3/21/26  No one knows what he can do until he tries.

About 4 inches of snow.  Cloudy, 30 degrees.  Cloudy today, a strong NNW breeze, high 39, low tonight 24.  Snow forecast for tomorrow has dropped to 1-3 inches with a west breeze, a high of 31, low 25.  Cloudy Monday, a strong NNE breeze, high 34, low 16. Sunshine Tuesday, a NW breeze, high 41, low 24.  Partly cloudy Wednesday, a west breeze, high 39, low 18.  Snow showers Thursday, 1-3 inches of snow Thursday night.  A west breeze, high of 39, low 31.  Partly cloudy Friday, light NW wind, high 35, low 13. Partly cloudy next Saturday, a WNW breeze, high 32, low 15.  Partly cloudy next Sunday and Monday, brisk  SW breezes, highs 42, lows about  26.  Mostly cloudy next Tuesday, partly cloudy Wednesday April 1st.  Brisk NW breezes, highs about 42, lows 26 and 29.  Morning snow showers Thursday, April 2ed, a brisk NW breeze, high 44, low 29.  Partly cloudy Friday the 3rd, a brisk NW breeze, high 47. low 31.  Morning snow showers Saturday, April 4th, a NW breeze, high 49, low 32.

    This weekend is Open House for the maple syrup people.  Not much sap will be running and it won't run much all week.  It will be the first week in April before there is a good run.  An updated spring weather forecast was posted yesterday.  Instead of a warm April,  April, May and June are forecast to be cooler than average.  There was no precipitation forecast.  Last summer was a poor year for hay production.  Many farmers don't have the hay reserve they usually do.  Grass grows in cool temperatures.  Hopefully the weather isn't so cool that pasture turnout is delayed.  I'm as concerned about the lack of moisture as I am the cool forecast.

     Bekah and Jay got their steps in yesterday!  They don't have little red wagons, they have green ones that hold three plant trays. Three trays at a time plants were moved. The second greenhouse now has lots of plants in it and there is room in the first greenhouse for the plants that like it warm to grow.

The next big move will be when it is time for the tomatoes to be transplanted.  Pansies will go in the hoop house, petunias in the cold frames.  Maybe containers of pansies can go outside for Easter but It looks like the ground may still be frozen.

    The sun is trying to break through.  It doesn't take much sun for the thermostat to stop turning the propane furnace on.  May your day be blessed.  Sally

 3/20/26  In all things it is better to hope than to despair.  Look for the silver lining.

 Clear, sunshine, 24 degrees.  Clouds are forecast to move in late morning, afternoon showers will mix with snow early evening, some snow showers late evening.  A SW breeze, a high of 43, tonight's low 31.  Morning clouds/afternoon sun tomorrow, a strong NW breeze, high 23.3-9 inches of snow Sunday and Sunday night, east breezes, high 34, low 23. A strong NE breeze Monday, high 30, low 21. Partly cloudy Tuesday, a stiff NW breeze, high 37, low 20.  PM rain/snow showers Wednesday, a stiff west breeze, high 38, low 17.  Partly cloudy Thursday morning, 1-3 inches of snow Thursday PM.  A stiff WSW breeze, high 38, low 31. Snow showers next Friday morning, perhaps some sun Friday afternoon, a WNW wind, high 38, low 14.  Sunshine next Saturday, a brisk WNW breeze, high 32, low 10.  Partly cloudy Sunday the 29th, a stiff west breeze, high 38, low 19.  Partly cloudy Monday the 30th, a west breeze, high 37, low 23.  Rain/snow Tuesday the 31st, a brisk SW breeze, high 39, low 26.  The first of April the warm temperatures the rest of the nation is having begin to get here.  A high of 43 April 1st to 50 on Friday the 3rd.

   It was so cold and raw all day yesterday Bekah didn't start the furnace in the second greenhouse.  This morning's sun is warming it up nicely,  she'll let the sun bring it up to temperature, she'll start the furnace as the clouds move in.  I always planned to move into the cold frames on April 1st.  Bekah has been spoiled since she took over, the weather has allowed her to move March 25.  She moved into the back room on the 18th last year.  This year it will be the 31st.  It is forecast to be warm enough to move plants this afternoon.  It's up to 33 now.

