Yet another beautiful day to be out in the garden. Do you have any idea how lucky we are to have a day like today? Much less day after day after day like today?

I mean, in the whole big scheme of things.

I do. See, I've been watching the History Channel. And from everything I've seen, from Earth's Black Hole (about the Bermuda Triangle) to Krakatoa's Revenge (from the "Megadisasters" series), I have concluded that (a) the History Channel's definition of "history" is very, very broad, and (b) it always ends with a bang, never a whimper.

That's what keeps me coming back for more. You know the last five minutes of whatever you're watching is going to be better than Nostradamus. Megavolcanoes will spew molten ash and usher in a new ice age. Continents will collide. The Arian Brotherhood will order your assassination from Folsom County Prison. That is, if black holes don't spontaneously open in the earth, swallow you up, and spit you out on the other side of eternity. If you do manage to survive continental drift, global climate change, killer volcanoes, black holes and the AB, killer gamma rays will get you.

So enjoy the weather while it's good, because life in on earth is ephemeral. We only have a half-billion years left on this planet, tops.

Among the things I will miss when the earth is decimated by gamma rays are dahlias. The Fenway is full of them about now...


After the punishing heat at the height of summer, the garden comes back to life, for me at least, around this time of year.