Sun, 06/29/2025 - 5:31pm

Ed O’Brien

The Vegetable Garden (Photo by Ed O’Brien)

It is said that Mainers talk a lot about the weather. After this last week it seems easy to understand why. Tuesday was about as hot as they come, reminding us that the old homes so many of live in were not built for summer heat. Then came Saturday morning, when I went out to walk the dogs and was met by my 81-year-old mother with an armload of firewood. I have it on authority that many in Lincolnville lit a fire Saturday, June 28.

It is fully summer in Maine, for all that means.

Just a couple months ago we were rejoicing in the growing green, starting to introduce our carefully tended seedlings to the newly tilled soil, our garden beds pristine and free of weeds. Sowing seeds in neat rows, the prospect of peas and corn and carrots in the future.

Here we are, as the green becomes a riot, lawn growing beyond our ambition to trim it, and the battle with the weeds has begun in the garden beds.

Raising a vegetable garden is not unlike raising multiple children. Each crop needs slightly different care, a slightly different approach, though the basics of water and sunshine is necessary across the board. Each plant will respond differently to the same environment, though, and while it may have been a great year for onions last year, they may seem a bit scraggly this year, but man, look how those tomatoes are coming in. This is an example — it is still a bit early to determine which crop will flourish this year, and which will be a bust.

As always, it is unlikely that we will have fresh peas by the Fourth, as is the Midcoast Maine gold standard, but they will be along soon enough. I always claim it is the micro-climate around Sleepy Hollow that puts us a week or two behind other Lincolnville gardens, but this is probably an excuse.

It is nice to have a produce section just off the dooryard. It may not have everything the local Hannaford does, but there is a selection, and it is much more convenient, and, heh, growing all the time. I made an amazing chimmichuri sauce last weekend, with a big bunch of parsley, a smaller bunch of oregano, and last year’s garlic. The olive oil, regrettably, still had to be imported.

Viewing the out-of-state plates as I make the trek to and from my harborside Camden office each morning and afternoon is a clear reminder that this is Vacationland. The place where people from away come to relax in the natural beauty we take for granted. Many of us owe our livelihoods to this- running small businesses dependent on the summer traffic, serving our visitors, providing the lobsters for their rolls, fixing and maintaining and building and beautifying their summer retreats.

I find myself muttering to myself as I drive behind a New Jersey-plated SUV, suddenly slowing to a crawl as a glimpse of an undeniably gorgeous vista comes to view — a sight I take completely for granted, seeing it every day.

And then I have to breathe, to remind myself how fortunate we are to have the environment that makes our visitors fall in love with Midcoast Maine be our daily reality. The sun rising over Penobscot Bay on an early morning, or at a backyard fire listening to the crickets, with the Milky Way a fully visible band stretching over our heads. To know the person who sells us a half gallon of milk, or a cup of coffee, or a six pack- and quite possibly their grandmother too.

Lincolnville, and the rest of Midcoast Maine, is not an easy place to live sometimes. The weather is ever changing, and often harsh. The prices are high, and the wages are sometimes woefully low. It is not the place for everyone. But for those of us who live here, it is home.

The garden continues to grow.

I reminded my mother the other day that part of her legacy will be the invasive plants she introduced over the years — a misguided effort in natural pesticide, or simply in innocuous addition of “ground cover”. If all goes well, her great-grandchildren will remember her when they rip out a stubborn horseradish root. Legacy through the garden.

So if you live and work here, I hope you remember to take some time this summer, and recognize what makes this place amazing. Being self-employed, like so many in this community, it is easy for me to ignore the most amazing time of the year in Lincolnville. My boss may not be willing to give me much time off, but I can still prioritize the time I do have.

Appreciate the garden, appreciate the beaches, the forest trails. Heck, appreciate our visitors. They bring much needed perspective on the world outside of Midcoast Maine, not to mention their wallets. Appreciate the road work; yeah, it isn’t fun being stuck in traffic on Route 1, but the potholed alternative isn’t great either, so give a smile and wave to the flaggers and workers who are out there in baking heat and cold summer rain.

Welcome those summer guests, take the opportunity of a visiting cousin or aunt or college friend to really see your home at the time of year when it is at its most welcoming- sweltering humidity, cold rain, fog and all.

Love this little place where you are from.

Library Happenings

Join the Library on Wednesday July 2, at 6:30 p.m. for a talk by Tibetan Buddhist scholar John Harris on The Three Excellences: Tibetan Buddhism’s Guide to Doing Life Well. This will be an interactive talk on how to “transform ordinary task into moments of Wisdom, Purpose, and Joy.”

Okay, Lincolnville, that is what I have for this week. Enjoy the Fourth, and I apologize in advance to the dogs and horses and all the rest who don’t appreciate the traditional means of celebrating.

I considered writing a column about my memories of a certain July 4th party that used to occur in the Lincolnville of my youth, which involvied the prolific use of then-illicit fireworks, but I have to save something for next year.

Be well, be kind and understanding, and send your thoughts and comments to ceobrien246@gmail.com.

Municipal Calendar

Monday, June 30

Historical Society Museum Open, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., 33 Beach Road

Select Board, 5 p.m., Town Office

Tuesday, July 1

Library open 3-6 p.m. 208 Main Street

AA Meeting 12:15 p.m., Community Building, 18 Searsmont Road

Wednesday, July 2

Library Open, 2-5 p.m., 208 Main Street

Historical Society Museum Open, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., 33 Beach Road

Thursday, July 3