lorious weather abounds across southern and central Maine.  Did you get a chance to notice just how amazing the start of this day has been?  I know rushing around getting ready for work, getting the kids out the door, and all the other hecticness of the morning doesn’t leave much time to appreciate spring.  I believe Maine is beautiful all year, but there is something really special about spring.

I’ll be updating the forecast throughout the week on Twitter at @growingwisdom Please follow me there. Feel free to comment or ask questions too.

For me this absolutely the best time of the year.  Afternoon temperatures are warm, mornings are cool, and generally there isn’t the humidity of mid-summer.  Plants are growing at an incredible rate.  Have you ever considered how much biomass has been created in the past 4 weeks?  If you think back to mid-April when the leaves were just starting to emerge and fast forward to this morning the increase in the number of plant cells across the area is mind boggling.  The sheer weight of material that exists today that didn’t just a few weeks ago is fascinating.  

Since I was 3 or 4 years old, nature has always amazed me.  My first recollection of anything to do with nature was catching a moth in a jar and showing to my sports minded neighbor back in 1968.  He was about as interested in that moth as I was in the baseball in his hand.  Over the year I have become an avid Sox fan, but still would rather be catching butterflies and frogs.

With the weather so perfect, it gives me a chance to plant another crop of lettuce, radishes and get those tomatoes in the ground. In the summer I work with kids at Camp Kingswood in Bridgton teaching them about horticulture. Gardening is a lifelong pursuit.  I began planting before the age of 10 and have grown vegetables for nearly 40 years.  (that’s kinda depressing seeing that number).   Last weekend I was showing a 14 year old I mentor the asparagus in my garden. He remarked “that’s how it grows?”  I often forget kids and even adults have no idea how many of the things we eat actually grow.  I took the picture below this morning; you can see the asparagus coming up from the ground. I will cut it at ground level this evening for supper.

Nothing is perfect in life, and while the weather is pretty close today high fire danger and high levels of pollen will continue.  This evening with temperatures in the upper 60s and abundant sunshine that will stick around until about 8PM there will be plenty of time to enjoy the final few hours of a great day.

Tomorrow will be a bit cooler, but still sunny.  Afternoon highs should reach about 68°F, with perhaps a sea breeze at the coast.  The weekend which is filled with graduations, weddings and a ton of other outdoor activities will all take place with ideal May conditions.  Temperatures will remain the 60s and cool slightly at the coast during the afternoon.  On Sunday we will see a blend of clouds and Sunshine with similar temperatures.  If you are sitting in a black gap and gown it’s still going to feel very warm in the sunshine which is nearing peak strength this time of year.

Warmer and more humid air makes a run southern Maine during the middle of next week and this can bring a few showers.  Until then it’s dry and sunny.  Don’t you just love May? 

I’ll be updating the forecast throughout the week on Twitter at @growingwisdom Please follow me there. Feel free to comment or ask questions too.

Related Stories