The black flies are biting, mosquitoes hatching, and bees a-buzzing; nature has come alive. I don’t appreciate bugs as much as I should, and tend to forget their contributions to our ecosystem when they’re swarming in my face while I’m trying to get from the dooryard to my car. This past weekend they were out in full force, but I managed to see a silver lining to their arrival. Their arrival coincides with all the things I love about spring: planting, farming, gleaning, and our topic of the week, farmers markets.

Over the course of five years, I converted a two-acre parcel of grass lawn to a native plant meadow. While I’d love to regale you with stories about my tireless efforts, my grit, and my ingenuity to accomplish this monumental feat, the truth is I just stopped mowing. In the first season, a few native grasses and wildflowers popped up. To my great fortune, a healthy native seed bank was patiently waiting for an opportunity to be spared from the weekly scalping of the mower.

If you’ve read this column with any regularity, you know that I was born and spent more than 31 years living in Florida. Now firmly entrenched in Bristol, I’m coming to appreciate a lot of the things that make Maine such a wonderful place to live. One of those unique things is the Bristol Mills Dam and Fish Ladder.

Well, dear reader, I have decided to end my rather brief foray into the world of writing a weekly column for The Lincoln County News. As you can imagine it was a difficult decision because writing these articles enabled me to play a part in promoting and highlighting the unique character, people, wildlife, and history of Damariscotta Mills.

As I ventured into the barnyard, I noticed all the goats and Earnest the pig standing out in a freshly tilled area of the yard. Earnest had dirt encrusted on his snout, so it appears he had been the lead tiller, which he is very good at.

National Safe Boating Week is May 21-27 this year. And Memorial Day is just around the corner. The new recreational boating season is upon us and it’s a good time to review some boating basics.