I am usually a good sport about traffic. In the summer I expect it and plan for it. The recent road work all over Vineyard Haven from the Five Corners to the upper Black Dog is becoming a nuisance. I made myself laugh out loud recently remembering the George Carlin comments about driving: “People who drive faster than me are maniacs — those who go slower are idiots!”

There is a remarkable amount of garden work yet to be done. In my perfect world, the beds would be tidy, composted and “finished” for another year. Instead, I have weeds as tall as I am, all gone to seed. This is not a positive sign for next year as one can imagine.

I still have bulbs to go into the ground. The good news is that as long as I can get into the dirt past a freeze they will still do their thing before spring.

I have started the digging of the dahlias. My personal ones froze a week ago. This is necessary for them to “cure.” Then, carefully lift the tubers and store them in an unheated area which does not freeze. I usually put them in a bags with some peat moss. If they are too wet they will grow mold and rot — too dry an they shrivel up. Honestly, I’ve made every mistake known to woman and still have some decent ones — some for years.

Again, in the perfect world they would be labeled properly and stored in a root cellar. As if!

I’ve been tossing poppy seeds around with abandon. Luckily, I gathered boatloads of seed pods this summer. My only job now is recognizing the emerging baby plants in the spring.

Violet and I and several of her young teenaged friends attended the annual Barn Raisers’ Ball. A good time was had by all. That Johnny Hoy can certainly get a room moving. I admit I am the queen of superlatives but there were hundreds in attendance.

A few weeks ago I mentioned with sadness the loss of Trudy Taylor. She and I traded and talked canaries for years. She kept hers flying free in an attached greenhouse — a fact that always made me jealous. She returned the feeling and coveted my ability to raise several clutches of babies. She had males and females. Many times eggs would be laid and set upon but there never was a hatching. Then, last week on what would have been her 93rd birthday, a clutch of eggs hatched. She has to be completely tickled wherever she is. Family and friends are marveling!

There is nothing like the song of a canary on a cold winter’s day. It makes puttering around the house completely enjoyable.

Big thanks to son Jeremiah and to Rick Karney. They both dropped off bags of local apples. Supposedly, it was a good year for apples on the Island. Last winter’s cold and snow were good for the trees. Not so for me. The day after my own trees bloomed all the blossoms turned an ugly brown. A search revealed tiny caterpillars eating the flowers. Hence, not an apple formed. I had never seen such tiny worms. I’ll have to do some research this winter to find a remedy.

I find it curious, and somewhat disturbing, that Senator Lindsey Graham was eliminated from even the “kid’s table” at Tuesday’s Fox Business News presidential debate. Senator Graham, with whom I disagree on practically every issue, is a respected member of the United States Senate. He’s the only one of all the candidates to have served in the military. The debate was held on the eve of Veterans Day for Pete’s sake.

I have yet to figure out this polling average litmus test they have for the candidates. Let me just say, no one has called me and believe me I have opinions as you probably know by now!