Isn't She Lovely?

Last year's lantana plants brought in so many beautiful butterflies that I thought I'd try some again this year.

Almost immediately Cabbage Whites, skippers, swallowtails—and even a clearwing moth—arrived. But . . . then . . . what was that fluttering above the plants? It's a female Ruby-throated Hummingbird!

Indulge me, please, this is the first hummingbird we've had in our little Princeton Landing garden and it's very exciting!

More Vandalism

Stop Vandalism

SOS . . . Save Our Shrubs

June and July have been two of the hottest months on record and long-range forecasts predict above-average temperatures through October. All this heat is putting a terrible strain on our lawns, shrubs and trees. Although Princeton Landing has an irrigation system, it is old and temperamental. And what many of us may not realize is that our system is designed to water only the lawn areas.

This means that our shrubs and trees are in serious danger of dying due to lack of water. The only remedy for this problem is for homeowners to take responsibility for watering their own plantings. This may seem like an imposition, but our landscape is one of Princeton Landing’s most precious assets. The quality of our landscape affects the value of all of our homes. Dead shrubs do not make a good impression. Also, the shrubs and trees are owned by the Association. We pay for their upkeep through our monthly fees. If many plants have to be replaced, our fees will surely go up. None of us wants that. Watering now may save all of us money in the future.

Watering is not as time- consuming nor as difficult as it may seem. You only need to provide about an inch of water in one deep watering at least once each week. However, over the years the Landscape Committee has chosen to plant moisture-demanding plants such as rhododendrons throughout the community. If you have them around your home, they need to be watered more often.

Experts recommend preventing the soil from drying out completely, which will damage most plants. An easy way to check your soil’s dryness is to poke your finger about an inch into the soil around the base of the plant. If the soil feels cool and damp, the plant should be fine. If the soil is dry and crumbly, it’s time to water. It is best to water in the cool of the morning or early evening.

Be sure to water the soil, not the plant. Shrubs and trees should be watered around their drip line, the outer edge of the plant. Plants take up water though their roots, so make sure there is plenty of water in the soil for them to access.

Each of us can do a lot to improve the health and appearance of our landscape. And reaching that goal will benefit us all.

Jon Latimer

Lesson Learned

On a hot day, there's no time for pictures. Eat your ice cream quickly!

Všetko najlepšie!

Všetko najlepšie k narodeninám!

Všetko najlepšie k meninám!

Šťastnú cestu!

Nature Guide: Ticks

Ticks are a problem for both people and pets in our area, so it's important to know a little about them. Ticks are one of the leading carriers of diseases to humans in the United States. Our Nature Guide Jon Latimer gives us some information.

"Most people think of ticks as insects, but they are actually arachnids like scorpions, spiders and mites. Ticks are among the most efficient carriers of disease because they attach firmly when sucking blood, which they need to survive and reproduce. Because of this, ticks are attracted to humans and their pets. A tick’s bite can transmit a variety of serious diseases, including Lyme disease, tularemia, encephalitis and various kinds of tick fever. Two particularly widespread tick species in our area are the American dog tick and the deer tick.

"The American dog tick, Dermacentor variabilis, (also known as the wood tick) is one of the most widely distributed ticks in the eastern U.S. Although they are often found on dogs, they will also feed on other mammals such as squirrels, skunks, raccoons and humans. In our area, dog ticks are active from mid-April through mid-August. They are most common along roadsides and paths, and in woodlands and meadows with tall grass or weeds. Pets can bring ticks indoors where they can survive for several days.

"Although the deer tick, Ixodes scapularis, (also known as the blacklegged tick) is only about 1/10 of an inch long and difficult to see, they are widely known for transmitting Lyme disease. The deer tick is most often a parasite of White-tailed Deer, which are frequently seen in Princeton Landing. Female ticks attach themselves to a host and drink its blood for several days, slowly swelling in size. After the tick is engorged, she drops off. She spends the winter hidden in leaf litter on the ground. The following spring, she may lay as many as several thousand eggs.

"After a tick egg hatches, the tick passes through three stages as it matures: larvae, nymph and adult. Each stage requires a single meal of blood before the tick can molt into the next form. A tick will attach itself to a different host each time. Ticks are opportunists; they will latch on to any animal that comes near them.

"Ticks have very hard bodies and can be difficult to kill. But in the landscape they can be controlled by relatively simple means. Applying pesticides can greatly reduce the number of ticks in an area. For example, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a single application in early spring can reduce the population of ticks that cause Lyme disease by 68–100%. The CDC recommends removing or pruning trees and shrubs, and applying mulch in spring, which serves as a barrier to a tick's encroachment. Mowing grass, cleaning up leaf litter and pine needles, and limiting the extent of groundcover is also advised to reduce the number of ticks. If you find a tick or fear that a tick has bitten a person or a pet, it is best to seek medical advice as soon as possible."

