Here it is, another Labor Day and the beginning of hurricane season. I feel for the poor folks in the Bahamas. It’s hard to imagine sustained winds of 185 mph. Hurricane Bob in the 1990s was bad enough for me and it was barely a category one.

Here on the Vineyard we have experienced an abrupt end to the summer. I spent over an hour in down-Island Cronig’s gabbing with friends I had not seen since May.

There is an old wives’ tale that if more than half the cows in a field are lying down it is about to rain. I’m not a wife but I am old, so naturally, I took notice of the entire herd down at Nip ‘n’ Tuck Farm last week. Sure enough, it rained within the hour.

I had a nice talk with Keith Kerman at Vineyard Gardens. He keeps up with the perennial beds at the nursery entrance. There is a nice row of castor beans as a basic structure. He does remove the flowers and hence the seed pods. They are poisonous.

He also planted morning glories around the base of fall asters. They fill in the rather unattractive bottom of the plant.

It was nice to see Whiting’s Pond kept its water all summer this year. The hibiscus are still growing strong on State Road at the end of the pond.

The weeds in the vegetable garden are thigh-high but nevertheless, there is a great amount of food for the taking.

I’ve been pleased with my broccoli. I planted De Cicco this year. It is an old fashioned, open-pollinated variety. It does not make a big center head but produces side shoots all summer with tender leaves similar to collards. Sadly, it is a bit tender for a kale crop so will not go through the winter like kale.

The terrible invasive Japanese knotweed, aka false bamboo, is blooming right now. It’s actually pretty so it is understandable that some would cultivate it back in the day. Now, along with bittersweet, it is taking over the Island. I have some property that I mow. I pull it and/or cover with tarps to no avail.

I’ve been wandering around in the perennial beds taking stock. Several plants could use dividing. For example, the bearded irises develop a hole in the clumps telling the gardener to get out the spade. Phlox would also form a huge mass that can be cut into at least four new plants.

Sometimes I shave a small back edge from a large hosta. It will make a nice sound plant by the following mid-summer.

On Tuesday, I took Violet back to Tabor Academy for her final year. Honestly, time moves along at an alarming rate.

I’m suffering from DJT exhaustion. He really lost me this week with “who knew, there are category five hurricanes?” I raised my hand and said, “I did.”

All politics are local, so I think I’ll talk about the kerfuffle at the Tisbury School. People seem to think it will be horrible for their children to go elsewhere while repairs are made. I have two comments. If the town had voted for the new school, the children would still be displaced. Secondly, let’s give the kids some credit. They are resilient and for the most part good sports. They have not been separated from their parents or detained at the border.

In Bradford, Pa., in 1963 the high school was rebuilt. It was my senior year. We went half days from 6:30 a.m. to noon. At the junior high, the younger students came in from 12:30 until 5 p.m.

We adjusted. In fact, I was home from school on my sofa in the den when we got the fateful news from Dallas that terrible November day.