I was still recovering from the physical therapist’s torture sessions during most of the week, with the cyborg knee losing its swelling and pain a lot faster than the untreated leg.  Had another session with her on Friday. Physical therapists seem to do as much damage as good.  They push you beyond your capacity and sometimes damage what they’re supposed to be strengthening.We went to visit a poet friend in hospice on Thursday.  We had to wait 35 minutes to see him because his colostomy bag broke just as we pulled up.  The facility is attractive and clean, his room, large, light, with a private bathroom and a balcony that would be nice if the weather were nice.  Flat screen TV, a sofa bed so his wife can stay over sometimes, although he said it’s too hard for her.  It was very sad to see him as he is now. He’s at least twenty years younger than me and we’ve been friends for over two decades.  Cancer has almost destroyed him. leaving him gaunt and grey.  He was very talkative, holding forth and cheerful with the drugs that are keeping pain at bay. But it was such a sad thing. We stayed till his parents arrived.I didn’t feel like going home and cooking supper afterward so we went out to a place in Eastham, Local Break, where Woody has eaten with friends but I had never been before. The food was innovative and delicious, drinks well made and quickly brought, so we cheered up a bit.Two friends were supposed to come over Saturday night but Dan got stuck in Canada. Some asshole hit his car and took off and it’s still not fixed – waiting on parts to arrive. He’ll have to replace it but he has some health problems that are much easier to deal with in Canada with their great health system.  So he couldn’t get back here for his partner Paul’s birthday.  That was Saturday.  Paul has a medical boot on his foot – he really injured it – and is hobbling around lonely and depressed. When I woke Friday morning, I had a good idea – in spite of the night.The temperature plummeted after we retired. I don’t know why I got up about an hour after going to sleep but I went into the livingroom and checked the device that gives up temperature readings in our little greenhouse.  Well, the temperature had gone down to 36 and it fell further while I stood there.  I woke Woody and he grumbled, grunted, but went out and brought in the seedlings in three batches.  I put them all on the floor of my office and barricaded the door so the cats couldn’t get it.  Xena likes to eat seedlings.  There’s a hole in my office door so the cats can freely enter and leave, so I had to block that securely and I do mean securely.  Xena is huge and strong and the cats will cooperate when they want something badly enough. It was 8 degrees, the coldest night of the year and here we are well into March. I haven’t seen a temperature on the Outer Cape that cold in 20 years.Anyhow when I woke Friday, I realized Paul was going to be lonely on his birthday. I checked with Woody and then called to invite him to supper for an improvised birthday party.  I got hold of Dale and Stephen and then Lisa and they all agreed to come.  Woody took a big leg of lamb from the freezer – from Maine where we get a whole naturally raised lamb every August.  I made a braised lamb dish with oranges, many red onions, garlic, potatoes, tomatoes.  It made sound weird but it’s very good and everybody ate the entire leg.  Dale had made salmon and egg salad hors’ d’oeuvres—2 separate dishes, not mushed together. We had dessert from the PB’s, the real French bakery in Wellfleet.Today the temperature is much milder and the sun is shining.  I hope to get outside and pick up trash and branches downed by storms where I can get at them – where the snow has melted. I hope more melted today.  I also want to make plans for the time that surely must eventually come when we can get into the vegetable and ornamental gardens and plant seeds and little plants.  The seedlings are back in the greenhouse. Tomorrow I’ll plant 4  six-packs of basil, two of Genovese, best for pesto and Italian dishes, lemon, best for fish, and purple that I use for salads and  beautiful vinegar with garlic. We’re getting low on the garlic we grew last year but it should last another couple of weeks or so.I have been working hard preparing my opening for the Revolutionary Moment conference at Boston University March 27-29 and the panel I’m be conducting on the outburst of women’s poetry during the heyday of women’s liberation.  Alta is coming from the West Coast and Kate Rushin and Louise Bernikow will be on the panel with me.  I’m looking forward to attending as many of the huge number of panels as I can and having lunch or supper with old friends.Wednesday I sent the ms. of the Outspoken Authors book to Ramsey Kanaan, my editor at PM.  Sent a copy to my agent, Lois Wallace.  That cleared the decks for working on the conference. Now I have two long and complicated interviews to work on as soon as I finish putting together my presentation for the panel.