At the risk of being labeled a broken record . . . are we ever going to get rain? Whiting’s Pond has disappeared and the large pond at the Keith Farm (viewed from Middle Road) is a quarter of its original size. I feel sorry for cows and horses. The pasture at Nip ‘n Tuck is totally brown. Folks are buying hay to supplement their livestock.

I need to haul out some books written about the 1930s and listen to some Woody Guthrie for Pete’s sake.

Astilbe have completely dried and even some of the weeds have given up.

I am so grateful to have a generator to draw water at my big vegetable garden. Otherwise, all would be lost by now.

Even at the job sites with state-of-the-art irrigation, there are some problem areas. Any gardens near maple trees are suffering as the maples steal all the water near them. Good to know if you are planning any new beds for next spring.

I must say the last week has been very interesting cloud-wise. There have been some huge thunderhead types, which fade into fabulous sunsets.

I’m crazy about lespedeza. There are some great ones dripping over the wall at Polly Hill. It is a member of the pea family and therefore will fix nitrogen into the soil. It’s clover-like blooms are a welcome addition to the late summer garden.

My workers and I spent some time this week yanking enormous stands of ragweed. It is just about to bloom and we know it is the culprit behind fall allergies. Poor, beautiful goldenrod takes the blame for this age-old “hay fever.” Too bad, as goldenrod is simply lovely and a favorite of honey bees.

Several of us got some sap on our skin from the pulled ragweed. It caused a mild burn — good to know — long sleeves and gloves are in order.

I often sing the praises of crock-pots. It is my cooking utensil of choice, both summer and winter.

In summer I can toss something into it before work and come home to a hot meal and a cool kitchen.

Never add water to meat when cooking in the crock-pot. It will become tough. Just let it stew in its own juices. Just saying!

I planted some bush green beans and some Boothby Blonde cucumbers on the first of August. The packages said 60 days to maturity. Wonder of wonders — I already have beans to pick, and the cucumbers are flowering.

Neither has bugs. It’s downright shocking when two things in a row go right. Now, if I just get the beans picked I should get a couple of more canner-loads of dilly beans.

I have tomatoes all over the kitchen . . . in baskets, on tables and counter tops, in the compost, simmering on the stove and worst of all — attracting fruit flies. I’ve taken to vacuuming them, followed by a tiny bit of flea powder. I admit I look deranged waving the hose around, but it seems to be working. I am finally getting a handle on the situation.

Since I am ill-equipped to comment on the situation in Iraq and Syria, I guess I’ll stick to the NFL. Let’s see, Michael Vick did two years in Leavenworth for dog fighting. (Don’t get me wrong — I’m not defending him and I love dogs.)

Ray Rice doesn’t get any charges for knocking out a human being, the mother of his child in fact!

I frankly could care less about football, but our justice system is thoroughly rigged if cruelty to dogs trumps violence towards women.

Oh, and by the way . . . where’s the outrage over the Fox News comments: "I think the message is take the stairs" and "The message is, when you’re in an elevator, there’s a camera."