I think my brain exits my body through a pen. Every time I write something down it is gone forever from my mind. My memory is more reliable than random pieces of paper easily misplaced. I cannot find my notes as to the arrival dates of my customers. This has resulted in quite a bit of scrambling and anxiety. A change of attitude is in order. I spent Sunday simply enjoying myself.

Last year I planted both salsify and scorzonera. I neglected to harvest quite a few. They have continued to grow right along. Sunday I discovered both had bloomed. They are simply beautiful in flower. The scorzonera is a bright yellow while the salsify is dark pink similar to a echinacea. Both are worth growing for the flower alone. I love when my neglect results in a new experience.

Both my ninebark and beauty bush are blooming. These two shrubs are worth investigating. They fill in the void after the lilacs. The Kousa dogwoods are also great right now. The two different ones planted side by side at Morrice Florist will turn my head every time. They are so close together they look like one.

While in the area, note the house at the bottom of the Edgartown Road, the one with the blue door. There is a fabulous dark pink rose climbing the porch. This is the same house which earlier had a wisteria reaching the roof.

National Public Radio had a segment on dengue fever. There have been several cases in Key West. It is the first time the continental United States has seen the sickness. All you climate change deniers should listen up. This is a disease always found in the tropics. Isolated incidence, I think not! It is also called breakbone fever as it causes such deep bone pain the sufferer thinks his bones are breaking. There is a plant, a family member of joe-pye weed, eupatorium, whose common name, boneset, is mentioned in herb books. Supposedly it cures dengue fever. (In a perfect world!)

I am the receiver of some anonymous mail. Most have strong opposition to my political comments. Some have become mean-spirited and attacked me on a personal level. So much for the freedom of the press.

At any rate, last week I received another anonymous note and clipping from the Henley Standard in England. The person noted that I had commented on the use of Solomon’s seal in the floral arrangement in Westminster Abbey during the royal wedding. The article from the May 6 Standard was an interview with one of the 15 flower arrangers. She said the huge arrangement behind the high altar consisted not only of the aforementioned Solomon’s seal but also azaleas, lily of the valley, helleborrus, white lilac and viburnum opulus. The plants were all indigenous to the British Isles with no imported flowers. Kate and Will wanted a natural feel and the results were spectacular. Thank you to the person who sent along this information. It is especially nice since I am making some arrangement for the wedding of my friend Sharlee’s daughter on Saturday. I attended Abigail’s birth and here is another big day in her life. I am privileged to witness the event.

This is the week for correspondence. Another big thanks to Charlie Kernick of West Tisbury. He answered my query concerning the heinous voles. The little critters had invaded his yard for two years. He had the help of a red-tailed hawk but even they could not keep up. They must reproduce at an alarming rate.

After he used a deer repellent spray with some success, he realized the garlic in the spray may be the answer. He planted garlic in every burrow and every foliage covered area. He had absolutely no voles this spring. I love this. Human ingenuity at its finest. Not to mention, I love garlic. Thanks, Charlie!

Back to the climate change debate briefly. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce told the Environmental Protection Agency, “There is no need to worry because populations can acclimatize to warmer climates via a range of behavioral, physiological and technological adaptations.”

I wonder how well populations are adjusting in all the areas of record-breaking natural disasters. There were tornadoes of biblical proportion throughout the South and Midwest this spring. A drought worse than that of the Dust Bowl has caused horrible wildfires still burning in the Southwest. There were huge floods in Australia and Pakistan. Enormous sheets of glacial ice are falling into the Arctic ocean. The Russian heat wave last summer caused catastrophic loss of their grain harvest.

Try not to get upset about any of this bad news. We would not want to disrupt the record profits of our fossil fuel companies. After all, those companies need that money to buy our congressmen.