We have had rain, humidity, sun, wind, the whole summer weather. This week it is going to be sun and heat. We are also in the first week of August so we will see what is in store for all the days coming to us.

Happy birthday to all who celebrated their day this past week. Big balloons go out to Chloe Cook, who celebrated July 30; Guilherme Silva, July 31; Cassidy Kelleher and Nolan Murphy, August 1; and to Debora DaSilva, Chimari Dockery and Marsha Stewart who celebrated their day August 3.

Brendan and Kesia Long welcomed a beautiful baby boy, Dylan Raymond, on July 21 at MV Hospital. Great grandmothers Sally Fritz and Aloha Long, grandparents Mike and Sandy Joyce, and Ray and Annie Long, many aunts and uncles, and cousins Allie, Jacob, Laila, Olivia and Owen are all thrilled.

Everyone is commenting on how beautiful the hydrangeas are this year. The shrubs are covered with blue blossoms. Also the other colors are blooming just as nicely.

I do hope you have noticed the butterfly weed in a lot of the fields. It was and may still be on the endangered list but hopefully the way the fields look they are on the rise.

With all the flowers in bloom, the hummingbirds are swooping around. I have not seen many but yesterday as I was watering at work, I spotted my first one humming in and out of the black and blue salvia. I love watching them and wish sometimes I could move that fast and see all the things they see in a given day.

The Martha’s Vineyard Book Festival returns to the Island this week. The opening panel in Chilmark on Friday night, August 4 is sold out. But a Meet the Press discussion of political journalists has been added to the schedule in Chilmark on Sunday, August 6 at 8:30 a.m. at the Chilmark Community Center. Mark Leibovich of The New York Times and Richard North Patterson discuss the political malaise in Washington with Jeremy Hobson of NPR’s Here and Now.

The rest of the festival takes place on Saturday at the Harbor View Hotel and Sunday at the Chilmark Community Center with a full lineup of celebrated authors as well as rising stars in fiction and nonfiction. Headliners include novelists Ann Patchett, Richard Russo and Amor Towles, who will come together for a discussion at noon on Saturday in Edgartown. At 10 a.m. on Saturday, four leading professors of African American history (Carol Anderson, Erica Armstrong Dunbar, Tera Hunter and moderator Barbara Kruathamer) and a journalist (Beth Macy) discuss Black Female Resistance. Writing for Social Change, moderated by Arnie Riesman and featuring Jenny Allen, Madeleine Blais and Richard North Patterson, will begin at 11 a.m. on Saturday. At 2:05, a cutting edge discussion on Defending Women’s Rights will be led by Allan Arffa, a partner at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, with Alyssa Mastromonaco, Jessica Harris and Gillian Thomas. Alyssa worked as deputy chief of staff of operations for President Obama.

Have a great week and keep the home candles burning.

Send Edgartown news to kathleencase@comcast.net.