Puck recovering, garden on its way

Puck, my 14-year-old Abby, has not been the same since he went to the vet for dental work. He had lost weight and finally he stopped eating altogether. He seemed clinically depressed. Ten days ago I started feeding him babyfood and he ate a little of that. Then a bit more. Then a whole jar. Then two jars every day. I took him to the vet. He has a bladder infection & is anemic. But he is eating more normally now. I have conned the cats into believing that Science Diet kibbles are treats and today he ate some of that, twice. He is looking far more alert and interactive. He has always behaved well at the vet’s, but this time he growled menacingly at the vet so that she had me hold him while she worked on him. He purred when I held him but growled when she touched him. I think something bad happened when he was in last time. The day after he came home, I noticed a flap of skin on his cheek covering an open wound. When I told her, she said I should have brought him in. I think vets underestimate how much it takes out of a cat to endure a visit. I treated it with antibiotic ointment and did not need to pay $250. It healed beautifully. it has been warm, too warm in the early afternoon. I have been planting paste tomatoes [tomatoes for sauce although I like them in other uses too because they have less juice and seeds] in two of the raised beds Woody made for me. I can’t kneel. But working in raised beds is easy and fun. I also planted all the cukes I started and all the peppers. Italian style eggplant. I prepare the maincrop tomatoes for Woody to plant in the main garden the regular way – no raised beds there. He is too tender hearted to cull the plants; I am not. So I do that before he plants. I am working on the mss. of the poets who will be in my juried intensive poetry ms. I try to do three or four a week. Two done so far. One of the poets dropped out suddenly Thursday morning, but fortunately one of the alternates was available and joined immediately. I’ve never had someone drop out so late before, but I think it’s okay this time. I even found the new poet a place to stay, to take the place of the woman who left us. This suddenly hot weather – it’s 87 as I write this – is hard on both of us. We’re not hot weather junkies. We both found it uncomfortable as it approached noon and came in. I’ll go back out if it cools a little in half an hour or so and plant pumpkins --New England pie and big Rouge vif d’Etampes, the Cinderella bright vermillion pumpkins – and several kinds of winter squash. I started the pumpkins weeks ago, but the butternut and the other winter squashes I’ll start by seed. We’re in a bit of a drought here. It hasn’t rained in many days and there’s no rain in sight. We have to keep watering. It’s not the best weather for transplanting seedlings but they’re at the stage when they must go in the ground or suffer. Friday we had to drive over an hour to Falmouth for an eye appointment. Doctors in general value their time highly and yours, not at all. I was there for 2 hours and 15 minutes, 90% of the time sitting around waiting to be called and my eye poked. An hour there and an hour back. Today is cool for a change and overcast but that isn’t going to lead to one drop of rain. We are hoping to plant yellow squash and pattypans and either the remainder of the eggplants—the long thin Orientals-- or the zucchini plants. All those are of a good big size and more than ready to go in the ground. This morning while I’m writing this and doing one more poet’s manuscript, Woody is exchanging windows for screens on the sunporch.