The last few weeks have offered up some pretty spectacular cloud formations. Several times I’ve noticed enormous thunderheads in the very blue sky. Oddly, they do not live up to their name and we have only receive scant rainfall. The ground is still horribly dry about an inch deep.

I harvested my sweet potatoes and was pleasantly surprised I have nearly a bushel. The plants arrived in mid-June and to say they were pathetic might be a compliment. They were dry and wizened. I planted them without any hope or expectations. Also, they were pricey. I think I had two varieties — Georgia Jet and Beauregard. I hate it when I don’t know everything. My friend, Sharlee, did some research about storing them for winter. They want to be 85 degrees or so for a week. Who knew? The oven pilot light seems like the best option. Apparently, this curing process will develop their sugars.

Violet sent my editor a photo she took last year with my then one-year-old, great-grandson Zappa. That potato was 17 inches long. Even a year later it’s still memorable.

I pulled all the Henderson’s Bush Lima beans. They were still green. I boiled the pods to get to the beans easier. Still, there were only three beans per pod making it a labor-intensive, completely stupid undertaking.

I made a fresh tomato-garlic mixture to dump onto some linguine. I used two entire bulbs of Metechi hardneck garlic. It has become my new favorite. The individual cloves are huge. It peels easily and is really delicious. I only used butter and olive oil for the sauce and halved cherry tomatoes. It was a big hit.

There are a couple of very nice Montauk Daisies on Cleveland Town Road on the left, heading towards Katama Road. I’m not usually a big fan of that plant. It smells awful and can become unruly, but this stand is very attractive. Also known as Nippon Daisy, it is a native of Japan and is drought tolerant. Guess I should think again and incorporate a few into a fall garden now that drought seems to be the new normal here on the Vineyard in the summer and fall.

Sometimes personal misfortune can lead to a spiritual awakening or at the very least a bit of humility and/or introspection. Not so with DJT. His Covid diagnosis seems to only embolden him. The drive around with his secret service detail served only to endanger them and to pander to his elephantine ego.

Violet and I went to Italy a few years ago and saw the balcony above the Piazza Venezia in Rome where Benito Mussolini gave many speeches. He loved to address his adoring public. I guess we are reliving this behavior from the Truman balcony of all places. Have mercy.

Wait, there’s more. On top of economic catastrophe for millions of Americans, we just sent a $23,000,000 titanium toilet to the international space station.