I have an F-150 from the eighties with no air conditioner. It is less than pleasant sitting in traffic with the heat and humidity we’ve been experiencing of late. It does, however, have those triangular “wings” on the side windows to direct air anywhere you wish while driving. I wonder when they stopped manufacturing them?

Back in the seventies and eighties and even into the nineties none of us had AC in our homes and I do not recall it being a big problem. There may have been a day here and there of uncomfortable conditions but nothing like this past month. We usually closed windows and drapes in the morning and opened them at night. I, for one, am looking forward to fall and even winter.

Holy Sun Gold tomatoes. I have three or four plants and clearly it is too many. Recently, I overcooked a sauté of onions, garlic, zucchini and eggplant. I was not crazy with the texture. I tossed an entire colander of the aforementioned tomatoes into the hot skillet and hit it with the hand-held blender.

Granted the color was a bit weird but it made an awesome sauce. F.Y.I., when the skins of tomatoes are not removed the resulting sauce can be a bit bitter if cooked for too long. I only heated them briefly in the hot vegetables and they were fine.

I planted some winter rye which came up in three days. Color me surprised. I did set the sprinkler daily.

Last week I mentioned the parasitic wasp eggs on a tomato worm. In Tuesdays New York Times (the Science Times section) there was an article about the creatures. “Wasps are the horror-flick killers of the insect world. Sure, their stingers are scary but it’s their parasitizing practices that really send a shiver down the exoskeleton. They are insects which eat other insects alive.”

The worm I saw last week was still attached to a tomato stem but completely dried up and blackened. I have a whole new appreciation of wasps. In the past my bee admiration only extended to honey bees and bumble bees.

I am fond of the Grandpa Ott’s purple morning glory. Lately, however, it is a bit too vigorous. It has taken over a great deal of the garden — not limiting itself to trellis and fence. Unlike the pesky pink wild morning glory it has a nice heart-shaped leaf and a very deep purple blossom.

Next spring, I need to remove more than half of the re-seeds. How I regret not removing baby ragweed in a timely fashion. It is shoulder-high in some places and about to bloom. If I could find the time and energy to weed it right now, I would need a gas mask. I hate how goldenrod gets bad press for the damage done to our lungs by ragweed.

I grew some ornamental quinoa this year. It has a beautiful orange seed head and looked exactly like pigweed, aka lamb’s quarters, before it bloomed. I did a seed package and probably (if I had the will) would harvest a quarter cup of the grain. They must grow it by the square mile to keep up with the now popular demand.

I will most likely use it to decorate a Christmas wreath. One year I grew sorghum and still have it in a dried arrangement.

I enjoyed the coverage of John McCain’s funeral at the National Cathedral. I will admit some sadness when I heard former President Obama give such a moving and respectful eulogy. The man is nothing if he isn’t classy and cool.

Even G.W. Bush rose to the occasion. Most people know how to behave in times of grief. Not so the present occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania avenue. Who raised him?