It has always struck me as odd that the summer solstice occurs and immediately the days start getting shorter. I guess that is a good thing since it is much hotter. A little less intense sunburns. I rarely burn as I wear long sleeves and big hats. My mother got burned once when she was about 10 years old and said never again. At her death at age 90 she had the skin of a 30 year old.

The multiflora roses are in full bloom and have threaded themselves up into trees along the road sides. There is an impressive one at the left of the Scottish Bakehouse. Also, at the old Helios property, there are forsythia and Russian olives all running amok. Who remembers Helios? It was a Greek restaurant across from what is now the Crane appliance store. Then it became Nobnocket Garage and finally the Art Workers Guild. No building is left standing, just the aforementioned invasive plants.

My vegetable garden is completely out of control. The weeds are now impossible. I have resorted to my old method of stomping them flat and covering them with hay in the beds and wood chips in the paths.

I picked my first garlic scapes. I cut them into two-inch strips and sauteed them. They are fabulous. Also, they need to be removed from the plant in order for it to go ahead and form nice bulbs. They should be ready to harvest by the end of July. The area can then be replanted in fall greens.

Claire Ganz and I had a nice conversation after church on Sunday. We reminisced about lawns before they were perfect. They had all sorts of plants like clover and one in particular that had small white seed heads. We laughed that the seed heads used to come off between our toes while running around barefoot.

A year ago I started a big package of sage seeds. Every single one germinated and since I hate seeing their little lives in vain, I painstakingly separated each one into flats. The babies were a couple inches apart so each flat held 25. I will not admit how many of those flats I had. I am a lunatic.

I flopped entire flats of them on the ends of vegetable beds. They are blooming happily and are easily two feet tall. I figure I have enough of the herb for a lifetime of chicken soup.

Violet pointed out a bumper sticker on a minivan: “I used to be cool.” It’s now up there with my other favorite: “Spandex is a privilege, not a right.”

There is nothing quite like Sweet William to perk up the late spring border. They can be started from seed right now for next year. Again, I crowded them together. They do not seem to have personal space issues.

I must say it is truly astonishing that Trump is blaming the Democrats for the situation on the border. I cannot remember a time when I have been more ashamed of our country. Those babies being torn from their mothers is reprehensible at best. Thirty per cent of our fellow Americans actually support this heinous policy. Who are these people and who raised them? It was rich that Jeff Sessions justified the action with Bible verses. I remember another seemingly-Biblical verse (but it could be William Shakespeare): “the devil can cite scripture for his purpose.”

Speaking of quotes, here’s a good one from FDR: “Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel in order to be tough.”