My editor at the Gazette is kind enough to pick up my column every Wednesday morning. I hand write about 12 pages — big sloppy penmanship. It is no small task to interpret and enter into the computer. I am forever grateful that the Gazette offers me this service.

But this week, it seems my first two pages were lost in transit. And now I have no idea what I said (somewhere later in this article I mention my memory or lack thereof). Hopefully I will say whatever I said again sometime in the future. In the meantime I love it when I can blame someone else, and off we go to page three of my column.

I spent this week trying to come up with the name of the short purple blooming weed that is everywhere right now. The bees love it. Finally it came to me: Dead Purple nettle.

It is covering all my vegetable garden paths. I’ve already accepted it and am too tired and/or lazy to weed it.

Well, the deer chewed all my hyacinths, flowers and all. One was dead on the side of the road near my house. I confess I hoped it was the culprit.

After four nights of frost I saw a couple of cabbage moths either refueling mid-flight or having a romantic encounter. I chased them around trying to swat them. I sincerely hope no one saw me.

FYI, now is the time to hit the emerging lilies (both the orientals and Asiatics) with Captain Jack’s Deadbug. Applied every two weeks until flowering it will prevent the pesky Red lily beetle from ruining them.

Also, I spoke to Todd from Vineyard Gardens (the man knows his bugs). He says it’s not too late to apply dormant oil on fruit trees. Good to know.

I am rapidly emptying the freezer of last year’s products. I found a rich meat stock to which I added some frozen pureed zucchini. I drank it for supper and collapsed on the sofa before dark. I was very pleased with the frozen zucchini. Because it was pureed it did not have the unpleasant texture when it is sliced and frozen. It was very flavorful as a soup. I think I’ll add cream next time.

I started the tomatoes on the propagating mat. They usually come around quickly so I should be overwhelmed shortly.

I hate it when I’m wrong but at least I try to admit it. Marie Larsen and Abby Burt both sent me looking at lovely pink flowering bushes last week. I guessed they were Exbury azaleas. Both my son, Jeremiah, and Dick from Aquinnah informed me it was Cornell Pink rhododendron (mucronulatum). Jeremiah told me it is often called a swamp azalea and blooms about a month before the Exbury. It does not leaf out until after the blooms fade.

Downtown Vineyard Haven is another plant zone from my house. There are much fatter tree buds and some greening already.

I’ve been pondering presidential pardons recently. DJT’s not even remotely subtle pardoning of Scooter Libby sent the obvious message to Paul Manafort and Michael Cohen not to worry about lying to the F.B.I. or obstructing justice — he has your back. But anybody with the attention span of a gnat knows that DJT is not loyal and will throw anyone under the proverbial bus.

Guys, save yourselves and cooperate. It will be some serious long days whiling away in federal prison.