Photos: American dog tick by James Gathany, CDC

Deer tick by Scott Bauer, USDA ARS

Timberrrrrr!

Under the watchful eye of property manager Pattie Araujo, Brickman removed overgrown trees outside the Parcel 1 condominiums. This followed the earlier removal of unsightly stone groundcover.

Le 14 Juillet

Photo by Yann Caradec

If you can't be there, click here to celebrate!

The Magic of Poilâne

Tomorrow is Bastille Day. To get in the spirit, watch this lovely and poignant video, "The Art of Baking Bread." It shows the late Lionel Poilâne of the legendary French bakery Poilâne being interviewed by award-winning cookbook author and food writer extraordinare Dorie Greenspan. Emmy award-winning producer David Turecamo made this piece in the summer of 2002 for CBS News Sunday Morning with Charles Osgood.

Sadly, in October 2002, not long after this video was shot, Lionel Poilâne and his wife Irena died in a helicopter crash. Their daughter Apollonia, a graduate of Harvard University, runs Poilâne today.

For the intrepid bakers in Princeton Landing, you can find the recipe for Lionel Poilâne's famous butter cookies, Punitions^®, or Punishment Cookies, in Dorie's book Paris Sweets or on her blog.

"Hey, Boo"

"Hey, Boo," I said.

"Mr. Arthur, honey," said Atticus, gently correcting me. "Jean Louise, this is Mr. Arthur Radley. I believe he already knows you."

Today marks the 50th anniversary of the publication of To Kill a Mockingbird, the masterpiece by Harper Lee. Her brilliant character study of the young narrator, Scout Finch, epitomized what a bold and confident girl could be in a time when Barbies and baby dolls ruled.

Cheers to Miss Harper Lee and to Scout girls everywhere!

Parcel 6 Evening Sky — 8:16 pm

Nature Guide: Poison Ivy . . . One Year Later

A year ago we reported that the decision not to use chemical weed control here in Princeton Landing was likely to lead to problems, especially with poison ivy. Although the decision was reversed this year, the damage has already been done.

Poison ivy is a tenacious plant. Once established, it spreads both above and beneath the ground. And it can only be removed either by repeated treatments with herbicides or by pulling it out by hand, which is never entirely successful.

The lack of chemical weed control last year allowed our poison ivy to flourish and gave it a considerable head start against any attempt at control. This problem was made worse this year by the length of time it took to reinstitute the application of a pre-emergent pesticide. By the time application began, many weeds, including poison ivy, had already emerged, rendering the herbicide almost useless.

This is not the fault of Brickman, our landscaping company, or Signature, our management company. It is the fault of our Landscape Committee and its leadership’s lack of knowledge and unwillingness to listen to expert advice. These errors in judgment will not only end up costing all of us more money, they may even cause harm to those who come into contact with the poison ivy.

Independence Day

When in the Course of Human Events . . .

New Jersey Signers

Richard Stockton

John Witherspoon

Frances Hopkinson

John Hart

Abraham Clark

Fourth of July at Morven

On Sunday, July 4, from noon to 3 pm, Morven Museum & Garden will host a patriotic event for the entire family. Children and adults can sign the Declaration of Independence and participate in colonial life activities. Learn about the signers and patriots who had close ties to Morven. There will be patriotic music and a "Happy Birthday, America" cake. Admission is free.

The museum occupies the house called Morven, the former New Jersey Governor's Mansion and 18th century home of Richard Stockton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Free parking is available on site. For other parking options in the area, visit www.princetonparking.org. Morven is located at 55 Stockton Street in Princeton. Click here for directions.

W. S. Merwin Named Poet Laureate

Today the Library of Congress announced that W. S. Merwin will be the 2010–2011 U.S. poet laureate. The two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and National Book Award recipient is our nation's 17th poet laureate and succeeds Kay Ryan.

Born in New York City, William Stanley Merwin grew up in Union City, New Jersey, and Scranton, Pennsylvania. He attended Princeton and studied with R. P. Blackmur and John Berryman. Mr. Merwin is quoted by the Poetry Foundation as saying that "it was not until I had received a scholarship and gone away to the university that I began to read poetry steadily and try incessantly, and with abiding desperation, to write it."

W. S. Merwin, who is 82, has lived in Hawaii since 1976. He moved there to study Zen Buddhism and eventually settled on the island of Maui, where he began to restore the forest surrounding his home, a former pineapple plantation on the northeast coast.

