"I am definitely not the guy who drives to Vegas and stands in the middle of the street drunk with beads around his neck. I'm the guy that's with his family in the backyard holding sparklers."

James Marsden

The yard is in full bloom thanks to Mother Nature.

AUBURN, Maine — Thanks to Mother Nature, a sturdy shovel and a neighbor’s industrial tiller, my garden no longer looks like the contents inside a huge pipe that carries sewerage from 43 Massachusetts communities to be treated at Deer Island Waste Water Treatment Plant in Boston.

All that organic table waste, fresh-cut grass and wood ash that I dumped in the garden all fall and winter has now been ground to a pulp by a tiller that handles like a bucking bronco.

The crops are in and I have installed a flower bed that should be featured in “Home and Garden.”

We have already experienced summer-like weather and a chance of a frost has passed in Maine

I have planted tomatoes, summer squash, peppers, cucumbers, spinach and carrots.

The soil looks good and all systems are go for a good garden — depending on the weather and frigging varmints, of course.

All gardeners and farmers are always at the whim of the weather, but people who like getting their hands dirty also understand weather is our friend no matter how fickle it is.

So now we wait and water our land, hoping the dirt yields vegetables not tainted with pesticides.

The flower garden is teaming with color as Mother Nature to struts her stuff.

I recently read a great piece in National Geographic about how nature and your backyard can relieve up to 30 percent of stress the moment you step foot into a green paradise.

My well-kept yard is a refuge and a quiet spot to read or write.

If I am feeling worn out, a hike or my yard is great way to revive my tired bones and give me piece of mind — and vegetables.

Going on parade

OLD ORCHARD BEACH, Maine — An hour-trip to the coast and stroll along the beach in a refreshing sea breeze does a body good.

Breathing in that salt air and looking out over the water in this seaside community made my Memorial weekend.

A slice of pizza and a dish full of golden fries in the sun, which finally made an appearance around noon, brightened our day.

But we got word that a Memorial Day parade was heading our way and it would be passing through town.

I hadn’t been to a Memorial Day parade in years. I appreciate Americans who served and paid the ultimate sacrifice with their lives. Parades are just one way to tip our hats to men and women who have defended our nation.

The folks in Old Orchard Beach paid a wonderful tribute to the men and women who served with distinction with a spectacular parade.

The parade also featured a submarine float to honor all those who served in the silent service.

Kudos to Old Orchard Beach for paying tribute to American servicemen and women.

Watching people take time out of the busy schedules to line the streets and salute veterans made me proud.