There is nothing quite like the lift of a person’s spirits when the heat and humidity drops. I was surprised to hear of the amount of rainfall in Boston. We had nearly a sprinkle.

I may as well get the personal news out of the way right away. Sadly, after three years of being very careful, I tested positive for Covid.

I spent about five days either in bed or on the sofa, nurturing the virus as well as a massive case of self-pity. I finally think I might live. Trust me: you don’t want it.

After days of not walking outside, my daughter picked some food for me in my pathetic garden. She dropped off a big basket of overly-large zucchini. They were still good but I never would be able to give them away, what with quarantine restrictions.

I caramelized some onions and chopped up the aforementioned squashes. After they softened I hit the mixture with the handheld blender. Granted, they took an entire stick of butter but the resulting puree stands alone as a wonderful soup. I froze four quarts of it to be added to sauces and/or soups this winter.

Hydrangea and coneflower. — Jeanna Shepard

Because of the days spent in the house, I tried to enjoy my gardens from the vantage point of different windows. I’m always too busy to actually enjoy the visuals in my own back yard. Isn’t that always the way in life?

There are some ancient stands of phlox; some clumps are more than three feet in diameter. There is a hot pink one and I think the variety is Nicky. It has cozied up to a double orange daylily that is actually blooming this year. I guess the deer missed it when they took out all the other daylily buds.

Right before my family had to flee my house as a result of my positive test, we all attended a little gathering at the Martha’s Vineyard Museum. Violet and her fiddle teacher Mary Wolverton played a Celtic concert in the Rose Styron Garden. Lew French’s remarkable stonework provided the background and gave the event a traditional Irish flair.

There is music there on Tuesdays all month. Check it out. Some folks brought their suppers. A laid-back venue.

I’m cutting this short this week. Catch up with you next column.