I was supposed to have a film crew here for a documentary on Marilyn Monroe for the BBC and possibly CNN, all on Thursday.  I wrote a semi-famous essay on her about ten years ago, so they wanted me to take part.  However, their suggestions for where to film were not options I felt were safe.  I wanted them to film me on our land, outside or I could do a ZOOM interview.  I also offered to read the essay in question and they could edit whatever they wanted from it and show beautiful pictures of Marilyn while I spoke.  No no no.  The director kept saying, that wasn’t elegant and they were making a very elegant film with chandeliers, etc.  I said I wasn’t elegant.  I wasn’t into elegance.  It would have to be outside or I couldn’t do the filming. They wanted to use a theater. I felt that was a bad idea.  So finally after five months of negotiations [it began in February and went on just about weekly since then], I simply called it off Wednesday.

Friends from Albany came to the Cape this week to stay in the house of a British friend of theirs who couldn’t come this year at all because of Covid. They have had to be pretty careful as the wife has heart trouble and has endured two operations this year already. They were well situated at home as they have moved to an island in the Hudson.  My assistant Dale had a cataract operation this week – finally.  It kept being put off.  I don’t consider a cataract operation as elective.  He was really having trouble with his eyes by the time he finally was able to get the operation. Not being able to see clearly is a danger, especially as we get older. Anyhow, yesterday we entertained our friends from Albany on the sun porch in the afternoon. We had not seen them since last year, as they didn’t come to the Cape this summer.

We are trying to figure out how we can entertain as the temperature drops and it is no longer comfortable to use the sun porch.  We have figured out we could have three guests but no more in the living room where we could easily be ten-twelve feet apart if we open a window or two and the door and bundle up.  Woody bought stack tables we so could actually have a small number of guests for supper or dessert as the weather continues to cool.  We have some brilliant foliage.  The sugar maple in front of the house turned color the third week of September – way early for here- and now is dropping its leaves.  Virginia creeper has turned and one of our rum cherry trees is brilliant.

The fall bulbs I ordered are beginning to come. I planted ten red Fosteriana tulips yesterday.  Woody finished the new raised flower bed, narrow and long, along the east side of the main garden.  Since I can only plant in raised beds with my titanium knee implants, the bees have not been coming here to pollinate in the numbers we have seen in previous years. I want to grow only flowers bees like in that new bed.  I’ll start with crocuses, when that order comes, with some tall alliums between the beds.  I’m excited about that, as I love eto grow flowers. 

Today we are actually, finally cleaning at least the downstairs.  Normally we clean on rainy days, but we haven’t had any of those in months.  The terrible drought continues and we under a fire warning.  But today with the very high winds – 50 mph gusts-  we will lay off the garden and at least clean the downstairs. We’re not wonderful at cleaning, exceptg the bathrooms and the kitchen counters and the library table where the cats eat.