That was quite a storm last Sunday afternoon. I was caught in my car and, at first, wondered what was hitting it. Hail is certainly a memorable weather event. The odd thing was that during the heaviest rain, blue skies covered the entire eastern portion.

I’m very fond of the old-fashioned orange daylilies. They stand up straight and tall on three-foot stems. Also, they have a bit of deer resistance. The little jerks head right for the expensive hybrids. I especially like the orange ones next to hydrangeas. It seems so very Vineyard.

I believe I mention this every year. I cannot help myself — I’m hopelessly predictable.

On the corner of State Road and the Edgartown Vineyard Haven Road there are two notable roses. One is a beautiful and rare purple — perhaps a Veilchenblau. Then there seems to be a mixture of Cape Cod Rambler and Dorothy Perkins. Honestly, it is a mass the size of a pick-up truck. Simply breathtaking!

Big thanks go out to my daughter and granddaughter. They picked nearly a bushel of peas on Saturday. We are talking three different types — English, China and sugar snaps. I spent quite a while on Sunday shucking and freezing the English ones. It’s a time consuming task. In fact, eventually my hands fell asleep.

When the finished product emerged, it easily filled the colander. I was reminded of the scene in Driving Miss Daisy when the cook suffered a heart attack and, in slow motion, the entire colander of shelled peas hit the floor. I was glad neither happened to me.

It may be my rapidly increasing age, but I am becoming more accepting. I am no longer aggravated in traffic, and daily annoyances seem to amuse more than perturb. Lucky for the gardener in me, I do not find my weeds unacceptable, with the exception of mugwort and wild morning glory. I actually like some of them. To wit: fleabane and goldenrod. Fleabane has taken over a big section of my perennial beds and it’s downright pretty.

What is, however, completely unacceptable is the huge number of garden snails on my Early Jersey Wakefield cabbages. I think this is the name of these little creatures. They are relative newcomers to my garden — perhaps the last few years. They seem to be a cross between snails and slugs. I have noticed them on Autumn Joy sedums as well as the aforementioned cabbages.

Good thing I’m not squeamish. I squish them between the plant leaves. Gardening, especially for vegetables, is a constant battle with Mother Nature. She usually wins.

One thing not winning right now is the American brand. I must say DJT’s behavior in Japan hit another new low. Sure, domestically, we are practically immune to his constant assaults on our better angels, but why must he embarrass us abroad? He continually insults our allies, brags about himself and, worst of all, fawns over murderous dictators.

The fiancé of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi must have been horrified to watch Trump praise MBS at the G20 Summit.

Even more horrible is thinking about the poor parents of American college student Otto Warmbier. I cannot imagine Trump’s ridiculous photo op with Kim Jong Un made them happy or proud of him or our country.

Don’t even get me started on the humanitarian crisis on our southern border.

Happy birthday, America. Let’s just eat a hot dog and go to the beach.