Independence Day Fireworks

Photo by Peter Roome

On Thursday, July 1, the Spirit of Princeton will present the 12th annual Independence Day Fireworks in the fields next to the Princeton University Stadium along Western Way.

The fields open at 7 pm for picnicking and the fireworks begin at dusk, around 9 pm. Bring your picnic baskets, but no alcoholic beverages are allowed, nor is smoking because of the artificial turf. Parking will be available in University Parking Lot 21 below the fields off Faculty Road and in the University parking garage on Prospect Street.

This event is free, thanks to the Spirit of Princeton, a group of volunteers committed to producing events celebrating community and patriotism in Princeton.

Waiting On Shore

" . . . the dead are not far from us . . . they cling in some

strange way to what is most deep and still within us."

— W.B. Yeats

Waiting On Shore

Sculptor: Niall Bruton

Rosses Point, County Sligo, Ireland

In Summer

by Paul Laurence Dunbar

Oh, summer has clothed the earth

In a cloak from the loom of the sun!

And a mantle, too, of the skies' soft blue,

And a belt where the rivers run.

And now for the kiss of the wind,

And the touch of the air's soft hands,

With the rest from strife and the heat of life,

With the freedom of lakes and lands.

I envy the farmer's boy

Who sings as he follows the plow;

While the shining green of the young blades lean

To the breezes that cool his brow.

He sings to the dewy morn,

No thought of another's ear;

But the song he sings is a chant for kings

And the whole wide world to hear.

He sings of the joys of life,

Of the pleasures of work and rest,

From an o'erfull heart, without aim or art;

'T is a song of the merriest.

O ye who toil in the town,

And ye who moil in the mart,

Hear the artless song, and your faith made strong

Shall renew your joy of heart.

Oh, poor were the worth of the world

If never a song were heard, —

If the sting of grief had not relief,

And never a heart were stirred.

So, long as the streams run down,

And as long as the robins trill,

Let us taunt old Care with a merry air,

And sing in the face of ill.

This poem is from The Complete Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar. Today is the poet's birthday.

Tell Us What You Think: Update on Smith House Plantings

It's been over two weeks since new plantings were installed at The Smith House by Forever In Bloom. These photos show what the plants look like today. Photos taken right after the plants were planted are available here.

The Landscape Committee made the request for the plantings at the May 25 Board meeting, the minutes of which are on the official website. The amount approved to be paid to Forever in Bloom was $2600.

Do you think the Association got its money's worth? Tell us what you think by clicking the Comments link below.

Attention Parents: Firefly Festival

This Sunday, June 27, Terhune Orchards will host their annual Firefly Festival from 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm. In celebration of fireflies and the insects and wild animals that live at the farm, Terhune Orchards will present an evening of nature, music, wagon rides and firefly hunting.

Terhune Orchards' naturalist Elaine Madigan and staff will talk about fireflies and conduct craft activities and games. Miss Amy & Her Big Kids Band will perform at 5:45 pm and 7:00 pm, and Schafer's Gymnastics will demonstrate the art of flying. There is a $5 charge for the craft activities, but admission to the festival is free.

Grilled chicken, hot dogs, corn on the cob, apple cider, the popular apple cider donuts and more will be available at Pam's Firefly Tent. There will be pony rides and wagon rides through the farm and orchards all evening. Parking is available at the farm, located at 330 Cold Soil Road in Princeton.

Nature Guide: Green Frog

Our Nature Guide hates it when I anthropomorphize, but these Green Frogs seemed pleased when I took their picture at a garden pond. The aforementioned Nature Guide, Jon Latimer, tells us more about the Green Frog.

"The Green Frog (Lithobates clamitans) is native to the eastern half of the United States and Canada. Its body is from 2 to 4 inches long. Despite its name, individuals can be bronze, brown or light green depending on where it lives. Green Frogs shouldn't be confused with their relative the American Bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus), which is twice their size (3 1/2 to 8 inches). Green Frogs also have two prominent folds in their skin that run down the sides of their back; the back of a bullfrog is smooth.

"Green Frogs live in and near shallow water, especially where there is a lot of vegetation. Although they are active both day and night during warm weather, Green Frogs can be difficult to spot. Often the only way you know one is nearby is the sound of its call or the splash when it flees into the water. Its call is a short, explosive "glunk" that sounds like a banjo string being plucked. During cold weather they become dormant and hide in mud.

"Male Green Frogs can be identified by their yellow throat and a large eardrum, known as a 'tympanum,' located just behind the eye. During breeding season males may establish territories along the edges of streams and ponds. They announce their claim with their call and they will physically defend their territory against intruders.

