I’m a Yankee, through and through! Last Tuesday’s rain and chill suited me just fine. We worked outside happily all day. Proper clothing makes a world of difference. I have a set of really good rain gear made by the Guy Cotten Company. They are a perfect thickness — supple yet fully repellent. I believe SBS carries them. Did I miss my calling in advertising?

Now that we are past both the forsythia and lilac seasons, there is something new to admire daily. There is a beautiful pink horse chestnut tree on the County Road side of Mahoney’s. It is smaller than the white varieties which are in full and glorious bloom everywhere. My kolkwitzia is fully in flower this week. It is particularly lovely next to a lime green, cut leaf maple of the same size.

My ninebark is about to open. It has fallen out of favor in the ornamental landscape world as have the Bridal Wreath species. I guess they are too old-fashioned and not especially striking mid-summer when the summer folks are here. Both evoke childhood memories for me. Speaking of which, last week I mentioned the Grimes Cemetery in Port Allegany, Pa. It is owned by our family. Wouldn’t you know it, within the week I received a fund-raising letter from Cousin Gibby. Time to donate to the mowing and maintaining of said familial resting place.

Besides the spectacular pink tree peony at Heather Gardens, there is a Clematis Montana climbing at least 20 feet onto a tree in the parking lot. It’s worth a trip. While you are at it, hop out and smell it. There is a heady vanilla fragrance beloved by honey bees in early June.

My worker, Maria Hurwitz, is a very good sport. I spotted a large tent in an apple tree. After giving it a jab with my Felco’s, several very large caterpillars fell out. I bullied Maria into holding a little bucket under it while I doused it with a gallon of white vinegar, all the while stabbing at it. I’m telling you, this was very high in the yuck factor. Dozens of two-inch-long caterpillars tumbled, or rather, undulated out of the tent and dropped into the bucket. Maria soldiered on but we both yelled and carried on at length.

Thank goodness for the little bit of rain. It washed a great deal of pollen out of the air. There were tiny yellow rivers of it all over the truck and we wondered why breathing was becoming a chore of late.

It’s a bit late, but I cut my lavender plants within an inch of their lives. I went right down practically to the ground into the new growth. Within days, it looked 100 per cent better! Don’t be shy, cut away all the old wood, it will come back nicely.

I’ve never had much luck with so called “wild” flower meadows. The expensive packages of seeds, while impressive in the description, never seem to produce the wanted results. For starters, it is difficult to recognize any weeds early on and I’m usually not fond of the color mixtures.

I planted some bachelor buttons and Roman chamomile together last spring. They both stayed green under piles of snow this winter and are now everywhere with some “weed” buttercups. I could not have planned it better. There is some grass which formed seed heads in the mix. The whole situation has escaped its bounds into paths and adjoining beds. Given free range, Mother Nature can pleasantly surprise.

Vegetables are coming right along. I have both beets and kohlrabi ready to head to the table. I’m eating volunteer black-seeded Simpson lettuce daily. Life can be so good.

We are heading into another very busy summer especially concerning traffic. My number one pet peeve is the droves of people who never learned to walk on the left, facing on-coming vehicles. It is especially nerve racking to come around a corner on the narrow up-Island roads to find a lone jogger wearing buds, two people walking abreast, and throw in a bicycle or moped passing them.

I’m astonished that we do not have more accidents. People, please, take extra care for the next few months.

I know I’m guilty of being too tired and distracted. This fact was manifested recently when I stabbed my own self in the lips with a fork while eating a salad. I bled like crazy and ended up with a fat lip. It’s finally come to this. I’ve lost the ability to feed myself.