That was some rain on Monday morning. I was so happy as, on Sunday, Violet helped me finally get all the paste tomatoes into the ground.

Actually “into the ground” is an exaggeration. I put them into a hole in some hay and tucked some more hay around the stems.

The rain came at exactly the right moment.

I grow several types of paste tomatoes. They are determinate which means they ripen mostly at once. Hence, they are available for a large canning project.

My baby eggplant are devastated by flea beetles. I said “uncle” and hit them with some Captain Jack’s. I hope a few survive. Then again, I’m the only one in my family who even likes them. Spoiler alert: I’ve been known to blend them into spaghetti sauce — and no one seems to notice.

I’ve been eating broccoli for several weeks. I use both the Calabrese and DiCicco varieties. They make bite-sized side shoots rather than a single large head. In my experience it is disappointing to expect a grocery store-sized head. It tends to go to flower long before that happens.

Happily, the shoots can be harvested through summer into fall and beyond. The trick is picking at least twice a week.

The downpour on Monday wiped out the rest of the peonies. The flowers are all over the ground, looking like wet tissues. I made an observation recently. A few years ago I had a spectacular tree peony. Last spring it died and I never got around to digging up the dead clump. This year a single-flowered herbaceous (regular) peony emerged. I wonder if the tree varieties are grafted onto root stock.

This oddity is obvious with roses. If, say, a pink rose dies a mud red will grow from the stock.

I should give my colleague Abigail Higgins a ring. I bet she knows!

I like the mixed marriage of white and pink Kousa dogwoods at both the entrance to Heather Gardens and at Morrice the Florist. I’ve admired them for years.

My favorite rose is in full and glorious bloom: the zephirine drouhin. It is a fragrant, dark pink climber that has no thorns. Therefore, it’s a great choice on a gateway since it will not snag one’s clothing.

I’m not a huge fan of rhododendrons, especially the dark pink ones. They remind me of off-Island shopping centers. However, there is a light pink one at the corner of State Road and Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Road that is great. I’m not exaggerating by much to say it is as big as a small house. That same yard has a lovely purple rose that is yet to bloom.

I would be remiss to only give kudos to Liz Cheney for her opening remarks at the Jan. 6 hearing in prime time. Chairman Bennie Thompson was soft-spoken yet forceful and equally prepared. The press and pundits heaped their praise on Cheney non-stop.

Also, it’s difficult to admire all the Trump-world interviewees without wondering why they failed to mention their conclusions at the time. Lives may have been saved on Jan. 6..

Worst of all is Bill Barr. After his book came out about the whole affair, he still told Samantha Guthrie that he’d vote for Trump in 2024. Honestly, you can’t make this stuff up!