"Females have a white throat and a smaller tympanum. Both genders are voracious feeders and will consume anything that will fit into their mouth. Their diet includes crickets, flies, fish, crayfish, shrimp, grasshoppers, smaller frogs, tadpoles, small snakes, birds, mollusks and moths. Tadpoles consume algae and water plants."

Summer's Here!

Vespa photo by rytc

Happy Father's Day

Happy Birthday, Nature Guide

Blueberry Picking at Terhune Orchards

"Pick-Your-Own" blueberries has just begun at Terhune Orchards. Blueberries are ready to be picked in their two acres of blueberry bushes.

Summer hours are Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm and Saturday and Sunday from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm. Terhune Orchards is located at 330 Cold Soil Road in Princeton.

Photo by Jim Clark

Princeton Farmers' Market Opens

Click to enlarge the image

The Princeton Farmers' Market opens today for the season. In addition to falling on a different day of the week this year, it has been relocated to Hinds Plaza, next to the Princeton Public Library at 55 Witherspoon Street. The Market will be open every Thursday through October 28, from 11 am to 5 pm, rain or shine.

The Farmers' Market will feature vendors offering local conventional and organic produce, poultry, eggs, cheese, breads, baked goods and flowers. Each week the Market will also feature a guest chef from a local business for a cooking demonstration and tasting. There will be live music from 2 pm to 4 pm.

Simply Nic's, the delicious shortbread bars from Nicole Wilkins Bergman and a favorite of PLNews, will also be returning to the Princeton Farmers' Market this year.

'Yes' It's Bloomsday

Today is Bloomsday, the annual celebration all over the world to honor the life of the Irish writer James Joyce and to relive the events in his novel Ulysses. The name Bloomsday comes from the protagonist of Ulysses, Leopold Bloom. His odyssey took place on the same day in Dublin, Ireland, in 1904. This was also the date that Joyce took out his future wife, Nora Barnacle, for the first time.

Dramatic readings of Ulysses are a hallmark of Bloomsday commemorations everywhere. Every year on June 16 The Rosenbach Museum & Library in Philadelphia, which houses James Joyce's manuscript for Ulysses, celebrates Bloomsday with a series of readings from the novel. The Rosenbach's commemoration usually take place outside its building on Delancey Place, but due to a forecast of rain, this year's Bloomsday event will be held indoors at the Trinity Center for Urban Life.

James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was born in Rathgar, Dublin, Ireland, on February 2, 1882, and he died in Zurich, Switzerland, on January 13, 1941. He is considered to be one of the most influential writers of the 20th century. Besides Ulysses, Joyce's other major works include Dubliners, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and Finnegans Wake. In 1999 the Modern Library ranked Ulysses first on its list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century.

Tell Us What You Think: Smith House Plantings

The Smith House plantings by Forever In Bloom

Oil-Covered Birds of the Gulf

The Associated Press has posted this slideshow on YouTube. It documents the impact of the BP oil spill on wildlife in the Gulf. You may have seen these photos elsewhere, but we were unable to find other pictures. There are reports that BP has blocked access to areas affected by the spill. These heart-wrenching images show shorebirds including pelicans, cormorants and egrets.

A Few Words About Our Brickman Crew

When I began to write this post late Friday afternoon, the AccuWeather gadget in the right-hand column of the blog said it felt like 93°. Having just been out to the store myself, I thought, once again, AccuWeather must have been getting their data from a cooler place around Princeton than Princeton Landing.

After putting away groceries, I glanced out the window and saw four men from our Brickman crew walking up the Loop Road toward their base of operations near the tennis courts. For a moment I thought I might be projecting, but they looked like they were dragging. I tried to imagine what those Brickman uniforms with the long sleeves must feel like in this heat. How hot are they under those tan caps?

It's important for us to remember that, in spite of the outcries about maintenance fees and the cost of our landscape contract, the men from Brickman are working hard for us in this beastly heat. So whether we think the property looks great, could look better, or gets too much attention, we can appreciate the men who are doing the work to make our community a beautiful place to live. Be kind. Say thanks.

Summer Song

Wanderer moon

smiling a

faintly ironical smile

at this

brilliant, dew-moistened

summer morning,—

a detached

sleepily indifferent

smile, a

wanderer's smile,—

if I should

buy a shirt

your color and

put on a necktie

sky-blue

where would they carry me?

— William Carlos Williams

Cherry Picking at Terhune Orchards

"Pick-Your-Own" sweet cherries begins at Terhune Orchards on Saturday, June 5. Picking hours are from 9 am to 5 pm, rain or shine—the cherry trees are covered to keep the cherries and the pickers dry.

