I want to complain about the hot and humid weather but given the situation in most of the country I cannot justify it. I have been on the Vineyard for 45 years and only remember it once getting up to 100 degrees.

I saw on the Weather Channel that it was 117 in Las Vegas. Why would someone live there? I love it when folks say “But it’s dry heat.” Hey, so is the oven.

There is plenty of time these days for “rubber necking.” I try to occupy my time spent in traffic admiring plantings in people’s yards and storefronts. The roadsides are loaded with Queen Anne’s Lace and blue wild chicory, one of my favorite combinations. As you probably know, Queen Anne’s Lace is basically a wild carrot. I ate one. It wasn’t wonderful but I didn’t die. I could cook it with something flavorful and be happy.

I had a row of my own carrots go to seed. The flower was not an umbrel but completely round. I am going to see if it will produce some babies. It was a non-hybrid variety so it should come true to type.

By the way, for families with small children a Queen Anne’s flower placed into water with food coloring will take on the color in a mere few days.

Chicory is a member of the dandelion family. Who knew? It is a true blue which is unusual in mid-summer flowers. All parts of the plants are edible especially the root which is often ground into a coffee substitute. It is very hardy. I’ve seen it growing in pavement cracks along Beach Road.

Yucca is in full bloom. It is striking alongside orange daylilies and blue hydrangeas. It is somewhat of a nuisance in a proper border. Forget digging it out. Its roots go to China.

It’s been a busy week in the vegetable world. I am determined to have a decent fall garden. I planted cucumbers, beans and zucchini. They only take 50 days. I also started some cabbages, beets and carrots. I ate some radishes that I only planted three weeks ago. They are tiny but delicious. I love them grated into a blue cheese dressing and then put into a sandwich.

My fleabane is still going strong. I chose to leave it in my flower beds this year. I could not be happier with the results. It is setting off the echinacea and platycodon in a very pleasing fashion. I wonder why I ever weeded it out in the past.

It is Tuesday as I write this, therefore I have only seen day one of the Democratic National Convention. There was a big kerfuffle concerning the leaked emails of some staffers. Supposedly the Russians were involved. You cannot make this stuff up. I feel like I’m in a spy thriller at the movies. Rumor has it that the Russians wanted to help Donald Trump. It is possible Trump and Putin were twins separated at birth. They both have elephantine egos and want to rule the world. Have mercy.

It is interesting to see that Bernie Sanders has lost control of his supporters. They say they trust him but not with his acceptance of defeat and subsequent endorsement of Hillary. It seems similar to the Republicans losing control of the Tea Party after the 2010 midterm election. Just saying.