I have two methods of last resort for weeding. I take a shovel to the huge clumps of grass and flop them over. It’s extremely unattractive but affords an unobstructed view into a vegetable bed. I pretend that I’m ahead on next spring’s plowing. This will not work within the bed as the weeds are way bigger than the plants. How does that always happen?

I use my #2 Felcos to cut the weeds at soil level so as not to disturb the already struggling plant. Sometimes said plant is so leggy from weed competition that it needs to be propped up. It reminds me of those poor African tribal women with those hideous rings around their necks. Supposedly they would be unable to hold their heads up if the rings were removed.

Once more, I digress. Back to endless work in the vegetable patch. Marie found a great idea online – another use for duct tape. Wrap it, sticky side out around a gloved hand and go after squash bugs and the tiny eggs on the underside of squash or pumpkin leaves. It works great on all those destructive beetles, their larvae, and the eggs – striped cucumber, Mexican bean, and Colorado potato!

I cut Nepeta several weeks back and it is now happily blooming again. Wish I had done more of them as those left undone look terrible. Oh, if only I lived in my perfect world.

I’m fond of shut-offs on all my hoses. What a great invention. They eliminate the need to kink the hose in order to add a sprinkler. I also like the adjustable quality for hand watering. I dislike the nozzles which need to be held into position while using. I really hate the uncomfortable practice of a thumb in the end of the hose. A word to the wise — the inexpensive yellow plastic ones are the best. The pricey brass ones will eventually rust and become impossible to remove from the hose. Shirley’s Hardware has plenty of the plastic ones as well as the handy Y’s. The Y is great at the faucet end. Two hoses ready sure saves hauling time. Why, oh why, is the sillcock made too short and please, Mr. Plumber, why not place those faucets at waist level instead of in the bushes four inches from the ground?

Last Saturday I threw a quick row of green beans into an area made available by the untimely deaths of several eggplants. By Monday afternoon they had emerged — just 48 hours. Remarkable!

After a long day in the garden I could not face time in the kitchen: Doesn’t it figure with all the wonderful produce at my disposal? At any rate I grabbed a delicious supper from the ArtCliff Diner truck. What a happening place! Children playing ping pong, music blaring, and general summer evening enjoyment.

I have these occasional random memories from my childhood. In eighth grade typing class around 1960 we used to practice “now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country.” How true this simple statement remains. One thing I can say about Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell is that he is a truthful man. Some time ago he said, “The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term President.” There you have it – honest cynicism. This is the reason that nothing gets done in Washington. If Obama fails, the Republicans win. Never mind the good of the country. It is astonishing that the House members are so unwilling to even discuss raising some tax rates on the richest Americans and huge corporations. All the polls show that across the board people of both parties see that it would help our present budget crisis.

I guess when people in those red states, who voted in the Tea Party, do not receive their Social Security checks they will be duped into believing it’s Obama’s fault.

In general, it seems as Tom Tomorrow put it, “Americans are defined by three characteristics — an unshakable addiction to oil, an irrational subservience to the rich, and all-consuming endless fear.”