We went for supper at the Wellfleet home of some new friends.  We had a wonderful meal there and the conversation was easy and interesting. It’s marvelous to make new friends as we age.  It’s important and I know we will have them over in a few weeks to continue to get to know each other.

It was my first week in a while not consumed by judging.  I got back to my book and resumed writing my own poems, instead of paying full attention to the poems of other people.  I started five kinds of peppers, three of them bells, one frying and one hot pepper – Aropaho.  Also, one kind of Oriental eggplant and an Italian type eggplant. I also had to restart a new pack of Covina broccoli and Italian parsley, as the previous batch didn’t germinate.  I will start paste tomatoes and, summer savory as soon as the peppers hatch, since right now, there’s no room for more sic-packs on the two heating pads downstairs.  So probably, I won’t get to plant tomatoes till next week.

Tuesday we go off to Hyannis to see my cardiologist and the woman who checks my pacemaker.  I’m hoping we can have lunch afterward at Bamboo.  It’s very difficult to get Woody to eat lunch out (something of a Puritan, he doesn’t believe in eating lunch that doesn’t involve business) but without a car or a license now, I get a bit housebound and look forward to excursions with some pleasure to them.

We have no snow at all.  The bulbs are coming up all around the house.  I ordered a couple of plants for hanging baskets or containers.  I don’t start them from seed, except for herbs and marigolds. 

Willow has begun being fascinated by the printer.  She sits and waits for me to print something.  It does no harm but she gets so excited when I hot print!  I made turkey thighs last night with chickpeas in a sauce of white wine, garlic, oregano, mint and lemon. Tonight, we have one thigh left over (it weighs about a pound) and I’ll remake the sauce with more chickpeas and then warm the remaining turkey thigh in the sauce.  I’ll make a broccoli, garlic, and parmesan dish alongside it.

Woody has begun the early garden work—arranging he greenhouse, clearing the paths,  building new raised beds, etc.  I haven’t yet but will probably get out and start on some of the perennial and pollinator beds this week.  I might start calendula inside. It doesn’t need heat so won’t require space on the two heating elements downstairs in the storage room. 

I’m writing this blog late as I have been catching up on my office, which was a compete mess when I sent off the last of the winners in the poetry contest.  I am slowly going though all the papers that lay all over the desk and the floor. I am almost done reorganizing my work space.  This week, Indira is coming over.  We share the same editor at Knopf.  She is a novelist and a poet and is a member of my poetry group.  I am trying to create some time now every week to see a woman friend.  I was too busy for some time.  But it’s important to keep in touch.