Prisoners of Cape Cod

The Army Corps of Engineers have closed two lanes of the four lane Sagamore Bridge, our route off and on the Cape. It’s taking people up to four hours longer to commute. I am just hoping my medical marijuana holds up till they finish. They claim they will be done by Memorial Day, just in time for the summer hoards. The people who actually live and work here or live here and work over the bridge – we don’t matter.It was not been an easy week with Dan’s death to process. The sweetest part was that Melenie came to visit Thursday and Friday. We worked on the mess of my herbs and spices and talked and talked and talked. Xena remembers Melenie and expects her to make a fuss about her, which she did. Xena spent the whole day not more than several inches away. The weather behaved itself, springlike throughout. Now it’s supposed to get cold again tonight and tomorrow night. When Melenie and I drove to Newcomb Hollow beach to look at the ocean, she was shocked by the needle burn on the pitch pines and by the number of trees broken off or uprooted by storms, one after the other.Today Melenie will be returning to Easthampton. I’m planning to start the last seedlings that go into the greenhouse once they sprout, all zucchini. I am also planning to replant the lettuce that I put in two weeks ago in my garden, during the last mild spell when I thought spring had finally sprung. It got so cold and wintry that I suspect the seeds rotted. The radishes, arugula and garden cress all came up, as did the spinach Woody planted.They gobblers are disconsolate, as the hens, have had their eggs fertilized, have no more use for them. They stand about displaying their fans but nobody pays attention. I saw a group of four hens yesterday, no gobbler with them any longer. It may be cold, but the birds have deadlines and a schedule to follow.Tonight we had planned to celebrate on Dan’s birthday and also Woody’s that was last weekand Stephen’s that was two weeks ago.  Of course, Dan is dead now, but we still want to celebrate Woody and Stephen, even though we’d delayed the party for Dan. We got a new stove this week. Curt, the repairman, had said out old gas stove had rusted out inside. It had become dangerous and he could no longer fix it. I picked out a stove and it was delivered Thursday morning. Our plumber Larry installed it as soon as Joe and Son departed. It took him most of the day, but I am able to use the new stove. G.E. no longer gives you a manual with the stove, making you download it. Not easy. It has come out PDF gobblegook with weird blocks printed over – three times! Once and once only, we were able to download a readable copy. Every appliance gets more complicated and harder to use and harder to access information.I am really trying to get the novel done and off by the end of April. I know I cannot make all or even many of the changes my agent requested. I think it’s a NYC vs the country at large atttitudes, partly. I also know a fair amount about elder abuse. She cannot seem to imagine how nasty and frequent it is in families. She wants it toned down. I can’t honestly do that. any daffodils blooming, some hyacinths, many dark blue scillas and light blue anemones. The crocuses are done for the year.