Gather ye flowers while ye May

Fri, 05/19/2017 - 7:00am

Tuesday, May 16. A day notable for sunshine. Not pale sunshine, or shy sunshine, or going-to-break-through-at-any-minute-now sunshine, but unapologetic, here-I-am-by-golly sunshine. Last week, and maybe the week before, featured plenty of drizzle and drip. We deserve this.

I lived in England during one of the rainiest summers in history. It was so bad, the weathermen ran out of words to describe it. One night on the telly, a discouraged meteorologist slouched before his bad news map. “Tomorrow,” he pronounced to his listening audience, “will be dull.” I bring this up because when it’s gray for any length of time, I think of him. I wonder what became of him? I hope he found happiness somewhere. I hope he found the love of his life, a cheery person who brightens all his days, no matter the weather.

On a day like this, in Boothbay Harbor, the sea air swarms with the scent of the sun, and the surface of the harbor water splinters with light. Green grass covering the surrounding lawns is lit from within. And the flowers. Oh the glory of the flowers! Tulips are not only open, they have exploded, brilliant petals bent back, soaking in the shine. Ground coverings begin to creep out of their beds, or stand shoulder to shoulder, if they’ve been pruned. Dandelions have once again shown how resilient they are, how they are able to find footing, even though you thought you’d eradicated them from the lawn for good last year, by gum. Nope. They are the varmints of the flower world. Besides, bees get sustenance from the blossoms.

The footbridge today was crowded with walkers, a couple of them wearing flip flops, which they will do until their toes turn blue next fall. Flip flop fans are diehards, but that’s understandable. It’s hard to tuck your tanned toes back into the dark confinement of a shoe, after letting them run free through the summer. 

The Romar building is down now, a piece of history bulldozed into splinters. Another piece of history is waiting to be built there next fall. In the meantime, shops and restaurants close by are enjoying a water view they didn’t know they had.

Boats ride in and out of the harbor, getting back their sea legs after being cradled all winter. Shops are open for business, and so is May.