Several days last week made me very happy weatherwise. Cool and foggy in the morning and overcast for most of the day. It was great garden-working conditions–I think the Irish referred to it as “soft” weather.

I did not get the Mammoth snow peas picked in a timely fashion. They got dry and tough. I think I’ll let them continue to dry on their vines and use them for pea soup this winter. They are an open-pollinated variety so they could also be saved for seed and will come true to type.

Since I went ahead and pulled up my pest-ruined eggplant, I was able to replant the area with green beans. They take a mere 60 days so we still have plenty of time. The same is true of both cucumbers and zucchini.

Several years ago, I seeded some perennial Yellow Russian hollyhocks. Only one came back reliably over the years. It has mixed with a very large rhubarb plant. They get along famously.

In the spring, my daughter and granddaughter helped put weed mat in all the vegetable garden paths. I was very smug thinking I’d have permanent weed-free paths. Smugness does not become a person. Every place where the weed mat was stapled has sprouted knee-high weeds which cannot be pulled. We need to now cut every single one to the quick. Honestly, a person cannot catch a break!

It’s fun to see all the privet hedges blooming. The blossom attracts tons of bees.

Every so often a man walks along State Road with a cow. Recently, I saw him leaving the upper Black Dog, coffee in one hand and the lead rope in the other. How I wish I had seen him in the socially-distant queue with that cow.

Now that the roadways are crowded with all kinds of traffic, extra caution is required. I cannot understand how numerous walkers and bikers do not follow simple rules of the road. Run and/or walk on the left, facing traffic, and bike on the right along with cars and trucks. Recently, on the Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Road, I encountered four cyclists coming toward me on my side just a few feet from the empty bike path. There were parked cars along the side as well. Do they have no fear of an old woman driving a dump truck?

I recently had a conversation with a friend, Patty Salem. We were sympathizing with the many poor people worldwide who don’t even have enough water for drinking and cooking, never mind handwashing in a pandemic. It’s frightening to think about the population density in some of these places.

She brought up another subject which has been on my mind ever since. What are the educational consequences of these now-homeschooled children? Most parents are ill-equipped for the task, not to mention the many who do not have reliable technology. The long-term effects can put poor children even further behind.

I read a letter to the editor of the New York Times this week. The writer offered a solution to people not wearing masks. Obama needs to say “don’t wear masks” and the next morning a tweet will demand that we all do. Problem solved!