Jeepers, peepers

Last week, a weather report for our region rather amusingly warned of extreme conditions, predicting record highs in the mid-70s. Now that the temperatures have dropped back within normal expectations for this time of year, I have reluctantly closed the windows and turned the heat back on. It is hard to trust the weather in any season in New England, but such an exceptionally warm start to spring after such a mild winter makes me wonder about the long-term trends in our warming climate, as well as the potential of another hard frost now that flowers are blooming weeks ahead of schedule.The ticks are out in force, and have been active throughout the winter, which means there will be more opportunities for exposure to tick-borne diseases. It is possible that their hosts (the deer mice) were more vulnerable to predators without the cover of snow, but just as likely that more of them survived the winter with greater access to food. Meanwhile, the wood frogs chirped with glee with the warm weather even though we did not experience the “big night” of the first warm rain that can bring out the amphibians in great numbers as they return to their pools to breed. There are hummingbirds in our area already and it is very early for them to be here. Ephemeral wildflowers are blooming in our woodlands, and will continue to do so even if the weather stays cold for a while longer. I watch the flowering trees, particularly apples, because they are very vulnerable to frost.Some things are comfortingly regular, though, despite the vicissitudes of the weather. The old winter stars are low in the west in the early evening, and in the hours before dawn I see the summer constellations that soon will replace them. Venus and Jupiter have been especially close for the last few weeks and Mars is still quite large in Leo. In the coming weeks, spring will be well established. I will look longingly at my garden but will resist the urge to plant it prematurely. I’ll welcome the warm days when they return, but for now it is fine with me that the night sky is clear and cold, as experience tells me the end of March should be. Tim Abbott is program director of Housatonic Valley Association’s Litchfield Hills Greenprint. His blog is at greensleeves.typepad.com.

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Club baseball at Fuessenich Park

Travel league baseball came to Torrington Thursday, June 26, when the Berkshire Bears Select Team played the Connecticut Moose 18U squad. The Moose won 6-4 in a back-and-forth game. Two players on the Bears play varsity ball at Housatonic Valley Regional High School: shortstop Anthony Foley and first baseman Wes Allyn. Foley went 1-for-3 at bat with an RBI in the game at Fuessenich Park.

 

  Anthony Foley, rising senior at Housatonic Valley Regional High School, went 1-for-3 at bat for the Bears June 26.Photo by Riley Klein 

 
Siglio Press: Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature

Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.

Richard Kraft

Siglio Press is a small, independent publishing house based in Egremont, Massachusetts, known for producing “uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.” Founded and run by editor and publisher Lisa Pearson, Siglio has, since 2008, designed books that challenge conventions of both form and content.

A visit to Pearson’s airy studio suggests uncommon work, to be sure. Each of four very large tables were covered with what looked to be thousands of miniature squares of inkjet-printed, kaleidoscopically colored pieces of paper. Another table was covered with dozens of book/illustration-size, abstracted images of deer, made up of colored dots. For the enchanted and the mystified, Pearson kindly explained that these pieces were to be collaged together as artworks by the artist Richard Kraft (a frequent contributor to the Siglio Press and Pearson’s husband). The works would be accompanied by writings by two poets, Elizabeth Zuba and Monica Torre, in an as-yet-to-be-named book, inspired by a found copy of a worn French children’s book from the 1930s called “Robin de Bois” (Robin Hood).

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Cycling season: A roundup of our region’s rentals and where to ride them

Cyclists head south on the rail trail from Copake Falls.

Alec Linden

After a shaky start, summer has well and truly descended upon the Litchfield, Berkshire and Taconic hills, and there is no better way to get out and enjoy long-awaited good weather than on two wheels. Below, find a brief guide for those who feel the pull of the rail trail, but have yet to purchase their own ten-speed. Temporary rides are available in the tri-corner region, and their purveyors are eager to get residents of all ages, abilities and inclinations out into the open road (or bike path).

For those lucky enough to already possess their own bike, perhaps the routes described will inspire a new way to spend a Sunday afternoon. For more, visit lakevillejournal.com/tag/bike-route to check out two ride-guides from local cyclists that will appeal to enthusiasts of many levels looking for a varied trip through the region’s stunning summer scenery.

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