 What's New... Spring, 2010 Weather and wildlife Lilacs on the café tables for Mother’s Day?! Usually it is the last of the daffodils, but this spring has been very weird. Lots of beautiful warm weather long before we (and the plants, critters and insects) are accustomed to it. Everyone’s internal calendar is awry. Now, May frosts are threatening orchard fruits, whose tender blossoms appeared ahead of schedule with mis-beguided optimism. Lots of birds around here looking for nesting real estate. My new crop of bird houses have generated much interest, so in an effort to keep them fresh and clean I have duct-taped the openings. On Mother’s Day I watched a very earnest chickadee, who’d managed to find a tiny opening where the tape has sagged, busily building a nest in the off-limits box. Oh, well. It is lovely to watch Maine’s State Bird earnestly creating a new family right outside my window. Which reminds me. . . Wings, Waves and Woods Our annual birding and art festival, held May 21-23 here on the island, provides amazing opportunities to see birds and savor the habitat that is so appealing to us all. I recommend any of the birding walks and, if you haven’t seen puffins, then a boating trip. Or the kayaking trip for shoreline birding. Bob Duchesne, founder of the Maine Birding Trail, is a wonderful guide and presenter. The Friday exhibit at the Ron Pearson Gallery on Dow Rd is always a great show, and Peter will again be doing his talk/demo on making birds from found objects. See www.islandheritagetrust.org for the full schedule. CSF Perhaps you know about CSA: Community Supported Agriculture. Thanks to the efforts of Penobscot East Resource Center (PERC), we have a local CSF: Community Supported Fishery. Part of a larger groundfish research project that is designed to collect data on these all but disappeared species and their distinct ecology, trained observers will work with fishermen to record locations, sizes and species that are caught. The by-product of this research will be an eight-week supply of fresh-off-the-boat locally-caught groundfish: cod, redfish, cusk, and flounder. Sign up for a half or full share for as many weeks as you like. Stonington is one of four local distribution points. Call PERC at (207) 367-2708 for membership details and information about the fish, the share pricing and pick-up locations. This information, including recipes and ways to prepare fresh fish, will soon be available at www.penobscoteast.org. Best Everything How about this for an award category? Best Everything Place. Each year Yankee Magazine picks “Best ofs” throughout New England to feature in their annual Travel Guide, and this year we were fortunate to be recognized for our “Everything!” (This sweeping claim will make more sense to people who have visited here.) If you haven’t, consider a trip to Deer Isle, and, of course, to Nervous Nellie’s. As of yesterday, we are open daily 9-5 right into October. If you enjoy engaging with new surroundings and culture when you travel, then you will surely be enriched and delighted by this island and its people. If you prefer heels to sneakers and nightlife to the night sky, then you might try Bar Harbor or LA. If you relish the idea of sketchy reception on your cell phone, having to park in front of the library to get WiFi, and fine dining in shorts and flip flops, then come on down. www.deerisle.com Western Saloon When he was a kid, Peter had a “tin town.” A dollhouse size façade of a Western town: dry goods store, Sheriff’s office, jail, bank, hotel and saloon. A small world that an imaginative kid could fill with stories of adventure, courage, mishap, and the rituals of everyday frontier life. He still has that tin town, and this winter he built the Silver Dollar Saloon and Hotel. Life-size. Almost complete, it stands between the juke joint and his studio. It is a compelling integration of the authentic: a saber from the Civil War, bear skin and biscuit stove, and the sculptural: Wild Bill paying his final poker hand aka the Deadman’s Hand. New Visiting Nervous Nellie’s is a tradition for a lot of people. They may have come as kids, and are now bringing their own kids to play, as they did, in the sandbox under the old apple tree, to visit favorite sculptures and to see what is new. Beloved traditions are like comfort food for the spirit, so we mindful about preserving what it is that people love about Nervous Nellie’s while gently making room for the “new.” Each year I add a few new products to our shop and Peter creates new sculptures: to replace what has sold, but mostly because making sculptures is all he ever wants to do. In the shop, we have a colorful new stack of float rope doormats, note cards for all occasions, cheerful hand-printed all-cotton kitchen towels in several designs, a locally-made dog biscuit (Chris and Renee work directly with farmers to source healthy, natural ingredients) called Barkwheats, and maple sugar candy, a childhood favorite of mine. And, we have the same great jams and chutneys, the same tender scones and smooth, organic coffee. The same beautiful, old orchard—in bloom now and lively with nesting birds. The same magic forest coming awake after a cold winter’s sleep. Come see what’s new, while you savor the old and familiar. That's all for now--- Anne |
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Email:jam@nervousnellies.com
