By LYNNE IRONS

Last Saturday afternoon we finally made good on a weeks old threat and prepared supper right in the garden. The only purchases made were a bottle of olive oil and a beautiful hunk of tuna from Edgartown Seafoods. My granddaughter, Violet, pushed her wheel barrow around picking various vegetables which were rinsed off in a watering can and tossed directly onto the grill. We had a cast-iron skillet which received new white potatoes, onions, garlic, green beans and handsful of parsley. After a quick sauté we wrapped the skillet in a beach towel on the ground to continue steaming while the fish and summer squash grilled, slathered in olive oil. We picked huge amounts of celery leaf, thyme and basil to pile on everything while it was cooking. We even grilled a cabbage and wrapped the tuna in its lea ves. As the sun was setting and we ate, sharing plates and flatware, we realized life could hardly be better.

The next day’s sermon at church was Jesus’ feeding the five thousand with a couple of fish and a few barley loaves! A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned how humbling it is to have so much while many have so little. We could feed the whole world if we only had the political will. We could win over countless Taliban supporters if we choose to educate and feed their children. I do go on!

I have to claim huge bragging rights. I have five (count ’em!) artichokes. Now, granted, they are the size of quarters with not much hope of getting bigger. Still it is very exciting. I weeded, mulched and watered the entire patch to show my appreciation. They grow best in the Pacific Northwest where it is cool and damp. This summer here has been perfect for them. My sweet potatoes, not so much; I would say only about a third of them even bothered to come up. They like it hot. Oh, well!

Kudos and many thanks to Mike and the crew from Heather Gardens; they finally tackled the parking lot of the Vineyard Haven Post Office — no small task. It was a disaster. I bet they filled several trash barrels with cigarette butts and Cumberland Farms coffee cups.

The perennial flower beds look awesome this year. They’ve had plenty of rain, and the cool evenings help the Lucifer Crocosmia starting to bloom in front of Morrice Florist!

Thank you to Penny Uhlendorf for the sack of diatomaceous earth left beside my front door. Her note said it was left over from the old Conservatree days. Remember that store? Ahead of its time. She also left a novel, Strange as This Weather Has Been, by Ann Pancake. It’s going on my stack of planned winter reads. I hope I live long enough to do and read all I plan.

I have been interested in the various Republican opinions on the change President Obama is pushing to our health care system. I can’t wait for Sarah Palin to get into the fray. NPR’s Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me program likened our present system to watching Grey’s Anatomy while applying Head On to a brain tumor.