tamarack

Like wise, but we're early-year boomers so can't compete with today's desires. Our current house ha a 960 sf footprint but might squeeze out 1500 sf if loft and part of the basement are included, and it's our biggest in 50 years (next week) of marriage. Our daughter/SIL and the 7 kids are in a house only slightly larger - has 1.5 baths and we've never had more than 1 - but they're organized, even helping to make work the 11-people-one-bathroom scenario when they visit. We had 2 trips-of-a-lifetime, in 2016 (Japan, visiting son/DIL) and 2017 (Norway, where my wife's grandparents were born) but that was enabled by her dad's passing in 2014. Other "vacations" tend toward watching the older kids while parents tend to the newest arrival, helping with fix-it projects and light construction, battling the abundant poison ivy, etc. We head home exhausted but joyful and blessed. And thoroughly middle class in my sort-of white collar job - white because it requires a 4-year degree, blue (or wool, perhaps) because it involves time in the puckerbush with the blackflies or at -20.

Given the bulk (and abundance) of Tom Clancy technothrillers, it's likely that you would not get to "Rainbow Six", well toward the end of the Jack Ryan odyssey, so I'll offer the "intent vs. happenstance" gist of the story: SPOILER ALERT!! Some deep environmentalists decide that the only way to save our planet is to eliminate nearly all the people (not including themselves, of course.) These are biomedical scientists, and they create a nano-capsuled Ebola virus that can be spread in a mist. They also develop a 100% effective vaccine against Ebola. Their plan is to insert canisters full of those nano-capsules into the cool-mist system at the Sydney Olympics, estimating that those infected there would take the virus home, with an estimated 6 million fatalities. But . . . they inform the pandemic-panicked world of the wonderful new vaccine and like heroes they promise to provide it worldwide free of charge. However, there are 2 "vaccines" and the 2nd one actually contains the encapsulated Ebola. That's what they will send around the world, with an estimated 99% die-off of humanity followed by the "heroes" owning the planet. (In an earlier novel, Clancy also [SPOILER ALERT] included a jetliner flying into a government building, years before 9/11.)

Despite an unexpectedly large budget surplus and lots of federal $$, Maine state employees were initially offered a contract with zero raise and some benefits take-backs. Latest offer includes a tiny increase. A very intensive study of comparative wages for equal tasks recently determined that Maine state employees earn about 15% less than other public and private sector employees doing the same work. It's good that I really like my job!

Some trees do grow like crazy. A few weeks after moving here in mid-May 1998, I transplanted a 2' tall fir from the dog-trolley area (he'd damaged the tree somewhat) to our front lawn. The tree is now 38' tall and 13-14" diameter at the conventional (diameter breast height) 4.5'/1.4m above ground. Would be nearly impossible (and a pitch bath) to fight my way thru branches to the bole and actually measure it. Branch span at the base nears 20'. If you know someone/some town that wants a BIG Christmas tree, give me a shout out.

And starting in 1935 during the great depression is like tracking global warming with "New Ice Age" 1970 as the starting point - only one way to go from there. GW is real and adverse income distribution is real, but as Phin noted above, there were some (fortunately for humanity) unique factors included.

Dews around 30 in Aroostook; if tonight is clear and calm some gardeners there might get an unpleasant surprise.

Overcast here too, just like the 2 most recent lunar eclipses. Agree with the bolded. Back around 1970 we were shingling a roof in NNJ during a 93% eclipse and it was like a weird twilight near midday - strange to have short shadows and less light, but still full daylight. Dropping from 10,000 candlepower to 700 isn't all that impressive, especially since we read under electric lights at 100 c-p after dark.

In the early 90s we planted some 15-20" tall American chestnut seedlings from the Foundation, 10 at Hebron near some 1962 chestnuts (blighted/regrown repeatedly) and at Topsham near a large (15"x55') unrequited female chestnut that was producing hordes of sterile husks. Each tree was within a 2x4" by 4' cage and the deer only browsed a bit when the trees topped the cage. In the late 90s the Foundation pioneered a road (flat well-drained soil so easy access) to the lady chestnut to do controlled pollination, repeating it for 3 years. They also cut a few pine and red maple to give that tree more room. The biggest of the Topsham plantings reached 2.5" diameter and 25' tall before the blight got them in the mid 20-teens - some smaller chestnuts have avoided the blight - and the big female is gone as well. The Hebron plantings have disappeared, whether from deer, blight or shade I don't know.

My results in fall-planting of red oak acorns have been abysmal, both at the state lot near Merrymeeting Bay (6-8 miles from Pit 2) and on my woodlot. Between squirrels pre-emergence and deer afterwards, few of the 2,000 or so total nuts in those 2 plantings have made it past deer-browse height. (Note: I did the water test on those acorns, discarding all the floaters.) 30+ years ago a co-worker gathered some acorns on the state's Dodge Point lot in Newcastle (midcoast) and planted them on the Scraggly Lake unit just northeast of Baxter Park. There were essentially no oaks on that 10,000-acre tract and the plantings were on the site of a 1-2 acre fire so great site prep. No deer at Scraggly had ever encountered oak for many decades but they knew a good thing when they smelled it and pretty much wiped out the new seedlings.

Or Tom Clancy's ("Rainbow Six") though he undoubtedly borrowed it from Earth First!

