used to collect masses of jewelweed and boil it down into a tincture, in which he'd soak in the bath. (I changed his life by giving him a bottle of TecNu Poison Ivy Cleanser, but that's another story.)

Dirk had never heard of jewelweed. Last week I backed into a patch of it while taking the 2nd photo in Bella Everywhere. So I picked a sprig, meaning to press it in a book and take back to Denver to show Dirk. But within 15 minutes, the flower had collapsed into a little wad and the leaves had withered into dust. That's when I thought of taking a photo (DUH!) of a living stand of jewelweed. Being a few minutes early for my lunch date at the Royal River Grillhouse, by the Yarmouth marina, I walked the perimeter of the parking lot till I found a section of trickling brook shaded by trees. And voila! a bunch of jewelweed, which thrives in damp shade.

I took some photos, but they didn't look so hot. Two days later, I was at Cape Jellison in Fort Point State Park, where the woods were full of gorgeous stands of jewelweed.

Look out, Georgia O'Keeffe!












Sometimes Nature makes the best floral arrangements.
Asters & jewelweed, Fort Point State Park.

The Perfect Summer Job

Looking for an isolated spot to complete your magum opus--or just enjoy some of Elmer Fudd's "nice west and wewaxation"--from Memorial Day to Labor Day?

How about this: Be a summer caretaker at Maine's Seguin Island Lighthouse.

The job requires "two compatible people" to live on the 64-acre island, 2 miles out from the mouth of the Kennebec River, near(ish) Popham Beach. Specs are here (scroll down); stipend may be $75/week.

NB: Must like foghorns. Seguin's blows three double-blasts per minute on the many foggy days. The concussion is said to knock nearby gulls from the air.

"Awww" for the Day

As counterprogramming to The Big Game (since I'm not an official sponsor, I can't mention the Super Bowl), here's a genuinely heartwarming story, courtesy of the Friends of Pemaquid Point Lighthouse, Maine: A True Whale Tale

Bella's Sense of Snow

OK, so I didn't totally hate it here in Maine, as you can see from these shots of Royal River Park, Yarmouth, where I used to walk my late, lamented dog Katie.

But I'm sick of winter already and it's barely begun. After several days of balmy weather, it's snowing in Denver, just in time for my arrival home tomorrow.

NOTICE: I am done with shoveling snow this season; now it's up to the menfolk at home.

Bella on the March

I took my stepfather to the doctor the other day and passed the time in the waiting room by reading The Notes, the free weekly rag published in Yarmouth, Maine. It was full of the news of the recent passing of 95-year-old founder Ken Larrabee, whose economic views, as columnist Bob Jorgensen fondly recalled, "embraced a philosophy that was somewhere to the Right of Attila the Hun."

But the really important news is that there were ads for:

1. BELLA By The Falls in Yarmouth, offering "card reading, crystal & integrated energy healings and much more!"
2. CicciaBella slippers, for sale at Meredith's Stationery & Gifts in Yarmouth.

And in Freeport, I saw a sign for Isabella's Stickey Buns Cafe.

However, I can't say that I'm overjoyed by my name being associated with integrated (or even segregated) energy healings, butt-ugly booties or a typographically challenged coffee shop.

Why I Left Maine V

7:10 a.m.

Wish I could observe Pearl Harbor Day in...oh...Pearl Harbor instead of the aptly named Gray. Maybe I'll just go out for Japanese food; the wasabi will heat me up.

P.S. 11:45 p.m.
I brought my mom some sushi--the perfect antidote to nursing home food. With my Pearl Harbor Day duties done, for my own lunch I had pad thai with a friend from high school days.

Why I Left Maine IV

8:30 a.m. Heat wave! It was 2°F an hour earlier.

Looking on the bright side, this was the one day I didn't have to worry about the mosquitoes or poison ivy at Scarborough Marsh (below), where I went for a walk so the 'rents could be alone together for the first time in nearly two weeks. BTW, those low rays are from the noon sun.

P.S. It's 2°F outside again; I dread what it's going to be in the morning. Oh, and snow showers are predicted for Friday evening. Sure hope they don't keep me from kicking up my (lug-treaded) heels with friends in Portland.

Why I Left Maine III

View from the front door this morning, 15 hours after plowing & 3 inches after shoveling. A lot more of both has been done since.

Current temp in Gray: 20. ARGH.

Current temp in Denver: 68. SOB!

More snow is forecast here for Friday. Sure hope it doesn't:
a) prevent me from leaving, or
b) follow me back home; last year's blizzards are all too fresh in my memory.

Why I Left Maine II

3:15pm yesterday in Scarborough (left) & today in Gray.

