Tim says it’s probably a gender thing, enjoying the act of aiming a garden hose over the flowers bobbing and dodging the spray. My flower beds are a series of seven washtubs resting on unproductive ground, along with a long row of window boxes, which also need a daily soak from the hose in this heat.

The reason nothing grows under the living room windows is because of an enormous maple tree, its canopy spanning the width of the house and beyond. Tim transplanted this former little stick half a century ago and we have coaxed it along ever since. We are grateful for its shade in hot weather and for the dappled sunbeams criss-crossing the bare branches in winter. But now that the tree is mature, its roots apparently send toxins into the ground below the windows. Some have said we should cut down the tree, but my loyalties remain with the views up through dozens of tints of green. As a result my garden is of the shade-loving genre, astilbes and hostas and plenty of impatience, also known as the pigeons of the flower world.

Sundy Smith and Jon Previant are hosts this week to their grown-up grandchildren from Iowa. Zoe will attend the University of Iowa in the fall and this summer will be a sports reporter for the Daily Iowan. Owen will be a senior at Cornell College in Mt. Vernon, Iowa, and will do some student teaching.

Brin Rosenthal, Tom Weber and their daughter Nora Weber-Rosenthal are here from San Diego, staying at the family home

Phyllis Meras has recently enjoyed visits from Chris Lazarus of Portland, Ore., and Jeff Martin from Philadelphia. Chris was on her way to a reunion at Middlebury College in Vermont and Jeff is celebrating a new grandson born in Boston.

Beekeepers and wannebee keepers are welcome at the regular Beekeepers Club meeting at the Agricultural Hall, Wednesday, July 3, at 5 p.m. Disease prevention and hive maintenance are on the agenda.

Allen Whiting’s gallery, The Davis House, will open Sunday, June 30 from 1 to 6 p.m. Along with new works by Allen, the gallery will feature illustrations by Allen’s grandfather, Percy Cowan, recently on exhibit at the Martha’s Vineyard Museum. Two exceptional talents in one family setting.

Painter Rachael Cassiani, photographer Jhenn Watts and jeweler Kenneth Pillsworth will display their new works at a Premiere at the Field Gallery, Friday, June 29 at 4 p.m.

Fatal Watch is a documentary about those who monitor the fishing industry and its harvests. This report warns of the terrible human and environmental costs of overfishing. Co-director Katie Carpenter and executive producer Carole Tomko will be there for a feedback session. It’s at the Grange, Friday, June 28 at 7 p.m.

The award-winning documentary, Chasing Time, was filmed by James Balong as the culmination of his Extreme Ice Survey project, which shows visual evidence of the rapid melting of glaciers around the world. The screening is on Saturday, June 29 at 7:30 p.m. at the Grange.

Yoga happens in several places in town early in the mornings. It is free every Monday at 8 a.m. at the Grange. It’s available Fridays at 7:30 a.m. on Zoom, courtesy of the library. And on Thursday, yoga flows on Lambert’s Cove beach, also at 8 a.m. Namaste.

For later sleepers, Kanta Lipsky leads a tai chi practice at the Polly Hill Arboretum every Tuesday at 9 a.m.

Rounding the curve at the cemetery, I was drawn to a glimpse of the flags placed by Brian Athearn and his volunteer crew for the July 4 observance. I am thinking this particular holiday may be a good time to remember the reasons for all the pride and celebration. America is, for the most part, a pretty good idea. Those veterans in their graves certainly thought so.