Our first tomatoes are coming in daily, both the main crop heirlooms and the yellow cherry tomatoes. We made more pesto, about the last of the first crop of basil plants. Just before going into the hospital for my knee operation, I started seedlings of bok choi, green cabbage, two kinds of Chinese cabbage, the round and the loaf shaped raddichio, cilantro and two six-packs of basil. I’ve already frozen just about enough pesto for the winter. The old cilantro burnt itself out maybe two weeks ago. Woody had to plant them all this week in the heat and humidity, a task he did not enjoy even slightly. Everything is turning into a jungle. The tomato plants are huge, but that doesn’t mean all their energy has gone into leaves – they’re producing. I have cut way back on the oxycodone and my brain was finally clear enough to write a poem two days ago and revise it yesterday. I am making slow, very slow progress on the short story but that’s okay. I’m probably half through a rough draft. It feels good to get to work again, finally. I feel more alive. Woody went off to Omega to teach our memoir workshop alone. The class is smaller than usual which does not mean it’s less work. Often a smaller class is more work than a big one. I am missing him, but friends have been bringing me every lunch and every supper and really taking care of me. I make great progress, able to do more and more and to be on my feet longer and then there is a setback. I try not to get impatient. I can only push it so far and so fast. I went out to the gazebo and processed our garlic crop, not the biggest we’ve ever had but in good shape and enough. It was wonderful to sit outside in the gardens for an hour and forty minutes although I was really tired afterward. It will be some time before my stamina builds up to what it usually is. I finished Louise Erdrich’s THE PLAGUE OF DOVES, which I had missed when it came out some years ago. I found the structure fascinating and enjoyed reading it. I’m starting Kevin Birmingham’s THE MOST DANGEROUS BOOK:: THE BATTLE FOR JAMES JOYCE;S ULYSSES. It won’t be as easy to read since it’s a heavy fat hardcover and I read in bed a lot during this rehabbing time. Melenie continues to be over the top helpful and compassionate, as if she doesn’t have two other jobs and her own work. But all my friends who live around here have been great. The refrigerator, whose interior I saw for the first time yesterday, is crammed with food they keep bringing over. Martha brought a complete meal Friday night that we shared – bluefish pate form a fish she caught that very afternoon; chicken salad, pasta with pesto [she’s having a big basil year but no zukes] and chocolate chip coconut cookies she baked. Saturday morning I had a frightening setback. I got out of an armless chair awkwardly and my previously operated on knee gave way and hurt like hell. The PT told me to stay still and ice it and today it’s much better. Tonight Paul & Dan are coming over and bringing supper. I promised to make a vegetable, which I will do – a zuke dish with pesto I taught Melenie to make this week when I was making it. .