One of our resident deer was hit by a car in the early hours of Friday morning near the corner of Crest Avenue and Lobster Cove Road. I don't know how many there were in Sprucewold in total this year but we frequently saw a buck, a doe, and at least two fawns. They do help themselves and eat what they like in the gardens. They don’t like foxgloves or Sweet William. We use organic Liquid Fence Rabbit and Deer repellant and it stinks to high heaven for the first 12-24 hours but it works well as long as you remember to re-apply it.

It is time to begin bringing in the dahlias and geraniums to dry out and winter over for next spring. I try to keep the begonias and herbs going inside in the windows but they often only make it to March. I’ll keep trying. Our neighbors gave us their stunning coleus, bacona, and sweet potato vine filled window boxes they didn't have room to transport home. We can enjoy them through the late fall at least, if they don’t survive til spring.

On Tuesday last week we finally remembered to go and bail out the dinghy at the Sprucewold Beach Club dock after the previous week's rain storms. Several other dinghies needed bailing as well. Once the beach attendant leaves for the season we all need to remember bailing because the extra weight of the water filled dinghies puts too much pressure on the dock and it can force it to pull away from the ramp and pier. Sprucewold Harbormaster Sandy Young stopped by to remind us but we had gone the day before, phew!

The volunteer work crew of Joe Mair, Randy Lehman, and Doug Winter are planning to repair the picnic tables and benches at the Linekin Green picnic pavilion this week, weather permitting. Thank you so much!

It is the annual Pumpkinfest in Damariscotta from Thursday, 9th-Monday, 13th. The Boothbay Railway Village will host the annual Fall Festival on Saturday and Sunday, October 11th and 12th. Indigenous People’s Day is Monday, October 13th.

There are fewer echoes of screen doors slamming each week into October. I love this quote by Lane McSaunders from "Ponderings from a Porch Swing;" it reminds me of Sprucewold: “Every so often, go where you can hear a wooden screen door slam shut ... I think that means we need to slow down and embrace the little things in life that bring us peace and joy. Maybe it’s a reminder to go home to a peaceful place and escape life’s fast pace.”