   I chased two cats out of my kitchen garden this morning.  I need to get the water pistol I got for Christmas loaded and ready.  I yelled and threw a glass of water at them this morning.  One was hiding under the Christmas tree, Time to get rid of it.  The tree, not the cat.

   Sunday's snow will slide off the greenhouses and pile up around the bottom, keeping out the cold.

   May your day be blessed, Sally

   

 3/19/26 Spring officially begins tomorrow at 10:46 a.m. here in the eastern part of the country.

Clouds, calm, 17 degrees.  Some sun this morning, cloudy this afternoon and tonight.  A stiff SSE breeze, high 37, low 27.  Partly cloudy tomorrow morning, PM rain/snow, a SW breeze, high 42, low 29.  Mostly cloudy Saturday, a stiff NW breeze, high 40, low 24.  Snow showers Sunday, 3-5 inches of snow Sunday night.  A SE breeze, high 38, low 27.  Snow showers Monday, a stiff north breeze, high 33, low 20.  Sunshine Tuesday, a NW breeze, high 40, low 22. Partly cloudy next Wednesday, a strong west breeze, high 40. low 20.  Partly cloudy next Thursday morning, PM showers, a strong SW breeze, high 42, low 33. Snow showers next Friday morning, a west wind, high 41, low 17. Partly cloudy next Saturday, a brisk NW breeze, high 32, low 17.  Some snow showers Sunday, the 29th, a stiff SW breeze, high 37, low 14. Partly cloudy Monday the 36th, a stiff WNW breeze, high 36, low 21.  Partly cloudy Tuesday the 31st, a brisk west breeze, high 40, low 27.  Mostly cloudy Wednesday the 1st, a SW breeze, high 43, low 29.

    Propane delivery came this morning, just in time.  The tanks were getting low.  The cold temperatures and constant breezes have caused the furnace to run pretty steady, even with the wood stove helping.  Spring arrives tomorrow but it doesn't bring much relief from the chill.  The forecasters were right when they said our temperatures were going to run about five degrees below average.

    We weren't very happy with UPS yesterday.  On the boxes it says, "this side up" in big bold letters.  The boxes were on their sides, the driver said that standing them on their sides was the only way he had room in his truck.  The shipping department said to load them like that.  Soil was all over the plants but none were damaged.  They spent the day setting the plants right and watering them.  Today they will start transplanting them.

    The second greenhouse will be started today.  Over the next few days the violas, pansies, petunias and other plants that grow better in cooler temperatures will be moved to it.  Tomatoes and peppers will stay where they are, they like it warm.  Most of yesterday's shipment will stay in the warm greenhouse for a while.

    May your day be blessed, Sally

 3/18/26  Remember, those who want to talk with you about others, will talk with others about you.   

Clear, calm. 11 degrees.  Sunshine today, a brisk WNW breeze, high 31, low 16.  Mostly cloudy tomorrow, a stiff SE breeze, high 37, low 20.  Mostly cloudy Friday, a SW breeze, high 43, low 28.  Snow/rain Saturday, a north breeze, igh 39, low 29.  Snow to rain Sunday,  a brisk NW breeze, high 39, low 24.  Partly cloudy Monday, a strong NW breeze, high 37, low 18.  Partly cloudy Tuesday, a brisk west breeze, high 40, low 23. Mostly cloudy next Wednesday, a stiff NW breeze, high 39, low 20.  Partly cloudy next Thursday, a stiff NW breeze, high 39, low 29. Snow showers the morning of Friday the 27th, 1-3 inches of snow Friday night.  A strong WSW breeze, high 43, low 21.  Morning snow showers Saturday the 28th,  afternoon fog, 1-3 inches of snow at night.  A brisk NW breeze, high 37, low 21.  1-3 inches of snow Sunday the 30th, a stiff WNW breeze, high 38, low 22.  Partly cloudy the next three days. Some snow showers possible Tuesday. WNW breezes, highs in the low to mid forties, lows in the mid to high twenties.

