We’ve had a series of very warm days. It seems a little unseasonable for May on the Vineyard. Then again, Monday night saw the low 40s. Regardless, we are in high spring and life is grand.

After I talked smack last week about the Vineyard Haven Post Office and the replacement of pyracantha with lockers, insult has been added to injury. They have now installed a speed bump in the parking lot. The good Five Corners news, however, is the removal of the hump. I can finally get gas for my low riding van in Vineyard Haven.

I’ve been spraying Bobbex religiously but forgot to do it after that small rain last week so, of course, the deer went after my hostas. Honestly, it’s really difficult at times to be a good sport. They also like grape hyacinths and pulled violas out of pots and window poxes.

Years ago I adopted a burro from Death Valley. He came from the Bureau of Land Management and sometimes was called a government donkey. At any rate, he was a bit of a Houdini and loved to raid my garden. Oddly, his favorite was the marigolds.

I received a second shipment of potatoes later than I’d like. They sat accusingly on my counter for weeks. I finally bribed Violet to plant them. We have used the same method for years: place them on untilled ground, cover with hay, toss a little pro-holly fertilizer, walk away. Our family never met a potato we did not love.

I’m enjoying all the Bridal Wreath spirea blooming right now. They are an old-fashioned shrub that has fallen out of fashion in the modern landscape. One rarely sees it for sale in the nurseries. There is a nice hedge of them just up State Road past Morrice the Florist on the left.

Two other notables this week come to mind. The Shasta Viburnum is striking with its pure white blooms. Also, the Golden Rain Tree is head turning. There is a nice one on the big turn going down Skiff avenue towards the Lagoon. I think the street next to it is Dunham.

I pulled a Lone Star Tick off myself recently and with a bit of trepidation had some pork for dinner. An allergy to the meat of mammals is not something I would like at this later stage of life. Becoming vegetarian should be a choice.

I have a first world problem. I cannot keep up with the picking of vegetables. Lettuce, spinach, and all sorts of greens are jumping out of the ground. The peas are blooming. Turnips are about the size of quarters and very delicious. It’s a good thing I have learned to live with weeds because they seem to be on some sort of growth hormone. I love how gardening books always suggest pulling weeds before they go to seed. Gee whiz, I wish I had thought of that.

Here we are at the start of yet another Memorial Day weekend. It really is the kick-off to the summer season. Traffic is already increasing daily and workers are scrambling to ready homes and businesses.

I hesitate to say Covid is behind us but there does seem to be a shift in people’s attitude. The whole, to mask or not to mask, seems ridiculous to me. A little common sense should prevail. Wearing one inside with unknown people seems like a no-brainer to me.

One more thing, I am always a bit hesitant when it comes to the American Medical Association but people please get the shot. Do yourselves and your community a favor. One should always strive to be a good citizen — a worker among workers, a friend among friends.