JOANNE CLAUSSEN, cruising around near the three covered bridges in the Falls, stopped to deliver an update. She said she, her sister Deb (whose husband is busy in Afghanistan), and as many of the rest of the relatives as are available, are back and forth to camp this summer. (There are so many Northfielders back and forth to camp this summer that we cannot begin to name all of them.) Joanne said she and her hubby have been streamlining their vast gardens, which encircle all their buildings then surge down the west forty and around a frog pond. “I threw out the Viburnum,” Joanne said. “Swoosh! Gone! Don’t want to deal with the Japanese Beetles anymore. Threw it right out. And we had too many varieties of perennials, so we dug them up and planted areas of peonies or lilies or whatever. It’s easier.” Frees up time for camping too.

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Perennials: Year one, they sleep. Year two, they creep. Year three they leap.

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Josie Smith, who lives on the hill of the same name, is our winner of Most Gorgeous Flower of Springtime, 2010. The beauty is a clump of Oriental Poppies, but not the ordinary luscious orange colored ones that are blooming all over town. Josie’s is luscious red. Blood red. Dark, mysterious red. So far, they’ve counted nineteen flowers on the plant. The flowers are as large as a dessert plate. “It’s rewarding to garden,” Josie said modestly.

To read the extraordinary WWII record of Tom Mayo, who was laid to rest in Calvary Cemetery last week, find a copy of the Historical Society’s book of interviews and reports, “Northfield at War, 1941-1945”. Press clippings about Mr. Mayo, from the Boston Post and the Northfield News (1943-44) are included in the book. When the book was first printed in 2000, he declined an interview. A couple of years ago, I found Mr. Mayo sitting in the front room of Mayo Manor. Before our visit ended, I asked him how people manage to cope with war. He looked at me, his face a mixture of severity and wonder at the unanswerable question. “You tighten your belt and you do it,” he said. That was the end of the visit.

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The Logans, mother Barbara and daughters Kate and Gina, were spotted on State Street in Montpelier last week for lunch. Barbara moved to Rutland a few years ago so this was a rare sighting. She said, “Yes, I’m still alive (and well) even though I didn’t send Christmas cards this year.” Ms. Logan was Phyllis Donahue’s housekeeper and companion for several years.

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Sign of the week (at Bragg Farm, East Montpelier): “Shoes & Shirts required (& pants). Thank you.”

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Next week, we’ll report on Friday night dining at the Northfield Country Club. As we send this column to deadline, the chef is preparing to serve salmon or chicken or steak entrees. Salmon, please.

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Please let us know what you are eating that is delicious. We had a cup of chilled melon soup in Montpelier last week. The delicious memory lingers on the tongue. Commontalk@transvideo. net