zucchini sex

What a difference a day makes! Full steam ahead today. Most importantly - I HAD FORCED SEX WITH MY ZUCCHINI.

Yes, this morning I saw, at last, an open female flower. Immediately I seized a male flower, ripped off the petals and stabbed the stamen with its pollen into the female's opening. Graphic and satisfying. Let's hope out of that mass of foliage there emerges at least one edible vegetable. In the meantime, the cherry tomatoes are coming, the beans are nearly over, the cukes are delish, and all without parental intervention. What is wrong with you, zucchini?

And then I tackled the lists - made important but boring calls and fertilized the flowering plants by watering can which is heavy work. I did not do Gina's line dancing so as not to distract myself from the task at hand. At 2.30, a Zoom piano lesson. At 4, my first official meeting with Jason, my -- assistant? Consultant? Sounding board? Someone who cares if I'm writing and what I'm writing and where I'm going as a writer. At last. He and I talked about the next book but also a podcast, an audiobook, tech issues I could not figure out, and other vital matters.

I told Monique he might be right for her too, as she works to develop her teaching-French-to-anglos website, so he went next door afterwards, and she came immediately to me to say - he's perfect. A new career is born.

In the meantime, the work on the book is getting there - I hope to have both the proofread copy and the cover design, or at least a beginning toward it, by mid-week. Tomorrow, a Zoom call with the designer.

And then after another glass of rosé - it was a 3-glass evening for me, in celebration - Monique and I went into the garden and picked and ate raspberries. Sixteen degrees tonight! Life, for this one brief moment in the chaos, is perfect.