The tomatoes are coming, the tomatoes are coming

So far we have eaten tomatoes always once, often twice a day. So far we have canned 9 pints of tomatoes, 16 pints of tomato sauce. We have given friends tomatoes. My aprons smell like tomatoes. Still they come.The beans are in trouble. It’s too humid for them. They like to be watered but they like the air dry. It’s excessively humid. Outside feels toxic. Thursday we hid in the house because it’s carnival in Ptown. The roads are choked. Last year I had a totally unsuccessful medical procedure – a so-called ablation that was supposed to reduce my back pain.   Instead it increased it 200%. I was in agony. A trip that would usually take 50 minutes took two and a half hours. We learned our lesson. On the day carnival starts, we hunk down. We go no place. We do not pick up the mail. We see no one unless they wish to try to come here. The cats are pleased, as yesterday we ran errands in Hyannis and were gone for four hours. Xena knows what cat food cans are and when the goodies for them from Petsmart were stacked on the table, she attempted to open a couple of the cans. Needless to say, she was unsuccessful, but again this morning, she tried.I am not feeling particularly creative. I had a long interview with Moment magazine via email that took two afternoons. I also had a short piece to write for a forum. I’ve not done much creative writing this week.What else is coming in abundance this month are guests. Everybody seems to be on the Cape – and trying to get to any appointment, it sure feels like everybody who could be her, is. It’s lovely to see people, but all at once? Nobody comes in February. They all come in August. We’re not on vacation, even though I’m slow today. I’m working on a new book and being a farm wife – planting, weeding, harvesting, cooking, canning, freezing, dehydrating. Everybody on vacation thinks we’re on vacation too. We aren’t.I have company tonight and we go to friends tomorrow night bringing a salad nicoise – I always make that once a summer. There are two other dishes I do once every summer: a Greek stuffed zucchini dish and Italian eggplant parmesan. The eggplants are coming in now but not in the abundance of last year – just enough. I’ll make eggplant parmesan next week. Schwartzie is two years old now and going through a typical two year old male cat period. He wants to dominate. Xena has been top cat since Puck died too young of cancer. This morning Schwartzie chased each of the other cats – a game, yes, but he is trying to show his dominance. I don’t think he’s going to succeed. He isn’t a very serious cat. Very amiable, normally, and still so with us, affectionate, a bit lazy. Xena is dead serious, thinks she takes care of us, Is a great mouser, as is shy Willow. She is still bigger than Schwartzie and every other cat, bigger than Willow and Mingus put together. I think she’ll retain her accustomed position. Before all the coywolves, our cats were indoor/outdoor cats and then being top cat was a weighty position. Every top cat we had in those days had to fight off intruders. Now it appears to be a purely honorary title hardly worth the trouble to maintain. But pride is involved. Cats are prideful creatures.The game last night was good. It appears the Pats’ defense is much stronger this year, although the corners aren’t impressive so far. Stronger than the offense. Brady doesn’t have much of a healthy receiving corps. However, the running backs seem good in spite of losing Dion Lewis. I look forward to Sunday games when I get to sit around. Not much of that these days. I went to my osteopath yesterday; my back and my hips are very sore. I think he helped. I have to move some chives into pots tomorrow.I receive 65 emails a day [I just counted them so far today and they amounted to 71] all asking for money, calling me by name, pleading, everything depends on my contribution or Trump will continue destroying the environment and the country.. It has gotten totally out of hand. They don’t understand that two or three or even six or seven may work but 71 is just a nuisance.I have been reading [only 77 pp left] Richard Howards THE OVERSTORY with great interest. A fascinating novel and very necessary. I recommend it. I had a new bio of Paul Simon from the library but found it fairly dull unless you’re passionate about discography.