While it’s a sad year for plants on deck, the plants out front are doing just fine, thank you very much.

A little scrap of bird/deer netting is keeping killer sparrows at bay, leaving the possibility of a cupful of blueberries intact.

Water access is much, much more convenient at street-level, and Tree — so creative around here, with the naming of things — the gorgeous, gigantic, disturbingly fast-growing white maple, provides just enough shade during the heat of the day that the tomatoes and window boxes appear to get a respite from the searing, brutal midday rays and a good dose of photosynthesizing, pleasant morning and afternoon rays.

What’s this you say? POD’s…happy? Whaaaat? Has this blog been taken over by an optimist? Horrors. Surely something’s just a shot away.