July is the month of growth. Gardens, flowers, trees and wild plants reach a peak of lush and green. All the wild critters are feeding young with abundance surrounding them. The process of building reserves against the ravages of winter is in full swing. It is almost a mad rush to ripen and fatten while the opportunity is there. The odds of surviving winter and reproducing well depend on what happens in July.
My raspberry patch finally matured into what I hoped it would be when I put out the first plants 10 years ago. Pat froze 20 quarts made pies and jam and we had them on cereal in the morning and ice cream after dinner. I still have a little space left to plant before the entire patch is full so it could be even better next year. Our high bush blueberries are thriving also but the patch is still young. Last year we picked a gallon but this year we got none in spite of good production. A pair of Robins nesting in the Wolf River tree out back decided they should feed their young a diet that included blueberries. They must have heard about the anti-oxidants in blueberries because they ate virtually every one. When we were weeding the plants the male robin would fly right in to find any worms or grubs we might turn up but the next trip would include a blueberry or 2. He was so tame he would land next to me and hop around inside the fence squawking at me if I tried to drive him away. I fed him worms that I dug up until he would land beside me and demand them. I thought that might save the blueberries but he still plucked them regularly. I hope he doesn’t return next year with a grown up family that has a taste for blueberries. I suppose we will have to place a net over the top.
The chickens have been shut up to keep them safe from the fox and the garden safe from them. The garden has matured enough to withstand their assault and the fox pups have left their den in the culvert by the Highland cemetery, so we have decided it is safe for them to roam free once more. They are a happy little group.
We had only a small amount of business in July but that is normal. Ed and Rosemary Spreha were back. She was hiking a section of the Appalachian Trail with Ed doing support transport. It was nice to see and visit with them again. Owen and Donna Buck signed up for Gilman Pond canoeing but we had to cancel. They came anyway and spent some time paddling on Flagstaff. Jim and Joan Parker were here to see the Bigelow/Flagstaff area and were very supportive of our efforts against “Big Wind” in Highland. They have fought the same battle in their town of Buckfield. We were so happy to reunite with Margi Huber and Bob Bittenbender though the visit was too short. They spent the night on their way to a camping trip at Pierce Pond with Judi Marden and Gabriella Howard. It would be fun to have the whole group together at once with Ron of course but you can’t have everything. The last guests to visit were the folks from Park Residence where my Dad lived. This was their first visit since he died, and we were so glad that they were able to come.
Vacation was one of the best we have had and we were able to rent our favorite place in Pemaquid. All the “girls” and their men came, and the weather was fantastic. We got in plenty of beach time and explored with the big canoe and kayaks. We saw Damariscotta Lake, Pemaquid River, John’s River and Damariscotta River. A trip up Damariscotta River will give you an idea how much wealth there is along the Maine coast. Linda Voisine came to help Sally look after the place, and we were so relieved to have someone be here. Kate and Peter left for Montana the day after they got home from Pemaquid. I can’t wait to hear the stories and see the pictures.
The blackberries are almost ready for harvest and from what I have seen along the roadside it will be a bumper crop. Pat has already made a small batch of jam and it is the best. I hope I get a full day to go pick while it is still good.
For the first time in many years the bear population around here has exploded. I haven’t had any problems but some neighbors in Lexington have. Pat’s Cousin Marilyn down on the Back Road called one day to tell us that she was afraid a bear that was damaging her chicken house might try to come into her house. Anyone who has been birding on the Back Road has been by Marilyn’s place. She lives just north of that little pond we always stop at but her house is hidden back in the woods behind her sister’s place. She is nearing 80 and unable to do what she used to do. She has shot a few bears in her time but now she can’t see well enough to make a good shot.
It appeared as though at least two bears were making regular visits to her place and eating chicken grain and sunflower seeds in the yard. She knew they would eventually become a problem so she called a local biologist to see if he would trap them. Some of Marilyn’s neighbors were already having damage done and the biologist trapped a young bear nearby, released it down the road a ways and shot it with rubber bullets as it ran away. Having been through the bear wars at Pierce Pond I knew this doesn’t usually deter the bear for long and this guy was no exception. The biologist refused to trap Marilyn’s bears and suggested that she board up all her out buildings so he couldn’t get in. For her that wasn’t an option because the summer heat would have killed her birds with no ventilation.
By the time Marilyn called me, the bears had been visiting for about a month. On this day a big bear had ripped open the wall of her grain shed from floor to ceiling and pulled out two 55 gallon drums of grain. I was shocked when I saw the damage, and I was really surprised to see that she was afraid. She had a loaded gun in every corner of the house with rounds in the chambers. I went home and called the warden service, The first warden I spoke with was unfamiliar with the case and suggested that those people up there feed deer and that is what attracted the bears. Marilyn and I have both fed deer for 20 years or more and we never had a bear problem before. She does live near a road where bait hunters have conditioned bears for bait for several years. I got a bit ruffled and said I would be happy to go right down and shoot the bear. The warden got excited and said if I shot the bear and it wasn’t killing livestock he would have to summons me. I said I was going to get the .06 and head down to shoot the bear right then. He said if I would only scare it he would bring a trap in the morning. I agreed and I went down to bunk in my van about fifty feet from the grain shed.
Sure enough the bear arrived and I could see it wasn’t just some youngster. He stood in front of the 55 gallon drum, blocking the view of it entirely. I put a shot into the ground under him and the splat of gravel actually knocked hair out of him. The next day both the warden and the biologist showed up with traps. It was that squeaky wheel thing I guess. Of course this bear ignored the trap and went right back at the sheds again. I spent another night and had a close encounter I wasn’t expecting in the dark. It has been a long time since I messed around with a really big bear, and it isn’t as much fun as I remembered. I believe that between the two of us that bear finally got the message because he hasn’t come back. He must have found a good raspberry patch where no one will bother him again. I certainly hope so.
“Gang Warily”,
Greg & Pat
