Message from the Mountain

The goldenrod is now becoming the star of the Lupine Field, creating a segway into the fall season. It will remain in bloom until we cut the field in late September-October. It is also the time of ye…

The person who built the Center some eighty years ago also created a flat stone walkway-path from the front door to the stone stairs leading to his garden. Over time Nature covered the stones up, unt…

I remember the puzzling question when I was young as to whether the hen or the egg came first. I think of that when I see our hens and chickens in bloom. Besides thinking about the future, Nature oft…

I love to find tiny matchsticks growing in places where they could easily be overlooked by the casual hiker. Some of my earliest memories are of my grandmother gathering some, along with varieties of…

Another special treat in August is when the phlox begin to blossom. This tall flower easily regenerates itself when it scatters its seeds, often in places that fall victim to a lawn mower in the comi…

There is a patch of brown eyed susans flourishing on the very edge of some exposed granite near the top of the Lupine Field. The thin layer of topsoil has weathered away, but the flowers are holding …

Somewhere along the line we discovered echinacea, also known as cone flower, growing in the Lupine Field. We are not sure how it got there but are pleased at having them part of the mix. Life has a l…

We sat on the bench at the top of the Lupine Field and watched the rain clouds drift across the valley. As we headed back to the Cabin, drops of water began falling on us. Fortunately, it passed soon…

After the lupine have gone to seed, another beautiful flower, the ragged robin, takes over the show. I’m not sure how it took root here, but it is very welcome. When we pay attention to the present i…

It seems as if we wait all year to experience a perfect summer day when the temperature and humidity are just right and the sky is filled with beautiful floating clouds. Often when that day gets here…

There is at least one apple in the old orchard that looks like it has great potential to be combined with others in the fall as part of the ingredients for an apple pie. In life we have projects and …

As we begin our journey through August, many of the varieties of day lilies have finished flowering and so I was delighted to discover a different color just beginning to bloom. In life, just when we…

The rainy weather seems to have been good for the wild blueberries growing on the mountain. They are great in muffins, pies, and just plain by the handful. It is a treat not only for the stomach, but…

I can think of a lot of food items that double my pleasure when I am eating them, like extra whipped cream or chocolate syrup. We have a double orange lily that doubles my pleasure when looking at th…

Recently we spent a couple of days at the family cabin on a lake in Maine, built by my parents over sixty years ago. Now in a trust, it is with a feeling of gratitude that we watch our children and g…

The goldenrod have begun to bloom, hinting of the fall season to come. By September the landscape will be ablaze with these bright yellow flowers. Right now there are other flowering plants to focus …

Up on the mountainside the sounds of the valley drift away, and yet in the silence the voice in our mind is still creating a dialogue with itself. You may be able to hear it better in Nature than in …

Small yellow wildflowers grow in a large patch that looks like a sea of yellow floating on the surface of the Orchard. It is amazing the effect that one small blossom combined with others like them c…

The grasses in the Orchard and Lupine Field have matured and are ready to go to seed, insuring that a healthy crop will come back again next year. We are constantly spreading and sowing positive acti…

I recently discovered another day lily in a different color. It is redder than the others, and, as always, I am excited when I discover something new in life, whether it is in Nature or discovering t…