On Tuesday in my travels, everyone remarked on the beauty of the day. To a person, it was followed by “It’s not going to last” or “it’s the last nice day.” Family members high-tailed it to the beach.

Gardens on the other hand, couldn’t be nicer. Plants are most likely looking forward to rain and cooler temperatures. Looking especially great are the sedums. That is, the ones who escaped deer damage. I’ve tried many different cultivars over the years but Autumn Joy is the best and most reliable performer.

As I write, I’m waiting for a pot of beets to cook enough so that the skins slip right off. I have enough for a few jars of pickles. I find that even the required 10 minutes in a water bath tends to cause bleeding of color. Therefore, I simply put the prepared beets into a mixture of one quart apple cider vinegar and a cup of honey. If placed hot into a hot canning jar — they will seal. They will last in the fridge until the new year.

When Violet was growing up, I harped repeatedly to pay attention to her surroundings. I’ve noticed so many of her generation constantly scrolling on their phones while walking or even biking. One Sunday, we were on Middle Road and she (the passenger) spotted a tiny turtle on the road. It was not much bigger than a silver dollar. She hopped out and set it safely on the other side. We were pleased with ourselves and promptly named it Sheldon!

In keeping with actually following my own advice, I noticed on Skiff avenue both at the top and bottom of the street, there are two apple trees dropping their fruit. Sadly, both hit the road and smash open. I hope some nocturnal critter gets to enjoy them.

One year, when I was still hopping in and out of the truck, I gathered some from the Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Road end of Skiff. They were delicious. I thought about the person who planted that tree years ago and silently thanked them.

I pulled some of my celeriac. I do love it, but what a pain to peel and prepare. I prefer it to its cousin celery as it is stringless and much more flavorful.

In my anti-Vietnam War protest years, I lived in Washington D.C. I’ve been tear-gassed and chased by mounted police. I’m neither proud of or ashamed by any of my action from those days. My heart goes out to folks in Chicago and Portland. Even Richard Nixon did not sic the army on us after the huge riots following the student deaths at Kent State. I totally disagreed with his policies, but in hindsight, he was capable of shame and not a crazy person.