You lucky folks who made the trip to see the total solar eclipse. It must have been amazing. We tried to view the partial with three pairs of sunglasses but after seeing it through the special ones, I guess we need to purchase several pairs before making the trek to northern Vermont in 2024. We decided that the eerie light during the partial resembled the photography in O Brother, Where Art Thou?

In the spring, I mentioned some scarlet runner beans that had hung on the fence all winter. I broke one of the moldy weathered pods open to discover a sprouted bean. I probably commented endlessly about the wonder of nature and the force of life. I did plant that sprout and it is now blooming happily. On Saturday I watched a hummingbird flit about it for some time. Then I was distracted by some adorable goldfinches feasting on the spent seed heads of echinacea. I do not dead-head them in my own garden as they are a favorite of birds in general.

I am growing to love Rose-of-Sharon. It was never a favorite but lately I’ve seen some beauties. There are some nice hedges on various properties — to wit: as you turn from Clevelandtown Road onto the Katama Road.

They bloom on new growth so can be cut aggressively. I love to cut them. The wood is soft and the clippers slice through the branches effortlessly.

They are cousins to the hibiscus seen everywhere. There is a huge stand of them — pink and white in Whiting’s Pond. I have some in the garden that I grew from tiny plugs years ago. The blossoms are seriously as big as a human head. Oddly, for the first time ever I had deer eat an entire row of Rose-of-Sharon. They enjoyed all the buds before they opened. Little jerks.

About a month ago I planted a long row of carrots. I sprinkled some radishes in the row to mark it. I think they were called icicle. They came up immediately and dwarfed the tiny carrot seedlings. I pulled them all for a salad — painstakingly cleaned them. They were truly terrible, spicy in a bad way. They went to the chickens.

I think radishes really prefer cool weather so I think I will try again in a couple of weeks. I’m sticking to my old favorites, Cherry Bell or Easter Egg.

I planted a package of mixed Patty Pan squashes. Holy bumper crop. It would be nice to harvest them at about silver dollar size but they get huge in no time.

I gave Marie some. She sliced them into huge circles, brushed with a bit of olive oil and tossed them on the outdoor grill. She says she treats them like spaghetti squash with a nice helping of homegrown tomato sauce and Grey Barn Italian sausage.

Hats off to Bryan Cimeno, both junior and senior. They did a spectacular job of cleaning up and planting beds at the Vineyard Haven Post Office. That is until the powers-that-be put a stop to it. Some say it is federal policy to not accept gifts. Really? Did I come down the stairs yesterday? Meanwhile, I guess the Feds prefer Cumby’s trash and cigarette butts.

This is such nonsense and oh, by the way, irony. The Secret Service has to rent golf carts to follow DJT around his personal course. Oh, there’s more. We taxpaying citizens pay the Trump organization for the rental of said golf carts.

How is that even right? I guess the presidency has turned out quite lucrative for him especially with foreign dignitaries staying in the Trump hotel in the old Post Office building.