Yup - tar spot fungus. It's especially prevalent on Norway maple though it's a visual issue that doesn't really harm the tree (unfortunately in the case of that species.) It's less of a problem with other maples and I don't know if it affects non-maple species. And I really like the "sleep/creep/leap" description. Only tree I've planted that didn't follow that pattern was Reliance peach, and peach trees are notably precocious. Mine would double in size each summer then get killed back each winter until 2001-02 when it never got near -20. That summer brought no dieback and a hundred-plus wonderful peaches. Then Jan-Feb-Mar 2003 brought a dozen mornings of -20 to -29 and the tree was cooked, permanently. (The variety is hardy to zone 5 and my frost pocket is 4B. We were fortunate to get that one crop.)

Hve you read Clancy's "Rainbow Six"? Only difference is intent vs. happenstance.

TD 38 at FVE, 71 at PWM.

2021 was the 4th time in 129 years that the Farmington co-op has had zero measurable snow - all 4 of those months had traces. Other than 1999 when December had only 0.1", none of Dec/Jan/Feb have recorded a month with less than 1". March has 2 fraction months along with the 4 zeros. In contrast, March 2001 had 58.3", 4th biggest snow month there, with #1-3 all in February. March has the highest CV of the 4 "snow months", not a surprise. Edit: March has had less than 2" eleven times in those 129 years, December once (in 128), February twice and January has never recorded less than 4".

Should've been in Machias last night - the area had 4-6" during the wee hours and several water crossings have taken out roads. Saw up to 3.65" on cocorahs in neighboring Hancock County, but all the reporting Washington County sites are 20+ miles east of Machias and had modest totals.

Fought my way this AM for the same "T" we had yesterday, 6th day of 8 this month with at least some raindrops, total 0.06". Local river continues to set new low flow records for the date. Dews into the 40s in the northern half of Maine. If it's not going to rain anyway those dews will be great.

Last winter's snowfall here was proportionally (40-45%) lower than yours for DJM, other months nasomuch. Month 20-21 23-yr avg. median OCT 0 0.66 0 NOV 2.1 4.92 2.60 DEC 9.2 18.97 17.35 JAN 18.2 19.58 21.40* FEB 21.3 22.89 21.30 MAR 0.1 16.70 14.60 APR 1.6 5.10 3.30 MAY 0 0.15 0 Total 52.5 88.97 90.40 *The high median comes from 1999-2012, a 14-year period in which 9 Januarys had snowfall 22.6" to 27.5", a rare consistency. The 9 subsequent Januarys had none within that range, with 2 in the 30s, one as the median value and 6 below it.

Co-worker from Waldoboro said yesterday they're up to the midcoast, though she and family didn't catch any bigger than 24", 4" short of the limit.

Reached 90 yesterday, not an easy feat in the woods.

Not much breeze here. (None at 8 AM when I watered the garden and fed the skeeters.) The remote thermometer read 90 when I checked 15 minutes ago. It's usually about 2° above the max-min.

Same here. My 86/62 was 16° AN, and crushed the (weak) record here for the date - was 77/55 on 6/6 last year. Got own to 60 this morning thanks to fewer clouds overnight, so it will need to work harder to exceed yesterday's mean. We reached 88 on 5/26 but the leaf-out was maybe 85% on that date and it's 100% now, so more transpiration means greater challenge to reach 90. Lots of mosquitos visiting me as I watered the veggie garden this morning - much of the June 1 plantings have already broken ground, 2-3 days quicker than usual. Deerflies are out but mostly flying solo - the hordes arrive later this month.

Seems like wearing a mask during heavy physical activity might be a greater health risk than transmitting COVID-19 in the open air.

Once the alewives arrive, the stripers should not be far behind.

They began flashing here in late May. Only 0.01" from the "strong to severe" storms last evening and not a flicker of lightning. Ten miles west Temple reported 0.19" but no place in Maine got a soaker. Measurable precip in 4 of 6 days this month, total 0.06".

I read Bryson's "A Walk in the Woods" about his AT adventure - found it a bit disappointing and not just because of his rant against forest management. A lot of the book addressed the first 100 miles or so, much of it about a late-season snowfall at elevation which was interesting but overlong. I kept reading in part because of wondering what he'd think of Mahoosuc Notch (has been called the AT's toughest mile) and the Maine woods. The Notch wasn't mentioned, and since he was continually skipping ahead I suspect he didn't set foot on the Maine section of the Trail until Monson, at the start of the "Hundred Mile Wilderness". He made it maybe a dozen miles before running into a trail-blocking beaver pond, thrashed around that, then tucked tail between legs, walked out a logging road and headed home. Never had a dangerous bear encounter, though 15 minutes watching 3 critters 50' up 2 beech trees chomping down calories was thrilling. When mama finally spotted me she came down the nearer tree at top speed but I knew I was safe unless she mixed up direction and trampled me on the way by. The 2 2nd-year cubs split up, one ambling after mom and the other climbing 15' up a big maple. I walked over to that tree and the cub's whimpering was so poignant that I quickly left. Bears generally breed at 2-year intervals, abandoning the 2-year olds before hibernation, so I wonder if the three ever gathered together again. Did have a bull moose in rut walk toward me in hopes I was the cow of his dreams, but much hollering and thrashing convinced him otherwise at maybe 20 yards distance.