    The forecast low was twenty.  If the hose is let on abit at twenty it doesn't freeze.  At 11 degrees it does.  Today's high of 31 means the frozen hose needs to be dragged into the greenhouse to thaw. Bekah carried two buckets of water from the greenhouse to the barn for Mabel.  The sun is bright, I'm sure it is warming up the greenhouse but the outside temperature is only up to 12.  

   The lonely cardinal must have found a mate, we don't hear him singing for one anymore.  Yesterday a small flock of blackbirds came, they're probably the locals that raise their families here.  The red-winged blackbirds nest in the swale and by the firepond,  the grackles build nests in the pine tree.

    Bekah planted a third planting of parsely yesterday.  It will be for us.  The first two didn;t germinate very well, enough plants for customers but not us.  People like to plant their parsley with their cool crops, a spring chill won't bother it.  But neither will a fall frost so we'll have plenty to dry even though we'll be setting the plants out late.

    May your day be blessed, Sally

 3/17/26"True health grows from peace of mind, love in the heart, and joy in simple moments." 🌿

56, the high for the day.  clouds, windy this morning.  Temperature dropping to 35 this afternoon with light WNW winds. 14 tonight with a stiff WNE breeze, partly cloudy skies.  Sunshine tomorrow, a brisk west breeze, high 31, low 20.  Cloudy Thursday, a brisk SE breeze, high 38, low 26. Partly cloudy Friday, a brisk SW breeze, high 43, low 24.  Partly cloudy Saturday, a brisk SW breeze, high 42, low 30.  Rain/snow Sunday, a strong west breeze, high 42, low 23.  Partly cloudy Monday, a NW wind, high 33, low 16.  Sunshine next Tuesday, a brisk NW breeze, high 40, low 22.  Partly cloudy next Wednesday, a strong west breeze, high 41, low 25.  Rain/snow next Thursday, a stiff NW breeze, high 44, low 31.  A stiff SW breeze next Friday, rain/snow, high 44, low 22.  Partly cloudy Saturday the 28th and Sunday the 29th. A brisk NW breeze Saturday, high 35, low 21.  A west  breeze Sunday, high 39, low 24.  Rain/snow Monday the 30thh, a brisk SW breeze, high 45, low 28.  Morning snow showers Tuesday the 31st, a brisk west breeze, high 47, low 27.  We got a lot of rain yesterday but I don't know how much.  My rain gauge says 0!  No idea what's wrong with it.

   For quite a few years I had a rototiller on my tractor and Gilbert tilled both our gardens.  Then he put the tiller on his tractor and tilled both our gardens.  The last few years Jay and Bekah have been looking for a small used one to put on my tractor,  No luck.  There weren't many small ones for sale and the ones that were had seen a lot of use.  Yesterday they found one in Brownville.  Doug took Bekah to look at it.  It was in excellent shape, the tillers still had paint on them.  The price was very reasonable.  The lady even threw in some greenhouse supplies she had. A good start to the week!

   They were caught up with transplanting so they spent the last few days pruning and nipping off blossoms.  I used to tell Tiffany and Rachael, "  we grow roots.  Blossoms come in May for the customers."

    Happy Saint Patrick's Day, Sally

 This could apply to anywhere, not just North Haven      Sally

Speaking of Bees  Becky Bartovics

it is refreshing to have some good news. Apparently there was a large upswing in the numbers of monarch butterflies overwintering in Mexico this year to about 1/5 the normal count and about twice as many as overwintered last year. Kudos to everyone on island who has planted butterfly magnets. Native species are especially important such as echinacea, liatris, comfrey, buckwheat for starters. There are numerous beneficial insect plants that rival hybridized and specialty plants for color the are much more productive of nectar.   While the monarchs news is good for this year, there is some other news about insects world wide— between a 60 and 80% loss in populations world wide.  


