Here we are on the cusp of Independence Day. Anybody feel like waving the flag?

Surprise! August is suddenly here. With little warning we were hit with full-blown summer crowds, hot weather and traffic jams.

I have never been to a star-spangled Hollywood film premiere.

Last Wednesday I saw a deer making her way along the far boundary of our neighbor’s back yard.

Has it truly been 11 weeks since we had an all-sunshine weekend? I know that it has rained at least a little every Saturday since early April, but I am not sure about the length of the string.

Can hummingbird nectar go bad? More than a month ago I had whipped up a batch — a quarter cup of sugar to one cup of water, right?

And so the summer begins. Between the recent cool temperatures and a week still left in the month of May, the season’s unofficial arrival has come on little cat feet. Are we ready? Are we ever?

There are many reasons why the Vineyard is an attractive summer vacation destination. There’s the beaches, the salty cool air, daisies in the meadows, walks on the trails.

On a lovely bright Mother’s Day Sunday some years ago I woke up early and decided to take a walk.

We are sleeping with the window open an inch or two. I cannot swear it makes a difference, but my psyche thinks it does and that is enough.