It happens every year! The month of May is cloudy and chilly and does not lend itself to successful planting of warm weather crops or tender annuals. Then, just before the customers arrive and a gardener is armed with the weather defense, it turns sunny and warm. There is quite a bit of scrambling by the Island work force this week.

One good thing about the cool nights is that my daffodils and tulips still look pretty good, especially the Thalia and Minnow varieties of jonquils.

A particular favorite is the pheasant’s eye. It is pure white with a small orange center. It is the latest of the daffodils and smells heavenly. Also called the poet’s narcissus, it was one of the first to be cultivated.

I noticed a couple of stunning wisteria in my travels mid-week. One stands along on the Edgartown Road, just past the Hanover house enroute to Edgartown from Vineyard Haven. The other one is covering the pergola at Morrice florist. I forgot to notice if one is still threaded up into an enormous tree at four corners. I’ve mentioned it in the past.

There is a fabulous yellow magnolia in the garden along State Road in front of Vineyard Gardens opposite up-Island Cronig’s. I have one that my son Jeremiah gave to me for Mother’s Day a few years ago. He has given me shrubs for years and they are now part of a very impressive border.

I was thinking about cemetery plantings recently. Ages ago loved ones planted shrubs around the tombstones of the dearly departed. In several graveyards those shrubs and trees have completely hidden the markers. I hope my children put something small on mine.

My family in Pennsylvania owns its own graveyard, Grimes Memorial. For some reason plantings are not permitted at the individual plots. I would not be able to plant a couple of crocuses on my parents. It is, however, located on the entire side of a mountain in Port Allegany, Penn. overlooking a valley. It is just a few miles from the headwaters of the Allegheny river, which begins its journey down to Pittsburgh to join up with the Monongahela and form the Ohio.

I really dislike the weed-mat staples used to hold down soaker hoses. They rust beyond recognition and will cause serious injury if a person kneels on one or puts a hand down to help oneself up. Gardeners, time to upgrade that tetanus shot. I believe they are good for ten years.

I finally started putting tomato plants into the ground, as the nights seemed too cool the last few weeks. In my perfect world I’ll get them all in by Memorial Day. Too bad I do not live in that world.

Speaking of Memorial Day, like most people my age I had a father and several uncles who served in World War II. Both grandfathers and their brothers served in World War I. We had an ancestor killed in the Civil War. Many high school friends went to Vietnam.

Not so for three generations of Trump men. Grandfather Trump failed to meet his military obligation in Germany and was expelled from the country. Father Fred did not volunteer after Pearl Harbor and aged out during the war. We know DJT’s so-called bone spur problem got him a big fat 4F.

Gail Collins is my favorite newspaper columnist. She writes a couple times a week for the New York Times and fell out of favor with the Donald in the nineties when she repeatedly referred to him as a thousandaire. It drove him crazy. I guess he doesn’t want to show his taxes for fear she has been right all along.

One more thing. Why do women running for president have to be “likeable”? I do not recall men ever having to meet that standard.