Please do not take this as a criticism. It’s downright impossible to muster up any sort of Christmas spirit with such fabulous weather.

I spent Tuesday in shirt sleeves working in my own vegetable garden. Areas that I had weeded one last time several weeks ago are completely covered in fresh new weeds. Two entire beds are filled with one inch tall cilantro babies. Too bad I hate it. It tastes like soap to me. I grow it for the flowers which look lovely with poppies and bachelor buttons. All three reseed reliably and create a miniature meadow in the middle of the vegetable garden. I love that.

Several years ago I dug permanent raised beds. I have an infinite source of wood chips for the paths. In the fall I toss the decomposing chips onto the beds, apply a generous amount of lime, and cover with flakes of hay.

I decided to take advantage of my pesky vole population. They love to winter over under a cozy layer of hay. Their little tunnels do the job of tilling. In the spring I remove the hay and sic the cats on them.

I am merciless with a utilitarian view of animals. All I can say about the dog is she’s cute and will wake me if the house catches fire or the weirdo is at the door.

There is still so much food available in the garden — Swiss chard, cabbage, broccoli, kale, lettuce, carrots, radishes and collards. Most of the cole crops and lettuce have reseeded from spring plantings which is very convenient for a person who neglected fall seeding.

My one complaint is that I still have the detestable gray aphids on some of the kale. I soak it in either salted water or white vinegar before washing. The little pests come right off in a quick rinse after about 10 minutes soaking.

I buy white vinegar by the gallon. It’s great for everything. It kills bugs and slugs, cleans windows, gets rid of weeds in a gravel driveway and clears a drain. Plus, it’s cheap.

All the local businesses are putting on their Christmas best. I am especially fond of the La Choza trees in their box in the Brickman’s parking lot. The sunflowers this summer made a statement.

Also, the Copper Wok has an interesting mix of houseplants and seasonal material. The tiny evergreen forest at Stark sets off the corner nicely. I still haven’t adjusted to Union street going the other way. I think they tried that in the 1970s. It makes sense for those departing the boat. I bet it will free up Five Corners, albeit almost imperceptibly.

A few weeks ago I randomly scattered some field peas. They actually came up and should be ready to snip for shoots in a couple days. I noticed some for sale in the market. I imagine they were grown in a greenhouse or miles away. I forgot to look at the price. In typical fashion, I bought a 50 pound bag several years ago. They still germinate — the wonder of the seed. I hope to live long enough to use them all. Big doings at the climate conference in Paris this past couple weeks. I have not read the finished agreement. It was on the front page of Sunday’s New York Times. Nearly 200 countries all agreed on the final plan but our U.S. Congressional Republicans have vowed to stop it. Don’t they ever get tired? I forget who said that politics should stop at the water’s edge. These are the very people who keep harping about American exceptionalism.