Picking is available for as long as supplies last, so plan to go early. Terhune Orchards is located at 330 Cold Soil Road in Princeton.

Local Music

Contemporary jazz guitarist B.D. Lenz and his band will be performing at Salt Creek Grille in Princeton Forrestal Village on Friday, June 4, from 7 pm to 11 pm.

Stone Removal

Raul and Alfredo of Marcal Construction were removing stone groundcover in Parcel 1 today. While they were working, AccuWeather reported the temperature as feeling like 91°. Actually, the Parcel 1 parking lot felt more like 101°.

Thank you, Raul and Alfredo.

Memorial Day 2010

The Smith House Pool Is Open

The pool at The Smith House opened for the season today at 10 am. It will be open through Monday for the Memorial Day weekend.

The Smith House pool will be open weekends until June 21 and then remain open on a daily basis. Hours are from 10 am until 8 pm on weekdays and on weekends.

Recreation badges are required at the pool. They can be picked up at The Smith House during office hours or when a monitor is on duty. A 2010 FVCSA Census Form must be submitted to the office prior to picking up badges.

Pool rules intended to promote the safety, comfort and enjoyment of our residents are posted at the entrance to the pool. The association appreciates the cooperation of all residents with the rules and with our lifeguards.

The Smith House pool has always been one of Princeton Landing's most beautiful amenities. We hope you enjoy it this summer.

Parcel 6 —11:04 am

Parcel 5 — 2:50 pm

Nature Guide: Spring Birds

Spring is breeding season for most birds and at this time their colors become particularly intense. Our Nature Guide Jon Latimer points out two eye-catching species you might see in our area now.

Photo by Tim Daniel, Ohio Division of Wildlife

"We are at the peak of migration season right now and one of our most striking visitors is the Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula). A little smaller than a robin, males are a brilliant orange with a black head, throat, wings and tail. Females are more varied in appearance. Some are yellow with a blush of orange on their breast. Others look similar to a male, but their head is more brownish olive than black, and their body is a paler orange.

"You are most likely to see orioles along the edges of woods or in open areas with scattered trees. They often place their distinctive hanging woven nest in one of the tallest trees. Orioles feed on caterpillars, insects, spiders, fruits and nectar. Although they have little interest in bird feeders filled with seed, orioles can sometimes be attracted by hanging half an orange on a string or nail.

Photo by Bruce Tuten

"Cedar Waxwings (Bombycilla cedrorum) are another visual treat. Their head and chest are pale brown and their wings are light gray. Their belly is pale yellow and their tail is dark gray with a bright yellow tip. A waxwing's face has a narrow black mask that is neatly outlined in white. They also have a crest, but it often lies flat and is not always easy to see. Waxwings are named for the red waxy tips on their wing feathers, but they can also be hard to see. The name "Cedar" comes from the fact that these birds eat the berries off cedar trees during winter.

"Cedar Waxwings are social birds that usually travel in flocks. Often the first sign of their presence is their high, thin whistle. Waxwings are one of the few North American birds that specialize in eating fruit. You may see them sitting in a fruiting tree or shrub swallowing berries whole, or hovering in midair to pluck berries off a branch. Waxwings have even been known to become intoxicated from eating overripe berries that have begun to ferment. Flocks move frequently, so if you see waxwings someplace on one day, you probably won't see them there the next."

House Party

Art Linkletter

1912 – 2010

Gorilla Reunion

Have you seen this video? It shows the touching reunion of conservationist Damian Aspinall and Kwibi, a lowland gorilla he helped raise in captivity.

Kwibi was brought up at Howletts Wild Animal Park in England where he formed a close bond with Damian. When Kwibi was five years old, he was transported to Gabon, West Africa, and taught to live free in a protected reserve run by The Aspinall Foundation, a charitable trust that promotes wlldlife conservation and reintroduces animals bred in captivity back into the wild.

Now five years later, this reunion was caught by a camera crew making a documentary about The Aspinall Foundation's work with gorillas called Gorilla School, airing on Animal Planet.

Curb Repairs

Before

After

Trader Joe's Update

Le "Two Buck Chuck" est arrivé!

For our readers who keep checking back to see if Trader Joe's has finally opened their wine shop—well, it has. The Princeton Trader Joe's, located in the Square at West Windsor shopping center on Route 1 at Meadow Road, is now carrying wine and beer.

The famous "Two Buck Chuck" sells for $2.99.

Catch Basin Repairs

Thank you, Marcal Construction.