Anyone who drives south on Route 1 towards Dunstan is aware of the Scarborough salt marsh – that great expanse of swaying grasses and twisting tidal creeks that stretches for miles between fresh water and the salty ocean. Many of us know the Eastern Trail, which crosses the marsh on an old railroad bed and is a wonderful spot for hikers and birders, and many have rented canoes from Audubon and paddled out on one of those intriguing rivers that crisscross the marsh.

But how many know that the early settlers in Scarborough actually went out on the marsh and harvested salt hay for their horses and cattle? The speaker at a recent meeting of the Scarborough Historical Society, Bruce Thurlow, local historian, told us how they accomplished this seemingly impossible task. He described how the farmers built dikes across the marsh, controlled the tides with floodgates that stopped the flow of salt water into parts of the marsh, and then harvested the hay grown in the less salty water.

Even today we can see the remains of the “staddles” – oak or cedar posts driven into the marsh upon which the farmers stacked the hay until it could be taken off the marsh on wagons drawn by horses wearing bog shoes to prevent them from sinking into the boggy marsh. Come to the Historical Society on Tuesday mornings and you can see the bogshoes and a floodgate – reminders of the importance of the marsh to the local economy back in the 18th century.

Valves, rotors and sensors

A winter storm interfered with the January meeting of the Scarborough Garden Club, but nine intrepid members braved the icy slush and gathered to hear Kenneth Fengler describe the installation of lawn and garden irrigation systems. Ken brought all kinds of equipment with him – valves, rotors, spray heads, clocks, and rain sensors.

He did a wonderful job, telling us exactly how he would go about planning an installation from start to finish, from drawing site plans, to measuring your water supply, to calling DIG SAFE to locate your underground utility lines. Horticulture chairman, Marjory Halacy, reminded members to wash their Christmas Cactus plants with warm soap and water and went on to describe the benefits and pleasures of fresh ginger.

President Audrey Bell announced that the Portland Flower Show would take place from March 9 through 12 and that club members would be responsible for registering flower show entries on March 7 and 8.

Living loud

We attended two of the Brown Bag Lectures at the Portland Public Library recently – two fascinating authors who could not possibly have been more different. Thomas Desjardin, with a doctorate in U.S. history from the University of Maine, spoke on his latest book, (he has written 4 other histories, mostly on the Civil War) “Through a Howling Wilderness – Benedict Arnold’s March to Quebec.”

I immediately remembered reading the novel “Arundel,” the mesmerizing tale written by Kenneth Roberts, in which his fictional hero, Steven Nason, marches off to Quebec through the poorly mapped Maine wilderness, suffering from freezing cold, lack of food and exhaustion. But Mr. Desjardin demonstrated that non-fiction can be mesmerizing also – that the facts concerning the march to Quebec were as incredible and amazing as any story could be. Mr. Desjardin’s family had a summer camp on Arnold Pond when he was a boy and this book is the culmination of a long-held desire to write about Benedict Arnold – Revolutionary War hero and ultimately, its most famous traitor.

In contrast, Elizabeth Peavey writes and speaks entirely of her own experiences and take on life. Author of “Outta My Way: An Odd Life Lived Loudly,” she looked the part of the eccentric, hair in a bun, big horn rim glasses, dressed in a short black leather skirt, black turtleneck, black tights and black ankle boots.

Peavey explained how she manages to write in the first person, a difficult task both to accomplish and to make interesting to the reader. The author must first describe her world, then take the reader into her world with vivid details, and, finally, surprise the reader with an ending that makes a point about our common humanity.

Peavey read from two of her columns (I would call them essays) – a humorous one about a present from her brother who gave her her first handbag – was it a pocket book, a purse? – Elizabeth couldn’t figure it out, nor could she figure out what to put in it or how to keep from tangling herself up in the over the shoulder straps. Her second story, more serious and sober, and a tribute to her Great Aunt Mabel, took us into a local nursing home and through the vicissitudes of life – a broken pelvis suffered in a fall, a stroke and finally death.

Celebrating its 75th

Community theater is a wonderful institution, and South Portland is lucky to have the Portland Players, not only one of the best theatres in Maine but also the oldest, celebrating its 75th anniversary this year. We are subscribers, and so this year we had already enjoyed “Oliver!” and “The Odd Couple (Female Version).

Last Friday we saw the current production of “Godspell,” which has been around for ages, but we had never seen it before. What a great show! The enthusiasm and energy of the cast was amazing and the dancing and singing were both excellent. Many of the songs were familiar, of course, but watching the actors perform and hearing them “live and in person” gave them new meaning. I love reading the credits in the programs – who could imagine that so much local talent lies hidden in the Portland area! Also in the audience, sitting directly behind us, was Scarborough Town Manager Ron Owens and his wife. We agreed that this production was one of the best, and we look forward to the spring productions of “You Can’t Take It With You” and “Gypsy.”