Why should we care? Well, every species on up the food chain depends upon insects to fertilize plants and to serve as nutrients for the bottom of the chain on up to the very top on land and in the ocean.


With the past four years of summer drought and until this year paltry sums of other season moisture, I have noticed a marked drop in insects on my farm. I used to have huge numbers of fireflies, moths, grasshoppers and crickets in fall, mosquitos and gnats. Paltry few where present last year. We even have fewer spiders.  The insects provide food for frogs, salamanders, birds, spiders, rodents, my chickens! While some people have a real insect aversions we ought to begin to admire them for their place in the interconnectedness of all things. Taking the time to watch a bee reach into the throat of a flower for nectar, or watch a solitary wasp dig a hole, drag a stunned caterpillar across grass or gravel impediments to the hole, draw it down out of sight, and then come out to roll a plug across the opening, those are magic moments worth every second.  Try it with a child!


Learning that pesticides are included in all wines whether or not organic from California, that their presence is in most non organic food, that they are implicated in auto immune and cancer diseases means we need to pay attention and avoid using them at all.  Find another way. Garlic sprays, Neem oil and including leguminous plants in gardens and lawns goes a long way. Or how about reducing lawn size to give over to the magic of insects all together- that would reduce carbon emissions, save money and provide added habitat for the beautiful  array of insects in our natural environment.  North Haven could become an oasis for all of the denizens of our island if we treat it as such.

3 /16/26   Resilience grows from observation, preparation, and the patience to ride out the storms that inevitably come.

Thick clouds, 33 degrees.  Rain starting at nine, a half inch forecast.    A SSE wind today, high of 51.  Another half inch of rain forecast tonight, low of 47, a high wind warning.  25 t0 30moh south winds with gusts over fifty.  Partly cloudy tomorrow, 54 degrees in the morning with a strong, gusty WSW wind.                                     a morning high of 54,  afternoon highs in the forties, overnight low of 14.  Mostly sunny Wednesday, a brisk WNW breeze, high 31, low 19.  Cloudy Thursday, a strong SE breeze, high 38, low 28.  Partly cloudy Friday, a SW breeze, high 42, low 25.  Snow showers Saturday, 1-3 inches Saturday night.  A brisk NW breeze, high 37, low 22.  Snow showers Sunday morning, a stiff NW breeze, high 37, low 22. Partly cloudy next Monday, a strong NW breeze, high 37, low 17. Mostly sunny next Tuesday, a NW breeze, high 37, low 20.  Partly cloudy next Wednesday, west breeze, a high of 40, a low of 24.  Rain/snow the next five days with stiff breezes from the NW and north. Highs from 36 to 45, lows 21 to 28.  Temperatures are forecast to be five degrees below average for the last two weeks of March.  We are in a moderate drought.

    Tomorrow is the day Jay and Bekah start the second greenhouse.  The weather forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday nights is saying that waiting until Thursday will save a lot of propane.  This week's shipment isn't scheduled until Thursday but last week's shipment came a day early.  It will mean extra work but they have decided to go with the forecast and start the furnace Thursday morning.  They will open the shipment in the first greenhouse.  If all goes well they will move to the second greenhouse Friday.  Despite a few days of record breaking warmth March will be a more expensive month than usual for greenhouses across Maine. Country Junction is staying right on schedule.  They will start transplanting peppers this weekend,  marigold seeds will go on the heat mats where the peppers are now.  All the plants in the greenhouse are thriving, it is lush and green in there and smells like spring.

     The rain today and tonight is welcome.  This storm is following the pattern of so many of our storms, the forecast rain total has dropped from an inch and a half to an inch.  Most of this winter's storm the snow totals have been under the forecast.  We went into the winter dry.  People were having problems with their wells, the hay crop was below average.  We are saving every scrap of plain cardboard that we can so that we can mulch everything with cardboard covered with  hay or straw.  No such thing as wasted hay this year!

    Our spring chick order went in.  A few green/blue egg layers for fun but mostly the hybrid egg layers.  With the cost of feed we need to buy the birds that lay the most eggs.  The chicks all cost the same.

    May your day be blessed, Sally