All's Well That Ends Well

As this week began, my body was still reacting to the stress of last week, when I had two long appointments. The first was an eye appointment in Yarmouth; and then a long dental appointment also in Yarmouth.  [I actually can close my eyes and see the river Yar in England] I was in pain but nonetheless I had a reading Thursday evening after the dentist had filled three teeth that day. My back was hurting. I was shaking when I left the dentist and very weak. Dental appointments take a lot out of me but I don’t want to lose any more teeth.  So, I endure them.

Somewhere during all this, I picked up a bug. I had an irritable stomach starting Monday. By Wednesday, I had a full-fledged sore stomach that didn’t want any food. I was coughing and running a low -rade fever. And other unpleasant effects. I couldn’t go to supper at Bruce and John’s.  Woody went and had a great time. Bruce packed up a care package of food from the dinner for me. By Thursday afternoon, I was recovering and able to eat a little of what he sent, very carefully. Woody made chicken soup and I was able to eat that.  Friday, my body seemed normal. I was fully back to work.  I saw Dr. Dworet on Thursday and he helped. It may have been something I ate [unlikely] or one of those pesky 36 hour viruses that Woody and I get. They seem to last a far shorter time with us. I suspect we both have decent immune systems.

I finally planted the cilantro into my garden that I had started back in February. It’s a slow starter but now a decent size.  We are eating salads from the garden as my lettuce has really taken off and so has the Chinese cabbage.  There’s plentiful arugula, red mustard and the radishes ae coming along.  In the main garden, things look good. We should be able to have a spinach salad tonight. The leeks had good germination and the broccoli transplants are surging along, as is the savoy cabbage. Both started inside.

I hired an assistant and so far, so good.  We are playing catch-up, as ten weeks of new poems have accumulated. That makes at least 20 new poems as some weeks, I wrote and/or revised three.

The front porch is really looking good with two long pots of blue pansies and another shorter long pot with dark blue muscari in bloom.  I want to fill another long pot with red small flowered begonias. I also want to plant Japanese painted ferns in the bed under the dining room windows where hyacinths should bloom shortly.  The Sweet Cicely (Myrrhis odorata) is flowering on the hill outside and its light anise flavor is delicious in our first salads.  It’s been a dry spring after a dry year. Wednesday night, it rained, a really good soaking rain. Then Thursday, in late morning, the sun came out. Everything had a growth spurt and many of the trees including all the types of maples that grow here have leafed out, among them, our remaining sugar maple out front.  I love to look at the emerging leaves, all the various shades of green.

Friday I worked with Dorian as she had an emergency on Tuesday.  I couldn’t do the personal laundry so that got kicked over to today.  I hope we get back to a more normal schedule. Sunday, I hope to plant herbs, including parsley. Some on the porch, some in my herb bed.