I have lived on the Vineyard for 46 years and do not remember a day as hot and miserable as last Sunday. A few friends born here actually agreed with me. I am beginning to worry about some of the trees. I have yet to aggressively water them. I hope to start this week on some of my favorites.

It is especially important to water the ones hit hard by the winter moths and then the gypsies. They can handle a bit of defoliation, but not for years in a row in a drought.

It is baffling to see the devastation in Louisiana from flooding and be so painfully dry here. They received two and a half feet of rain in 48 hours. How is that even possible?

I apologize for my endless carping. I do not seem to be able to help myself. I must feel better when I complain.

My green beans planted just a few weeks ago are large enough to pick. I think it’s good to wait to plant since they don’t seem to have any pests on them. My early plantings are ruined by the Mexican bean beetle every year so I waited this year. Who am I kidding? I finally got around to planting and am seeing the benefit as an afterthought.

I made a great fresh pasta sauce. I left a meat stock in the crockpot so long it became very thick. I blended up a boatload of Sun Gold tomatoes with some raw basil and garlic. It was perfect on some tortellini, mixed with the flavorful stock and heated only briefly.

I received a note via the U.S. mail (love that) from Pat Silva. She sent me over to East Chop drive to observe the wild mallow. Thanks so much, Pat. It was lovely — both pinks and whites.

I noticed a large patch in Whiting’s Pond as well. Pond is a misnomer. There has not been water in it for months, but the cattails, lobelia and mallow are still thriving.

Two of my workers were stung this past week. We tried the old remedy of applying a moistened aspirin to the spot and securing it with a band-aid. No matter what is tried, bee and wasp stings just plain hurt. God forbid one is allergic. The white-faced hornets are the worst. They will attack even when you are minding your own business. Be especially careful when working around stone walls. They seem to be a favorite habitat.

How I would love to share my latest observations and talk about the beauty of gardens and nature in general, but I’m just too hot and sick of watering to no avail. Hopefully by next week I’ll be back to my usual good humor. In the meantime, this is the busiest week of the summer — the Agricultural Fair, fireworks, Illumination Night and the end of another Presidential visit.

Good job, Mr. Obama, we will miss you. Hopefully, you and your family will be back.

The stark contrast between Obama and Trump becomes increasingly obvious with each passing day. President Obama brought dignity, family values and super cool to the office. Donald Trump, on the other hand, has stopped being an anomaly and a bit of a joke. He is downright scary, not to mention dangerous. This week he will get the classified briefings. Have mercy.

By the way, the best one of the week was Mr. 911 himself, Rudy Giuliani saying there were no terrorist attacks before Obama!?!?