I am determined to have a successful vegetable garden this year. The summer I was working on Mystery Vine, I had a magically wonderful garden with a bountiful harvest. Then last year, all went terribly wrong. Torrential rains rotted two rounds of seeds, and a parade of critters-- particularly deer, groundhogs, slugs and beetles--gobbled up the third planting. So this year, I'm starting with infrastructure. We had a glorious weekend, with bizarrely warm weather. I purchased a long roll of mesh fencing, foraged the woods for poles, and erected a nine-foot deer fence around my picket-fenced garden. I hope it will convince Bambi's descendants that it really isn't worth the trouble. Festooned with white ties and fluttering ribbons, I also hope it warns the birds away from harm.
A friend of mine teased me about it this morning. "What? Nature girl? Animal Lover? YOU put up a deer fence?" she asked dramatically, a twinkle in her eye. "I love my children, too," I explained, "but I didn't let THEM go wherever they wanted to go either." So there. Next step, a chicken wire barrier to keep out the very fat groundhogs.
UPDATE: Just finished my new gate! Ta-da!
The dog days of summer have arrived....and we are now very sorry that we complained about our too-cool Maine weather. Ugh. So being lazy on a hot and humid Sunday afternoon is the only option. Star (kitty...pictured here) chose the dock, as did a resident frog a bit later. The treehouse offered me a bit of a breeze. A very good day to read, indeed.
Just returned from a fabulous writers' retreat on a lake up near Lewiston, Maine. We managed to persuade the wonderful owners of 
All participants enjoyed productive work-- occasionally breaking for a refreshing swim, a bit of yoga, or a romp with the adorable puppy-in-residence, Sashi. We're hoping that Nilaya and James (PERFECT hosts!) will be willing to offer this again next year! Check out their site--and the incredibly beautiful boats you can learn to build with them, too. 
