We had a dry earlier spring, but we’re sodden now.  All the plants in the vegetable gardens are growing while you watch.  I’ve started freezing spinach for the winter and I should get to the rhubarb soon—but all the plants still in the greenhouse are calling to me, whining, wailing.  They want out into the ground.  I did finish up planting the herb garden this week and it looks great – at the moment. I still have a bunch of perennials to dig in if it ever stops raining and a few tomato plants [tangerine] and my hot peppers.  I dug in the purple basil I started from seed and the lime basil I am trying out, but I need to plant the Genovese basil I make and freeze pesta with and use a lot in cooking, and the lemon basil I use less frequently but really like with fish and beans.  Most of the marigolds I started. My knee doctor has got my knees in decent shape. If I had any time, I would start walking down at the harbor, but I don’t.  I am putting together my class and I had finished seven portfolios – read, reread, made notes for conferences.  I did the first three days of class. I was feeling pretty good. Almost on target. Thursday night just before I went to bed, I checked my email one last time.  ERROR!  I check it ten times a day to keep up.  But there was an email from Ramsey, my publisher @ PM Press where I just sent off my short story ms. THE COST OF LUNCH, ETC.  Attached to his email is the complete text of my novel BRAIDED LIVES he is bringing out this summer.  So now in addition to the portfolios, prepping the class day by day, planting, weeding, freezing, I have a 450 pp novel to proofread.  I had to cancel seeing a friend today I was eager to spend some time with.  The cats are all grossly neglected.  Those plants in the greenhouse are yelling.  The beets need to be weeded if we’re to get any.  But all I can do is proof my novel.  It’s actually pretty damned good. Oh, and the mosquitoes have arrived.  last year, almost none. This year I already have itchy bites.  At least I don’t feel guilty for not being in the garden because it rained and now it is raining and soon it will be raining some more and then after that the Weather Channel says it will rain some. the peonies are gorgeous, the ornamental garlics deep purple and white are bursting out big as baseballs, the irises are opening, the early marigolds I planted last weekend are blooming already, the wisteria is out – but I am in, at the computer         and my desk proofing, proofing, proofing.  My self pity is the size of a bull elephant. The Cape Cod Times published the poem One of the Expendables I read at the anti-Pilgrim leaky Fukishima nuclear power plant rally on Sunday.  It’s a regional newspaper and I appreciate their willingness to publish it. Spinach we freeze from our garden is one of the best veggies in the winter.  But oh, I hate the process.  I just spent an hour and fifteen minutes freezing 2 lbs and I’m soaked through and half frozen.  Now I have another bag to wash, pick through, freeze and it must be bagged and frozen at once.  I love the results but hate the job.  Soon it will be time to freeze strawberries and rhubarb, the first fun, the second, easy.  Also cilantro: easy.