I have admired swallows since my childhood in England, where squadrons of them nested in our stables and sheds. I love their chatty company and am honored that they choose to raise their families in my barn.

The landscaping traditions I had been raised and trained in were all about the subjugation and replacement of nature - the creation of tightly managed gardens where foreign species were prized over native plants. It made no sense then, and it makes no sense now, for gardens to be part of the degradation of our environment.

In lieu of thoughtful reflections on Life I offer this silliness

First and above everything THANK GOD FOR MAINE, and to be back to wild land, locally grown veggies and friendly, local banks