We went to the first birthday party for a friend who changed her name, and we enjoyed a very filling birthday cake with sprinkles shaped like people. All I needed for dinner later was shrimp wonton soup.

A rabbit got into our herb garden, flattening and displacing the thyme, which now leans over the garden border and looks to be growing on the lawn. I’m unsure if I should trim it back or leave it as bait for the rabbit, who so far has left the carrots, lettuce, and parsley undisturbed. There are other menaces, the foremost being a deer that has made this block its territory for the summer, hopping the fences between our house and the adjoining backyards. It has eaten the neighbor’s tomatoes, but so far none of mine (and none are yet ripe).

(Photo: Basil, rosemary, and sage.)

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