But I only planted half of the tire, in case it really is too early and nothing grows. I put a string down the middle and planted the upper half.
Then I watered my little seeds. And covered all the tires with wire to keep Clark and Leo from using them as a litter box.
Hopefully I will get lucky, and soon I will have a variety of vegetables growing in my garden. I only planted things that are considered "cold crops". The soil was workable and I was able to till it a bit, so if the sun keeps shining, and I water it daily, hopefully by next week I will have some sprouts.
This is a way for me to cope with this unusual time. I need to be outside, in my backyard...my happy place....my sanctuary. And it is working. I feel parts of me that have been dormant for a while are now waking up and starting to grow again. Just like the tulip bulbs that spring forth in my flower bed I made just for them. Just like those hearty crocus flowers that are wonderful promise of more spring to come. Things are coming back to life all around me.
Our cat Clark continues to be vigilant outdoors supervising all the goings on in the backyard, and enjoying having his humans back doing some activities outside.
We enjoyed our first barbequed hamburgers of the season. Paul had got the gas grill out of storage in the garage and cleaned it up, went and got some propane, and before you knew it, we had some grilled burgers. Boy did they taste good!! (Hey Pat and Joanne, if you look closely, Paul is now clean shaven!!)
And I need life around me, because the things I keep reading about this virus are rather grim. The one that I read today that shows how fast this virus is spreading was on the WHO website. It said something like this: There are about 200,000 reported cases in the world right now. 100,000 of them were reported in the first two months. The next 100,000 were reported in the last 12 days.
This is why my friend April, who lives in Italy, cannot stress to people enough....STAY HOME!!!
We talked to daughter Cosette on the phone, and got caught up on how her work at the Best Western University Inn is going. She continues to work, but events are being cancelled and not many people staying at the hotel. Their restaurant in the hotel is now offering takeout. But all the events that normally take place in the spring in Moscow that have to do with the college have been cancelled, and many students are remaining in their homes and not returned to Moscow after spring break. But Moscow is not unique. This is happened across the country.
As I read through the states who have done a lock down, and what that means, the common denominators were mostly hospitals, pharmacies, grocery stores and gas stations could all remain open. Restaurants can be open, but only provide take out service. We have decided to help support our local businesses by ordering take out at least once a week from a local restaurant to help them through this time.
Today my thoughts are with those grocery store employees. If you do go shopping, please smile and be kind to each and every person working in that store. I can't imagine the stress they must be feeling each day as they go to work. They encounter people from all over, and they have not idea if they have been exposed or not.
When you do go shopping, buy only what you need. If possible, buy at least enough food and supplies for two weeks so you don't have to keep returning to the store.
I was perplexed at first by the panic buying of toilet paper and other goods as this whole thing started spreading into the United States. But I was saddened and grieved by the story one of my friends shared about people filling their grocery carts with items, then getting impatient because the lines where too long, and just abandoning them in the store, complete with frozen and perishable food items. Her suggestion was to at least return them to customer service so someone there could put the items away.
Ephesians 4:32 says this: "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in
Christ God forgave you."
This is good advice for everyone, all across the world. Whether you believe in any kind of god or not. This is the way people get through something like this. By being kind. By being compassionate. By forgiving one another.
So next time you go to the store to buy something, give that clerk or person stocking the shelves or person working in the deli a big smile and say, "Thank you for working today. I appreciate you."
A smile and kind word goes a long way!!
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