« The Annotated Good Life - Monday Night Meeting 2010 | Main
Nearing Homestead Open House - August 30th
On Monday, August 30 at 6:30 p.m., The Good Life Center invites admirers, friends and neighbors of Helen and Scott Nearing to the Nearing Homestead at Forest Farm for an Open House. This will be the final Monday Night Meeting of the 2010 summer season. A snack of watermelon will be provided. Donations are appreciated. Members of the board of directors, the Forest Farm manager, garden interns, the arborist who cares for the trees, the carpenter who designed and built the new information kiosk, and volunteers will be on hand to welcome visitors.
During the past year, The Good Life Center board and volunteers have made substantial progress toward restoring the beautiful hand-built stone buildings, stone walled garden, and grounds to their condition and appearance when Helen Nearing was last in residence in 1995. Outside projects have included exterior site work to improve drainage around the house, tree work to remove hazardous trees and limbs and thinning to allow air and light to reach the buildings, clearing shrub over- growth to restore drives and pathways, restoration pruning of the Nearing’s small apple orchard, restoring the garden to its original footprint, and moving Scott’s compost bins to their original location near the greenhouse. Following the advice of professional conservator Ron Harvey of Tuckerbrook Conservation and a State of Maine environmental engineer, dehumidifiers and fans installed in the house have reduced humidity and reestablished a healthy indoor environment. The house received a thorough cleaning, window wells and gutters were installed on the exterior, and the Nearings’ welcoming blue screen door was repaired and painted. Moldy drywall partitions in the garage/workshop were removed by professionals and tests confirmed restoration of a healthy environment.
The vegetable garden is thriving under the loving care of two part-time garden interns, and the plentiful produce is gathered each Wednesday and donated to the Tree of Life Food Pantry in Blue Hill. It is once again planted in the manner of the Nearings (weeds and grass take note - you are not welcome within the garden walls!) A grape arbor damaging the garden’s stone wall was removed and the wall repointed by a stone mason.
Restoration of the garden and buildings at Forest Farm is continuing, and a fund has recently been established for the conservation and preservation of their extensive library of books. Donations are appreciated and needed. For more information, phone The Good Life Center, 207-326-8211 or visit www.goodlife.org.
Summer visiting hours continue on Thursday through Monday, 1-4 p.m., closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays, until Labor Day, and we will be open weekends in September. Visitors can see the beautiful stone home, stone greenhouse, and stonewalled garden— hand-built in the early 1980’s by Scott in his 90’s and Helen in her 70’s. A short film about them is shown, gardeners and volunteers will answer questions, and Nearing books are available for purchase. Visitors are welcome to bring a picnic lunch and enjoy the view of the Camden Hills.
Posted by JoanC on July 23, 2010
Topics: Uncategorized |