I've shoveled my way down the stairs and walked a half-mile through the snow to pick up the mail. My reward: Dark chocolate and cranberry liqueur!

Tomorrow my stepfather's supposed to come home. My reward: Valium!

P.S. It's still snowing, driveway remains unplowed.

Hot Maine Action

Better than TV: the view outside, as painted by Mom.

Ayuh, it shoah is snowin' out thay-uh. Translation: I'm staying in today. I cleverly left my camera in the car, which is down a gazillion steps (did I mention that the 'rents live in the House o' Stairs?) and 50 feet away, so can't take pics of the busy scene just out the window. Instead, above is a watercolor Mom did of it last spring (her paintings are for sale here). The only difference now is that the goldfinches are in their dull winter plumage, and go one at a time inside the feeder to hog it to themselves.

Driving in Circles

The Grand Tour: Gray to Topsham to Scarborough to Portland to Gray.

Mom was transferred to rehab yesterday, after having knee replacement surgery on Wed. She had a list of three facilities she wanted to go to, all between Gray and Portland. None could take her, so she ended up in Scarborough, another 15 minutes further from home.

Meanwhile, my stepfather (age 77) is still in Maine Med in Portland. Monday morning he's having angioplasty and a stent put in a coronary artery. He was thinking that:
1) he's going home on Tuesday.
2) he'd drive the car home after I pick him up at the hospital.

I told him:
1) "We'll see." (His favorite response when I was growing up.)
2) "You've gotta be kidding!"

Also meanwhile, yesterday was Baby Brother's birthday. He recently moved from Gray to Topsham, so I was invited to visit him and family in their new house.

And even more meanwhile, the weather predictors have been trumpeting a forecast of 6 to 12 inches of snow, starting late tonight thru Monday, with more snow showers on Tuesday. To me, snow is God's way of saying, "Stay home!" Which means that I'm going to be sitting tight in Gray on Monday, and maybe Tuesday too. Which means that I had to go see everyone TODAY.

And so this morning, after raking up some of the masses of leaves and pine needles from the parents' parking area (at the end of a 50-yard sand driveway, off a 1/2-mile private sand road), I set off on my rounds. First stop: Topsham, 45 minutes northeast, where we stuffed ourselves at the brunch buffet at the Sea Dog Brewing Co., in an old mill overlooking the swirling Androscoggin River.

Second stop: visit with Mom, an hour southwest. She's also in a lovely location, right next to Scahborough Mahsh (Maine speak for Scarborough Marsh). I left at 3:30 because IT WAS ALREADY GETTING DARK (!!!).

Third stop: visit with stepfather at Maine Med, 15 minutes northeast.

Fourth stop: dinner in Portland with old friend and wild man painter George Lloyd, just 5 minutes from Maine Med. (Everything in Portland is nearby; as I noted during my first visit years ago, it's just like a city, only smaller and cleaner.)

Fifth stop: Hannaford's in Portland, for essentials (Earl Grey tea, lemons, honey, chocolate chips) in case I get snowbound, 3 minutes from George's.

Sixth stop: back to Gray, 30 minutes northwest. The nice lady at the I-95 toll booth told me that the forecast is for 12 to 18 inches of snow. GACK! I lined up the cars at the edge of the parking area so as to make optimal room for Johnny the Snow Plower. Fueled by green tea and a post-dinner venti Peppermint Mocha, I raked up the rest of the pine needles and leaves, and placed three snow shovels (2 big & 1 little, just in case) by the front door.

Let it snow.*

*But let the power stay on.

Why I Left Maine

View outside the kitchen door at 4:53 PM. Note pitch darkness beyond.

I nearly got blown off the road while driving Mom's car to Maine Medical Center today. In Gray, it was 11˚F at 10:00 a.m. The temperature didn't get much above 20˚ in Portland, with winds gusting to 30 mph. Every step outside was a cryogenic dermabrasion session.

My stepfather asked me whether I missed Maine, which made me wonder whether he should be in the mental ward instead of cardiac. My answer: "Not in winter!" And that was before the sun started setting; by 3:30 p.m., it was just clearing the treetops at the horizon. As you can see from the photo above, it was totally dark before 5:00. UGH.

And--oh joy!--here's the WGME weather forecast:

All Eyes On Our Approaching Storm Our artic [sic!] cold front moved through Friday night ushering in the coldest air of the season so far.... This will be a classic Nor'easter... Expect 6"-12" right at the coast and 8"-14" inland and mountains.... If the storm tracks just a little more to the East we could all see 12"+ of snow.

On the bright side, while rooting around the kitchen, I found a stash of dark chocolate and a four-year-old bottle of Mom's incomparable cranberry liqueur. So if it snows, I'm well stocked.