Hello everyone! I am getting ready to spend my second summer with my family. Time has flown by fast. It is almost the end of June. Mom says it’s cool ’cause it is that much closer to October.

The days have definitely gotten longer as we approach midsummer, but the time allotted for weekday dinners seems to shrink disproportionately. Likely because the extended daylight allows us to cram in more activities in the evening, whether it be the local ballgame or just a lengthy chat upon a serendipitous meeting with your neighbor or a friend.

In a recent column we reported the progress made from 1905 to 1925 in bringing electricity to our Nobleboro homes. The local power facilities of the Lincoln County Power Co. had been sold in December, 1923 to Central Maine Power Co. This change in ownership made available the urgently needed capital to replace the generating facilities at Damariscotta Mills that had been destroyed when the Leatherboard Factory burned in 1921.

Recently, Maine Community Foundation awarded us a grant that will assist us in reaching some of our support objectives – i.e., to engage the community with enriching activities that help develop a sense of community and well-being.

Well, we got another week in the books, and it still doesn’t quite feel like summer yet. I had an interesting experience this past week that I wanted to share. Actually, a couple of things.

Strawberries appear each year at this time, the most delicious and romantic of berries that are the true messengers of summer to come.

Memorial weekend has come and gone with mostly nice weather. Round Pond has woken up from the long winter and is in full swing again. As I was mowing at the town landing a few days ago many boats were being launched and both Round Pond Lobster and Muscongus Bay Lobster were a beehive of activity getting ready for the busy weekend and the season ahead.

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.