Garden report: the rains came! There are blossoms on the peppers. The common day lilies have bloomed as well as my magenta and peach one. The zinnias have bloomed.
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Phil Shaver of Amherst sent me an email about the free programs at the Amherst College observatory on Snell Street. You can look through the giant telescope every Saturday night at 9 p.m. when the sky is clear, through October. He said he saw the moons of Jupiter.
Check the website, astronomyassociation.org for other programs such as solar observations at the planetarium Saturdays at 1 p.m. and observations at sunset on Sundays at Mount Pollux.
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Monika Sharma, the daughter of Mary and Anurag Sharma of Amherst, is biking across country to raise funds and awareness for affordable housing with Bike and Build. She has raised $4,000. Along the way the bikers help with construction of homes. She left June 9 and will be in California Aug. 14.
She graduated from Amherst Regional High School and will be a sophomore at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley in the fall.
She would have a great essay on what I did on my summer vacation if she were in public school.
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Aaron Schuman, the son of Barbara and Murray Schuman of Amherst, had his book chosen as the best Photography Book of the Month by the British newspaper, The Guardian. A story and photo was included.
Aaron lives in England.
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Stan Ziomek was larger than life. When he grinned, his whole face lit up. When I went to the University Drive Post Office in the spring, he was there signing up Little League players. He spoke to me about the cooperation among the campuses and the town, how they would help each other. No requisition or work order forms were needed years ago. It would be done with a hand shake, he said.
The number of people at his wake was testimony to his revered place in the community.
Condolences to his family and friends.
