After Monday’s rather miserable cold, windy and rainy day, Tuesday dawned as one of those great to be alive mornings. It was warm for November and the previous night’s rain left tiny water droplets on the bare branches. With the rising sun the yard seemed covered in diamonds.

The gardening world does not offer much new material this week. The spent Halloween pumpkins on front porches are flattened and torn open by various critters. Chipmunks and squirrels are enjoying them. I saw several crows tearing apart the decorations at the Katama General Store. The cows at Morning Glory Farm were polishing off the remains of the pumpkin festival.

Several people have commented this past week concerning the lack of acorns. This may be the reason for the incredible deer damage in yards and shrub beds. Some years there are so many acorns that walking on the driveway is treacherous.

I hate it when I don’t know everything. My friend, Fala, has wondered why her boxwoods are dying. It seems to be some sort of fungus. Does anyone have some advice?

Up-Island Cronig’s once again has a lovely fall parking lot. The winterberries are highlighted by the dried ornamental grasses. I think the cultivar is Heavy Metal. They do not have the typical large plumes which fend to fall apart and blow all over the place.

The flower arrangement at the Federated Church on Sunday was a simple ornamental cabbage in a bushel basket. It’s nice to keep up with the seasons and not always purchase flowers.

Why, I wonder, do some landscape architects insist on using Rosa Rugosa in home gardens? They really only belong at the beach.

For starters, they spread all over, insinuating themselves into neighboring plants and shrubs. They only look decent in June and the thorns go right through gloves. I say this as I’m picking my fingers with tweezers.

This brings me to a new pet peeve. What happened to Band Aids? I’ve been annoyed since they took the red string out. Now they stick so well that it takes days to remove them and they leave behind a black gummy substance. It takes alcohol to remove the stuff which burns the barely healed cut.

The media spends an inordinate amount of time attempting to explain the impeachment investigation. How many times do we need an explanation of the term quid pro quo? Granted, there has been a systemic “dumbing down” of America in the past couple of decades.

When I was a student, unless a high schooler was in the vocational department, we all were required to take at least one year of Latin. Those of us in college prep needed a few more years. Even the marine corps slogan Semper Fidelis and the Coast Guard slogan Semper Paratus were common knowledge for Pete’s sake.

When my children were small and I was home most days, I was able to watch the Watergate hearings. Most of America was glued to the TV. I wonder what percentage is keeping informed today or are we firmly entrenched in our separate camps.

Enough of that — I’m almost finished reading Blowout by Rachel Maddow. It is an eye-opening, mind boggling, somewhat depressing expose on the oil and gas industry.

She ties Exxon neatly to Russia and Putin. The industry has “weakened democracy, fouled oceans and rivers, and propped up authoritarian thieves and killers.” The book is a call to stop subsidizing the wealthiest industry on Earth.

Oh, and there is a chapter on Ukraine written before the latest non-stop news that will leave you head scratching.