I am at a loss for words. This is a rare occurrence for me. I have crumpled several sheets of paper trying to find a good paragraph. Bear with me.

I have been extremely busy this week, preparing various job sites for full-on summer. I finally got most of the starts into the vegetable garden. The nights have been so cool that I really haven’t been rushed.

How is it possible that weeds can grow so large in such a short time? I have resorted to weeding with a shovel at this point. The other preferred method is stomping down the huge ones and covering with those from the beds.

I used to hate mugwort above all others. My new nemesis is the wild morning glory. It entwines the pathetic plants so securely that they become unrecognizable. Often the flower heads pop right off as I try to free them.

The vine has a pretty little pink or white flower, so often is ignored at first. Don’t be fooled, yank it at once. It is so well-established in some areas of my garden, it actually trips me.

On a more positive note, the zephirine drouhin rose is in full and glorious bloom. This may be the most beautiful rose ever. A deep pink climber, it is thornless and fragrant. It works well at entrances as it does not snag one’s flesh and clothing.

By the way, a climber rose is a misnomer. They do not actually climb. In the old books they are referred to as long cane roses. The canes need assistance of some sort to “climb” along a fence or pergola, often one needs to be quite aggressive in preening and tying the long canes. I call it the Marquis de Sade method of rose care.

Recently a delivery was made along State Road of a washing machine. It was left in the yard for a while. A flock of two mother turkeys and several babies was gathered around it. I laughed out loud.

Born and raised in Appalachia, I was accustomed to seeing appliances left outside — often in fields with cows or horses. New Englanders are much more pristine in the care of their yards.

Growing up, there was a town dump. People dumped their household trash over the side of the mountain. The children would dare each other to walk near it as usually there would be several black bears rummaging for food.

I had not thought of that for years, but memory can be jogged at any time. It’s fun that our brains retain so much information.

There is a beautiful horse chestnut tree near Hillside Village. I don’t remember them holding on to their blooms so long. Again, maybe it is the cool nights. We had a huge specimen in our backyard in Rew, Pa. We had many wars with the chestnuts as weapons. Luckily most of us neighborhood kids were poor shots!

There is a stone wall on West Spring street opposite the Vineyard Haven cemetery. A person has planted cloth grocery bags with tomato plants. They are neatly staked. I can’t wait to see the harvest. The bags are not very large for holding dirt and roots, but I do enjoy watching them grow.

I had scorzonera reseed all over a big pile of garden debris. They had a lovely flower which has turned into an interesting seed pod. Resembling a huge dandelion puff ball, it is golden brown. I am collecting them to toss about in some flower beds next spring. The flower is spectacular and a real conversation piece.

Large stores like Home Depot are selling “bee-friendly” plants. It turns out that an organization called Friends of the Earth tested over 70 of these plants and found that half had been treated with neonic pesticides. These neonicotinoids have been indicated as a possible cause of colony collapse disorder of honeybees.

After the study came out, both Home Depot and BJ’s are making efforts to stop selling such plants.

President Obama has formed a committee to further study the problem, but, of course, he’ll probably get flack from the House of Representatives. They have a worse record than Harry Truman’s “do-nothing Congress,” in fact, the worst ever.

I wish I got a six-figure salary and lifelong benefits for doing absolutely nothing. It’s our own fault. We elected these jokers.