After more than two months of drought, we had two days of sometimes heavy rain this week.  Everything perked up and the rabbits and chipmunks are no longer eating everything in sight to get moisture. The only thing injured by the storms were my seedlings for the fall garden. Some of them, still too small to plant, sitting in peat pots were drowned. I’m hoping t least some of them can survive to be planted in beds I’ve already cleared for them.We have eto find new ways of gardening because cimate change is not going away.  Few governments are willing to really cut down on corporations that pollute.

My old friend Eleanor visited on Thursday.  She and her husband Jeff had supper with us last Friday on the sunporch –Eleanor is allergic to cats. Shaman, of course, wanted to party with us and hurled tiny little body against the closed door. Eleanor and I visited downstairs in the dining room with windows open and cats locked up in the back half of the upstairs. We wre mourning Kathy Boudin together and reminiscing about our Movement dayse

Some few tomatoes are coming through; besides the many sun gold cherry tomatoes we are eating and cooking with.  I managed to make 4 ½ pints of Italian tomato sauce.  We need much more.  We’ll see how we do.  The hot weather is back already. Last year I caned over 20.  We need a lot because I cook with our homemade tomato sauce all year long.

I am hoping that the Supreme court’s intention to push us back into 1950 and kill off as many women as possible will cause them to lose the midterm elections.  Noto to mention their intention to outlaw contraception! And eliminate marriage equality.  And let corporations pollute as much as they feel like.  Etc etc etc.  Christian Nationalists are scary indeed.  If enough people vote, we’ll be far safer.

I took part last Saturday in what was advertised as a reading on abortion rights.  When I started, I was very puzzled and put off.  Two Australian poets read long poems that had nothing to do with the event.  Finally, after that, we got to poems from the anthology edited by Annie Finch and everything from then on was actually relevant.  I read four abortion poems.  

Friday Shaman has been with us for nine weeks and we believe he is five months old.  He is more than twice the size he was when we got him at the Northeast Animal Shelter.  He continues to demonstrate his loving, playful and bright personality.  He likes to figure things out. But of course, to a kitten. The question of every object is can I eat it or can I play with it.

Woody went on a long trip around Lt. Island in kayaks with our old friend Jeff and Eleanor and I had some time together talking about Kathy.  I won’t be able to join the memorial in New York as going to NYC has become prohibitively expense and Chesa, her son, says they can’t do ZOOM.  I’d written a poem for the occasion but can’t deliver it.