According to the Eye on the Sky weather guys, this cool and wet weather is good for the grass. I have the evidence that proves that they are correct. Every time I walk to the garden to check on my tomatoes, which haven't grown an inch, and my beans and corn, which haven't yet broken ground, I walk through grass that is working its way a little farther up my legs, like tentacles reaching from some underground moisture-loving monster starring in a slow-motion horror film.
I found this fact from the weather guys to be a bit like a double-edged sword. Yes, the grass may be growing well, but other folks who have their own take on this wet weather have told me they are worried about haying. Wet grass, from what little I understand, is not ideal for haying.
We’re in a new month, and though weather doesn’t acknowledge or appreciate the flip of the calendar, I hope, as I am sure you do, that things change and fast. After all, I didn’t spend eight weeks to tending tomato seedlings to realize that their only growth would be under artificial light. Maybe I should bring them in and return them to their former home under buzzing fluorescent tubes.
All is not lost, of course. The lilacs have bloomed. The first of my returning perennials, a delicate poppy, has blossomed. The hummingbirds are busy, and I found a broken eggshell under the bushes in my yard. It seemed early for a hatch, but it’s good to know that all the bird activity I am seeing during the day has led to a renewal, which, of course, is what we expect at this time of the year.
The library took advantage of a random break in the weather to plant its herb garden along the walkway in front of the building. Tony Pikramenos, our librarian, told me that he, Heather Evans, and Libbet Downs put in the garden on Saturday, May 25. The herbs they planted are chives, thyme, rosemary, marjoram, parsley, sage, oregano, and tarragon. They also put in some portulaca flowers, which are succulents that I’ve heard referred to as desert rose. Once the herbs grow a bit, they will be available for snipping off to bring home to add some delicious fresh flavor to whatever you are cooking.
The seed library is still available for you to do some planting in your own garden. Tony tells me that it’s been popular this year.
Don’t forget that tomorrow is First Friday in Reading. That means you can tour the Hall Art Foundation at your own pace for free! The museum is open from 5pm to 8pm. If you plan your evening right, you can go to the Hall Art Foundation and then work your way north on Route 106 to visit Reading’s other museum, that of the Reading Historical Society.
Call this announcement a sequel, or at this point a threequel, but this is my last chance to let you know that tomorrow night at 7pm, the Reading Historical Society along with the Vermont Humanities Council, will be presenting "Vermont vs. Hollywood: 100 Years of Vermont in Film." The talk will be given by Amanda Gustin. According to the materials provided by the Vermont Humanities Council, "Vermont has been a featured location in Hollywood movies for nearly a century. It has represented many different ideals during that time, and its portrayal reflects both Vermont's own history as well as American history. Examining those films provides interesting and fun insights into the hold Vermont has had on imagination in the media age."
The event is free and open to everyone. I look forward to seeing you at the movies—or at least at the talk about movies.
Happy birthday to Janet Malcolm (June 11).
That’s the news from Reading! See you next week!
This column originally appeared in The Vermont Standard on June 6, 2019.