Yesterday we chanced one of our periodic treks to Lowes for essential supplies.  Maybe less than half of people were wearing masks and distancing.  As we ventured farther back into the store, fewer customers were doing so.  We planned ahead in order to spend as little time inside as possible, and more in the garden center.

Knowing this careless behavior is causing a big spike in COVID cases and deaths, including among the young, doesn’t help with the stress level.  Each time we go out, the probability of getting the virus increases.  It could have been a better outcome, if we had competent leaders and intelligent voters.

On the upside, I got some much-needed gardening items.  You can tell how quarantined we’ve been by how sorted out the garden is looking.  I’m not being a showoff, it’s what I do to feel productive when there’s no other outlet.  Here are some newly-improved perennial beds.

And here are more flowers, including one I’m very happy about, bee balm (Monarda), the last one, which is a great pollinator/hummer wildflower.  It finally took off this year.