Tuesday morning’s sky was really amazing. I can imagine a similar sky being part of Michelangelo’s vision for the Sistine Chapel. I only noticed it while going over the bridge into Oak Bluffs.

I was taking Violet back to the boat. She came for the weekend for jury duty on Monday. After she arrived on Friday evening, having skipped college classes and driving three hours, she received an email saying that it was canceled. I think we may have laughed and then remarked, “If it can go wrong, it will!”

At any rate, it was great to see her. She helped me dispatch several of the meat birds. They grow so fast that they outgrow their living quarters. These are Cornish game hens that arrived just before Labor Day as day-old babies. At less than eight weeks old they are already four pounds, dressed.

Apologies to my vegetarian readers but part of this practice does fit nicely into gardening for the purpose of food production.

Since we have yet to experience our first freeze, there are still some tender vegetables to be harvested. I have a late planting of green beans that are ready to be picked.

Sadly, the tomatoes, cucumbers and zucchini have called it quits for yet another season.

I discovered a large area just covered with baby kale plants. The parents were yanked up a month ago. I love this. Nature in her infinite wisdom will care for us if only we pay attention.

I am definitely growing honeynut squash next year. They were available at some of the local farm stands and we gave them a try. There is only one word to describe them: yummy!

They look like miniature butternut squash but are much sweeter and nuttier. What a season for pumpkins. They are everywhere: at stores, farms and on front steps. In 2010 Violet and I took the train to our nation’s capitol. She was eight years old and so our first stop was the National Zoo. It was late October and every single animal enclosure had pumpkins being enjoyed by the inhabitants.

Our favorite sight was the giant pandas. Each of them was sprawled on its back with pumpkins on their tummies. They were slowly scooping out the insides and getting them into their mouths with, clearly, nothing they would rather be doing.

I read recently that their time here is over and they will be returning to China. Sigh!

I was in college in Texas in 1967 when the Six-Day War broke out. At the time I had some friends from Lebanon. The young men tried their best to educate me about the “other side” of that conflict. At the time it was difficult for me to understand a view other than I had been taught in backwoods rural Pennsylvania.

At any rate the results of that war involved the occupation by Israel of the West Bank, Golan Heights and the Gaza Strip.

Here we are today. What a mess.

As I write, Joe Biden is en route to meet up with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This is his second trip into an active war zone. Let’s all pray for his safety.

He has serious foreign policy chops. He first met with Golda Meir as a 29-year old senator, for Pete’s sake! Hopefully he can convince Bibi to practice restraint in regards to innocent civilians in Gaza. Biden has already pledged support for Israel as he should.

Where is Jimmy Carter when we need him?