Interstate Movement

We’ve moved to New Jersey.  Maplewood, New Jersey to be exact.  Reasons for the move were more economic in nature than lifestyle, the latter being the main reason for our move to Maine in 2002.  One of the candidates for Maine governor this year likes to say “Maine’s best days are ahead, not behind.”  What she neglects to say is those days are way too far in the future to be seen.  Over the 8 years we spent in the state, it became painfully clear that it’s hard to make a living and even harder to get ahead, and that wasn’t going to change anytime soon.  But we can’t fully quit you Maine.  We’ll be back as vacationers and visitors, if not part-time landlords.

I wrapped my season in mid-August: dug out all the potatoes from the bags and beds, gathered 8 green tomatoes, snipped an eggplant, cut 2 bell peppers and 6 serranos, and harvested about 2 lbs. of beans.  Our new home was previously occupied by a gardener with serious landscaping abilities, so the karma is definitely intact.  Vegetable plots will be scattered around the property out of necessity due to the huge, mature maples and oaks that overshadow our neighborhood.  They are beautiful, but they squeeze out the sun from most areas.  Looking forward to a longer and warmer gardening season next year.